Paper short abstract:

How do the different levels of government interact in a city described as an opposition stronghold? Based on the internal debates around the opening of a reformist mosque, this paper discusses the daily negotiations between administrative, religious and partisan authorities in authoritarian context.

Paper long abstract:

With nearly 200,000 inhabitants, Labé is one of the largest cities in Guinea and the administrative capital of “Moyenne-Guinée” also called Fuuta-Jallo. It is the stronghold of the main opposition party, the UFDG, which is mainly supported by Fulani, living in the region since the 18th century, after a jihad that gave rise to a theocratic State. From Conakry, Labé is often described as a “rebel city” driven by Fulbe ethnocentrism. Beyond the political myth, what is the degree of autonomy for local authorities vis-à-vis the central power?

I will answer this question by studying a controversy that erupted in the 2010s around the opening of a Wahhabi mosque in a city historically devoted to Sufism. Sufi Islam is central for Fulbe identity, and strengthens the social prestige of the local “grandes familles” since pre-colonial times. Conversely, the "Wahhabi" movement is mainly carried by subaltern groups, who represent potential voters for the ruling party in Conakry. The controversial opening of the “Tata” mosque thus confronts the different scales of the Guinean State. Through ethnographic interviews and administrative documents, I will present some daily and concrete cases: a Regional Secretary for Religious Affairs, refusing to issue the administrative approval for the mosque, supported by his brother, “Préfet” of the Labé district; a Governor, appointed by Conakry, encouraging the Wahhabi followers to settle the case directly in the capital… all different faces of public authority’s negotiation in a regional city.