Gidan Sidika: A place worth visiting

While in Agadez I was told of Gidan Sidika, which sounded like a place worth visiting, and so I headed there one evening, together with my guide, who never tired of taking me to interesting places in Agadez. He seemed to quickly pick up the creative, inquisitive nature of a journalist. Gidan Sidika is an […]

While in Agadez I was told of Gidan Sidika, which sounded like a place worth visiting, and so I headed there one evening, together with my guide, who never tired of taking me to interesting places in Agadez. He seemed to quickly pick up the creative, inquisitive nature of a journalist. Gidan Sidika is an unusual place. There are peforations on its external walls, which allows air to enter the building proper, and there are illustrations done in mud and clay on its  inner walls.
The architecture of houses seen in Agadez never  ceases  to impress. Most houses are done in mud, and have a certain nobility to them. Outside this particular  building, as well as inside it is all made of glorious, beautiful mud  for which Agadez is famous.  It seems to have been constructed in 1917, and evidence to this effect is inscribed on one of its walls. It is a storey building and has at least one  huge statue.
When you climb the rather uneven stairs, you still pass through many rooms with remarkable illustrations done on their walls. Some of the illustrations are  of Muslim origin, while others are clearly from further afield in West Africa, reflecting the multi cultural work force that did the illustrations in the first place.
Sanni Abdu, the caretaker  says of Gidan Sidika  “Sidika was a rich man from Senegal who lived here at a time. He fed the soldiers during the great war.” According to him,  the house was the first place where bread was sold in Agadez, and this seems  to imply that the house was a bakery at a point.
He adds that it was Sidika who brought a group of artists to Agadez who, upon his instruction, began to decorate the walls of the house with remarkable motifs. Why Sidika began this impressive project is not clear, and inquiries in Agadez never yielded any answer. It was clearly well done. Sanni Abdu  thinks that those who built the house may have since passed on,  implying  that a good number of them may have come from Senegal.

The  caretaker adds that the government of Niger does not at present provide any monies for the upkeep of the house, which seems to carry a blend of Nigerienne and Senegalese art on its walls. He says that when visitors arrive the country, then the government always makes sure that such visitors are brought to Gidan Sidika for sightseeing. But he wonders why the historical  building suffers neglect. He cannot remember the last time a visitor arrived the house, except  the reporter, that is. As things are now the caretaker alone carries out repairs when he deems that these are necessary. He laments that during the rainy season the house suffers much, and  wishes that there was a more visible government presence at the house.