Ethnic associations in Katanga province, the Democratic Republic of Congo: multi-tier system, shifting identities and the relativity of autochthony

Abstract

This article unravels the world of ethnic associations in Katanga that emerged as a result of rural-urban migration. These associations constitute a multi-tier system reflecting ethnic, provincial and national identity levels. Primarily meant to organise mutual aid and foster cultural values, they have behaved as interest groups since democracy was re-established in the s. Representing ethnic communities, they try to influence the distribution of spoils through lobbying activities, emphasising the right of 'autochthons' to be prioritised regarding employment and development. Political and socio-economic changes trigger identity shifts and ethnic associations adapt by inventing alternative 'autochthony'/'allochthony' dichotomies, causing friction between communities. The multi-tier system provides forums where ethnic differences can be negotiated and ethnic communities can integrate. In its current manner of functioning it is only effective at mitigating acute crises. In order to resolve more complex political issues, it would benefit from a preventive approach within a permanent framework of consultation between associations and authorities.

Internal migration and youth entrepreneurship in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…In the context of within‐country migration in the DRC, we consider rather using a similar variable: the people of the same tribe. Indeed, in the African setting, and in the DRC in particular with its very high number of ethnic groups, some social aspects such as ethnicity or religion constitute major underpinnings of the definition of individuals’ identities (Malemba N’Sakila, ; Robinson, ) and thus play a major role as social capital components both in the formation of networks and in the utilization of the latter networks for social achievement of different categories such as entering the labor market or initiating a business (Trefon and Smis, ; Dibwe dia Mwembu, ; Kamavuako‐Diwavova, ; Gobbers, ). While the number of people from the same tribe in a neighborhood may explain migration to it, this aspect is assumed to have an insignificant direct link with the decision to become an entrepreneur.…”

When decentralisation undermines representation: ethnic exclusion and state ownership in DR Congo's new provinces

“…Congolese ethnic agency is often expressed through the work of ethno-cultural associations known as ‘ mutuelles ’ (Gobbers 2016). One of the main purposes of these associations is to sponsor their members’ access to political office and then hold them accountable for patronage-based redistribution to their ethnic kin, as well as to provide welfare and support to their members.…”

Gnawing Away at the City: Narratives of Domestic Precarity in a Congolese Mining Town

“…There were some villages, too. It was above all the Sanga ethnic group that was mining and smelting copper long before the European expeditions arrived (see Mukembe Mubedi 2018;Gobbers 2016;Cuvelier 2011;Van Doorninck 1928;De Hemptinne 1926). As such, rather than a creation of this city by colonial powers, it concerns a "fixation" of urban space (Gondola 1997:35) on sites that were previously buzzing with activity.…”