scholarly journals Use of Charms in Succession Politics of Traditional Luba Leaders of Kasai Central in the Democratic Republic of Congo

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-74
Author(s):  
David Bilungule Bakamana ◽  
Laurenti Magesa ◽  
Clement Chinkambako Abenguuni Majawa
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Leadership Succession ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Traditional Leaders ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Traditional Leader ◽  
Traditional Leadership

The study focusses on the role of indigenous manga (charms) in the politics of succession in traditional leadership among the Luba people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Luba people possess and use various types of indigenous charms for different societal functions. They play a more salient role in how traditional leadership is practiced in the community. It is already established that, traditional leaders perform various functions within the community including providing security, regulating societal activities, administering justice, resolving disputes and so on. The objective was thus to investigate how the various types of fetishes/charms are incorporated and used in succession in traditional leadership. The study used a phenomenological approach, with data collected from various traditional leaders and charm givers, provincial members of parliament in Kasai in DRC. The findings indicate presence and use of various types of indigenous manga in traditional leadership succession. These come both in the form of symbols, rituals such as the enthroning ceremony of a traditional leader, and following the customs, laws and traditions of traditional leadership. Such traditions or customs include the requirements that a traditional leader must protect everyone in the society, ensure there is justice, accountability, good luck, prosperity and good governance in the community.

scholarly journals Can Traditional Authority Improve the Governance of Forestland and Sustainability? Case Study from the Congo (DRC)

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliezer Majambu ◽  
Salomon Mampeta Wabasa ◽  
Camille Welepele Elatre ◽  
Laurence Boutinot ◽  
Symphorien Ongolo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Congo Basin ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Traditional Leaders ◽  
Vested Interests ◽  
Customary Rights

With about 107 million hectares of moist forest, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a perfect paradox of a natural resources endowed country caught in repeated economic and socio-political crises. Democratic Republic of Congo possesses about 60% of the Congo basin’s forest on which the majority of its people rely for their survival. Even if the national forest land in the countryside is mainly exploited by local populations based on customary rights, they usually do not have land titles due to the fact that the state claims an exclusive ownership of all forest lands in the Congo basin including in DRC. The tragedy of “bad governance” of natural resources is often highlighted in the literature as one of the major drivers of poverty and conflicts in DRC. In the forest domain, several studies have demonstrated that state bureaucracies cannot convincingly improve the governance of forestland because of cronyism, institutional weaknesses, corruption and other vested interests that govern forest and land tenure systems in the country. There are however very few rigorous studies on the role of traditional leaders or chiefdoms in the governance of forests and land issues in the Congo basin. This research aimed at addressing this lack of knowledge by providing empirical evidence through the case study of Yawalo village, located around the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. From a methodological perspective, it used a mixed approach combining both qualitative (field observations, participatory mapping, interviews, focal group discussions, and desk research,) and quantitative (remote sensing and statistics) methods. The main findings of our research reveal that: (i) vested interests of traditional rulers in the DRC countryside are not always compatible with a sustainable management of forestland; and (ii) influential users of forestland resources at the local level take advantage of traditional leaders’ weaknesses—lack of autonomy and coercive means, erratic recognition of customary rights, and poor legitimacy—to impose illegal hunting and uncontrolled forest exploitation.

scholarly journals Analysis of indigenous African political leadership among the Luba people of Kasai in the Democratic Republic of Congo

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 399-407
Author(s):  
David Bilungule Bakamana ◽  
Laurenti Magesa ◽  
Clement C. Abenguuni Majawa
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Political Leadership ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Traditional Leadership ◽  
Rich Information ◽  
The Right

This paper aims to examine the nature of indigenous African political leadership among the Luba People of Kasai in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The study employed qualitative research that was rooted in phenomenology. The concentration of the study was on the Kasai Central Province. The target population was charm givers, militia, and political leaders were selected as the units of observation by the researcher. The political leaders comprised of local traditional chiefs of villages and modern leaders. A sample size of 40 participants was adequate to enable the researcher to obtain rich information and reach the saturation point. The targeted 40 participants were: 10 charm givers, 8 members of the provincial parliament, 4 provincial ministers, 13 traditional leaders, and 5 militia leaders.  The study used In-depth Interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions, and observations to collect data. The findings indicate indigenous traditional leadership among the Luba has various sources of power. These include the use of various symbols of Luba traditional leadership to perform duties on behalf of the community. The use of the manga is also in line with the customs and traditions of the Luba people and guides the leader on the right things to do while on the throne.

scholarly journals The politics of forest governance failure in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): lessons from 35 years of political rivalries

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-337
Author(s):  
E. Majambu ◽  
M. Tsayem Demaze ◽  
S. Ongolo
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Forest Governance ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Forestry Sector ◽  
History Of

The promotion of good governance in the forestry sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was one of the major components of the policy reforms initiated by international organisations in the mid-1980s. This paper analyses concepts of 'good governance' in the forestry sector in the DRC between the mid-1980s and 2020 and highlights the recent history of forest policy reforms. From an empirical perspective, our analysis builds both on an extensive review of policy documents and field observations, as well as interviews with actors who have been involved with forest policy reforms or seen how they were implemented. The paper also describes the key actors involved in those reforms and investigates the coalitions formed between some of them to influence the forestland governance in the country. The paper demonstrates that international organisations have often played a decisive and intrusive role in the promotion of 'good governance' in the DRC forestry sector. Their strong involvement is sometimes seen as interference and has aggravated rather than alleviated the governance crisis. In some cases, politicians, military and administrative officers have used political and security unrest as a scapegoat to benefit from forest governance failure and the related business-as-usual in the DRC.

The Role of Gender in Agent Banking: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Chamboko ◽  
Robert Cull ◽  
Xavier Gine ◽  
Soren Heitmann ◽  
Fabian Reitzug ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Republic Of Congo

Creative Reconstruction: A Systematic Approach to Reinventing Large Cities in Democratic Republic of Congo

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1485-1497
Author(s):  
Mia Nsokimieno Misilu Eric
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Capital City ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Current State ◽  
Legacy Cities

The current state of large cities in Democratic Republic of Congo highlights the necessity of reinventing cities. More than fifty years after the independence, these major cities, like Kinshasa the capital city, are in a state of are in a state of disrepair. They are damaged, dysfunctional, and more vulnerable. Today, these legacy cities do not meet the international requirements of livable cities. Democratic Republic of Congo faces the challenge of rebuilding its cities for sustainability. The movement for independence of African countries enabled the shift from colonial cities to legacy cities. It is important to understand the cultural and ideological foundations of colonial city. Commonly, colonial cities served as purpose-built settlements for the extraction and transport of mineral resources toward Europe. What's required is a creative reconstruction to achieve a desired successful urban change. Creative reconstruction tends to ensure urban transformation in relation with urbanization, by making continuous and healthy communities. Creative reconstruction seems appropriate way of building back cities in harmony with cultural values. The article provides a framework for urban regeneration. The study is based on principle of thinking globally and acting locally in building back better cities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document