No. 1: Migration and Development in Africa: An Overview

Migration is clearly a major issue across Africa. Indeed, migration – both within countries and across borders – can be seen as an integral part of labour markets and livelihoods across much of the continent for at least the last century. Over time, and in different places, migration has taken a number of different forms. It has cut across class and skill boundaries, and exists in widely different geographical and demographic contexts. Migration represents an important livelihood strategy for poor households seeking to diversify their sources of income, but is also characteristic of the better off, and indeed of many African elites. In practice, however, the link between migration and poverty is often viewed more negatively. It is assumed across much of the continent that it is poverty that forces poor people to migrate, rather than migration being a potential route out of poverty. The poor are also generally seen as those worst affected by conflict-induced migration, itself a prominent feature in Africa. The movement of skilled and/or wealthy Africans is also generally viewed negatively (e.g. there is long-standing concern on the African continent with the impact of the ‘brain drain’ of African professionals). Only slowly, and in relatively few quarters, is understanding emerging of the potentially positive role that migration itself can play in reducing poverty, or of the possibilities for ‘mobilisation’ of the African diaspora in the fight against poverty. Meanwhile, public policy remains a long way from building effectively on such understanding. The aim of this study is to synthesise existing research on migration in Africa, and its relationship to development policy. The report focuses on the relationship between migration, poverty and pro-poor development policy. Pro-poor policy is taken here to mean policies that are context-specific, listen and react to poor people’s voices, and/or seek to assist poor people to become less vulnerable and build up their income and assets. Government health and education policies might not be considered intrinsically pro-poor, but become so where they are targeted at widening access to health and education services, and especially basic health and education services (e.g. primary care, vaccination campaigns, primary schooling), or at responding to the specific needs of the poor. Pro-poor policies might also seek to identify and support poor people’s livelihoods, through the promotion of social protection mechanisms (ranging from pensions, health insurance, maternity benefit and unemployment benefits to food aid and other social assistance) or enhancement and enforcement of poor people’s rights. In turn, our focus is not only on the policies of developing country governments, but also on those of non-government and intergovernmental organisations, and of donor nations. In terms of migration, the study covers both international and internal migration. In the sections that follow, issues are dealt with first in relation to sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, and then in detail for three regions – West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. The sections on Africa as a whole, and on West and East Africa were completed by researchers at the Sussex Centre for Migration Research at the University of Sussex, whilst the section on Southern Africa was written by researchers at the Southern African Migration Project

Safe and Inclusive Cities Program : formative mid-term evaluation report

The program currently supports 15 teams across 16 countries and 40 cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. The teams use a diversity of research methods to explore a variety of themes related to urban violence. This report is a mid-term formative evaluation of the Safe and Inclusive Cities Program. Specific evaluation processes included a document review, key informant interviews, an online survey, observations and participation in the mid-term workshop, as well as learning cases developed through extended group sessions with selected project grantees. The approach is to see how programmatic diversity can be supported as a continued strength

Everyday ethnicities: Identity and reconciliation among Rwandan youth

Drawing on ethnographic research with young Rwandans in Kigali, this paper explores the role of the "ethnic" categories "Hutu," "Tutsi" and "Twa" in their everyday relations and relationships. Through exploring their narratives, practices and social interactions, the paper demonstrates thatdespite current state policies that seek to de-emphasize "ethnic" identitiesethnicity remains salient in contemporary Rwanda. Although many young Rwandans continue to forge inter-ethnic ties, there is a persistent desire to know the ethnic identity of significant others and to categorize them on an ongoing basis. Exploring the complexities, contradictions and uncertainties of these processes of categorization, this paper investigates the relationship between "conceptual" categories and "concrete" persons in contemporary Rwanda. As such, it raises fundamental questions about what young Rwandans understand "Hutu," "Tutsi" and "Twa" to mean and the role of "ethnic" categories, stereotypes and anomalies in structuring their social worlds. The evidence presented suggests that current approaches to reconciliation do not sufficiently address the "ethnic" logic that persists in Rwanda and may instead be entrenching it, increasing the risk that any recurrence of violence would once again have "ethnic" targets and be as extensive and brutal as in 1994

Young Rwandans' Narratives of the Past (and Present)

No description supplie

Everyday Ethnicities : Identity and Reconciliation among Youth in Post-Genocide Rwanda

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The role of education in driving conflict and building peace: The case of Rwanda

This article considers the relationship between education, conflict, and peacebuilding in Rwanda. First, it examines the role that education played in the lead-up to the 1994 genocide, discussing whether and how the low levels of educational attainment, inequalities of access, curricular content, and teaching methods contributed to the conditions for violence. It then looks at approaches to rebuilding the education sector since 1994. Despite significant progress, for example in widening access and achieving gender parity at primary level, three significant challenges remain. First, educational opportunity continues to be unequal in the post-primary sector, with disparities of access between rich and poor, a severe lack of alternative and non-formal educational opportunities, and some ethnic dimensions to the disparities. Second, tensions remain over history teaching due to government attempts to impose a single "official" narrative of Rwanda's history. Finally, teaching methods remain largely teacher-centred, with little open debate and teaching of critical thinking skills. The paper cautions that, despite progress, some dimensions of Rwanda's current education policy and practice may continue to exacerbate tensions. The article concludes by outlining some future priorities and urges the Rwandan government and its international development partners to more rigorously assess the potential impact of education policies on fragile social relations, and to embrace opportunities for education to play a more central role in peacebuilding in Rwanda

Rwanda's ‘Hutsi’: intersections of ethnicity and violence in the lives of youth of ‘mixed’ heritage

This article looks at young Rwandans of ‘mixed’ Hutu–Tutsi heritage, exploring how their mixed identity shaped their experiences during the 1994 genocide and how it influences their everyday experiences of categorization and belonging in contemporary Rwanda. It reveals the complex position of these young ‘Hutsi’ and the significant constraints they face in exercising identity choices in a context with a history of ethnic violence and where state policies have outlawed ethnicity. This article argues that the experiences, narratives and performances of these young Rwandans simultaneously challenge and reinforce the binary ‘ethnic logic’ that persists in contemporary Rwanda. Yet it suggests that providing space for Rwanda's ‘Hutsi’ and their diverse experiences could help to de-essentialize the categories ‘Hutu’ and ‘Tutsi’ and reduce the risks of future violence

Navigating adolescence and youth adulthood in Rwanda: Intersections of ethnicity, gender and age

This paper explores intersections of ethnicity, gender and age in Rwanda during and following the 1994 genocide. It firstly considers how these intersections affected the specific dynamics and nature of the violence during the genocide. It then examines how these intersections have shifted following the genocide in the context of a nation-building project, which has rejected ethnicity, yet embraced the pursuit of gender equality. Drawing on ethnographic research with young Rwandans in Kigali from 2004 to 2011, it identifies three disquieting continuities in the intersections of ethnicity, gender and age in contemporary Rwanda: (i) the ongoing ethnicisation of sexual politics among young Rwandans; (ii) the reproduction of ‘ethno-gendered’ stereotypes of Tutsi women that were central to the genocide propaganda; and (iii) the continued marginalisation of large numbers of Hutu young men, a factor which contributed to the participation of some young men in the 1994 genocide