[ad_1]
The first speaker, Chris Alden, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, spoke about the "two stories" on the land issue in southern Africa. These "stories" must be understood as "lenses" through which policies and programs on earth are seen, interpreted and developed.
In the background, he explains that it is important to keep in mind the colonization of settlers to understand the political economy. from southern Africa. He recalled that colonization of settlers in the agricultural sector was supported by the state with service infrastructure, subsidies in terms of inputs and manpower.
He then developed "the two narratives":
The Land Question 1.0
This can be divided into two: the "liberation narrative" and the "neoliberal narrative".
The "liberation story" preaches restitution ("we will repair historical injustices"), nation building ("we will build a nation out of the anti-colonial struggle") and development ("we will deliver modernity" ). From this perspective, the land has a strong social value and it is a way to repair historical injustice; the solution revolves around the ideas of expropriation for redistribution.
The "neoliberal narrative" preaches sovereignty ("the constitution will bring solutions"), development ("the market will deliver") and nation building. According to this view, land has a productive value and is important in terms of employment and income; the solution revolves around the ideas of "willing buyer, willing seller"
The Land Question 2.0
Because societies evolve, history is rewritten and old stories change. For example, generally positive views about the "heroes of liberation" at the time of independence (or democracy in the South African case) tend to become more critical today.
The "land question" reappears, as it did in the South. Africa and Namibia, but the institution uses old stories (The Land Question 1.0), without recognizing that the situation has changed significantly. Some of these changes are urbanization, service delivery, informal sector growth, unemployed youth.
Without neglecting the past, it is important to understand the new conditions and the nature of the "land question" and, on that basis, to adjust and broaden the policy-making process. response to these conditions.
Conclusions
The new land question should not concern the use of "old stories" under new conditions.
It is important to keep historical injustices in mind and to distinguish them in political terms (restoration policy) from contemporary injustices perpetrated daily that may inspire a different set of solutions.
It is also important to gather existing evidence at the national level and produce "an audit of national experiences".
It is also important to understand "regional experiences". Although there are no "formulas" that can be "imported", the consultation process on Botswana's land policy, Mozambique's experience in " land legislation "or the" accelerated "agrarian reform of Zimbabwe deserve to be understood.
Discussion
What do we mean by "disadvantaged"? aujourd & # 39; hui? And who are the "currently disadvantaged"?
The perception of "what is progress" varies, and there is a significant bias to access commercial agriculture, despite structural barriers.
Zimbabwe is a model for the South. Africa; the term "willing buyer, willing seller" was a compromise carrying the promise of a "subsequent adjustment". However, this adjustment is still pending.
Restitution and redistribution are not identical. These are different political approaches, and there are different ways of thinking. While restitution refers to the claim of what has been dispossessed (restoration of justice), redistribution refers to broader access to a resource (equity).
The social aspect should not be underestimated; an attitude of "forgive, forget and move on" does not provide the empathy necessary to understand how land dispossession is a kind of "social trauma" that needs to be addressed
Although some countries have experienced Some slowdown in urbanization Most data indicate that influx to urban areas is a predictable trend in Namibia and across sub-Saharan Africa.
About the program "The New Land Question"
The goal is to activate the university as a platform to re-examine the "land issue" in Namibia , define the contemporary nature of the situation and identify emerging issues from a contemporary, multidisciplinary and projective point of view. The program is coordinated by the Institute of Integrated Land Management (ILMI) and led by a committee which can be reached at [email protected]
[ad_2]
Source link
