When discussing development issues in Africa, it is not sufficient to simply stress the ubiquity of failure, malnutrition, disease, predatory states and war, one also has to recognize that... Show moreWhen discussing development issues in Africa, it is not sufficient to simply stress the ubiquity of failure, malnutrition, disease, predatory states and war, one also has to recognize that important aspects in the lives of millions of ordinary people have been transformed over the last five decades. The contributions in this book are rooted in extensive empirical research, some at a local, regional and/or national level in different African countries (Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa and Uganda), while others take a pan-African view. All, however, offer insight from different analytical perspectives into the heterogeneity of poverty and development processes in Sub-Saharan African and confront the ideas, concepts and assumptions that lie behind pro-poor policies. The volume also encourages policy makers to choose realistic policy prescriptions in an attempt to move people out of poverty. Show less
In deze verzamelbundel geven negen Nederlands auteurs, allen kenners van het leven in Afrika, een veelzijdig beeld van het continent, waarin nu eens niet oorlog, honger en ziekte centraal staan,... Show moreIn deze verzamelbundel geven negen Nederlands auteurs, allen kenners van het leven in Afrika, een veelzijdig beeld van het continent, waarin nu eens niet oorlog, honger en ziekte centraal staan, maar veel positiefs wordt gemeld. Met bijdragen van: Ineke van Kessel (de sociale situatie van kinderen in Afrika); Nina Tellegen (kleinschalige bedrijvigheid op het platteland van Malawi); Adri van den Berg (overlevingsstrategieën van vrouwen in Afrika); Marcel Rutten (toerisme in Afrika, met name Kenia); Ineke van Kessel (democratisering in Afrika); Meine Pieter van Dijk (de stedelijke informele sector in West-Afrika); Martin Meulenberg en Thomas Gesthuizen (de opkomst van hiphop in Afrika); Chris Reij (landbouwvernieuwing op de Afrikaanse manier); Paul Hebinck (economische en sociale gevolgen van AIDS en enkele hoopgevende signalen); Jan Abbink (jeugd en religie). De foto's in het boek zijn van fotografen uit Afrika en Nederland. Het boek is tot stand gekomen op initiatief van de Stichting Afrika-Europa 2000+, die als doel heeft de beeldvorming van Afrika positief bij te stellen. Show less
Access to land is increasingly becoming a problem in Africa as a result both of population growth and tenure reforms. The standard argument for tenure reform centres on the role of uncertainty in... Show moreAccess to land is increasingly becoming a problem in Africa as a result both of population growth and tenure reforms. The standard argument for tenure reform centres on the role of uncertainty in discouraging investment on land held without long-term security. The rationale for this 'replacement' paradigm, however, can be questioned on economic, ecological and social grounds. The history of land tenure reform in Kenya, especially that of group titles in the semiarid areas, is a case in point. The Maasai pastoralists, in particular, have lost huge amounts of land, first to the Boers and other white settlers under colonialism, and now they face an influx of agricultural groups and large-scale capitalist farmers following the individualization of land held under statutory group title in the wake of the failure of the group ranches introduced in the late 1960s. The commoditization of land and the creation of a land market have led to a rapidly growing stratification in the Maasai area. A number of lessons can be drawn from the Kenyan experience, in particular of group tenure, for land reform policy in postapartheid South Africa, viz. interventions should build on local land tenure practices; group titles can be instrumental in assisting large groups of less well-off people; and movement toward individual tenure reform should be initiated only when technical and socioeconomic conditions warrant it. Show less
The struggle for land is a phenomenon which can be observed worldwide. In its occurrence it is not restricted to a particular period in time, nor to a specific geographical region, nor to a certain... Show moreThe struggle for land is a phenomenon which can be observed worldwide. In its occurrence it is not restricted to a particular period in time, nor to a specific geographical region, nor to a certain type of society. In this book, the editors present case studies of the struggle for land as it occurs in Third World countries and in less developed areas at the periphery of the industrialized world. The case studies are structured according to the adaptational strategies of the populations involved and include examples of the struggle for land among hunters and gatherers, among pastoralists, and among people who subsist on horticulture and agriculture. The following articles deal with Africa: Pastoralists and their struggle for land: examples from Africa south of the Sahara, by B. Bos and G. Peperk The struggle for land and livestock among the Turkana, (ex)-nomadic pastoralists of northwest Kenya, by M.M.E.M. Rutten; Religion and the struggle for land in Zimbabwe, by G. Huizer; The struggle for land in Kenya's marginal areas as exemplified by the situation in Meru District, by G. Peperkamp Show less
