Fear in Bongoland

By Marc Sommers

Subjects: Cultural Policy, Hutu (African people), Anthropology, Ethnic relations, Popular Culture, Tanzania, social conditions, Emigration & Immigration, Relocation, Urban residence, Urban Hutu, Economic conditions, SOCIAL SCIENCE, Hutu (african people), POLITICAL SCIENCE, Cultural, Economic history, Youth, africa, Social conditions, Public Policy, Refugees, africa, Hutu Refugees, Tanzania, economic conditions

Description: "This volume, the first full-length study of urban refugees in hiding, tells the story of Burundi refugee youth who escaped from remote camps in central Tanzania to work in one of Africa's fastest-growing cities, Dar es Salaam. This steamy, rundown capital would seem uninviting to many, particularly for second generation survivors of genocide whose lives are ridden with fear. But these young men nonetheless join migrants in "Bongoland" (meaning "Brainland") where, as the nickname suggests, only the shrewdest and most cunning can survive.". "Mixing lyrics from church hymns and street vernacular, descriptions of city living in cartoons and popular novels and original photographs, this book creates an ethnographic portrait of urban refugee life, where survival strategies spring from street smarts and pastors' warnings of urban sin, and mastery of popular youth culture is highly valued. Pentecostalism and a secret rift within the seemingly impenetrable Hutu ethnic group are part of the rich texture of this contemporary African story. Written in accessible prose, this book offers an intimate picture of how Africa is changing and how refugee youth are helping to drive that change."--BOOK JACKET.