Commerce and Community: Paths to Success for Malian Merchants

Abstract

For many young Malian men, trade offers, or seems to offer, the possibility of escape from the poverty endemic to their society. Important traders are well dressed, well fed, have large families and entree to high circles of wealth and power (Amselle 1987a). Many believe that, through dint of hard work, savvy and a with little luck, anyone can become a successful trader. While no one knows exactly how many attempt a career in commerce, Malian cities and towns teem with boys and men engaged in petty trade. Women are also involved in trade, though most deal only in small quantities of cooked food or garden produce. Men and boys sell pre-recorded cassettes, cigarettes, kola and other inexpensive merchandise. All believe that if they do the right things, and it is the will of God, they will succeed. Success, for men, means progressively increasing the size of their business and eventually owning a large store, several trucks or another large enterprise. Women generally do not operate financially important businesses. However, they may have substantial behind-the-scenes investment in them. For a Malian man, becoming a prosperous merchant can be seen as a process of joining a commercial community. The members of the commercial community control access to the wealth and the connections that can transform a poor shopkeeper into a wealthy merchant. Aspiring merchants must follow a course of action that allows them to identify increasingly with and be accepted by this community.

Gold Trading Networks and the Creation of Trust: A Case Study from Northern Benin

“…1 In this respect, my study relates to trustworthiness and brokerage in merchant networks brought forward in classical studies by Cohen (1965), Hill (1966), but also Warms (1994).…”

Persistence and practice of trading networks a case study of the cereal trade in Mali

“…All people involved in one of the above listed activities, with regard to cereals, were identified as part of the cereal trading network of N'golobougo. However identifying clearly defined roles turned out to be complicated because many people engaged more than one task (see also Saul, 1987 andWarms, 1994 for similar observations in other West-African cities). We labelled the members according to their major task: trading, purchasing produce at village level, and handling and transporting produce.…”

The need to travel: Malian women shuttle traders, autonomy and (mis)trust in neoliberal Dakar

“…Reliance on such ‘characteristics-based trust’ has been common among West African men involved in long-distance trade. Studies have emphasized the significance of social networks and ethnic and religious identity in constituting successful trading networks and institutions in this region (Amselle 1977; Cohen 1969; Diouf 2000; Ebin 1992; Grégoire and Labazée 1993; Warms 1992; 1994). However, as the previous section pointed out, the female bana-banas were cut off from these kinds of networks in certain ways.…”