Democratic Republic of Congo Research Papers (original) (raw)
Karl Edvard Laman (1867-1944) appartient à la première génération des missionnaires suédois établis dès 1881 dans l’État indépendant du Congo. Il y séjourne durant plus d’un quart de siècle, de 1891 à 1919. Laman s’affirme peu à peu comme... more
Karl Edvard Laman (1867-1944) appartient à la première génération des missionnaires suédois établis dès 1881 dans l’État indépendant du Congo. Il y séjourne durant plus d’un quart de siècle, de 1891 à 1919. Laman s’affirme peu à peu comme une grande figure savante, linguiste et fin connaisseur de la culture Kongo qu’il documente, y compris dans ses expressions matérielles, au moment où ses fondements se disloquent sous les chocs de l’entreprise coloniale. L’œuvre scientifique se double d’un projet humaniste : l’émancipation des populations par l’éducation populaire dont les deux vecteurs sont pour lui l’accès à la Bible en langue kikongo (sa traduction parait en 1905) et la promotion des valeurs culturelles kongo. Cette valorisation de la langue et de la culture Kongo est au fondement de son activité savante.
Violence against adolescent girls occurs at alarmingly high rates in conflict-affected settings, in part due to their increased vulnerability from their age and gender. However, humanitarian programming efforts have historically focused... more
Violence against adolescent girls occurs at alarmingly high rates in conflict-affected settings, in part due to their increased vulnerability from their age and gender. However, humanitarian programming efforts have historically focused either on child abuse prevention or intimate partner violence prevention and have not fully addressed the specific needs of adolescent girls, including engagement of caregivers to reduce risk of violence against adolescent girls. Thus, the objectives of this analysis are to examine the whether gendered and parental attitudes of caregivers in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were associated with their adolescent girls' experiences of violence and girls' attitudes towards IPV. Cross-sectional data from 869 girls (10–14 years) and their caregivers (n = 764) were drawn from a baseline assessment of a violence prevention evaluation conducted in 2015. Findings suggest that female caregiver's gender equitable attitudes for adults may be associated with reduced odds of sexual abuse and less acceptance of IPV for adolescent girl children. Parenting attitudes and beliefs and gender equity for girl children were not associated with violence risk for girls, while increased accepting attitudes of negative discipline were only associated with lowered odds of sexual abuse. Understanding of caregivers' attitudes may provide potential insight into how to more effectively engage and develop programming for caregivers to promote the safety and well-being of adolescent girls.
The right to (a project for) the city. Mboka bilanga or extensive peri-urban urbanization as a lever for the development of Kinshasa Henry Lefebvre's right to the city is introduced in this chapter; it is presented in order to directly... more
The right to (a project for) the city. Mboka bilanga or extensive peri-urban urbanization as a lever for the development of Kinshasa Henry Lefebvre's right to the city is introduced in this chapter; it is presented in order to directly address the role and the form of the urbanism project to obtain improved living standards for the majority of the Congolese people, most of whom are reported to be living below the poverty threshold and where public financial resources are practically absent. The application of an academic approach with regard to research on the Kinshasa territory is accepted to structure the reflexion process. It aims to explore how the project technique based upon a double construction of knowledge on the territory contributes to an overall improvement of the living conditions of the inhabitants. This technique combines the description of the actual territory of Kinshasa with different development scenarios. This implies in the case of Kinshasa that urban sprawl as a survival strategy of the inhabitants is accepted and that lands and housing are used as food-related resources. This observation leads to the mboka bilanga hypothesis that states that the city and agricultural production are closely entangled. This hypothesis enables to conceptualize a city project that articulates metropolitan issues with local dynamics, based upon existing local practices.
U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age data, together with geochemical analyses
- by Laurence Robb and +1
- •
- Geology, Geophysics, Democratic Republic of Congo, Copper
What happens when religious leaders are forced to face war? How do they understand their role and cope with situations of threat and displacement? In a qualitative interview study the aim was to gain an understanding of what it meant to... more
What happens when religious leaders are forced to face war? How do they understand their role and cope with situations of threat and displacement? In a qualitative interview study the aim was to gain an understanding of what it meant to serve as a pastor in a war situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The study had a phenomenological lifeworld approach. Semi structured interviews were conducted with five head pastors of Pentecostal churches in the province of South Kivu, eastern DR Congo. The pastors were encouraged to describe the daily life and experiences. Phenomenological and narrative analysis was done on the word-to-word transcribed interviews. The findings were also related to Victor Frankl's existential perspective on the meaning of suffering. The results show that being a pastor at war means to be: i) in extreme difficulty, ii) still be faithful to their mission, iii) dealing with people in extreme difficulty, and iiii) still be able to give them hope. Two of the most common Biblical metaphors for leadership emerge as a motive for the conduct of the pastor; shepherd and servant. The pastor is a faithful servant who is completing the mission God has given; being a shepherd who watches over the church in all circumstances. In these dual obligations the pastor finds a deep meaning that give the ability to endure suffering and the courage to be among the first to return to their societies after times of displacement. The need to return to the church as quickly as possible in order to pastoring was emphasized. This action was through the narrative analysis understood as the turning point in the story of the pastor in armed conflicts. Central is to give hope and encouragement for other displaced civilians to return. This small qualitative study shows how a religious lifeworld perspective can give deep meaning to endure suffering and the courage to rebuild societies. The findings open up for further research on the role of religious leaders at war and conflicts.
We describe the distribution and estimate densities of Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla gorilla graueri) and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) in a 12,770-km2area of lowland forest between the Lowa, Luka, Lugulu, and Oku... more
We describe the distribution and estimate densities of Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla gorilla graueri) and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) in a 12,770-km2area of lowland forest between the Lowa, Luka, Lugulu, and Oku rivers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the site of the largest continuous population of Grauer's gorillas. The survey included a total of 480 km of transects completed
Atlanta, in this article I explore the practices and strategies of religious territorialization associated with the politics of diaspora. A focus on the manifold ways of enacting and performing diasporic religious identities enables one... more
Atlanta, in this article I explore the practices and strategies of religious territorialization associated with the politics of diaspora. A focus on the manifold ways of enacting and performing diasporic religious identities enables one to understand how religious actors connect spaces and temporalities to carve out spiritual and symbolic cartographies. More specifically, I analyse the particular interplay of diasporic politics, religious identity, place and history in the context of political crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The transnational scope of the groups studied -Catholics, Kimbanguists and Pentecostals -significantly shapes their diasporic religious experience as they are embedded in larger polycentric social fields and 'sacredscapes' within which people, money, ideas, images, objects or values circulate. I also link the individual and collective experiences of diasporic religion to the shaping role of power relations and conflicts within wider transnational social fields.
Introduction 7 1. Regress, war, plunder and the involvement of Rwanda and Uganda. 8 1.1. On the problematic definition of illegal exports 10 1.2. Plunder and illegal exports in wartime and peacetime 12 2. The commodity chain for coltanv... more
Introduction 7 1. Regress, war, plunder and the involvement of Rwanda and Uganda. 8 1.1. On the problematic definition of illegal exports 10 1.2. Plunder and illegal exports in wartime and peacetime 12 2. The commodity chain for coltanv 14 2.1. The coltan boom and the creation of the Société Minière des Grands Lacs (SOMIGL) 15 2.2. Rwandan involvement in the post-SOMIGL era 16 2.3. The creation of the Congo Holding Development Company 19 2.4. A tentative assessment of the distribution of the added value between the different stakeholders in the coltan commodity chain 21 Conclusion 25 References 28
The concept of “Indigenous Pygmy People” is accepted and approved by the government and civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the DRC, the term refers to the Mbuti, Baka and Batwa peoples. The... more
The concept of “Indigenous Pygmy People” is accepted and
approved by the government and civil society organisations
(CSOs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the DRC,
the term refers to the Mbuti, Baka and Batwa peoples.
The exact number of Indigenous Pygmy People in the DRC
is unknown. The government estimates it at around 700,000
(1% of the Congolese population)1 but CSOs give a figure of up
to 2,000,000 (3% of the population). They are widely acknowledged
as the first inhabitants of the national rainforests.2 They
live in nomadic and semi-nomadic groups throughout virtually
all of the country’s provinces. Indigenous peoples’ lives are
closely linked to the forest and its resources: they practise hunting,
gathering and fishing and treat their illnesses through the
use of their own pharmacopeia and medicinal plants. The forest
lies at the heart of their culture and living environment.3
However, it is little recognised that their traditional knowledge
and practices have significantly contributed to preserving
the Congolese forests. Worse, Indigenous Pygmy People’s
customary rights are blatantly ignored, and Indigenous groups
are often evicted from their traditional territories with neither
consent nor compensation. This tenure insecurity has dramatic
socioeconomic consequences – from ethnic identity loss to
lethal conflicts, as recently occurred in Tanganyika and around
the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
Nevertheless, there is hope. In 2020, the DRC showed the
world its commitment to protecting and promoting the rights
of Indigenous people through several breakthroughs, including
some major progress on the proposed Law on the promotion
and protection of Indigenous Pygmy People’s rights.
Le Nyiragongo (3 469 m) et le Nyamulagira (3 058 m) sont les deux volcans actifs de la chaîne des Virunga, qui s'étend entre la République démocratique du Congo (R.d.c.), l'Ouganda et le Rwanda. Alors que le premier, bien connu pour... more
Le Nyiragongo (3 469 m) et le Nyamulagira (3 058 m) sont les deux volcans actifs de la chaîne des Virunga, qui s'étend entre la République démocratique du Congo (R.d.c.), l'Ouganda et le Rwanda. Alors que le premier, bien connu pour abriter le plus grand lac de lave du monde, est imprévisible, le deuxième entre en éruption en moyenne tous les deux ans et il était somme toute assez prévisible qu'il entre en éruption après vingt-deux longs mois de sommeil. Cependant, l'éruption du 6 novembre 2011 ayant eu lieu à 11 km du cratère principal du Nyamulagira, on pouvait penser à la naissance d'un nouveau volcan. Cet article paru dans le numéro 154 de LAVE (Janvier 2012) relate une visite sur les lieux de l'éruption du Nyamulagira du 6 novembre 2011.
This paper takes up the challenge of theorizing the "sexual" afresh from lived realities in contemporary Africa by focussing on how male same-sex desire is conceptualized by men and boys who partake in multiple ways in, what one might... more
This paper takes up the challenge of theorizing the "sexual" afresh from lived realities in contemporary Africa by focussing on how male same-sex desire is conceptualized by men and boys who partake in multiple ways in, what one might call, homoerotic economies in urban DR Congo. Ongoing ethnographic research in Kinshasa and Kisangani among selfconsciously "effeminate" (Lingala: fioto) men and their genderconforming "normal" boyfriends uncovers the profound epistemological and ontological limitations of the concept of "sexuality" to understand and conceptualize everyday erotic experiences. In this paper, I elaborate on the vernacular sex/gender imaginaries that seem to structure homoerotic economies in contemporary urban Congo. I specifically focus on how the logics of penetration and reputation map out a set of homoerotic subject positions and on how this emic conceptualization of male same-sex desire is characterized by internal contradictions and instabilities that partly undermine its vernacular logics of categorization and identification. Thinking through and with these slippery logics, I propose a grounded theorization of "desire" that transcends the merely ethnographical. This reworking and re-thinking of emic and vernacular conceptualizations, by taking seriously radical Otherness as a political stance in a process of theoretical bricolage, is a way to un-think the taken-for-grantedness of "sexuality".
In this final paper I argue that theories on civil war today are insufficient as to fully explain the reasons that the violence in Democratic Republic of Congo[DRC] has reached an intensity and persistence, that not even the UNs... more
In this final paper I argue that theories on civil war today are insufficient as to fully explain the reasons that the violence in Democratic Republic of Congo[DRC] has reached an intensity and persistence, that not even the UNs second-largest peace-keeping force is to control the violent forces.
I use this a starting point for an investigation of the evolution in social structures in DRC during colonialism and independence before and after the Cold War. This shows how a breakdown of social structures and institutions led to fragile or dysfunctional neopatrimonialism under President Mobutu and a social structure after the Cold War that revolves around violence. This leads to a discussion of reasons for the persistence and the character of the violence in DRC.
De antropoloog Filip De Boeck en de fotograaf Sammy Baloji werkten tussen 2013 en 2014 samen aan een onderzoeksproject rond stad en stedelijkheid in Congo. Het project mondde uit in het boek Suturing the City. Living Together in Congo's... more
De antropoloog Filip De Boeck en de fotograaf Sammy Baloji werkten tussen 2013 en 2014 samen aan een onderzoeksproject rond stad en stedelijkheid in Congo. Het project mondde uit in het boek Suturing the City. Living Together in Congo's Urban Worlds en de door Devrim Bayar gecureerde rondreizende tentoonstelling Urban Now: City Life in Congo. Boek en expo denken de relatie tussen tekst en beeld op een andere manier: terwijl de foto's in het boek intiem verweven zijn met de tekst van De Boeck, ontbreekt die tekst in de tentoonstelling en hangen de beelden van Baloji haast contextloos op de muur. Toch blijven zij, dankzij enkele ingrepen van de curator, (relatief) leesbaar. Alhoewel geïnformeerd door de antropologische studie van De Boeck, krijgen ze hier de kans een eigen verhaal te schrijven.
Plus que de vérités nues, pures et dures, l’Eglise vit d’images, de rythmes, de symboles, de couleurs et d’odeurs. Le sacrifice eucharistique est ainsi « source et sommet de toute la vie chrétienne1 ». A travers l’histoire, on admire... more
Plus que de vérités nues, pures et dures, l’Eglise vit d’images, de rythmes, de symboles, de couleurs et d’odeurs. Le sacrifice eucharistique est ainsi « source et sommet de toute la vie chrétienne1 ». A travers l’histoire, on admire combien la célébration eucharistique « resplendit de toute sa richesse multiforme dans le rite liturgique1 ». Plus que des éléments épars comme le pain et le vin, le corps et le sang du Christ, il s’agit donc d’un ensemble de cérémonies, mêlant paroles, objets et gestes.
Pourtant, il faut bien le reconnaître : si l’Eglise contrôle le réseau et maîtrise le faisceau des articles de la foi, elle paraît souvent débordée par le flux des images produites par elle-même ou déferlant du dehors. Entre la publicité commerciale, la propagande politique ou la promotion et la dévotion des saints, la ligne de discernement ne se dégage pas toujours au premier regard. La confusion s’impose parfois. Les normes liturgiques n’y peuvent rien. Les directives n’ont pas tout prévu. Et pourquoi, alors, ne pas se permettre ce qui n’est pas interdit ? La place ne s’ouvre-t-elle pas à la cacophonie ? Cacophonie au coca-cola2 ou harmonie ?
Posons-nous la question au regard de quelques pratiques de la vie chrétienne en RDC. Elles concernent, notamment, la propagande politique et la publicité commerciale.
The LDS Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah houses extensive archival materials documenting the LDS Church’s expansion in postcolonial Sub-Saharan Africa. These records, including journals, correspondence, local church records,... more
The LDS Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah houses extensive archival materials documenting the LDS Church’s expansion in postcolonial Sub-Saharan Africa. These records, including journals, correspondence, local church records, and oral histories, constitute a crucial resource for reconstructing the continent’s postcolonial history, offering invaluable insights into African social, cultural, and religious practices from the 1960s onward.
Dating from the colonial era, the Pende, an ethno-linguistic group that resides primarily in the southwest Congo, have staged elaborate dances called mungonge. These dances, performed in the village square or a nearby field, involve a... more
Dating from the colonial era, the Pende, an ethno-linguistic group that resides primarily in the southwest Congo, have staged elaborate dances called mungonge. These dances, performed in the village square or a nearby field, involve a series of elaborate masks, with dancers covered in raffia, body paint, dried fruits, and sundry other decorations. The dances are intimately tied with the sacred, and in particular are used to commune with the village's ancestors. During these rites, women are ordered to lock themselves in their houses, forbidden from seeing the drama their husbands, fathers and brothers are enacting. Every performance drips with myth and meaning, evoking seemingly timeless traditions.
We bevinden ons op een heuvel in het uiterste zuidoosten van de provincie Neder-Congo in de Democratische Republiek Congo. Het maakt deel uit van een plateau dat doorsneden wordt door de Inkisi, een rivier met bron in Angola. Je kan... more
We bevinden ons op een heuvel in het uiterste zuidoosten van de provincie Neder-Congo in de Democratische Republiek Congo. Het maakt deel uit van een plateau dat doorsneden wordt door de Inkisi, een rivier met bron in Angola. Je kan Angola bijna zien, al wordt het zicht belemmerd door de hoge grassen en het dichte struikgewas. In de valleien herinneren palmboomgallerijen je eraan dat je je niet zo ver ten zuiden van het tropisch regenwoud bevindt. Een verrassende plek om Belgische onderzoekers te vinden. De vorsers graven er niet enkel op, maar zoeken ook naar oude verhalen en legenden om zo het verleden van het vergeten Koninkrijk Kongo opnieuw te reconstrueren.
With the support of the Public Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), IPIS set up its Artisanal Gold Monitoring Pilot in Mambasa (Ituri Province, DRC) between April 2016 and July 2017. This involved developing a low-cost... more
With the support of the Public Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), IPIS set up its Artisanal Gold Monitoring Pilot in Mambasa (Ituri Province, DRC) between April 2016 and July 2017. This involved developing a low-cost methodology to produce a continuous data flow on a wide range of indicators related to the operational, security and human rights context of artisanal gold mining. This methodology builds on and enhances the monitoring capacities and structures of local state agents and civil society actors. It allows capturing the dynamic nature of production and trading patterns along the artisanal gold supply chains feeding into an important trade hub. The Mambasa pilot demonstrates how production data and trading patterns can be systematically monitored at numerous individual mine sites feeding into the artisanal gold trading hub of Mambasa. The findings of the research are summarized in 3 progress reports and a final monitoring report.
This chapter presents a comparative historical analysis of the process of labour commodification during the rubber boom period in Western Amazonia and the Congo Free State. Its primary objective is to address the debate on the expansion... more
This chapter presents a comparative historical analysis of the process of labour commodification during the rubber boom period in Western Amazonia and the Congo Free State. Its primary objective is to address the debate on the expansion of commodity frontiers and its social repercussions on native peoples. Therefore, we look at the changes and continuities in social and labour relations in both regions in regard to their colonial background and neo-colonial context, so as to demonstrate that the commodification of rubber prompted the commodification of indigenous workforce, by focusing on the practices of enslavement by debt and enslavement by tax. Ultimately, we hope to shed some light on the coloniality and violent repercussions that have underlaid the expansion of capitalism and globalisation in the Amazonian and Congo regions to this day.
Recent studies on the Uganda geothermal systems have focused on three geothermal prospects, Katwe, Buranga and Kibiro, all located in the tectonically active and Recent volcanic belt in the Western Rift valley along the border of Uganda... more
Recent studies on the Uganda geothermal systems have focused on three geothermal prospects, Katwe, Buranga and Kibiro, all located in the tectonically active and Recent volcanic belt in the Western Rift valley along the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Geothermal systems and saline and fresh water lakes characterize the Rift Valley. The three areas were chosen for study because of their volcanic and tectonic features that indicate a powerful heat source and high permeability. The objective is to develop geothermal energy as an alternative energy source to hydro and others to meet the energy demand of rural areas in sound environment. The geology and geochemistry results for the surface hot springs indicate that potential geothermal systems exist at depth. The subsurface temperatures of 160-200°C, 200°C, and above 200°C for the Katwe, Buranga and Kibiro prospects, respectively, have been inferred by geothermometry and mixing models. These temperatures are suitab...
Between October and December 2014, a series of massacres that killed more than 250 people took place in Beni territory, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) near the border with Uganda. The DRC government and the UN... more
Between October and December 2014, a series of massacres that killed more than 250 people took place in Beni territory, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) near the border with Uganda. The DRC government and the UN stabilization mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) quickly identified a Ugandan rebel group called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) as the sole culprits, despite strong indications of the involvement of other actors, including Congolese soldiers. Around the same time, the Ugandan government blamed the murder of several Muslim leaders in Uganda on the ADF, although there was scant supporting evidence. This article explores how different actors have framed the ADF and why, and what these different framings tell us about the political and economic motives of each actor. In doing so, the article analyses the politics of knowledge construction on rebel groups—specifically the ways in which narratives about a rebel group may reveal more about the intentions of the actor framing the group than about the group itself. The article also shows how processes of knowledge construction are not only related to active instrumentalization by the actors involved, but are also the result of organizational dynamics. The next section discusses the literature on framing, in particular how wars are framed. After a brief history of the ADF, the article examines how the Ugandan government, Congolese government and MONUSCO framed the ADF, and why: while both governments largely instrumentalize the rebel movement for political and economic reasons, MONUSCO's framing is largely influenced by organizational shortcomings. The final section brings these issues together, showing how particular images of the ADF are constructed through the processes of extraver-sion and introversion.
This paper discusses the justice and security mechanisms in Haut-Uele district. It shows how the district has a long history of marginalization and degradation. In the context of degraded state institutions and geographical isolation, the... more
This paper discusses the justice and security mechanisms in Haut-Uele district. It shows how the district has a long history of marginalization and degradation. In the context of degraded state institutions and geographical isolation, the resolution of conflicts remains limited to a local and isolated level through which a small number of actors – particularly the customary chiefs - play an important role. Moreover, it is
shown how different actors make deliberate efforts to concentrate decision-making processes at their own level. All this has strongly negative consequences for the beneficiaries. Secondly, it is shown how the presence of the LRA rebel group has further accelerated this process, since the conflict has increased the isolation of certain areas whilst at the same time making conflict resolution more multi-layered,
as other actors such as the army and international organizations have become involved. The latter has had a positive impact for the beneficiaries.
This training manual was develop for the DRC and more broadly for Central Africa and aims to build community resilience by teaching integrated fire management concepts and skills, including fire management planning, fire preparedness,... more
This training manual was develop for the DRC and more broadly for Central Africa and aims to build community resilience by teaching integrated fire management concepts and skills, including fire management planning, fire preparedness, fire ecology, prescribed burning methods, and how to avoid unplanned fires, at the local level. This manual provides various training options for different target audiences. It is divided into three levels progressing from introductory to expert. Modules within each level can be further adapted to specific training contexts. Trainers should always adapt the material to local conditions.
Rape and other forms of sexual violence have been a prominent feature in the conflict in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, committed as a weapon of war and opportunistically by all groups involved. This chapter... more
Rape and other forms of sexual violence have been a prominent feature in the conflict in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, committed as a weapon of war and opportunistically by all groups involved. This chapter seeks to understand the causes of sexual violence in this conflict with a primary focus on structural influences. Through an analysis of literature on rape in war and primary data obtained through interviews conducted in eastern Congo in 2010, this chapter takes the militarization of masculinity and the economic objectives of armed groups to be important factors for understanding the ongoing use of sexual violence in this conflict. This chapter contends that the prevalence and form of sexual violence occurring in this war must be understood in relation to both the social constructs of masculinity fostered in Congo and the political economy of the ongoing war. This chapter argues that while political and economic reforms are essential to ending the conflict, they may be insufficient for ending the use of sexual violence. In order that women’s rights be protected in post-conflict Congo, social reform that addresses the relationship of sexual violence with masculinity must also be implemented.
This article addresses an underreported aspect of contemporary warring in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the experiences of women soldiers and officers in the Congolese national armed forces (Forces Armées de la République... more
This article addresses an underreported aspect of contemporary warring in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the experiences of women soldiers and officers in the Congolese national armed forces (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo [FARDC]). It thus addresses an empirical gap in scholarly and policy knowledge about female soldiers in national armies on the African continent, and the DRC in particular. Based on original interviews, the article explores the way female soldiers in the FARDC understand their identities as “women soldiers” and offers new insight into women soldiers’ role and responsibilities in the widespread violence committed against civilians in the DRC. Moreover, it explores how their understanding of themselves as “women soldiers” both challenges and confirms familiar notions of the army as a masculine sphere. Such insight is important for better understanding the gendered makeup of the military and for contributing to a knowledge base for Security Sector Reform in this violent (post)conflict setting.
The Congo River is the deepest in the world and second-longest in Africa. Harnessing its full hydropower potential has been an ongoing development dream of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its more powerful regional allies. If... more
The Congo River is the deepest in the world and second-longest in Africa. Harnessing its full hydropower potential has been an ongoing development dream of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its more powerful regional allies. If completed, the Grand Inga complex near
Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, will be the largest dam project in the world. Its eight separate dams (Inga 1–8) are envisioned to be “lighting up and powering Africa”. Opponents claim, however, that the rewards will be outsourced to corporate mining interests rather than meeting the needs of the local population, and that the project is flawed economically, socially and environmentally. The planned construction of the Inga dams and associated infrastructure has been stuck in limbo
since it was mooted in the 1960s; a fantasy rather than a reality. This article attempts to analyse the rivalry underlying the Grand Inga scheme beyond the “pro” and “contra” reports. Embracing Lacanian psychoanalysis and triangulating multiple sources, we seek to unmask Grand Inga as a potent fantasy. Whilst exhibiting its purpose to serve as a screen to protect both proponents of and opponents to the dam from encountering their own self-deception, we conclude the scheme to be at
its most powerful whilst the dream remains unfulfilled.
Scopo di questo articolo è verificare la materialità sociale della cosiddetta società dell’informazione e del capitalismo delle piattaforme, mostrando le contraddizioni tra capitale, lavoro e ambiente naturale. Per farlo, useremo la lente... more
Scopo di questo articolo è verificare la materialità sociale della cosiddetta società dell’informazione e del capitalismo delle piattaforme, mostrando le contraddizioni tra capitale, lavoro e ambiente naturale. Per farlo, useremo la lente delle filiere produttive delle materie prime alla base dei nuovi dispositivi elettronici, focalizzandoci su uno dei cosiddetti minerali insanguinati, cioè il coltan (columbite-tantalite). In un primo momento ci concentreremo sulle regioni minerarie del Kivu (Nord Kivu e Sud Kivu), nella Repubblica Democratica del Congo orientale: esse sono caratterizzate da una produzione mineraria prevalentemente di tipo artigianale (Artisanal and Small scale mining), in cui persistono numerose forme di coercizione extra-salariale a causa dell’attività
di numerosi gruppi paramilitari e della diffusa economia informale ed illegale. Successivamente, ci focalizzeremo sulla propagazione digitale per mostrare l’altro volto della materialità sociale della società dell’informazione e del capitalismo delle piattaforme. Dagli anni ’10 del XXI secolo ad oggi il numero di dispositivi elettronici portatili (smartphone, pc, ecc.), diventati centrali nelle interazioni della nostra vita quotidiana, è aumentato vertiginosamente. Il peso della crescente domanda è ricaduto sui lavoratori del Sud globale (e di paesi come la
Cina), i quali sono sottoposti a pressioni enormi e a ritmi lavorativi massacranti al fine di garantire la produzione dei dispositivi elettronici. Parimenti, l’impronta ecologica ha assunto forme sempre più marcate: oltre all’impatto ambientale dovuto alla produzione vera e propria e alla circolazione delle merci, vi è anche l’enorme consumo di energia elettrica necessario a mantenere operativi le infrastrutture informazionali alla base del capitalismo delle piattaforme.
Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) was first reported from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the 1950s, has become invasive and spread into 11 countries in the region. To determine the potential threat of... more
Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) was first reported from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the 1950s, has become invasive and spread into 11 countries in the region. To determine the potential threat of BBTV to the production of bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) in the sub-region, field surveys were conducted for the presence of banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) in the DRC, Angola, Cameroon, Gabon and Malawi. Using the DNA-S and DNA-R segments of the virus genome, the genetic diversity of BBTV isolates was also determined from these countries relative to virus isolates across the banana-growing regions around the world. The results established that BBTD is widely prevalent in all parts of DRC, Malawi, Angola and Gabon, in south and western part of Cameroon. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences of DNA-S and DNA-R indicate that BBTV isolates from these countries are genetically identical forming a unique clade within the 'South Pacific' phylogroup that includes isolates from Australia, Egypt, South Asia and South Pacific. These results imply that farmers' traditional practice of transferring vegetative propagules within and between countries, together with virus spread by the widely prevalent banana aphid vector, Pentalonia nigronervosa, could have contributed to the geographic expansion of BBTV in SSA. The results provided a baseline to explore sanitary measures and other 'clean' plant programs for sustainable management of BBTV and its vector in regions where the disease has already been established and prevent the spread of the virus to as yet unaffected regions in SSA.
- by Olufemi Alabi and +2
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- Genetics, Phylogeography, South Asia, Democratic Republic of Congo
El texto aborda el derecho ambiental desde su origen en el contexto internacional, aterrizando el estudio en su adopción o rechazo en países megadiversos del mundo dentro de sus cartas magnas (Australia, Brasil, Colombia, Congo, China,... more
El texto aborda el derecho ambiental desde su origen en el contexto internacional, aterrizando el estudio en su adopción o rechazo en países megadiversos del mundo dentro de sus cartas magnas (Australia, Brasil, Colombia, Congo, China, Ecuador, EUA, Filipinas, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malasia, México, Papúa Nueva Guinea, Sudáfrica, Perú y Venezuela).
Presentation on Youth, Adulthood and Social Integration in the DR Congo on the occasion of an expert group meeting of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Inclusive Social Development, organized by... more
Presentation on Youth, Adulthood and Social Integration in the DR Congo on the occasion of an expert group meeting of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Inclusive Social Development, organized by the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) in collaboration with the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD).
La région ici dénommée « Cuvette Centrale » est la partie centrale du Bassin du Congo. D’une superficie de 700.000km2, et couverte par la forêt tropicale humide toujours verte sous un climat typiquement équatorial, elle renferme une riche... more
La région ici dénommée « Cuvette Centrale » est la partie centrale du Bassin du Congo. D’une superficie de 700.000km2, et couverte par la forêt tropicale humide toujours verte sous un climat typiquement équatorial, elle renferme une riche diversité herpétologique. Elle renferme 134 et 236 espèces d’amphibiens et de reptiles respectivement.
- by Konrad Mebert and +1
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- Diversity, Democratic Republic of Congo, Reptiles
This is a technical report on education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo about the following topics: (1) Marginalized communities, conflict and education; (2) Teaching (in) national languages; (3) Non-formal TVET; (4) Parents,... more
This is a technical report on education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo about the following topics: (1) Marginalized communities, conflict and education; (2) Teaching (in) national languages; (3) Non-formal TVET; (4) Parents, communities and learning. It reviews government, donor and NGO documents to make concrete recommendations for practitioners. Originally prepared for Save the Children.
This chapter analyzes the uneasy conundrum of colonial violence and anxiety in the creation of interracial sexual dangers in the Belgian Congo. It chronicles the surveillance of interracial sex (including sexual violence) through... more
This chapter analyzes the uneasy conundrum of colonial violence and anxiety in the creation of interracial sexual dangers in the Belgian Congo. It chronicles the surveillance of interracial sex (including sexual violence) through ambiguous strategies combining legal measures and policing tools (both in the Congo and at the imperial level), and also the transgression of these measures by various actors. The chapter addresses the specificities of the Belgian–Congolese context and the ways in which an insatiable quest for bourgeois exemplarity, paradoxically rooted in the violent history of early colonial rule, shaped an enduring regime of moral surveillance of interracial sexual encounters. It also shows that colonial legal and judicial interventions related to interracial sexuality operated in close interaction with the experiences, contestations, and (instrumental) investments of African people, developing along evolving political and coercive lines that shaped a distinctive racialized economy of sexuality and of the sensitivities that surrounded it.
Il Grand Inga Dam Project rappresenta un mastodontico progetto idroelettrico sul fiume Congo dal costo stimato di circa 80 miliardi di dollari. Il grosso della spesa dovrebbe essere sostenuto dalla Cina, mentre in minima parte alcune... more
Il Grand Inga Dam Project rappresenta un mastodontico progetto idroelettrico sul fiume Congo dal costo stimato di circa 80 miliardi di dollari. Il grosso della spesa dovrebbe essere sostenuto dalla Cina, mentre in minima parte alcune organizzazioni internazionali sono state coinvolte nel finanziamento. I benefici che tale progetto apporterebbe al Congo e a tutta l’Africa sub-sahariana sono molti, soprattutto in termini di produzione di energia idroelettrica e di impiego. Allo stesso tempo, si riscontrano varie criticità, su tutte in merito all’impatto ambientale che un’infrastruttura così massiccia potrebbe causare ad intere regioni. L’obiettivo di questo paper è di fare chiarezza su questo grande progetto e sulle effettive conseguenze, positive e negative, che esso potrebbe comportare per molti milioni di Africani.
This article explores the ICC's impact on domestic judicial reform and the rule of law in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drawing on empirical research conducted in Congo, it assesses to what extent domestic normative,... more
This article explores the ICC's impact on domestic judicial reform and the rule of law in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drawing on empirical research conducted in Congo, it assesses to what extent domestic normative, institutional and judicial practices have adjusted to international standards. The following variables are considered: (1) substantive criminal law, including witness and victim protection norms, (2) domestic criminal procedure, including modes of liability; (3) judicial practice, especially rates of domestic prosecutions for international crimes; (4) judicial and institutional capacity-building; and lastly (5) contextual elements that influence cooperation and complementarity. Against the backdrop of the ICC's intervention in the DRC, the article critically assesses assumptions about the ICC's complementarity regime and its ability to foster respect for the rule of law at the national level.
Ce Livre vert présente la méthodologie et l’exercice pilote de cartographie participative en trois dimensions mené à Mwenga en mai 2016 auprès des communautés d’Ilibo, Kigogo et Kitamba, et les potentialités de cet outil pour les... more
Ce Livre vert présente la méthodologie et l’exercice pilote de cartographie participative en trois dimensions mené à Mwenga en mai 2016 auprès des communautés d’Ilibo, Kigogo et Kitamba, et les potentialités de cet outil pour les prochaines étapes de la mise en oeuvre effective de la Réserve. Il permet également de dégager les premières pistes d’analyse cartographique des dynamiques territoriales présentes dans et autour de la Réserve, dont la prise en compte dans le zonage interne et la définition du mode de gestion est indispensable à une protection pérenne et équitable du massif d’Itombwe.
An improved understanding of phenotypic variation within cassava germplasm in southern, eastern and central Africa will help to formulate knowledge-based breeding strategies. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to examine the... more
An improved understanding of phenotypic variation within cassava germplasm in southern, eastern and central Africa will help to formulate knowledge-based breeding strategies. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to examine the phenotypic variation in cassava germplasm available within six breeding programmes in Africa, namely Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar. In each country, single-row plots were used for assessment of 29 qualitative traits and evaluation of four quantitative traits: root dry matter content (DMC), harvest index (HI), leaf retention (LR) and root cortex thickness. Qualitative traits provided limited discrimination of cassava germplasm. However, differences in DMC, HI, LR and root cortex thickness were observed among the germplasm indicating scope for genetic improvement. Highest average DMC was registered in Uganda (39.3%) and lowest in Tanzania (30.1%), with the elite genotypes having a relatively higher DMC than local genotypes. Highest average HI was observed in Uganda (0.60) and lowest in Kenya (0.32). Cassava genotypes displayed varied root peel thickness (0.34-4.89 mm). This study highlights variation in agronomic traits that could be exploited to increase cassava productivity.