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Many African communities are significantly affected by climate change, despite being small contributors to the world's emissions. In Mozambique, the rural Southern region is more vulnerable to climate instability than other rural areas in the country. The purpose of this study is to look at factors that can be vital when deciding whether to stay or to migrate, such as resilience, social sustainability, and development opportunities and challenges. The data was collected through ethnographic fieldwork in a rural community on the Mozambican coast, with the villagers' perspective in the centre of what makes the place relevant to their daily lives. What makes the study village sustain and thrive are the development processes of weather-resistant buildings and developing ideas for more sufficient farming, health, and education. Even though some people migrate from the village to the cities, people often come back as challenges in the village are more familiar and simpler to deal with, development ideas represent a hopeful future for the village, and the villagers' want to live in their community simply because it is home.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

In the Kingdom of Lesotho, large dams are currently being constructed with the sole purpose of selling water to the Republic of South Africa, in order to earn royalties and to generate electricity for Lesotho. The focus of this study was to investigate the perception of the community on the socio-environmental impacts of Metolong Dam and Reservoir in Lesotho. A qualitative research methodology was adopted and grounded theory was used in collecting data from the study area. Qualitative research techniques used were document analysis, field notes and semi-structured interviews. After conducting an audit which evaluated the accuracy of the initial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) by comparing actual to predict impacts, it was found that the perceptions of the community on the socio-economic impacts of Metolong project were: the community had poor education due to expensive school fees and their level of education did not help with dynamics on climate for they are complex and not easily to be understood, alcoholism existed due to unemployement, cultural constraints existed dominated by the patriarchal structures on the land and decision making, compensation policy was not honoured by project developers, the project brought benefits and loss of life-support resources, people are unable to grow wheat, beans and peas for their fields are taken and the community experienced loss of building sand that is not addressed. Information obtained helped the study to close the gap which appears not to have been addressed by the Government of Lesotho Department of Water Affairs Lowlands Water Supply Unit, 2008. Results of the study revealed that local villagers in the study area were happy with the project benefits, but they were discontented with the project as they were not incoporated in the management and supervision of the project. Rather, the local villagers were engaged only as labourers. The study recommends that when large dams are constructed, local villages should not be given promises that are dressed with many enticing commitments. The reason is that, communities never asked for the project, but it is set forth authoritatively as obligatory upon them. Project authorities should increase their efforts to fulfil promises made. Not only that, they should have respect, compassion, care and dedication when dealing with affected people. It is in this regard that the Local Based Project Execution and Observation Model is proposed, which will incorporate local villagers in the management steps of all large dam developments within their communities, in order to contend with environmental impacts of large dams. / Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environmental Management)

Techn. Univ., Diss.--Dresden, 2006. / Literaturverz. S. 463 - 478. CD-ROM enth. ausführliches Inhaltsverz., Anh. 1: UN-Resolutionen, Anh. 2: Dokumente zum Friedensprozess.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Les nombreux travaux sur les migrations forcées ont souvent porté une attention particulière sur les conditions existentielles des réfugiés et les nombreuses « ruptures sociales » qui caractérisent leur exil. Que ce soit dans les camps ou dans les périphéries des grandes villes en Afrique ou en Europe, que certains ont qualifié de « non-lieux », ils sont souvent présentés comme étant au « bord du monde ». Sans nier ces réalités, il convient toutefois de relativiser ce tableau, en montrant que les réfugiés savent mobiliser des ressources qui leur permettent non seulement de surmonter les aléas de l’exil, mais aussi de produire du lien social par rapport aux situations qui se présentent à eux. Prenant à contre-pied les allégations sur le manque de liens sociaux des réfugiés, ce travail s’attache donc à examiner comment, à partir des modalités positives ou négatives, les réfugiés congolais construisent du lien social non seulement entre eux, mais aussi avec les autochtones et les institutions étatiques et internationales, à Libreville, au Gabon. Il s’agit, dans une perspective interactionniste, de saisir la structure globale du lien qui les unit. Deux schèmes organisent les rapports des trois catégories d’acteurs. Alors que le schème « réfugiés congolais » structure les liens entre ces migrants forcés, le schème « parents ennemis » quant à lui, organise les relations entre ces derniers, l’Etat et les autochtones. Ces deux schèmes sont donc des « liants » en situation. / The numerous studies on forced migration often focused attention on the existential conditions of refugees and the many "social disruption" that characterize their exile. Whether in camps or in the outskirts of major cities in Africa and Europe, which some have called "non-places", they are often presented as the "edge of the world." Without denying these realities, it should however put this table, showing that refugees know mobilize resources that enable them not only to overcome the vagaries of exile, but also to build social ties in relation to the situations that arise to them. Taking up against the allegations about the lack of social ties refugees, this work therefore seeks to examine how, from how positive or negative, Congolese refugees build social ties not only among themselves but also with indigenous and state and international institutions, in Libreville, Gabon. It is in an interactional perspective, with contributions from fields such as history, sociology, psychology and political science, to understand the overall structure of the bond that unites them. Two schemes organize the reports of the three categories of actors. When the scheme "Congolese refugees' structure links between Congolese exiles, the scheme" parents enemies "meanwhile, organizes the relations between them, the State and indigenous peoples. These two schemas are thus "sociable dispositions"("binders") in situation.

This film is an autobiographical documentary which tells the story of the process of documenting the filmmaker's trip to his land of heritage. As his plans for his journey and film begin to go awry, he begins to question the entire process of trying to connect with nation and place.