Kaskara with French Inscription

[Dom]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Excellent suggestion Iain! and I am surprised that after all our discussions on these areas that I completely forgot about Chad! It seems clear that areas of more extensive French presence colonially would more likely provide provenance for such a blade on a kaskara. These areas, in fact most of Africa, was a virtual hotbed of geopolitical colonial flux in the latter part of the 19th century.

Hi Jim
it's should not be simple ... because ..
before 1890, these territories were African Empires, then
- 1890: The Lake Chad has been divided into three areas - British, German and French.
- 1900: Rabah (slave trader, having an army) and Lamy (French Officer, having an army)
are both killed during the Battle of Kousseri, which marks the beginning of the conquest of territory by the French army
and the end of independence in this part of the African Sahel.
The population of Ouaddai resists until 1909 while the North (Borkou Ennedi and Tibesti) remains under French military administration until 1965.

So, blades trade did not result from the French colonization it was a previous business practice

By 1905, most of the area was under firm French control as a part of French Sudan.
In early 1959, French Sudan (which changed its name to the Sudanese Republic) and Senegal united to become the Mali Federation.
(extracted from "Wikipedia" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali)

very ... very complicated situation, who is a big part responsable for the present troubles ...

à +

Dom