Stronghold of the Sara people of Kyabé, southern Chad. Photograph by Paul L. Hoefler, 1928 - 1929.

Stronghold of the Sara people of Kyabé, southern Chad. Photograph by Paul L. Hoefler, 1928 - 1929. 

The Sara are a Central Sudanic people inhabiting primarily southern Chad and northern Central African republic. Like a number of other populations in the broader region, such as the Kotoko, the Sara claim direct descent from the ancient Sao who once dominated the Chari river basin on the southern end of Lake Chad. According to their oral histories, the Sara migrated from their former homeland to their current locations as a result of pressure from the expanding Bornu Empire around the 16th century. 

The Sara people of Kyabé belong to the Kaba subgroup of the Sara. They are sedentary farmers and fishermen, as well as keeping livestock and horses. They were probably most famous for their large lip plates which were sensationalized in the West. 

Predominantly maintaining their traditional religion, the Sara became victims of slave raids from the more powerful Islamic states to their north, such as Kanem Bornu and Bagirmi, as well as from nomadic Arabized populations like the Baggara. These muslim populations often referred to the non-Islamic peoples of the region collectively as “Kirdi” (pagans). 

The village of Kyabé and its stronghold served as a refuge from these northern raids. Kyabé was essentially a polynucleated cluster of villages, with a large square enclosure at the centre, constructed from a double row of matting, tough enough so that no arrow or spear could penetrate it. Besides food storage huts and a well, this enclosure also featured a two, to three story earthen edifice with two towers joined together by a passageway, while loopholes allowed the defenders to rain down arrows on any would-be attackers.

Some similarities to Kotoko architecture suggests the possibility that this style may have been an architectural legacy inherited from their common Sao ancestors.