Labour Reservoirs and Population: French Colonial Strategies in Koudougou, Upper Volta, 1914 to 1939

Abstract

The colonial authorities perceived Upper Volta as the most important labour reservoir in French West Africa. Koudougou, the most populous administrative subdivision of what was Upper Volta during the colonial period, was probably also the most densely settled. Various types of colonial labour policies are examined. These include forced labour in its forms of annual ‘prestations’ and longer-term, large-scale recruiting for major public works, as well as military conscription and the use of the ‘2è portion’ in the public and private sectors. Based on archival research in West Africa, this study traces changes in the size of the labour force and the impact of the forced extraction of labour on the African populations. Finally, the wider significance of colonial labour policies is analysed.

Borders That Divide: Education and Religion in Ghana and Togo Since Colonial Times

“…The economy of the Gold Coast depended on the inflow of labor migrants and cross-border movement of labor was unrestricted (Cordell and Gregory 1982). The economy of the Gold Coast depended on the inflow of labor migrants and cross-border movement of labor was unrestricted (Cordell and Gregory 1982).…”

On the Size and Shape of African States1

“…The French were thus concerned about the “demographic problem” of low population densities in their colonies, leading them to create economies of scale by maintaining a regional tier of colonial administration for French West Africa and French Central Africa (Cooper 1996:181); the former alone comprised 4.7 million square kilometers, or more than seven times the size of France. Low densities were especially a problem in the aforementioned “unpopulated, virgin land” of Côte d’Ivoire (Cordell and Gregory 1982:218); to alleviate this problem, French administrators abolished the colony of Upper Volta in 1932, adding its more populated southern part to Côte d’Ivoire in order to help local planters recruit laborers (Gervais and Mande 2000). 10…”

Configurations institutionnelles de la protection de l’enfance : regards croisés de l’Afrique, de l’Europe et de l’Amérique du Nord

“…De nombreux travaux (Cordell et Gregory, 1982;Chirwa, 1993, Compaoré, 1995Boyden, 1997;Fourchard, 1999;Grier, 2004) montrent que tout au long de la première période de colonisation (1890 à 1930), les enfants sont sollicités au même titre que les adultes dans la mise en valeur des colonies. L'objectif est moins de protéger des enfants que d'assurer le renouvellement d'une main-d'oeuvre 6 en bonne santé et de maintenir l'ordre social (Mc Née, 2004).…”