Marius-Gabriel Cazemajou (10 December 1864 – 5 May 1898) was a French officer who died during an expedition in West Africa.
Early years
Marius Gabriel Cazemajou was born on 10 December 1864 in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
.
He studied at the Polytechnique.
Cazemajou was commissioned in the French army in 1886.
He was made an officer of the Engineers.
He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1889.
In 1893 Cazemajou made an Expedition from the south of Tunisia into the
Fezzan
Fezzan ( , ; ber, ⴼⵣⵣⴰⵏ, Fezzan; ar, فزان, Fizzān; la, Phazania) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ...
around
Ghadames
Ghadames or Ghadamis ( Berber: ''ʕadémis''; ar, غدامس, Libyan vernacular: ''ɣdāməs'', Latin: ''Cidamus, Cydamus'', it, Gadames) is an oasis Berber town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya.
The ...
.
He later served in
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
, then in 1896 was assigned to French West Africa.
He served under Paul Caudrelier in 1897 when the French occupied the Black Volta region.
Chad expedition
The slaver
Rabih az-Zubayr
Rabih az-Zubayr ibn Fadl Allah or Rabih Fadlallah ( ar, رابح فضل الله ,رابح الزبير ابن فضل الله), usually known as Rabah in French (c. 1842 – April 22, 1900), was a Sudanese warlord and slave trader who establish ...
had conquered the
Bornu Empire Bornu may refer to:
* Bornu Empire, a historical state of West Africa
* Borno State
Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while it ...
, and France feared a threat to its borders in West and Equatorial Africa.
In 1897 Cazemajou was given the task of entering into negotiations with Rabih az-Zubayr.
The 37-man expedition to
Say
Say may refer to:
Music
*''Say'' (album), 2008 album by J-pop singer Misono
* "Say" (John Mayer song), 2007
*"Say (All I Need)", 2007 song by American pop rock band OneRepublic
* "Say" (Method Man song), 2006 single by rapper Method Man
* "Say" ( ...
and then onward to Lake Chad was launched in December 1897.
The reporter
Félix Dubois
Albert Félix Dubois (16 September 1862 – 1 June 1945) was a French journalist, explorer and entrepreneur who is best known for his books about his travels in French West Africa.
Dubois was the son of a well-known chef who had written a nu ...
, an experienced traveler in West Africa, accompanied the expedition.
The British, who felt they had the rights to the region east of Say, were suspicious of the expedition.
Not wanting to be forestalled by the British, Cazamajou drove the porters ruthlessly and shot those who tried to escape.
There were uprisings in Yatenga.
Dubois fell out with Cazamajou over his brutal methods and left the expedition at
Say
Say may refer to:
Music
*''Say'' (album), 2008 album by J-pop singer Misono
* "Say" (John Mayer song), 2007
*"Say (All I Need)", 2007 song by American pop rock band OneRepublic
* "Say" (Method Man song), 2006 single by rapper Method Man
* "Say" ( ...
.
Continuing east, Cazamajou signed protectorate treaties with the Sultans of
Kebbi
Kebbi state ( ha, Jihar Kebbi; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in the northwestern Nigeria, Kebbi state is bordered east and north of Sokoto and Zamfara states, and to the south by Niger state while i ...
and
Tessaoua
Tessaoua, formerly known as Tessawa, is a city located in the Maradi Region of Niger. It has a population of 31,667 (2001 census). Tessaoua is historically an important city in its region. It is situated in a central geographical location. Tessa ...
.
The column neared the
Sultanate of Damagaram
The Sultanate of Damagaram was a Muslim pre-colonial state in what is now southeastern Niger, centered on the city of Zinder.
History
Rise
The Sultanate of Damagaram was founded in 1731 (near Mirriah, modern Niger) by Muslim Kanouri ar ...
early in April 1898.
The Sultan Amadou Kouran Daga sent messengers to inform the French that he only recognized the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
However, he invited Cazemajou to his capital,
Zinder
Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census);
, where he entertained him lavishly.
After three weeks, as they were preparing to move on for Lake Chad, on 5 May 1898 Cazemajou and his interpreter Olive were murdered.
The motive may have in part been the influence of
marabout
A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sah ...
s who were hostile to the Christian presence.
Sultan Amadou Kouran Daga also feared an alliance against him between France and Rabih az-Zubayr.
Aftermath
France responded to the murder of Cazemajou, and in 1899 invaded the sultanate of Zinder and defeated and killed Amadou Kouran Daga at Roumji on 13 September 1899. The sultanate came under French rule, although at first it remained as a sultanate. Today it forms most of the region of Zinder in
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesTanimoun after its greatest sultan.