Refractions of the National, the Popular and the Global in African Cities

Description

Case studies of metropolitan cities in nine African countries - from Egypt in the north to three in West and Central Africa, two in East Africa and three in Southern Africa - make up the empirical foundation of this publication. The interrelated themes addressed in these chapters - the national influence on urban development, the popular dynamics that shape urban development and the global currents on urban development - make up its framework. All authors and editors are African, as is the publisher. The only exception is Göran Therborn whose recent book, Cities of Power, served as motivation for this volume. Accordingly, the issue common to all case studies is the often conflictual powers that are exercised by national, global and popular forces in the development of these African cities.
Rather than locating the case studies in an exclusively African historical context, the focus is on the trajectories of the postcolonial city (with the important exception of Addis Ababa with a non-colonial history that has granted it a special place in African consciousness). These trajectories enable comparisons with those of postcolonial cities on other continents. This, in turn, highlights the fact that Africa - today, the least urbanised continent on an increasingly urbanised globe - is in the thick of processes of large-scale urban transformation, illustrated in diverse ways by the case studies that make up the foundation of this publication.

Informations

• Publié par: African Minds
• Date de parution: 26 février 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781928502166
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Reractions o the National, the Popula and the Global in Aican Cities Edited by Simon Bekke, Sylvia Coese and Edga Pietese

Reractions o the National, the Popula and the Global in Aican Cities Edited by Simon Bekke, Sylvia Coese and Edga Pietese

Published in 2021 by African Minds 4 Eccleston Place, Somerset West, 7130, Cape Town, South Africa [e-mail] www.africanminds.org.za

2021 African Minds

All contents of this document, unless specified otherwise, are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. When quoting from any of the chapters, readers are requested to acknowledge the relevant author.

ISBN (paper): 9781928502159 eBook edition: 9781928502166 ePub edition: 9781928502173

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Contents

1

Part I

2

3

4

5

Preace – Göran Therborn v

ïntroductîon – Sîmon Bekker, Syvîa Croese and Edgar Pîeterse 1

The natîona în urban Afrîca 11

ïntroductîon to Part ï – Sîmon Bekker 11

Natîona projects în a postcoonîa capîta cîty: The exampe o Yaoundé – Jean-Pîerre Togoo 13

îp servîce: How voîces rom înorma settements were sîdeîned durîng the Irst decade o oca democracy în South Arîca – îea Groenewad 25

Centraîsed urban governance în the Greater Caîro Cîty Regîon: A crîtîca understandîng o key chaenges and responses – Amr Abdeaa, Hajer Awatta, Omar Nagatî, Sawa Saman and Marwa Shykhon 41

Tradîtîona chîes and tradîtîona authorîty în Kînshasa – Phîîppe ïbaka Sangu 59

Part II The popuar în urban Afrîca 69

6

ïntroductîon to Part ïï – Syvîa Croese 69

oca government as the stage or resîstance: Strategîes and tactîcs o opposîng mega projects în Gauteng – Margot Rubîn 71

7

8

Popuar protests and the îmîts o cîvî socîety în the strugge or democracy în Zîmbabwe, 2011 to 2016 – Ngonîdzashe Marongwe 85

‘We wî be back to the street!’: Protest and the ‘empîres’ o water în Naîrobî – Wanguî Kîmarî 99

Part III The goba în urban Afrîca 111

9

10

11

12

ïntroductîon to Part ïïï – Edgar Pîeterse 111

Arîca’snewDubaî?ïntersectîonsbetweenthegobaandtheoca în the redeveopment o the Bay o uanda, Angoa – Syvîa Croese 113

UrbangovernanceandsmartuturecîtîesînNîgerîa: agos Lagshîp projects as sprîngboard? – Muyîwa Eîjah Agunbîade, Ouwaemî Oajîde and Hakeem Bîshî 127

The governance o Addîs Ababa îght Raî Transît – Meseret Kassahun 149

Concusîon: Arîcan cîtîes în the word o today and tomorrow –173Göran Therborn and Aan Mabîn

îst o contrîbutors 181

ïndex 183

Peace

Urban schoarshîp îs a orte o socîa scîence în Arîca and a proper response to urban change and înnovatîon. Arîca south o the Sahara has been very under-urbanîsed or a ong tîme but currenty îs undergoîng rapîd urbanîsatîon, sometîmes, as în Congoese Kînshasa, wîth a probematîc orîgînaîty o massîve urbanîsatîon wîthout any substantîa îndustrîaîsatîon or other economîc deveopment. Recent years have wîtnessed an urban buîdîng boom rom Dakar to Dar es Saaam. agos, uanda, Naîrobî and others have set out the goa to become ‘word-cass cîtîes.’ Thîs voume arîses rom a conerence hosted by the Steenbosch ïnstîtute or Advanced Study (STïAS) în 2017, wîth the kînd and decîsîve support o îts then dîrector Hendrîk Geyer, and the Arîcan Centre or Cîtîes (ACC) o the Unîversîty o Cape Town. The conerence brought together over 30 schoars representîng a range o dîferent dîscîpînes rom across the Arîcan contînent and beyond, încudîng a number o young taented Arîcan schoars. ït was a conerence on Arîcan cîtîes whîch ooked at the reractîons o the natîona, the popuar and the goba, anaysed în my goba study,Cîtîeso Power, o whîch the conerence was aso an Arîcan aunch. The natîona reers to the constîtutîon o natîon-states, o states representîng the natîon, and not a coonîa empîre or a oca kîng. ït meant a natîonaîsatîon o cîtîes, în theîr ayout, organîsatîon, archîtecture and symboîsm. ïn Arîca, and în the whoe vast ex-coonîa zone, the natîon-state was estabîshed through îndependence rom the coonîa power. ïn most o Europe, ît meant a peopes constîtutîng îtse as a natîon îndependent o the kîng. South Arîca was set up as a setter state, îke the Amerîcas and Austraîa, as a natîon o European setters makîng themseves îndependent o theîr motherand. The country became an Arîcan natîon-state ony în the 1990s, wîth the a o racîst setter rue. Popuar moments have occurred when popuar orces chaenge the rue o the natîona eîte, demandîng cîtîes buît or and servîng the mass o ordînary peope. ‘Popuar orces’ are non-ruîng noneîtes whose ranks may comprîse dîferent characterîstîcs, o cass, caste, ethnîcîty, gender, occasîonay reîgîon, as în the ongoîng conLîct în Bahreîn between the Sunnî dynasty and the Shîa majorîty o the peope. From an urban studîes perspectîve, a popuar moment îs not quîte the same as the

vi REFRACTIONS OF THE NATIONAL, THE POPULAR AND THE GLOBAL IN AFRICAN CITIES

rîse o a protest movement. The ormer reers to successu chaenges and protests whîch have an efect on the cîty. Goba moments happen when goba status and attractîon become predomînant cîty aspîratîons. Hîstorîcay there have so ar been two such moments în modern tîmes. The Irst had îts zenîth în the decades around 1900 and was a gobaîsatîon o natîonaîsm. Cîtîes ‘worthy o the natîon’ had to be buît, a over Europe, the Amerîcas, and a ew Asîan cîtîes, îke Tokyo. Parîs o the second empîre was then the maîn urban mode, wîth ondon oferîng the best înrastructura exampe, o sanîtatîon, sewage, cean water and eectrîcîty. ïn most o Asîa and în the whoe o Arîca there were then no natîons wîth states, so here the Irst goba moment passed by. The second urban goba moment arrîved în the ate 20th century în the wake o îndustrîa outsourcîng, de-îndustrîaîsatîon, ootoose Inancîa capîta, gobaîsed rea estate markets and mass tourîsm, as the goba moment o capîta. Attractîng oreîgn învestment, oreîgn busîness headquarters and sovent tourîsts became prîmary bîg cîty goas. Becomîng a ‘goba cîty’ or a ‘word-cass cîty’ has repaced the prevîous moment’s ‘cîty worthy o the natîon.’ Both goba moments have meant împortîng goba înLuences and aspîrîng to goba recognîtîon and ame, by natîona and oca poîtîcîans and capîta. They are not actîvey împosed rom the outsîde by goba orces. The edîtors have then done a tremendous job turnîng the conerence înto a pubîcatîon. ïn îts geographîca scope, rom Caîro to Johannesburg, and în îts thematîc range, rom eforts at natîona cîty împregnatîon în Yaoundé, natîona-oca government reatîons în Caîro, Addîs, Kînshasa, Tshwane and Johannesburg, to popuar rebeîons în Naîrobî and Harare, and urther to top-down gobaîst pannîng în the oca contexts o agos and uanda, thîs îs a major exampe o the vîgour o Arîcan urban schoarshîp. Thanks go out to STïAS, to îts then Dîrector Hendrîk Geyer, to Chrîstof Pauw, Programme Manager, and Ne-Marî oock, Programme Admînîstrator, or makîng the conerence happen. Thanks aso to those who presented and partîcîpated în the conerence but coud not partîcîpate în the pubîcatîon, especîay Eduardo Moreno, Frederîck Goooba-Mutebî, Phîîp Harrîson, Susan Parne, Sophîe OdIed, Ntombînî Marrengane, Gen Robbîns, îndsay Sawyer and Ngaka Mosîane. Thanks go out to NRF undîng or the South Arîcan Research Chaîr în Urban Poîcy, hed by Edgar Pîeterse, whîch aowed or the transatîon înto Engîsh o two chapters orîgînay wrîtten în French. Thanks or undîng o thîs pubîcatîon go out to STïAS, the NRF South Arîcan Research Chaîr în Urban Poîcy at the Unîversîty o Cape Town, and Steenbosch Unîversîty. Apprecîatîon îs extended to the Partnershîp or Arîcan Socîa and Governance Research (PASGR) that enabed the research or chapters 9 to 11. A specîa thanks to Syvîa Croese and Sîmon Bekker or puîng everythîng together.

Göran Therborn, Unîversîty o Cambrîdge

CHAPTER 1

Intoduction Simon Bekke, Sylvia Coese & Edga Pietese

The urban îs od: cîtîes have exîsted or thousands o years, but they have been transormed by the arrîva o natîon-states over two centurîes ago …

The uture o gobaîsm ooks pretty sure and we aîd out … The maîn dîicut questîon îs the uture o the peope.

– Göran Therborn,Cîtîes o Power(2017: 1, 356)

Schoarshîp on Arîcan cîtîes has been proîeratîng over the past two decades. Thîs îs testament to the growîng acknowedgement o the împortance o cîtîes în an încreasîngy urban age. Thîs ïntroductîon commences wîth an outîne o Arîca’s urban reaîty today. Subsequenty, an overvîew o contemporary urban schoarshîp caîng or Goba South and Arîcan approaches to thîs reaîty îs ofered beore turnîng to that proposed by Therborn’sCîtîes o Power. The prîncîpa ramework to structure thîs voume and îts varîous case study chapters îs based upon hîs pubîcatîon. ïts prîmary theme o seekîng reatîonshîps between the natîona, the popuar and the goba în capîta cîtîes today îs outîned and the notîon o reractîons o these orces întroduced. The chapter concudes wîth the structure o the voume. ïn sub-Saharan Arîca, urbanîsatîon has grown exponentîay. From 1995 to 2015, Arîca’s urban popuatîon doubed rom 236 mîîon to 472 mîîon. Over the next decade, thîs popuatîon îs projected to become arger than Europe’s (559 vs. 555 mîîon). ït wî aso be arger than that o atîn Amerîca and the Carîbbean (536 mîîon) (Moreno 2017; UNDESA 2019). Urban growth has been assocîated wîth socîa, economîc and poîtîca deveopment. ïn 1900, îe expectancy în Arîca was estîmated to be 24 years – today ît has reached 63 years. îteracy rates trîped rom 23% în 1970 to 65% în 2010. Gross Domestîc Product (GDP) mutîpîed by Ive tîmes rom 1995 to 2015, wîth an expandîng share o îndustry and servîces as part o tota GDP. Arîca’s average GDP growth was about 5% per annum (1996–2015) – substantîay hîgher than în the 1970s and 1980s. The resource boom o the Irst decade o the 2000s brought

2 REFRACTIONS OF THE NATIONAL, THE POPULAR AND THE GLOBAL IN AFRICAN CITIES

a renewed sense o hope or the contînent, transated în the notîon o ‘Arîca rîsîng.’ Two-thîrds o Arîcan governments now encourage dîferent orms o poîtîca partîcîpatîon and 40% have strengthened theîr saety and the rue o aw (2000 to 2012). ït îs cear that Arîcans îvîng în urban settîngs wî remaîn a orce drîvîng socîo-economîc transormatîon. At 40% urban, Arîcan cîtîes contrîbute 50–70% o the contînent’s GDP(Moreno 2017; UN-Habîtat 2018). ït îs, however, ony a ew who beneIt rom the advantages o urbanîsatîon. Cîtîes aî to provîde sustaînabe space or a – physîcay, as we as în the cîvîc, socîo-economîc and cutura dîmensîons attached to coectîve space. Arîca’s prîmarîy youthu abour orce îs projected to expand rom 400 mîîon to 1.2 bîîon between 2000 and 2050 but îts economîes are unîkey to produce enough jobs or thîs rapîdy expandîng popuatîon. A majorîty o the urban popuatîon contînues to îve în sprawîng sums and înorma settements. Ha o the countrîes on the Arîcan contînent have a sum încîdence o at east 60% and more urban resîdents are poorer today than în 1990. Urban pannîng în these cîtîes has not been abe to keep up wîth urban growth and deveopment. Ony 56% o thîs growth în Arîcan cîtîes îs currenty panned, whîe thîs was 68% în 1990 (Moreno 2017). At the same tîme, eforts to pan and transorm cîtîes înto ‘word-cass’, ‘smart’ or otherwîse ‘modern’ cîtîes through mega housîng and înrastructura deveopment projects have încreased (Croese et a. 2016). As a resut, Arîcan cîtîes have ragmented and poarîsed (Bekker & Therborn 2012). Seven o the ten most unequa countrîes în the word are ocated în Arîca, most o them în southern Arîca (Moreno 2017; UNDP 2017). Goba trends such as the rîse o new goba powers rom the South, corporatîsatîon, the dîgîta revoutîon and cîmate change have împortant împîcatîons or the perormance and socîa poarîsatîon o Arîcan cîtîes and the ways în whîch governments are abe to address deveopmenta agendas and chaenges. Poîtîca decentraîsatîon has been încompete at best, and stagnant or regressîve at worst, whîe popuar protest has been on the rîse (Mo ïbrahîm Foundatîon 2017). Contemporary urban studîes în Arîca manîesty ocate theîr învestîgatîons wîthîn a postcoonîa context. Many schoars argue that there îs a need to turn away rom the modernîst approach o maînstream European and Amerîcan schoarshîp whîch has typîIed Northern cîtîes as modern and deveoped and Arîcan cîtîes as deveopîng aong the same modernîsîng route – attemptîng to catch up whîst struggîng wîth rîsîng înequaîtîes, absence o proper pannîng and pervasîve înormaîty, both în shack settements and în the înorma sector. A Goba South approach îs caed or that coud ead both to mutîpe modernîtîes as we as mutîpe ratîonaîtîes that underpîn contemporary îe (Harrîson 2006; Pîeterse 2010; Parne & Robînson 2012). Schînder (2017: 198) has proposed a Southern urbanîsm approach, ocused partîcuary on ‘a persîstent dîsconnect between capîta and abor, whîch gîves rîse to urban governance regîmes geared toward the transormatîon o terrîtory rather than the “împrovement” o popuatîons.’ Mbembe and Nutta (2004) have caed or the wrîtîng o the socîa back înto our understandîng o Arîcan ‘îe orms.’ And Ananya Roy (2011) has caed or ‘subatern urbanîsm,’ reveaîng the subatern spaces and subatern casses în the cîtîes o the South. The most înLuentîa dîscîpînes în these contemporary Arîcan urban studîes are human geography and pannîng. The doyen o these studîes, Mabogunje (1990),

CHAPTER 1 3

aîd the oundatîons or a puraîst approach to urban studîes încorporatîng spatîa anayses wîth post-modernîst methodoogîes. Hîs work aso proposed a pro-market and deveopmenta poîcy agenda at urban eve, partîcuary to address poverty and hîgh înequaîtîes în Arîcan cîtîes (Fîanî & Okaor 2006). The pervasîve înormaîty în Arîcan cîtîes has been îumînated by two geographers who argue that orma oca pannîng has been notorîousy ax în many o these cîtîes and, as a consequence, has ed to the ‘sprawîng o îega and extra-ega and uses and practîces, wîth the înorma busîness and housîng sectors overtakîng the orma sector în many cîtîes’ (Kamete & înde 2010: 911). The term ‘înorma’ has been used în many dîscourses. ‘Moreover, înormaîty takes on dîferent orms at dîferent tîmes and în dîferent paces, makîng each înterpretatîon o the term hîghy specîIc … Aternatîve ways o ramîng these deveopments are caed or’ (Bekker & Fourchard 2013: 9). Nevertheess, the înequaîtîes Lowîng rom thîs compex înormaîty have been îustrated above. These înequaîtîes, moreover, have been shown to wîden urther by usîng the concept o spatîa justîce where space în the Arîcan cîty îs deIned as încudîng both îts oca representatîons în maps and symboîc arteacts, as we as îts physîca attrîbutes. ConInement o îe în an înorma settement îs hereby gîven oca meanîng (Gervaîs-ambony & Duaux 2009). Myers, în hîs pubîcatîon entîtedArîcan Cîtîeswhîch bears the subtîte,Aternatîve vîsîons o urban theory and practîce, argues that, despîte thîs tîte, ît woud be încorrect to promote the îdea that Arîcan cîtîes make up one unîque type. He aso remarks that

Strangey, poîtîca scîence seems ony an occasîona presence în Arîcan urban studîes, when ît ought to be a centra Ied în our anayses, because these are such ascînatîng years or urban poîtîcs în Arîca.(Myers 2011: 198)

ïn îke veîn, Freund (2007: 165) has argued that most schoarshîp on Arîcan cîtîes has been that o socîa scîentîsts rather than hîstorîans. He shows convîncîngy that cîtîes în Arîca have been estabîshed and endured or a o recorded hîstory. Hîs pubîcatîon ofers an overvîew o Arîcan urban îe durîng the coonîa perîod and summarîses schoary approaches to postcoonîa Arîca în a ashîon sîmîar to that revîewed above. Furthermore, he concudes hîs hîstorîca overvîew wîth three hîstorîca cîty case studîes that îustrate both the dîvergencîes as we as contînuîtîes o postcoonîa urban Arîca. These are Touba în Senega, Abîdjan în the ïvory Coast and Durban în South Arîca. The înspîratîon or thîs book draws on the works o Göran Therborn, în partîcuar, rom hîs pubîcatîonCîtîes o Powerwhîch addresses the urban at a goba eve and bears the subtîteThe Urban, the Natîona, the Popuar and the Goba. As wî be shown beow, there îs a undamenta hîstorîca poînt o departure to hîs anaysîs: gobay, capîta cîtîes have traveed down one o our maîn routes to natîona statehood. To îustrate hîs use o the poîtîca în the study o cîtîes în Arîca, moreover, the oowîng extract detaîîng the înormaîty and spraw o many modern Arîcan cîtîes îs drawn rom one o hîs earîer pubîcatîons (Bekker & Therborn 2012: 202):

ït was now that Arîca became the contînent o sums. But the crîsîs and îts efects were nevertheess managed by the state – the centra state – not