Cities Under Siege

Urban Violence in South, Central and West Africa

Antoinnette LOUW & Simon BEKKER (eds), 1996, Durban, Indicator Press; Ibadan, French Institute for Research in Africa; Johannesburg, IFAS
ISBN: 1-86840-155-3

In many African countries, daily events of crime and violence threaten lives and stifle the continents prospects for growth, development and prosperity. Cities are the primary sites of this violence, where poor living conditions encourage conflicts to ignite into political, ethnic, religious and criminal violence.

In cities like Lagos, Johannesburg and Ibadan, rapid urbanisation strains already limited supplies of infrastructure and essential services, adding to the everyday stresses of urban life. The disintegration of family life coupled with unemployment and the lures of the drug trade and other criminal activities nurture an alienated youth in the mould of Lagos’s ‘area boys’.

At another level, problems associated with urbanisation are expressed in religious conflicts with strong class and ethnic overtones. Clashes between supporters of political groups accompany these conflicts. The role of the state in these arenas of conflict is also crucial. The legacies of structural adjustment in Nigeria and apartheid in South Africa form a backdrop for examining urban violence in these countries.

This book contains extracts from the proceedings of the International Symposium on Urban Management and Urban Violence in Africa, held in November 1994 in Ibadan, and organised by Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (IFRA). It challenges accepted understandings of the concept of violence, and considers the links between urban space and violence.

It argues that better management of the urban environment is one solution to this violence. The commitment and efficiency of the government, police and courts, are equally important. Development and service provision must accompany attempts to secure communities from crime, corruption and violence.