Looking backward to go forward

Abstract

Street food vendors play an integral role in the food security and nutrition of urban Africans, even in areas where modern food retail abounds. In addition to the planning and legal apparatuses of the state that cast street vending as informal and in opposition to formally mandated food retail, the departmental competencies of local government regarding food have further perpetuated the idea of street food as problematic. The article advocates for street activity and alternative framings of street vending - invisible to officials acting in their official capacity, despite their use of street vendors in their personal capacity.