Abstract

Attempts to implement community-based reconstruction in Angola are hampered by lack of knowledge about communities and grassroots organizations. Angolan communities have been affected by war, economic disintegration and rapid urbanization. These conditions have made for very unstable community structures. It is unclear under what circumstances communities are willing to create organizations to lead and manage reconstruction efforts. Using qualitative methods, researchers will assess the nature and extent of local forms of organization for collective action, and their potential role in community-based reconstruction.

Post-Project Summary

The research was carried out in periurban areas of Luanda, Lubango, Huambo, and Benguela and Lobito. In each periurban area, researchers interviewed key informants regarding migration, urban morphology, administrative divisions, social geography, apparent forms of solidarity, social and ethnic composition, and the ease or difficulty of working in the area. The last question was put to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). A second survey targeted residents of the districts. Subjects covered in the interviews included the history and morphology of the district; social and ethnic composition; forms of solidarity and community organization; the effect of urban migration on solidarity and community organization; the effect of urban migration on traditional customs; and the role of traditional leaders, churches and local administrators. The research findings indicated that only in a few cases do people live in groups that share a common history, background or traditions. Moreover, the periurban economy is highly monetarized. Actions that would have been carried out with the help of friends and neighbours in a rural context must be paid for. Periurban residents do not spontaneously organize themselves to obtain basic services. The level of trust - the expectation that one will be able to hold others to account - is low and there are few examples of successful voluntary, cooperative action to build on. The one exception is the churches, which promote mutual assistance in times of serious sickness and death. It is concluded that the level of social capital in periurban areas of Angola is very low and that this will have to be borne in mind by development organizations seeking to use a community-based approach in their reconstruction, peacebuilding or democratization efforts. The final report was published in Portuguese and English for wide dissemination. The study findings were shared with local government officials and NGOs during seminars held in Lubango, Huambo and Luanda, and with the British Department for International Development (DfID) and NGOs at a seminar held in London in May 2001. Papers were presented at a conference organized by NIZA (Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa) in May 2001("Peace and Civil Society in Angola") and at another organized by the British Angola Forum in September 2001 ("Western Foreign Policy towards Angola"). An article based on the research was prepared for publication in a special issue on Angola of the Review of African Political Economy in early 2002.

Recipient Institution(s)