This study examines how cattle traders in the cattle markets of Ngaoundéré, northern Cameroon, continue to conduct business despite the uncertainties and frequent defaults associated with credit-based transactions. It investigates two forms of credit relationships (nyamaande in Fulfulde) that sustain everyday market transactions.

While previous studies often portray credit as a one-directional loan carrying a high risk of default, this study highlights a mutual and flexible system of credit transactions. The article identifies two major forms of credit: the first is linked to commercial transactions, while the second is based on personal monetary assistance. In both forms, traders are simultaneously creditors and debtors, thus forming interlocking cycles of debt and credit within the markets.

These arrangements not only allow deferral of payments but also enable traders’ temporary mobilization of others’ capital as if it were their own. This system generates profit even in saturated markets and frames the cattle markets as an economic safety net. By maintaining these credit ties, traders engage in jonglage (strategic juggling of debts), in which full repayment is less of a concern. This study argues that the sustainability of these credit ties lies not in collectively built systems of mutual aid to mitigate risk, but in traders’ tactical know-how in negotiating and adjusting relationships, which in turn shapes the everyday functioning of the markets.

In May 2022, Kathmandu’s newly elected mayor, Balen Shah, banned all street activities except walking, prompting the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Police to strictly remove street vendors. Previous studies on street vending and squatter settlements in Nepal and other South Asian countries have highlighted the “contested space” between exclusionary local government, policies, and popular resistance. However, this literature has largely focused on the top-down dimension of Oda’s “dual society,” or the “non-authentic society” while neglecting the “simultaneous face-to-face relationships” between street vendors and local residents that constitute an “authentic society” operating alongside it. Using Asan, Kathmandu’s oldest and most prominent marketplace, as a case study, this paper shows that although residents often speak negatively about street vendors, they simultaneously approve them by purchasing fresh food from them on a daily basis. In addition, Asan’s residents continue to rebuild this informal system by cooperating with street vendors and neighbors through the practice of milāunu despite concerns over public health and traffic congestion. Consequently, the street market in Asan, though frequently framed negatively, rests on a democratic spatial system grounded in face-to-face relationships within an authentic society.

In the Republic of Sudan, non-profit activities have been flourishing, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and student volunteer organizations have contributed to public welfare, providing youth with constructive outlets for their energy. This paper focuses on young people actively involved with three local NGOs in Khartoum. As a former volunteer of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) stationed in Khartoum who participated in the establishment of an environmental NGO, the author conducted this study primarily through participant observation and interviews. This paper analyzes their social backgrounds, motivations for participation, and key characteristics.

Findings indicated that the youth voluntarily joined the NGOs, often inspired by peers engaged in charitable or volunteer activities and driven by a desire to contribute to society. They received strong family and social support and were generally not economically disadvantaged. Religious or political motivations were not the primary drivers; Rather than being motivated, the youth participants found personal enjoyment in NGO activities and sought to benefit society through their involvement. The findings suggest that these young people demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting NGO solidarity, building lasting relationships, and expanding networks of mutual aid in the city.