Czyj jest ten kawałek Sahelu?
Who owns this piece of the Sahel?

The right to dispose of real estate in the face of critical change

Author(s): Marek Kulczyk
Subject(s): Anthropology, Cultural history, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, 19th Century
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: disposal of land real estate; land law; parcelling; city; urbanism; migration; Niger; Burkina Faso; Senegal
Summary/Abstract: The right to dispose of real estate has unique properties in the countries of the Sahel, a result of an overlapping of local and postcolonial traditions. The features and dynamic of this phenomenon determine the economic development in the region as well as the spatial changes taking place there. Analyzing the legal codifications of the Sahel states of Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal, and two Burkina Faso case studies – the Sawadogo forest in Ouahigouya and the Pazaani district mosque in Wagadugu – the author discusses the operation of the existing laws and their adaptation to the local economic and natural circumstances. Law-imposed restrictions on the disposal of real estate are also pointed out. The analysis shows that the tradition enshrined in law has impeded economic growth in the conditions of liberal economy. The current legal practice in this field has been evolving following the example of developed economies, which has brought with it both opportunities and threats.

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