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Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on Turkish foreign policy towards Niger by analyzing the 'Istanbulawa' narrative, which claims the Turkish origin of the Sultanate of Agadez, and its implications. It also examines the appropriation of this narrative by the sultanate, promoted by the current Turkish government.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the 'Istanbulawa' narrative and its implications in the context of the neo-Ottoman narratives promoted by the AKP government. The term "Istanbulawa" means "people from Istanbul" in Hausa and is associated with the Ottoman heritage of the Sultanate of Agadez in northern Niger. The Istanbulawa narrative was widely used in both countries after the establishment of new diplomatic relations in 2012 with the opening of the Turkish embassy in Niger, followed by the visit of Turkish President Erdogan in 2013. During this visit, Erdogan pledged to build a 400km road, which he named the "Istanbulawa Road", in the Agadez region, in tribute to this historical link. After this visit, Niger and particularly Agadez became attractive to the Turkish media and several government institutions and NGOs. In this article, I analyze the strategic use of Istanbulawa as part of the neo-Ottoman narratives of the AKP government, but also the appropriation of these narratives by the Sultanate of Agadez. I argue that Istanbulawa reflects the translation of Ottoman romanticism/nostalgia into a diplomatic strategy aimed at legitimizing the Turkish presence in Niger and establishing a durable influence. Furthermore, I argue that the appropriation of these narratives by the Sultanate of Agadez is due to the desire to strengthen its historical legitimacy but also to the benefits that it brings to the Sultanate and Agadez. My analyses are based on ethnographic data gathered during my fieldwork in Turkey and Niger in 2021, as well as secondary sources.