By Caroline Moss Millions of lives were forever changed as COVID-19 spread throughout the world. The vulnerable became even more so as lives were disrupted by a new reality. While some people stayed indoors to stay safe, others found new ways to be part of communities, and many took it upon themselves to help people… Read more »
Alphadi: Giving Niger the Chance to Create
By Elsa Sichrovsky Source: Flickr-UNESCO Headquarters Paris For Nigerien fashion designer and children’s rights advocate Sidahmed Alphadi Seidnaly, fashion is about more than clothing: “Young boys and girls can find in fashion a form of identity, dignity, a way to express themselves, to be heard, recognized and respected.” Alphadi strives to use fashion as an… Read more »
Fadji Maina: A Nigerien NASA Scientist Fighting Water Scarcity
By: Omair Ali Source: Awojdyla Dr. Fadji Maina (left) with Dr. Eva Nogales (right) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2019. Growing up with water scarcity inspired Fadji Zaouna Maina, Ph.D., to undertake the extraordinary journey from Nigerien schoolgirl to NASA earth scientist. Maina was born and raised in Zinder, one of the largest… Read more »
A Tradition of Giving
By Nick Baldry It is post-Thanksgiving, and while we have heard over and over how this holiday has been far from normal, some things remain remarkably familiar. The following is a list of traditions and common experiences that punctuate many Thanksgivings. Despite the global pandemic, many households across the country have at least seen a… Read more »
Build It for Ourselves: Interview with Magaajyia Silberfeld
By Elsa Sichrovsky Source: FreeCorp “I grew up watching films and wanting to not only be in them but make them too,” is how Magaajyia Silberfeld describes her passion for filmmaking. She is the daughter of French journalist Antoine Silber and Rahmatou Keita, a Nigerien journalist, writer, and film director, whose work includes “The Wedding… Read more »
Women in Niger Empowered to Initiate Divorce
by Barbara Goldberg Source: willemstom In January of 2019, NPR’s Rachel Martin interviewed Dionne Searcey, West Africa bureau chief for The New York Times, about a startling change in the social fabric of Niger: women now feel empowered to initiate a divorce. Prior to having safe water well in their rural village, Nigerien women walked… Read more »
A Hopeful Update on the COVID-19 Outbreak in Niger
By Omair Ali Source: World Health Organization The pandemic has brought immense chaos, uncertainty, and disease worldwide, but Niger has been fortunate to have experienced only a small COVID-19 outbreak so far. As of October 19, 2020, there have been 1,210 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 69 deaths, and 14 active, mild cases [1,2], which is… Read more »
Interview With Aminata Salifou Mody
By Elsa Sichrovsky Aminata Salifou Mody is a cultural ambassador whose passion is sharing the culture and beauty of her country, Niger, with the world. To find out more about her cultural celebration of Niger, I contacted her on Instagram and she graciously took time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. Below… Read more »
Earthquake Blog
By Nick Baldry Source: Martin Luff At 11:39 PM on Friday, September 18th my house started to judder violently. As I lay helplessly pinned to my mattress desperately hoping that the ceiling would remain above my head while listening to my six-year-old scream in fear, a small voice in the back of my head told… Read more »
Moustapha Alassane: Telling Niger’s Stories
By Elsa Sichrovsky Source: Alzinous Moustapha Alassane produced the first African animation in full color, Samba le Grand (Samba the Great), which follows the adventures of its hero, Sambagana, as he strives to ace a series of challenges in order to win the hand of his bride[1]. In addition to directing over 30 films, Alassane… Read more »
