ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the significance of pastoralism in Africa and outlines trends in the conditions of pastoralists. It reviews how in relevant regions of the continent they have been affected by political and economic changes, and considers what more adequate vision of African pastoralists is appropriate in assessing their predicaments and in devising policies which will influence their future. The chapter describes certain general trends in the conditions of pastoral life, ones that differ sharply with the myths conventionally held regarding pastoralism. It discusses the experiences of political and economic change particular to the several key pastoral areas, and the regional applicability of the geopolitical, economic and environmental factors in terms of which the wider continental significance of African pastoralism can be defined. The baganwa bureaucratic class was better able to negotiate with modern political realities, offering hope for peasant revendication greater than that offered by Hutu revendication.
