Week One at Camp Fistula
Despite the warnings of nebulous threats from volatile neighbors, I decided to come check out Danja, the site where I initially planned to conduct my research. I took a United Nations flight...
Portraits
I spent the afternoon with a friend and his lovely family. Here are a few photographs.
the Starlet.
For the last few weeks I’ve spent a good deal of time searching for a car. This is not an easy task. There is no phonebook, few dealers, no craigslist. Like most things...
between the beggar and the bmw
Like many large cities of the developing world, in Niamey, two worlds exist side by side. Camels and donkeys burdened with soaring stacks of firewood share a lane with shiny, black BMWs. Men...
Niamey: dusty skies and uncertain horizons
Because one of my grants is directly administered by the State Department (technically it’s the Department of Education), I’ve spent the last few days meeting with people at the embassy. Since security threats...
My Project: What and Why.
I arrived in Niamey on Monday, officially beginning a year of anthropological fieldwork for my doctoral dissertation. While any seasoned anthropologist will tell you that the project you carefully craft for innumerable grant...
Mali: What’s the Deal and How it Affects Niger
Ok. So, the quick and dirty of what’s been happening in Mali since early 2012 and how it might affect Niger: The Tuareg, a traditional nomadic-pastoralist Berber people of the Saharan interior, have long...
Maps: Niger is not Nigeria (but it’s close!).
The purple pin is Maradi, the city in southern Niger where I will be based.
Niger: on the net
Here are a few useful links on Niger. I will keep adding more as I come across particularly informative or interesting sites! Basic Information: CIA World Factbook (basic demographics) Wikipedia Niger the...
About Me
Hi! I am Ali Heller, a Ph.D. Candidate in socio-cultural anthropology at Washington University in Saint Louis. This year I will be keeping this blog to document the adventures, misadventures, frustrations, and successes...