Niger River Traders
Niger River Traders
The captain of a pirogue always uses the same techniques when landing. The villages are compulsory stops and the river traders give presents to the local policemen. The main cargo is the revered and valuable “white gold” - salt from the Sahara as well as bags of rice. Tuareg traders on the Niger river travel down a huge lake where the waters go as far as the eye can see. The local fishermen supply most of the fish that are eaten in Mali. They wait for the level of the lake to go down and then go fishing. They know how to fish and have great skill at catching fish on the Niger River. The Rivers natural balance is being threatened by the construction of a dam. Some of the captains of the river barges have been sailing down the Niger river for decades. This has slowed down the river traffic and the river traders only know how to sail the river and trade along the length.
The river traders also carry passengers such as many Tuareg tradespeople, Songhai fishermen and Bambara merchants - to Mopti, a town located 450 km from the port of Timbuktu. It is quite a contrast when the river reaches Mopti. it is a noisy bustling city. The salt bars are unloaded and the white gold of the sahara is changing hands and will eventually end up on the coast of west africa.