Water at the heart of inter-community political relations in Africa

Inauguration of the Taredji-Podor Road

Today I would like to talk about a subject that is different from previous blogs, since I would like to talk about the role that water plays in cultural and political relations between communities. Indeed, we have seen throughout this blog the different international and national political relationships around water in Africa. We have addressed the theme of conflict, cooperation and the political issues it raises in a nation. This article will therefore focus on the relationship between water and the development of a cultural and political way of life and the relationships it induces in Africa. 

 For this, I will rely on the case of two communities, Toucouleurs and Peuls, in the region of Fuuta-Tooro in Senegal where water is a factor of social differentiation.

 Location : 

 The Fuuta-Tooro region lies on the border between Mauritania and Senegal. It is located on the north of the Senegal River Valley and is 600 km from Dakar. 

This region is bordered by the River Doué. It is a very arid region with a well defined rainy season (August and September for an average of 30 rainy days/year). This region is characterized by two distinct areas :

-  To the North, an area with access to water, close to the river. There are the villages of Niang, Guédé, Aniam and Taredji (see on map). This wetland is commonly referred to as ‘Waaloo’. It is an alluvial plain whose soils come from sedimentary deposits of Senegal or Doué. Toucouleurs are the dominant group. 

-  To the south, an arid and dry area where the village of Nenet is located. It is commonly called ‘Jeeri’ and dominated by the Peuls’ pastors. 

 If water is a factor of social and political differentiation it is because the ponds and other sources of surfaces are here unusable because of malaria but also the fever of the Rift Valley. Roads and paths even bypass them to avoid any spread.

 Exploitation : 

 The area of Waalo, on the valley of the river, practices a flood culture. Indeed, during the rainy season, the river overflows allowing a culture of flooded areas since the land is fed with sediments brought by the river and is therefore more fertile.

 On the other hand, the area of Jeeri has a traditional pastoral activity since the area is mainly populated by Peuls. It should be noted that these populations of Jeeri have, for a large part of them, land in Waalo : during the periods of declining crops, traditional farming practices led them to leave their village to settle on the banks of the river. 

 Complementarity and an ancestral political organization =

 For the animals of the Jeeri region, there is a need for water from the North. Thus an ancestral occupation of space was created based on complementarity. Indeed, the inhabitants of the Waalo area agreed to welcome the herds to drink and in exchange their feces enriched their soils. Water in this case was the factor of a political cooperation. 

 The turning point : 

 The growth and evolution of water use has changed and compromised this traditional complementary system. 

 With progress and the growing need for productivity, the Waalo area has adopted an irrigated crop which changes the way water management is done. The villages no longer want to accommodate the herds because they could damage the irrigation canes. This has contributed to large political and social inequalities for access to water in the region. A system has been created where the north owns more water than the south, which contributes to the weakening of the Jeeri region. 

Also, the irrigated canals has led to the gradual disappearance of the goniake tunnel forests that were food for the hearts and the development of industrial and chemical fertilisers have reduced to relation between the territories of North and South. 

 A change in lifestyle = 

 What is even more interesting is that this complementary system change created a need to have water nearby in the area of Jeeri. Previously, villages exchanged the fruits of culture and livestock to survive. From now on, traces of food crops can be found in the Jeeri area, including wells and closures and also the creation of garden (see satellite image). 

 Most of all, water has contributed to changing the political and social way of life of an entire people since the Peul who were once semi-nomadic people who lived from the displacements of their flocks have to progressively adopt a completely sedentary lifestyle to survive ( also willingness of the Senegalese government to control population movements near the border with Mauritania). 

 In the Waloo region itself, access to irrigated water has led to a political upheaval, since traditionally access to the best land was reserved for the higher social groups but the irrigated plots changed this social organization since the land was distributed in an egalitarian manner, without relation to the old hierarchies or castes.

 In this case, water is a factor of social differentiation and contributes to the political lifestyle of an African population. 

 Some attempts are being made in Senegal to fight poverty, including the establishment of Jardin Polyvalents Villageois : a group of women who have decided to create and manage multipurpose gardens. Supported by the Senegalese Reforestation Agency and the Great Green Wall, these women form economic interest groups and grow fruits and vegetables.These gardens provide food security for villagers and help diversify their food supply. They also generate income from the sale of crops not consumed by communities on weekly markets. By developing their agricultural expertise, women also gain greater social and financial autonomy (UNESCO, 2020).

 I leave you with a diagram illustrating this situation : 

 Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article. 

 This article is influenced by a course done during my first year of uni : 

1. https://geoimage.cnes.fr/fr/geoimage/taredji-waalo-et-jeeri-variete-des-pratiques-agricoles-en-zone-sahelienne-au-senegal 

2. https://geoimage.cnes.fr/fr/geoimage/taredji-waalo-et-jeeri-deux-territoires-saheliens-aux-activites-complementaires