 Lake Fitri | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 281,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Lake Fitri (Chad) | |
| Languages | |
| Bilala,Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherLisi peoples |
TheBilala orBulala are a Muslim people that live aroundLake Fitri, in theBatha Prefecture, in centralChad. The last Chadiancensus in 1993 stated that they numbered 136,629 people. Their language,Naba, is divided in four dialects and is a part of theCentral Sudanic language family; it is shared by two of their neighbours, theKuka and theMedogo. These three peoples are collectively known asLisi and are believed to be descendants of main ethnic groups of theSultanate ofYao.
They first appeared in the 14th century near lake Fitri as anomadic clan led by scions of theSayfawa dynasty. They were originally a political entity that came about as a result of fusion of the Kayi (old Zaghawa = current Kanembu, the clan exist even today in Kanem) andNgizimis Kanembu clan, which exists even today in Dibbinintchi,Lake Chad inhabitants of the Fittri region.[1] Settled east of theKanem Empire, in today'sChad, they shattered the empire's power, killing five of six of Kanem'smais (kings) between 1376 and 1400.
At the end the Bulala conqueredKanem and forced the Kanemmais to migrate toBornu. As a result, the Bulala put their hands on Kanem, founding in the 15th century the Muslim sultanate of Yao. The Kanem–Bornu Empire counter-attacked a century later underAli Gazi. Kanem was retaken by Ali's son after a great battle at Garni Kiyala, forcing the Bulala to move east, where they were to remain a menace for centuries to Kanem-Bornu. It continued also to be a flourishing kingdom: the travellerLeo Africanus even thought that the Bulala's reign was richer than Kanem–Bornu for its prosperous trade withEgypt.
Their power survived in diminished forms until the onset of colonialism, when they submitted to the French.