Any Travels

Chad is a landlocked country in the Northern part of Africa. It is bordered by Sudan, Libya, Niger and Cameroon and the Central African Republic. The northern part of Chad is in the Sahara, the southern part is in the Sahel. Most of Chad is dry and arid.

After its independance from France, Chad has had its fair share of turmoil. The capital Ndjamena, known as fort Lamy under the French, had once been one of the best places in the Sahel for nightlife, turned into a grim sort of place. Chad has managed to put that behind it.

Still, not many travelers make it to Chad. And with some reason: Chad is not an easy country to visit. People that are not afraid of some harsh travelling conditions, long distances and exessive heat, it does offer rewarding traveling.

The best sight is probably the Tibesti mountains in Northern Chad. They are of extreme natural beauty and a must see. The capital Ndjamena is the travel hub of the country and located on the banks of Lake chad.

Chad can be part of a crossing the Sahara experience, but is is a bit off the beaten track. It is accesible from Libya. Onward travel could take you to Niger or to Cameroon. See the section about crossing the sahara for more details about the possibilities. In any case check about the present situation before you set out.

N'Djamena
Fort Lamy, the old colonial name of N'Djamena, was one of the most pleasant places in the Sahel. Unfortunately N'djamena has lost quite some of its interest due to civil unrest. Now, the dusty capital of Chad offers little reason for visiting, except that it's a jumping-off point for Lake Chad—and even that isn’t much of a draw.

The best way to spend your tinme in N'Djamena is to go the the market areas. There are quite a few of them scattered all over town and there is a central market. The National Museum lost most of its artifacts, but is still nice to visit on a rainy day (it does not rain very often in these parts, though).

Culture

With over 100 languages spoken, three major religions, three climatic zones and an ancient history, the culture of Chad is rich, diverse and complex. This complexity makes it extremely difficult to make general statements about the nation's culture as what is important for one group or region may not hold for another.

In the northern third of the country, in the heart of the Sahara, the Toubou people are in the majority. They are descendents of Berber migrants and are, like the Arabs to the south, Muslim. They are herders and nomads, fiercely independent, strong in battle and extremely clan-oriented. Each clan has access to specific wells, pastures and oases. Despite only numbering 150,000 people, the Toubou have controlled Chad since 1982.

Another broad grouping with a distinct cultural influence is the Arabs, concentrated in the middle third of Chad and making up a third of Chad's population. Chadian Arabs are mostly seminomads, grazing their herds over the Sahel. There are many diverse ethnic subgroups under the 'Arab' banner. The Maba people have a unique form of social structure originating in pre-Islamic times, based on four age grades. Cutting across kin and class divisions, people born within a certain time-frame move from one grade to another, bound by friendships and obligations for mutual aid. In the capital, you might be lucky enough to hear Arabic musicians playing traditional music. These people are usually from the griot caste and are professional musicians. They are the living archive of the Arab people's traditions, performing songs and epic narrations.

In the far south, another distinct set of cultural practices dominate. The people here are mostly Black African and non-Muslim. About a sixth of these people are Catholic, with most practicing traditional faiths. About 30% of Chad's population is made up of the Sara from this region. Over the past 500 years, these people have been subjected to some of the most inhumane treatment of any Africans on the continent. Many traditional cultural systems broke down over centuries of forced labour, mono-crop cotton farming and tax collection that undermined village chiefs. Yet the Sara have exhibited fierce survival skills - the women used to artificially elongate their lips to make themselves unattractive to slave raiders, and the Saran people enthusiastically grasped the meagre educational opportunities offered by the French - and now occupy most positions in the civil service.

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