Lougou

Lougou village is located in the departement of Dogondoutchi, at 350 km from the capital Niamey. Lougou is an important historical and cultural site. It is the central point of the the Azna culture, an animist community. The Saraouniya, a queen who lost her power one century ago lives at Lougou.

Saraouniya

Saraouniya Yar Kasa, a queen coming from Daura, located in the north of present day Nigeria, left her country as a result of a conflict with her brothers, was guided by the stone Tunguma and settled down in an uninhabited region, named Arewa or the Maouri country now and founded a village named Lougou.

The Sarouniyas of Lougou exerciced the political and religious power of the Maouri country until the arrival of the French expedition Voulet and Chanoine in 1899. The village was destroyed during a great battle and the queen Saraouniya Mangou, named the “old witch” by the invaders, left the village.

Hope at Lougou

Lougou was a group of prosperous villages in the past and is now a poor and a depopulated place. Saraouniya Alijmma lives isolated in her hut, according to the tradition. She has no political power but has kept her religious authority which is recognized in the region and further.

The actions of solidarity and self development have been intensified since 2001. Hope returns and the influence of Lougou and the Sarouniya is growing with the development of civil society and the movement of women’s emancipation.

In 2013, a modern drinking-water supply system triggered off the renaissance of the village, thanks to the Niger State, and the Decentralized Cooperation between the Dankassari rural village, which includes Lougou, and Cesson-Sévigné in Brittany.

The book “Lougou and Saraouniya” first edition

Written by Nicole Moulin, Boubé Naimawa, Marie-Françoise Roy and Bori Zamo, members of Tarbiyya Tatali in France and in Niger, the book was sold to provide for Lougou’s community development actions, mainly access to drinking water. Currently out of print, it can be
downloaded free.

The book “Lougou and Saraouniya” second edition revised and augmented

The book is published jointly by Tarbiyya Tatali and L’Harmattan.

Written by Nicole Moulin, Boubé Noumaiwa, Marie-Françoise Roy and Bori Zamo, members of Tarbiyya Tatali in France and in Niger, the book is on sale in both countries. The proceeds of Tarbiyya Tatali’s sales are devoted to financing development actions in the Lougou Community, particularly in educational projects.