SARH REGIONAL MUSEUM

This small but regional museum was created at the same time as the one in N'Djamena, in 1963, but faced with organizational difficulties, it only opened its doors in 1968. The entrance hall features the Gonoa Man, an astonishing rock carving from the Tibesti region, carved into the ignimbrite cliffs (a rock made up of welded, acidic lava debris from a fiery cloud) of the Enneri Gonoa, near Bardaï. In reality, it is 2 m tall, and its head is covered by a hood. There is also a collection of anklets and ancient coins. The ethnology room contains some basketry and wooden objects, as well as tools and pyrographed calabashes; the music room contains a balafon, koras, masks and mbaye and ngambaye dance outfits. The archaeology room displays ancient weapons (reed or wooden shields, throwing knives and tridents), a collection of Neolithic carved stones (flints, millstones, axes, etc.) and Sao objects, a rabist outfit and Moundang chain mail.

This once revered site is now the silent witness of prolonged neglect, abandoned to its sad fate for nearly 15 years, without the slightest financial support. This crying lack of resources has plunged the institution into an advanced state of disrepair, threatening not only its future, but also the preservation of Chad's heritage. The museum's curator, Mr Saradoumngué Yamadjita Mahamat, is deeply saddened by the situation.