New Millennium Woes and Livelihood Struggles in Africa

Ngonidzashe Marongwe, Peter Thomas

Informations

• Publié par: Langaa RPCIG
• Date de parution: 19 mai 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789956552009
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

One of the oldest survival pursuits undertaken by the weak and the downtrodden people across the world has been begging. Going back to the ancient Christian biblical times up to the present epoch as well as across varying spatial settings, in situations of trouble and tribulations, parts of various communities have resorted to beggary to either overcome immediate adversities or longer term calamities. Drawing on insights from two polar theoretical lenses of Social Constructionism and Social Deconstructionism, and guided by a pithy study of the begging across the African continent especially by Zimbabweans, this book troubles the various contours related to the subject of begging. Inter alia, the book considers the concept of begging, the causes of the prevalence of begging across the world and particularly among Zimbabweans, the challenges and benefits associated with the pursuit of alms, the impact of begging in foreign lands as well as some of the strategies that beggars employ to maximize their collections and/ or profits. What can be discerned from the book is that for many, begging is one of the last resort undertakings with low pickings. However, from a utilitarian perspective, begging has helped to sustain the impoverished livelihoods of Zimbabweans, both inside and outside the borders of the country since the advent of a debilitating crisis experienced from the turn of the new millennium. On the whole, this book seeks to provoke further researches on an important socio-economic area that affects many African communities but has so far been scantily researched. The book is handy for students and practitioners in economic history, African studies, economics, risk and disaster management, social anthropology, political science, and development studies.

FIDELIS PETER THOMAS DURI is a Professor of History in the Department of History, Archaeology and Development Studies at Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe, where he is also the Research Coordinator in the Simon Muzenda School of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies.

NGONIDZASHE MARONGWE  is an Associate Professor of History in the History and Development Studies Department at Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe. He holds a PhD in African History from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa.

Beg N g e in w g M t i o lle S n u n r i vi u v m eb W y o Z e i s m a b n a d bw Li e v ’ e s li m ho ar o g d in S a t l r is u e g d gles in Africa

New Millennium Woes and Livelihood Struggles in Africa Begging to Survive by Zimbabwe’s marginalised

Fidelis Peter Thomas Duri & Ngonidzashe Marongwe

Fidelis Peter Thomas Duri & Ngonidzashe Marongwe

New Millennium Woes and Livelihood Struggles in Africa: Begging to Survive by Zimbabwe’s marginalised by Fidelis Peter Thomas Duri & Ngonidzashe Marongwe

L a ng a a R esea rch & P u blishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda

Publisher: LangaaRPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [e-mail] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com

ISBN-10: 9956-551-23-6

ISBN-13: 978-9956-551-23-1 ©Fidelis Peter Thomas Duri & Ngonidzashe Marongwe 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher

About the Authors Fidelis Peter Thomas Duria Professor of History in the is Department of History, Archaeology and Development Studies at Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe, where he is also the Research Coordinator in the Simon Muzenda School of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies. Previously, he had started off his professional career as a History teacher at St David’s Girls High School, Bonda, before becoming a History lecturer at Marymount and Mutare Teachers’ Colleges, both in Zimbabwe. He was also a part-time lecturer in History and African Studies at Africa University in Zimbabwe during his full-time tenure at Marymount and Mutare Teachers’ Colleges. Duri is a holder of a PhD in History from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa (2012), where he was also a part-time History tutor while pursuing his studies. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in African Experience (1986), a Graduate Certificate in Education (1988), and a Master of Arts degree in African History (1999), all from the University of Zimbabwe. He has more than 50 academic publications, which include books, book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles which focus on environmental history, socio-cultural dynamics, subaltern struggles, African border studies, and Zimbabwe’s socio-political landscape during the colonial and post-colonial periods. Among his most popular and best-selling books are:The relentless governance by the sword: Situating Operation Murambatsvina in Zimbabwean history(2010);Resilience amid adversity: Informal coping mechanisms to the Zimbabwean crisis during the new millennium(2016);Contested spaces, restrictive mechanisms and corridors of opportunity: A social history of Zimbabwean borderlands and beyond since the colonial period(2017);The end of an era? Robert Mugabe and a conflicting legacy(2018);Violence, peace and everyday modes of justice and healing in post- colonial Africa(2019); andMugabeism after Mugabe:Rethinking legacies and new dispensations in Zimbabwe's 'Second Republic(2020).

Duri is also a reviewer of articles for international academic journals such asInternational Migration: A Journal of the International Organisation for Migration, andDzimbahwe: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. In addition to reviewing scholarly articles of several local and international journals, he is also a member of the editorial boards of theZimbabwe Journal of Historical Studiesand theInternational Journal of Developing Societies. He has also been engaged on a number of occasions by the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) to review proposed regulations of History degree programmes offered at various Zimbabwean universities. Ngonidzashe Marongweis an Associate Professor of History in the History and Development Studies Department at Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe. He holds a PhD in African History from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa. He is a past Andrew Mellon Foundation Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Humanities Research, UWC (2009-2010 and 2012); and a SEPHIS Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore, India (2011). His research interests include African governance, political violence, gender, military history and terrorism. Marongwe has edited several books such asMyths of peace and democracy: Towards building pillars of hope, unity and transformation in Africa (2016);Violence, politics and conflict management in Africa: Envisioning transformation, peace and unity in the twenty-first century(2016); Contested spaces, restrictive mechanisms and corridors of opportunity: A social history of Zimbabwean borderlands and beyond since the colonial period(2018); End of an era? Robert Mugabe and a conflicting legacy(2018);Violence, peace and everyday modes of justice and healing in post-colonial Africa(2019); and Mugabeism after Mugabe:Rethinking legacies and new dispensations in Zimbabwe's Second Republic(2020).

Acknowledgements We are profoundly grateful for the various forms of assistance that we received from various individuals and corporate organisations. First, we would like to thank the many interviewees whose views form the bedrock of this book. Many of these would like to remain anonymous. A big thank you also goes to the various photographers from different news sources whose pictures we have used in this book. We also would like to acknowledge the help we received from our employer, Great Zimbabwe University. We had unlimited access to internet and library resources. Professor Extraordinarius Munyaradzi Mawere, thank you dearly for meticulously editing this book and for the intellectual mentoring that you have given us and indeed continue to provide to both of us. To the Duri and Marongwe families, keep up the moral and socio-economic support.

Table of Contents About the authors.............................................................. iii Acknowledgements ........................................................... v List of Figures................................................................... ix List of Maps ...................................................................... ix List of abbreviations and acronyms ................................. xi Introduction – Conceptualising begging and methodological underpinnings .................................. 1 Chapter 1: Contextualising the prevalence of begging in the Zimbabwean crisis from 2000 ........................................... 11 Chapter 2: Desperate situations demand desperate tricks: Begging dynamics in Zimbabwe ..................................................... 71 Chapter 3: Survival of the fittest: The harsh realities of begging experiences in Zimbabwe ................................................. 117 Chapter 4: Home is not always best! Begging across national borders....................................... 135 Chapter 5: Counting the costs: Blessing or curse? Impact of begging on Zimbabwe’s socio-economic landscape........................................................................... 187

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Conclusion......................................................................... 215 References ......................................................................... 227

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List of Figures & Maps Figure 1: Unaccompanied Zimbabwean child beggars in Musina, South Africa, 2009 Figure 2: Begging from motorists at Harare’s traffic light intersections, 2011 Figure 3: Visually-impaired beggars and their musical instruments: Harare, November 2019 Figure 4: Child beggars for hire: Harare, 2019 Figure 5: South African border fence vandalised by illegal migrants, 2012 Figure 6: Squeezing beneath the South Africa border fence Figure 7: Zimbabwean undocumented migrants daring across the Limpopo on foot Figure 8: Inflatable boats used by smugglers a long the Limpopo River, 2018 Figure 9: A visually-challenged Zimbabwean couple begging along Johannesburg streets Figure 10: A visually-handicapped couple panhandling in the streets of Louis Trichardt, 2020 Figure 11: Roadside begging by mothers with young children in Johannesburg Figure 12: Zimbabweans being herded to a deportation train in Johannesburg, September 2003 Figure 13: A Zimbabwean deportee flees from the shadow of the deportation train he has leapt from Figure 14: Homeless Zimbabweans sleeping outside the Johannesburg

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