Suchergebnisse

Covers political, economic, and social conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on crisis, conflict, and violence; since 1990, chiefly; 12 articles, debates, briefings, and other materials.

Although the growing hostilities among government leaders & policymakers toward the huge refugee populations in Tanzania is expressed as security concerns, the author argues that the security issues are not military issues per se. After independence, Tanzania successfully implemented social, economic, & political reforms on a course toward "socialism & self-reliance," & refugees found a safe haven as early as the 1960s & were seen as economically beneficial. The dramatic rise in the refugee population in the 1990s brought crime, banditry, deforestation, environmental degradation, & economic challenges. However, the shift in attitudes is more complex & also lies in perceptions of social & political community, social identity, & state sovereignty. The relationship between nation, state, & territory influences the shifting attitudes toward refugees, & they represent both a threat & an opportunity for statecraft. Refugee issues has been used to portray Tanzania both as a victim of the international community & as a "morally superior" host to the region's dislocated & suffering masses. 1 Appendix, 51 References. L. A. Hoffman

The effects of vernacular Christianity & indigenous groups that have used the Rwandan Catholic Church (RCC) to advance power, prestige, & wealth since 1910 in Rwanda are examined. The RCC supported the revolution of 1959, & came to be ruled by a Hutu episcopacy while relying on Tutsi clergy; then, it assumed a passive political role & concentrated on sacramental & spiritual issues, instead of social problems, in order to protect its economic position, second only to that of the government. Since the 1980s, the RCC has attempted to promote democracy & eliminate violence, but internal divisions have threatened its autonomy, & 33% of its clergy have been killed in genocide. The international Catholic community has linked the RCC with the regime responsible for genocide, & bishops have engaged in public confession, but priests in refugee camps have not. While Rwanda claims to be the most Catholic country on the African continent, different forms of vernacular Christianity have escaped control, & the future of the RCC will depend on the outcome of the current political crisis. V. Wagener

Examines the current crisis of social structures & government in Central Africa, in particular, the Democratic Republic of Congo, by presenting a theoretical introduction to the context of the nation-state in the area. The complexities of Western colonialism, ie, the construct of the state & socialization of its meaning, are explored. The political interplay of the informal, institutional, & patrimonial elements of the state at the end of the colonial period, as well as the economic development of the region, are discussed. Current economic & political challenges are assessed, & suggestions for future African scholarship are presented. 10 References. L. Collins