Draft – not for citation The changing face of the Zambia/Angola border Paper prepared for the ABORNE Conference on ‘How is Africa Transforming Border Studies?’ Hosted by the School of Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 10-14 September 2009 Oliver Bakewell International Migration Institute, University of Oxford, UK
[email protected] August 2009 Abstract The establishment of the border between Zambia and Angola by the British and Portuguese at the beginning of the 20th century changed the nature of migration across the upper Zambezi region but did not necessarily diminish it. The introduction of the border was an essential part of the extension of colonial power, but at the same time it created the possibility of crossing the border to escape from one state’s jurisdiction to another: for example, to avoid slavery, forced labour, accusations of witchcraft, taxes and political repression. In the second half the 20th century, war in Angola stimulated the movement of many thousands of refugees into Zambia’s North‐Western Province. The absence of state structures on the Angolan side of the border and limited presence of Zambian authorities enabled people to create an extended frontier reaching deep into Angola, into which people living in Zambia could expand their livelihoods. This paper will explore some of the impacts of the end of the Angolan war in the area and will suggest that the frontier zone is shrinking as the ‘normal’ international border is being reconstructed. Draft – not for citation Draft – not for citation DRAFT – not for citation or circulation Introduction About a century ago, the British and Portuguese finally agreed on the line for the border between the northern portions of their colonies in Zambia and Angola,1 in the area known as the upper Zambezi.