Seminar: The Yearning for Relief: The History of the Sawaba Movement and its Rebellion in Niger (1954-1974)

In this seminar Klaas van Walraven (African Studies Centre, Leiden) will present some of the highlights of his recent book, The Yearning for Relief: A History of the Sawaba Movement in Niger (Brill: Leiden & Boston, 2013).

Representing a genuine social movement, Sawaba formed Niger’s first autonomous government under French suzerainty. Overthrown by the Gaullists and persecuted, it attempted a comeback with a guerrilla campaign (1960-1966), which ended in failure and led to the movement’s destruction.

The Sawaba movement and its rebellion are a totally neglected subject. Van Walraven has traced this story from a social history perspective, placing an entire generation of activists, removed from the official record, back into the mainstream of Niger’s history. His book, The Yearning for Relief, is based on numerous interviews with survivors and a vast range of archival sources, including France’s secret service.

A power-point presentation with numerous photographs will be part of this seminar.