Migration networks and narratives in Ghana: a case study from the Zongo (original) (raw)
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2014
The spatial processes of marginalization and ghettoization have been described, labeled, and theorized extensively in the United States and Europe, yet there has been little research dedicated to these processes in the literature concerning urban Africa. Rather than using prescribed Western concepts, this thesis interrogates the spatial processes of marginalization by beginning with the local and particular - in this case, the Zongo, a fascinating, and understudied historical phenomenon in Ghana. Zongo means "traveler's camp" or "stop-over in Hausa and was used by British Colonial Officers to define the areas in which Muslims lived. Traditionally, the inhabitants of these settlements were Muslims migrating south either for trading purposes or as hired fighters. Today, Zongos have become a vast network of settlements and there is at least one Zongo in every urban center in Ghana. Since these ethnic groups were not indigenous to the territory, it is not surprising t...
A Geographic Theorization of Zongos in Urban Ghana: A Complex Systems Approach
Ghana Journal of Geography, 2021
While Zongos have become a permanent abode for many people, especially migrants in urban Ghana, the dynamics of these communities are quite poorly understood. This paper provides a geographic analysis of the formation of Zongos, drawing heavily on a complex systems approach to explore how various variables, including space, ethnicity, class, citizenship, migration and environmental processes intersect to form and sustain Zongos in Ghana. Essentially, the paper throws more light on the key factors that contribute to the spatial concentration of the urban poor in Zongos and concludes with the consequences of having the urban poor living in highly segregated and economically depressed neighbourhoods in Ghanaian cities. The paper argues that the formation of Zongos is not solely attributable to the fondness of migrants from northern Ghana to live among people of like background while in southern cities, but also because of the exclusionary machinations of the majority and their housing ...
The 1969 Ghana Exodus: Memory and Reminiscences of Yoruba Migrants
2008
Using the 1969 Ghana deportation of illegal aliens as a case study, this working paper explains how xenophobia became one dominant aspect of protonationalism repelling aliens in the process of nation-building and the rapidly changing social-economic contexts. The paper further examines the trauma of deportation experienced by Yoruba migrants, some of who were jailed; molested and robbed of life investments. Those who could not re-integrate into their hometowns made return migration to Ghana and onward migration to a third destination in major cities of West Africa to sustain their livelihood and entrepreneurship. Deportation of Yoruba from Ghana occurred at the height of the Nigerian civil war (1967-70) and political turbulence in other West African countries, which further raises questions about citizenship, power relations and state stability in the postcolony. This working paper illuminates the multiple challenges of deportation including reintegration process, access to resource...
The Migration Processes in Ghana: The Case of Northern Migrants
AFRICAN HUMAN MOBILITY REVIEW, 2019
Over the past four decades, Accra has witnessed an increasing influx of young women who migrate to the city with the sole aim of carrying goods. This paper examines the migration processes of these young women, who mostly migrate from the northern part of Ghana to Accra, in the South. A sample of 216 female porters were selected for the study. A survey, personal interviews, and focus group discussions were the main tools for data collection. The reasons for their migration, the parties involved in the decision to migrate, and how their migration was financed were explored. The study revealed that the migration process of female porters is enabled by social networks; the women have varying levels of social capital, which facilitates movement and settlement. These social networks increase the social asset base of female porters and provide safety nets for them. It is found that the reasons for their migration are related to the declining importance of agriculture and the non-availabil...