Niger, a safe destination?

We were advised to inform carefully before departure about the local situation when choosing a relatively unknown destination. Because Niger was unknown to us, we have informed us well.
We were often told that it isn’t safe in Niger but we gathered up our courage to bring this country a visit.
In this blog I want to give you a global painting about the environment , the spoken language, manners, customs, clothing, … of Niger.

When we arrived in Niger it became immediately clear that this is a very poor country.
The majority of the population, 85% , are working in the agriculture.
But because Niger is a dry country, the harvest failed many times. This keeps them in the vicious circle of poverty.

April, May and June are the hottest months. The temperature can reach 45 degrees. In the rainy season the temperature drops to 30 degrees. I’m so happy that we aren’t visiting Niger in the hottest months. It’s already boiling hot!

In the south of the country, around the Niger River, we find a savanna vegetation. In this southern savannas are many savannah animals like elephants, lions, giraffes and kaffir buffalos. During a visit to the southern part we saw elephants and giraffes. It’s very nice to see how these animals walking around freely in nature.

The official language is French. This is definitely a good thing because it’s much easier to communicate with the population. Other spoken languages ​​are Hausa and Zarma.

Niger is a Muslim country, so we had to change our clothes. We are tend to wear not much because it's so hot, but we can’t. So I cover at least my shoulders and wear a shirt and a long pants. I sweat my ass off but I do not have problems with the locals!
 My head is uncovered. That isn’t necessary because there are also African women without headscarves.

That there is much criminality in Niger became clear when someone tried to steal my bag. Criminals are very common in tourist places and markets. In the hotel they gave us the advice to protect our original identity cards and travel documents in a safe and if we make trips only take photocopies with us.

Niger is an interesting country to visit but honestly I feel not really safe here. I'll be glad when we travel to Tunisia. I'll let you know as soon as possible how this country is!

Niger River

Sources : http://www.afrikatour.nl/landengegevens/niger/nigergegevens.htm

http://www.intermediair.nl/carriere/verandering/werken-buitenland/wonen-en-werken-niamey-niger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger

Economy in Algeria

Dear reader

Our third country during our trip was Algeria. There we have visited the city Algiers. It is the largest city of Algeria. We had a beautiful time over there.
I want to tell you a bit more about the economy over there. The city has a very important economic, commercial and financial centre. It has a particular stock exchange with a capitalization of 60 million euros. It has the highest cost of living in Nord-Africa and is ranked at the 50th place worldwide. The president of the Counsel of Administration, Mohamaed Ben Ali El Abbar, has also presented five projects to transform the surroundings of the city.
The port of Algiers is also the most important one of Nord Africa.

The country Algeria stands on the 10^th place as regards the biggest reserves of natural gas in the world and the 16^th place in reserves of oil. Most of the reserves are situated in the Eastern Sahara.

According to the profile of 2012 the public expenses are increased by 27 % the last five years.

The unemployment is also there a ‘problem’, especially among young people. The unemployment rate is namely 21,5 % in the age group of 15-24 years. This is a seriously jump in relation to the year 2011, than it was only 10 %. There are measures needed to fix this job supply. They have to make education more democratic and they also have to expand the vocational training and the higher education.

Did you also know that approximately 45 % of the wealth is in the hands of the top 5 % of the population?

Finally I want you to know that Algerian trades principally with France, Italy,
the United States and Spain.

I liked this country quite well and I am looking forward to Tunisia.

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algiers#Economy
  
• http://www.mongabay.com/reference/new_profiles/909.html
• http://www.indexmundi.com/algeria/economy_profile.html
• http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/countries/north-africa/algeria/
• http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-review/Algeria-Algiers_3.cfm

Business etiquette in Niger

The second city we visited was Niamey, situated in Niger. There were not a lot of things similar to the business etiquette in Nigeria.

The people who live over there are very directly and usually say exactly what they think. They also want their privacy. They have their own ‘territory’. What I actually mean is that they want a bit of space, so they don’t like it if people are sitting close to them. That’s just like us. Something strange is the fact that men en women don’t touch each other in public. Do you know why? Just because there are a lot of people considering it as taboo. Really strange. When they shake hands, they do it with their right hand also when they eat or when they accept gifts. This all because they consider the left hand as unclean. So when you are in Nigeria, they won’t like it when you do one of these things with your left hand.

When we were having meetings, the men always worn a button down shirt. Here in Belgium it looks a bit disheveled. But there it is the normal state of affairs. Women rarely wear pants, it’s most of the time an ankle-length skirt. So when you over there and you wear sleeveless attire, mini-skirts,… they will look strange at you.

On business cards they usually use French titles like Monsieur, Madame and Mademoiselle. In special situations (with teachers, doctors,…) they want to be addressed as Al Hadje (respected man) or Al Hadjia (respected/wealthy woman).

Niger has, if you follow me, a weird business etiquette. This country and city was totally not what I expected from it. I thought it would be similar to Nigeria, but it isn’t. I hope you won’t change those two countries, because there are a lot of diversities.

Sources:

• http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=150
• http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Niger.html
• http://www.explorra.com/destinations/niamey_12155

Niger: Camel racing?

If you do not mind, I would like to tell you something more about the culture of Niger and Algeria.

I have to say, I find it amazing that camel racing is a traditional sport in Niger, as is Horse racing. We could barely keep that animal under control, so to all those racers I would say: “bravo”!

I really did not know that there are so many Muslims in Niger, the Islam is practiced by more than  90% of the population. I was really looking forward to learn about the culture, because I did not know anything about it so I did not know what to expect.

I am experiencing some troubles at the moment because I find it hard to switch between French and English. We have spoken French all day because French is most used across communities in Niger.

I was also surprised when the guide told us that there are eight other official languages spoken in Niger. I thought everyone would speak the same language, but apparently they do not. The people of Niger speak for example Arabic, Toubou and Hausa, which is spoken by 50% of the population.

After Niger, we went to Algeria. I had no idea what to expect. I have been to Tunisia before, so I thought Algeria would be the same. 

I have to admit, I am fascinated by the culture of African countries. What is stuck in my memory, is a street musician. He played lovely music, the typical Algerian music genre. Chaâbi was it, I think, it was characterized by specific rhythms and popular poems in Arabic dialect.

And oh we saw a little boy playing football! I still remember his words! “Je voudrais devenir footballeur parce que c’est le sport le plus populaire en Algérie!” with this he meant that football is the most popular sport in Algeria. I was surprised by this because of the difference between Niger and Algeria. From camel racing to football, what is up next? I know I am looking forward to it!

                      Camel racing in Niger

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Niger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria
http://www.algeria.com/culture/

http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=3

Niger: a new land, new discovery

The first day in Niger, we arrived in The Grand Hotel. The hotel was located next to the Niger River, which is the principal river of West Africa.

We were a bit worried because we heard there were some troubles with the Tuareg nomads but we didn’t notice anything.

It is very hot in this country. When we arrived, it was 101 Fahrenheit. In Nigeria, it was about 85 Fahrenheit so there is some difference.

Despite the Niger River, I liked Nigeria more because of the beach. Niger is for 80% covered with the Sahara. We went there by Jeep for a day and we had the choice to ride on a camel. I haven’t done it because I was a bit scared and I would take pictures of my friends.
I think Céline and Kelly won’t forget this day anymore. Suddenly there was a loud noise and the animals were startled.  The poor camels started to run with the consequences that Céline fell on the ground and Kelly couldn’t stop the camel she was riding on.

The day after our camel-incident, we went to Algeria. We stayed in the Hilton hotel in the capital Algiers. The hotel has a nice swimming pool with palm trees and a wonderful view over the sea.

The Monument of the Martyrs and The Notre Dame d’Afrique were very impressive monuments. The latter is situated on the top of a hill. When we were standing there we had a stunning view over the sea. I really love the Mediterranean Sea because it is much prettier than the North Sea. The colour of the water is amazing and also those lovely white beaches!

Tomorrow we leave this country behind us and go to the next one. Heading towards Tunisia! I am looking forward to experience some new adventures.

Sources:

http://ethnoworld.tumblr.com/post/27424684142/tuareg-people-niger
http://www.grandhotelniger.com/english/home.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niamey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algiers
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/algeria/hilton-alger-ALGHIHI/index.html
photo : http://cartoon2013.blogspot.be/2012/08/camel.html

Business etiquette in Nigeria

During our first trip in Lagos, a city in Nigeria, we saw a lot of things that are similar to those in Belgium, but we also saw things which are not.

Homosexuality is something that is not tolerated and illegal in the society. Men and women may not show any affection between them in public. Well actually they may do it,  but the people over there think it is offending and rude.

Such as in our country, Nigerians are always dressed well. Men will come in suits or in formal local clothing. They also use names like Mr, Mrs or Miss. Those titles seem important.

At meetings you always have to try to be on time and you have to be prepared that others will be late.

When men greet each other they often shake hands. It is usual to hold the hand for a longer time, this often during the first part of the conversation. When there is a junior, they have to stand in front of the other man and have to bow in front.
Next to that you have to try to greet the participants in order of seniority. When you just say a quick “hello” it is considered as impolite.
By the way: questions about their family or health is most of the time a good icebreaker and furthermore a good start of the conversation.

Personal I really liked this country and city. I think some of their “laws” are a bit weird but in general
I believe they have a beautiful tradition. I also think Niger will be a bit the same, because it is also situated in the same continent namely Africa.

I hope you know now more about this country and his etiquette. When you ever want to visit it, it will certainly help you.

Sources:

http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=151

        http://www.internations.org/nigeria-expats/guide/working-in-nigeria-15535/business-etiquette-in-nigeria-3

      http://goodluck4ever.hubpages.com/hub/Business-Etiquette-in-Nigeria

Nigerian Trade, Exports and Imports

As we knew already a bit about the culture and other activities of Nigeria I wanted to go into the trade of Nigeria.

I could already expect that oil and natural gas were the most important products for Nigerian trade. To illustrate that fact I wanted to share some figures. Don’t panic, I won’t bore you with that for very long, I just find it very fascinating to know. The country exports approximately 2.327 million barrels per day. You will think the figures aren’t representative as it is from 2007 but after some research, it kind of stayed the same for 2012 as well. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, you should know that Nigeria also has a lot of reserves that is 36.2 barrels of oil! That’s crazy!

Not only Belgium has suffered from the financial crisis but the whole world did, that means Nigeria as well. That’s the reason why the government decided that the export profile had to change. Not only oil and natural gases were sources of export but also minerals and agricultural products became export sources. To make things a bit difficult you have to know that it was under close check of the government. I guess that’s not such of a surprise though!

Concerning  the Nigerian imports, the country’s imports did very well! It grossed over US $42.1 billion. Oil and natural gas aren’t sources of import as well as it was of export. The major imports are machinery, consumer goods, heavy equipment and food products. Most of these imports arrive from the EU: the Netherlands, the UK, France, Germany but also from China, the US and South Korea.

I hope you became a bit wiser about the Nigerian trade now, I know I did!

Talk to you guys later with some new information about the next stop: Niger. Can’t wait!

Sources: 

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113427.pdf

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/nigeria/export-import.html

The men take the decisions and women belong in the kitchen

When I arrived in Nigeria , I definitely wanted to know something more about the politics in this country. On TV I saw so much misery that had to do with the political elections, that it scares me a little bit to inform me about this sensitive topic!
But I took my courage and went looking for more information about the political situation in Nigeria. And here comes my story.

First we start with some general , and usually boring information about the politics. The existing constitution was adopted in 1999. In twelve northern states apply the Sharia, this is the  Islamic law. The mainly Christian south is governed by the laws of the government. The probability that the Sharia will be imported in the south is actually nihil. 

After a few conversations with the locals I soon reached the conclusion that the political system in Nigeria is not fair and undemocratic. And that really didn’t surprises me at all after what I had seen on TV. Half of the Nigerian population is younger than 18 and they have never experienced free and fair elections. This is terrible and frightening! Instead of cutting the bad politics in our Belgian country, we'd better be happy that we live in such a democratic country.

A common saying in Nigeria: "We eat at election time," which refers to the buying of votes of people who often almost have nothing to eat. Nigeria is a very poor land.

But what considers me the most, as a woman, is that Nigerian women are struggling to make their voices. The men take the decisions and women belong in the kitchen. This sounds really awful in my ears!
But I am glad to hear that there is a woman's organization who is fighting against it. The Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre try to increase the chances of female candidates in the next election. They do that with a training about campaign strategy and give them logistical support.

I really hope for the people here that with time Nigeria becomes a democratic country. This is not a livable situation!

Now I'm going to enjoy some of the beautiful Nigeria and I see you in Niger!

sources: 

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2668/Buitenland/article/detail/1877684/2011/04/19/Tientallen-doden-door-politiek-geweld-Nigeria.dhtml
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria

http://www.landenweb.net/nigeria/samenleving/

Culture shock

I have never been to Africa before so this really is an adventure for me. I didn’t know what to expect because I don’t know a lot about Nigeria. 

It was a bit of a culture shock for me because we saw a lot of poverty. I have been to Bulgaria before but you can’t compare it to Nigeria. This was really a sign that we can be very lucky in Belgium.

The city had two different sides: the one side was very poor and the other side, such as the hotel, were very luxurious.

I heard there are more than 520 languages in Nigeria. That is really a lot and I think we are lucky that they understand English in the hotel.

The Lagos Lagoon was close to our hotel so we went to see this. Again we saw a lot of poverty because the shore of the lagoon was like a slum with al those little huts standing in the water. I just can’t understand how people can live this way. I wish I could have helped them but I don’t know how.

It’s a pity we didn’t see the Zuma Rock because I had looked it up on the Internet. This is some kind of strange looking mountain. It would have been nice to see this but we can’t see everything.

I was not so fond of the Nigerian kitchen because I like more the Belgian food. I ordered some ‘Maafe’ in the restaurant but I didn’t look very appetizing. When I took the first bite, I know that this was really nothing for me. I realise that I am not going to eat a lot while we are in Africa.
I hope you will also read my next blog about the following country: Niger. I am very curious about what we are going to experience there.

Sources 

http://www.nigeria.world-guides.com/nigeria_landmarks.html 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_cuisine
http://www.eveandersson.com/photo-display/large/nigeria/lagos-makoko-9.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria

Welcome to Nigeria!

Nigeria was the first country we are visiting during our trip and I have to say, I was so ex-ci-ted!

I have seen so beautiful things today, it is almost too much to describe.

To start, we are staying in Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel. I have never seen such an amazing hotel, so much luxury. The hotel has three restaurants, an indoor and an outdoor pool. I have never experienced anything like this before.

We have spent our first day on the beach, on Eleko Beach. This way we could relax from the exhausting trip. I found it almost unbelievable how clean the beach was, contrary to the beaches in Belgium…

As boring as this may sound to some of you, we have never been so relaxed.

The second day, we had our first meeting with a local company, but I am going to spare you the boring details. The most amusing part of the day was when we went to the  Port of Lagos. Lagos is a city with a big port and I really loved looking at the ships. I hoped there would have been smaller ships, but in fact it was more like the port of Antwerp. So I can say it was not as picturesque as I hoped it would be, but I was surprised that Nigeria has such a big port.

When we were walking along the quay, a cargo ship docked at the quay and the captain told us the story of the explosion in January 2013. We saw that a part of the docks was damaged, but we did not really think about it.

Many tankers in the docks are used to stock petroleum and the explosion happened during the transfer of fuel. He told us that the explosion was huge and followed by some others. He believed also that about four people got killed in the explosion.

As a conclusion I can say that the industrial transport is much like Belgium’s but people often don’t know that. I have to admit that I did not know either that Nigeria imports and exports so much petroleum.

Today is our third and final day in Nigeria and my suitcase is packed, ready to go to Niger.

I am ready for a new adventure!

 

                                                                  Eleko Beach

 

Sources:

http://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-lagos/dining

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Africa/Nigeria/Lagos-2170732/Things_To_Do-Lagos-TG-C-1.html

http://wheretogoinlagos.com/lagosattractions/details.php?id=00062

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20960214

Hello everyone!

Welcome to our blog about our trip from Nigeria to Norway.

Have fun reading our sensational adventures.

Kelly, Céline, Marieke, Melissa & Lopke