aka Ishtar News
It’s wintertime here in Niger. Some days are temperate and sunny while some are cold and dusty (especially around dawn), but the bush is just as enjoyable as ever.
We meet more people now that the millet fields have opened up to the nomads, who are bringing their animals south from the northern pastures.
Not too long [...]
For the past two weeks, we’ve been enjoying the visit of Eden’s chairman of the board Staffan Göranson and his wife Inger.
Having not been to Niger since Eden’s early stages twenty years ago, there was a lot to catch up on!
One of our first outings was a visit to Zinder’s market.
It’s an obligatory stop and [...]
Despite it being the least developed country in the world, I always miss Niger when I’m away.
It doesn’t matter how well functioning my native Sweden is on the outside - I miss the simplicity of the bush, the blueness of the sky, the joy of a stranger’s laughter as we meet for the first time.
I [...]
Since arriving in Sweden, I’ve had a hard time adjusting to the food culture that the food industry has been pushing for a long period of time now. I never used to think so much about what I bought before, but after reading a Swedish book entitled “Äkta Vara” by food journalist Mats-Eric Nilsson (which [...]
Dear readers!
It is my honour to present esthergarvi.com’s very first Guest Blogger! Four years my elder and offering a unique perspective on the childhood that we shared, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome my very own sister Miriam Garvi!
* A LEGACY OF MEANING * by Miriam Garvi
I consider my upbringing to be a most privileged [...]
It’s the day before take off and the car is still in the garage. Although the mechanics look concerned, they promise the car will be ready by noon, for sure.
We all know “African time” and my dad takes no chances. On the last day before take-off, he spends most of his hours on site.
The work [...]
Although most of our days tend to be busy, this past weekend was busier than ever (in a good way). Between horseback riding, house cleaning (mostly done by our guest Hanna from Sweden) and heading off to dinner at my father’s, we managed to squeeze in an excursion to the Zinder market.
Much to Hanna’s delight, [...]
This past Saturday, we got up very early in the morning, in order to attend the opening ceremony (called a ‘Fatia’) of a wedding at the other end of town. This was Hanna’s first real excursion in the “real Zinder”, after visiting Ishtar’s Ark, Eden Street, the Eden office and the nearby bush.
The wedding was [...]
Copyright Eden Foundation
Every once in a while, a little baby is born to someone you know. On the seventh day, you go on a “souna”, which is when the name in announced.
The mother in question was my friend Ladi, a few years younger than and who also grew up on Eden Street. She married a few years [...]
When most of us see a watermelon, we think of fresh fruit, or a fruit salad to be a little more “adventurous”.
Copyright Eden Foundation
In Eden Land however, the women cook with it.
Copyright Eden Foundation
Enjoying quiet days in the village, mother and grandmother Inna shows the Eden field worker the meal she has just prepared for [...]
Within Hausa culture, the professional entertainer is called the “griot”.
Whenever there is a public spectacle, you can find him, doing stunts and little plays for the general amusement of the people.
His acts can be both musical and athletic,
…frightening or dangerous…
…artistic…
…or a combination of all of the above!
Whenever there is a ceremony that calls for family unity (such as a wedding), you will see a lot of girls and women dressed in the same tissue.
This concept is referred to as “uniforme” here in French speaking Niger.
It means that all female relatives and friends get together and have new outfits made from the [...]
Abdulmumuni is a tradesman (son of the market, as you would say in Hausa) at the market of Zinder, who specializes in a local delicacy: sun dried locusts/grasshoppers.
Although the idea of eating locusts can be repulsive to many, it is a question of mindset. I just read on the Internet that in ancient Greece and [...]
Last week, the Eden research department came up with a delicious smooth-tasting oil, and the day after, we tried out the latest solar oven purchase with a whole-grain sorghum bread.
Personally, I adore sorghum, which unfortunately is considered “poor man’s millet”. With the international food racism doing its part on national radio and television, many Nigeriens [...]
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