Zarma culture: Waffa turuyan, Waffa hair brainding. Part 1

Waffa turuyaη, Waffa braiding, part 1
Hair style is one way to distinguish oneself from other, just like clothing and customs. The style of hair braiding is an important aspect of the identity of the Wogo. Djamo is a traditional braider of hair and in this episode she does shopping for her work on the local market. Thereafter, she takes the boat to her village Sawani and sails the Niger river. The market is the main meeting and trading place and the river is an essential transport route; this becomes very clear while looking the video.

Background information
This video is the first part of a film by Ibrahim Labo Kalla titled "La tresse Waffa" and which was made in 2006 by order of the ´Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision du Niger´. The two other parts can be viewed as well. The film has been released as part of the series 'Alter metier' and is shot in Niger. The length of the original film is 25 minutes and the film has been broadcasted in October 2006 by RTBF 3. Comments and subtitles are in French. However, the people in the movie speak Songhay-Kaado en Zarma. This first part takes eight minutes.

*Waffa braiding* *(part 1 to 3)*
Turuyaŋ, part 1	Turuyaŋ, part 2	Turuyaŋ, part 3

About the film
This film shows in its own peculiar way that hairdressing is not only meant to make someone beautiful, or at least immaculately dressed, but also that hairdressing is an integral part of the culture of a people^[1]. We see picture of the market and the river, both an essential part of the Zarma/Songhay civilisation. At the same time, we learn that de Zarma/ Songhay-Kaado language is spoken by several distinguishable ethnic groups. We get to see the role of the women in the maintenance of the house. The mud walls weather and erode by the extreme weather in the Sahelian zone, and the people have to regularly skim or daub the wall with a fresh layer of mud. But, above all, we obtain insight into the art and rituals of hair braiding, the Waffa braiding to be precise. .

The Wogo is an ethnic group, that settle in the area between Ayerou en Tillabéri (Niger) around 1800. They often live on the isles in the Niger river ^{[2,
p.388]}. They speak Songhay-Kaado, just like the other ethnic groups that live in this area. This Songhay-dialect is almost similar to Zarma and also they culture of the Wogo is very alike to that of the Zarma ^{[2, p.360]}.

More information^[1] Regina Paul. About Hair Braiding. ehow.com
^[2] Jean-Paul Olivier de Sardan (1978) Marriage among the Wogo. In: David Seddon (ed.), Relations of production. Marxist approaches to economic anthropology. Frank Cass and Company Limited, Oxon, pp. 357-388.