Agadez, a Tale of Two Cities
It’s been six years since the city of Agadez has been included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It’s also been four years since the law 2015–36 criminalizing the smuggling of migrants was adopted in Niger. From “gateway to the desert” to “migratory crossroad”, Agadez has seen many names, but has remained an integral part of Niger’s culture and tradition.
The historical center of Agadez in northern Niger has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, since 2013[1]. Nevertheless, this desert city dates from the 15th century, when legend says an arrow was drawn to determine the place where the Sultanate would be built.
The World Heritage List status gave Agadez[2] authorities the opportunity to restore many of the houses in the historical center which had been worn down by rain and time.
As a migratory crossroad, the economy of Agadez has been largely dependent on migration before the adoption of the 2015–36 law criminalizing the smuggling of migrants. Agadez and many of its 30,000 inhabitants have been experiencing scarce job opportunities ever since, which has prompted some to look for other economic opportunities such as drug trafficking, which further contributed to the regional insecurity and drug consumption.
The Sultanate of Aïr has been praised for years for setting good examples for youth, and its role as a peacemaker in the community. Therefore, the Sultanate decided for the 6th year anniversary of Agadez being a UNESCO World Heritage site, to name the festival “The Days of the Old Town” and choose the theme Safeguarding the Cultural Heritage and Fighting Drug Consumption, Managing Migration and Promoting Social Cohesion.
This type of festival contributes to the much-needed boost the tourism sector needs, which last enjoyed its glory days, a couple of decades ago. The insecurity in the region also put an end to the direct Paris-Agadez flights, and cultural events like this one.
“We have lived through flourishing times in Agadez. You could see students coming here for internships while others came just for tourism. People came from Europe by car and left by flight, selling their vehicles for nothing to the local community. There was no need for rebelling,” says the Sultan of Aïr, 52nd Sultan of Agadez Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou.
“We have lived through flourishing times in Agadez.”
– Sultan of Aïr, the 52nd Sultan of Agadez, Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou
The “Days of the Old Town” lasted for four days during which traditional dances and concerts, horse races, camel shows and a craft fair were organized. In the month prior to the celebration, in each of the 11 neighbourhoods, awareness-raising sessions were organized, related to drug use, irregular migration and social cohesion.
More than 10,000 people attended the month-long awareness-raising activities while more than 3,000 were present for the final festivities during their 4-day course. IOM’s community mobilizers (‘MobComs’) were present during the celebrations to sensitize community members and migrants about the dangers of irregular migration and its alternatives. In good humour, local musicians joined the awareness-raising sessions by promoting regular migration on local beats.
Bawale is one of the seven members of the popular Manki group from Nigeria. The group was invited by the Sultan to perform in Agadez during “The Days of the Old Town”. Bawale found his life’s passion in music when he was barely 20 years old and has dedicated the past 30 years to making the Manki group an international success. “I’m an old man now, but I still love what I do. I am happy to be able to perform next to my son today,” Bawale cheerfully says.
“Whenever we come to Agadez, we feel at home.”
– Bawale
When Manki’s lead singer optimistically asked the Sultan for a horse during the performance, little did he expect that the Sultan would say yes. Little by little, as the performance continues, people continue gifting them with land, traditional outfits and horse attire, reflecting the generosity and hospitability that lays at the heart of Agadez.
“It’s a beautiful thing to finally see tourists coming back to Agadez, and the more tourists come, the less problems related to irregular migration there will be. People will have other means to sustain themselves,” explains the Sultan.
“If tourists come, people will have other means to sustain themselves.”
– Sultan of Aïr, the 52nd Sultan of Agadez, Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou
Azaoua, IOM’s Community Outreach Officer in the Agadez region, is born and raised in Agadez, and over the years has seen the city at its best, but also at its worst. For Azaoua, as for many other Agadez-ians, the event brings back good memories and hope for what is yet to come.
“This day takes me back to when I was just a child and my father used to bring me to the Sultanate for events like this. That childlike joy I felt then is the same joy I feel today, and today, I can bring my own children here to experience our culture with their own eyes. I’m proud I can contribute to reinstating the values of this place I call home,” Azaoua says.
“That childlike joy I felt then is the same joy I feel today.”
– Azaoua
The activities organized for the “The Days of the Old Town of Agadez” were funded by the European Union, within the framework of the Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism.
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[1] following the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
[2] Inscribed into the list are the Sultanate, along with its historical center comprised of 11 neighborhoods and their traditional mud houses, the Hotel de l’Aïr and the famous 27m tall Mosque of Agadez with its minaret — the world’s tallest minaret made entirely of mudbrick.
