National Anthem

My country, Chad...

RAMADJI.com , 25 April 2006

Overview

1. Land and climate

Chad covers 495,755 square miles (1,284,000 square kilometers) of central Africa. This landlocked country is a giant basin surrounded by mountains on all sides but the west, including the spectacular Tibesti Mountains in the north. The nation's highest peak is the Tibesti's Emi Koussi (11,204 feet, or 3,415 meters). Chad's three climatic regions are the hot, the dry Sahara in the north; a flat, arid center; and a fertile savanna in the south. The Chari and the Logone Rivers, abundant in fish, feed Lake Chad, which is shrinking dramatically from drought.

From June to October, the subtropical southwest receives abundant rain. In the hot season (March-May), temperatures average 104F to 113F (40-45C). Temperatures from December to February average 80F (27C) and can drop to 55F (18C) at night. Hot season harmattan winds blowing off the desert turn the sky yellow with dust in many parts of the country. The desert receives only a few inches of rain, if any, each year. Small underground streams and oases support Chad's sparse Saharan population. The desert is hotter by day and often colder by night than elsewhere in the country. Drought, the expanding Sahara, civil war, and deforestation have decimated wildlife. Recovery is beginning at the Zakouma Game Reserve.

2. History

Chad was home to many ancient civilizations. Arab traders introduced Islam in the late seventh century A.D. Various kingdoms followed, including the legendary 10th-century Sao civilization and the competing 13th-century kingdoms of the Kanem, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, and Bornu.

Chad was largely ignored by the West until the French and Italians divided their Saharan territories in the late 19th century. The area now called Chad went to the French, who were unable to solidify colonial rule until 1920. The new borders united disparate and sometimes hostile groups in a poorly governed country called Tchad. Hence, its modern history speaks more of war than of peace.

Upon independence in 1960, Chadians elected Francois Tombalbaye as president. His policies angered Muslims and other groups; the army assassinated him in 1975. The presidency then changed hands a few times before the country erupted into civil war in 1979. Libya, France, and the United States all backed various factions. One rebel leader, Hisseine Habre eventually seized the presidency in 1982. With French and U.S assistance, Chad then fought Libya ? partially for ownership of the Aozou strip, a reportedly oil-and uranium rich band of desert on the Chad-Libya border. Libya withdrew in 1988, and the international court of justice recognized Chad's territorial claim in 1994.

Army colonel Idriss Deby deposed Habre's in 1990. In 1993, a National Sovereign Conference was called to organize democratic elections. Voters approved a new constitution in March 1996 and national elections were held in July 1996. Deby was ?elected? president and Chad seemed ready for a more peaceful future. However, insurgencies stemming from ethnic or political rivalries have hindered stability and continued the nation's social upheaval.
Deby has been worse than his predecessor and master Habre. In 2004, General Deby who promised the Chadian people in 2001 to not seek another term decided to massage the constitution in order to remain life President. Persistent rumors report that the Chadian dictator is preparing his son to take over in case he dies. He suffers of cirrhosis according to different sources.

The PEOPLE

3. Population

Most of Chad's 9.3 million people live in rural areas. The population is growing at 3.07 percent annually. N'Djamena, located on the western border with Cameroon, is the capital and largest city. About half of all Chadians live in the fertile south, one-third in the center, and the rest in or  north of the Sahara. The advancing desert is driving many northern Muslim nomads south, where most people are Christians or animists.

No ethnic group can be said to dominate Chad. The Sara family includes the Ngambaye in the southwest and the Goulaye, Sara Maj Ngai, and Sara-Kaba inn the south. Smaller southern groups include the Moundang, Mboum, Moussai and Massa. Muslims include Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Maba, Zaghawa, and Gorane. The latter two groups are Saharan nomads. Nonindigenous nomads (Fulani, Mbororo) also traverse Chad. The country is home to Libyan, Cameroonian, Nigerian, and Yemeni merchants, as well as European missionaries and development workers. Tens of thousands of Sudanese and Central Africans live in border refugee camps.

4. Language

Chad's official languages are French and classical Arabic; few people speak either of them. Chadian Arabic ? an oral language that combines Arabic, French, Fulani, and local dialects ?is used for cross-ethnic communication (e.g., at the market), Muslim children learn some Arabic in Qur'anic (Koranic) schools, but most Chadian Arabic speakers do not read or speak classical Arabic. More than one hundred languages are spoken in Chad, including Central African Sara and its linguistic cousin, Ngambaye. Chad's nomads primarily speak one of the 30 dialects of Chadian Arabic. Nonindigenous nomads usually speak Fulani. Secondary students prefer English to French as a course of study, but French is the language of instruction. Children are adept at learning languages and often speak several local tongues by age seven.

5. Religion

Religion is important to daily life and is more likely to create divisions in the population than ethnicity is. Chad's population is roughly half Muslim, 25 percent Christian, and 25 percent animist. Islam was not a unifying religion until the late 19^th century, and Christianity was not widely accepted until the 1920s. Even today, Muslims and Christians blend animist traditions with formal religion. Muslims might buy gris-gris (charms) or drink ink used to print verses from Qur'anic (Koran) in order to ward off evil or disease. Animists strive to maintain harmony with their natural environment by placating spirits, especially those of ancestors. Many southern youth undergo the yondo, a secret adult initiation ritual. Belief in magic and witchcraft is widespread, and most Chadians consult diviners.

6. General Attitudes

Individually, Chadians are friendly and generous. They avoid personal conflicts and strive to be pleasant in public. However, years of civil war, strikes, and poverty have taken their toll. Tensions among Chadians arise from lifestyle differences between ethnic and religious groups, as well as historical conflicts ( e.g. northern Muslims raided and enslaved the Sara until the 20^th century).

Chadians treasure their sense of humor, which joins with ingenuity to help them get by with few resources. Many believe their future is in the hands of Deity and that an individual's main task is to not disrupt social order. Most people would rather endure hardships than be accused of selfishness or arrogance. Chadians are community oriented. People are expected to share their incomes with less-fortunate relatives. Social status is gained by wealth and by how much of it is a person shares.

7. Personal Appearance

Cleanliness is very important and Chadians keep their clothing clean, ironed, and mended. Mothers keep their children clean and will scold them when they get dirty. Women wear a pagne (ankle-length wraparound cloth tucked at the side). Married women add a second pagne as an apron. Short-sleeved shirts with wide, patterned necklines and a matching head wrap complete the outfit. Southern women often wear their hair in elaborate braids. Muslim women conceal their clothing with a head-to-toe covering and a veil. Some northern women use tree thorns to insert dye in patterns on their chin and lips.

Southern men wear secondhand Western clothing or more traditional attire, such as a complet (long-sleeved tunic over baggy, but tapered, pants). Muslim men wear a boubou (ankle-length, long-sleeved robe over baggy pants). Elaborate embroidery on these outfits indicates wealth. Muslim men travel with an ornate dagger tucked into one sleeve and the head protected by a carefully wrapped turban. The average Chadian wears foam or plastic sandals; shoes are for the rich. Many southerners are ritually scarred with patterns reflecting their ethnic group. It is a high compliment to tell a person he or she has put on weight; corpulence is a sign of wealth and leisure.

CUSTOMS AND COURTESIES

8. Greetings.

Proper greetings are essential to Chadians. When joining a group or visiting a home, one shakes hands with all, beginning with elders, and then men before women. In a large group, raising both palms and saying Lale is sufficient. Friends often hold hands during an entire greeting. The left hand is not used in any exchange of greetings or items; it is reserved for personal hygiene.

When shaking an elder's hand, one kneels or bows, sometimes supporting the right elbow with the left hand to signify the weight of one's respect for the other person. In the north, one also might touch one's heart to indicate the honor felt in greeting the person. If greeting in Sara, one might say Laphia ngai ( Much peace) and/or I baii? (How are you?). The response to the latter is M'to kari (I?m fine). Arabic greetings usually begin with an exchange of Salaam Alek (i) (peace be upon you) and Wa alek asalaam ( And peace be upon you). Lale is derived from this greeting. Inquiries about health, home, family, and crops usually follow. Kaif al hal? (How is your health?) is answered with Afe? al hamdulilah ( Fine, praise be to Allah). At parting one says Aw lafia (in Sara) or Amshee Afe? (In Arabic), meaning, ?Go in peace.? Parents are addressed as the mother or father of their eldest child (Am-djoua, meaning ?mother of djoua?). Elders are addressed as ?mother? or ?father? in the local language. Many men call each other Chef (chief) at work or use the title to show respect to another man.

9. Gestures

People knock by clapping outside someone's gate or front door. Children ask questions in school by raising a hand and snapping the fingers. To agree, a person clicks the tongue against the palate and thrusts the chin upward. To beckon, one motions with all fingers of the right hand with the palm facing down. Flipping a palm from facedown to face up is a way of asking, ?Where are you going? or What are you doing? One gets a subordinate's attention by hissing. A man may kneel to greet his wife's parents or important elders. Chadians help older people of the same gender (e.g., a young woman might carry a bundle from market for an older woman).

10. Visiting.

Chadians visit friends and relatives regularly. Unannounced visits occur daily, especially evenings and Sundays. People socialize outside in the shade; they rarely go in the house. Visitors are given the best chair or cleanest mat to sit on. Guests, even unwelcome guest, are served water on arrival; favored guests then receive tea or hot, sweetened milk, and sometimes Hadjilidj nuts. Muslim women may greet male guest and serve tea, but they do not stay. Female friends visit each other in the women's separate cooking/eating area. Children may not touch guests without permission, but they often roll out mats or take a visitor's packages for them. Hosts accompany departing guests a short distance and may give honored visitors a live chicken.

Visitors are welcome at any meal, but it is impolite to arrive purposefully at mealtime. When invited to a funeral or family celebration, guests are expected to contribute money to help offset costs. On holidays, entire families visit neighbors and are treated to food and drink at each stop; children may receive candy or small coins.

11. Eating. 

Breakfast is optional and light (usually leftovers from the day before or tea and bread). Lunch is the main meal; dinner is at shutdown. Women cook a three-rock fire ( the rocks support a pot) or a charcoal basket ( ganoon). People wash their hands before a meal. Men and guests eat first, separate from the rest of the family; women and children eat after all have been served. Eating is not a time for conversation. Some people have tables, but diners usually sit on mats around a common platter; feet may not point at food. Chadians use the right hand to scoop food from the portion directly in front of them. Meat is reserved for men, and the best parts (e.g., heart, head, neck, and intestines) are served to guests. Leftovers will include some meat. People begin eating only after a prayer or signal from the host or parent. It is rude for guests to refuse food. It is rude to eat or snack in public, except at the market. During the holy month of Ramadan, devout Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown. Meals are eaten at night. Chadians abide by certain food taboos across religious and ethnic lines. These include not giving eggs to children for fear they will become thieves or will not learn to speak, ad limiting how much a pregnant woman eats so that her baby will not grow too large to deliver.      

LIFESTYLE

12. Family. Family is the cornerstone of Chadian society. A man has as many wives and children as his income, religion, and tastes allow. Islam permits four wives. Christianity discourages more than one. The man has a hut or tent in the family compound; wives and children live in or near the compound. Aging parents generally live with or near a son. Men make family decisions but women run the household, often with their own money. Rural southern women, usually have more autonomy than do Muslim women, who often cannot leave the family compound without their husband's permission.

The children of co-wives are considered brothers and sisters, although siblings of the same mother maintain the closest bonds. Children have many chores at homes, and girls tend younger siblings until they are old enough to help cook, shop, or do laundry. Children are expected to obey their parents without question; they can be disciplined by any adult. Funerals bring relatives and friends from all over to mourn at least four days; women cry with each other, but men do not cry.

13. Dating and Marriage

Many marriages are arranged by families, but youth also meet at the market or dances. Southern youth might date discreetly. Rural Muslim girls do not date. Young women marry in their teens; men are usually in their twenties. A suitor gets to know a girl's father and brothers before he is allowed to spend time with her. Men find it difficult to pay the bride-price ($50 to $500, depending on the bride's status or beauty) and often wait to marry. New wives may be resented by first wives or may be welcomed as household helpers.

Muslim weddings are lavish events that can last up to four days. Southern weddings are brief and involve only payment of the bride-price. Often, a couple is considered married if the woman becomes pregnant. Divorce is uncommon; marital problems usually are resolved before a local chief.

14. Diet.

Chad's national food is boule; a heavy porridge formed into a ball and dipped in sauce. Northerners prefer corn boule; southerners use millet. Sorghum, cassava, and groundnut (peanut) boule are also common. Another staple food is bouillie, a millet-and-peanut porridge flavored with lemon and sometimes sugar. Tan Kul (long sauce) is mixed with fish, meat, or beans for special occasions in the south. Northern sauces tend to be spicier and meatier. Nashif is made of chopped beef with a spicy tomato sauce. It traditionally is eaten with kisser, a light sourdough crepe. Okra, garlic, piment (a powdery, red pepper), bouillon, and dried tomato flour flavor nearly every sauce. Peanut paste and dried fish are common protein sources, since meat and fresh fish are expensive. Goat is common meat. Guavas and mangoes are seasonally plentiful in the south, as are dates in the north. Rice and pasta are reserved for special occasions or eaten by the wealthy. Arabs typically eat esh (boiled millet flour) with moulah (sauce). For herders, dairy products comprise a large part of the diet. Milk is heated with sugar and cardamom or made into a sour yogurt or clarified butter. Women earn extra income by brewing and selling millet beer (bili-bili). Market snacks may include cookies, bread, or crickets and termites toasted in oil.  

15. Recreation

Women visit each other to talk, drink, and braid hair. Men have more time to tell stories, drink tea, and play cards and strategy games. Young men play soccer; urban boys also like basketball. Children enjoy rhyming, hand-clapping, and dancing games, as well as rope skipping. Sundays and market days in southern villages are festive times for people to enjoy bili-bili and dancing. Women often organize a pari-vente, a fund-raising party with free food but expensive beer. Urban dwellers enjoy dancing in open-air bars. Chad's few movie theaters and video clubs often show martial arts or other action films. People rarely travel for pleasure, only for family or special business.

16. The Arts

Chad's art traditions are varied. France's influence can be seen in architecture and the fine arts. Contemporary art is exhibited by the National Museum, founded in 1962. Indigeneous arts thrive as well. Artisans work metal and make musical instruments, papyrus boats, and woven baskets. The influence of the Arab population on the arts has been primarily in the area of music. Traditional music may consist of a vocal soloist accompanying himself with a lute. Lutes are hand made from wood, gourds, or metal. Strings may be added or removed depending on the requirements of the performance.

17. Holidays

Chad's national holidays include New Year's Day, International Women's Day ( 8 Mar.), Labor Day ( 1 May), Independence Day ( 11 Aug.), Proclamation of Republic Day ( 28 Nov.), and President Deby Day ( 1 Dec.). Government holidays are celebrated with military parades, decorated streets, marching bands, traditional dancing, Arab horsemen, and speeches. On Women's Day. Women parades, play soccer, race bikes, dress as men, and are served meals by men dressed as women.

Muslims celebrate Aid al Fitr, a feast at the end of Ramadan. They also celebrate Tabaski ( Feast of the Sacrifice) to honor Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, and Maoloeud, the prophet Muhammad's birthday. These are times to share wealth, dress up, visit, and enjoy special foods. Christian Holidays are Easter and Christmas.

18. Commerce

Muslim men dominate trade in Chad. Cities and large towns have a permanent souk (open-air market) with stands, street tables, and small boutiques. Towns and villages have smaller weekly markets, which serve an important social and political, as well as commercial, purpose. Small neighborhood stands sell spices, peanuts, batteries, matches, and cigarettes. Bargaining and bartering are expected. Urban markets are open all day beginning at 7 a.m. Weekly markets close for an afternoon break. Business hours are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m with a two-hour break at 2p.m.

Women often pool their money to buy fresh produce ( like tomatoes) to dry, process, and later sell in the off-season. Many sell spices and prepared foods, especially at truck stops. Nomad women sell milk and yogurt at markets. A woman's income is vital to her family's welfare. Agricultural cooperatives pool money to fund village projects or provide credit to members.

SOCIETY

19. Government

The President, (currently General Idriss Deby, one of the worse tyrant in Africa) is head of state. He was ?elected? to a five-year term and must finish his last term in 2006. Unfortunately, the dictator has the constitution tweaked to allow him to remain in power for life with the blessings of the former colonial power, France.
In Chad, the prime minister (currently Pascal Yoadimnadji) is the head of the government and appointed by the president. Members of the 155-seat National Assembly are elected to four ?year terms. The voting age is 18. Chad's 28 departments are led by presidential appointees, not based on their competence but based on their allegiance to the Patriotic Salvation Movement and based on their ability to do the dictator's dirty works ( looting, corruption, massacres, assassination,?). Villages grouped into a canton ( county) usually are led by local traditional chiefs. Serious criminal cases are heard in civil courts. Local disputes are heard by traditional chiefs, some of whom consult diviners to assess a person's guilt. Public shaming or beating are traditional local punishment. Public and extra judiciary executions are common in Chad. To sum up, Chad is a lawless state where democracy in just a joke. Chad is a dictatorship where fundamental human rights are jeopardized on a daily basis.

20. Economy

Chad is one of the poorest countries. Drought, distance to markets, and political instability have all contributed to a troubled economy. Subsistence farmers and fishers comprise 85% of the labor force. Only 4% is employed in industry: cotton ginning; grain milling; agricultural processing; and manufacturing beer, textiles, sugar cubes, and cigarettes. Cotton is the most important export, followed by beef, gum Arabic, and fish. Strikes are common due to lack of wages. Many people hope petroleum deposits will help alleviate poverty, but the corruption that hinders other economic growth will likely keep oil profits in powerful hands. The currency is the CFA franc (XAF).

21. Transportation and Communications

Travel is difficult in Chad, which has only 200 miles (322 kilometers) of paved roads and no railways. Dirt roads connecting major cities are frequently flooded. Local ?bush-taxis? (taxi brousse) are small pickup trucks that carry goods and passengers between towns. Two buses offer sporadic service between southern cities. Taxi service is good in the capital and in Moundou. Otherwise, people walk, bicycle, or travel by donkey. Only skilled guides and drivers can cross the Sahara. In the wet season, the postal service relies on market trucks and missionaries to distribute mail to villages. The largest city in each prefecture has some public telephones. Villagers can send Morse code messages from a post office. Radio is the primary source of information. Radio Chad broadcasts primary in French, Arabic, and Sara. NDjamena's French-literate residents enjoy a relatively free press.

22. DEVELOPMENT DATA  

23. Education

Chad's education system, based on the French model, begins with first grade at age six and can continue to the equivalent of the second year of college. Many students drop out after sixth grade, and few are educated beyond junior high (college). Fees, lack of resources, frequent strikes, the need for girls to help at home, and other factors hinder many Chadians from getting an education. Many parents dislike Western-style education; they want a curriculum that prepares children to farm and develop their communities.

Classes meet in the morning or the afternoon, six days a week. French is the language of instruction. There are few  books and the average teacher has 64 or more students. Since teachers lack regular government paychecks, parent associations often must pay their salaries. Church missions sponsor private schools. Chad's small university has a three or four year waiting list.

24. Health

Chadians are subject to malaria, diarrhea, measles, meningitis, and AIDS. These ailments, as well as hunger, work to shorten life. Many women die in childbirth. Only about one-fourth of the population has access to clean water. People prefer herbs and traditional healers to the poorly staffed and understocked medical clinics. Funding comes primarily from private donations and grants, but these can do little more than provide some medicines, first-aid training, and a few doctors. Mission clinics provide care to those who can afford it. A preventive health  program (vaccinations, prenatal consultations, health and hygiene education) is in place, but people generally expect shots from doctors, not advice.

AT A GLANCE

25. Events and Trends

q       Chad began exporting oil from previously untapped southern oil fields when a new pipeline between Chad and the Cameroonian coast became operational in October 2003. Oil revenue is expected to dramatically increase Chad's gross domestic product over the coming years. However, it is striking to notice that despite the fact Chad has joined the circle of oil producer countries, extreme poverty characterize by lack of safe water, electricity, education, asphalted roads, food, is ravaging. Workers are accumulating months and months of unpaid wages. Corruption, bribery, lack of transparency are taking away the hopes many Chadians have placed into that oil project. On top of that, the environmental and safety issues raised by many at the beginning of the project but not taken into consideration are posing some real concerns today. Recently, Amnesty International has released a report accusing the oil consortium and the world bank of wrong doing and human right violations related to the oil project. To honest, in the current state of the project, one cannot reasonably say that it will alleviate poverty and improve life conditions in Chad. I am afraid this project will fall into the ones launched in Nigeria, Angola, Congo,...where corruption and bad management and governance have destroyed everything. Wait and See!

q       Different rebellions have made themselves known in the country even though many of them have turned out to be gangs of opportunists looking for ways to get their portion of the cake with General Idriss Deby. Many Chadians have started to lose confidence in the steadfastness and the seriousness of those who call themselves politico-militaires. They sacrifice other people's children to achieve their selfish interests. We are not fools no more. The days where a group of selfish start a rebellion, hide in the rocks, drink some hakadar( great tea), eat some tumbur (dates), sacrifice other people's sons and daughters to seize power is over. The only way Chadians will free themselves from General Deby iron fist regime is to wake up and fight for themselves. Nobody is going to do that homework for Chadians. People must stop dreaming and having illusions.   Unfortunately, many Chadians, especially those of the Diaspora haven't understood yet and would rather  throw  "open doors" ceremonies ( 'open doors' on what? on our misery? on the dictatorship of General Deby or what? We are pathetic!), have big parties, eat, drink wine, dance and rejoice when there are some pressing issues to focus on. We will be able to free ourselves once we wise up and rise up.