August 3- Niger�s Independence Day

Not a day blessed with momentous historical events and I wouldn�t probably have mentioned that on August 3, 1960 the country of Niger in West-Africa gained independence from France, if Niger hadn�t been ever present on the news over the last few days.

Niger is the latest country in Africa to be afflicted by famine.
At the best of times, 60% of its population is malnourished, but this year they are threatened by starvation, after yet another failure of the crops, and perish of the livestock, caused by draughts and swarms of locusts.
Niger is on the border between the Sahara and the dry plains of the Sub-Sahara, with the eponymous river crossing the country in the east; populated in the North by Tuareg tribes and to the South by the Hausa which had largely controlled the area until the French colonized it at the end of the 19th century.
After gaining its independence in a peaceful transition Niger has suffered from the usual succession of presidential or military dictatorships, and from civil wars between the Tuaregs and the Central government, but at the moment have an elected and relatively democratic government.
The country is the second poorest in the world, 60% of its people live on less than one US$ per day, it has the highest birthrate in the world, but an average life expectancy of 46 years.

Over the last days the British Media (anywhere else?) has been full of pictures of starving people and dying children that sadly have become familiar since the Ethiopian famine in the Mid 80s. An emergency appeal has been launched in the UK and since last week increased emergency food supplies have been flown to Niger.
But the plight of the people of Niger has also once more stirred up the discussion about the reasons for the annual human disasters in Africa and their possible cure.

Anyway, today is Niger�s independence day, but somehow I have the feeling that there isn�t much to celebrate about.

What else happened on this day in history?

1492 Christopher Columbus set sails from Palos de la Frontera. His fleet consisted of three ships, the Ni�a, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria . (We all know what that led to. Why didn�t he listen to his wife and stayed at home?)

2003 The Anglican Church in America votes to approve the appointment of an openly gay bishop, angering religious leaders around the world.


Full list:
Wikipedia

Edited by Komnenos