Labour Reservoirs and Population: French Colonial Strategies in Koudougou

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Periodical article

Title:	Labour Reservoirs and Population: French Colonial Strategies in Koudougou
Author:	Cordell, Dennis D.
Year:	1982
Periodical:	The Journal of African History
Volume:	23
Issue:	2
Pages:	205-224
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Burkina Faso France
Subjects:	colonialism forced labour History and Exploration Labor and Employment
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/182057
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 '2é 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. Maps, notes, tab.