Social Branding in Urban Burkina Faso

In the past decade Diaspo youths – second generation immigrants in Côte d’Ivoire who were forced to migrate to their parents’ country of origin, Burkina Faso, during the Ivorian civil war – have become a visible presence in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second largest city. By consciously displaying their Ivorian origins, they have provoked both the admiration and resentment of local youths, whose ambivalence towards the outspoken and colourful newcomers stems from Côte d’Ivoire’s central role as a destination for Burkinabé labour migrants since the colonial period. Regardless of this animosity, Diaspo youth culture has made its mark on the city. This paper explores the response of Diaspo youths to their social stigmatisation and argues that their claims to recognition and access may be understood as a process of social branding. It may be seen as a self-aware performance of otherness, intended to evoke a collective identity that is mediated through a specific set of aesthetics to a well-defined audience.