num_pages: 205
description: Until a few decades ago, the Zaghawa were nomads, living with camels and other desert animals. Like many pastoralists in sub-Saharan Africa, the Zaghawa lost their wealth to drought coupled by catastrophic political instability. However, and unlike their neighbours who suffered the same disasters, the Zaghawa persevered and prospered. As the book eloquently shows, they have succeeded in adapting the very cultural strategies evolved for nomadic life to an urban setting. The result is spectacular. The Zaghawa are now famous for dominating corner shops, open markets and border trade, in addition to securing substantial stakes in pharmacies, currency exchange outlets, big companies and banks. They have indeed joined the elite commercial “tribes” of Africa like the Bamiléké of Cameroon, the Ibo of Nigeria, the Susu in Guinea, the Ewe in Togo, the Baganda in Uganda and, of course the Jallaba of Sudan.This book is organised around the life of a single Zaghawa trader - Bushara Suleiman - an approach that allows the reader to relive Zaghawa culture and explore the very specificities behind their commercial spirit. Its methodology is well grounded in anthropological research and hence the publication is also informative and rich in ethnographic details.
language: English
title: The Zaghawa Aptitude for Commerce
publisher: The Red Sea Press