The Aesthetics of Occupation: The Relationships Defining the Geography of Street Vendors in Dakar

• In Event: Saint Louis to Saint Louis: Tracing Senegalese Urban Ecologies Across Class, Gender, and Language

Description for Program

Dakar’s streets are home to over 59,000 street vendors selling a wide range of goods, from fruits and clothes to art and fabrics. As key players in the informal economy, street vendors are challenging to regulate, register, and tax. In response, Dakar’s city hall has imposed a 150 FCFA daily fee, aiming to formalize the sector. However, paying the fee does not guarantee vendors the right to choose where they sell. This paper examines the uneven displacement of street vendors by city authorities, where some stalls are demolished while others, mere blocks away, remain intact. It explores the spatial layout of vendors, investigating the factors that influence where they sell, why some are more vulnerable to displacement, and the power dynamics shaping their right to occupy urban space. Drawing on interviews, news articles, and journal entries, this research seeks to uncover the key factors contributing to the geography of street vending in Dakar. Two central questions guide this inquiry: What relationships shape the spatial distribution of vendors, and how do power dynamics influence various stakeholders? This research examines both the interpersonal and communal determinants of where vendors work, as well as the broader power relations that influence their right to remain in the city. The goal is to map the micro-level relations affecting vendors' daily lives and the macro-level forces that shape their access to urban space.

Author

• Kaila Holland