TRADE FLOWS WITHIN AFRICA'S COPPERBELT.: Neoliberalism and the uneven management of space

Résumé En

African Copperbelt is set on two countries, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This geological region tie these two areas together and contributes in making the two national economic systems interdependent. On the one hand, Katanga the Southern part of the DRC is the richest Province in the Congo, thanks to the Copperbelt, its « geological scandal » and its huge copper and cobalt mines. The geographic configuration of the country makes of Zambia the only one way for the minerals towards exportation (mainly through the harbors of Dar-es-Salam Tanzania and Durban South Africa). On the other hand, Zambia has the ambition to become a major economic strength in Southern Africa via the diversification of its exportations. In order to reduce its dependence on copper, Zambia is currently enhancing the development of agricultural capacities and the exportation of agricultural products (in which maize products are primordial). In this sector, DRC is a prime market outlet, Katanga being completely dependent on food supplies coming from Zambia and further South. Today, Zambian Copperbelt and North-Western Provinces (also know as « The New Copperbelt » thanks to the new mines opened recently in Kalumbila and Solwezi), due to the border they share with the DRC, have become a nodal point to study the trade flows occurring between the two countries. Kasumbalesa and Kipushi, the two studied border posts, and the major roads connecting them to both hinterlands, are interesting places to study the new spatial forms of African neoliberalism. We can analyze at these points how things move, how flows are politically managed in space, and how different natures of flows are managed differently.