Award Winner for Volume 19
Cultural Factors Depicting the Impact of Street Vending on the Quality of Life of Senegalese Households: An Empirical Investigation of Dakar Street Vendors
This article highlights the cultural impact of street vending as a social safety net and an outlet for national production and cohesion. Most studies conducted on the street vending business in developing countries neglect the cultural motive, which is an important factor in household quality of life, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In those studies, mention is often made of youth unemployment, economic problems, or the propensity of young traders not to fulfill their tax obligations, and hence their refusal to formalize their businesses. Although many of these studies have been conducted qualitatively through observation and interviews, others, admittedly less well known, have attempted to give a quantitative answer to the characteristics of poverty, violence, and informality often attributed to street vending. However, our study has chosen to make an immersion deep inside the Senegalese informal economy in order to give an opportunity for street vendors to recount their individual stories. As a result, we have discovered not only that most vendors’ presence on the street is culturally motivated but that they also contribute directly to the overall level of economic activity and provision of goods and services. They are an integral part of the economy, and their elimination would inevitably sever the cultural bond that existed in households and disrupt the solidarity and societal values the country prides itself on.
This article is the result of a questioning that has plagued my mind for some years. My Master’s thesis (defended in South Korea and passed with distinction in 2018), which was primarily based on a political and economic perspective of the informal sector, had received positive reviews from my professors and colleagues. However, I believe today that I had, though comprehensively, addressed the street vending business in Dakar (Senegal), without adequately allowing the vendors to express their needs. Back then, I had to digest much of the classical and neoclassical literature on the informal economy, which generally depicted this sector as “subterranean economy”, “hidden economy”, or “underground economy”. None of those studies considered the culture and quality of life of informal workers. In line with this literature, I researched the criteria for successful street vendor relocation, aiming to resolve the standoff between authorities and street vendors by proposing mutually beneficial solutions.
Upon returning to my country and observing the growing number of vendors in the capital’s streets, I felt compelled to scrutinize the phenomenon further. This led me to question my previous writings. Consequently, I have decided to delve deeper into the roots of the informal sector through this article to understand the real reasons behind the vendors’ presence on the streets. I have to admit that my Master’s thesis lacked a holistic vision and did not sufficiently focus on the cultural aspect, which would have provided a broader context and justified its purpose. I wanted to correct the situation in this article with the aim of laying the groundwork for future research, stimulate reflection, and most importantly, present the perspective of street vendors.
—Fafa Sene