The Pattern of Migration in Zambia. - article ; n°50 ; vol.13, pg 193-212

Helmuth Heisler

Description

Cahiers d'études africaines - Année 1973 - Volume 13 - Numéro 50 - Pages 193-212
H. Heisler — Structure des mouvements migratoires en Zambie. ~~Analyse démographique et sociologique des déplacements temporaires ou définitifs de population, de l'urbani-nisation et de ses conséquences sur le milieu rural. Discussion de l'applicabilité de l'hypothèse générale de D. J. Bogue, fondée sur des matériaux américains.~~
20 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: CAHIERS_D-ETUDES_AFRICAINES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1973
• Nombre de lectures: 15
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Monsieur Helmuth Heisler
The Pattern of Migration in Zambia.
In: Cahiers d'études africaines. Vol. 13 N°50. 1973. pp. 193-212.
Résumé
H. Heisler — Structure des mouvements migratoires en Zambie. Analyse démographique et sociologique des déplacements
temporaires ou définitifs de population, de l'urbani-nisation et de ses conséquences sur le milieu rural. Discussion de
l'applicabilité de l'hypothèse générale de D. J. Bogue, fondée sur des matériaux américains.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Heisler Helmuth. The Pattern of Migration in Zambia. In: Cahiers d'études africaines. Vol. 13 N°50. 1973. pp. 193-212.
doi : 10.3406/cea.1973.2709
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/cea_0008-0055_1973_num_13_50_2709HELMUTH El LER
The Pattern of Migration in Zambia
INTRODUCTION
Though nature abhors vacuum it does not follow that the social
sciences are equally able to readily fill large gaps in knowledge about the
social world Not least migration in Sub-Saharan Africa with which this
paper is concerned specifically the increasing inapplicability of general
descriptions of the Region to Zambia An authoritative description
which is no longer accurate declares that
[at present the dominant pattern some regions notably in South Africa and
the Rhodesias is an oscillation between villages organised on the basis of subsis
tence economy and cities plantations and commercial farms that offer opportuni
ties for employment for wages with limited periods of stay by migrants at
the commercial centres.1
The assessors of this scene further note that periods of wage work
often extend through one or two years or longer.2 It will be shown
that in the case of Zambia formerly one of the Rhodesias longer is the
operative period of rural-urban migration With this lengthening of the
period of labour migration the movement of females has increased but
with notable exception3 little interest has been shown in sex differences
among migrants in Africa The benchmark survey of knowledge of
African population sponsored by the Population Council4 makes this
clear This paper is contribution to an urgent need at this stage of
African demography the systematic evaluation and analysis of the
basic data now being produced5 and thereby involves secondary analysis
of published data
At least since the 1935 Committee on Emigrant Labour in Malawi
spotlighted the muchona the men lost to the rural areas as result of
LORIMER BRASS and VAN DE WALLE Demography in LYS
TAD ed. The African World Survey of Social Research London 1965 297
Ibid. 298
CALDWELL African Rural-Urban Migration the Movement to
Towns London 1969 and OKONJO eds. the Population of Tropical Africa
London 1968 esp 251
LORIMER et al. 302 HELMUTH HEISLER 194
labour migration as the social problem there has been widespread public
concern about the impact of demographic processes on emerging societies
throughout Southern Africa Employment opportunities by mines as in
Zambia have produced the most significant effects1 through migration
on new kinds of social organisations This evaluation is limited attempt
to describe the most significant effect in Zambia where by 1963 about
13 per cent of the population born in the rural areas of the country lived
in the towns of their own country
This evaluation will proceed three steps In the first section the
Regional pattern of migration past phenomenon in Zambia will be
outlined Next the new Zambian pattern of migration will be described
Finally an attempt to relate these findings to conceptual framework for
understanding migration patterns elsewhere will be attempted to facilitate
comparative analysis
SHORT-TERM MIGRATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
The importance rather than the volume of the migrant streams can
be gauged from that fact that during the 1950s some 60 per cent of the
urban population of Africa was composed of migrants Descriptions of
rural-urban migration in the Sub-Saharan Africa Region display marked
consensus and show that the migratory movement is selective drawing
primarily young unmarried males.2 As result there is marked
excess of men over women which tends to make marriage unstable and
which also prevents the stabilisation of the population in the towns3 for
men will return to the villages in search of women considerable out
migration from the towns is only partly due to this demographic situation
other social conditions must also be taken into account.4 Sex ratios are
most disproportionate in the industrial centres v/hich have arisen and
mushroomed in growth during the present century while the traditional
urban centres in West Africa established before the Colonial Era tend to
attract roughly equal proportions of men and women.5 But South
African industrial towns where for instance during 1911-1921 increases
in the population of Africans was largely accounted from the increase
the native females6 may be unique and require omission from this
Lord HAILEY An African Survey London 1938 699
UNITED NATIONS Report on the World Social Situation New York
1969:152
FORDE ed Social Implications of Industrialisation and Urbanisation in
Africa South of the Sahara Paris 1956 2ii
J.C MITCHELL Labour Migration in Africa South of the Sahara the Causes
of Labour Migration Bulletin of the Inter-A frican Labour Institute 1959 12-46
UNECA Size and Growth of Urban Population in Africa in BR ESE
The City in Newly Developing Countries Englewood Cliffs N.J. 1969 128-145
JONES Social and Economic Conditions of the Urban Native
in SHAPERA ed. Western Civilisation and the Natives of South Africa London
1967 reprint of 1934 ed. 164 MIGRATION IN ZAMBIA 195
distinction of traditional and industrial towns in terms of the sex ratios
of their migrant populations
Two major migration patterns are distinguishable Seasonal move
ments may be the more important in West Africa in contrast to the
short-term migration pattern characteristic of Eastern Central and
South-Central Africa.1 Men are away from their villages for up to two
years for short-term migrations and in both patterns wives remain in the
rural areas and the migrants return there at the end of period of work.2
Thus the male migrant plays disparate roles in the dual indigenous and
cash economies of Africa Even while away from his rural kinsmen at
work in town labourer remains involved in the life of his village and
tribe and in this belief his wife is prepared to await his return Through
one role the migrant satisfies his own cash needs by working in an indus
trial-urban centre in another role he and others fulfil their social
obligations in rural areas by shuffling between the disparate socio-
économies.3
Two adaptive and one rigid types of tribe defined by responses to the
spread of cash economies each with its distinct migrational concomitants
have been recognised Tribal Africans may acquire cash by commercial
farming or fishing When this factor of adaptation to cash economy
occurs the rate of labour migration drops.4 The other adaptive tribe
is organised in such way that it has labour surplus underemployment
when the men are in the villages and still retains enough combined female
and male labour to maintain production and subsistence levels while men
are absent in the towns.5 Labour migration is the means by which this
kind of adaptive tribe responds to the import of money economy By
contrast state of full employment in tribe before migration occurs
makes it rigid As result of the absence of males essential tasks cannot
be completed production falls famine periods lengthen Rigid tribes of
this kind seem to be the majority of those which supply short-term
migrants in Central Africa and South Africa but this is not obviously so
with respect to East From these distinctions it seems possible
to predict trends such as that adaptive societies will in the future supply
migrants who continue to circulate between town and country whereas
those rigid societies whose productive arrangements are not viable and
experience declining levels of living will increasingly send their men on
PROTHEROE Migration in Tropical Africa in CALDWELL and OKONJO
eds. 243
Ibid. 253
MITCHELL Wage Labour and African Population Movements in
Central Africa in BARBOUR and PROTHEROE eds Essays on African
Population London 1961 243-244
MITCHELL 1959 24 and 34-
WATSON Tribal Cohesion in Money Economy Manchester 1958
VAN VELSEN Labour Migration as Positive Factor in the Continuity of Tonga
Tribal Society in SOUTHALL Social Change in Modern Africa London 1961
230-241 196 HELMUTH HEISLER
one-way journeys to towns As result these rigid tribes are the principal
source of the stabilised urban populations.1
Women are neglected factor in the study of the circulation of labour
Though they follow men to the towns they do so in smaller numbers and
for rather different reasons.2 Town life may contain more advantages
for women than men3 and usually makes them less inclined to return to
the villages as can be seen from features of the stabilisation of male and
female populations in towns.4 This coupl