| Abstract: | In 2001, the government of Burkinabè launched a major urban renewal project, known as ZACA (Zone d'aménagement commerciale et administrative), in the capital city of Ouagadougou. This decision, which would entail the destruction of several populated neighbourhoods in the downtown core, was vigorously opposed by residents, the vast majority of whom were Musulmans, who were organized into a residents association led by the district imams. Although this religious-oriented protest movement proved to be short-lived and did not lead to a redefinition of the relations between the Islamic community and the state, the events surrounding Project ZACA reveal important changes within the Musulman community, relating to intergenerational tension and the erosion of a certain form of religious authority. |
