Fete de l'Afrique
The anniversary of the founding of the African Union in 1963. The day is observed with cultural events, music, and the wearing of African fabrics. The Nigerien identity is both African and Sahelian, and the day is a reminder that Niger is part of the African continent and the African community. In Niamey, the cultural center hosts a day of performances: Hausa drummers, Zarma griots, Tuareg imzad players, and Fulani flute musicians. The imzad is the traditional instrument of the Tuareg women : a single-stringed fiddle played with a bow, whose haunting sound is said to attract the spirits of the desert. The imzad was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2018, and Africa Day is one of the few occasions when it is played in public.
