Tuareg Tea-time: Folklore and Culture

Among the Tuareg and many people of the Sahelian region of Africa, tea is more than a beverage. It is a way of life. But how did this come to be, and what has it got to do with the legendary Lost Oasis of Waw in Tuareg folklore? Listen on for some Tuareg Tea folklore and more…

Tuareg man pouring tea (Image Credit)

Tea time! (Image Credit)

Tuareg tea shears. These were used to break large cones of sugar. (Image Credit)

Tuareg Teapot (Image Credit)

Tuareg Teapot (Image Credit)

Learn more about the AFRI Grant

Can’t Get Enough?

• Preparing Tea in the Tuareg Style

• What Is Tuareg Tea?

• Le Breuvage du Thé dans la Région de la Saoura et de la Gourara: Concepts, Fonctions et Rituels (Tea Drinking in the Saoura and Gourara Regions: Concepts, Functions and Rituals) by Ali Bencherif Abdelillah

References

• Diawara, Mamadou, and Ute Röschenthaler. “Green Tea in the Sahel: The Social History of an Itinerant Consumer Good.” Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne Des Études Africaines, vol. 46, no. 1, 2012, pp. 39–64. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43860320. Accessed 2 June 2024.

• Masquelier, Adeline. "Teatime: Boredom and the temporalities of young men in Niger." Africa 83.3 (2013): 470-491.

• Rasmussen, Susan. “Making Better ‘Scents’ in Anthropology: Aroma in Tuareg Sociocultural Systems and the Shaping of Ethnography.” Anthropological Quarterly, vol. 72, no. 2, 1999, pp. 55–73. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3317964. Accessed 2 June 2024.

• Rasmussen, Susan. “Matters of Taste: Food, Eating, and Reflections on ‘The Body Politic’ in Tuareg Society.” Journal of Anthropological Research, vol. 52, no. 1, 1996, pp. 61–83. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3630236. Accessed 2 June 2024.

• Seligman, Thomas K. “Art of Being Tuareg Sahara Nomads in a Modern World.” African Arts, vol. 39, no. 3, 2006, pp. 56–79. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20447781. Accessed 2 June 2024.

Sound Effects

• Soundgrabs: Water & Weather – Puring Hot Tea