[central Africa] - Enzio Bassani - Nella Terra dei Niam-Niam - 1978

Enzio Bassani - In the Land of the Niam-Niam (1863-1865) - Maria Pacini Fazzi publisher, 1978 - 215 pages - softcover - 25 x 17 cm

Condition: good
Contains exlibris. Good condition.

The Azande (singular: Zande, also Zandeh, A-Zandeh, or Sandeh), historically known as Niam Niam (now considered pejorative), are a tribe in northern Central Africa. Their population is estimated by various sources to be between 1 and 4 million. The name Azande means 'the people who possess a lot of land' and refers to their past as powerful conquerors. The name Niam Niam was often used by European colonials in the 19th and early 20th centuries, likely originating from the Dinka and meaning 'big eaters' (and also an onomatopoeia), which may refer to cannibalism among them. The name Azande was already used by other Sudanese peoples before the arrival of Europeans and was later adopted.

The majority of the Azande live in the northeastern part of Congo-Kinshasa, the west of South Sudan, and the southeast of the Central African Republic. The Congolese Azande reside in the former Orientale province (particularly along the Uele River), and the Central African Azande live around the towns of Obo, Rafaï, and Zémio. The Azande speak Adamawa-Ubangitaal Zande (also known as Pazande, Badjange, Kizande, Sande, or Zandi).

The Azande are mainly small farmers who primarily cultivate maize, rice, peanuts, sesame, cassava, and sweet potatoes. They also grow mangoes, mandarins, bananas, pineapples, and sugarcane. There are also many oil palms in their area. A large part of the Azande's land has become heavily eroded over the years.

The Azande are originally animists, but this belief has now been largely replaced by Christianity.