In Warscapes, solidarity and love are not less of a reality than suffering and violence.

Kamauu teaches me that sometimes Dignity is stronger than Hunger. Kamauu is a jobless youngster who dreams of making a life as a comedian. Our protagonist is without parents, and his household only sources of income are his grandmother’s casual work in a hospital, and some unpredictable Wester Union transfers from a better off relative in Australia. All in all, Kamauu and her grandmother struggle to put enough food on the table on a regular basis. A few months into my researc

The Universal search for meaning and the importance of taking people's projects of personal and social becoming seriously- warscapes or not. One of the tasks of anthropology is to explore that which makes us human. And while I will not dare to unpack the complexity behind the human condition, I am certain that the search for meaning is part of the human algorithm. In fact, I am still to know another person which does not search for completeness; and I am not talking about a

During my time in Bukavu I had the pleasure to interview Douce Namwezi, activist and creator of Uwezo- a local Ngo that fights for women rights. Douce started her career working as a journalist and she remarqued how this experience provided her with a first hand understanding of people’s most present issues in Bukavu; and in what it was a clear attack to top-down policy programming, she remarqued how these differed- largely- from those set as priorities ‘to be fixed’ by inter

Have you ever had a near-death experience? Ndugu has had two of them- and they look quite different from each other. The M23 comes to town- "I was still at university when the armed group M23 took the city of Goma. Back then I had created a theatre group called Le Tan Tan of the Great Lakes; I think it was a Thursday, and we we had organised a play and a little celebration with the group the Friday. I went to university to pick up the money the university provided us for the

One cool morning I woke up to a phone call. At the other side of the line Raissa mumbled: I am going down town to cover the Rasta's march to the Governor's office, do you want to come with me? Of course I did. The Gathering I picked up Raissa on a moto-taxi, and once we arrived to the meeting point, and while waiting for the opening mass to finish, I asked Raissa what was the parade exactly all about; she did not know. However, It was quickly brought to my attention that it

“Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says, "But doctor...I am Pagliacci.” ―Al

Dealing with a part of my positionality through the politics of love. Allow me to tell you a story. A very personal one. One which has, nothing, and everything to do with the purpose of this project. A story that happens to explain, and perhaps justify, why I ended up doing anthropological research in the Eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I often catch myself asking: why do I have such a strong curiosity? Interest? Tendency? Fascination? Affination?

Most studies focusing on those people not directly engaged on the armed struggle, despite being few and far between, tend to ‘simply’ analyse people's livelihoods and coping strategies, thus, narrowing the study of social existence, and consequently that of behaviour, to mere forms of maximisation, to the fundamental. In the case of the DRC this coping, or rather surviving, goes by la débrouille: “Getting by, or la débrouille covers a wide spectrum of activities and stratagem

Last weekend I made my way to London to attend the sixth edition of Cross The Tracks: a music festival curated for Funk, Soul, Hip-hop, and Afrobeat lovers — and hands down, one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to. While Ezra Collective and Michael Kiwanuka were by far the highlights of the day, there was one show in particular that stayed with me: Seun Kuti and Egypt 80. Here’s why... unexpected as it was. As Bell Hooks and Kelley, R., D., G., kindly remind us, music is

Cédric was one of the few people I interviewed who’s life journey had been severely marked by the armed conflict; in fact, he described the war as being: ‘his career, the only thing he knows how to do’. Still, his biggest challenges in life are to be found somewhere else... When the war arrived- Cédric was born in the territory of Djugu, Ituri. Like most children, Cédric spent his days going to school, playing with friends and helping his mother with the household chores. Cé

War, a single word capable of conjuring the most horrifying images of human suffering that one can possibly conceive. The current situation in Palestine is a good example- if we dare to call this unequal exchange of warfare and global power a war that is. Yet, (and just like the little over 70 years old 'war' in Palestine that seems to have found its way to the headlines, again, to pick it up right where Ukraine left it) most war zones in the world today are characterised for

Cela fait quatre ans qu’il est marié à Judith ; la fille unique de Buhendwa, le premier importateur des matériels électro-ménager de la ville, en provenance de la chine et lui dont le père était un moyen fonctionnaire de bureau de l’Etat. Ils se sont connu en troisième année de graduat à l’université et ne se sont jamais quitté malgré l’opposition de leurs familles respectives, pour des raisons tribales et de tabous obscures, qui interdisaient leur union voir même une simple

Emery is one of the few people that I know in Bukavu with a stable monthly salary. This is the story of how he managed that one; and trust me, it is not nothing. This is the tale of courage and determination in the midst of hardship that you will probably not read on the newspapers today. Looking towards Bukavu Emery is originally from Idwji, an island located in the lake Kivu and only a few kilometres away from Bukavu's coast. Beyond being an agricultural paradise, Idwji enc

Emery’s story is one of those tales of courage and overcoming in the midst of hardship that never sees to make it to the headlines.

It is absurd to believe that global poverty is a technical issue that reflects a lack of development among countries in the global south; but it is obscene to think that we can eradicate global poverty through an economic system which’s very own subsistence depends on creating it. Extra, Extra! Read all about it: development is a success! Compassionate leaders in the global north, with a little help from international economic organisations, have reduced global poverty in ha

Bukavu est une ville touristique d’un million d’habitants sur une superficie d’environ 60 kilomètre carré, elle est limitée au Nord-ouest par le lac Kivu, l’un de plus beau lacs du monde. Il est bordé malheureusement par des milliers et des milliers des bouteilles plastiques et autres déchets industriels toxiques tels que les déchets électroniques amenés par les eaux de pluie en débordement parce que mal canalisées en descendant des collines qui surplombent la ville où se sit

Nous sommes Mercredi 6/Décembre, il est 18 heures vingt minutes, il pleut abondamment sur Bukavu depuis ce matin. Didier n’est pas allé à la faculté aujourd’hui, ils n’ont pas cours depuis une semaine déjà, car l’enseignant de logique informatique est encore retenu à Abidjan, il était attendu aujourd’hui mais le chef de promotion n’a encore rien publier dans le groupe whatsapp, donc il n’y a pas encore du nouveau… Il a passé presque toute la journée, entrain de suivre la sais