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- Convenors:
-
Enrico Ille
(University of Leipzig)
Diana Ayeh (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and Harz University of Applied Sciences)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Political Economy of Extractivism
- Transfers:
- Open for transfers
- Location:
- S65 (RW I)
- Sessions:
- Wednesday 2 October, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
This panel explores the re-negotiation of 'acceptable' forms and consequences of extraction under conditions of global, national and local crises that introduce temporal pressures to engage (anew) with African undergrounds.
Long Abstract:
In recent years apparent critical supply crises and geopolitical pressures around the globe have injected new demands for the extraction, processing and recycling of raw materials. Particularly in countries of the Global North, the temporal pressure to combat climate change and to ensure energy security became increasingly entangled with a “securization rhetoric around critical minerals” (Owen et al. 2022, 4). This also involves political quests for new techniques of extraction, and for ever new places where resources can be found (e.g. in residue sites, the sea belt, or space). The urgency to find solutions for the ‘here and now’ of differently defined crises, however, runs risk of downplaying the contestations around these projects, and seems to leave little room for long-term concerns about environmental viability and well-being in targeted areas on the African continent and beyond.
This panel invites contributions from various disciplines studying the relationships between locally, nationally or globally defined states of exception (e.g. environmental crisis, political turmoil, warfare) and temporalities of engaging with the underground. How do discourses about potential sites and technologies of extraction play out, and what are the politics of creating infrastructures and of making use of labour relations that support subterranean work? How does this eventually shift the ways the consequences and long-term impacts of extraction are(n't) addressed or made (in)visible? What afterlives of extraction are emerging on the African continent in reference to ‘criticality’, e.g. in the form of re-mining old mining territories or of recycling materials from consumer products?
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Wednesday 2 October, 2024, -Paper short abstract:
Cette communication vise à comprendre les effets de la temporalité des projets or propre, or responsable, or juste etc sur l’action environnementale et la mobilisation sociale dans les communes minières concernées par ces projets au Burkina Faso
Paper long abstract:
Au Burkina Faso, les activités de l’exploitation minière artisanale de l’or engendrent des bouleversements des écosystèmes naturels et produisent une désarticulation sociale. Les dynamiques environnementales en cours dans le secteur de la mine artisanale génèrent des mutations peu avantageuses et conduisent à des conflits redoutables sur la terre, l’eau et toutes les autres ressources dites naturelles en milieu rural Burkinabè. Face à cette situation des nouvelles politiques d’encadrement dans le secteur de la mine artisanale ont vu le jour au Burkina Faso. Sur le plan Étatique nous assistons à la création de plusieurs structures pour l’encadrement du secteur de la mine artisanale et au niveau des partenaires techniques et financiers du Burkina Faso nous assistons à la promotion des projets de l’exploitation de l’or sans des effets néfastes sur l’environnement et la population. Cette communication à travers des données ethnographiques et de la revue de littérature a pour objectif de recueillir des informations qui permettent de comprendre l’impact des marqueurs temporels dans les dynamiques d’action environnementales et sociales autour de ces nouveaux projets dans l’exploitation minière artisanale de l’or au Burkina Faso.
Paper short abstract:
BRIMs Heritage Resource Centre has turned electronic devices with hazardous material that pose environmental and health risks into a museum display. The outcomes of a mobile museum on Vintage wheels that created community sensitisation of improper disposal of electronic waste materials.
Paper long abstract:
The global challenge of electronic waste (e-waste) is particularly pronounced in developing nations like Uganda, encompassing a diverse array of end-of-life electronic devices with hazardous materials that pose environmental and health risks (Schluep et al., 2007; Sansa-Otim et al., 2013). The urgency to find solutions is underscored by the threats e-waste poses to the respiratory, reproductive, circulatory, and nervous systems (Li et al., 2007; Huang et al., 2014; Chen et al., 2015a; Chen et al., 2015b; Lambert et al., 2015). As technology advances, the disposal of electronic devices has become a global concern, and Uganda, like many developing nations, faces the challenge of managing the escalating tide of e-waste, necessitating sustainable solutions.
Despite these challenges, the Government of Uganda has demonstrated commitment to sustainable e-waste management through legislative provisions and policies.
BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre (BRIMS) has creatively designed interventions to address the e-waste predicament. This paper explores BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre's commendable initiatives, focusing on the collection, conservation, preservation, restoration, and showcasing of vintage e-waste items. Notably, these efforts significantly contribute to sustainable development and play a pivotal role in promoting tourism in the country.
Over the years, BRIMS has innovatively embarked on an e-waste collection program in collaboration with local communities, scrap businesses, and government bodies. The team frequently visits areas to collect or buy from the communities that are selling these unique items for dismantling alongside social media campaigns asking the public to donate or sell the unwanted electronic items. Recent statistics indicate that e-waste in Uganda was estimated at 17,000 tons/year in 2018 and is projected to rise by 4,500 tons per annum.
Recognizing the historical and cultural significance of electronic devices, BRIMS maintains a distinctive collection of unique vintage and historically significant analog electronic items. BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre actively engages in showcasing sustainable practices through its innovative exhibition displays and mobile museum. This not only educates the public on responsible e-waste management but also contributes to tourism in Uganda. Recent data suggest that tourism in Uganda is an increasingly important contributor to its economy. The 1.5 million international arrivals, combined with a growing number of domestic tourists, generated 7.75% of GDP and 6.7% of total national employment in 2018 (CBI, 2020), signifying the positive impact of BRIMS' initiatives.
BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre's holistic approach to e-waste management sets a remarkable example for the entire nation. By integrating the preservation of electronic heritage with sustainable practices, BRIMS addresses the immediate challenges posed by e-waste and contributes to the broader goals of environmental conservation, electronic heritage preservation, and community education