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‘Sleep Occupies No Space’: The Use of Public Space by Street Gangs in Kinshasa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2011

Kristien Geenen
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Abstract

This article deals with issues of territoriality, public space, the microphysics of power and street gang life in the current urban context of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this city, a growing number of street children invade the public places. They team up in gangs and scour the streets in search of a location to settle (for a while). Along with their appropriation of public space, these gangs encounter several actors such as the city authorities, shop owners, tenants or rival street gangs. Before any settlement, deals have to be closed since every inch of the city is negotiable. All participants get involved in these negotiations, for no one is considered marginal, certainly not the street youth who are inextricably bound up with Congolese society. This contribution considers this dynamic field of negotiations through a focus on space and analyses it from a Foucauldian angle. It explores how gang members develop particular ways to control their territories and exercise power in them. Additionally, it examines how street youths manage to construct a home in the streets and make sense of their urban environment in the process.

Cet article traite de la territorialité, de l'espace public, de la microphysique du pouvoir et de la vie des gangs de rue dans le contexte urbain actuel de Kinshasa, la capitale de la République Démocratique du Congo. Un nombre croissant d'enfants des rues envahissent les lieux publics de la ville. Ils se constituent en gangs et déambulent dans les rues en quête d'un endroit où s'établir (pour un temps). En s'appropriant l'espace public, ces gangs croisent des acteurs divers comme les autorités de la ville, les commerçants, les résidents ou gangs rivaux. L'établissement temporaire d'un gang fait l'objet de négociations, le moindre centimètre de ville étant négociable. Tous les participants se mêlent à la négociation, personne n'étant considéré comme marginal, certainement pas les jeunes des rues, inextricablement liés à la société congolaise. Cet article examine ce champ de négociation dynamique à travers le prisme de l'espace et l'analyse sous un angle foucaldien. Il explore la manière dont les membres des gangs développent des méthodes particulières pour contrôler leurs territoires et y exercer leur pouvoir. Il étudie par ailleurs comment les jeunes des rues parviennent à construire un foyer dans les rues et, ce faisant, à donner un sens à leur environnement urbain.

Type
Research Articles
Information
Africa , Volume 79 , Issue 3 , August 2009 , pp. 347 - 368
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2009

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