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Brokers of crisis: the everyday uncertainty of Eastern Congo's mineral négociants*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2017

Christoph Vogel  and
Josaphat Musamba
Christoph Vogel*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Josaphat Musamba*
Affiliation:
Faculté des Sciences Sociales, Politiques, et Administratives, Université Simon Kimbangu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
*
Email: chvogel@geo.uzh.ch
Email: josaphatmusambu@gmail.com
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Abstract

Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) artisanal mining sector is often linked to the violent conflicts that have beset Central Africa for over two decades. While many analyses emphasise its ‘criminal’ and ‘illegal’ nature, less attention has been paid to the ambiguity of this economy, most prominently incarnated by the intermediate mineral traders called négociants. Focusing on their entrepreneurship, networks and everyday activities, this essay offers a more nuanced understanding of local mineral trade in the context of a ‘crisis economy’ framed by competing governable orders. It investigates the uncertainty along eastern DRC's mineral supply chains, that are undergoing major regulatory changes to curb the trade of so-called ‘conflict minerals’. Drawing from extensive fieldwork, this essay demonstrates how this uncertainty shapes the négociants’ role as brokers of socio-economic life in the provinces of North and South Kivu.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 55 , Issue 4 , December 2017 , pp. 567 - 592
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

*

We wish to thank the JMAS editors and two anonymous referees. Judith Verweijen, Timothy Raeymaekers, Benedikt Korf and Koen Vlassenroot helped us brokering the uncertainty of previous drafts. Lievin Mbarushimana, Chrispin Mvano and Lebon Mulimbi made for an amazing team as we talked to numerous négociants, whose consent and collaboration are the foundation of this essay. Our fieldwork was generously supported by the Swiss National Science Fund (SNF) grant S-75141-03-01. Any remaining errors are ours alone.

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