Peuples Pasteurs en Crise. Les réponses des organisations non gouvernementales en Afrique

Prefaced by J-P Olivier de Sardan, this is the French version of Oxby 1989 'African Livestock-keepers in recurrent crisis' published by the Drylands Programme, International Institute for Environment and Development, London. Report prepared for the coordinating development agency 'ACORD', focusing on their experience of working with pastoralists in the various sectors, in the following countries: Burkina, Chad, Eritrea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. The project experience is set within the wider context of social change affecting pastoralists

Born into Bondage? Iklan Lives along the Rural-Urban continuum (Tuareg, Sahel)

This article considers the predicament of a low-status Tuareg woman living close by her former master’s family in rural central Niger in 2010; for the family, she maintained the status of taklit ("slave descendant", feminine singular of "iklan"), somewhere along the spectrum between paid family servant and domestic slave. Analysis focuses on why she and so many like her have not managed to improve their life chances by moving to town, despite the Nigérien ban on slavery. Relevant factors include her lack of a family support network, the continued impact of prejudice against former slaves, a fear of possibly worsening her economic standing via such a move, and the strong moral compulsion of ordained gender roles in Sahelian cities. Former mistresses/masters also resisted the departure of women like her from wealthy herding households because of their housework contribution and their crucial role in producing the next generation of workers

Group Ranches in Africa

Review of early experiments in setting up Group Ranch projects with herders in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Burkina, Rwanda, Senega

5. Women and the allocation of herding labour in a pastoral society: Southern Kәl Fәṛwan Twareg, Niger

Slavery was officially abolished by the colonial authorities of the territory which is now the Republic of Niger in 1905; but it was not until several years later that the unofficial trading of people gradually ceased. The failure of the 1917 revolt against the French, which culminated in the siege of Agadez and in which the Twareg played an important role, was a landmark: one way in which the colonial authorities subsequently tried to undermine the support of the Twareg leaders was by system..

Social differentiation of risk: perceptions of the future in drought-prone Central Niger

A snapshot of two Tuareg-dominated 'communes rurales' in the pastoral-agricultural transition zones of Maradi and Tahoua regions, Central Niger, shows that, despite the openly shared 'inevitable natural hazard' drought discourse, risk-taking action in response to drought-related dangers is sharply polarized according to social position. On the one hand the dominant Tuareg minority perceive drought not only as danger for their herds but also as opportunity to increase their political following through the channelling of drought relief benefits to their supporters. On the other hand, the majority of commune households, living on the brink of economic viability, cultivate social links with the dominant families in order to secure access to water, land and humanitarian aid; and household members are forced into more and more frequent and distant out-migration. Certain leaders, well-informed about national land policy and practice, focus their efforts for a better future on the consolidation of community land rights through the promotion of certain sedentarization and land privatization initiatives; however the resulting increased land pressure in key locations may unwittingly expose inhabitants to even worse drought-linked crises in the future. Bibliogr., notes, sum. in English and Frenc

Social differentiation of risk

A snapshot of two Tuareg-dominated communes rurales in the pastoral – agricultural transition zones of Maradi and Tahoua regions shows that, despite the openly shared “inevitable natural hazard” drought discourse, risk-taking action in response to drought-related dangers is sharply polarised according to social position. On the one hand the dominant Tuareg minority perceive drought not only as danger for their herds but also as opportunity to increase their political following through the channelling of drought relief benefits to their supporters. On the other hand the majority of commune households, living on the brink of economic viability, cultivate social links with the dominant families in order to secure access to water, land and humanitarian aid; and household members are forced into more and more frequent and distant out-migration. Certain leaders, well-informed about national land policy and practice, focus their efforts for a better future on the consolidation of community land rights through the promotion of certain sedentarisation and land privatisation initiatives; however the resulting increased land pressure in key locations may unwittingly expose inhabitants to even worse drought-linked crises in the future.Cet aperçu de deux communes rurales à domination touarègue, situées en zone de transition pastorale-agricole dans les régions de Maradi et de Tahoua, montre que bien que tous partagent le discours d’un « danger naturel inévitable », les prises de risque face à la sécheresse sont fortement polarisées selon la position sociale. D’une part, la minorité touarègue dominante perçoit la sécheresse non seulement comme un danger pour ses troupeaux, mais aussi comme l’occasion d’accroître sa clientèle politique en canalisant les aides humanitaires vers ses partisans. D’autre part, la plupart des ménages, dont la viabilité économique est précaire, cultivent des liens sociaux avec les familles dominantes dans le but de sécuriser leur accès à l’eau, à la terre et à l’aide humanitaire ; leurs membres sont contraints à des migrations de plus en plus fréquentes et lointaines. Certains dirigeants, bien informés de la politique et de la pratique foncière nationale, cherchent un avenir meilleur en se focalisant sur la consolidation des droits fonciers des communautés à travers la promotion d’initiatives de sédentarisation et de privatisation des terres. Mais l’augmentation de la pression foncière qui en résulte dans les endroits clés pourrait involontairement exposer les habitants à des crises encore plus graves liées à des sécheresses futures

Restocking: a Guide. Herd reconstitution for African livestock keepers as part of a strategy for disaster rehabilitation.

A guide to planning, setting up and evaluating herd reconstitution projects in the context of disaster relief, in light of development agency experience in Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger