Paper short abstract:

Angola’s diamond exploration in the Lundas since the last century shaped the way settlement and urbanization developed. This paper analyses the main drivers and actors of urbanisation in the country, focusing on the roles of state and corporations but also of the guerrilla and the population in general.

Paper long abstract:

Lundas' urbanization in the 20th century was strictly promoted and controlled by the large scale diamond mining companies and the colonial state, shaping the lives of local population and mine workers. This changed radically after independence as civil war and the guerrilla/state competition for resource control materialised in artisanal mining settlements outside the state controlled cities. Other players in the war context helped building the features of new and old towns and cities in the Lundas - artisanal diamond diggers, migrant workers, traders, security and others sorts of services providers. By the end of the war, at least two types of population settlements were dominant in the region - informal mining towns and the 'formal' cities, each one with its own particular features. The former became increasingly unattractive as state investments were channelled to the 'formal' cities and control of informal mining by the state and mining companies became stronger. This paper, grounded on data collected on the field, analyses the roles played by the different actors in the processes of urbanization in the Lundas, discussing their weight and capacity to influence urbanization and how it articulates with the local strategies of the population regarding mining and the search for better living conditions. The article also tries to explore the dynamics of social recomposition and resilience in Angola.