Andéramboukane (var.
Andéramboucane) is a town and one of five
Rural Communes in the
Ménaka Cercle of the
Gao Region of
Mali. It lies at the extreme east of the country, several kilometers north of the
Nigerien border. Andéramboukane is a rural, isolated, and largely desert area, crisscrossed by seasonal
wadis, part of an ancient dry river system of the
Azawagh region (the
Iullemmeden Basin). The area is just south of the rocky outcrops of the Ader Douchi hills, and north of the
Sahel scrubland which begins in
Niger. Most of the population of the area are nomadic
Tuareg or other
nomadic minorities, including the
Wodaabe Fula. The sedentary population is a largely low caste Tuareg community. The town is a seasonal gathering point for the
Kel Dinnik Tuareg confederation, who travel from the desert
Azawagh in the rainy season and the
Niger River valley in the dry season. Since the 1990s, the town has hosted a formalised version of the traditional fairs that take place at beginning of the southward transhumance cycle. This festival, named Tamadacht, has become a showcase of traditional and contemporary Tuareg and
Wodaabe music, dance, sport, performance, and arts.