Abstract: | The marriage and divorce laws of Francophone West Africa follow the general tendency of all laws in these countries - the displacement of traditional law conceptions by those of the imported French law. But traditional conceptions of family law have not entirely disappeared and they find echoes in some of the new laws. It seems that the passage from a wider conception to a narrow conception of marriage follows changes in the general social and economic system. Parts of the article: 1. Formation of marriage (Substantive requirements of marriage; Celebration of marriage) - 2. Effects of marriage (Personal relations; Property relations) - 3. Dissolution of marriage (Repudiation; Divorce; Judicial separation) - Conclusion. Notes. |