Pulular sob o rolo compressor: sobre a resistência Kel Tamacheque à agressão colonial francesa (1881-1919)

Abstract

This article seeks to broaden the discussion on the history of anti-colonial resistance in Saharan societies during the first years of French colonization, with a specific focus on the resistance of the Kel Tamasheq. The French had great difficulty traversing the Sahara, and their efforts comprised two distinct itineraries. One of them commenced in Dakar and headed east towards Timbuktu, and then Zinder and Lake Chad. The other set out from the north towards the south, departing from Algiers (Ouargla) in the direction of Agadez, Zinder, and Lake Chad. The analysis focuses on the main confrontations during the first years of French passage through Kel Tamasheq territories. Since the colonial era, the Kel Tamasheq have organized revolts and manifested their rejection of colonial occupation through armed struggle and diverse forms of insurgency and cultural resistance. The text is a critical revisiting of French colonial archives’ written sources: specialized publications and historical documents largely produced by the French military and French religious institutions, scientists, and administrators.