Asinamanzi , livre ebook
302
pages
English
Ebooks
2024
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302
pages
English
Ebooks
2024
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
01 juillet 2024
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9789956554973
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
5 Mo
The book opens up a new pathway for a contemporary ethnographic exploration of the politics of water in an unequal society, specifically focusing on the challenges faced in Khayelitsha, South Africa. South Africa is confronted with a quadruple threat of water scarcity, energy depletion, inflation, and unemployment, leaving politicians unsure of where to begin in minimizing the damage. Using incompleteness and conviviality as a framework, the book delves into the subjectivities created by the lack of water and its impact on various aspects of life, including medical, ecological, spiritual, and political dimensions. It also examines the inequalities in water access in Cape Town, highlighting the inequitable development patterns and the strategies deployed by residents to cope with inadequate water access. The book demonstrates the complex relationships and intricacies of water and how humans think about, relate to, and respond to water, particularly when it is lacking. Overall, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the complexities of water and its profound significance in different spheres of human life.
“The book we have in our hands is a fine work on the intricacies of contemporary life in South Africa (and beyond). Instead of the patronising and condescending viewpoint that usually enables social scientists (especially anthropologists) to address ‘the poor’, Kongo demonstrates the complexities of people’s reasoning and feeling.”
Antonádia Borges, Professor of Anthropology, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Brazil
“Minga’s excellent ethnography offers a rare account of the convivial relationships that structure everyday living and mobility in a place of ‘liquid shit’ in the midst of a precarity provoked by the sociopolitical absence of water in a city filled with water for everything, yet insensible to incompleteness as life-craft.”
Divine Fuh, Associate Professor, Director of the Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), University of Cape Town
“Asinamanzi is a raw book about the impact that a lack of piped water has on people living in informal settlements in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. It describes a world of ‘liquid shit’ that assaults the senses and erodes the dignity and relationships of people living in it. Amidst this ‘incomplete’ existence, residents bravely struggle to establish a ‘convivial’ social life.”
Ilana van Wyk, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Stellenbosch University
“Asinamanzi is about the daily realities of living with water scarcity and raw sewage running through streets and houses. The book examines the social, cultural, religious and health dimensions of water, and provides rich ethnographic insights into what it means to strive to live with dignity in settings characterized by the broken infrastructures of everyday life.”
Steven Robins, Professor of Anthropology, Stellenbosch University
Voir
“The book we have in our hands is a fine work on the intricacies of contemporary life in South Africa (and beyond). Instead of the patronising and condescending viewpoint that usually enables social scientists (especially anthropologists) to address ‘the poor’, Kongo demonstrates the complexities of people’s reasoning and feeling.”
Antonádia Borges, Professor of Anthropology, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Brazil
“Minga’s excellent ethnography offers a rare account of the convivial relationships that structure everyday living and mobility in a place of ‘liquid shit’ in the midst of a precarity provoked by the sociopolitical absence of water in a city filled with water for everything, yet insensible to incompleteness as life-craft.”
Divine Fuh, Associate Professor, Director of the Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), University of Cape Town
“Asinamanzi is a raw book about the impact that a lack of piped water has on people living in informal settlements in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. It describes a world of ‘liquid shit’ that assaults the senses and erodes the dignity and relationships of people living in it. Amidst this ‘incomplete’ existence, residents bravely struggle to establish a ‘convivial’ social life.”
Ilana van Wyk, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Stellenbosch University
“Asinamanzi is about the daily realities of living with water scarcity and raw sewage running through streets and houses. The book examines the social, cultural, religious and health dimensions of water, and provides rich ethnographic insights into what it means to strive to live with dignity in settings characterized by the broken infrastructures of everyday life.”
Steven Robins, Professor of Anthropology, Stellenbosch University
Publié par
Date de parution
01 juillet 2024
EAN13
9789956554973
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
5 Mo
ASINAMANZI: Fluid Realities – Exploring South Africa’s Water Crisis and Social Dynamics Minga Mbweck Kongo
L a ng a a R esea rch & P u blishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda
Publisher:LangaaRPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon Langaagrp@gmail.com www.langaa-rpcig.net
Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective orders@africanbookscollective.com www.africanbookscollective.com
e-ISBN: 978-9956-554-97-3
©Minga Mbweck Kongo 2024
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher
Acknowledgements
Due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19, I was confronted with the impossibility of being comprehensive in my coverage—therefore, ‘incomplete.’ I have many people to thank for developing my scholarship on water issues, especially those who understood my incompleteness as a scholar. The list of people I would like to acknowledge may seem long, but it is confidently longer than the list comprising those robbed of recognition by a trick of recollection or of place. But very importantly, I thank the individuals and family members in Khayelitsha who have given me permission to share their stories and predicaments and who welcomed me into their homes with endless humour and spontaneous laughter. Without the generous contribution of your personal stories, writing this book would not have been possible. From my research assistants Zukile Deliwe, Philani Sande and Boitumelo Kente, I learned aboutUbuntu’s gentle, persuasive power. Thank you for accompanying and protecting me. From the beginning to the end of the book, I was blessed by the lively intellect and good company of Professor Francis Nyamnjoh. This journey took many years of back and forth in terms of thinking through, resolving, committing, and sacrificing. The long hours of conversations with Professor Nyamnjoh deepened my understanding of incompleteness and conviviality. My deep appreciation and indebtedness go to him for his encouragement, guidance, mentorship and inspiration. I benefited from his immense knowledge and consistent and constant feedback on how to develop my ideas. I am particularly indebted to Professor Horman Chitonge for inspiring me from my Master’s to my Ph.D. He supported me on my scholarly journey over many years. Thanks to Emeritus Professor Lungisile Ntsebeza, who believed in my work and the stories I have told over the many years of my research.
Special thanks go to Professor Antonádia Borges, who generously agreed to write the foreword, and Associate Professor Ilana Van Wyk, Professor Steven Robins and Associate Professor Divine Fuh, for their endorsement. I benefited from Professor Steven Robins, from whose thought-provoking scholarship I borrowed. Special thanks go to my editor, Val Bruce, for her initial work shaping the book since its conceptualisation and for keeping my ideas original in the debates and reflections on critical issues that emerged during our many conversations. I also treasure the support I gained from the Centre for African Studies, where most of my scholarship was moulded. I benefited enormously from the intellectual and social generosity of the staff of CAS. Further gratitude should be expressed to Noma-Afrika Maseti and Professor Suren Pillay for providing administrative space for my work. This work could not have been completed in its present format without the respective research fellowships, which were supported by the Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA) through the Andrew Mellon Foundation Turning the Tide, and the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) at the University of Cape Town. I am particularly indebted to Associate Professor Divine Fuh, Director of HUMA, for his guidance on the manuscript proposal. I also treasure the support I gained from my colleagues at CAS Simphiwe Tsawu and Hayley Robert. Form colleagues at HUMA, Sanya Osha and Ahmet Sait, shared their insights and ideas on water. I am most fortunate to have interacted with wonderful colleagues, such as, Dominique Somda, Sandile Ngidi, Nuraan Allie, Alison Kuah, Amina Alaoui Soulimani, Azza Mustafa Babakir Ahmed, Karoline Becker, Fanidh Sanogo, Fanny Chabrol, Nabil Ferdaoussi, Olerato Mogomotsi, Joy Marjawar, Min’enhle Ncube, Alison, and Ayanda Manqoyi. Thanks to Cebisa Bingwa and Dimphiwe Ngqaneka, I was privileged to deepen my understanding of some of the washing techniques and gain critical insights beyond measure.
Further gratitude should be expressed to Todd Donaldson Namup, who read aspects of the manuscript with interest and commented on them. Thank you to Barry Michael, the owner of BMF, for his enthusiastic support of the book’s original cover. To my family, I owe a debt of gratitude to my torchbearer, Nombulelo Kongo, who contributed to my spiritual, physical and intellectual metamorphosis. Thank you for your courage and understanding, as well as your unconditional love and support, as you always walk with me under the shadow of my fate. Thank you to my daughter, Tabitha Kongo, who has been more than helpful in assisting me with transcribing the interviews. Her resilience, enduring loyalty, and respect over the years carry me on proverbial eagle wings daily. Without her quick typing skills, this book would not have been finished.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ......................................................... iii
Foreword: An ethnographic critical appraisal on contemporary hydraulic democracies byAntonádia Borges............................................... ix
Preface: A Puzzle Box .....................................................xv
Introduction: Turning the Tide.........................................1
Chapter 1: Khayelitsha and Liquid Shit........................... 13
Chapter 2: Water as a Catalyst for Relationships ............43
Chapter 3: On the Move: Seeking Water in Incompleteness......................................... 71
Chapter 4: Opportunities and Opportunism: Ubuntu....................113in the Quest for Water
Chapter 5: Water And The Human Body...................... 155
Chapter 6: Water, Death, and Burial in the Time of Covid-19 .............................. 185
Chapter 7: Embodying Water Practices in Khayelitsha ............................................. 215
Conclusion..................................................................... 249
Glossary of isiXhosa Words ........................................... 257
Notes ............................................................................. 263
References ..................................................................... 265
Index.............................................................................. 277
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viii
Foreword
An ethnographic critical appraisal on contemporary hydraulic democracies Antonádia Borges ASINAMANZI Fluid Realities: Exploring South Africa’s Water Crisis and Social DynamicsMinga Mbweck Kongo by contributes in an original way to various fields of interest within the social sciences. Theoretically consistent and written with literary quality, the book develops a great methodological experiment that might be its outstanding virtue. Ethnography, more than a method of investigation, attempts to build up particular theoretical advancements in understanding humanity. Kongo’s study will be read and appreciated as one of the best contemporary examples of ethnography in the abovementioned sense. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that the virus threatening humanity could be arrested in its voracity if we refrained from circulating and paid attention to so-called basic sanitation rules. Though coherent and unquestionable from a scientific point of view, the call to stay home and wash frequently relies on assumptions about housing and modes of existence that were not (and are not) reality to a vast majority of the population of this planet. Social scientists from the global south could not but interrogate the World Health Organization’s general commandment to stay home and wash your hands properly and often. Housing and water came to the central stage as absent fundamental rights. People could not stay indoors because they had no roof. They could not wash because there was no running free water in their neighbourhoods. So, whose fault was it? The culprit was someone who would run his/her errands in search of daily survival, wearing no mask, with no hand sanitiser in his/her pocket. No matter his/her reasons, he/she might be a negationist. The pandemic’s epistemological impact on Kongo’s ethnographic work led to an original contribution beyond urban studies and medical anthropology. Instead of staying
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