FRENCH WEST AFRICA - Lot 64

FRENCH WEST AFRICA The Niger Loop, circa 1930 Approximately 260 color magic lantern slides 8.5 x 10 cm. About ten are broken. The Niger Loop refers to all the regions located south of the Niger River: Koupela, Tenkodogo, Gao on the Niger, and the Mossi, Boussancé, Yarci, Fulani, Kaoussah, Songhai, Tuareg, and Arma peoples, among others. "According to Captain Paul Voulet, who explored the region at the end of the 19th century, it is ‘that vast region of West Africa bordered by the ocean to the south and by the great river almost everywhere else.’ Beyond the river, to the north, lie the often desert-like Saharan steppes; inside the immense loop, on the other hand, lie the fertile regions, irrigated by numerous rivers and equatorial rains, where a more favorable climate has made human life easier and more pleasant. The northernmost regions of the loop are located in Mali between the cities of Timbuktu and Gao." Wikipedia