Cultural portrait · Sahel and centre

Hausa

Traders and craftspeople of the towns, Hausa as a market language.

Context

People profile

Language family: Afro-Asiatic (West Chadic: Hausa)
Region / province: Towns and markets: N’Djamena, Mongo, Abéché, Moundou
Livelihoods: trade · crafts
Customs and oral literature: Urban festivals, Hausa songs, Muslim ceremonies.
Present-day situation: According to Crisis Group, the Fulani and Hausa are among Chad’s main herding groups; having arrived in the southwest from Nigeria and northern Cameroon in the 20th century, they have settled or semi-settled while often having others move their livestock. (International Crisis Group, Briefing Afrique n°199, « Tchad : rompre le cycle des violences agropastorales », 2024-08-23)
Sources: Wikipédia, « Haoussas » · Sources
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026

Subgroups: Hausa communities settled in Chad
Culture: Long presence through trans-Saharan and Sahelian trade, mainly from Nigeria and Niger. Islam, merchant quarters, crafts. Counted among other origins, yet visible in urban life.
Food / staple foods: Millet, rice, meats, market dishes.
To remember: Hausa language, widely understood in the markets of the Chadian Sahel.

SourcesPortraits and pages draw on public sources. Population shares follow the 2014-2015 EDS-MICS household survey, not the last census (RGPH 2009). Main photographs are documentary stills (Festival Dary, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Africa, Wikimedia archives) under Creative Commons, credited to the photographer.

In-depth portrait

Machine translation from French, under review. The French text is authoritative.

What the encyclopedia says

The Hausa are a Sahelian people living mainly in northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Niger. They are one of Africa’s largest ethnic groups. The region they have inhabited for centuries is known as Hausaland. They speak Hausa, a Chadic language within the Afro-Asiatic family, which also serves as a lingua franca for other people. Farmers and craftspeople, the Hausa developed an urban civilisation based on trade in leatherwork, ironwork, weaving and farm produce. Today most still live in small villages, growing food crops, trading and raising livestock. Major businesspeople have emerged, such as Aliko Dangote, from the Hausa community of northern Nigeria.

Quoted from French Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) : « Haoussas » · Translated excerpt, licence CC BY-SA 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Cultural profile

0 of 6 sections documented

History and origins To document
Language To document
Social organisation To document
Beliefs and religious practice To document
Life cycle (birth, initiation, marriage, funerals) To document
Housing, crafts and dress To document

Documented fact: based on a published written source, cited under the section. Reported oral account: testimony from a community member, published with their consent, not confirmed in writing. Empty sections stay empty rather than being filled in.