The conference “Who do streets belong to?” analyses Africa’s urban transformation due to changes in traffic and transport systems
Traffic and transport, as well as changes in the use and property of public areas, take part in the process of transformation and modernization of cities. An international conference, which takes place on the Faculty of Geography and History on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th January and is entitled “Who do streets belong to?”, analyses this matter in some African cities. Several anthropologist and social scientists from Africa and Europe participate in the conference. Throughout the conference a great number of topics will be dealt, for example: the conflicts caused by an increasing use of cars, why accidents happen, the different ways to solve the conflicts derived from accidents, and several examples of social interactions in African streets and squares.
Traffic and transport, as well as changes in the use and property of public areas, take part in the process of transformation and modernization of cities. An international conference, which takes place on the Faculty of Geography and History on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th January and is entitled “Who do streets belong to?”, analyses this matter in some African cities. Several anthropologist and social scientists from Africa and Europe participate in the conference. Throughout the conference a great number of topics will be dealt, for example: the conflicts caused by an increasing use of cars, why accidents happen, the different ways to solve the conflicts derived from accidents, and several examples of social interactions in African streets and squares.
The inaugural lecture takes place today at midday and it is given by Manuel João Ramos, from the ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon; the professors of Social Anthropology of the UB Alberto López Bargados and Gerand Horta also speak. During the conference, several lectures will be given focused on the analysis of several questions: the resolution of traffic problems in Nouakchott (Mauritania), which includes traditional justice administration manners like the diya; the modernization processes and transport facilities in that city; the analysis of some places such as the Sucupira market in Praia (Cape Verde); or the processes of migration and urban development in Touba (Senegal).
During the conference several matters will arise, for example, which urban models and typologies prevail in national and local actions, or the consequences that the increasing use of cars and the privatization of public transport have. Some of the participating speakers are: Papa Demba Fall, from the Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar, Senegal); and Pedro José García Sánchez, from the University of Paris West - Nanterre, who will give a lecture entitled “Ouaga: la calle como enjambre. Peripecias, competencias y ambientes de la movilidad lábil en África subsahariana”. The closing lecture will be given by Mark Lamont, from Goldsmiths, London University.
The conference is organised by the Research Group on Exclusion and Social Control of the UB (GRECS), within the R+D project FLUXUS. FLUXUS is a project funded by the Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness which studies social appropriation and use competences in the city centre of three African cities. The Barcelonaʼs conference is the closing event of the project and the start-up of a new one, entitled AFFRIC. Urban planning, mobility and accident rate in Sub-Saharan Africa, which provides continuity to FLUXUS. The project FLUXUS has been mainly focused on analysing the burst of conflicts, processes and social needs due to the antagonism between pedestriansʼ logical thinking and the impact of road traffic, with or without previous planning. On their practical side, the main objective of both projects is to reduce the accident rate in these cities by adapting practices to the intrinsic characteristics of the African context.