Coton sous contrat Coton-Tchad

Transcription

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Groupe d’Étude des Populations Forestières Équatoriales
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7 Quai Voltaire, 75007 PARIS - France
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Tel. 33 1 40 79 34 24 ou 33 1 40 79 38 15 - Fax 33 1 40 79 38 15
e-mail [email protected]
BASELINE SURVEY
SOCIOECONOMIC BASELINE AND CENSUS SURVEY
KABAK ISLAND, PORT AREA & ACCESS ROAD FROM MAFERINYA
REPUBLIC OF GUINEA
A rapport by
- Dr. George Koppert (anthropologist, GEPFE),
Dr. Maya Leclercq (anthropologist, Anthropolinks) Dr. Catherine Sabinot (anthropologist)
- With the participation of
Alseny Dia, Séverin Thea, Fodé Mamoudou Keyra, Lansana Sylla, Fodé Mamadou Camara,
Mouminatou Diallo, Fatoumata Bah, Souleymane Touré, Lamarana Barry Almamy,
Ousmane Yattara, Momo Bangoura and Alpha Saliou Bangoura
Paris
Final Report
March 2013
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Simfer Railroad and Port – Socio-Economic Baseline and Census Survey
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Abbreviations
ANAM
Agence de Navigation Maritime
CNSP
Centre National de Surveillance de la Pêche
CNSHB
Centre National des Sciences Halieutiques de Boussoura
GNF
Guinean francs 1 US$ = approx. 7.000 GNF at the time of the survey, 1 Euro (€)
=10.000 GNF. The report uses kFg for 1,000 Guinean francs
IFC
International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group
PARC
Rio Tinto’s Plan d’Action pour la Réinstallation et la Compensation (Resettlement
and Compensation Action Plan)
PUAPA
Programme d’Urgence pour l’Appui à la Productivité Agricole managed by the Ministry of
Agriculture
WB
World Bank
ZEE
Zone Economique Exclusive ([coastal] Economic Exclusion Zone)
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the local authorities and the population of Kabak and the Port-Maferinya area for
their collaboration and their patience during the long questionnaires and meetings conducted by our
team. We would like to thank also the support team form Conakry and Kabak who took such careful care
of housing and feeding us during the three weeks we spent living in a house on Kabak Island, and in the
hotels of Forecariah and Maferinya.
We hope that the people are not too disappointed with lack of precision on how this report describes their
economy and social life.
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Table of Contents
ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................................................ 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................. 3
TABLES, MAPS AND FIGURES .................................................................................................... 6
TABLES ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
MAPS 7
FIGURES ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................... 8
2.
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 12
2.1
STUDY OBJECTIVES ..............................................................................................................................12
2.2
METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................12
3.
 Socioeconomic Development Index............................................................................................................. 14
 Databases ................................................................................................................................................. 15
DEMOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................. 16
3.1
KABAK...............................................................................................................................................16
3.2
PORT AND MAFERINYA ROAD .................................................................................................................18
3.3
ETHNIC GROUPS AND LINEAGES ..............................................................................................................21
3.4
ORIGIN .............................................................................................................................................21
4.
 Population data ......................................................................................................................................... 18
 Population along the Port-Maferinya road.................................................................................................... 19
HUMAN ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................... 23
4.1
HISTORY ...........................................................................................................................................23
4.2
SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF THE ETHNIC GROUPS ........................................................................................24
4.3
LINEAGES ..........................................................................................................................................25
4.4
CULTURAL HERITAGE AND SACRED SITES ..................................................................................................26
4.5
LAND TENURE .....................................................................................................................................26
4.6
TYPES OF LAND: INDIVIDUAL LAND, FAMILY LAND AND LINEAGE LAND ............................................................28
4.7
EXAMPLES OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN KABAK AND THE PORT AREA ...............................................................29
5.
 Kabak Island ............................................................................................................................................. 23
 Port-Maferinya road area ........................................................................................................................... 24
 Tributes and dimes .................................................................................................................................... 28
 Titled land................................................................................................................................................. 28
 Land acquisition for resettlement ................................................................................................................ 28
GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL STRUCTURES IN THE VILLAGES ........................... 31
 Council of elders ........................................................................................................................................ 31
 Village organizations .................................................................................................................................. 31
 Families, concessions and households ......................................................................................................... 32
6.
LIVELIHOOD................................................................................................................. 34
6.1
AGRICULTURE .....................................................................................................................................34
6.2
MAIN CROPS ......................................................................................................................................35
6.3
CULTIVATED AREAS AND RESERVE LAND ...................................................................................................36
 Field types ................................................................................................................................................ 34
 Rice .......................................................................................................................................................... 36
 Market garden crops .................................................................................................................................. 36
 Size of plots .............................................................................................................................................. 36
 Characteristics of cultivated land ................................................................................................................ 37
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6.4
AGRICULTURE INPUTS ..........................................................................................................................38
6.5
ANIMAL BREEDING ..............................................................................................................................42
6.6
FISHING ............................................................................................................................................42
6.7
SALT WINNING ...................................................................................................................................46
6.8
GATHERING ........................................................................................................................................47
6.9
ARTISANAL MINING .............................................................................................................................48
 Credit ....................................................................................................................................................... 39
 Agricultural calendar .................................................................................................................................. 39
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Fishing areas ............................................................................................................................................. 44
Exploited resources ................................................................................................................................... 44
Fishing gear: boats, nets, hooks ................................................................................................................. 45
Fresh fish: customers and fishing companies ............................................................................................... 46
6.10 CRAFTS AND PETTY JOBS .......................................................................................................................48
7.
ACCESS TO SERVICES .................................................................................................. 49
7.1
WATER SUPPLY ...................................................................................................................................49
7.2
EDUCATION ........................................................................................................................................51
7.3
HEALTH SERVICES................................................................................................................................51
7.4
CELL PHONE COVERAGE .........................................................................................................................53
7.5
ELECTRICITY ......................................................................................................................................53
7.6
ROADS AND TRANSPORT .......................................................................................................................53
8.
 Kabak Island ............................................................................................................................................. 51
 Kabak Island ............................................................................................................................................. 51
GENDER TASK SHARING AND CHILD LABOUR ISSUES ............................................... 54
8.1
TASK SHARING WITHIN THE HOUSEHOLD ..................................................................................................54
8.2
CHILDREN: EDUCATION AND ENTRY INTO ACTIVE LIFE ................................................................................56
8.3
MATRIMONIAL TRADITIONS AND BRIDE PRICE...........................................................................................56
9.
 Children .................................................................................................................................................... 55
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Marriage rules ........................................................................................................................................... 56
Bride price & dowry ................................................................................................................................... 57
Divorces.................................................................................................................................................... 57
Widowhood ............................................................................................................................................... 57
Relationships between co-wives ................................................................................................................. 58
Children’s education .................................................................................................................................. 58
Female circumcision .................................................................................................................................. 58
Beauty ...................................................................................................................................................... 59
SOCIOECONOMIC SURVEY RESULTS ........................................................................... 60
9.1
KEY DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ......................................................................................................................60
9.2
RELIGION ..........................................................................................................................................60
9.3
EDUCATION ........................................................................................................................................60
9.4
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES .........................................................................................................................63
9.5
HOUSING ...........................................................................................................................................66
9.6
HEALTH INDICATORS ............................................................................................................................69
9.7
INCOME .............................................................................................................................................70
 Adult’s education ....................................................................................................................................... 61
 Children’s education .................................................................................................................................. 61
 Main activities and main sources of income ................................................................................................. 63
 All activities and sources of income............................................................................................................. 64
 Gender related income............................................................................................................................... 65
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Ownership ................................................................................................................................................ 66
Building quality.......................................................................................................................................... 66
Means of cooking and house lighting .......................................................................................................... 67
Housing equipment ................................................................................................................................... 68
 Indirect indicators ..................................................................................................................................... 70
 Sources of income that provide more than 200 US$ annually ....................................................................... 71
 Household income ..................................................................................................................................... 72
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9.8
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES ON FOOD......................................................................................................73
9.9
DEBTS ...............................................................................................................................................74
 Food expenses .......................................................................................................................................... 73
 Insufficiency of rice production ................................................................................................................... 74
9.10 SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INDEX ...................................................................................................75
9.11 VULNERABLE PEOPLE ............................................................................................................................75
 Criteria ..................................................................................................................................................... 75
10.
OPINIONS .................................................................................................................... 77
10.1 EXPECTATIONS AND FEARS ....................................................................................................................77
 Positive opinions and expectations .............................................................................................................. 77
 Negative opinions and fears ....................................................................................................................... 77
 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 78
10.2 VILLAGE PRIORITIES ............................................................................................................................78
 Kabak agricultural villages .......................................................................................................................... 78
 Kabak fishing villages................................................................................................................................. 79
10.3 HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES ........................................................................................................................80
11.
ISSUES ......................................................................................................................... 81
11.1 HOW TO INCREASE THE RICE CULTIVATION AREA .......................................................................................81
 Quantitative and qualitative inventory of the bogoni .................................................................................... 81
11.2 COMPENSATION AND REPLACEMENT LAND ISSUES ......................................................................................82
12.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE ............................................................................................. 84
12.1 BASIS FOR A GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE ......................................................................................................84
12.2 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE .....................................................................................84
13.
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 86
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 87
APPENDIX I – AGRICULTURE ..........................................................................................................................87
 Rice varieties............................................................................................................................................. 87
 Manpower needs in rice cultivation ............................................................................................................. 87
 Yields evaluated in visited fields ................................................................................................................. 88
APPENDIX II – CULTURAL HERITAGE SUMMARY TABLE .........................................................................................89
APPENDIX III – CONSULTATION MEETINGS .......................................................................................................91
 Kabak agricultural villages .......................................................................................................................... 91
 Kabak fishing villages................................................................................................................................. 91
 Port-Maferinya road ................................................................................................................................... 91
APPENDIX IV – QUESTIONNAIRES USED ...........................................................................................................93
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Q1.
Q2.
Q3.
Q4.
–
–
–
–
Household questionnaire ................................................................................................................... 93
Village questionnaire ........................................................................................................................ 93
Focus group discussion field guide..................................................................................................... 93
GPS-mapping observation sheet ........................................................................................................ 93
APPENDIX V – KABAK VILLAGE SHEETS ............................................................................................................95
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Village
Village
Village
Village
Village
Village
Village
sheet
sheet
sheet
sheet
sheet
sheet
sheet
9 – Yelibane .......................................................................................................................... 95
12 – Bossimiyah .................................................................................................................... 95
13 – Bolimanda ..................................................................................................................... 95
14 – Youlaye ......................................................................................................................... 95
15 – Manke ........................................................................................................................... 95
16 – Kenende ........................................................................................................................ 95
17 – Tonguiron ...................................................................................................................... 95
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Tables, Maps and Figures
Tables
Table 1 – Summary of total income (in 1,000 GNF) by origin.......................................................................................................... 10
Table 2 – Administrative divisions of Kabak Island ......................................................................................................................... 16
Table 3 – Administrative divisions of the Port-Maferinya road ......................................................................................................... 18
Table 4 – Estimated population of Kabak ...................................................................................................................................... 19
Table 5 – Number of nuclear households per house....................................................................................................................... 19
Table 6 – Estimated population along the Port-Maferinya road ....................................................................................................... 19
Table 7 – Ethnic composition of Kabak and the Port–Maferinya road area ....................................................................................... 21
Table 8 – Main lineages of Kabak and the Port–Maferinya road area ............................................................................................... 21
Table 9 – Origin/reason for arrival of the head of household in Kabak and in the Port–Maferinya road area ...................................... 22
Table 10. Land ownership in the Kabak-Port area .......................................................................................................................... 27
Table 11. Examples of fields cultivated by farmers in Kabak and the port area ................................................................................ 29
Table 12 – Multiple boat ownership in the fishing villages of Kabak ................................................................................................ 32
Table 13. Main crops grown in the Kabak-Port area (% of households) ........................................................................................... 35
Table 14. Median size of cultivated area and reserve land .............................................................................................................. 37
Table 15 – Main agriculture inputs in the Kabak-Port area (% of households) ................................................................................. 39
Table 16 – Seasons recognized on Kabak Island ............................................................................................................................ 39
Table 17 – Seasonal calendar for Kabak obtained through the compilation of 4 farming villages interviews: Yetiyah
(Yelibane district), Bossimyah, Kenende (Seydouyah district) and Tonguiron ....................................................................... 40
Table 18 – Calendar of monthly activities for the main food and market garden crops in the Kabak-Port area ................................... 41
Table 19 – Number of animals owned per household in the Kabak and Port-Maferinya road area ..................................................... 42
Table 20 – Summary of questionnaires completed in the fishing villages and rate of success in each village...................................... 43
Table 21 – Tools used by fishing households ................................................................................................................................. 45
Table 22 – Gathering activities (all households) ............................................................................................................................. 47
Table 23 – Sources of drinking water supply ................................................................................................................................. 49
Table 24 – Number of spouses per married head of household....................................................................................................... 58
Table 25 – Key demographic data of the heads of households........................................................................................................ 60
Table 26 – Education level of adult men and women ..................................................................................................................... 61
Table 27 – Competence of adult men and women in reading French .............................................................................................. 61
Table 28 – Education level and school attendance of children aged between 6 and 15 years old ...................................................... 62
Table 29 – Main activities and sources of income........................................................................................................................... 63
Table 30 – All activities of the head of household (main and secondary) and all sources of income of the household
members ......................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Table 31 – House ownership, annual rent paid and size of house ................................................................................................... 66
Table 32 – Building material of the main house ............................................................................................................................. 67
Table 33 – Main possessions of the studied households ................................................................................................................. 68
Table 34 – Health indicators ......................................................................................................................................................... 69
Table 35 – Indicators of regular income and recent travel .............................................................................................................. 70
Table 36 – Income of more than 200 US$ annually ....................................................................................................................... 71
Table 37 – Summary of total income (in 1,000 GNF) by origin ........................................................................................................ 72
Table 38 – Summary of debts contracted ...................................................................................................................................... 74
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Table 39 – Summary of the population’s expectations for the Simandou Project .............................................................................. 77
Table 40 – Summary of the population’s fears about the Simandou Project ..................................................................................... 78
Table 41 – Expectation’s priorities in six Kabak agricultural villages ................................................................................................ 79
Table 42 – Expectation’s priorities in five Kabak fishing villages ...................................................................................................... 79
Table 43 – Expectation’s priorities in five villages of the Port-Maferinya road area ........................................................................... 80
Table 44 – Reported human rights violations by gender and age .................................................................................................... 80
Table 45 – Types of human rights violations reported .................................................................................................................... 80
Table 46 – Rice varieties used by farmers in Kabak and the port area ............................................................................................. 87
Table 47 – Example of labour needs for bogoni and dara rice cultivation in Kabak ........................................................................... 87
Table 48 – Yields evaluated for bogoni and dara rice fields in Kabak and the port area .................................................................... 88
Maps
Map 1 – Map of the surveyed area ................................................................................................................................................. 9
Map 2 – Administrative divisions of Kabak (date 2001) .................................................................................................................. 17
Map 3 – Map of Kabak Island based on a Landsat satellite picture in 1992, referred to in the “Atlas Infogéographique
(2001) ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18
Map 4 – Population on Kabak Island with indication of the main lineages ........................................................................................ 20
Map 5 – Water supply on Kabak Island ......................................................................................................................................... 50
Map 6 – Schools and health centres on Kabak Island ..................................................................................................................... 52
Figures
Figure 1 – Income in million Guinean francs by income source ....................................................................................................... 10
Figure 2 – Reported average size of cultivated plots and reserve land (in hectare) .......................................................................... 37
Figure 3 – Main Characteristics of cultivated land .......................................................................................................................... 38
Figure 4. Schematic drawings of major fishing tools described and used in Kabak ........................................................................... 46
Figure 5 – Task sharing between men and women within the married household ............................................................................ 54
Figure 6 – Children’s implication in household tasks and its impact on school attendance ................................................................. 55
Figure 7.– School attendance and entrance into productive life by age - boys and girls - in Kabak and the Port-Maferinya
road area......................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Figure 8.– Proportion of school age children who do not attend school of coastal area households ................................................... 62
Figure 9 – Education score of coastal area households.................................................................................................................. 63
Figure 10 – Main and secondary activities of the head of household ............................................................................................... 64
Figure 11 – Main and secondary sources of income of all members of the household....................................................................... 65
Figure 12 – Sources of income earned by men and women ............................................................................................................ 66
Figure 13 – Quality of housing score ............................................................................................................................................. 67
Figure 14 – Possessions score: furniture, bedding, equipment and livestock .................................................................................... 69
Figure 15 – Health related indicators score.................................................................................................................................... 70
Figure 16 – Income related score based on regular income, saving, travels, and sources of more than 200 US$ annual
income ............................................................................................................................................................................ 71
Figure 17 – Income in million Guinean francs by income source ..................................................................................................... 72
Figure 18 – Annual income and food expenditures in million Guinean francs ................................................................................... 74
Figure 19 – Socioeconomic Development Score of households ....................................................................................................... 75
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1. Executive summary
The survey was requested to complete the 2008 socio-economic baseline survey which was conducted
in villages along a routing that was quite different from Mamou to the coast; the bypass along the
Mamou mountain range was moved as well as the access to the coast which was moved from Benty to
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Kabak area .
Purpose – The present report aims to provide the socio-economic baseline for the Kabak Island area
and along the access road from Maferinya to the port area (Map 1) in view of the potential location of
the port area for the iron ore exportation from the Simandou Project.
It is the first of three reports related to the port locations (1) Kabak-Port area; (2) rail area from
Maferinya to Oure Kaba and; (3) Kakossa Island and the Morebaya River. The three reports cover half
of the length of the projected railroad and port area and provide quantitative and qualitative data on
social aspects, livelihoods and economics of the communities potentially affected by the project
facilities. The data are presented in a rigorous quantitative tabulated form which can be used for
future comparison on the evolution of livelihood, economic and social quality of economic life in the
area to be affected by the railroad.
Individuals and households directly affected by resettlement through loss of land or housing are not
part of this study but will be treated through the PARC process. However, the measurement of
economic livelihood and quality of life of these people should be similar enough to allow comparing
their socioeconomic evolution with that of the general population.
Sample and data – The present survey on Kabak Island and Port area draws on a random sample of
10% to 20% of the households out of a list of all mapped households in the studied villages.
The report is based on (a) mapping of households (3,525 in Kabak, 615 along the Port-Maferinya road)
and their assets in all visited communities; (b) a socioeconomic questionnaire with some 40 questions
applied to 403 households with photographs of their houses and outbuildings; (c) 16 long and 4 short
village interviews; (d) two focus group meetings with women, more than 10 interviews with fishing
communities; (e) four agricultural calendars, etc. The data have been assembled in (a) this report; (b)
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attached village summary sheets ; (c) a database with data from the socioeconomic survey and; (d) a
©
Google earth referenced data base of houses and assets.
Main results – The economy of Kabak is completely based on fishing in the fishing communities and on
agriculture in the central part of the island.
 Rice as food and market gardening as cash crop are the main occupations and sources of
income. Outside labour, usually paid for but also mutual assistance, are essential parts of
local agriculture. Fertilizer was provided to 31% of farmers through a government scheme.
Additional income is provided from palm oil extraction, small scale animal breeding, various
petty jobs (motorized taxis, construction, carpentry, car and motor repairs, etc.).
 The Port area around Senguelen is quite different from Kabak as salt harvesting is a much
more important activity (41% vs. <10%).
 Farmers on Kabak and in the port area report an average cultivated land area of 1.9 ha, and
0.6-0.9 ha of reserve land. Fishermen who also farm have only 1.5 ha, and most of this land is
tended by women.
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Following the completion of the field surveys undertaken within the framework of this study, the port location had moved again to
Senguelen for terrestrial infrastructure and to the Morebaya River for marine infrastructure.
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The village sheets of the Kabak fishing communities are part of the Sabinot et al.(2011) Fishing report Kabak; the village sheets in the port
and Kakossa area are attached to Koppert et al. Kakossa Rapid Rural Appraisal report); the village sheets for the Kabak agricultural villages
are attached to this report (Appendix V).
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Map 1 – Map of the surveyed area
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In fishing villages, men fish at sea and women buy up to fish for direct sale or for
transformation through smoking. Most households do not farm and buy all their food. Their
income is about twice as high as for farmers. Fishermen with their daily earnings from the sea
have much poorer housing than farmers for whom investment of their once per year harvest
is essential for their livelihood.
The economic status of women in the fishing communities is higher than in rural communities
as they are cash providers to the men through their fish smoking and fish trading and they are
mostly in charge of farming the land. Women “own” 18% of the agricultural land compared to
12% elsewhere in Kabak and 8% along the Port-Maferinya road. Only in the fishing and
farming communities of Kabak, land is often reported as jointly owned by men and women.
Income and expenditure – Households in the study area estimate their annual income at 11.1 million
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GNF, or 1,850 US$ . This corresponds to 5.05 US$/day/family or about 0.70 US$ per household
member. This income does not take into account the value of the self-produced and consumed
agricultural products, which cannot be estimated, in a reliable way, from a survey of this type.
Table 1 – Summary of total income (in 1,000 GNF) by origin
2011 baseline
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
Agriculture + animal breeding
2,782
1,481
4,550
Salaries
273
225
251
Aquatic resources: fish + salt
2,352
12,389
1,850
Other income sources
4,184
3,155
2,562
Average income [kFg]
9,590
17,269
9,213
Median income* [kFg]
6,690
12,530
7,000
N=
128
155
398
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, questions 22 and 23.
Income source
Average 2011
baseline
3,514
249
4,354
2,997
11,119
7,525
682
Among the Kabak fishermen, income was clearly higher (about 17.3 million GNF) than among the
Kabak farmers (9.2 million GNF) and the Port-Maferinya road (9.6 million GNF).
Figure 1 – Income in million Guinean francs by income source
hunting
Income by source
20
fruits
(in million Guinean Francs)
17 269
livestock
salaries
15
11 637
9 590
10
11 371
remittances
6 954
9 213
salt
rice
crafts/petty jobs
5
trade-business
10 775
market gardening
Agriculture
0
MOF-Road
Kabak Fishing
Kabak Farming
zone
2008 rail
No
Yes
Founding lineage
Average
total
smoked fish
fishing
Source: Baseline household questionnaire, July 2011, question 23.
Acceptance of the project – Globally, the population of Kabak Island tends to be very much in favour
of the creation of a port on their island (economic development, better roads and infrastructures are
often reported) but they have many fears concerning the eventual impacts. The main fears of the
inhabitant’s concern resettlement: they fear losing their land and their homes. Many are also
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The average exchange rate of the dollar was around 6,000 Guinean Francs during the year before the survey – the period of reference for
the annual income.
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concerned for their children (accidents); they fear that crime and prostitution will increase on the
island.
Many fishermen, especially in Khounyi, the most important fishing village of the Forecariah prefecture,
highlight the inconveniences that the construction of infrastructures could cause on fishing activities:
noise, destruction of fishing areas, prohibition of fishing in certain areas, accidents at sea. Specific
measures to reduce impact and improve fishing activities were described in the fishing report (Sabinot
et. al., March 2013).
Since the initial drafting of this report in 2011, the port site has moved from its initially planned
location near Matakang to the Senguelen area on the mainland. The farmers from Kabak will most
likely have little impact from the project, but for the fishing communities on the western and southern
coast of Kabak Island the consequences remain of great importance. These consequences have been
treated in more details in subsequent reports (Kakossa Rapid Rural Assessment, 2013 and Rainy
Season Fishing Survey, 2013).
Among the farmers, expectations are related to employment; more social, medical and educational
facilities; better accessibility of Kabak Island through a permanent link with the mainland; and
improvement of the water management of the rice paddies in order to diminish silting and increase
agricultural production.
Conclusion – Kabak Island and the Port area, with their agriculture on especially high producing bogoni
fields that receive and maintain their fertility by an intricate equilibrium between flooding for fertile
mud during the wet season and protection against the salty sea water during the dry season.
In the coastal zones of Guinea, Kabak and Senguelen especially, the population benefits from natural
conditions of soil, water, and fertility that allows the population to enjoy a better than average
economic livelihood within their country, and this without costly external intervention of development
agencies and donors. This is a treasure that merits to be protected.
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2. Introduction
Linear projects like railroads have three phases, (1) the baseline phase of “hope”, where in general the
population will do anything in order to have the project to come to their community; (2) the actual
“construction” phase, where normally a significant proportion of the population will benefit from
construction generated money, and livelihood is usually relatively improved; and (3) the “exploitation”
phase, when project employment will wean away, and communities will have to revert to their initial
economic livelihood. In cases where project money has been judiciously invested, livelihood or quality
of life or both may be improved.
Through project-related community investments, for instance water supply, education, health,
alphabetisation projects, agricultural extension services, the project may have a positive impact on the
communities.
2.1
Study objectives
The survey was requested to complete the 2008 baseline survey which was conducted in villages along
a routing that was quite different from Mamou to the coast: the bypass along the Mamou mountain
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range and the access to the coast which was moved from Benty to Kabak area .
The objective of the study was to gather socioeconomic data on the pre-project livelihood of the
population to be affected by the railroad and the currently proposed Kabak port location. Data
gathered should make it possible to assess in a quantitative way the evolution of livelihoods and
quality of life among the communities affected by the project facilities. Livelihood refers to the
economic earning capacity of the population while quality of life is more linked to possessions,
housing and access to communal facilities like education, health, extension services and human rights.
The railroad and port project will most likely have a significant impact through land take, physical
(housing) and economical (mainly loss of fields) resettlement, in-migration in the communities located
near project construction and camp sites, and out-migration from villages further away, changes in the
local economic tissue through money circulating from the project, both from direct employment, and
from trade opportunities for those who are not employed.
The Simfer Project is committed to be a development project, not only for the country as a whole, but
also for the affected communities and individuals, and the objective of the baseline study is to gather
the information which will allow in the future to assess to which extend the project has attained its
development objective.
Individuals and households directly affected by resettlement through loss of land or housing are not
part of this study but will be treated through the PARC process. However, the measurement of
economic livelihood and quality of life of these people should be similar enough to allow comparing
their socioeconomic evolution with that of the general population.
2.2
Methodology
The field team consisted of three expatriate PhD level scholars, an experienced agronomist in rural
development, an archaeologist, 5 university level and thoroughly trained local surveyors, with
assistance of a medical doctor and a community liaison officer from Rio Tinto. The team was housed in
5
local hotels or – like in Kabak – in a rented house in the community. The villages were given advanced
notice of the survey, during its purpose and methods were explained, and some basic village
information was gathered.
4
Following the completion of the field surveys undertaken within the framework of this study, the port location had moved again to
Senguelen for terrestrial infrastructure and to the Morebaya River for marine infrastructure.
5
Village names used in this report refer to the government list of October 2011 and may differ from the official name list established by
the Project.
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Sampling – This took place on two levels: villages were randomly selected from a pool of villages, and
households were randomly selected in the village. All villages from the SNC-Lavalin database were
th
numbered, a number of villages to survey assessed, and subsequently every 20 village was visited. If
villages owned less than 50 households, the closest neighbouring villages were added to increase the
sample. All houses were numbered, and their location assessed with a GPS for mapping purposes. A
th
th
random seed number (a number under 10) was drawn and subsequently every 10 , 5 house
6
surveyed . In the smallest villages (less than 20 houses) two numbers were drawn to intensify the data
gathering.
In the present survey and household census, the notion of “compound” has not been addressed, but:
 if more than one household was living in the same house, they were separately counted,
 annexed buildings without a married head of household were included in the main house,
 if a head of household lived in a separate building, he was counted separately, even if the
house was part of a compound of houses belonging to a separate head of household,
 in most cases, the house belonged to the head of household. In case more households shared
a same house, only the eldest was coded as “owner”, and the others as “free tenants”. This is
a simplification as houses may be shared equally among brothers.
Survey instruments – The survey instruments consisted of a 4-page household questionnaire, a 4-page
village questionnaire and a focus group interview which were based on free ranging discussions.
Fishing villages – In fishing villages, a short systematic questionnaire was applied to each household in
order to take an exhaustive census of population practicing artisanal fishing, salt production, rice
production, and market gardening, fresh and smoked fish trading. Fishing equipment was recorded
(boats, motors, sails, types of nets and hooks) and the status of the head of the household: native or
migrant (and the year of arrival).
Household baseline questionnaire – The questionnaire covered items of household demography,
education, housing quality, health aspects (latrines, bed nets, access to health care, infant mortality
and infant diseases), household possessions, and household incomes. Household income covered
incomes from agriculture and from other activities.
The questionnaire consists of eleven main fields:
1.
Demographic data: kinship, gender, age, main occupation, education level, place of
residence and employment status.
2.
3.
4.
Main and secondary occupation of the head of household.
Income: main and secondary sources and volume of income, sales, savings and debts.
Agriculture and livestock: area, location, land tenure, perceived quality, outside labour and
inputs.
5.
Housing and equipment: furniture, bedding, home equipment, possessions, sources of fuel
and light.
6. Health: access to imported medicines, assistance with childbirth, last year’s deaths in the
household, children’s diseases, latrines and mosquito nets.
7. Food security: access to animal proteins, purchase of the main staple of rice, drinking water,
weekly food budget.
8. Mobility (travel) of the head of household.
9. Hunting, fishing, mining and pastoralism: areas, tools, main products, income.
10. Society and human rights: membership of organizations, perceived security and human
rights issues, and child employment.
6
For instance if the number 6 was drawn, in villages under 50 households the houses 1-6-11-16-21 etc. were surveyed; in villages over 50
households, 6-16-26-36 etc. In very small villages with fewer than 20 households, 4 out of 10 houses (1-4-6-8, 11-14-16-18) were surveyed.
Statistical tables in this report have been corrected by weighting for differences in sample density.
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11. Gender issues: income sources of men and women, saving, sharing of responsibilities
between the spouses.
The questionnaire covers a realm of socioeconomic characteristics, and the structuring of the various
fields was aimed at addressing simultaneously both synchronically (present stage) and diachronically
(evolution over time) dimensions of social life and the development in and around the Project’s areas.
Village baseline questionnaire – The questionnaire, administered during a meeting with villagers –
usually village chief, village elders, but also other men, women and young people who wished to
participate, includes those questions that are more relevant at a community level:

















Contact information of the village, dependent hamlets, in-and out- migration
Ethnicity, religion
Water sources, perceived quality and regularity of supply of drinking water
Outside contacts through radio, TV, cellular phone network
Main type of housing
Access to educational and health facilities
Trade, commerce, markets, roads
Agriculture: land tenure including the presence of titled land, land types and land availability,
main crops, rental and selling prices, cost of agricultural labour, local prices of livestock
Implication of state services in the village and government taxes
Pastoral activities by locals and transhumant herders
Developmental priorities of men, women and youth
Local organizations and their names
Sacred sites and burial sites, and the village opinion on how to deal with them if affected by
the project
Building costs for a standard house
Village history
Agricultural and fishing calendar (at least in each socio-economical and ecological area)
Data on educational and health facilities in the villages obtained from the local school and
health authorities.
Focus group interviews – Focus group discussions were conducted with men, women and young. The
main problem was to find local female interpreters who could speak sufficiently French. The ones,
who spoke French on Kabak, were generally too young to be able to discuss serious matters. Among
the items discussed in focus groups were: (1) relationships: marriage, relationship between children
and parents, between spouses, between neighbours, between villages; (2) life stories: helping to
understand why individuals are in their present situation, especially education (understanding why
and how people leave school) followed by how people have gained economic independence from
their parents; and (3) livelihood: major issues regarding the economic livelihoods in the villages.
Socioeconomic Development Index
The questionnaire used to develop the Socioeconomic Development Index is a local adaptation of a
questionnaire used in various studies in Cameroon (oil pipeline, hydraulic dam project, aluminium
7
plant, deep sea water port), in Chad (new road, oil development project) , in Democratic Republic of
Congo (several mining projects), and in Haiti (inter-regional road, urban resettlement). In these
projects, the core questions of the questionnaire allowed for an extremely important distinction
between more and less developed regions and towns in the project’s areas. In the various studied
A simplified index using the same questions has been used in tropical Africa and Haït (National Highway 3) (Cameroon and Chad). See
http://www.ulb.ac.be/socio/anthropo/tchad/CoverSEstudies_fichiers/v3_slide0001.htm for the results of the Chad studies.
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sites the resulting index varied from as high as 30 (urban aluminium plant in Cameroon, deep sea
water port) to as low as 2 (among Pygmies in Cameroon).
In order to obtain an overall index, weighting factors were based on the relative importance of each
answer for each question of the questionnaire. Though the choice of a weighting factor is an arbitrary
one, it is based on the assumption that each extra (or negative) point means a more (or less) affluent
and “developed” household. As long as the same questionnaire and the same weighting indices are
used over time and between locations, one can argue that any reproducible index is valid.
Weightings are distributed as follows:
o
Housing: Roof: cement 3 points, aluminium 2 points, and traditional 0 points. Walls: mud 1
point, mud-bricks 2 points, partly cemented wall 4 points, rocks 3 points, completely cemented
wall 6 points. Floor: partly cemented floor 1 point, completely cemented floor 2 points, and
tiled floor 3 points.
o
Education: points are gained according to the school(s) the children attend, with a negative
point given in case school age children do not attend. Similarly points are distributed according
to the education level attained by adults.
o
Health: a mosquito net yields 1 point, the presence of different kinds of latrines yields between
1 and 5 points and purchased medicines between 1 and 3 points depending on where they are
purchased.
o
Regular revenue: valued between 3 points for salary and 1 point for regular outside help,
adherence to a savings group gives 1 point, and each item that obtained at least 200 US$ of
yearly revenue gives 2 points.
o
Equipment, goods and services: owned pre-coded items usually get 1 point each, whereas
expensive items such as a generator, a motor bike, and a car up to 6 points. Additional items,
not in the initial pre-coded list (second phone, freezer, etc.), are awarded 1 point each.
o
Children’s health: the prevalence of 0-5 year old children in the total mortality has been given a
negative value of–10 points, the prevalence of “diarrhea since 1 week”, “fever since 1 week”
and of “skin diseases” has – respectively – a negative value of–1 point.
o
Extra items taken into account in this study: manufactured bed, mattress, meat consumption,
possession of livestock, education level of male and female adults in the household have been
added in this survey, but do not basically alter the results of the survey.
The prevalence of children’s diseases, the mortality rate of children under five years old, and school
attendance are included on the index because they represent good indicators for the quality of life.
However, they are not as easily affected by money as other indicators such as housing, furniture,
equipment and possessions.
Databases
All survey information has been entered in several Access databases:
1.
Geographical information and simple description of all houses and outbuildings of the surveyed
villages, ethnic group and lineage.
2.
Socioeconomic baseline and detailed questionnaire, including photographs of all the buildings and
structures owned or occupied by the household.
3.
Village questionnaire datasheets and databases, have been presented in illustrated individual
village sheets, and a database developed in which the text and statistics have been stored.
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3. Demography
This section gives an overview of the composition of the households, and the number of households in
the surveyed villages of Kabak, and along the port and Maferinya road areas.
3.1
Kabak
Kabak is one of the smallest rural sub prefectures of Guinée Maritime (Coastal Guinea). The
administrative division of Kabak fits to the island characteristics, but not all consulted sources seem to
agree on the exact division and limits of each of the districts, sectors, and subsectors. According to the
8
Infogeographic Atlas of the Coastal Guinea , there are 7 districts in Kabak, whereas according to local
authorities (including the sub prefect and an agronomist from Kabak), there are 8 districts (Bossimiyah
has since become a district, instead of being attached to the Manke district). The Kabak administrative
division presented in Table 2 is based on these different sources.
Kabak covers an area of 116 square kilometres. The smallest district Tonguiron, represents only 2% of
the total area, while the largest one, Youlaye, represents 23% of the sub prefecture. The
sub prefecture’s offices are located in the Manke district, in the centre of the island, where most of
the infrastructures are also present (primary schools, secondary school, health centre, etc.).
Table 2 – Administrative divisions of Kabak Island
District
Seydouyah
Yelibane
Manke
Sector
Kaleyiere
Kamalon
Seydouyah centre
Kenende
Keka
Konimodiya
Fafende
Yetiyah
Yelibane centre
Kalea
Tolomalon
Manke centre
Siremalidiya
Kama Sogo Sogo
Filikanke
Subsectors
Sangbon
Sourikouye, Krigbere, Kassare
Friyah, Dabonkhore or Arapata, Khariyah
Kolifiare, Wondima
Falede, Tayire
Melibon, Kaleyire, Fandilayah, Khadilayah,
M’bebadia
Bossimiyah
Bomodoyah
Bossimiah centre
Kameme
Tonguiron
Yelikery
Lokoya
Tonguiron centre
Bolimanda
Yomouya
Kanrangbane
Goore, Filide, Gbiniyire
Mouki
Menyiere
Bolimanda centre
Daoudaya, Fodekaleah
Youlaye
Bakia terre
Wondefili, Wonnigbaya
Bakia mer
Bakia bole, Bakia kameme
Kakende
Khounyi
Youlaye centre
Matakang
Tatagui 1
Tatagui 2
Sources: Sub prefecture Kabak, village interviews July 2011, Atlas Infogéographique (2001).
8
Observatoire de la mangrove (2001), Atlas infogéographique de la Guinée maritime, CNRS – IRD – CNSHB, 179 pages.
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Map 2 shows the division as it was presented in the Infogeographic Atlas from 2001.
Map 2 – Administrative divisions of Kabak (date 2001)
Source: Atlas infogeographique (2001) page 151.
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Page 18
Map 3 – Map of Kabak Island based on a Landsat satellite picture in 1992, referred to in the “Atlas Infogéographique (2001)
3.2
Port and Maferinya road
The different villages of the Port-Maferinya road areas are located along the road between Maferinya
(the sub prefecture) and Touguiyire (the ferry port to Kabak).
Table 3 – Administrative divisions of the Port-Maferinya road
District
Sector
Subsector
Senguelen
Touguiyire
Kalaya (Senguelen centre)
Bamboukhoun
Sounganyah
Souguesegni, Fodea, Koniakhori
Tougande
Sireya
Sourima, Gandia, Sampaya
Moufoufanye
Madinagbe
Morifindiya
Population data
For Kabak, the population data have been compiled per district in Table 4, with the fishing villages, and
the small hamlets treated as a separate entity.
The total number of households according to the 2010-2011 census is 3,382 which, for an average
household size of 7.9 in the agricultural villages and 6.4 in the fishing villages indicates a total
population of 25,365 people.
Compared to the 1998 census (Atlas Infogéographique, 2001) when the population was estimated at
13,586 inhabitants, the population has almost doubled in 24 years.
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Table 4 – Estimated population of Kabak
District
2
Bossimiyah
1-2
Hamlets
2
Manke
1-2
Fishermen
2
Serdoua
2
Tongiron
2
Yelibane
1-2
Youlaye
Total
Number of
households
Average household
size3
Total population
% of total
population
174
557
292
902
386
141
447
483
3,382
7.9
7.9
7.9
6.4
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.9
-
1,375
4,400
2,307
5,773
3,049
1,114
3,531
3,816
25,365
5%
17%
9%
23%
12%
4%
14%
15%
100%
Source: (1)GPS house census April 2010, and (2)July 2011, (3)data household questionnaires.
9
In most houses (87%) only one household is living, but, as stated before, often a house is shared
between brothers, or father and son, as long as they haven’t been able to build a house for
themselves.
Table 5 – Number of nuclear households per house
Area
Kabak
Port/Maferinya road area
Households per house
1
2
3
4
5
87%
8.4%
3%
1%
0.6%
90.8%
4.5%
3.5%
1%
0.2%
Source: GPS house census April 2010, and July 2011.
6
0.1%
-
Average
HH/house
1.198
1.157
Total
N houses
2,837
707
Population along the Port-Maferinya road
The house census survey along the road has inventoried all houses in the area that will potentially be
directly impacted by the port: the villages of Touguiyire, Senguelen and Bamboukhoun. However, lack
of time limited the survey for the other villages located between the port and Maferinya to those
houses that were directly along the road, as they will be directly impacted by the planned access road
upgrading. In total 11 km, from the Touguiyire ferry to the Madinagbe-Souguesegni intersection have
been completely surveyed, and from there on 9 km only those houses directly located along the road
were surveyed.
Table 6 shows the population directly impacted through the access road and around the port area:
707 households with an estimated population of more than 4,700 people. Other villages are present in
the area, and may be affected by the railroad, because they have their egress through the main road,
or because they use land in the presently affected area.
Table 6 – Estimated population along the Port-Maferinya road
District
Senguelen
Madinagbe
Morifindiya
Total
Village
Touguiyire
Touguiyire Hamlets
Moufoufanye/Fandiema
Senguelen
Bamboukhoun
Songaya
Souguesegni
Fodeah*
Koniakhori*
Tougande*
Sireya*
Number of
households(1)
Average
household size(3)
Total
population
% of total
population
47
17
17
176
62
77
123
65
20
57
46
707
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
67
315
114
114
1,179
415
516
824
436
134
382
308
4,737
7%
2%
2%
25%
9%
11%
17%
9%
3%
7%
8%
100%
Source: (1)GPS house census July 2011, (3)data household questionnaires.
* Incomplete, includes only houses directly along the road.
9
A “Household” is defined as a husband with more or wives, unmarried children and other dependents, including dependents that are not
living together with their spouse(s).
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Map 4 – Population on Kabak Island with indication of the main lineages
1044
Kabak Island
grid 2 x 2 km
1042
other structures
Limit
Camara
1040
Soumah
Sylah
Bangoura
1038
nsp
Other
1036
1034
1032
1030
1028
1026
1024
671
673
675
677
679
681
683
685
Source: house census April 2010 and July 2011. Note: details on lineages were not indicated in the observations from 2010. For the fishing
villages, population density is too high to indicate lineages on the scale of the map.
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3.3
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Ethnic groups and lineages
The area is traditionally part of the Soussou heartland. Most of the population declares itself as
belonging to the same ethnic group: Soussou. Only in fishing and trading villages other minorities are
present: Téméné from Sierra Leone in the fishing villages, Malinke and Peul who often engage in trade
and crafts in all villages. All households claiming to belong to the founding lineages of the village were
Soussou.
Tables 7 and 8 are based on data from the household survey, as the detailed house survey provides
globally the same information.
Table 7 – Ethnic composition of Kabak and the Port–Maferinya road area
Ethnic group
Soussou
Malinke
Téméné (Temne)
Peul
Konianke
Djallonke
Others
N=
Port-road
84%
9%
0%
3%
2%
1%
1%
128
Kabak fishing
67%
7%
16%
7%
0%
0%
4%
155
Kabak agriculture
93%
2%
1%
1%
0%
0%
5%
402
2008 Baseline
22%
31%
0%
4%
15%
14%
13%
301
Source: Household survey July 2011, question 2.
Table 8 – Main lineages of Kabak and the Port–Maferinya road area
Lineage
Port-road
Kabak fishing
N=
19%
14%
10%
10%
26%
0%
10%
0%
3%
2%
1%
7%
126
36%
13%
11%
8%
1%
5%
1%
3%
3%
1%
3%
12%
154
Camara
Soumah
Sylla
Bangoura
Youla
Touré
Cissé
Fofana
Conté
Sakho
Diallo
Others
Kabak
agriculture
32%
16%
15%
15%
3%
6%
3%
3%
2%
3%
1%
4%
400
Average
30%
15%
13%
13%
7%
5%
4%
3%
2%
2%
2%
6%
681
Founding lineage
only
40%
18%
11%
7%
16%
3%
0%
2%
1%
2%
274
3.4
Origin
As most of non-urban Guinea, the area is inhabited in the great majority by people born in the village:
this is the case for 90% of the Kabak farmers and 81% for those in the Port-Maferinya road area. Only
in the fishing villages, many people have come for what they call either “fishing” or “employment” but
are both related to fishing. It is noteworthy that, in spite of the excellent agricultural opportunities on
Kabak, very few people have migrated to the island in search of agricultural land.
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Table 9 – Origin/reason for arrival of the head of household in Kabak and in the Port–Maferinya road area
Reason
Birth
Fishing
Follow parents
Work-employment
Commerce-Trade-Business
Available land
N=
Port-road
81%
2%
10%
2%
3%
1%
126
Kabak fishing
52%
25%
4%
11%
7%
1%
147
Kabak agriculture
90%
1%
4%
3%
0%
1%
396
Average
80%
6%
5%
4%
2%
1%
670
Others have been following relatives already living in the area, and a minority has come to take
advantage of the business and trading opportunities, related to fish, market garden crops and rice.
Those who were not born in the area have been living in the area since a very long time: on average 16
years: 13 years for the fishermen, 23 years for the Kabak farmers and equally 23 years along the PortMaferenya road.
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4. Human environment
4.1
History
th
Guinea has been part of the Ghanean Empire (750-1076) and the Sosso (Soussou) mpire in the 12
th
and 13 century, before the Malian empire took control of the major part of the country after the
battle of Kirina in 1235. The present peopling of the area started after the demise of the Malian
th
empire in the 15 century.
th
th
During the main period of the Mandingue kingdom, in the 9 to the 12 century, the animistic
populations of middle and high Guinea migrate towards the South, under the pressure of Islamic Peul,
and continue towards the coast (SNC-Lavalin, 2008). Various ethnic groups were involved, but during
the centuries they have melted into hybrid mixtures like the Malinke-Toma, Guerze-Kissi).
Guinée Maritime – The Soussou arrived only towards the first half of the 19 th century in the Kindia
area, where they found unoccupied land. Nowadays, Peul dominate the northern part, while Soussou
dominate the southern and coastal areas. Minority groups are Malinke, Guerze, Kissi, and ethnic
groups from Sierra Leone, who engage in fishing along the coast. The various wars in Sierra Leone and
Liberia have caused many refugees to flee to Guinea, but all but a few have since returned to their
own country.
The study area covered in this report – the Maferinya-Kabak road including the port area and, Kabak
Island – is part of Coastal Guinea. The population is mostly from Soussou ethnic group, with – among
the fishermen – a minority of Sierra Leonean Téméné, and – for trade – a Peul minority. The latter also
comprise resident and transhumant pastoralists who reside more or less permanently with their cattle
outside the villages.
Kabak Island
On Kabak Island, there are less than 10 Peul permanent pastoralists, most to the North-East of the
island. Along the Port-Maferinya road pastoralists are present in small camps on the eastern side of
the road. For the present study not all camps have been visited.
The foundation of Kabak farming villages is not documented, however according to the little
information founded in the Atlas of Coastal Guinea as well as from the village interviews; it is possible
to trace different periods of the Kabak history. In general villagers on Kabak know little about their
history; sometimes they can cite the first occupants, but rarely the creation date, except for the most
recent fishing villages.
th
The insular tradition says that the Kabak Island was unoccupied until the 18 century. A Mande
fisherman, who was going down the Forecariah River is believed to have discovered this unoccupied
th
land close to the sea, and has created a few settlements. Then, during the 19 century, the invasion of
the Sosso (Soussou) lands by the Malinke family of the Tourekalai lead to different migration waves of
traditional populations being pushed towards the coastal islands. The first populations (Mande then
Sosso (Soussou)) settled on different sheltered sites in the southern part of the island. The southern
th
villages of Kabak were founded at the end of the 18 century (Bossimiyah, Tonguiron), whereas other
th
northern villages are said to have been founded later on, at the end of the 19 century (Yelibane,
Manke). In Bossimiyah, it was explained that Kabak means “end of the earth, we can’t go further” in
Mande language.
Most of the original villages on Kabak were founded by the Camara lineage (Yelibane, Manke and
Bossimiyah), and Camara are still the largest lineage with a little over one third of the population of
Kabak (Table 8).
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When the fishing villages became bigger, with new arrivals of different lineages, populations started to
th
mix up and inhabitants started to cultivate the mangroves. During the second half of the 19 century,
the Kabak population was subject to a new wave of migration with Senegalese and Sierra Leonean
settlers. Nowadays, there is a majority of Sosso, now called Soussou, the Senegalese have certainly
been assimilated whereas there remains an important minority of Sierra Leonean Téméné (Temne) in
some of the fishing villages.
Port-Maferinya road area
The common founders of both Madinagbe and Sounganyah (Senguelen district) are called Manga
Modou Youla and Manga Sounga Youla (the last one gave his name to Sounganyah). According to
people from Madinagbe, the foundation of this village is as old as 8 centuries, which was the height of
the Mande kingdom (they give precisely the date of 1235, which corresponds to the great battle of
Kirina, where the Malinke Soundiata Keita started the foundation of the Mande empire).
Kalaya/Senguelen would have been founded later; it is said about 100 years ago. Lands previously
belonged to the Gbereyire-Bafila district.
Youla is the founding family, Bangoura family is another important family, and they own most of the
lands in the Senguelen district.
4.2
Social organisation of the ethnic groups
The basic social unit is the extended family: husband, one or more wives, children, who may be
married with their wives and children. Relationship between these individuals (between spouses and
between generations) follow prescribed rules which differ on several points between ethnic groups.
The family refers to a clan, which shares a common ancestor, respect the same rules and interdictions,
and live together. However, during recent generations the clan has gradually lost its importance,
which is now taken over by territorial unit of the village where extended families who belong to
different clans live together.
Malinke – The basis of the organization are the council of elders and the founding lineage of the
village. The founding lineage decides about land for the village. The society is divided in castes
“noblemen”, “free men”, “men of caste” and “captives”. The soutiyo is the patriarch of the village.
In Coastal Guinea very few Malinke are met.
Peul – The traditional Peul society is strongly hierachized and divided in casts. It comprises (1)
“noblemen” (Alpha, Cheikhou, Modi) descendants of migrated Muslims, chiefs of converted
communities, and big cattle owners; (2) non Peul communities converted to Islam who make up the
class of free rural land owners, farmers and pastoralists; (3) the cast people: craftsmen and “griots”;
and (4) two types of slaves: the home slaves and the farming slaves. Though slaves have disappeared,
the Peul society remains strongly socially stratified, and its administrative unit, the missidé, more or
less corresponds to a village.
In Coastal Guinea Peul are active in trade and in pastoralism.
Soussou – The main population of Coastal Guinea are the Soussou, who belong to the Mande group.
Social structure is patrilineal, based in the village “ta”, which groups founding families (lineages) who
maintain the power. The SNC-Lavalin 2008 report indicates that a “chef de terre” (father of the land) is
in charge of distributing the land, and in resolving conflicts as he seems fit. This person is in general
the eldest person alive of the founding lineage: the sotikemo, who is both in charge of the material
and spiritual activities of the land. This report also indicates that land more and more often gets a
monetary value and that the traditional way of acquiring land through the gift of cola nuts, is less and
less possible.
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Téméné – Since the years 1930, Sierra Leoneans are fishing in Guinean waters, and many of them are
10
living in Guinea . On the island of Kabak, the present survey establish for nearly all heads of
households in fishing villages their year of arrival in the village, and their origin. 16% of the population
11
in fishing villages of Kabak are Téméné (themnés ) and come from Sierra Leone. In Khounyi, the most
important fishing village, 57% of migrants came from Sierra Leone. Some have been present for less
than two years, but many have settled long ago (50% of migrants who asserted living in Khounyi for
over 20 years are from Sierra Leone). Some of them will spend a few months each year in their country
where they may have a wife and children; others do it only one or two months a year to visit their
family. Since 2006, there is an Agreement between the “Union nationale des Pêcheurs artisans de
12
Guinée” and the “Sierra Leone Artisanal Fishermen's Union” . It aims among others to meet the
standards of fishing in both countries in order to improve livelihoods of communities who depend on
fishing.
4.3
Lineages
Lineage and age are the basis of Guinean society. The ethnic groups are divided in various related
groups, families or clans who are linked to a common ancestor, called lineage. This relationship
13
expresses itself in the family name of the person (patronyme ), such as Camara, Bangoura, Touré, etc.
In the Kabak Island, five lineages make up 79% of the population.
Land occupation is often based on an ancestor, who arrived a few centuries ago in an area, started to
cultivate, and by doing so became the de facto founding family of a village. In later stages, other
families, with other patronymes, may have followed the original family, and as in time they became
accepted as belonging to the natives of a village. Others, who came, have tried to become founding
members of the community, by simply adopting the name of the local patronyme.
Though in Soussou Coastal Guinea only a limited number lineage (bonsè) names are present, the fact
to share the same lineage name does not automatically include a direct relationship, as other villages
and communities may have been founded by different members of the same lineage, and besides the
name, also other forms of relationships are needed to confirm that people belong to the same
14
founding lineage of a village , but rather to segments of such lineages, or – in the case of smaller
more recent villages, to the extended family under a chief who is the factual (grand) father of the
community.
Within a village people grouped by “compound”, called fohkhe in Soussou, itself composed of nuclear
households (dembaya), in which husband, wives, unmarried children, and other residents live under
15
the authority of a simple chief of household .
10
Source: http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/monde/famnigero-congolaise.htm assessed on January 28, 2012.
11
Temne, also spelled Temen or Timni, group of some 1.6 million people of central and northwestern Sierra Leone who speak a language
(also called Temne) of the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo family. The Temne are mainly farmers whose staple crop is rice,
supplemented by peanuts (groundnuts), cotton, cassava, and millet; cash crops are palm kernels and cola nuts. Rice, cattle, and goats are
also important. The household consists of a husband and his wife or wives, their children, and other dependents. A Temne settlement
contains a central meetinghouse surrounded by circles of mud-and-wattle houses with thatched roofs. Inheritance and succession are
governed by patrilineal descent.
The Temne are divided into numerous independent chiefdoms, each governed by a paramount chief. Chiefdoms are divided into sections
governed by subchiefs and containing one or more villages or hamlets. The village in turn is under the authority of a headman, formerly a
descendant of the village founder but now an elected official.
The chief’s office is partly religious, and he is sometimes a member of the ragbenle and poro male secret societies. The ragbenle is
responsible for curing certain diseases and performing ceremonies to promote the growth of crops. The women’s bundu society mainly
prepares girls for marriage. Traditional religious beliefs in a supreme god and in nature and ancestral spirits are declining, being replaced
by Christianity and Islam. (see: encyclopedia Britannic:: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/586495/Temne)
12
Convention UNPAG-SLAFU: http://spcsrp.org/medias/csrp/pays/Convention-UNPAG-SLAFU.pdf).
13
« Patronyme » = « Family name ». Denise Paulme, Les Gens du Riz, Les Kissi de Haute-Guinée, Paris. Librairie Plon. 1954, 1970. 324 p.
consulted in http://www.webguinee.net/bibliotheque/ethnographie/kisi/dpaulme/chap06.html
14
15
Section based on observations while mapping the village, and general village interviews.
See: David Leyle (2010) Bien-être et inégalités en Guinée Maritime: une question d'accès. Un système d'information pour le
développement, Thèse soutenue Université Michel de Montaigne - Bordeaux III (22/01/2010), Georges Rossi (Dir.)
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4.4
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Cultural heritage and sacred sites
Cultural heritage and sacred sites information was partly obtained from village consultation meetings
and partly from research by an archaeologist who joined the team at the end of the survey. The
population adhering largely to the Islamic faith, there is a somewhat complicated relationship
between religion and traditional beliefs. This was especially obvious when discussing with the villagers
what their preferred option was if graveyards would be affected by the project. The official belief is
that in Islam, once a body is buried, only the soul remains in heaven, in the body remains an empty
shell which, after the funeral, can be forgotten and discarded.
Graveyards – Some villagers would react in this way: let the death be forgotten, and don’t bother if
there’s damage to graveyards. Other villagers – the majority – allowed that there graveyards might be
affected, but wished to perform rituals. In a few villages people were very concerned by an eventual
destruction of their graveyards, and could or would not come up with a solution.
Cultural sites – The most important cultural sites – which do not directly seem to have a traditional or
spiritual meaning – are the step of the giant in Moufoufanye and its corollary, the grave of the giant in
Matakang with the two tombstones indicating his head and feet. It may seem that this is an important
part of the cultural heritage, which will probably merit to be preserved.
Spiritual sites – All water sources and the big “fromager” trees are said to be inhabited by spirits, who
merit being appeased, and may be gentle or dangerous. In general, villagers allow such sites to be
destroyed by the project, usually after traditional ceremonies.
Historical sites – Several historical sites are still visible especially in Matakang, dating back to the 19
century and the first colonial occupants: graves, houses, watchtower, military base.
th
Sites observed by the archaeologist are cited in Appendix III.
4.5
Land Tenure
Most of the data in this section is derived from the 2008 baseline report, as well as the 2010 report on
the Benty area, and the INSUCO report (2011), and includes information obtained during 2-3 hour long
village interviews which were conducted in selected villages included in the survey.
The right to occupy new land is derived from those (families, lineages) who opened and first cultivated
the land, the so called “right of the hoe”. However, land is always shared, not only with the people of
the own lineage, but also with strangers, as “no farmer can remain without land”. This traditional
system is perceived in parallel with the modern legal system, where all land belongs to the state.
Land tenure in the study area is mainly based on ownership of land by the founding families, and on
heritage: sons inherit fields from their parents. Though the founding lineages, and their allies, are
considered to be the formal owners of land, daily management falls on the extended families, and
individual households. These founding families, in the past may have allocated land to other lineages,
which after some time become the ownership of these lineages. At the present time, the sharing of
land between lineages appears as fixed, and within the village, land can be allocated to individual
households through inheritance, gifts and lending, and – very rarely – through buying.
The lineages can be recognized by their names: Bangoura, Camara, Fofana, Touré, Traoré, etc. In the
Kabak area, Camara, Soumah, Sylla and Bangoura are the most numerous (total 70%), in the port area
these lineages are preceded by the Youla (26%). Within these families, a sub lineage may be
considered as the local population.
The existence of a “chef de terre” – a specific chief who is responsible for the lands of a village, hands
out new land, and is also in charge of the relations between the community and the ancestors and
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16
spirits – has not been confirmed in the Kabak and port areas . At the village level the representatives
of the main lineages are playing that role, as well as the elders of the extended family.
Table 10 shows that most of the land is inherited or family land, which can be through paternal and
maternal lines. These two types are put together because the interviewed families could hardly
distinguish between the two types, as even if it was inherited, it would remain family land, and
inversely. Renting land and free occupancy are in general associated with gifts: cola nuts and a small
sum of money at the discretion of those who give money.
There seems to be tension between what is traditionally expected from villagers: (land belongs to the
lineage, but one should give land to everybody who needs it, without asking for compensation) and
modern constraints of limited land availability, and relatively high income, for those who have access
to free land. That is why in village interviews, people tend to say that there is no market for land, that
land is given or borrowed freely, and that any compensation to the owner depends uniquely on the
17
discretion of whoever receives the land . People seem to agree that a foreigner who leaves the village
loses his right on the land he acquired, even if the land was bought.
Presently, land pressure seems to be on the rise, and in some villages people acknowledged that, with
increasing lack of free fertile land, a land market would probably develop in the near future, in which
land could be formally rented, bought and sold.
Renting is only indicated in few households, and mostly among the fishing communities. Survey data
on rent indicate that average rent is 460 kFg for an average plot size of 1.23 ha.
Table 10. Land ownership in the Kabak-Port area
Ownership
Heritage or family land
Traditional ownership
Free
Renting
N=
Founding Lineage
Founding
Other
lineage
lineage
55%
69%
25%
20%
13%
5%
7%
6%
321
255
Area
Port and
road area
54%
25%
18%
1%
120
Kabak fishing
53%
15%
9%
21%
71
Kabak
agriculture
64%
23%
7%
6%
384
Source: 2011 social baseline, question 20.
Several payments are traditionally made for the use of land and levied on the harvest. Data from the
household survey show that such payments are not taken into account as expenses, and probably not
paid.
Rental fee – This fee may be paid per year, but more often for the use of land during several years.
Traditionally the owner has the right to receive 10% of the harvest. This seems usually to be paid,
although very often it is not indicated in the survey.
Tribute to the mosque (dime) – This fee is normally 10% of the harvest, but does not appear in the
household questionnaires.
Head of the lineage – He has also the traditional right to 10% of the harvest. An owner can also
contribute 10% of the harvest to his married sisters.
16
17
The role of this traditional person is described in the 2008 rail baseline (page 5.17).
A similar observation was made in the 2010 Benty port report: « Sousou don’t like to refer to buying land as this is considered something
for town’s people).
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Tributes and dimes
All activities demand from the person to share some of the money the person is earning with it: to the
village chief, the chief of port, the head of the lineage, etc. The standard rate is 10%, which –
according to Islam - has to be given to the poor and the needy as a farila, and though not mandatory
will usually be given to the person who has lent the land used for agriculture.
Titled land
Titled land is extremely rare in the port area and limited to government structures (some schools,
health centres, port buildings) and some of the owners of semi-commercial plantations. Though land
titling is theoretically available to all Guineans, cost, administrative hassle, as well as ignorance on how
it can improve security of land tenure are causing that few people engage in titling their land.
In Kabak only one person was indicated as having a title. Along the Kabak-Maferinya road several
people are said to own titles for their pineapple and oil palm plantations, some which are on an
industrial scale, like the oil palm plantation of a former president whose cultivated area covers 200 ha.
Land acquisition for resettlement
In cases where economic resettlement (usually through loss of land) is necessary for the project, the
greatest challenge will be to ensure the security of land tenure to the new occupier of the acquired
land. This security of tenure must be defined in such a way that new land can be managed in the same
or better rules than the expropriated land in terms of heritage, sale, lending out, share cropping, etc.
This is most likely to be an issue if the resettlement site is not in the same village, on land of the same
lineage, so resettling within the own community should be the preferred option.
4.6
Types of land: individual land, family land and lineage land
Geographers and the project have extensively studied land tenure in Guinea and in the project's areas,
from the mine in the Simandou mountain range to the port in the Forecariah prefecture. The
socioeconomic team has discussed land tenure in each of the village meetings, and an agronomist has
discussed with individual farmers on how they had obtained their lands. Several conclusions come
from these different sets of data:

There is no land market, and lands have neither been sold nor bought

Lands are easily given to foreigners, but though people tend to say that no payment is
required for such rental, at least 10% of the crop and often much more is shared with the
owner

Lands which are occupied permanently by orchards, perennial crops, or improved by dikes
such as bogoni and dara, belong to individual families and households. Wetlands “bas-fonds”
are less present on Kabak, but through their high potential agricultural value, they are also
owned “privately”

On Kabak and in the port area, most of the lands has permanent man-made improvements
“mises en valeur”, and may so be regarded as permanently owned by families and households

Fields that are part of a rotational cycle (e.g. used for a few years, than left fallow for 5-15
years before they can be again used), remain under the authority of the lineages, or even the
founding lineage. The closer a household is to the founding lineage, the more right he has to
call fields and fallow land as his own, and return to it every time he needs to farm

Uncultivated lands traditionally belong to one of the major family lineages, but appear to be
often collectively owned (or claimed) by more or less extended families.
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The notion of “empty bush land” does not exist; every inch of land in Guinea belongs to someone, so
calling an area “bush land” is often regarded as an insult. However, there seems to be some confusion
between the notions of “fallow land” (e.g. land which was cultivated, and laid to rest in order to regain
its fertility) and “uncultivated land” which has never been cultivated. If a farmer is part of the founding
lineage or of one of the closer lineages, fallow land can be reused by him; others will have to ask
permission to the lineage elders every time they need a new plot of land.
4.7
Examples of agricultural land in Kabak and the port area
From more than 80 field visits made by the team, more detailed information can be drawn about how
land management occurs in the daily practice. From these data it becomes also clear that the
information obtained during village meetings – that land is rarely rented out against payment – has to
be slightly adapted. Table 11 provides some examples of fields cultivated by farmers in Kabak and
Senguelen. In cases land is rented it appears that usually part or the entire 10% dime is paid to the
owner, but in some cases it may be more than 40% of the harvest. Foreigners appear to receive land
under the same conditions as shown by the Sierra Leonean in Senguelen, who only pays the 10% of his
crop to the owner.
Table 11. Examples of fields cultivated by farmers in Kabak and the port area
Area
Kabak
Number of
fields
5 bogoni
Surface
Specifics of the fields
Observations
1.4 ha
10% dime + 40% of the
harvest
4 bogoni
1.7 ha
Family land, A bogoni may
be rented for 600 kFg for
two seasons
6 bogoni
0.6 ha
6 dara
n/a
Family land inherited from
the maternal grandmother
who cleared the land
Tomatoes, cucumbers,
leaves
Rented for an indefinite time from father in
law who has created the fields from the
mangroves
Fields shared by 4 brothers, 2 living in
Kabak and 2 living in Conakry, at harvest
time these families share the rice
production
Shared by two brothers, used for rice and
for market garden crops
10 dara
~1 ha
Used for rice (rainy
season) and
eggplants/Okra (dry
season)
6 dara
2 ha
4 bogoni
1.5 ha
1 dara
0.14 ha
Used for rice (rainy
season) and eggplantsOkra-tomatoes (dry
season)
Bogoni not usable
anymore because of
saltiness
Rented for 10% of the
harvest since 10 years
4 bogoni
1.8 ha
2 dara
1.3 ha
1 hill side
0.23 ha
Inherited from father
since 40 years
Inherited from father. Has
more fields than he can
use, which he lends to
parents and neighbors
Land received through
mother, was fallow for 10
Used by two brothers.
From the 6 million Francs harvest, the
elder brother receives 4 million, the
younger 2 million.
Land cleared by father who delimited areas
for each of his sons when he died.
Uses animal plowing, fertilizer and pest
control for market crops (costs: 0.5 million
GNF)
Income from eggplants (1.6 million GNF)
and from Okra (0.6 million GNF).
Land cleared by grandfather and inherited
from father
Market garden: expenditures 1,1 million
GNF, revenues 3,0 million GNF
Has sown 80 kg rice for a harvest of 50 kg.
Has rented several bogoni to his neighbors,
who pay him part of the 10% dime.
Rice and market crops: Okra/eggplant,
expenditures 0.3 million GNF, revenues 0.8
million GNF
Rice only
Rice
Market garden crops: expenditures 0.2
million GNF, revenue 0.9 million GNF
Rice, cassava, and market garden crops
sown as mixed crops. Net income from
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Area
Senguelen
Number of
fields
Surface
2 bogoni
0.7 ha
11 bogoni
4.8 ha
Specifics of the fields
Observations
years, and will be used 2
years
Rented by a Sierra
Leonean, pays 10% of the
harvest
Received from paternal
grandmother
market crops: 64 kFg, rice production only
32 kg.
Rice: estimated yield 1,700 kg.
Rice only, production estimated at 7.5 T.
Source: Agronomist field visits with farmers, July 2011.
In Kabak, many fields are used both during the dry season for market garden crops, and the wet
season for rice. Some farmers indicated that this was a better way of earning extra income, than
through salt winning.
Rice yields – In Kabak18, in 3 out of 20 farms visited, rice cultivation had failed due to saltiness of the
soil, and invading seawater. In these fields production was evaluated at 60 kg/ha, which did not cover
the amount of seeds sown. In the other 15 farms on bogoni land the productivity was evaluated at
about 1.5 T/ha, and in the 3 dara farms at 0.93 T/ha. This confirms the general knowledge that dara
fields yield much less than bogoni fields.
18
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Detailed data on yields and more precisions on fields visited are presented in Appendix I – Agriculture
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5. Governance and traditional structures in the villages
19
Guinea is divided into 8 administrative regions , each headed by a governor, 33 Prefectures headed
by a prefect, and 302 subprefectures headed by a sous-préfet. The port area and Kabak are located in
Guinée Maritime (Coastal Guinea), Prefecture of Forecariah, and subprefectures of Kabak and
Maferinya. These authorities are named by the government.
Subprefectures are completed by CRD (Communautés Rurales de Developpement, Rural development
Communities) which cover almost always of the same area as subprefectures. Each
CRD/Subprefecture is split up in districts, sectors, and sometimes sub-sectors. The president of the
executive council of the CRD is elected for 4 years renewable by the community council (based on
lower elected officials), but has a secretary named by the government.
The budget of the CRD comes from local taxes and from subsidies from the central governments. The
presence of industries and companies, obviously allows CRDs a much higher income.
Villages in the area are governed by a mixture of administrative and traditional authorities.
Administratively the District President and the Sector chief with their dependents are the most
important locally. They are locally elected, but with a strong influence of the traditional authorities.
The social structure within the villages is based on a patriarchal and patrilineal system, in a
gerontocracy like system, where women have a secondary place, and young men only gradually obtain
some influence in the community.
Village life is organized around the “elders” and a system of mutual assistance (see below).
Council of elders
Locally, the council of elders, the imam, and the eldest male representative of the founding lineage,
the El Hadj (who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca) are the most important persons. During village
questionnaires they were usually present. For every decision in the village and for the distribution of
land, the lineage elders have to be consulted.
Village organizations
Many groups and associations are present in each village: associations of fishermen (men),
associations of farmers (men and women), associations of fish smokers (women). Associations of
young people/youth exist too, notably sport associations. Many rotational saving groups “tontines”
are present: each person gives an amount of money regularly (every week, every two weeks or every
month); in turn the total amount is given to one of the members of the “tontine”. If an individual or a
family needs money for a ceremony, death or illness, it is common for those around them to
contribute occasionally. In traditional agriculture, there exist mutual assistance groups “lanyi”. They
are made up of men, women and/or young people who work in turn in the fields of each of their
members.
Fishing villages have some particularities. In particular, they have several chiefs each of whom has his
own specific domain in which he rules:
One “chef de secteur” (chief of sector) or “chef de sous-secteur” (chief of sub-sector) and his
assistant(s) like in other villages of the region – is designed by the president of district (“président de
district”).
One or several “chefs de port” (chiefs of port) and his assistant(s) – who is appointed for 5 years by the
prefect (“préfet”) and ANAM.
19
See SNC-Lavalin (2008)
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The role of “chef de port” is to arbitrate and settle problems related to fishing: theft of fishing gear
(fishing nets), theft or loss of fish at sea, and conflicts between fishermen. Moreover on arriving at
port, each team has to present his capture to the chief of port; but this one does not control the
amount that is landed.
In each village there is a place to discuss problems and find solutions. Sometimes it is around a small
table under a tree. More often it takes place in a covered area with a straw roof. The “chef de village”
(“district”, “secteur” or “sous-secteur”) handles most issues, except those directly related to sea
activities which are treated by the “chef de port”.
Some individuals have an important role in the village: religious personalities (Imam, “Marabout”),
presidents of associations, and – particularly in fishing villages – owners of several boats and outboard
motors. Many people are “dependent” on these boat owners for obtaining work. In the fishing villages
surveyed, 23 fishermen have more than one boat (Table 12).
Table 12 – Multiple boat ownership in the fishing villages of Kabak
Boat ownership
Number of owners of
several boats
Number of outboard
motors per owner
Konimodiya
With 2
boats
Friyah
With 2
boats
Dabonkhore
With 2
boats
With 2
boats
1
1
4
12
1
0
1 or 2
1 or 2
Khounyi
With 3
boats
With 10
boats
Matakang
With 2
boats
1
1
3
3
9
0
Source: 2011 social baseline, village interviews, Fishing report (2011).
Most of the time one ship-owner has only one boat and works with 2 to 7-8 workers. These workers
have their own houses, or as it is very frequent in Khounyi, Matakang and Dabonkhore, they “rent” a
room for free in the house of their boss.
Most fishing villages have one or several marine carpenters (workers specialized in making nets),
sellers of gasoline (expensive compared to gasoline stations on the mainland: 7,500 GNF on the
mainland and 9,000 or 10,000 GNF in Kabak), and little shops (and bar(s) in Dabonkhore, Arapata,
Khounyi and Matakang). It is possible to buy on-site commodities such as candles, cigarettes, salt, oil,
matches, and boxes of tomatoes, rice and even Maggi cube, smoked and fresh fish. To purchase other
supplies and to sell fish and agricultural productions, residents usually go to the market in Sangbon
with motorbikes.
Families, concessions and households
Villages are made up of one or more lineages, and within these villages, lineages are divided into
smaller units based on direct relationship of one recent ancestor, his married descendants and his
direct kin. In Kabak and the Port-Maferinya road area brothers as well as fathers and sons often live
close together in “families”, “concessions” or homesteads – fôkhè in Soussou –, which may be
composed of one or several houses, and one or several kitchens. In these concessions one can
distinguish “households”, dembaya composed of a married man, his wives and his descendents.
Among the Soussou, not only do co-spouses tend to share the same kitchen, the kitchens are often
used by spouses of several men. Another shared facility are the latrines: most “families” have access
to a latrine (more rarely in fishing villages), but in many cases they are shared between families.
Economically, “families” share access to land resources.
In such families, there is much solidarity, and people tend to react to the outside as a unit, but in focus
groups and other discussions, it becomes clear that each of the married households wants to be
considered as a separate economic independent unit. It seems as if there is some tension between the
strive to have a “family unit” based on traditional solidarity, common land resources, but privately
people strive for independence. As a conclusion, Leyle (2008) considers the concession fôkhè as “living
space”, a geographical block where grandfather, sons and their sons live together, share a common
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land source and under the responsibility of the head of family for conflict management, land
20
distribution, social and territorial organization of the family .
The household, dembaya, where people share a house, take their meals in common, from the same
kitchen, partially or completely share their monetary resources, and recognize the authority of a single
person, the head of household, usually a male (Leyle, 2010). In such household may be included
adopted children, cousins, parents, etc.
An unmarried son will be part of his father’s household, and adds his workforce, production and
earned money to the family. His father can use this to obtain another wife, and so improve his
productivity and economic well-being. In order to marry, and obtain the bride price, he has to obtain
money separately. His father will not help him, as this affects the father’s economic status. Once the
son is married, the father will not help the son anymore, and though the son is still be under the
traditional obligation to solidarity with his father, the father will draw much less benefit from the son.
The fact that still many children live in their father’s house, and share the same kitchen, and the same
land, often means that when the father dies, several sons remain in the parental house. These sons
will regard the house as belonging jointly to them, or still to belong to the deceased father. The
reasons provided for living together are the lack of resources for each brother to build his own house.
The villagers indicated that such co-habitation still left the brothers as single economic units: even if
fields were commonly farmed, after the harvest the crop was to be shared, and each brother would be
responsible for his own stock.
20
Page 62-63. D. Leyle (2010). Bien être et inégalités en Guinée Maritime: une question d’accès. PhD, ADES-Géographie et aménagement,
Université de Bordeaux 3.
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6. Livelihood
The pillars of livelihood in the area are rice agriculture, fishing, fish trading, market gardening and salt
winning. Besides these activities, people earn money from small businesses, motorized transport (by
vehicle or boat); a few are active in government services such as education, health and local
government.
In spite of its importance, rice production is hardly sufficient, for the population. Though harvested in
December-January, one third of the households indicate that they have been buying rice in the market
since January.
This section provides the main elements of each of these sources of income.
6.1
Agriculture
Agriculture is based on two types of crop: rain fed rice fields and market garden crops. During a 10 day
mission, the agricultural specialist has visited 94 fields belonging to 14 households, randomly selected
among the households of the baseline survey. 80% of these households own their fields, 20% rent
them.
Secondary crops are maize, cassava, cucumbers and bananas. Compared to other parts of Coastal
Guinea, peanuts, yams, sweet potatoes, cocoyams are very rarely grown.
21
In 2011/12 the government – through the PUAPA financed by the World Bank – provided fertilizer,
pesticides and seeds in Kabak at a subsidized price.
Field types
Rice is the major crop used both as food and for income, and is valued by farmers as a prestige crop.
The land on which rice is cultivated belongs to two types:
Bogoni: mangrove area rice fields have a size of about 1/4 to 1/3 ha and are surrounded by dikes.
They are in direct contact with the sea and sea arm channels and are used for rice cultivation in the
rainy season and if, they can be irrigated year round, for vegetables during the dry season. These fields
do not need rotation of crops or fallow period, and are used every year. They are the most fertile
fields as they receive silt from the sea, which adds fertility and kills weeds. However, management of
the salinity between sea water and rain water is a major constraint. The more it rains, the better it is
22
for the bogoni. The great value of the bogoni fields is due to their fertility, relative rareness, and high
productivity without external inputs from the local communities. What makes them a unique
economic asset providing significant income that will be difficult to replace.
In Kabak and in the port area, many bogoni are unfit for agriculture because of excess of salinity.
Others will produce good yields during a year with generous rainfall, but fail if the rains are less. Only
bogoni with the best water management will yield good crops every year. A good bogoni crop may
23
yield 2,000-2,500 kg/ha , but more usually observed yields are around 1,200-1,500 kg.
Crops cultivated: rice, okra, tomatoes, eggplants, watermelons, cucumbers, leaves.
Dara: rice fields are the same as for bogoni – on rain-fed flooded plains land – but are not in direct
contact with the sea, and are used mainly for rice cultivation. In some villages, fields are used during 45 years, and then left fallow for 2-4 years, but good fields can be used continuously. In Kabak, the main
problems highlighted by local were weeds and lack of fertility and rainfall. There is no problem of
21
Programme d’Urgence pour l’Appui à la Productivité Agricole managed by the Ministry of Agriculture
22
These fields have been often been created generations ago by migrant Balante from Guinea Bissau.
23
2,000 kg of paddy (unhusked rice) corresponds to about 1,250 kg of rice. In Coastal Guinea, an average household member needs at least
100 kg per year. For an average family of 7, this means 700 kg of rice or 1,100 kg of paddy.
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salinity of the soil, but production seems to be 20-30% lower than on bogoni. In the port area, no dara
were observed.
Crops cultivated: rice, okra, tomatoes, eggplants, watermelons, cucumbers.
Constraints for rice production are numerous: (1) insufficient water management resulting in salinity
of the land; (2) lack of credit to pay inputs and labour, and cost of credit provide by the urban rice
24
merchants; (3) lack of inputs (fertilizer and seeds); and (4) lack of mechanization and cost of local
labour.
Kharé khé - côteaux - Hill-slopes –This type of field is all but absent in the Kabak and port areas.
Mainly used for: rice, cassava, cucumbers, oil palms, mango trees, sweet potatoes, and peanut
cultivation. Slash and burn agriculture with frequent rotation is practiced: 1-2 years in use followed by
5-6 years of fallow.
Mèrè - bas fonds – Wetlands in lower valleys, mainly used for pineapple, oil palms, okra, tomatoes,
eggplants, watermelons, cucumbers, and cassava. No rotation, fields are used every year.
Home gardens – Bananas, chili peppers, maize, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, are often cultivated in the
home gardens. “Tapades” are the fenced home gardens.
Farè - plaines non aménagées – This type of field is mostly absent in the area, as all agricultural land
has been transformed into dara and bogoni.
6.2
Main crops
Crops grown – Crops produced by more than 10% of the population are indicated in the Table 13.
25
Rice and market garden crops are the main ones. In the Port-Maferenyia road area , crops grown are
different from Kabak: cassava is the second crop after rice and oil palm the fourth most important
variety. Though for 50% of the farmers, oil palms are spontaneous plants, they can be taken care of
with a view to increasing yields. 23% of the farmers report growing improved varieties with a much
higher yield obtained from the commercial plantations in the area.
In general agriculture is more varied in the port-road area, with one third of the farmers reporting
sweet potatoes and peanuts as one of their main crops.
Table 13. Main crops grown in the Kabak-Port area (% of households)
Crop type
Rice
Market Garden
Bananas
Maize
Local oil palm
Cucumbers
Cassava
Fruits
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Peanuts
N=
Port-road
84%
66%
36%
38%
50%
22%
69%
32%
19%
32%
34%
124
Kabak fishing
66%
38%
21%
13%
7%
5%
4%
3%
12%
2%
2%
92
Kabak agriculture
93%
88%
59%
46%
24%
31%
15%
25%
25%
18%
4%
394
Average
87%
76%
48%
39%
27%
25%
24%
23%
22%
18%
10%
611
Source: 2011 household baseline survey, question 22.
Crops sold – More than 80% of the production is sold by farmers for some crops: market garden
crops (57% of the farmers), maize (12%) and cassava (11% of the farmers). In the Port-Maferinya road
24
In 2011 a government sponsored program distributed fertilizer and improved seeds to the farmers provided with a 50% subsidy. The
long-term impact of this has not been established.
25
In the area where assets have been inventoried for the pMOF, rice and market garden crops are the most important, as most of the land
has been transformed into bogoni, and other land is less fertile, because of the proximity of the sea.
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area 27% of households sell more than 80% of the cassava production and 22% do so for their palm oil
production.
Rice is a crop that is mostly used for household consumption, but farmers also use it for selling to
obtain necessary money for their household. However, farmers sell usually less than 20% of its
production: this is reported by 10% of the fishermen, 19% of the Kabak farmers and 13% in the Portroad area.
Crops bought – Households indicate that crops they buy most often are peanuts (reported by 43% of
the households), palm oil, cassava, beans, sweet potatoes, (each for 35-40%), fruits, yams, cucumbers
and maize (33%). Rice was not often named, but other data suggest that most households have to buy
rice before the new harvest can be reaped.
Rice
Rice is the main crop in the area, but its production is insufficient to meet the needs for staple food of
most families. Interviews with farmers indicate that yields are usually less than 2,000 kg/ha. Most
farmers use local varieties of rice, which are much appreciated for their taste but have lower yield
than newer improved varieties. Local rice is sold at higher prices than improved varieties, and
imported rice. During the survey, local rice (both local and improved varieties) was sold for 8 kFg/kg,
imported rice 5 kFg/kg. In 2011, improved rice varieties and fertilizer were available in Kabak, subsided
at a rate of 50%. The amount available for Kabak, 90 T of seeds, was rapidly sold out, as it could be
paid at harvest time. Fertilizer was sold cash, also 50% subsidized, but farmers did not have enough
money to pay, and most of it was not sold. Before that, people used to use herbicides and fertilizer
mostly for the market garden crops, with any surplus used in the rice fields.
Market garden crops
In Kabak, market garden crops are grown after the rice is harvested, while in the port area it is
cultivated only on the wetlands. Market garden crops allow people to earn money during the dry
season which is used to buy rice for food and rice seed for planting. The major market garden crops in
the area are: watermelons, gumbo (okra), eggplants, tomatoes, chili pepper, fresh maize, and various
leafy vegetables. The cultivation of market garden crops is a family matter which engages the effort of
both men and women. The sale of these crops is done by women on the Sangbon market, or to
middlemen and women who buy in the villages; the money is usually shared by both spouses.
As was the case for smoked fish, the further the people can travel to reach the consumers, the better
the profits they make. At every stage in the supply chain – the bi-weekly Kabak market in the port of
Sangbon, towns such as Maferinya and Conakry – prices increase.
The money earned by selling market garden crops is said to be often used to buy the extra rice for the
family that the local production is unable to provide.
6.3
Cultivated areas and reserve land
Size of plots
The size of agricultural land has been investigated by questionnaire; it should be noted that people
have difficulties estimating the size of their plots, as they do not take measurements. Traditionally any
significance is given to land size by cash crops, and many people are illiterate.
From the plot measurements undertaken by the team’s agronomist, it appears that an average bogoni
in Kabak is about one-third of a hectare and in the port area between 0.4 and 0.5 ha.
Average land holding – Figure 2 shows that members of the founding lineages have about 20%
bigger fields than the other farmers, and they also have twice as much reserve land.
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Famers of Kabak and Port-Maferinya road both have 1.9 ha of cultivated land, but in the latter (PortMaferinya road), farmers have more reserve land.
Median land holding – The median value indicates that half of the farmers have more than 1.5 ha,
and half less. It also indicates that more than half of the farmers have no reserve land. Total land is 1.5
ha in the port, only 1.0 ha among the fishermen and 2.5 ha among the Kabak farmers.
Figure 2 – Reported average size of cultivated plots and reserve land (in hectare)
Kabak agriculture: Cultivated and Reserve Land [ha]
3.0 ha
2.5 ha
0.9 ha
0.9 ha
0.6 ha
2.0 ha
0.6 ha
0.6 ha
Reserve land
1.5 ha
Cultivated
land
1.7 ha
2008 baseline
NO
0.4 ha
1.5 ha
1.0 ha
0.5 ha
1.9 ha
0.5 ha
1.9 ha
2.0 ha
1.9 ha
1.2 ha
MOF-Road
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
Zone
Yes
Founding lineage
man
woman
Gender head of household
Source: Baseline household questionnaire, July 2011, Question 20.
Table 14. Median size of cultivated area and reserve land
Cultivated land
Fallow land
Total land
N=
Port-Maferinya road
Kabak fishing
1.4 ha
1.0 ha
0.0 ha
0.0 ha
1.5 ha
1.0 ha
122
72
Source: 2011 household baseline survey.
Kabak agriculture
1.5 ha
0.0 ha
2.0 ha
380
Average
1.5 ha
0.0 ha
2.5 ha
574
Characteristics of cultivated land
Figure 3 presents graphs which summarize the type of land, who owns the field, the perceived quality
and distance to the homesteads.
Type of cultivated land – Bogoni is the most frequent type of land, both in Kabak and the PortMaferinya road area. In the latter the rain-fed dara paddies are much less present but fertile “basfonds”, and some dry plains replace them. Members of the founding lineage only have slightly better
access to the more fertile bogoni than the others.
Gender of land owners – Fields are usually owned by men, but the survey shows that often women
also declare owning the field. This is especially the case in the Kabak fishing villages where men are
less involved in agriculture, while among the Kabak farmers, joint ownership is relatively common.
The data on ownership will become important in the case of project’s land-acquisition, where land and
livelihood has to be restored to the directly affected people.
Perceived quality of the land – Farmers tend to find that their land is of good quality, or at least of
average quality. People from the founding lineages tend to find their land a bit better than others, but
the difference is small. This is another important indicator in the case replacement of fields is
necessary, and people need to have replacement land that is at least of similar quality.
Distance to the fields – Farmers in general have to travel far in order to reach their fields; in most
cases at least half an hour, and for many an hour or more. Farmers of Kabak, because of the
geography of the island are much better off than the others.
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Figure 3 – Main Characteristics of cultivated land
100%
80%
Type of cultivated land
1%
13%
2%
40%
45%
10%
64%
4%
4%
39%
35%
37%
53%
57%
56%
NO
Yes
Man
3%
44%
Wetland
60%
40%
4%
Dry plains
Dara
58%
52%
Kabak Fishing
Kabak agriculture
20%
Bogoni
48%
0%
MOF-Road
2008 baseline
Zone
100%
8%
1%
80%
Founding lineage
Ownership
of cultivated fields
1%
0%
12%
18%
16%
12%
Woman
14%
10%
9%
10%
16%
14%
Women
59%
60%
40%
99%
91%
76%
72%
70%
0%
78%
74%
20%
41%
Men
0%
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Kabak agri
2008 baseline
Zone
100%
80%
2%
27%
NO
Yes
Man
Founding lineage
2%
26%
30%
2%
0%
25%
27%
26%
69%
74%
71%
74%
NO
Yes
man
woman
3%
poor
Woman
Reported quality of cultivated land
1%
3%
60%
40%
Both
28%
average
71%
72%
67%
Good
20%
0%
MOF-Road
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
2008 baseline
Zone
Founding lineage
Distance in time to the fields
100%
18%
80%
33%
>1 heure
36%
30%
60%
34%
33%
16%
15%
16%
16%
MOF-Road
Kabak fishing
40%
20%
0%
28%
24%
Kabak agriculture
Zone
>0.5 heure
10-29 min
20%
32%
26%
30%
22%
31%
34%
27%
22%
25%
21%
22%
22%
20%
NO
Yes
man
woman
<10 min
2008 baseline
29%
Founding lineage
17%
6.4
Agriculture inputs
Agriculture remains a traditional activity, but in Kabak, one observes some mechanization and modern
practices by some of the bigger farmers. This is probably the result of the island having been the
subject of several rice growing projects during the last 40 years.
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Mechanization is applied by a small minority of the farmers, mainly in Kabak, as is the practice of
ploughing with oxen. In spite of the quite intensive agriculture in the Port-road area, most of it is still
done traditionally without mechanization, animal traction and little fertilizer.
Table 15 – Main agriculture inputs in the Kabak-Port area (% of households)
Agriculture input
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
Tractor mechanization
7%
17%
13%
Paid labour
64%
89%
85%
Plough and oxen
11%
35%
48%
Fertilizer
20%
43%
32%
Improved seeds
16%
22%
24%
Mutual assistance men
54%
49%
61%
Mutual assistance women
37%
43%
61%
Agricultural extension services
3%
6%
4%
N=
121
72
380
Average
12%
81%
38%
31%
22%
58%
53%
4%
574
Outside labour is important – they use either paid labour (especially on Kabak Island) or mutual
assistance groups composed of either men or women – but few farmers work alone. In the Port-road
area, less farmers than on Kabak resort to mutual agricultural labour in spite of it being such a
productivity improving endeavour.
Agricultural extension services are mostly invisible, although a few farmers mentioned them in the
context of the fertilizer distribution that was underway on Kabak. There are few agronomists living on
Kabak Island (Manke and Youlaye) and the mention of agricultural extension services help can be
linked to their private advice rather than to a real intervention of a formal government promoted
agricultural extension service.
Credit
People obtain credit from their neighbours, from merchants (about 30%) and from friends. More than
60% of the farmers indicate they have had recourse to credit; which is mostly used for food (two
thirds), health, agriculture and family ceremonies. According to household interviews, interest rates
are not high; people have to reimburse only about 106% of what they borrow. Observations from
direct interviews with farmers indicate that merchants often charge usurer rates to farmers, when
they are reimbursed in kind.
Agricultural calendar
The agriculture calendar has been widely discussed in Kabak where most of the study took place.
Though in general agriculture is somewhat different in the Port-Maferinya road area than on Kabak,
practices are relatively similar.
Table 16 – Seasons recognized on Kabak Island
Sousou
Narakharadé
Sogué Fouré
Niémé
Barakha
English
The cold season
The dry season (much warmer)
Rainy season
Transition season (the end of the rains)
Français
Saison fraîche
Saison sèche chaude
Saison des pluies
Saison intermédiaire
Season
December to February
March to May
June to mid-September
mid-September to November
Source: 2011 household baseline survey, Village interviews.
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Table 17 – Seasonal calendar for Kabak obtained through the compilation of 4 farming villages interviews: Yetiyah (Yelibane district), Bossimyah, Kenende (Seydouyah district) and Tonguiron
Month
January
February
March
Season
Climate
Rice activities
Other farming activities
Narakharadé – cold
No rain -dust
Fresh and cold
Libiti – no sunlight
No rain but fog
Libiti – no sunlight
Hot
Sunlight
No rain
Harvest
Rice threshing
Transplanting of the market
gardening
Rice threshing
Transplanting of the market
gardening Gumbo harvest
Market-gardening harvest
season
season
Sogué Fouré – warm
season
season
April
season
May
Niémé – rainy season
June
July
One of the most rainy month of
the year
Ploughing and weeding
Beginning of the ricetransplanting
Rice-transplanting
rain
Barakha – the end of
Falè – rain that happens
suddenly
Rain is diminishing
rain
October
November
rain
December
26
Ploughing of the rice fields
Sowing of the rice nursery
Lots of rain
season
Maintaining of the fields
Salt extraction
End of the market-gardening
harvest
Rain – almost every day
Preparation of the salt pans
Preparing of the rice
nursery
August
September
Hot
Sunlight
No rain
Rains start mid-May
Heat and sun
End of the hot season
Figifigi – lot of wind
Hot
Figifigi – lot of wind
Rice threshing
Clearing and ploughing of
the bogoni
Levees repairing
Clearing of the bogoni
Levees repairing
Clearing of the bogoni
Levees construction
Rain is ending
Beginning of the frog
Fresh and cold
Libity – no sunlight
No rain
Fog and cold
All the crops are sprayed with fertilizers and crop protection agents.
Weeding
Monitoring the fields (from
birds and other animals)
Clearing the levees for the
market-gardening26
Harvest: sweet potatoes, yam,
peanuts, maize, fonio, cassava
Nurseries for marketgardening
Harvest
Nurseries for the market crops
Beginning of the transplanting
of the market crops
Source: village interviews Kabak Island
Domestic
activities
Brick making
Number of meals per
day / Food quality
Global level of
activities
3 meals
Food abundant
+++++
5 out of 5
House building
and repairs
House building
and repairs
3 meals
Food abundant
+++
3 out of 5
3 meals
Food abundant
+++
3 out of 5
Manufacturing
of tools at the
blacksmith
Fencing home
gardens
House repairs
2 meals
Food abundant
++++
4 out of 5
2 meals
Food abundant
++++
4 out of 5
1 to 2 meals
Reserve stocks are
reducing
+++
3 out of 5
1 to 2 meals
+++
3 out of 5
1 meal
+++++
5 out of 5
1 meal
Not sufficient
+++++
5 out of 5
1 meal, Food
insufficient
Khabidounyi –
season during we
only eat yam
Beginning of the harvest
1 meal
Food insufficient
3 meals
Abundantly
++++
4 out of 5
++++
4 out of 5
+++++
5 out of 5
Gro
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Table 18 – Calendar of monthly activities for the main food and market garden crops in the Kabak-Port area
Crops
Jan
Feb
March
Bogoni mangrove
rice
harvest
threshing &
transport
Cleaning
irrigation
channels
Dara rice
harvest
threshing &
transport
Uphill rice
April
sowing
nursery
Tomatoes
transplanting
transplanting
watering
harvest
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
clearing,
ploughing,
nursery
Weeding
harvest
harvest
watering
harvest
harvest
harvest
watering
harvest
Burning &
clearing
harvest
harvest
watering
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
Land
preparation
harvest
harvest
Mould
planting
Burning and
clearing
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
harvest
clearing
Gumbo
Eggplant
May
ploughing &
sowing
harvest
harvest
harvest
weeding
Nov
Dec
surveillance
harvest
surveillance
harvest
surveillance
harvest
harvest
Harvest, threshing &
transport
Clearing & cleaning
Clearing & cleaning
Clearing & cleaning
nursery & ploughing
Water melon
Peppers
transplanting
Cassava
harvest
Cucumbers
Coco nuts
harvest
harvest
Oil palms
Salt
preparation
salt pans
harvest
Clearing & cleaning
nursery
sowing
harvest
Source: farmers’ interviews and assessment by a professional agronomist.
harvest
Cleaning
palm
stands
harvest
Cleaning palm stands
Gro
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Food quantity
From July to November, food starts to become scarce. September is a particularly difficult month
because it clearly marks a transition in the calendar, between the harvest of market gardening crops
and other crops.
December marks the beginning of the abundant food period; it starts with the rice harvest and
continues with the market-gardening harvest from February. Food is in sufficient quantity until June.
Level of activities
There are two peaks in the activities:
- In August-September during the rice transplanting
- In December-January with the rice harvest and the transplanting of market-gardening
6.5
Animal breeding
With most of the population engaged in intensive agriculture, market garden crops and fishing, animal
breeding is for them a secondary activity; usually with a few fowl, goats and sheep. A few cattle
herders are present in the area, mostly in the north-eastern part of Kabak, outside of the main bogoni
and dara agricultural zones.
It is noteworthy that some people in the fishing villages declare owing cattle: usually Peul traders, who
have their cattle in their region of origin. Data from the 2008 railway baseline survey – between
Simandou and Forecariah – show that in other parts of Guinea, cattle are the main form of possessions
with an average of almost 5 cattle per household (Table 19).
Table 19 – Number of animals owned per household in the Kabak and Port-Maferinya road area
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
Animal type
Port-Maferenya road
Cattle
0
0.66
0.06
Goats and sheep
1.41
1.42
1.54
Fowl
4.91
5.4
9.09
Score Livestock
0.87
1.55
1.37
Source: Baseline survey, weighted for differences in sample density, July 2011, question 6b.
6.6
2008 rail baseline
4.66
3
3.93
5.80
Fishing
27
Fishing activities in five villages of Kabak Island are described in a separate report . The fishing villages
are directly located near the sea; professional fishermen are rare among the other inhabitants of
Kabak Island.
On the island of Kabak, there are five important “fishing villages”: Khounyi, Matakang, Konimodiya,
Friyah and Dabonkhore (the last two villages are subsectors of Konimodiya). Sangbon, a subsector of
the district of Seydouyah has a special importance; it is the place for the bi-weekly market of Kabak
and the only port of the island with a jetty. From there, whatever the tide conditions, it is possible to
take a boat to go on the mainland. Fishing villages represent 769 households (Table 20) for which the
fishing, processing and sale of fish is essential.
27
Sabinot C., Koppert G., Leclercq M. (2013) – Simandou – Port and rail project in Kabak. Final report fishing villages: maps and socioeconomical description of fishing villages. Montréal, SNC Lavalin – Paris, GEPFE – Paris, Anthropolinks – Conakry, Rio Tinto Simfer
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Table 20 – Summary of questionnaires completed in the fishing villages and rate of success in each village
Village
Konimodiya
Dabonkhore
Friyah
Matakang
Khounyi
Number of
households
156
71
26
178
338
Number of
Number of fishing
household
% of households
information
survey
surveyed
questionnaires
questionnaires
30
20%
148
10
18%
69
5
20%
25
48
17%
119
62
18.5%
306
Source: 2013, Final report fishing villages.
% of households
surveyed
95%
97%
96%
67%
91%
In the fishing villages, fishing is by far the most important livelihood activity, and though many
households engage in agriculture (rice and market garden crops), cultivated areas and production are
less than in other villages. Among the fishermen there are the richer businessmen who own several
boats and have people working for them (receiving part of the catch), individual fishermen, and the
workers. In several villages, particularly Khounyi, people from elsewhere (notably from Sierra Leone)
play important roles in the fishing economy. The fish caught, besides feeding the family, are partly sold
fresh, partly sold to village women; often the spouses of the fishermen. The “best” – most appreciated
bigger fish – is sold fresh to Korean fishing companies. These companies are quite active in several
villages, where they provide outboard motors, nets, and cooling chambers in exchange of a monopoly
on the best fish.
Sea fishing is the principal activity of the heads of households in fishing villages of Kabak Island (79% in
28
Konimodiya, 87% in Friyah, 82% in Dabonkhore, 76% in Khounyi, 71% in Matakang) . Fish trading
(fresh and smoked) is the second most important and lucrative activity in the fishing villages, it is
mainly a women's activity. Fish trading is also a source of income for 28% of the households in fishing
villages of Kabak. Other sea related activities are an important source of livelihood, or may complete
household incomes: harvest of oysters and other shellfish is done in most villages during the lean
period. Some women collect oysters all year long for trading.
Besides sea fishing by men, fishing in rivers and the bogoni rice fields is practiced by women and
children in most villages with nets and small ringed nets “tete yele”. In some villages such Kenendé on
Kabak Island, and also in villages near the port, men fish with cast nets in the rivers.
Fishing is conducted with 377 locally built boats (costs about 1-1.5 million GNF) of which 62% are
equipped with motors, and others use sails and paddles; fishermen are using various types of nets and
hook longlines. When the fish is landed, all women go to the beach and wait to buy fish for drying and
for their home consumption.
Women in the fishing villages appear to play a more pronounced role in the monetary economy than
in the agricultural villages, as through fish smoking and smoked fish trade they engage in lucrative
activities, which in turn allows them economic independence.
Among the farming communities, fishing is limited to small scale fishing in the rice irrigation channels,
the paddies and the harvesting of oysters in the mangroves. Much of this fish is used for home
consumption and improves the daily diet, but any surplus is smoked and sold to provide extra income
for the household.
However, some of the farmers’ wives, buy fish in the fishing villages and transform it by smoking, and
sell it subsequently in the local market or outside the island.
28
Source: GPS Inventory June-July 2011
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Fishing areas
Artisanal fishing boats are fishing in a large zone between Conakry and the Sierra Leone. During July
2011 interviews, fishermen reported 120 different names of fishing areas: offshore, coastal and
estuarial zones.
Some fishing areas are very close to the coast of Kabak, others are much further to the West, North or
South. According to interviews, rowing boats need a few minutes to 5 hours for reaching their fishing
area; motor boats (15 HP, sometimes 25 HP, and exceptionally 40 HP) need 30 minutes to 3 hours for
reaching their fishing area.
Exploited resources
Artisanal fisheries in the Kabak region exploit two types of marine resources: pelagic species and
demersal species:
 Pelagic species – are species living in the open water; the most heavily fished in “Kabak Ocean” is
bonga, (Ethmalosa fimbriata). Bonga is probably the most important source of income for fishing
villages. It is sold fresh at times but mostly smoked by women.
 Demersal species – are composed of high commercial value fish species, living near the bottom,
such as bars, captains or catfish. These species are sometimes smoked but they are mostly sold to
fishing companies that have employees resident in ports. The sale is done by weight or by dozen of
fish, depending on the species and the type of sale.
Several categories of fish are distinguished by fishermen and Kabak traders, ranging from “vrai
29
poisson” – the high valued big expensive fishes (5 to 6 thousand GNF/kg) kept cool on ice and often
sold to the Korean fish trading companies – to fish sold fresh on site, to fish that is transformed locally
through smoking, fish “boulettes”, salted fish, and finally fish that is only to be used as bait.
Most of the fish caught in the bogoni are intended for home consumption. However, where
30
production is good, especially those who live near the port, part of the capture may be sold . At the
time of the survey, it was too early for bogoni fishing which only occurs at the end of the rainy season
between September and December.
The results from the household questionnaires show that overall in the Kabak-Port area, fishing is the
main occupation for 19% of the population, and thus estimated to 760 of the approximately 4,000
households. Fishing is also the main source of income for 16% or 640 households.
Fishing is a very important activity for all households regardless of the village where they live. The
catch is partly used for home consumption for all households. However, most households sell part of
their catch: 56% sell more than half in the fishing villages of Kabak, 22% in the agricultural villages of
Kabak, and also 27% in the villages of the port area, which is not negligible. Among the households
which reported fishing, only 2% in fishing villages of Kabak do not sell the fish they catch, 10% in the
agricultural villages of Kabak, and 26% in the villages of the Port-Maferinya road area.
Overall, 25% of households in villages of the Port-Maferinya road area fish in the estuary and the
rivers (57% of those who reported fishing), 4% in the fishing villages of Kabak (6% of those who
reported fishing), and 28% in the agriculture villages of Kabak (57% of those who reported fishing).
Several fishing calendars are available in the fishing report. The best fishing period is for everyone
between September and December.
29
30
Boboe, probably Pseudotolithus elongatus. Fagba, probably Cynoglossus senegalensis. Sosoe, probably Pseudotolithus senegalensis.
Preliminary information, to be completed with more reliable data.
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Fishing gear: boats, nets, hooks
In the villages of the port area and in the agricultural village of Kabak, three-quarters of the
households fish without a boat (Table 21). They usually fish along the rivers or estuary “feet in the
water” with a fishing rod, a hand line, a net or a cast net (1/6 of the households use a cast net –
generally used by men). Half of the households, fish with keep nets (mainly used by women). Only one
in four households uses a boat to fish. These fishermen are those who are fishing in the middle of the
Morebaya River; some are fishing at the river's mouth, even a little further forward in the sea
(especially in front of Kameme).
Table 21 – Tools used by fishing households
Fishing gear
Port-Maferinya road
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
Boat
22%
88%
Outboard motor
6%
62%
Sail
2%
6%
Fishing rod
13%
0%
Multiple hooks line
11%
4%
Net
26%
90%
Cast net
15%
0%
Basket trap
51%
5%
Barrage
0%
0%
Source: household baseline questionnaire 2011, data weighted for sample density question 31.
28%
3%
2%
1%
9%
31%
16%
49%
3%
31
Activities and gear are specific to each village. Fishermen of Kabak fish with hook lines or with nets .
Gboya and founfounyi are used by most of the fishermen (58% of owners of nets have a gboya (also
named fanty), 42% have founfounyi), and 21% have a légotine. Only people from Matakang use sifada
and balakassa. Only people from Khounyi (and one owner in Dabonkhore) have tannelle. This last net
is always a “gift” from a fishing company (cost: 60,000 kFg), but in fact is a credit and an engagement
to sell the fish to the company. Today, tannelle are less or not at all used because the ship-owner has
to pay a lot for gasoline and needs employees (20-25 fishermen for a single boat!). They prefer fishing
with other types of nets.
31
Six different types of sea nets are used. The three most used are founfounyi (driftnet with small mesh - filet maillant dérivant / main
target species: bongas and otoliths), gboya (encircling net with small mesh - filet maillant encerclant / main target species: bongas,
otholiths, captains, catfish) and légotine (fixed gillnet – filet maillant calé / target species: bongas and otholiths). Sifada (corresponding to
two little gboya: nets are implemented jointly by two boats each boarding his net and facilitating then the encirclement of fish / bongas,
otholiths, captains, catfish) and balakassa (little driftnet with small mesh often implemented with sailboat) are only used in Matakang.
Some fishermen have seines named “tannelles” in Khounyi but they are not often used anymore (implementation is too expensive).
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Figure 4. Schematic drawings of major fishing tools described and used in Kabak
1. Encircling net – a: gboya type; b: sifada type; 2. Driftnet; 3. Gixed gillnet; 4. Castnet; 5. Fishing lines (a. Hand line; b. Longline)
Source: http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X6601F/x6601f00.htm#Contents and Domain,
Chavance and Diallo 1999. La pêche côtière en Guinée : ressources et exploitation. CNSHB-IRD.
Fresh fish: customers and fishing companies
Fresh fish is sold to different persons, depending of the species:

“La clientèle”, “the clients” – One or several persons, usually women, who have built a
business relation and sometimes a financial dependence with the fishermen (fishermen often
give credit to their clients).

Fish trading companies – Most of these companies are Korean and they only buy big fish,
“beaux poissons” (boboe, fagba, sossoe). The product is transported to Conakry in coolers
filled with ice. Each company provides the ice produced in Conakry, leaves coolers in the
villages for fish storage. The coolers are picked up two or four days later depending on the
season, and transported to Conakry.
6.7
Salt winning
Salt winning is a major activity for a few households on Kabak Island (reported by 8% as a source of
revenue) but especially in the port area, where 40% of the households derive income from salt, and
for 16% of them it appears even as the main source of income.
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Salt winning is a family activity in which men, women and children participate. People often leave their
villages and settle temporarily in camps near the areas where they have their salt pans (Benty rapport,
32
2010 ). The activity takes place between January and May.
In theory, bogoni may be used for both salt winning and rice growing, but in a sample of more than 75
fields visited by the team; this had never been the case. In the port area, salt winning is taking place in
specific zones, which are unfit for rice growing. In the area directly impacted by the port, only a few
fields were inventoried, as most salt winning takes place in other areas to the South-West, where sea
water can be more conveniently used.
Sea water is let in through a channel that is dug within the dikes of flat field and the soil soaks up the
water (through a diffusion process) and as the top layer of the field dries out it becomes gradually very
salty. A thin layer of 1-2 cm is gathered every week, filtered over a straw filled strainer like structure;
the resulting salt solution is boiled, and salt obtained.
Men are in charge of cutting firewood (mango and mangrove wood). Between January and April, the
entire household may be involved in regularly forming piles of “dust” (a mixture of salt and ground) by
scraping the saltpan. They boil the filtrate obtained from a mixture of seawater and “dust” passed into
a large strainer made of straw and wood. It takes three tons of wood to get a ton of salt. The bags of
salt are sold cheaply during the production season (February-May), but fetch much higher prices
towards November-December, when supply becomes scarce (many households have salt silos to
conserve salt during several months). Among 66 households which reported income from the sale of
salt, the average obtained was 2.7 million GNF, with the highest revenues between 10 and 20 million
GNF.
33
Salt winning consumes important amounts of wood: one author estimated that in order to obtain a
3
daily production of 150 kg of salt, 1 m of firewood is necessary.
6.8
Gathering
Gathering activities in the area concern two major products, firewood and oil palms, and many minor
ones among which wild fruits and nuts, medicinal plants, straw for roofing of the houses, leaves and
spices to be used for cooking. The household questionnaire did not yield much specific data, but 11%
of the households mentioned firewood, 6% wild fruits, and 5% medicinal plants, while 83% of the
households do not practice gathering at all. Gathering is mainly an activity carried out by women
(medicinal plants, foods) and children (fruits).
Table 22 – Gathering activities (all households)
Gathering activities
Port-Maferinya road
Kabak fishing Kabak agriculture
No gathering
66%
95%
85%
Firewood
19%
4%
11%
Wild fruits
17%
1%
4%
Oil palms
10%
0%
1%
Medicinal plants
6%
2%
6%
Néré seeds
6%
2%
2%
Rattan
2%
1%
2%
Sale of gathered items
9%
1%
3%
N=
126
150
392
Source: Household baseline questionnaire 2011, data weighted for sample density, question 32.
Average
83%
11%
6%
2%
5%
3%
2%
4%
668
Of the households who reported gathering, 22% sold some, usually firewood and fruits such as cola
nuts, néré, etc. Unidentified species that were often named were kinkirisi (18 times), moronda (14
times) and moke (11 times). Gathering takes place when products are available; however more fruits
ripen during the dry season.
32
33
Rapport Socio-Économique – Zone du port de Benty. Drafted in 2010 by a team of 5 Guinean social scientists for Rio Tinto.
Geslin Philippe, 1997: L’innovation et le temps, une approche ethnographique de la réallocation du temps de travail agricole chez les
Soussou de Guinée.
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6.9
Artisanal mining
Artisanal mining is an important activity in many parts of Guinea. Often people travel from their
villages to artisanal mining sites during the dry season when there is less work in the village (SNCLavalin, 2008 baseline report). In the study area, artisanal mining has not been observed among the
population of Kabak and the Port-Maferinya road area, nor did anyone indicate that they would travel
to such sites seasonally.
6.10 Crafts and petty jobs
Many small activities allow people to earn money or add extra income to their household. Among
them are:
Rice dehuskers – there are many in the village, during the GPS survey the team counted 56 of them
on Kabak Island, or one for every 50 households. These machines are expensive, costing several
millions Guinean Francs, but for every 13 kg of paddy treated, the owner receives 1 kg of rice.
Palm oil extraction – women intensively engage in palm oil extraction and sometimes make soap out
of the obtained oil.
Motorbikes – especially on Kabak Island, where few cars can come and distances are relatively far,
motorbikes are among the most important means of transport, used as paid motor taxis.
Marine carpenters – they build boats for the fishermen.
Bakeries – many people on Kabak Island engage in bakeries; 27 bakeries were counted on the island.
Video clubs – they are extremely popular; 37 video clubs were counted on the island, most of them in
simple buildings with straw roofs and walls.
Night-clubs and bars – in spite of the strict Muslim culture prevalent on the island, 12 night-clubs
and bars were counted.
Blacksmiths – six blacksmiths were on the island, mostly in charge of the manufacturing and repair of
agricultural tools.
Bicycle and motor repair shops – provide work for handy mechanics on Kabak Island.
Less visible activities relate to agricultural labor, masonry, carpentry, net repairs, bogoni dike repairs,
etc.
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7. Access to services
Services important to the local population are water supply, education, health services, roads and
transport, electricity, cell phone coverage, and agricultural extension.
7.1
Water supply
Water supply is a major issue, both in Kabak and in the Port-Maferinya road area, where only the
more important villages along the road have a reliable supply of clean water. In Kabak, many villages
are dependent on open wells, most of which provide all year round or seasonally brackish water or dry
up. During the rainy season people often drink rainwater, which is gathered in big cement containers
that were provided a few years ago through a development project.
During the rainy season survey, people reported that rainwater was the main source of drinking water
for 80% of the Kabak population. Other water sources on the island are open wells; many of these
traditional. There is a striking difference with the results of the 2008 baseline conducted along the
railroad corridor where two-thirds of the households had access to clean drinking water from
boreholes.
The coastal fishing villages have an even poorer water supply with no boreholes, and people often
reported that during the dry seasons they would take their boats to the mainland or Conakry to fetch
water, or buy industrial “Coyah” water, which is sold in 0.5 litre plastic bags.
Since 10 years, in Konimodiya for example, the wells provide brackish water, so no drinkable water is
available in the village. People usually buy drinking water; small bags of industrially prepared water or
plastic jerry cans of 20 litres. Traders fill 20-litre cans with water from a cemented well in Karangbanyi
(15 km further on the mainland) and sell the can 3,000 kFg in the village (a family of 20 persons needs
about 10 cans a week). Otherwise, some fishermen also go to fetch water from a borehole in Conakry.
Map 5 shows that especially the south-eastern side of Kabak Island has many problems with water
supply.
Table 23 – Sources of drinking water supply
2011 baseline
Source of water supply
2008 baseline
Average 2011
baseline
81%
Kabak
agriculture
83%
-
75%
Traditional well
39%
27%
36%
13%
35%
Cemented well
13%
12%
21%
-
17%
Unprotected source
13%
8%
18%
-
15%
Borehole
24%
2%
13%
66%
13%
River or stream
Bottled water (or Coyah
plastic bags)
From other village
29%
1%
1%
20%
7%
0%
6%
1%
-
2%
0%
8%
0%
-
2%
Protected source
0%
2%
0%
-
1%
N=
119
143
366
290
629
Rain water
Port-Maferinya
road
42%
Kabak fishing
Source: Household questionnaire Question 18. July 2011, and 2008 rail road baseline survey, question 18a.
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Map 5 – Water supply on Kabak Island
1044
Kabak Island
grid 2 x 2 km
1042
other
structures
1040
Limit
Permanent well
1038
Seasonal well
Borehole
1036
Other water
source
1034
1032
1030
1028
1026
1024
1022
671
673
675
677
679
Source: GPS survey April 2010 and July 2011.
681
683
685
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7.2
Education
Kabak Island
A total of 10 primary schools, 4 French-Arabic schools, and one secondary school are present on Kabak
Island as shown on Map 5. The French-Arabic schools are in very bad condition, but most of the other
schools are in a reasonable state. Parents have to contribute for school furniture; they have to buy
tables (about 100 kFg) at least for every second child they send to school. School fees are high
considering the income of the parents: 5 kFg/year/child for the parents association; 5 kFg per child for
inscription fees; other schools indicate 10 kFg per year for inscription and parents association.
Teachers are paid by the state, but payment often causes problems. Teachers often come from other
parts of the country and are supposed to be housed by the local population. As shown in Figure 7
(Section 8.2), school attendance is poor, especially for girls who attend only during a few years.
There are three schools, in Senguelen, Tougande and Madinagbe-Fodea. Each of the schools has a full
curriculum. There is also one French-Arabic school in Madinagbe-Fodea. For secondary and further
education, children have to go to Maferinya, Forecariah or Conakry.
7.3
Health services
Kabak Island
The main health centre is in central Kabak, and two more health posts are available in Yatea and on
Matakang (Map 6). A small private “case de santé” is also present in the hamlet of Kindia. The first
three centre/posts have permanent buildings which are in good state, and clean. The main centre has
a doctor, a qualified nurse, and trained midwives. Neither laboratory equipment, nor microscopes are
available, so all diagnoses are based on clinical signs. The medical authorities indicate that malaria,
intestinal worms and respiratory diseases are the most common ailments for which the centre is
consulted. But many people still resort to traditional medicine – which according to the health centre,
causes unnecessary delays before looking medical help – or return to traditional medicine when they
are not sufficiently helped by the modern system. The centre has great difficulties in obtaining the
official medicines from the Conakry office, so the personnel have private stock which is sold to the
patients.
During the dry season, medical problems are less present than during the wet season, but people have
money from rice, vegetables and salt making to pay for consultations. During the rainy season, though
malaria, diarrhoeas and other infection become much more important, people have less time and less
money to look for assistance.
Infant diseases such as malnutrition, measles, and meningitis are normally rarely observed. Although
the new president of Guinea decreed that childbirth in hospitals would be free of charge; women
34
don’t come regularly , as still some money is required for soap, razor blades, and the unpaid
midwives who expect a gift (around 10 kFg). Though deliveries are free of charge, fear of the hospital,
extra charges that will have to be paid, and lack of proper medicines, all contribute to the reluctance
to come to the centre.
The health centre has a functioning borehole for water supply, but the solar electricity supply does not
work (lack of battery), and neither does the radio link with the Forecariah reference hospital. The few
medicines available during the survey were salicylic acid, benzyl benzoate, compresses, penicillin and
ferrous sulphate; well short of the list of essential medicines that the centre is supposed to have in
stock.
34
This is contrary information resulting from the household interviews in which women state that 75% of the children were born in a
health facility; only 17 deliveries had taken place in the clinic between January and July 2011.
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Map 6 – Schools and health centres on Kabak Island
Baridabon
Khilifili
Guéméyire
Yonkima
Meniyere
Yenia Nakiri
1040
BouboudèDabonkanakhi
SeriahKala
Makaya
Kiban
Bokaria
Manga
Kiban
1 Moriya
2N'gadabouya
Alamemaya
Konde
Bambako
Yassao
Bagafore
Bounyi
Sangbon
Singande
Youlayé
Sera Touguiyire
Senguelen
Madenagbe-Fodeah
Koniakhori
Tougande
Sireya
Kabak Island
grid 2 x 2 km
Dabonkhore
Kissokou
Wondima
Kissoki
other structures
Takakonye
1038
Kakayarida
Limit
Guemantabhe
Friyah
Schools
Serdoua Centre
Konimodia
Gore Mireyiré
FrenchArabic
school
Layah
1036
Secondary school
Health center
village
Yelibane-Centre
1034
delete
Bendaya
Meliboung
Bomodiyah Kalea
Sèmèn
Sémé-Sémé
Tolomalon I
Codebougni
Tolomalon Taakhi
Nandeya
Khadilayah
Manke Centre
1032
Bossimiyah
Filidè
Gbinyi
Yadiya
Bembadiya
Pomponi
Colabougni
Khore Bounyi
Kitonki
Baouria
Karomboya
Mamoudiyah-Kama Sogo Sogo
Kalira Semeya
Kameme
Dembaya
Boumbeya
Muyalaya
Fode Kolia III
Komeya
Kaléyre
Surima
MatouriaMuyuya Fode Kolia II
Fode Kolia I
Tongiron
Daoudaya
Mange Soreyah
Kindiya
Yelikeri
Koulande
Kanem
1030
Katonko
Gore
Mabala Khounyi
Yomeya
Kankeya
Tonronya
Youlayé-Bakia Bolé
Wondima
Méyiré
1028
Youlayé-Bambalaya
Youlaye
Mabala Dabondi
Khounyi
Yankaya
1026
Matakang
1024
672
674
676
678
Source: GPS surveys April 2010 and July 2011.
680
682
684
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A small health post exists in Madinagbe, but it is only partially functioning. For proper medical care
people need to go to Maferinya for medical assistance, where there is a well-functioning hospital, and
a qualified commercial pharmacy.
7.4
Cell phone coverage
In spite of the quite high population density and the relatively high purchasing power of the
population, there are no cell phone transmitters on Kabak Island. Several villages have specific spots
where sometimes the network can be captured, but overall the situation remains quite difficult. Good
access to cell phone transmission is important for obtaining transparent prices for fish, agricultural
and market garden products.
7.5
Electricity
Electricity is not available on Kabak Island, as well as in the port and Maferenyah area. For video clubs
and night clubs people use cheap South Asian generators which are present in 15% of the households
in the fishing villages and 13% elsewhere.
7.6
Roads and Transport
Transport to Kabak Island is supposed to be carried by a ferry that links the mainland in Touguiyire
with the Island in Sangbon. The ferry is often in disrepair, and its maintenance costs are so high that
most of the time, transport fees are insufficient to cover maintenance costs. Therefore, most transport
35
to Kabak Island is made by boats in which people and motorbikes are transported for a small fee .
Most transport on Kabak Island takes place with motorbikes. The roads are useable all year round, but
they are not very wide; as motorbikes tend to drive very fast, people often put in speed bumps to slow
them down to avoid accidents. Accidents still happen, usually through slipping and falling motorbikes
on the sandy roads, where people hurt themselves, or burn on the hot motor or exhaust pipe; but
amazingly, only few accidents happen in which children or adults are involved.
Between Kabak Island and Matakang, the roads are muddy during the rainy season. The fishing village
of Khounyi is not linked to the main island via an all-weather road, but pedestrians and motorbikes can
pass over small dikes. Friyah and Dabonkhore can only be reached via the beach at low tide, and for
the latter a channel has to be crossed. Hamlets to the North and East of the island are partly isolated
during the rainy season.
Along the Port-Maferinya road there are no major road problems. The roads are of the all-season type,
and many cars take care of the transport between the port of Touguiyire and Maferinya, Forecariah or
Conakry. In July 2011, transport fees by car from Touguiyire were: 5-6 kFg to Maferinya, 10 kFg to
Forecariah and 15 kFg to Conakry. Motorbikes are not cheaper than cars, but it is easier to find a
motorbike than a car, if one needs sudden transport.
35
Passenger 1 kFg, bag of rice 2.5-3 kFg, a basket of fish 5 kFg, a bag of market garden crops 1-1.5 kFg. The “Chef de port” receives per boat
1.5 kFg/day.
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8. Gender task sharing and child labour issues
This chapter discusses the involvement of women and children in the household economy: which tasks
are considered for male and female; how and when do children start to participate in the household
economy – which is in competition with their formal education in school – and the economic
implication of marriages for the head of household and his children.
8.1
Task sharing within the household
The Guinean society in general and the Kabak-Port area in particular belongs to traditional ethnic
groups, where Islam is the almost unique religion. From village discussions it becomes clear that in
such a society, women play a secondary role compared to men. But in daily practice they have an
important role to play in food production and food consumption; they manage to earn their own
money through fishing in the small rivers and sea arms, transformation of fish and fish trading,
harvesting of oysters, commercialisation of the market garden crops, and various petty trade
activities. On Kabak Island, especially in the fishing communities, 10 to 15% of the agricultural fields
are owned by women.
Figure 5 – Task sharing between men and women within the married household
100%
MOF area: Task sharing within the household
7%
0%
Women only
80%
93%
87%
Tending fields
Herding
5%
40%
73%
78%
61%
56%
21%
9%
Creating fields
10%
88%
28%
0%
Household
budget
Health costs
Staple foods
12%
Meat and fish
School fees
Kabak Fishing: Task sharing within the household
8%
6%
Women only
80%
Both spouses
76%
60%
40%
Men only
6%
35%
4%
0%
20%
100%
4%
Both spouses
60%
40%
2%
10%
4%
19%
4%
33%
1%
Men only
41%
67%
4%
0%
86%
32%
77%
66%
5%
9%
28%
24%
Staple foods
Meat and fish
5%
20%
67%
19%
18%
Tending fields
Herding
55%
0%
Creating fields
100%
1%
6%
3%
Women only
4%
13%
Both spouses
60%
93%
Health costs
School fees
Kabak agriculture: Task sharing within the household
80%
40%
Household
budget
91%
3%
5%
13%
55%
47%
76%
Men only
10%
71%
83%
11%
7%
20%
6%
0%
Creating fields
Tending fields
Herding
43%
42%
21%
Household
budget
Health costs
Source: Baseline survey, July 2011, question 27.
19%
16%
Staple foods
Meat and fish
School fees
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From the baseline survey data it is not clear how much women are earning, except from smoking and
trading fish. These data show that in the fishing households, women earn about as much money from
fish smoking and fish trading, than men from the sale of fresh fish (Figure 5). This has been confirmed
in village meetings; women are economically more important than fishermen, because they buy the
production and resell it at a profit.
In the general agricultural work, men bear the main responsibility for the clearing of the fields (>90%
of the households) and share with their wives (children or external labour) the maintenance of the
fields (~90% of the households). Rarely do women solely bear this, except among the fishermen where
women are far more often in charge of preparing and cultivating fields, which – as stated above – they
can also own.
In the fishing villages, the sharing of responsibilities is slightly shifted towards women, but the survey
still points out that for almost all activities, the main person in charge remains the man.
Regarding the domestic responsibilities of women, one woman from Konimodiya said: “We have so
many responsibilities, that we cannot cite them all …”. That includes among others: agriculture, market
gardening, cooking, washing, ironing, collecting firewood, collecting water, etc.
Children
Children intervene in the household economy especially through herding animals (two-thirds of the
households; Figure 6), much more often than men (20%) and women (14%). They also participate
regularly in other work such: weeding, guarding the crops against birds, assisting in the salt winning
process, etc.
Answers to some questions were not easy to interpret: girls do take care of their younger siblings, but
do they do so after school or does it prevent them from going to school? Children also guard the rice
fields after seeding and during the harvest period, but does this mostly take place during holidays or
during schooldays?
Finally, it was often upon the field surveyors to interpret that on average for 26% of school age
children, economic activities at home prevented them to go to school. This is more the case among
the fishermen and farmers’ population of Kabak than among the slightly better educated population
along the Port-Maferinya road.
Figure 6 – Children’s implication in household tasks and its impact on school attendance
Children's Participation in Household Tasks
100%
Mof-route
80%
60%
Kabak agri
72%
64%
54%
46%
34%
40%
32%
22%
20%
0%
Kabak Pêche
0%
0%
30%
18%
1%
Creating fields
Tending fields
Herding
% HH with working
children
Source: Baseline survey, July 2011, question 28.
In about one third of the households, children assist with some of the household chores: helping in the
fields, herding animals, taking care of their siblings, and earning some money by selling stuff in the
markets. Such work can be done – and often is done – during the school holidays and after school
time. Such work thus should not forcibly keep children out of school, but still in 30% of the households
there are school age children who do not attend school. In fact, work at home is often done by
children who do attend school, but who spend their holidays trying to earn some money for school
supplies by engaging in small trade.
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8.2
Page 56
Children: education and entry into active life
School attendance of boys hovers from 50 to 80% between 8-14 years old, while school attendance of
girls peaks when they are 9-10 years old at 60% and then descends much more rapidly than for boys,
as girls reach puberty and start their productive life earlier (Figure 7).
Figure 7.– School attendance and entrance into productive life by age - boys and girls in Kabak and the Port-Maferinya road area
100%
School attendance by age: Boys and Girls
90%
Boys
Boys
80%
70%
Girls
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
6
7
8
9
100%
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Age in years
17
18
19
20
21
22
21
22
23
24
25
Entry into Productive Life by Age and Gender
90%
Girls
80%
Boys
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
23
24
Age in years
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, demographic data.
In Kabak and the port area, working at home is only one of the multiple reasons reported for not
attending school. Other reasons are the distance to school, the obligation for every family to buy at
least one school table and bench per 2 children, and in general the lack of money, but also the lack of
classrooms, the lack of good teachers, etc.
8.3
Matrimonial traditions and bride price
Marriage rules
Men have to look for a woman preferably in another village to preserve social peace, and avoid incest,
but in bigger villages it is not always respected: among 25 women, 10 were born in the village, 11
elsewhere in Kabak, and 4 on the mainland. It is forbidden to marry a woman who has a close parent
36
37
in common but cross-cousin unions are preferred . The cultural system is based on patrilinearity and
36
See for instance http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~anthrop/tutor/marriage/xcuz.html: Relevant rules specify a man must or should marry
either: (a) his mother's brother's daughter, matrilateral cross cousin, (b) father's sister's daughter, patrilateral cross cousin, o r(c) under
special circumstances, a relative who is simultaneously his mother's brother's and her sister's daughter, bilateral cross cousin.
37
Village interviews in July 2011: Bossimiyah, Konimodiya and Tonguiron.
25
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virilocality; the child bears his father’s name and the bride has to leave her village to settle in the
village of her husband.
Virginity at the time of wedding is highly valued. According to the women from Tonguiron who cite the
Koran “If a daughter is given virgin in marriage, her parents will go to heaven”. That is a reason why
girls are married off between 14 to 17 years old, as soon as they become sexually mature and active.
Girls may sometimes get married later (even late in their 20s) but this is quite rare.
When a girl becomes pregnant before marriage, either she has to marry the father or she remains at
her parents’ house, where she is generally accepted. Though this is considered a problem, the child is
always accepted in the community.
Cohabitation between a man and a woman before the marriage is not accepted but the youngest
women (15 to 18 years old) affirm that they would like to live together with their boyfriend before
getting married.
Bride price & dowry
People explained that the dowry is limited to ceremonial gifts and gifts of value: a calabash of cola
nuts; 7 needles wrapped in paper [to repair the union 7 times]; a white cloth; a kerosene lamp; a bag
of rice; a suitcase with 20 complete sets of clothing for the fiancé, her mother and her father; and 250
thousand Guinean francs in money. The total value of the dowry can easily reach 1-2 million GNF.
Young men will have to find the money or the dowry themselves, by participating in work groups
where they can earn some money. Their fathers in general do not help with the dowry, as they do not
like to lose a productive member of its households, and may want to have another wife for
themselves.
In another village, young people explained in a focus group meeting, that polygamy is not “good” but
that it helps with the economic development of the family, as more women mean a higher production.
Divorces
Divorces are said to be rare, and this is confirmed by the household questionnaires: as only 170 out of
4,681 children (3.6%) have divorced parents; and 5 adults out of 400 families have report they are
“divorced”.
Divorces are avoided: when a couple is on the verge to break up, the family is working for the couple
to remain together. Divorce is still a taboo; in Konimodiya, women affirm that there never had been a
divorce in the village. In Tonguiron, women admit that some couples have already divorced and they
give reasons for them that could legitimate a divorce (from women’s point of view):
 when a husband beats his wife;
 when a husband is too impudent and insults his parents-in-law;
 when a husband does not earn enough money to feed his family (one of the women in Tonguiron
has divorced for that reason);
 when a husband is unfaithful to his wife. The women greatly fear sexually transmitted diseases,
but they don’t know any woman who has divorced for that reason.
Widowhood
When a woman loses her husband, she has to respect a period of mourning, during which she shall be
wearing blue clothes. Depending on her age and on her children’s support, a widow can remarry or
stay alone. Widowhood is socially accepted, but the community is expected to support widows if they
are needy. Widows can be part of their deceased husband heritage and “given” to one of his brothers
for marriage. In that case, the woman is under the protection of her new husband but she doesn’t
have to move to his place, she can stay in her house. Sometimes she and her husband even live in
different villages. In that case the survey considered the woman as a separate head of household,
whereas she considered herself to be linked to her husband's household.
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Relationships between co-wives
On Kabak Island and along the Port to Maferenyah road, 52% of men have more than one wife. In
polygamous households, in most cases (39%) men have two wives; three or four wives, as is
authorized in the Islamic religion are increasingly rare, and only one man had five wives (Table 24).
More women are married with advancing age men; the average age of men with only one wife is 42
years old, while by the time men have married 3 or 4 wives, they already have over 55 and 60 years
old respectively.
Table 24 – Number of spouses per married head of household
Number of spouses
% of married households
Average age of husband in
years
N=
1
49.2%
2
38.7%
3
9.3%
4
2.6%
5
0.2%
Total
100.0%
41.9
206
46.8
162
55.5
39
60.6
11
46
1
45.6
419
Source: Baseline survey household questionnaire July 2011, question 1.
According to women’s focus groups, relationships between co-spouses are generally good and based
on sharing domestic tasks. A man sometimes marries two sisters, which is often a guarantee of good
relationships between them. Co-wives often participate to the same “tontine”, and we have seen
some household tontines managed only between some co-wives. Wives take turn to prepare food. If
they live in the same house, they have their own room but share the same kitchen. Either they take
turn to sleep in their husband’s room, or the husband sleeps in each of his wives’ room in turn. The
first woman a man marries stays “the first wife” of the household even after her husband married
other women. She is generally the older of the wives and has a bit more authority comparing to her
co-wives.
Children’s education
Women are mostly in charge of children education. According to them, it consists mainly in the
following responsibilities:
 learning kinship relationships and respecting the elders;
 learning the Koran;
 going to school (considered more important for boys than for girls);
 girls have to earn the respect of their future husband notably by learning cooking, washing,
ironing, etc. In fishing villages, girls have to learn how to smoke fish and the price of the fish they
sell;
 boys have to learn how to gain respect from the community and how cultivate lands.
Women wish that their children evolve beyond their parent’s living standards. According to them, the
best way of doing so is of course going to school, but certain jobs are also considered as a symbol of
success such as:
 agriculture;
 trade;
 technical apprenticeship (mechanics, driving, etc.);
 hairdressing and tailoring.
Female circumcision
Different words are used for female circumcision: Ganyi, Dugitongwe and Sunyi. It is practiced on all
girls at an age of 5-6 years onwards, by women who operate girls in the bush.
At the health centre in Kabak, the matrons explained that though circumcision can be practiced in the
health centre, it is more often done at home. The purpose of the operation is to avoid that girls start
sleeping with men. Circumcision always gives problems at child birth, but a girl who is not circumcised,
will be in low esteem and even laughed at in the community, something to be ashamed of. It is seen
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by the village as a rite of passage, on her way to womanhood, and is celebrated with a feast, of which
the young girl is the reason.
Beauty
There are a few beauty parlours on Kabak Island where women tend to plait each other’s hear. This
usually happens once a week, lasting between 30 minutes to 2 hours. Girls learn how to plait very
young, when they are 6 to 8 years old.
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9. Socioeconomic survey results
9.1
Key demographic data
Of the 403 households interviewed:
38
 22 were women and 381 were men;
 92% were married;
 5% were widow(er), 2% bachelor, 1% divorced or separated;
 men had on average 1.7 wives as 52 % of them had more than one wife.
The average household size of 7.3 members was relatively high, with 38% of the household's members
in the productive age-range 16 to 49 years, and 50% under 15 years old (Table 25).
Table 25 – Key demographic data of the heads of households
Age in years
Nb of spouses
% polygamy
% born in the village
Household size
Port-Maferinya
road
Kabak fishing
Kabak
agriculture
Average
46.3 year
1.7/husband
55%
81%
6.7
42.2 year
1.5/husband
42%
52%
6.4
47.5 year
1.8/husband
56%
90%
7.9
46.1 year
1.7/husband
52%
80%
7.3
Port-Maferenya
road
Kabak fishing
Kabak
agriculture
Average
Men 50+ years
6%
4%
6%
6%
Men 16-49
16%
19%
15%
16%
Women 50+
6%
4%
7%
7%
Women 16-49
22%
25%
22%
22%
Children 6-15
28%
25%
29%
28%
Children 0-5
21%
22%
20%
21%
N=
128
155
402
686
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, populations weighted by sample density, questions 1, 2 and 3.
The villages are traditional; 80% of the heads of households were born in the village in which they are
currently living. Among the fishermen, this proportion was less, as 52% had come for fishing and 11%
for other forms of employment. In the other villages, in-migration was usually related to joining other
family members, and for the few employment opportunities in government, education and health
services.
Heads of households who were not born in the villages had lived there since an average of 16 years.
Even the fishermen from Sierra Leone (about 25% of the migrants) reported having lived in the area
since an average of 12 years. Many other migrants had come from either other local villages or from
the Forecariah-Maferenyah-Kindia area.
9.2
Religion
All but two of the 403 households interviewed declared themselves to be Muslims. Religion is the
driving force in the communities, with 114 mosques counted on Kabak Island and 22 in the PortMaferinya road area.
9.3
Education
Kabak Island has ten primary schools in Yelibane, Konimodiya, Matakang, Bossimiyah, Kenende,
Tolomalon, Centre, Kamalon, Boulimanda Mayuya and Youlaye-Bambalaya. Kabak also has French38
In less than 1% of the households, the husband was absent and the wife would be the de facto head of household.
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Arabic schools in Yetea (2), Yelibane and Kamalon. The numerous Coranic schools – often practicing in
private houses, so less visible – have not been counted. A secondary school, “college” with the first
two grades is present in the centre of the island, while for further education; children have to go to
Maferinya, Conakry and sometimes Forecariah, where they often live with relatives.
As indicated above, many of the more important fishing villages, such as Khounyi, or Dabonkhore do
not have schools in spite of the relatively high purchasing power of the fishermen parents.
Adult’s education
Adult education level was low, especially for women; more than 80% of whom had no formal
education whatsoever. Only a few adults had enjoyed several years but incomplete primary education.
None of the family adults had finalized secondary education or started university training (Table 26).
Among men education level was slightly better, but still most of them had not gone beyond a few
years of primary education. Especially in the fishing villages, where one can earn good money without
formal education and more migrants from poorer areas were present, male education level was low.
Table 26 – Education level of adult men and women
Education level
Without education
Primary incomplete
Primary complete
Secondary incomplete
Secondary complete
Vocational training
University
Coranic school
N=
Male head of household
Eldest spouse or female head of household
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Port-road
Port-road
fishing
agriculture
fishing
agriculture
23%
45%
39%
83%
80%
85%
19%
19%
11%
8%
12%
7%
3%
2%
3%
1%
2%
3%
12%
11%
11%
2%
3%
4%
1%
1%
3%
3%
1%
0%
0%
1%
1%
42%
19%
33%
5%
3%
2%
121
151
374
120
148
392
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, question 2.
The lack of education level expresses itself in the poor competence in French, the local language in
which agreements are written; none of the women and a few rare men are able to understand written
text (Table 27). Project agreements will thus have to be thoroughly explained, and translation into
local language may allow more literate people from the village to explain to the others.
Table 27 – Competence of adult men and women in reading French
Male head of household
French skills
Port-road
Understands French:
A little
Completely
Knows how to read and write
N=
Kabak fishing
Kabak
agriculture
Eldest spouse or female head of household
Kabak
Port-road
Kabak fishing
agriculture
20%
12%
11%
3%
6%
7%
4%
1%
6%
3%
2%
121
151
374
120
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, question 4ba.
5%
148
2%
1%
392
Children’s education
39
School attendance of children has significantly improved during recent years and more children than
before between 6-15 years of the affected households go to school. However, almost 50% of children
between 6 and 15 years still don’t go to school (Table 28 and Figure 8).
39
See for instance IMF’s Poverty Reduction Policy Paper on Guinea: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2012/cr1261.pdf . This latest
version (2012) was consulted on March 28 2013:
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Table 28 – Education level and school attendance of children aged between 6 and 15 years old
Households: % with
Number of children
children in each category
in each category
Don't go to school
66%
698
Primary school
74%
1017
Secondary class 1-4
32%
287
Secondary class 5-6
13%
87
Vocational training
6%
4
University
1%
36
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, question 4a.
Education level
40
% of children
48.8%
71.1%
20.1%
6.1%
0.3%
2.5%
Among those children who go to school, most are in primary education (70%) and their schools were
usually present at less than half an hour’s walk for most of the children, while lower class secondary
school, present in Kabak, attracted 20% of the children (Table 28).
For higher secondary education, children have to move outside their village, and enrolment rapidly
diminishes: 6% in “Lycée” and 2.5% attend university.
Figure 8 – Proportion of school age children who do not attend school of coastal area households
Children of 6-15 years old who do not attend School
80%
49%
No
38%
52%
2008 rail
50%
48%
Kabak agri
45%
47%
20%
47%
40%
61%
60%
0%
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Zone
Yes
Founding lineage
2011-Men
2011-Women
Total
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, question 4a.
The education score of children by household and village characteristics is shown in Figure 9. The
score for children is an indicator which can be changed in the short term, as more or fewer children
pursue primary and secondary education. Overall school attendance is better than during the 2008
survey. In the studied areas, the situation is worst in the fishing villages where the rate of uneducated
children is twice as high as in the other villages. But even among the fishing villages, differences
appear: both Matakang and the Konimodiya areas have primary schools, but in Konimodiya the rate of
children who do not go to school is much lower than in Matakang.
40
Don’t go to school is the % of the 1416 children in the 6-15 year age group, the other percentages refer to the 1431 children who go to
school, as at the end of primary school many children are older than 15 years.
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Figure 9 – Education score of coastal area households
Education score of Children, Men and Women
2.0
-0.76
-0.75
1.36
-0.74
-0.89
-1.0
-1.5
-0.73
1.43
0.00
0.08
0.00
-0.74
0.10
-0.72
-0.49
-0.01
-0.5
-0.77
1.36
1.23
0.90
-0.05
0.0
1.57
1.58
1.12
0.07
0.5
-0.07
1.0
-1.00
1.5
-0.67
Score EduMen
Score EduWomen
Score eductation children
-2.0
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Kabak agri
2008 rail
Zone
No
Yes
Founding lineage
2011-Men
2011-Women
Total
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, question 4b.
Overall in the area, the education score of adults is negative and for children positive, with a slightly
better level among the farmers of Kabak, and the households who belong to the founding lineages.
9.4
Economic activities
Main activities and main sources of income
Agriculture is overall the main activity, both for subsistence and home consumption. However, market
garden crops (watermelon, okra, eggplant, etc.) are the main source of income for 27% of the
households, fishing and related smoking and selling of fish and other trades engage also 27% (Table
29). General trade and business (14% of income), and crafts and petty jobs (13% of income) precede in
importance food crop agriculture (6%) and salt winning (5%) sources of income. For 7% of the
households’ income from cash crops (3%), salaries (2%) or remittances from migrated family members
are sources of income.
Table 29 – Main activities and sources of income
Activity
Agriculture
Fishing
Crafts/petty jobs
Trade/business
Market gardening
Salt
Other
Fish trade
Main activities
Main source of income
51%
19%
11%
6%
5%
3%
6%
N=
673
6%
16%
13%
14%
27%
5%
7%
11%
685
The tendency for most people is to have several activities and several sources of income, which
enables them to obtain a basic livelihood in a poor environment. Agriculture is the main activity for
agricultural Kabak and the Port-Maferenyah road area (60% and 70% respectively), followed by
crafts/petty jobs (about 10%) and trade (Figure 10). In the fishing villages, fishing is the main activity
for 59% of the households, followed by agriculture/market gardening, and trading (12%) which is
related to the money generated by the fishing economy.
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Figure 10 – Main and secondary activities of the head of household
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Main and secondary activities MOF -Mafereniya Road
Secondary activities
Main activities
Agriculture
Livestock
Trade
Hunting
Fishing
Crafts + petty
jobs
Market gardening
salt winning
Smoked fish
Main and secondary activities Kabak Fishermen
Fishing main activities
Agriculture
Livestock
Trade
Hunting
Fishing
Crafts + petty
jobs
Market gardening
salt winning
Smoked fish
Main and secondary activities Kabak Agriculture
Kabak farmers main
activities
Agriculture
Livestock
Trade
Hunting
Fishing
Crafts + petty
jobs
Market gardening
salt winning
Smoked fish
All activities and sources of income
Market gardening – Overall in the area, market gardening appears as the most prevalent source of
income. The activity takes usually place outside the rainy season when food crops are grown and
provides income that can be used to buy rice in the market and so offset the insufficient production of
the rice crop.
Agriculture – For the great majority of people, agriculture is one of their productive activities but is
not always a source of income. Agriculture is reported by 61% of the affected households as a source
of income.
Fishing – Fishing is obviously a main activity in the fishing villages, but it’s also an important
secondary activity in the other villages, both for the fishing itself (45%) as for fish smoking and trading
(37%).
Remittances – Money received from parents – usually within Guinea – represent the major source of
income for 2% of the households, and a secondary source of income for another 28% of the
households.
Business and trade – Commerce is the third most common activity, but in many families it’s a
secondary activity in which the women engage, while for men it’s usually the main activity.
Additional money is earned by some households through livestock raising, producing and selling
charcoal, and through agricultural contract labour.
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Table 30 – All activities of the head of household (main and secondary)
and all sources of income of the household members
Activity
All activities
All sources of income
Agriculture
81%
Market gardening
58%
Fishing
37%
Fish trade
Crafts/petty jobs
35%
Trade/business
15%
Salt
3%
Animal breeding
4%
Remittances
Salaries
Others
15%
N=
673
61%
67%
45%
37%
37%
42%
12%
7%
30%
4%
11%
685
Figure 11 – Main and secondary sources of income of all members of the household
100%
Main and secondary INCOME MOF -Mafereniya Road
Secondary income
80%
Main income
60%
40%
20%
0%
Agriculture
Cash crops
Fishing
Market
gardening
100%
Livestock
Employment
Trade
Crafts +
petty jobs
Wood
Remittences
Salt winning
Smoked fish
Main and secondary INCOME Kabak Fishermen
Secondary income
80%
Fishing main income
60%
40%
20%
0%
Agriculture
Cash crops
Fishing
Market
gardening
100%
Livestock
Employment
Trade
Crafts +
petty jobs
Wood
Remittences
Salt winning
Smoked fish
Main and secondary INCOME Kabak Agriculture
80%
Secondary income
Kabak farmers main income
60%
40%
20%
0%
Agriculture
Cash crops
Fishing
Market
gardening
Livestock
Employment
Trade
Crafts +
petty jobs
Wood
Remittences
Salt winning
Smoked fish
Gender related income
Men and women engage both and together in income earning activities such as agriculture and
41
market gardening , but for other sources of income a clear gender differentiation appears (Figure 12):
fishing is mostly done by men (men 36% vs. 15% for women), except for the small fishing and sea food
41
For the main sources of income it was asked if men or women provided these sources. The actual amounts of income earned by men and
women separately cannot be derived from the present data for most activities.
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harvesting in the bogoni, the channels and along the coast; while fish smoking and trading is mostly a
feminine source of income (men 2% vs. women 37%). General trade and business benefit women, as
many women engage in small trade, while a few men have more important trades such as boutiques,
restaurants or are engaged in businesses.
Remittances are more often given to men (23%) than to women (9%).
Typical male sources of income are thus sea fishing, trading and entrepreneurship, salaried work,
remittances from relatives, crafts and petty jobs;
Typical women sources of income are fish smoking and trading, small trade, and food preparation;
Typical shared sources of income are agriculture, market gardening, salt winning, and animal
breeding.
Income that women obtain through their own activities is managed by the women themselves,
whereas male common income is managed by the men.
Figure 12 – Sources of income earned by men and women
100%
Male and Female sources of income MOF-Mafereniya Road & Kabak
Men
80%
60%
56% 55%
59%
37%
36%
40%
37%
35%
2%
Agriculture
Market
gardening
Fishing
23%
19%
15%
20%
0%
Women
62%
Fish trade
11% 11%
5%
Crafts/petty
jobs
Trade/business
Salt
5%
9%
5%
Animal
breeding
Remittances
4%
2%
Salaries
0%
4%
Prepared food
9.5
Housing
Ownership
A little over three-quarters of the people are owners of their house, and most of the others occupy it
free of rent, which includes both those who are sharing the house with a family member, and
unrelated people (Table 31).
Only 12 people paid rent: on average 33 kFg/month but usually between 15 to 30 kFg.
Table 31 – House ownership, annual rent paid and size of house
Owner
Free of rent
Tenant
Average annual rent
Number of rooms
Number of buildings
N=
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
74%
63%
85%
25%
34%
15%
1%
3%
1%
78 kFg/month
20 kFg/month
31 kFg/month
3.7
3.3
5.1
1.10
1.07
1.09
122
150
388
Average
78%
21%
1%
33 kFg/month
4.4
1.09
661
Homesteads are made up on average 1.1 building, and people have 4.4 rooms. People in Kabak have
5.1 rooms, in the port area – where more families share a house – they have 3.7 rooms.
Building quality
Most houses are built with permanent material for roofs, and traditional materials for walls.
Occasionally walls are cement plastered and few houses have cemented floors. In the fishing villages,
except for Matakang, housing is generally much poorer: both roofs and walls are often made with
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temporary materials such as tarpaulins, left over Aluzinc sheets and raphia (58%). This type of shanty
like housing is virtually absent in other villages. This is also a sign of the more or less temporary nature
of the houses in the fishing villages, where many people have a better more permanent house
elsewhere.
The biggest houses, with up to 10-12 rooms and which can have a surface of up to 200 m², are
generally very old. Recent houses typically have 3-4 bedrooms and are often made with mud bricks
and Aluzinc roof.
Roof – Most houses have permanent roofing of Aluzinc, especially in Kabak. For newer houses such
materials are often bought second hand and the sheets are flattened so they can cover a wider area.
Walls – The most common type of wall is made with mud bricks. Older houses tend to have been
plastered with cement in the past, but often this is partial, with a cement layer in a poor state of
repair.
Floor – Paved floors are present in one third of the houses in the Port-road area and Kabak. However,
in about half of these, only a few rooms have cemented floors. A few people have modern cemented
houses with tiled floors.
Table 32 – Building material of the main house
Material
Permanent roof
Semi-permanent walls
Permanent walls
Paved floor
N=
Port-road
Kabak fishing
71%
67%
29%
14%
7%
3%
32%
22%
122
150
Kabak agriculture
87%
15%
10%
32%
388
Overall the housing quality score is similar between Kabak agriculture and the Port-Maferinya road;
with the fishing communities having half of the score. Along the railroad (Forecariah to Simandou), a
similar low score was observed during the baseline survey of 2008. There appears no difference
between the housing quality of houses of men and women-headed households (Figure 13).
Figure 13 – Quality of housing score
Housing Score
5.0
Score Roof
Score Walls
Score Floor
0.57
4.0
0.45
0.52
0.31
0.43
0.44
3.0
0.34
1.93
2.20
2.0
0.34
0.32
0.72
1.0
1.95
1.71
1.69
1.33
1.26
1.74
1.42
2.26
1.43
1.17
1.73
1.54
1.69
1.55
0.79
0.0
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Kabak agri
2008 rail
Zone
No
Yes
Founding lineage
2011-Men
2011-Women
Total
Means of cooking and house lighting
Lighting the house in the night has recently gone through a revolution. It is nowadays mostly done
(more than 95% of the households) with cheap battery powered LED lamps. Kerosene lamps and
candles are used by less than 5% of the households. This is in stark contrast with the 2008 railroad
survey where 96% of the households still used kerosene lamps. Most people (94%) cook on wood, but
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26% also use charcoal. Charcoal is more important in Kabak, where people have to go further to find
kitchen fuel, and wet mangrove wood is less readily available for cooking.
Housing equipment
Several modern comfort items are present in the majority of homes (Table 33): radios, cell phones,
bicycles, and a modern bed with a foam mattress. Cheap Chinese motorbikes are also owned by more
than a quarter of the population.
Table 33 – Main possessions of the studied households
Housing equipment
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Kabak agriculture
Average
Foam mattress
18%
28%
26%
25%
Leisure furniture
13%
27%
31%
27%
Radio
80%
77%
78%
78%
Cell phone
57%
50%
53%
53%
Spontaneously mentioned items
43%
66%
52%
53%
Bicycle
59%
20%
53%
47%
Motorbike
24%
19%
31%
27%
Pirogue
13%
53%
17%
24%
Fishing net worth > 100$
13%
54%
15%
24%
Outboard motor
2%
17%
1%
5%
Plot of urban land
18%
19%
17%
17%
Electric generator
13%
15%
13%
13%
Livestock worth > 100$
11%
14%
14%
13%
Urban house
11%
17%
12%
13%
TV set
9%
11%
10%
10%
Second mobile phone
9%
8%
11%
10%
Rifle
13%
5%
5%
7%
Without any possessions
5%
7%
3%
4%
Possession score*
7.02
9.91
8.36
8.46
N=
129
153
396
678
The *possession score is based on the monetary value of items or their potential of improving the economic life of the households:
between 1 point of items of 100$, to 4 points for cars and outboard motors. The value of livestock is included.
Further items cited are urban plots and urban houses (about 1 in 6 households), electric generators
(13%) and TV sets (10%), a second mobile phone in the household (10%). Despite reported lack of
wildlife in the area, still one out of 8 households owns a rifle in the Port-Maferinya road area.
The fishing villages represent a special case, having more items than the agricultural villages through
their possessions of boats (cost about 150-200 US$), fishing nets (cost more than 100 US$), and for 1
42
in 6 households own an outboard motor .
Livestock can be considered as part of people’s capital and possessions. It is generally limited to a few
chickens and goats/sheep as was shown in section 6.5.
42
These items may have been acquired with loans from of the Korean fishing companies, but they were reported as the own possessions of
the interviewed households
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Figure 14 – Possessions score: furniture, bedding, equipment and livestock
Score Equipement & Possessions
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
9.9
9.5
8.4
7.8
7.0
8.6
8.5
5.7
2
1
0
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Kabak agri
Zone
2008 rail
No
Yes
Founding lineage
2011-Men
2011-Women
Total
9.6
Health indicators
Health indicators in the survey are based on the presence of latrines, mosquito nets, access to modern
health care, children’s diseases, and meat consumption (Table 34).
Most households have access to a latrine, but the majority have to share it with their neighbours,
increasing the risk of disease transmission. The presence of mosquito nets in households is quite
important – probably because the nuisance of mosquitoes is significant in the area. Regarding health
care, most people turn to official health facilities; while a minority turn to pharmacies where no
qualified medical advice is given, or to street peddlers, in which case the quality of drugs cannot be
guaranteed.
These results seem to mask a less favourable picture: visits to local health facilities in Kabak show that
drugs are rarely available, and results from village meetings indicate that because of lack of good
official health care, most people still resort to traditional medicine and buy drugs from street peddlers
and in small shops.
In the fishing villages, the results are usually less favourable than among the other communities; in
spite of better monetary income among fishermen, latrines, mosquito nets and hospital visits are less
frequent, and among their children diarrhoea and skin disease appear more prevalent. Obviously their
fish consumption is more frequent than in other villages.
Table 34 – Health indicators
Health indicator
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Latrine
90%
64%
Latrine is shared
54%
39%
Mosquito net
74%
61%
Hospital visit
81%
77%
Traditional health care
28%
14%
Last year’s childbirth in a health facility
67%
64%
Diarrhoea among 1-4 year olds
34%
39%
Fever among 1-4 year olds
64%
63%
Skin disease among 1-10 year olds
14%
17%
Meat consumed yesterday
2%
2%
Fish consumed yesterday
90%
98%
N=
125
152
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, questions 9, 9a, 13, 14, 15 and 19.
Numbers vary according to question as not every household has under-5 year old children.
Kabak agriculture
94%
59%
68%
85%
22%
67%
31%
69%
14%
5%
93%
394
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Figure 15 – Health related indicators score
Score Health Indicators
10
no data avalable for 2008 rail
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
5.6
5.6
4.3
2
5.3
5.3
5.3
No
Yes
2011-Men
6.1
5.3
1
0
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Zone
Kabak agri
2008 rail
Founding lineage
2011-Women
Total
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, questions 9, 9a, 13, 14, 15 and 19.
9.7
Income
As most questionnaire surveys are limited in time, income data are quite difficult to obtain and rather
unreliable; as people have difficulties to remember their annual income, in particular regarding
smaller irregular sources of income, and income from earlier during the year. The questionnaire tries
to circumvent this by asking several questions about income sources and amount of income at
different times during the interview.
Indirect indicators
Possessions – Possessions are an important indicator of the relative value of revenue, as surplus
revenue is used to buy such items. These items have been discussed in a previous section
(Section 9.5).
Indicators of regular income – Rare are families who enjoy a salary (total 2%), or who are retired (2%).
Only regular remittances are often mentioned by one third of the families.
Table 35 – Indicators of regular income and recent travel
Indicator
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Regular income
Government income
1%
1%
Local employer
1%
3%
International employer
1%
0%
Retirement
2%
1%
Remittances
39%
23%
No regular income
59%
72%
Saving group
Saving group
31%
49%
- women participate
19%
23%
- men participate
6%
25%
Saving account and travel
Savings account
2%
0%
Travel outside the region
59%
72%
N=
128
154
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, questions 10, 12 and 17.
Numbers of valid observations may change slightly between questions.
Kabak agriculture
3%
1%
0%
2%
35%
60%
42%
34%
11%
0%
68%
398
Saving groups – Other indicators of regular income are those who manage to save some of their
money through mutual saving groups (31 to 49%). Women participate more in saving groups (on
average 28%) than men (13%), except in the fishing villages, where the reverse is true. This is most
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likely caused by the fact that fishermen have a fairly regular income, and if they want to buy more
expensive items (among which fishing gear), they will have to save for it.
Saving accounts – Savings and bank accounts are almost inexistent except for a few households in the
Port-Maferinya road area.
Travels – Travel is expensive, and roads are poor in the country, which makes travel an indicator of
income. However, the region is not very far from Conakry, and the nation’s capital is where people go
usually to visit family members or for trading.
Main reasons reported for travelling were family visits (54%), health related (11%), buying fishing
equipment (25%) in fishing villages, employment (8%), funerals (7%), and various other minor reasons.
Sources of income that provide more than 200 US$ annually
Among the important sources of income – defined as activities generating more than 200 US$ during
the previous year – market gardening among the Kabak farmers; fishing and fish smoking in the fishing
villages; trading and salt winning in the Port-Maferinya area, are the most important (Table 36).
Regular agriculture of food crops is thus more an activity to feed the family than to earn money.
Table 36 – Income of more than 200 US$ annually
Source of income
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Market gardening
26%
14%
Fishing
9%
65%
Business
31%
19%
Fish smoking
12%
64%
Food crops
27%
7%
Crafts/petty jobs
22%
16%
Salt winning
30%
0%
Remittances
10%
5%
Salaries
7%
7%
Cash crops
16%
1%
Others
2%
2%
No single source of more than 200$
12%
3%
N=
113
151
Kabak agriculture
63%
20%
27%
15%
30%
25%
5%
6%
4%
2%
4%
13%
348
The sum of the indicators of income as presented in Figure 16 shows that fishing villages, households
belonging to the founding lineages, and male head of households have a somewhat higher and more
secure income pattern, compared to the average household.
Figure 16 – Income related score based on regular income, saving, travels, and sources of more than 200 US$ annual income
Score Income Indicators
5
no data avalable for 2008 rail
4
3
2
3.8
4.2
3.8
3.7
4.1
3.9
3.2
3.9
1
0
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Kabak agri
Zone
2008 rail
No
Yes
Founding lineage
2011-Men
2011-Women
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011, questions 10, 12, 16 and 17.
Total
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Household income
Households in the 2011 baseline study estimate their annual income at 11.1 million GNF, or 1,850
43
US$ (Table 37). This corresponds to 5.05 US$/day/family or about 0.70 US$ per household member.
This income does not take into account the value of the self-produced and consumed agricultural
products, which cannot be estimated, in a reliable way, from a survey of this type.
Among the Kabak fishermen, income was clearly higher (about 17.3 million GNF) than among the
Kabak farmers (9.2 million GNF) and the Port-Maferinya road (9.6 million GNF). Details of income
44
sources are presented in the annexed report .
Table 37 – Summary of total income (in 1,000 GNF) by origin
2011 baseline
Income source
2008 baseline
Kabak
agriculture
Agriculture+animal breeding
2,782
1,481
4,550
1,582
Salaries
273
225
251
33
Aquatic resources: fish + salt
2,352
12,389
1,850
17
Other income sources
4,184
3,155
2,562
1,410
Average income [kFg]
9,590
17,269
9,213
3,072
Median income* [kFg]
6,690
12,530
7,000
1,678
N=
128
155
398
268
Port-road
Kabak fishing
Average 2011
baseline
3,514
249
4,354
2,997
11,119
7,525
682
Median income – The income distribution is – as is usual in most populations – skewed by many
households with a low income and a few with a high income, often those engaged in businesses. The
median income indicates that 50% of the households earn less than 7.5 million GNF or 1,250 US$.
Figure 17 – Income in million Guinean francs by income source
Income by source
20
hunting
(in million Guinean Francs)
18
Agriculture
17.3 mFg
fruits
16
livestock
14
salaries
11.6 mFg
12
10.8 mFg
9.6 mFg
10
11.1 mFg
remittances
salt
9.2 mFg
rice
8
carfts/petty
jobs
tradebusiness
smoked fish
6
4
2.8 mFg
2
0
MOF-Road
Kabak Fishing
Kabak Farming
zone
2008 rail
No
Yes
Founding lineage
Average
market
gardening
fishing
total
Source: Baseline household questionnaire, July 2011, question 23.
43
The average exchange rate of the dollar was around 6,000 Guinean Francs during the year before the survey – the period of reference for
the annual income.
44
Koppert, Sabinot, Leclercq et al. (2012) Socio-économic Baseline Survey Kabak and MOF : Résultats Bruts des enquêtes. SNC-Lavalin.
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Salaries – Salaries provide on average 3% of the total income, the households with salaries reported
on average annual earnings of 250 kFg.
Fishing – Provides overall 21% of income, representing 7,400 kFg among the fishing villages. Another
5,000 kFg is provided by fish smoking and trading in these villages.
Market gardening – Is the main source for earning income outside the fishing villages on Kabak Island.
Along the Port-Maferinya road it’s the fourth most important source of income.
Trade/business – Is the main activity for earning income along the Port-Maferinya road. This is
because of the presence of Touguiyire, a trading village where the ferry and fishing boats cross to
Kabak Island; in other villages, there is also quite an active trade community.
Crafts and petty jobs – These jobs include masons, daily labourers, various repair men, wood and
charcoal producers, motorbike taxi operators, and small boat operators to cross passengers to
Kabak Island, etc. This category provides 11% of the average income, and is present in all three
types of villages.
Salt winning – Salt winning is especially a very lucrative activity in the Port-Maferinya road area, where
40% of the households engage in this activity. A family that practices salt winning earns on
average about 3 million GNF.
Remittances – Money sent by relatives are a secondary source of income. They provide 2% of the total
income. Often people receive bags of rice as a gift from their relatives in town.
Agricultural products – Food crop agriculture provides overall 7% of the total income. It’s more
important among the Kabak farmers. Rice provides about two-thirds of agricultural income.
Animal husbandry – Livestock breeding is not important in the area, and most animals are used for
domestic ceremonies and sometimes sold. Income from animal husbandry was only
complementary. Only 1% of total income was reported from the sale of livestock and milk.
Other income sources – The survey reported very little income from salaries (2%), fruits (2%), hunting
(<1%). Average amount was 12.5 kFg.
9.8
Household expenditures on food
Estimation of household expenditures in a rural and mostly uneducated society is a very difficult and
long exercise, for which results are often imprecise, and so difficult to interpret. That’s why the
general baseline only took an indicator of expenditures – amounts regularly spent on food – instead of
evaluating them all.
Food expenses
Figure 18 shows that on average people report spending around 4 million GNF on food, which would
mean one third of the average annual income of 11 million GNF. However, the fact that there are so
few differences between the zones and household categories indicates that this number may not
completely reflect reality, and may not be reliable. Also, if only one third of the money is spent on
basic necessities, this would mean that people have much money available for discretionary
expenditures, which is not perceptible in the villages.
Fishermen have higher expenses than other household categories, but the difference is about 20%;
though they produce less rice and so have to buy more, they conversely spend less on buying fish than
the others.
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Figure 18 – Annual income and food expenditures in million Guinean francs
Annual Income and Food Expenditures
20
(in millions of Guinean Francs)
18
Total income
17.3mF
16
Food expenses
14
12
10
10.8mF
9.6mF
8
11.6mF
11.4mF
11.1mF
9.2mF
6
7.0mF
4
2
3.7mF
0
MOF- Road
4.4mF
Kabak Fishing
3.6mF
Kabak Farming
zone
3.7mF
No
3.9mF
3.8mF
Yes
Man
Founding lineage
3.3mF
Woman
3.8mF
Average
All
Source: Baseline household questionnaire, July 2011, questions 23 and 24.
Insufficiency of rice production
45
Rice production is insufficient for most of the households: between January and July, 4.6 bags of rice
were bought among the farmers of Kabak and the Port-Maferinya road area; while in the fishing
village, households reported having bought 6.9 bags of rice. In the fishing villages, 70% of households
had to buy rice from January to around the end of harvest time; while this was 42% among Kabak
farmers; and 44% in the Port-Maferinya road area.
9.9
Debts
Many families have debts, as they run out of staple foods during the pre-harvest lean season, or if they
have extra costs to pay for health, family ceremonies, etc. The household survey indicated that half of
the fishermen and two-thirds of the farmers have debts. Especially for fishermen, debts are important
(1.9 million GNF) as they often invest in fishing gear. Families indicate that almost no interest is paid;
information that was not confirmed during farm visits. In fact, farmers can obtain a credit of 2,000
GNF during the year from businessmen, which they will have to reimburse by giving one pot of rice at
harvest time, when the rice costs about 5,000 GNF. Other farmers indicate that they receive 20 kFg to
be reimbursed by a boussalé of rice at harvest time (a local measure of about 22 kg, worth 100 kFg).
Debts are contracted with friends (24% of the households), businessmen (21%) and parents (13%).
Table 38 – Summary of debts contracted
Port-Maferinya road
Kabak fishing
Have debts
55%
47%
Food
34%
18%
Other items
13%
34%
Health
6%
6%
Agriculture
4%
3%
Average amount of debts
750 kFg
1,861 kFg
Median amount of debts
255 kFg
650 kFg
N=
72
105
% to pay back
101%
101%
Source: Baseline household questionnaires, July 2011, question 24a.
45
Baseline household question 24.
Kabak agriculture
65%
43%
7%
7%
3%
811 kFg
400 kFg
268
104%
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9.10 Socioeconomic Development Index
As described above, the socioeconomic index is an effort to summarize the data from the
socioeconomic questionnaire, and to use it as a reference for future monitoring and evaluation.
In this first study, the socioeconomic situation within the surveyed areas has been compared; as well
as between the 40% of households who belong to the founding lineages and the others, and between
the 5% female-headed households and the 95% of male-headed households (Figure 19).
Figure 19 – Socioeconomic Development Score of households
Socio-Economic index
Education
[data 2008 rail survey are incomplete and not presented]
25
21.6
20
19.5
18.2
19.3
17.8
17.4
17.0
15
RevenueRevenu
Possessions
10
HousingHabitat
5
HealthSanté
0
Mof-route
Kabak Pêche
Kabak agri
Zone
No
yes
Founding lineage
Men
women
Source: Guinea baseline survey coastal area 2011.
9.11 Vulnerable people
IFC Performance Standards require the identification of vulnerable people, who, in the case of physical
resettlement or economic displacement, will have more problems to cope with the consequences than
the average population and who may be differentially negatively affected by the project’s impacts. It is
important to identify both individuals and households who are vulnerable prior to project’s impacts –
and thus may be less resilient to change – and also those who may become vulnerable by project’s
impacts – but who were not vulnerable prior to project’s impacts.
Criteria
Common criteria for evaluating vulnerable people are single-headed households, households without
land, households without regular income, and households with young children. In the Guinean context
the following criteria would all need to be considered to identify vulnerable households thorough a
point system, in which having several negative criteria at the same time will indicate that households
or individuals are vulnerable:
 Illiterate households  more than 25% of the households have no education whatsoever
 Single-headed households  8% of the households
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 Households that derive a significant proportion of income from farming on the affected land
 can only be assessed directly among affected farmers
 Households that have only one income earner  about 10% of the households
 Households that report no regular income nor outside assistance  ~8%
 Households headed by children under 16 years none
 Households headed by women  5% of the households
 Households headed by elderly people  11% are over 65 years old
 Households with no land holding, who are not related to the founding lineage, and who are
migrants to the area  9% has land for free, and 7% pays rent
 Households with no declared possessions  4% of the households
 Women in the process of divorce, and women who enter widowhood after the husband dies 
varies over time, and has to be closely monitored during resettlement
46
46
For the land loss to be considered as significant, project usually take the cut-off point of 25% of land and income loss. However, the
international organizations (IFC, World Bank) haven’t published such a clear cut-off point.
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10. Opinions
10.1 Expectations and fears
Negative and positive opinions about the Simandou rail and port project were asked at the end of the
household interviews, through an open-ended question where people could indicate three items,
which were coded during data entry.
Positive opinions and expectations
Many expectations were expressed by the population, with employment as the most important,
followed by general improvements in living conditions, as one may expect to come from the
governments and development organizations: improvements in educational, health and transport
services; improvements of access between Kakak Island and the mainland, as well as better roads on
the island.
People also often reported development of their current sources of income: agriculture and market
gardening for the farmers (dike improvement, general agricultural assistance); improve capture and
storage facilities for the fishermen (cold room, outboard motors, etc.).
Better access to drinking water is a particularly important expectation, especially in Kabak where
people have to resort to rain water during the wet season, and in many places only have access to
brackish water during the dry season.
Electricity supply was especially mentioned by people along the Port-Maferinya road. New houses, as
per compensation and resettlement were named by one sixth of the people.
For the social and religious, 20% hoped that the project would build a mosque.
Table 39 – Summary of the population’s expectations for the Simandou Project
Expectation
Employment
Education
Roads
Health/Hospital
Drinking water
Dikes
Electricity
Mosque
Agricultural assistance
Food
New houses
Cell phone coverage
General development
Fishing assistance
Bridge to main land
Outboard motor
Assistance trade/commerce
Youth house
Fish preservation/cooling
Latrines
Others
N=
Port-Maferinya
road
61%
62%
66%
53%
28%
1%
48%
20%
26%
29%
17%
4%
1%
3%
0%
2%
4%
6%
1%
2%
7%
127
Kabak fishing
Kabal agriculture
Average
54%
49%
33%
41%
45%
12%
16%
18%
6%
10%
17%
4%
1%
21%
2%
14%
5%
0%
8%
7%
10%
155
60%
50%
50%
39%
43%
40%
21%
23%
15%
14%
12%
11%
2%
1%
9%
2%
2%
3%
0%
0%
6%
398
59%
52%
49%
42%
41%
26%
25%
21%
15%
16%
14%
8%
1%
6%
6%
5%
3%
3%
2%
2%
6%
681
Negative opinions and fears
Fears about the project especially relate to resettlement of houses and loss of fields: people fear what
they cannot apprehend, and don’t see how they can manage the consequences through the project. A
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second point, that will need to be addressed are safety and security; there is great fear of accidents,
and also of increase in civil unrest, thefts and other safety issues related to the influx of newcomers.
For the fishing population there was additional fear that the project might impact fishing activities and
so lead to the loss of income.
Besides these items, there are many others that were only mentioned a few times, among which may
be noteworthy “delays” and “broken promises”, as they have heard about many project that never
were carried out. A few times, prostitution, new diseases, famine, loss of food crops were named.
Table 40 – Summary of the population’s fears about the Simandou Project
Fear
Loss of fields
Accidents
Loss of houses
Insecurity
Resettlement village
Loss of income/jobs
Loss of natural resources
Noise
Broken promises
Prostitution
Delays
Diseases unspecified
Other reasons
N=
Port-Maferinya road
Kabak fishing
Kabal agriculture
60%
30%
72%
58%
48%
43%
21%
30%
33%
16%
12%
13%
15%
5%
8%
7%
10%
1%
0%
12%
0%
2%
2%
3%
3%
3%
1%
2%
2%
2%
6%
0%
1%
1%
2%
2%
15%
10%
8%
120
139
374
Source: Baseline household questionnaire, question 26.
2011 average
60%
47%
30%
13%
9%
4%
3%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
10%
633
Conclusion
Answers to these questions regarding expectations and fears rather express the hope that the project
will come to their villages, and provides as much development as one dares to imagine; and fear that
the project is not well enough balanced to compensate people that will be affected by loss of housing,
loss of fields and have to find a new life elsewhere.
10.2 Village priorities
After each of the village meetings, men, women and young people were asked to state the village
priorities as they perceived them, in case Rio Tinto’s had a limited budget in which development
actions could be carried out.
Kabak agricultural villages
Main priorities are agriculture, including rehabilitation of the Kabak dikes. For the youth, employment
and youth facilities are of primary importance. Men often cite a new mosque as their first priority,
followed by health care. Education, health and drinking water facilities are further named especially by
women. In 4 of the 6 villages, women also asked for a market which would help them sell their
products.
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Table 41 – Expectation’s priorities in six Kabak agricultural villages
Expectation
Men
Women
Agricultural assistance/Kabak dike
4
3
Employment
1
Youth centre – sports facilities
Hospital – health centre
3
3
Road building, ferry to mainland
2
3
Mosque
4
School
1
2
Drinking water
1
3
Market
4
Cell phone network
1
Public electricity
1
Fishing equipment
1
1
Improved public toilet facilities
1
Source: Village consultation meetings, July 2011.
Young people
1
6
7
1
1
1
1
-
Total
8
7
7
6
6
4
4
4
4
2
2
2
1
Kabak fishing villages
In the fishing villages, drinking water supply is the main expectation, followed by improvement of
fishing gear for the men and fish smoking for the women. Young people favour youth centres and
sports facilities, and – probably because fishing already provides them with regular income – less often
employment than in the other villages.
Table 42 – Expectation’s priorities in five Kabak fishing villages
Expectation
Men
Women
Drinking water
3
2
Fishing equipment
5
Youth centre and sports facilities
1
2
Fish smokery equipment
4
School
1
1
Employment
Market
2
Bridge between Kabak and mainland
1
Dike around Kabak
Road building
1
Public electricity
Agricultural assistance
1
Better houses
1
Young people
5
1
1
2
1
1
1
-
Total
5
5
5
4
4
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
Priorities are different in the Port-Maferinya road area: on top come the public facilities, such as
school, health centre and public electricity. Youths have a preference for leisure activities (youth
centre and sport), but also for employment. Women expectation’s priorities are drinking water supply
(which is often available too far away), and fish smoking facilities.
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Table 43 – Expectation’s priorities in five villages of the Port-Maferinya road area
Expectations
Men
Women
School
3
2
2
2
Public electricity
2
2
Youth centre & sporting facilities
Agriculture assistance
1
1
Road building
1
1
Employment
Drinking water
3
Mosque
2
Market
2
Fish smokery equipment
1
Cell phone network
Fishing equipment
1
Young people
1
1
1
4
2
1
3
1
-
Total
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
10.3 Human rights issues
Human rights were addressed through a simple question of peoples opinion on what really was for
them an injustice they had lived through during the preceding year. The question was open-ended but
pre-coded answers were available to the surveyors and served as examples. One cannot disregard the
fact that people sometimes showed some reluctance to reply this question, and the results should be
viewed in this context.
About three-quarters of the people had not lived through an injustice; for the others it was mainly
theft (21%), police fines and arrests (total of 7%) that were considered not justified. In general women
suffered twice as often from perceived injustices as men. A few other items were infrequently
mentioned: cattle disputes, land disputes, physical violence, and sorcery.
Table 44 – Reported human rights violations by gender and age
2011 baseline
2008 baseline
Kabak
agriculture
74%
76%
69%
44%
26%
24%
30%
56%
14%
8%
13%
24%
7%
4%
7%
16%
1%
6%
7%
1%
125
148
384
275
Port-road
None
Yes
Women
Men
Children
N=
2011 average
Kabak fishing
72%
28%
12%
6%
6%
658
Table 45 – Types of human rights violations reported
2011 baseline
Kabak
agriculture
19%
16%
23%
2%
1%
1%
4%
5%
4%
6%
5%
2%
2%
1%
2%
1%
2%
1%
2%
0%
1%
1%
1%
1%
2%
1%
0%
3%
1%
1%
125
148
384
Port-road
Theft
Farmers-pastoralists conflict
Arrest
Unjustified fine
Confiscated goods
Physical violence
Confiscated lands
Family rights’ conflict
Sorcery
Other
N=
Kabak fishing
2008 baseline
2011
average
1%
55%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
276
21%
1%
4%
3%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
658
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11. Issues
11.1 How to increase the rice cultivation area
The mangroves on Kabak Island have good fertility and a high rice producing potential. Several
previous improvement and extension projects have failed, but this does not mean that new projects
are not necessary. The main issues appear to be the soil salinisation due to unpredictable climatic
conditions (water supply from rainfall and saline intrusion from storms at sea) which can only be
improved by better hydraulic control of irrigation.
47
Since 1951 , several projects have attempted to increase the rice production on Kabak Island through
water control with channels and dikes. Consequences of such controls have mostly been
unpredictable, and not always accepted by the local population. The main control has been the
construction of a dike in order to gain 1,500 hectares of rice paddies first by China (1975-78) which
failed within 2 years; then in 1996 by the Arabic Development Bank which failed 4 years later. The
report indicates that the successive failures show the complexity of the hydrosedimental dynamics in
the area, and the perpetual changes caused by maritime and fluvial forces. According to the report, in
spite of the repeated technical failures and sterilization of the land, improvements in access (ferry and
roads), and modernization have had positive effects on the island: income drawn from market
gardening on land initially destined for rice growing, and introduction of mechanized agriculture.
Quantitative and qualitative inventory of the bogoni
There is an urgent need to obtain a good qualitative and quantitative inventory of the rice growing
area in the wider area around the port, in order to assess the amount of available land that can be
used for displacing people, and the potential for development of existing land.
In the port area, approximately 40% of the bogoni parcels inventoried by the ERM PARC team, for the
project footprint, had not been used during the current year for agriculture, but no indication is
available on which part was related to lack of available manpower/money to cultivate these fields and
which part to salinity and insufficient fertility.
48
In the port area , according to preliminary results of the asset survey, rice-growing areas are often
not farmed by the traditional owners: 54% were simple users, while 46% farmed their own land.
Satellite photos show that most of the mangrove areas along the sea arms have been transformed
into bogoni land, but from these images no assessment of the quality of such land can be draws.
For the purpose of this report an inventory of available rice-growing land could not be made, but it is
urgent that such a study be carried out to answer the following questions:






What is the quality of the land: salinity, protection against flooding by seawater?
Has the land been cultivated during the last year and last three years, and – if not – for what
reasons?
Who are the traditional owners of the land and who are the land users?
What is the potential for improvement of the land?
What is the potential for extension of the bogoni area?
How important is bogoni fishing for the local population, and how can fishing in and around
the bogoni be replaced?
47
Rossi G. (éd.), Bazzo D., Lauffer M., Moreau Noëlle, Fontana André, Sow M., Diallo I. Atlas infogéographique de la Guinée maritime. Paris
(FRA); Conakry: IRD; Ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Elevage, 2001, 179 p. multigr.
48
ERM/Borealis asset survey MOF area, preliminary data reported on January 24, 2011.
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11.2 Compensation and replacement land issues
Land ownership will be a major issue for the replacement land due to the loss of productive land from
the construction of the Simandou Project: individual farmers will lose crops, and temporary or
permanent rights to agricultural land. The INSUCO study has also confirmed that it is not possible to
give a market value to a plot of land. Also, for the sake of long-term livelihood restoration, it is far
more important to provide each affected farmer with replacement land, whether it is a traditional
owner or a traditional user, so that at least each affected farmer can continue to farm.
Affected vs. unaffected households – When land is needed for a project – compensation for crops
are paid, and replacement land are sought for acquisition – traditional mechanism do not always work.
Compensation will be paid for loss of crops, for disturbance, for intermediate livelihood between land
take and land replacement, and new land will have to be acquired. Other projects have shown that
such compensation may lead to significant jealousy in the village, between what villagers perceive as
the “lucky victims” and others.
Owner users vs. users – A special issue is expected when land users who are not owners of land are
affected: they will receive compensation for loss of crops and transitional assistance; while the land
owner will only receive access to replacement land and compensation for permanent assets such as
trees, dikes, and other permanent improvements to the land. This usually means that the land-user
receives more money than the land-owner – another source of jealousy and perceived injustice –
which may influence the possibility that the land-user will be borrowed replacement land in the
future. However, the land-user may win on a short-term but lose in the longer term. To avoid this, the
land-user needs some formal agreement with the village which grants the rights to keep on farming
under the same conditions.
Permanently occupied land, fallow land and unused land – For livelihood restoration,
permanently occupied land needs to be replaced by land from the village stock or from elsewhere, in
order for the farmer to recreate the lost fields and continue its activities. This means that the
community (village, lineage, etc.) will lose land for which they deserve compensation. Insofar as this
replacement land is uncultivated land, such compensation may be in the form of a fund for community
improvements. If the land handed out belongs to individuals and is usually of higher value, some form
of individual compensation will probably be necessary to make sure that the land is made available
officially and that formal agreements will be signed. Fallow land will be much more difficult to replace
as it is reserve land, but problems can be avoided if instead of giving replacement land, the right to
cultivate an area dependent on the presently or usually cultivated land is provided to the affected
farmer. In the new resettlement area a new cycle of cultivation and fallow land can than start, which
should be sustainable. Again, compensation could be based on a mixture of individual compensation
to the person/lineage which provides the land and in-kind community compensation for the
permanent loss of community land.
Unused, not previously cultivated land – In principle, such land cannot be replaced as it would only
mean that elsewhere uncultivated land be taken. The value of such land should be recognized by the
project and compensated to the affected community in the form of a fund for in-kind improvements.
Resettlement within the village vs. resettlement in new communities – The Simandou Project as
a linear project will probably only affect a small band of land in most villages; though land
fragmentation may be hampered by the railroad, in most communities the total land-loss will be
limited to a small percentage of the available land.
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Bogoni in the port area – Replacement may be difficult when high valued land (like “bas-fonds” or
wetlands) or precious bogoni land will be affected in such a way that no equivalent replacement land
can be found. Farmers of the port area indicate that not all potential bogoni land is used, and that
much of this land produces below its agriculture potential because water and silt management is
deficient. The preferred solution for bogoni replacement is to increase the amount of available land by
improving the general water management in the area.
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12. Grievance procedure
49
In the September 2009 Guidance Note , IFC regards the provision of a grievance procedure as one of
the pillars of stakeholder engagement for all clients in social risk management and to obtain social
license to operate. The grievance procedure is a process for receiving, evaluating and addressing
project related grievances from affected people.
12.1 Basis for a grievance procedure
Rio Tinto will establish a grievance mechanism for affected farmers. As the areas and the number of
affected people are limited, the expectation is that the grievance mechanism can be very
straightforward. The mechanism should be culturally appropriate, accessible to all, transparent, and
free of coercion or intimidation.
The Rio Tinto Project is a fairly straightforward project where few grievances are expected, but this
does not mean that there are none. Among the expected grievances are:

Farmers who claim that they have not been included in the census

Disputes about the size of land, or the part of land taken into account

Disputes about who is the rightful owner of the land

Grievances about the compensation system.
50
51
52
12.2 Implementation of the grievance procedure
Rio Tinto’s grievance mechanism will consist of:
A 5-step grievance process – 1) Definition and dissemination of the mechanism; 2) Receive and register
grievances and notify of receipt; 3) Review and investigate; 4) Resolution, response and close-out; and
5) Monitor and evaluate.
Four resource categories – 1) People and staff; 2) Logging system; 3) Process (written procedure with
responsibilities and management oversight); and 4) Allocated budget.
For small projects the designation of an individual in the company to act as a point of contact to
receive complaints “can foster positive engagement when issues rise”.
For the Rio Tinto Project the following should be set up:
49
1.
A consultation committee of 6-8 members, elected by the farmers, and representing the
guard, men and women, small and bigger farmers.
2.
Meetings should be held at key moments of the displacement process: at the presentation of
this report and publication of the cut-off date; three months before the effective eviction
date; and a week before the effective eviction date.
3.
A company official will be in charge of liaison, but a recognized local social specialist should
be part of the consultation meetings.
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/sustainability.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/p_GrievanceMechanisms/$FILE/IFC+Grievance+Mechanisms.pdf
50
Farmers were specifically invited to assist to the survey, and notified that rights of absentees could not be considered. In spite of this,
these farmers may want to submit a grievance.
51
Some fields were clearly abandoned and were not taken into account in the measurements. Farmers were told this and agreed with it
during the survey.
52
Though the guide and neighboring farmers always vetted the farmer who has his name on the present list, experience from other
projects shows that other people may pretend, and sometimes rightfully, that they are the land user.
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4.
When grievances are received, the person will be notified of receipt, the Rio Tinto officer in
charge investigates the grievance, and – when necessary – once per month during a small
meeting at Rio Tinto, with a social specialist, the grievance outcome will be discussed. A Rio
Tinto officer informs in writing the grieved person, and registers his acceptance or rejection
of the grievance.
5.
Grievances may be discussed with the consultation committee, or in front of a plenary
meeting with the affected farmers if appropriate.
6.
If the formal project grievance mechanism does not provide a satisfactory solution, the
complainant has his constitutional right of seeking justice in court. As such action is in general
inaccessible to non-affluent populations; it’s preferable to work on solutions acceptable by
both Rio Tinto and the complainant. Such a solution might include a neutral mediator paid for
by Rio Tinto.
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13. References
Cogels S, Koppert G.J.A. (2004).– Socioeconomic Monitoring Survey in the Chad Oil Field Development Area and Pipeline
Corridor.
GEPFE:
Groupe
d'Étude
des
Populations
Forestières
Équatoriales,
Paris.
(http://www.ulb.ac.be/socio/anthropo/tchad)
Convention entre l’Union Nationale des pêcheurs artisans de Guinée et The Sierra Leone Artisanal Fisherman’s union.
Convention UNPAG-SLAFU: http://spcsrp.org/medias/csrp/pays/Convention-UNPAG-SLAFU.pdf consulted March
29 2013
Domain F., Chavance P. and Diallo A. (1999). – La pêche côtière en Guinée : ressources et exploitation. CNSHB-IRD.
Consulted March 30, 2013 http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers09-03/010025006.pdf
Encyclopedia Britannica. Temné http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/586495/Temne, consulted January 2012
Geslin Philippe, (1997). – L’innovation et le temps, une approche ethnographique de la réallocation du temps de travail
agricole chez les Soussou de Guinée. IRD, Horizon http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exldoc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_6/colloques2/010012801.pdf consulted March 29 2013
International Finance Corporation. (2013). – Grievance Mechanisms. Website, consulted March 30, 2013). –
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/sustainability.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/p_GrievanceMechanisms/$FILE/IFC+Grievance+
Mechanisms.pdf
International Monetary Fund (2012). – Poverty Reduction Policy Paper on Guinea. Consulted on March 28 2013.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2012/cr1261.pdf.
Koppert G. (2010). – Draft Report Value Enhancement Study Rail Road and Port Site. SNClavalin, Gepfe, Rio Tinto, June 29
2010.
Koppert G. Leclercq M, Sabinot C., (2011-2012). – Socio Economc Surveys (1) Kabak – MOF, (2) Rail road Maferinyah to
Oure Kaba, (3) Kabak, railroad and Kakossa. Results of the socio economic household questionnaires in table
form, question by question. SncLavalin, Rio Tinto Parsi-Conakry.
Koppert G., Leclercq M., Sabinot C. (2011 December) Socio economical survey. Kabak Island and Kabak – Maferinyah
road. Preliminary results of the field survey [covering 100% of the questionnaires], June - July 2011. Republic of
Guinea. Montréal, SNC Lavalin – Paris, GEPFE – Paris, Anthropolinks – Conakry, Rio Tinto Simfer
Les langues Nigéro-Congolaises. – Source: http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/monde/famnigero-congolaise.htm assessed on
January 28, 2012.
Leyle, David (2010). – Bien-être et inégalités en Guinée Maritime: une question d'accès. Un système d'information pour le
développement, Thèse soutenue Université Michel de Montaigne - Bordeaux III (22/01/2010), Georges Rossi (Dir.)
Paulme D. (1954, 1970). – Les Gens du Riz, Les Kissi de Haute-Guinée, Paris. Librairie Plon. 324 p. in
http://www.webguinee.net/bibliotheque/ethnographie/kisi/dpaulme/chap06.html, consulted March 30, 2013
Rio Tinto (2010). – RAPPORT Socio-Économique ZONE DU PORT B E N T Y. Drafted in 2010 by a team of 5 Guinean social
scientists for Rio Tinto.
Rossi G. (éd.), Bazzo D., Lauffer M., Moreau Noëlle, Fontana André, Sow M., Diallo I. Atlas infogéographique de la Guinée
maritime. Paris (FRA); Conakry: IRD; Ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Elevage, 2001, 179 p. multigr.
Sabinot C., Koppert G., Leclercq M. Simandou (2011, August) – Port and rail project in Kabak. Preliminary report fishing
villages: maps and socio-economical description of fishing villages. Montréal, SNC Lavalin – Paris, GEPFE – Paris,
Anthropolinks – Conakry, Rio Tinto Simfer.
SECK, PA (1979). – Catalogue des engins de pêche artisanale du Sénégal. COPACE/PACE SERIES 79/16(FR)
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X6601F/x6601f00.htm#Contents consulted March 30, 2013
SNCLavalin (2007). – Screening study Railway Corridor and Port Sites Simandou Project. File n° 604917, December 2007.
SNCLavalin (2008). – Etude de caractérisation sociale et environnementale de base pour le chemin de fer – Rapport
provisoire. File n° 604917, December 2008.
University of Manitoba California. Cross cousin mariage. Anthropology website consulted on March 30, 2013.
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~anthrop/tutor/marriage/xcuz.html
Page 86
F
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G. Koppert
Page 87
Appendices
Appendix I – Agriculture
Rice varieties
Rice varieties used around Kabak and the port area are a mixture of local and imported varieties. Local
varieties tend to have a longer cycle and produce less but are preferred for their taste. Observations in
more than 80 fields indicate that the following varieties were present.
Table 46 – Rice varieties used by farmers in Kabak and the port area
Variety
Cycle (days)
150
120
120
120
150
90
120
120
120
180
180
150
150
Yéguéti
Bontichi
Tombolia
Abou Maalé
Taramakhè
Kobaya
Rock 5
Dembaya ragatè
Kouli maalé
Foé maalé
Tonsèkérényi
Mmah maalé
Mma Yansanè
maalé
Kaolaka
Condé
Sanbgan maalé
Fokofoko
150
150
150
150
Type of field
Bogoni
Bogoni
Dara
Dara
Dara
Dara
Dara
Dara
Bogoni
Bogoni
Bogoni
Dara
Dara
District/village
Senguélén
Senguélén
Kénéndé
Kénéndé
Kénéndé
Kénéndé
Kénéndé
Kénéndé
Kénéndé
Manké
Manké
Khounyi
Khounyi
CRD
Mafèrinya
Mafèrinya
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak
Kabak/Youlayé
Kabak/Youlayé
Dara
Khounyi
Kabak/Youlayé
coteau
Karangbani
Kabak/Seydouya
Dara
Yélikéri
Kabak/Tonguiron
Bogoni
Kibgéri
Kabak / Seydouya
Source: Field visits with farmers, July 2011.
Origin
Introduced
Introduced
Introduced
Introduced
Local
Introduced
Introduced Koba
Local
Local
Local
Local
Local
Local
Introduced
Introduced Kindia
Local
Local
Manpower needs in rice cultivation
Rice cultivation in the area is a very labour intensive activity for which most farmers have to resort to
outside labour in the form of mutual groups, hired hands and the family: men, women and children.
The following table indicates the kind of labour reported by a farmer for 1 ha of bogoni or dara land.
Table 47 – Example of labour needs for bogoni and dara rice cultivation in Kabak
February
Duration
in days
8
Number of
workers
2
Men
days
16
Cost in
kFg
500 kFg
July
2
1
2
150 kFg
July
July
July
30
3
2
9
1
3
270
3
6
180 kFg
-
July
8
3
24
-
August
4
3
12
360 kFg
November
30
3
90
-
Activities
Period
Irrigation channels
clearing mangrove
Fight against crabs
(mangrove)
Labour bogoni et dara
Direct sowing
Nursery for rice
Surveillance
Herbicide cleaning of
dara
Surveillance
Harvest
Threshing
Transport
Total
December
February
February
5
10
50
3
7
21
1
7
7
501
194 kFg
210 kFg
1,594 kFg
Observations
Ballanté workers from
Guinea Bissau
Chemical products
Local workforce
Farmer
Farmer’s household
members
members
Hired labourers
members
Hired labourers
Hired labourers
F
E
P
E
G
G. Koppert
Page 88
Among the labour intensive activities are the cleaning of the irrigation channels, the fight against
invading crabs, preparing and sowing nurseries and fields, surveillance against birds, harvesting
threshing and transport home.
Yields evaluated in visited fields
The team’s agronomist, after having measured the fields, evaluated with the farmers the yields
obtained. Though this remains a rough estimation, it is indicative of the productivity of the fields.
In Kabak, on 3 of the 20 farms visited, rice cultivation had failed due to soil salinity, and invading
seawater. In these fields production was evaluated at 60 kg/ha, which did not cover the amount of
seeds sown. In the other 15 farms on bogoni land the productivity was evaluated at about 1.5 T/ha,
and in the 3 dara farms at 0.93 T/ha. This confirms the general knowledge that dara fields yield much
less than bogoni fields.
Table 48 – Yields evaluated for bogoni and dara rice fields in Kabak and the port area
Village
Bossimya
Bossimya
Karangbany
Karangbany
Kamème
Kamème
Kénéndé
Khounyi
Khounyi
Khounyi
Tolomalon
Tolomalon
Tolomalon
Tolomalon
Fili Kanké
Sénguélén
Sénguélén
Kénéndé
Kigbéré
Kigbéré
Total
Surface
[ha]
Production
[T]
1.5
1.5
0.25
1.8
0.4
0.25
0.8
1.9
1.5
0.5
1.8
0.8
0.45
0.35
0.4
0.7
5.2
2.9
0.3
0.9
2.00
5.00
0.032
4.00
0.32
0.20
0.98
1.50
0.05
0.08
0.98
0.98
0.77
0.30
0.65
1.70
7.50
5.40
0.20
0.80
Family
days
worked
293
92
163
210
58
150
64
114
152
160
86
86
40
94
166
416
76
77
Hired
labour
days
116
327
32
58
129
555
212
172
35
82
37
39
26
46
340
34
90
364
Mutual
assistance
men-days
0
0
12
0
0
0
0
160
40
20
80
90
120
20
80
300
20
0
Yied
failed
fields
0.128
0.03
0.02
0.06
Yield
bogoni
Yield
dara
Yield per ha
(all fields)
1.4
3
2.2
0.8
0.8
1.2
0.8
0.3
1.7
1.6
2.4
1.4
1.9
0.9
1.46
1.2
0.9
0.7
0.93
1.4
3
0.128
2.2
0.8
0.8
1.2
0.8
0.03
0.02
0.5
1.2
1.7
0.9
1.6
2.4
1.4
1.9
0.7
0.9
1.18
F
E
P
E
G
Groupe d’Étude des Population
F
7 Quai Voltaire, 75007
E
Tel. 33 1 40 79 34 24 ou 33 1 40 79
e-mail bahuchet@
G. Koppert
Page 89
Appendix II – Cultural heritage summary table
Location of the villages
District
Matakang
Village
Matakang
Cemetery and mosques
Siminkhounyi, the great
cemetery (GPS 299)
Manika Wondy, the
cemetery for the mandinka
people descendants, (GPS
297)
Cultural, religious and heritage sites
Ancient village sites
Other important cultural sites
Minadagbon, sacret inlet
The grave of a Jewish
with a bridge (GPS 296)
trader during the
British colonisation
(GPS 298)
Kountounyi is the sacred
rock of Matakang (GPS
302 and 303)
Meriyah, the old
commercial port of the
English period (GPS 306)
Fishermen
villages
Farmers villages
Bolimanda ?
Katonkho
Yulaye
Khounyi
Youlaye
Bakia tere
Youlaye
Youlaye
Youlaye
Kakende
Yelibane
Yelibane
Yelibane
Yetiya
Yelibane
Konimodiya
Farmers village
Fishermen village
Farmers villages
Gbinyi
Ancient small English
fortress
The cemetery of the village
Sacred place with the
children cemetery
The central cemetery of the
village (GPS 294)
The prayer space for the
great religious ceremonies
(GPS 295)
The Lansanayah cemetery
(GPS 460) and the
lansanayah mosque
(GPS454)
The Bo Soryah cemetery
(GPS 462) and the prayer
space (GPS 463)
Cemetery, great mosque
and prayer space (selikene)
Cemetery (GPS 335) and
mosque (GPS 336)
The cemetery (GPS 493)
Mosque (GPS 337) and
cemetery (GPS 338)
Mosque and cemetery and
Bilidera is a sacred site of
the founding family (GPS
461)
Sacred worship
The ancient village
Sourima is a sacred place
The old British
lighthouse (GPS 304)
Tigui gbe is a thermal
source of drinking
water and a sacred
site (GPS 307)
Saata Bon, sacred site
in high sea (rocks are
venerated by few
villages)
The grave of the
legendary giant
Naby Yero with
two stone steles
(GPS 300 and 301)
The old British
artisanal fishing
harbour (GPS 305)
Sunken island with
old cannons
P
E
G
Groupe d’Étude des Population
F
7 Quai Voltaire, 75007
E
Tel. 33 1 40 79 34 24 ou 33 1 40 79
e-mail bahuchet@
G. Koppert
Location of the villages
District
Bolimanda
Karangbani
Cemetery and mosques
contiguous (GPS 324)
Mosque (GPS 490) and two
cemetery: the ancient
cemetery (GPS 492) and the
new one (GPS 491)
Kondebounyi is a sacred
place close to the payer
space (GPS 318)
Bolimanda
Gore
The cemetery (GPS 326)
Seydouyah
Kenende
Seydouyah
Kenende
Bolimanda
Bolimanda
Village
Mouki
Keka
Seydouyah
Manke
Kalea
Manke
Manke
Manke
Tolomalon
Bossimyah
Bomodia
Farmers villages
Yourigbéya
Touba
Cemetery and prayer space
(GPS 328)
Cemetery and prayer space
(GPS 328)
The cemetery and the
prayer space (seli kene)
(GPS 312)
Page 90
Cultural, religious and heritage sites
Ancient village sites
Other important cultural sites
(GPS 325)
The colonial house of
Sema Sylla (GPS 489)
Sacred altar consisting in
a termite mound and a
tree (GPS 317)
N’Gago is a sacred
stone at the entrance
of the village (GPS
319)
Sacred pond (GPS
316)
Dara wondy, sacred site
with an altar and a cave
(GPS 313)
Boniya Khounyi,
sacred site with two
stone steles (GPS 414
et 415)
Dicony (the
“devil”), sacred site
with no access
N’Bendiyah, the ancient
village (GPS 327)
The ancient village is
identified by a cotton
tree (GPS 331)
Mosque (GPS 333) and
cemetery (GPS 334)
Mosque (GPS 329) Cemetery
(FPS330)
Cemetery (GPS 331) and the
great mosque (GPS 332)
Cemetery (GPS 339)
The site of the concession
founder shows a
divinatory stone and a
sacred tree (GPS 465)
Bari Kide is a sacred site
(GPS 320)
Yensenyah bosquet is
an haunted site (GPS
321)
P
E
G
G. Koppert
Page 91
Appendix III – Consultation meetings
Consultation meetings were mainly about understanding the villages, but always started with a short
explanation of the project, and any questions dealing with the project were answered, depending on
the actual knowledge and information that the survey team had.
Kabak agricultural villages
Date
Village
District
Type of meeting
17/07/2011
20/07/2011
Yelibane
Yetiyah
Yelibane
Yelibane
5/07/2011
9/07/2011
18/07/2011
Bossimiyah
Kenende
Keka
Bossimiyah
Seydouyah
Seydouyah
17/07/2011
15/07/2011
19/07/2011
Yulaye
Manke
Tolomalon
Yulaye
Manke
Manke
18/07/2011
18/07/2011
19/07/2011
17/07/2011
Tonguiron
Tonguiton
Tonguiron
Tonguiron
Village questionnaire
Abbreviated village
questionnaire
Abbreviated village
questionnaire
Abbreviated village
questionnaire
Focus group
Karangbani
Bolimanda
Abbreviated village
questionnaire
Total 12 consultation meetings
Presence during the meeting
Men
Women
Total
34
26
60
?
?
?
19
30
?
10
10
?
29
20
?
34
55
?
40
9
?
74
64
?
23
0
47
15
70
15
?
?
?
195
157
332
Observations
Informal meeting
with key informants
Informal meeting
with key informants
Incomplete
Informal meeting
with key informants
Informal meeting
with key informants
Type of meeting: abbreviated village questionnaire, village questionnaire, focus group, consultation
meeting, etc.
Kabak fishing villages
Date
6/07/2011
20/07/2011
05/07/2011
District
Yelibane
Yelibane
Yelibane
Type of meeting
Focus group
Men
16
0
24
Women
4
16
10
Total
20
16
34
05/07/2011
11/07/2011
07/07/2011
Village
Konimodiya
Konimodiya
Dabonkhore
/ Rapata
Friah
Matakang
Baridabon
Yelibane
Matakang
Kakossa
Introduction meeting
20
13
?
35
9
?
55
22
?
9/07/2011
Sangbon
Seydouyag
Abbreviated village
questionnaire
Khunyi
Yulaye
25
2
27
15
113
13
89
28
202
14/07/2011
Informal meeting
with key informants
Type of meeting: abbreviated village questionnaire, village questionnaire, focus group, consultation
meeting, etc.
Port-Maferinya road
Date
22/07/2011
23/07/2011
7/07/2011
23/07/2011
22/07/2011
24/07/2011
25/07/2011
Village
Kalaya
Sounganyah
Moufoufanye
District
Senguelen
Senguelen
Senguelen
Type of meeting
Abbreviated village
questionnaire
Madinagbe
Madinagbe
Touguiyere
Senguelen
Tougande
Morifindian
Sireya
Morifindian
Abbreviated village
questionnaire
Men
8
10
5
Women
3
16
4
Total
11
26
9
51
9
15
6
1
1
57
10
16
?
?
?
98
31
129
Informal meeting
with key informants
F
E
P
E
G
G. Koppert
Appendix IV – Questionnaires used
Q1. – Household questionnaire
Q2. – Village questionnaire
Q3. – Focus group discussion field guide
Q4. – GPS-mapping observation sheet
Page 93
F
E
P
E
G
G. Koppert
Appendix V – Kabak Village Sheets
The village sheets for the port area are included in the Kakossa report. In this report are included the
following village sheets:
Village sheet 9 – Yelibane
Village sheet 12 – Bossimiyah
Village sheet 13 – Bolimanda
Village sheet 14 – Youlaye
Village sheet 15 – Manke
Village sheet 16 – Kenende
Village sheet 17 – Tonguiron
Page 95
F
E

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