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Jevans Nyabiage

West Africa has embraced Chinese green tea – from government offices in Mauritania to roadside stalls in Senegal, Mali and Niger, it is at the heart of a tradition that brings people together.
The ritual – known as ataya, or attaya in some countries – involves preparing and serving strong, sweet green tea in three rounds, giving family, friends and colleagues the time to talk and socialise.
Chinese tea dominates several markets where ataya is widely consumed.

More than 90 per cent of Mauritania’s tea imports by value came from China in 2024, accounting for US$65.1 million of its US$66.4 million in tea purchases, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
The tea culture has even made it into a guide for Chinese visitors put out by the embassy in Mauritania. It says Mauritanians traditionally serve tea to guests, a practice known as “three cups of tea upon meeting”.
In Gambia, another country in the Sahel, China supplied US$28.5 million of the country’s US$31.3 million in tea imports in 2024 – or about 91 per cent.
China is also a major source of the green tea consumed in Mali, Senegal and Niger, where the ataya tradition is also strong.
Cameroonian journalist Kouam Joel Honore – who is based in the Senegalese capital Dakar – encountered the tea-drinking custom during visits to Mauritania in 2021 and 2022.
“It was only in Mauritania that I was served ataya in several government offices,” he said. “There, it is normal.”
He said much of the region’s tea came from China, with a new generation of Senegalese and Malian traders now travelling there to source leaves directly.
Ataya is consumed throughout the day – in homes, markets, shops and workplaces – with traders brewing it over charcoal stoves, colleagues sharing it during breaks, and drivers carrying portable burners on desert journeys.
A full ceremony spans three rounds and roughly 90 minutes, giving people time for proper conversation.
The three cups are often described as bitter “like life”, sweet “like friendship”, and gentle “like love” – a rhythm that mirrors China’s own deep-rooted tea-drinking culture.
“One round does not provide enough time to discuss a substantial subject, and two rounds may not allow you to finish the discussion,” said Seidik Abba, president of the International Centre for Studies and Reflections on the Sahel and author of Mali-Sahel: Our Own Afghanistan?
“Three rounds give you time to discuss the topic fully, socialise and experience the ceremony in its entirety.”
Abba said the tea culture was a strong link to his roots in Niger. “Even after 10 years away, I still consider it part of my identity.”

Senegalese artist and social entrepreneur Aldi Diasse said ataya played a similar role in Senegal, where it was commonly shared after meals or in the evening.
“Ataya is something that brings people together,” Diasse said. “People debate and discuss many things about society while spending time together.”
The custom is passed down through families. Diasse said he learned to prepare ataya from his parents and siblings.
To prepare ataya, Chinese gunpowder green tea is boiled with plenty of sugar and often fresh mint in a small teapot over a charcoal stove or gas flame. The tea is poured repeatedly between the pot and small glasses, sometimes from a height, to produce a thick layer of foam.
The same leaves are used for the second and third rounds, producing tea that changes in strength and flavour as the ceremony progresses. Preparation methods vary across the Sahel.
Abba noted that while most of the tea leaves came from China, the ceremony itself was West African.
He linked the tradition to the old trans-Saharan caravan routes between North and West Africa. Travellers would cross thousands of kilometres of desert by camel, stopping along the way to rest and drink tea.
“If you travelled from Tripoli or Benghazi in Libya to Kano, Nigeria, across the Sahara, you had to stop from time to time, perhaps at night, to have tea,” he said. “This is a very old tradition.”
Chinese tea became more prominent later, when Sahelians recognised a shared tea culture and began importing tea from China. Abba believes this common tradition helped strengthen connections between China and those African countries.
“Once Sahelian Africans discovered that the Chinese shared the same tradition, they started importing Chinese tea,” Abba said.
“People do not consider it merely an old custom; it is part of the identity of the Sahelian people.”


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From government offices to roadside stalls, tea from China is at the heart of a slow ritual that provides time to talk and socialise


From government offices to roadside stalls, tea from China is at the heart of a slow ritual that provides time to talk and socialise.


Chinese green tea is bringing people together in West Africa, 3 cups at a time

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From government offices to roadside stalls, tea from China is at the heart of a slow ritual that provides time to talk and socialise

From government offices to roadside stalls, tea from China is at the heart of a slow ritual that provides time to talk and socialise