The City of Maradl French Influence Upon a Hausa Urban Center

Abstract

The traditional Hausa city of Maradi, located in the south-central borderlands of Niger, rose to prominence during the 19th Century as a center of Hausa opposition to the Fulani-controlled Hausa state of Katsina. The intrusion of French influence during the 20th Century brought about a change in the situation and function of Maradi by creating a market and making it a node of transportation networks within the developing colonial economy. Following a major flood in 1945, the French relocated the city on higher ground and changed not only the site but the form and internal structure of the city. European urban planning with symmetrical street patterns and designated functional areas were imposed upon the Hausa landscape although traditional Hausa architecture was retained in the residential area. Today Maradi is the third largest city in Niger and has established its primacy within the south-central borderlands by the role and function it plays within the development of Niger. The city is an important market center with an extensive tributary area; it functions as a node for importing and exporting, a vital role for landlocked Niger, and it is centrally located within the economic core of Niger.