Prestations legalized annual labor requisitions from Africans over fifteen
Evidence
The first were prestations, legalized in 1912 un- der Panty, which were annual labor requisitions every African over the age of fifteen owed the administration; they were not to exceed twelve days per year. French citizens, the evolwis, and Europeans in general were automatically exempt. The labor made available was to be used exclusively in the circle and devoted to small-scale public works of immediate interest to the community-roads, bridges, and the upkeep of local buildings. The administration was to make sure that fulfillment of an African’s prestations never interfered with planting and harvesting. Those who could afford it could buy out of their prestations, thus furnishing the administration with a supple- mentary source of income. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 751
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- XREF: The buy-out clause mirrors later coerced-labor schemes elsewhere; pattern of exemptions for the elite.