Kinshasa in Transition
Kinshasa in Transition

Author: David Shapiro

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2003-05

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780226750576

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After decades of tremendous growth, Kinshasa-capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo-is now the second-largest urban area in sub-Saharan Africa. And as the city has grown-from around 300,000 people in the mid-1950s to more than five million today-it has experienced seismic social, economic, and demographic changes. In this book, David Shapiro and B. Oleko Tambashe trace the impact of these changes on the lives of women, and their findings add dramatically to the field's limited knowledge of African demographic trends. They find that fertility has declined significantly in Kinshasa since the 1970s, and that women's increasing access to secondary education has played a key role in this decline. Better access to education has also given women greater access to employment opportunities. And by examining the impact of such factors as economic well-being and household demographic composition on the schooling of children, Shapiro and Tambashe reveal how one generation's fertility affects the next generation's education. This book will be a valuable guide for anyone who wants to understand the complex and ongoing social, demographic, economic, and developmental changes in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa.

Reinventing Order in the Congo
Reinventing Order in the Congo

Author: Theodore Trefon

Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.

Published: 2013-04-04

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1848137672

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Kinshasa is sub-Saharan Africa‘s second largest city. The seven million Congolese who live there have a rich reputation for the courageous and innovative ways in which they survive in a harsh urban environment. They have created new social institutions, practices, networks and ways of living to deal with the collapse of public provision and a malfunctioning political system. This book describes how ordinary people, in the absence of formal sector jobs, hustle for a modest living; the famous ‘bargaining‘ system ordinary Kinois have developed; and how they access food, water supplies, health and education. The NGO-ization of service provision is analysed, as is the quite rare incidence of urban riots. The contributors also look at popular discourses, including street rumor, witchcraft, and attitudes to ‘big men‘ such as musicians and preachers. This is urban sociology at its best - richly empirical, unjargonized, descriptive of the lives of ordinary people, and weaving into its analysis how they see and experience life.

Doing Business 2020
Doing Business 2020

Author: World Bank

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2019-11-21

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 1464814414

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Seventeen in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2020 measures aspects of regulation affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity.

Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Author: Emizet Francois Kisangani

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2009-10-01

Total Pages: 718

ISBN-13: 0810863251

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The third edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo looks back at the nearly 48 years of independence, over a century of colonial rule, and even earlier kingdoms and groups that shared the territory. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary entries on civil wars, mutinies, notable people, places, events, and cultural practices.

The Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo

Author: Michael Deibert

Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.

Published: 2013-09-12

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 1780323484

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Over the past two decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been at the centre of the deadliest series of conflicts since the Second World War, and now hosts the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission in the world. In this compelling book, acclaimed journalist Michael Deibert paints a picture of a nation in flux, inching towards peace but at the same time solidifying into another era of authoritarian rule under its enigmatic president, Joseph Kabila. Featuring a wealth of first-hand interviews and secondary sources, the narrative travels from war-torn villages in the country's east to the chaotic, pulsing capital of Kinshasa in order to bring us the voices of the Congolese - from impoverished gold prospectors and market women to government officials - as it explores the complicated political, ethnic and economic geography of this tattered land. A must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Africa, The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between, Hope and Despair sheds new light on this sprawling and often misunderstood country that has become iconic both for its great potential and dashed hopes.

Encyclopedia of Africa
Encyclopedia of Africa

Author: Anthony Appiah

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 1372

ISBN-13: 0195337700

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The Encyclopedia of Africa presents the most up-to-date and thorough reference on this region of ever-growing importance in world history, politics, and culture. Its core is comprised of the entries focusing on African history and culture from 2005's acclaimed five-volume Africana - nearly two-thirds of these 1,300 entries have been updated, revised, and expanded to reflect the most recent scholarship. Organized in an A-Z format, the articles cover prominent individuals, events, trends, places, political movements, art forms, business and trade, religions, ethnic groups, organizations, and countries throughout Africa. There are articles on contemporary nations of sub-Saharan Africa, ethnic groups from various regions of Africa, and European colonial powers. Other examples include Congo River, Ivory trade, Mau Mau rebellion, and Pastoralism. The Encyclopedia of Africa is sure to become the essential resource in the field.

Music Saved Them, They Say
Music Saved Them, They Say

Author: Lukas Pairon

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-05-19

Total Pages: 167

ISBN-13: 1000080838

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Music Saved Them, They Say: Social Impacts of Music-Making and Learning in Kinshasa (DR Congo) explores the role music-making has played in community projects run for young people in the poverty-stricken and often violent surroundings of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The musicians described here – former gang members and so-called "witch children" living on the streets – believe music was vital in (re)constructing their lives. Based on fieldwork carried out over the course of three-and-a-half years of research, the study synthesizes interviews, focus group sessions, and participant observation to contextualize this complicated cultural and social environment. Inspired by those who have been "saved by music", Music Saved Them, They Say seeks to understand how structured musical practice and education can influence the lives of young people in such difficult living conditions, in Kinshasa and beyond. "... a tribute to the persistence, engagement and courage of the people in these projects, who can be proud that their work is now exposed to a global audience, not just of researchers but also to practitioners around the world who could learn from and be inspired by these hitherto unknown projects." —John Sloboda, Research Professor, Guildhall School of Music & Drama "This book is very moving but never sentimental, one of the best accounts of music's real transformative capacities that I have come across." —Lucy Green, Emerita Professor of Music Education, University College London Institute of Education

Resilience of an African Giant
Resilience of an African Giant

Author: Johannes Herderschee

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2011-10-05

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 0821389092

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The development of an effective state, a reliable infrastructure, and a dynamic private sector has long been hampered by political economy obstacles in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Resilience of an African Giant identifies these obstacles, which prevent the country from realizing its economic potential as the second-largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa, and outlines how they can be—and in some cases have been—overcome. Four instruments that have been used to boost economic development in the past and that can contribute to more development in the future are explored in the book: coordination among those who control or influence policy, application of new technologies, leveraging of external anchors, and development of social accountability networks. This book pulls together an impressive body of research on the exemplary transition of a country from a state of conflict to a post-conflict situation, and from there toward becoming a country with legitimate institutions created by free, democratic, and transparent elections.… I therefore wholeheartedly recommend it to all who are interested in development, particularly to policy makers in my country, as well as its partners.

Spatial Food and Nutrition Security Typologies for Agriculture and Food Value Chain Interventions in Eastern DRC 
Spatial Food and Nutrition Security Typologies for Agriculture and Food Value Chain Interventions in Eastern DRC 

Author: Marivoet, Wim

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2020-11-07

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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To guide the design of future agriculture and food value chain interventions, this paper combines two existing spatial food and nutrition security typologies and applies them to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Apart from estimating absolute and relative inefficiencies along the food system from agricultural potential to nutrition, the integration of both typologies resulted in nine unique low efficiency profiles across the territories and major cities of the Greater Kivu region and Tanganyika. In addition to low utilization efficiency observed in some areas, most PICAGL intervention zones, especially Uvira and Kalemie, suffer from significant market constraints and therefore could substantially benefit from food value chain development. Although this paper relies on the most recent and spatially disaggregated data (which is a major improvement with respect to agricultural statistics of the country), the proposed typologies cannot uncover all bottlenecks hindering the development of agricultural value chains in the region.