Slum Politics in Africa

Abstract

Africa’s growing slums are complex, diverse neighborhoods with their own histories. Currently, these places, characterized by spatially concentrated poverty and human rights abuses, are where large proportions and, in many cases, the majority of Africa’s growing urban populations live. These slums often have a politics characterized by clientelism and repression, but also cooperation, accountability, and political mobilization. Importantly, they must be understood within a wider political context as products of larger historical processes that generate severe inequalities in standards of living, rights, and service provision. Varied approaches (modernization vs. more critical historical and political economy approaches) attempt to explain the emergence, dynamics, and persistence of slums and the politics that often produces, characterizes, and shapes them in Africa. While raising important questions about the link between urbanization and democracy, modernization theories, which are typically ahistorical, do not fully explain the persistence and actual growth of slums in African cities. More historically grounded political economy approaches better explain the formation and dynamics of slums in African cities, including the complex, uneven, and inadequate service delivery to these areas. Whether the conditions of Africa’s slums and the social injustice that undergirds them will give birth to greater democratization in Africa, which, in turn, will deliver radical improvements to the majority, is a critical unanswered question. Will social movements, populist opposition parties, and stronger citizenship claims for the poor ultimately emerge from slum—and wider city—politics? If so, will they address the political problem of inequality that the slum represents? A focus on cities, slums, and their politics is thus a core part of growing concern for the future of African cities and democratic politics on the continent.

Clean water in the slums of East Africa! The mission of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta

“…Az anyagi erőforrásokat nem a saját népük, országuk javára fordítják, hanem különböző külföldi bankrendszerek valamelyikében kötnek ki, soha nem követhető módon. Afrika vezetői a világ legkorruptabb vezetői, s ebben a globalizáció sem segíti, hanem inkább nagyobb teret nyit a helyi vezetőknek, hogy saját népeiket kizsákmányolják (Klopp & Paller, 2019). Bár elmondhatjuk, hogy Afrika lakossága a világon a legszegényebb, mégis a földrész természeti kincsei hatalmasak.…”

“…hogy a hatalmas vidéki tömegeknek lakhatási körülményeket teremtsenek. A városokba érkezett tömegek ott telepedtek le, ahol éppen lehetőségük volt, építeni abból építettek, amit éppen találtak, így sem a tulajdonjogi szempontok nem érvényesültek, de a város építésügyi szabályzata sem érvényesült, ha létezett ilyen egyáltalán (Klopp & Paller, 2019;Collord, Godfellow & Asanta, 2021). A hirtelen összetákolt viskók, a kis területen nagy számban letelepülő lakosság igyekezett zárt közösségeket létrehozni, amelynek szintén megvoltak a humanitárius racionalitásai, hiszen ahol kis területen többen összezsúfolva lakónegyedet hoznak létre, ott azok az emberek igyekeztek segíteni egymásnak, megvédeni egymást és ez így van mind a mai napig (Nagy-György, 2019).…”

Clean water in the slums of East Africa

“…Financial resources are not spent for the benefit of their people and countries but are ending up in one of the different foreign banking systems in a way that can never be followed. Many of Africa's leaders are among the most corrupt in the world, and globalization does not help this but even opens up more space for local leaders to exploit their people (Klopp & Paller, 2019). These leaders greatly enjoy the powerful support of one of the leading political superpowers who, nonetheless, are collecting tariffs for it.…”

Walking the Talk: Why Cities Adopt Ambitious Climate Action Plans

“…Other scholars have examined the role of city size. Although increasing population in poor cities can lead to environmental and human catastrophes caused by inadequate sanitation, waste, housing, transportation services (Azevedo, Scavarda and Caiado 2019; Klopp and Paller 2019; Gradus et al 2019; Van Ginkel et al 2018), these size-related problems are less evident in the United States. When studying US cities, as we are, scholars often examine the benefits of scale.…”