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THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MIGRATION AND REPUTATION IN KINSHASA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2011

Joseph Trapido
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Abstract

This essay presents a history of the mikiliste, the high-living bon vivant who travels to Europe and is a central figure in Kinois urban mythology. It looks in particular at the highly theatrical exchanges engaged in by the mikiliste, which relate especially to music patronage and to designer clothing. I show how these exchanges have evolved over time, both shaping and being shaped by the political economy of Kinshasa. The essay shows how such aesthetic performances should not be discussed in isolation from wider political-economic considerations. Those who participate in economies of prestige must be connected to a material base, and the ruling class, with their access to the resources of the interior, have become ever more important participants in the mikiliste rituals of largesse. Recently, the violent contestation of mikiliste exchange, both in Europe and in Kinshasa, indicates that such moments of largesse may be involved in reproducing political-economic relations in the Congolese capital.

Résumé

Cet essai présente une histoire du mikiliste, le bon vivant qui mène la grande vie durant ses voyages en Europe, personnage central de la mythologie urbaine kinoise. Il s'intéresse en particulier aux échanges hautement théâtraux auxquels prend part le mikiliste, qui ont trait notamment à son goût pour la musique et les vêtements de grandes marques. Il montre comment ces échanges ont évolué au fil du temps, tout à la fois façonnant l’économie politique de Kinshasa et façonnés par elle. L'essai montre en quoi ces interprétations esthétiques sont indissociables, dans leur analyse, de considérations politico-économiques plus larges. Ceux qui participent aux économies de prestige sont forcément connectés à une base matérielle et la classe dirigeante, parce qu'elle a accès aux ressources de l'intérieur, participe plus que jamais aux rituels de largesse du mikiliste. Récemment, la contestation violente de l’échange mikiliste, tant en Europe qu’à Kinshasa, indique que ces moments de largesse contribuent peut-être à reproduire les rapports politico-économiques dans la capitale congolaise.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 81 , Issue 2 , May 2011 , pp. 204 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2011

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