[...] The development of anti-social tourism which forces communities involved in the processing of fish to clear out from the beaches where they normally work, has become a big problem for the fishing community at large and the women who do the processing in particular, who obviously need a place to do their work. Several instances exist where they were forced to leave. In Hann, for example, 15 kilometres from Dakar, an area that was once used for processing fish is now a residential area for the rich. In Mbour, the development of tourism on the Petite Cote (Small Coast) was also detrimental to the women employed in processing.

A similar problem is arising at Saint-Louis, a locality that the public authorities want to convert into a tourist city. The development of tourism infrastructures on this coast would mean the inevitable eviction of the women involved in processing since, in the eyes of the authorities, it is not possible for the two sectors to co-exist. The members of CNPS’s women’s cell in Saint-Louis, headed by Ndeye Sene, fiercely opposed this move. They pointed out that they too had rights to the land. Till now, they have been able to prevent the local authorities from seizing the territory. They know well that if they wish to continue their processing work, they must not cede this space. They also have to understand that this is just the first phase of a long drawn-out battle before their rights are fully recognised.

Youssoupha Gueye (CNPS, Sénégal)

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