daily photo niger

the blanket we got the other day at the zoo

art across from the grocery store

where the president of niger buys his meat

We've never bought meat from here, but we will one day. It's right where you turn onto our unmarked, unnamed street. So we tell people to turn at the meat place. Everyone knows where it is, it's famous.

socks seller

les bijoux

When you are in Niger, be sure to buy some silver jewelry, it's unique in the world and the artisans in Niger are known to be the best in West Africa.

a tisket a tasket

Out past Diffa, in the village of Kanuri they make these colorful baskets, for rice, cola nuts or decorations. At our house we use them for kittens.

fabrique en niger

Fabric is one of the joys of Niger. Many West Africa countries, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria import fabulous fabrics. Asian imports are popular too and are killing the local producers. This one is la vrais chose, made in Niger. Now to decide what to do with it.

wadabe fabric

If you look at the Wadabe singing a few posts down you'll see this is what they are wearing: gorgeous hand- woven cotton, which is dyed with indigo, then embroidered. You can buy pieces like this from a young man who works down the street from me, he'll walk up to your car with a few pieces over his arm, offering to sell them to you. There are no set prices for these kinds of things, baskets or jewelry--you always have to barter. The first price will be $100, but he'll eventually come down to $40. It's of exhausting, but sort of fun too. The line that works best for me, "Monsieur! J'habite ici!" I live here!

woven blanket

soapstone

One of my favorite things about Niamey: it's not a culture convincing me that I need the perfect cardigan from Brora, the Juno soundtrack, a chair from Anthropologie, an iphone, Jon Fluvogs, a new bag from Coach, and a $50 diptique candle from France to give me just the little boost I need to truly become fully myself. None of the stuff you can buy here is paraded through the New York Times or on any website or even at a bus stop kiosk. Everything worth buying here is handmade by someone, and you have to go out and search for it. In the case of the soapstone carvers, they have a little spot on a corner where they sit on the ground and work. The soapstone work is lovely and most people leave here with at least one piece.