Changing Mobility Patterns and Livelihood Dynamics in Africa Acknowledgements MIGRATORY DYNAMICS IN THE DRC: RATIONALE AND IMPLICATIONS IN LUBUMBASHI Final Report for the MacArthur Funded Project on: “African Perspectives on Human Mobility” Prepared By: Germain Ngoie Tshibambe Guy Mbuyi Kabunda DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF LUBUMBASHI, LUBUMBASHI, DRC AUGUST 2010 Disclaimer: This report is the work of the Department of International Relations, University of Lubumbashi. Any comments or questions about the report should be directed to the research team in DRC, not to the International Migration Institute in Oxford. Migratory Dynamics in the DRC Foreward FOREWORD This report is the result of teamwork. The team was based around a group of researchers and assistants in the city of Lubumbashi. They agreed to take part in this project to collect data from migrants and other actors connected with the main field of our research. There are a great number of them, and their names are given at the end of this report. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the sensitive work to which they showed such commitment, freely giving of their time and energy. The launch of this work was marked by the organisation of a two-day methodological seminar in June 2009. This seminar was an ideal opportunity to create an environment which would stimulate an exchange of ideas and dialogue between the research team and certain people with expertise in studies of migration in the city of Lubumbashi. Those involved in the research needed to say what they would be doing and were expecting to follow up during the investigation. Meanwhile, the human resources and those invited along were expected to give their comments and critical evaluation of the work. Within the calm environment of the seminar, we were able to gain much from those present. Two people are worthy of mention, having come from Great Britain and Morocco respectively to join us for this forum; they were Gunvor Jonsson from the International Migration Institute (University of Oxford) and Professor Mohammed Aderghal from the Mohammed V University (Rabat). As partners in this research programme, these two people know a great deal about the spirit and general economy of research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their contribution to the work of this seminar was significant: we would like to thank them for it. For a number of hours, they went with us into the field for some pilot interviews. In Lubumbashi, people who had already acquired some expertise through tackling the problems of migration in this city were also able to make their contribution to the success of this seminar. These were Professors Dibwe dia Mwembo, Kanku Mukengeshay and Nkuku Khonde, all from the University of Lubumbashi. We are grateful for their readiness to help us and the interesting insights they were able to give to those attending the seminar. This research is part of the MacArthur Programme looking into human mobility through the activities of the International Migration Institute at the University of Oxford. For this reason, we cannot name all those people who have worked tirelessly to bring this research to fruition, but we are very grateful to them. The staff of the International Migration Institute deserve a special mention. For it was during a workshop in Oxford, when we were all trying to do our methodological and epistemological groundwork to find a field for empirical research, that the IMI‟s researchers drew our attention to the fact that the scale of the research work on which we had embarked in the DRC was simply too big for us to bring the project to completion. This is also an opportunity for us to thank them for as long as they remain with the IMI. They are Hein de Haas and Oliver Bakewell. During the course of this research, we also benefited from the input of Professor Vwakyanakazi Mukhoya. The fact is that for health reasons he was unable to come with us on our travels, but he can still be sure of our gratitude for his readiness to help and his support leading to the success of this joint project. Professor Mbuyi Kabunda worked with the coordinating team. Fruitful exchanges with him about migrations in the city of Lubumbashi i Migratory Dynamics in the DRC Foreward enriched our reading and interpretation of the complex and ever-changing situation which we were studying. The picture which emerges in this report is the result of the interpretation of field data and comments from a number of people. When it came to writing the report, we could not fully agree on everything, but one thing is certain: the authors‟ subjective reading of the data is a distinctive element of this summary. So we are sending it out into the public domain, where it may stir up some debate. It is in this debate that we hope to find the answers we seek. What better place to leave our work? Jean de la Fontaine asked the question, and so do we. ii Migratory Dynamics in the DRC Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ......................................................................................................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................................. v DRC RESEARCH TEAM: ................................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 STUDY CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH AND DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS ............................................. 3 1.3 METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND CHALLENGES OF THE RESEARCH ................................................... 7 1.4 ABOUT LUBUMBASHI AND THE SHAPE OF MIGRATION IN THE CITY ......................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: MIGRANTS IN THE CITY OF LUBUMBASHI .................................................................... 18 2.1 CONGOLESE MIGRANTS RETURNING TO THE DRC ................................................................................... 18 ANSWERS .......................................................................................................................................................... 24 FREQUENCY ..................................................................................................................................................... 24 2.2 AFRICAN MIGRANTS ................................................................................................................................ 28 2.3 ASIAN MIGRANTS .................................................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 3: DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................. 44 3.1 SOCIAL DIVERSITY: AFRICAN AND ASIAN MIGRANTS IN LUBUMBASHI ................................................... 44 3.2 LUBUMBASHI: LIVING SPACE AND SIGNS OF MIGRATION ......................................................................... 48 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 52 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................... 56 APPENDIX: RESEARCH PROTOCOLS ....................................................................................................... 61 iii Migratory Dynamics in the DRC List of Tables LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Countries of residence of Congolese migrants .......................................................... 22 Table 2. Sending funds to the country of origin ...................................................................... 23 Table 3. Assistance received to migrate .................................................................................. 24 Table 4. Reasons for returning to the country.......................................................................... 25 iv Migratory Dynamics in the DRC List of Figures LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province, DRC........................................................ 1 Figure 2. City of Lubumbashi .................................................................................................... 9 Figure 3. Map of Kamalondo Town in Lubumbashi ................................................................. 9 Figure 4. Map of Katuba Town in Lubumbashi ...................................................................... 10 v Migratory Dynamics in the DRC Research Team DRC RESEARCH TEAM: A. SENIOR RESEARCHERS: Germain Ngoie Tshibambe (Project Leader): [email protected] Guy Mbuyi Kabunda (Assistant Project Leader): [email protected] B. JUNIOR RESEARCHERS (INTERVIEWERS): John Abelungu, Law graduate, UNESCO Chair