Le théâtre en Centrafrique : de la théâtralité des rituels aux pratiques actuelles est un parcours de l’univers théâtral centrafricain. A travers le rituel du Ganza et celui du culte de Ngakola, précisément dans leurs aspects spectaculaires, ont été relevé des aspects théâtraux ou encore des éléments pouvant donner naissance à une forme théâtrale. Ces deux rituels ont fortement influencé certains hommes de théâtre centrafricains, qui n’ont pas manqué de les invoquer dans leurs créations artistiques. Les démarches de ces hommes étaient en réalité une quête vers la liberté. Ils voulaient d’une certaine manière se réapproprier une culture qu’ils commençaient à perdre au profit de celle du colonisateur. Le colonisateur, parrain d’un théâtre qui a du mal à se défaire - du « cordon ombilical » - des liens avec lui. Malgré l’indépendance et la renaissance de ce théâtre en 1960, avec la pièce A moléngué ti indépendance de l’Abbé Benoît Basile Siango, de multiples efforts restent à faire pour donner à l’art de Molière dans ce pays, ses plus belles lettres de noblesse sur tous les plans [artistiques, esthétiques, techniques, politiques et socio-économiques]. / The thesis entitled Drama in the Central African Republic : from the theatricality of rituals to contemporary practices, is a survey of the writing and production of plays in the Central African Republic. One can easily notice the theatrical elements, or elements that could give rise to some theatricality, in the Ganza ritual and the cult of Ngakola, especially when considering what relates to the spectacular in them. In the Central African Republic, these two rituals have had a great influence on certain number of playwrights who do allude them in their works. These writers are in fact aiming at more freedom. To a certain extent, they have been trying to recapture their own culture – a culture which they are gradually losing to that of the colonizer, the patron of the stage in the Central African Republic, with whom the link – the bondage – is hard to break. In spite of the independence of the country and of the revival of the theater in 1960 with the play entitled A moléngué ti independence by Father Benoît Basile Siango, considerable efforts still have to be made so that Molière’s art may regain its prestige [in terms of artistry, estheticism, techniques, as welle as political, social and economic commitment] in the Central African Republic.

La sécurité civile des Etats de la Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale, dont la mission première est de protéger les personnes, les biens et l’environnement fait face à la diversité des risques et des crises contemporains. La vulnérabilité et l’insouciance quasi généralisées dans cette partie de l’Afrique, aggravées par des contraintes chroniques dues à la pauvreté et la faiblesse des cadres institutionnels les exposent aux conséquences meurtrières et désastreuses des catastrophes.La situation est préoccupante ; mais la matière peine à rentrer dans les priorités des politiques publiques, tant en interne dans le cadre de chaque Etat de la C.E.M.A.C, que sur le plan sous régional.Les actions initiées çà et là au plan institutionnel, juridique et humain demeurent timides. Une des raisons majeures est que la sécurité civile dans cette partie du continent est relativement jeune et partagée entre une multitude d’acteurs confrontés en permanence aux événements dramatiques et à la complexité des crises.Elle a, plus que d’autres disciplines, besoin d’être précisée et consolidée. La question majeure qui structure le travail entrepris est par conséquent celle de savoir comment faire face aux situations complexes, éviter et prévenir les crises dans un environnement où les vulnérabilités sont décuplées par la pauvreté ? Autrement dit, que faire en cas de catastrophe dans un contexte où la capacité d’anticiper et de gérer les risques est particulièrement limitée ?A partir de la démarche juridique, mais aussi interdisciplinaire, l’on a montré la limite du modèle classique sur lequel repose principalement les systèmes de sécurité civile des Etats de la C.E.M.A.C, au détriment d’autres modèles pertinents de gestion crises (prise en compte des vulnérabilités et de la résilience) qui n’apparaissent dans le droit de la sécurité civile de ces Etats que sous forme de linéament.La réalité est claire et brutale : les risques et les catastrophes sont omniprésents en zone C.E.M.A.C, telle une ombre projetée sur le présent et le futur. Ce catastrophisme étale l’absence de développement de a sous-région et la faible diffusion des technologies et des savoirs. Face à cette situation inédite, outre la prévention des risques, l’on a préconisé de briser les sentiments d’impuissance, d’apprendre à affronter la catastrophe, à cesser de l’imaginer dans un futur improbable ; mais à la penser au présent, à expérimenter les capacités de résister et de résilience. Il devient dès lors essentiel de renouveler l’organisation générale de la sécurité civile des Etats de la C.E.M.A.C. A cet égard, l’émergence et /ou le renforcement d’un modèle communautaire de protection des personnes consoliderait le dispositif sous régional de sécurité civile. La recherche d’une gouvernance éclairée et participative peuvent aussi être des vecteurs minimaux, mais puissants de relance d’une garantie de la sécurité humaine et des droits fondamentaux. / Civil security in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States, whose main objective is the protection of persons, goods and the environment, is faced with different contemporary risks and crisis. The quite widespread vulnerability and disregard in this part Africa, heightened by unabating constraints caused by poverty and weak institutional frameworks exposes them to deadly and disastrous disaster consequences.The situation is alarming; yet it is hardly a priority on government policies, both in the internal policies of each CEMAC member state and at the sub regional level.The various actions initiated here and there at the institutional, legal and human levels are still timid. One of the major reasons is that civil security in this part of the continent is relatively young and divided amongst a multitude of actors confronted permanently with dramatic events and the complexity of the crisis.Moreover, it needs more than other fields, to be specified and consolidated. The major problem which is developed in the thesis is then, how to face the challenging issues, avoid and prevent crisis in an environment where the vulnerabilities are enhanced by poverty? In other words, what happens during a disaster in a context where the ability to preempt and to manage risks is particularly limited?From the legal approach, as well as interdisciplinary, we have revealed the limits of the classical model which civil security systems of CEMAC states basically depend on, to the detriment of other relevant models of risk management(taking into account vulnerability and resilience) which feature on the law of civil security of these states just as an alignment.The reality is clear and brutal: risks and disasters are omnipresent in the CEMAC zone; this is the shadow overbearing the present and the future. This gloom reveals the absence of development of the sub region and the poor dissemination of technology and knowledge. Faced with this unprecedented situation, besides risk prevention, we call on breaking this feeling of helplessness, master disaster management, cease from imagining it far-fetchedly; but to think of it in the present, evaluate the resistance and resilience capacities. It is therefore necessary to renew the general organization of civil security in CEMAC states. In this vein, the emergence and/or the enhancement of a community model of protection of persons shall reinforce the sub regional civil security mechanism. The search for informed and participative governance can also be minimum vectors, but powerful catalyst to guarantee human security and fundamental rights.

La ville de Bangui, capitale de la République Centrafricaine, est sujette à de grandes difficultés en termes d'alimentation en eau potable. Un moyen de diversifier les ressources est de mettre en exploitation de façon plus importante les eaux souterraines à proximité de la zone urbaine. Deux aquifères existent sur le territoire, un aquifère superficiel dans les niveaux latéritiques et un aquifère en profondeur dans les niveaux carbonatés du Précambrien. L'aquifère superficiel, bien que très exploité, est un réservoir vulnérable et fortement marqué par les sources de pollutions anthropiques. Les caractéristiques isotopiques des eaux indiquent une très forte dépendance aux conditions hydrologiques de recharge et un rôle massif des processus d'évaporation sur la signature des eaux. L'aquifère profond est, quant à lui, dans des conditions semi-confinées et assez bien isolé des influences anthropiques. Les caractéristiques isotopiques des eaux sont en faveur d'une recharge plus homogène, au sein d'un réservoir de taille importante et sur une superficie notable autour de la zone urbaine de Bangui. Les temps de séjour calculés à l'aide du radiocarbone sur les eaux souterraines les plus profondes indiquent des "âges" de l'ordre de plusieurs siècles à environ 3000 ans, traduisant une forte inertie du système aquifère et par là même sont potentiel favorable à une exploitation pérenne et qualitative pour fins de production d'eau potable. / Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, is subject to great difficulties in terms of drinking water supply. One way to diversify resources is to operate more importantly groundwater near the urban area. Two aquifers exist in the area, a surface water in lateritic levels and a deep aquifer in carbonate levels of the Precambrian. The surface aquifer, although very exploited, is a vulnerable reservoir and is also strongly influenced by anthropogenic sources of pollution. Isotopic characteristics of the water indicate a very strong dependence on hydrological recharge conditions and a massive part of the evaporation of water on the isotopic signature. The deep aquifer is, meanwhile, in a semi-confined situation and relatively well isolated from anthropogenic influences. Isotopic characteristics of the water are in favour of more homogeneous recharge processes, in a large reservoir and over a substantial area around the urban zone of Bangui. The residence times calculated using radiocarbon on the deeper groundwater indicate "ages" of the order of several centuries to about 3000 years, reflecting a strong inertia of the aquifer system and thus favourable exploitation conditions for the development of a sustainable and qualitative drinking water supply from groundwater.

United nations peacekeeping is a contentious issue. What is mostly agreed on though, is thatthe brave men and women around the world risking their lives in peacekeeping missions around the world deserve the best security and protection the international community can offer. However, little research has been focused on the reasons behind violence against peacekeepers. This thesis theorizes that the presence of a third-party military operation that threatens theoperational capabilities of rebel groups has the potential to cause an increase in rebel violenceagainst a United Nations Peacekeeping operation in the same conflict. Through examiningconflict dynamics in the cases of Mali and the Central African Republic utilizing of astructured, focused comparison, the hypothesized relationship and causal explanations wereput to the test. The expectation was that in Mali, the high levels of violence would be explainedby the effectiveness of the French counterinsurgency operation in the country. In the CentralAfrican Republic, the contrary was expected. However, the hypothesis could not be confirmed. Due to some rather large caveats and limitations, the research gap could not be satisfied. Nonetheless, the study creates plenty for avenues of future research, and opportunities to learnfrom the challenges encountered.

This academic research is focusing on the role of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in the maintenance of peace and security in Central Africa. It assesses the effectiveness of this Regional Economic Community in dealing with issues relating to peace and security. The study firstly discusses the legal framework that supports the mandate of the Central African subregional institution in the field of peace and security, and then it addresses its peace and security architecture. Secondly, this work stresses the achievements made by ECCAS in coping with security issues; it also stresses its shortcomings and examine the reasons behind them. Most importantly, although this research highlights the shortcomings of the ECCAS in maintaining stability and peace in the Central African subregion, it strongly advocates that the role played by ECCAS should not be underestimated and therefore, it makes some recommendations which can contribute to its rationalisation and make it more effective. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2011. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / nf2012 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

CHARLES UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Institute of Political Studies Department of Geopolitical Studies Master's Thesis Wagner Group and Opportunism in Russian Foreign Policy: Case Studies of the Central African Republic (CAR), Libya, and Mozambique Abstract This research paper concerns Russian foreign policy and the tools it uses to accomplish its objectives. More specifically, the research is focused on the secretive private military company (PMC) Wagner Group. Wagner Group has been deployed around the globe to further the interests of Russia and is a key tool in Russia's opportunistic foreign policy. This paper seeks to answer the research question: At what point does the risk for Russia become too high to maintain the deployment of Wagner Group in a foreign country? Answering this research question will help academics and policymakers further understand the use of Wagner Group by the Russian government. Wagner Group is meant to be low risk to Russia. Previous research is sparse and often covers many deployments of Wagner Group. In contrast, this paper focuses on three case studies that allow for a more in- depth approach - Wagner Group in the Central African Republic (CAR), Libya, and Mozambique. Using qualitative analysis this paper discerned that in its use of Wagner Group, Russia will...

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é o de recuperar a dimensão atlântica da história social das musicalidades afro-brasileiras criadas por africanos escravizados e seus descendentes durante o último século de escravismo e ao longo das primeiras décadas do período pós-abolição. O foco recai, sobretudo, no entendimento dos movimentos de transposição histórica dos tambores de fricção, de determinadas áreas do continente africano para as Américas, sua importância na formação das comunidades e culturas musicais afro-brasileiras, especialmente naquelas relacionadas ao samba urbano carioca, bem como nas transformações que o processo de diáspora imprimiu na organologia e na performance realizada por meio destes tambores de fricção. Este estudo, como também o inventário realizado dos instrumentos musicais que compunham as paisagens musicais do Brasil e de determinadas sociedades da África Central, sustenta-se sobre fontes históricas variadas, desde representações iconográficas contidas em crônicas, relatos de viagem e etnografias de viajantes e estudiosos que percorreram as diversas sociedades do período, análise de exemplares de instrumentos africanos pertencentes a coleções museológicas, até a escuta e análise de diversos fonogramas disponibilizados por meios eletrônicos. / The main purpose of this work is to recover the Atlantic dimension of the social history of African - Brazilian musicality created by enslaved Africans and their descendants during the last century of slavery and throughout the first decades of the post-Abolition period. The focus is mainly on understanding the historical movements of transposition of the friction drums from certain areas of Africa to the Americas, its importance in the formation of African - Brazilian communities and musical cultures, especially those related to samba, as well as the transformations that the diaspora process printed on the instrument performance, and its organology. This research, and the inventory of musical instruments that composed the musical landscapes of Brazil and certain societies of Central Africa, is founded on various historical sources, from the iconographic representations contained in chronicles, travel accounts and ethnographies of travelers and scholars who visited the various societies of the period, and images of museum collections of African instruments, to phonograms made available by electronic means.

La préoccupation majeure de tout État moderne est d’assurer son développement économique et social. Chaque État définit ses stratégies de développement en fonction de ses réalités. C’est le cas de la République centrafricaine (RCA). L’économie du pays est fragile et demeure marquée par une faible capacité à générer des revenus. En dépit d’un potentiel naturel très important, la RCA pâtit de son enclavement qui pèse sur le développement économique du pays. Or, l’un des problèmes-clés du développement économique est celui de son financement endogène. Si les capacités contributives font défaut, il est impossible d’assurer un développement harmonieux. En effet, le financement du développement d’un État reste tributaire de la performance des ressources fiscales et douanières. La politique fiscale a un rôle important à jouer dans le développement économique d’un pays. En Centrafrique, comme dans les pays en développement, la politique fiscale est la locomotive du développement. Car, l’outil essentiel de toute politique de mobilisation de ressources et de financement adéquat du développement est la fiscalité, véritable instrument de politique économique et sociale. La fiscalité est à ce titre la carte maîtresse des programmes économiques de ce pays qui, non seulement, est enclavé mais doit relever le défi de la reconstruction à la suite des troubles politiques qui l’ont secoué durant des décades. Ainsi, la question du financement endogène du développement en Centrafrique se situe dans un contexte nouveau et doit prendre en compte plusieurs paramètres, en vue d’améliorer la mobilisation des ressources financières nationales permettant d’assurer le financement du développement / The major concern of every modern State is to ensure its economic and social development. Since living conditions are not the same, each State sets its development strategies according to its realities. This is the case of the Central African Republic (CAR). The economy remains fragile and is marked by a low capacity to generate income. Despite its huge natural potential (dense water network, large forest, vast mineral resources, extensive arable land etc.), CAR suffers from its hemmed-in position which weighs on the country's economic development. Yet, one of the key problems of economic development is endogenous funding. If the contributory capacities of citizens are limited, it is impossible to ensure a harmonious development. Indeed, the funding of any State development remains dependent on the performance of tax and customs resources. Thus, fiscal policy has an important role to play in the economic development of a country. In Central Africa, as in developing countries, fiscal policy is the locomotive of development. Since the essential tool of all resource mobilisation and adequate development funding policy is taxation, which is the real instrument of economic and social policy. Taxation is as such the trump card of economic programs of this country which, not only is landlocked but must face the challenge of rebuilding following the political unrest that shook it for more than two decades. In this sense, the question of endogenous financing of Central Africa’s development lies within a new context and must take into account several factors in order to improve the mobilization of domestic financial resources to ensure development growth

A comprehensive hydrological study of large watersheds in Africa e.g. the Congo basin and the Nile basin has not been vigorously pursued for various reasons. One of the major reasons is the lack of adequate modeling tools that would not be very demanding in terms of input data needs and yet inclusive enough to cover such wide extents (over 3 million square kilometers for the Congo basin). Using a coupled run of the Community Atmospheric model (CAM3) and Community Land Model (CLM3) components of the Community Climate System of Models (CCSM), this study looks into the spatial and temporal variation of precipitation and river runoff in the Congo basin in the light of increasing trends in deforestation of the tropical forests. The effect of deforestation on precipitation and runoff is investigated by changing the land cover-type from the current configuration of broadleaf evergreen/deciduous, non-Artic grass and corn to a mostly grass type of vegetation. Discharge simulation for the river Congo is centered at the point of entrance to the Atlantic Ocean. Although the CLM3 does not presently simulate the observed river runoff to within at least one standard deviation it gives an opportunity to iteratively improve on the land surface parameterization with a possibility of future accurate prediction of mean monthly river runoffs under varying climate scenarios and land use practices. When forced with the National Center for Environment and Prediction (NCEP) re-analysis data the CLM3 runoff simulation results are relatively more stable and much closer to the observed. An improved CLM3 when coupled to CAM3 or other Global Climate Models is definitely a better tool for investigative studies on the regional hydrological cycle in comparison to the traditional methods. There was a slight reduction in rainfall in the first experiment which mimicked a severe form of deforestation and a slight increase in rainfall following low level of deforestation. These changes in rainfall were however statistically insignificant when compared to the control simulation. There was notable heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of the changes in rainfall following deforestation.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é o de recuperar a dimensão atlântica da história social das musicalidades afro-brasileiras criadas por africanos escravizados e seus descendentes durante o último século de escravismo e ao longo das primeiras décadas do período pós-abolição. O foco recai, sobretudo, no entendimento dos movimentos de transposição histórica dos tambores de fricção, de determinadas áreas do continente africano para as Américas, sua importância na formação das comunidades e culturas musicais afro-brasileiras, especialmente naquelas relacionadas ao samba urbano carioca, bem como nas transformações que o processo de diáspora imprimiu na organologia e na performance realizada por meio destes tambores de fricção. Este estudo, como também o inventário realizado dos instrumentos musicais que compunham as paisagens musicais do Brasil e de determinadas sociedades da África Central, sustenta-se sobre fontes históricas variadas, desde representações iconográficas contidas em crônicas, relatos de viagem e etnografias de viajantes e estudiosos que percorreram as diversas sociedades do período, análise de exemplares de instrumentos africanos pertencentes a coleções museológicas, até a escuta e análise de diversos fonogramas disponibilizados por meios eletrônicos. / The main purpose of this work is to recover the Atlantic dimension of the social history of African - Brazilian musicality created by enslaved Africans and their descendants during the last century of slavery and throughout the first decades of the post-Abolition period. The focus is mainly on understanding the historical movements of transposition of the friction drums from certain areas of Africa to the Americas, its importance in the formation of African - Brazilian communities and musical cultures, especially those related to samba, as well as the transformations that the diaspora process printed on the instrument performance, and its organology. This research, and the inventory of musical instruments that composed the musical landscapes of Brazil and certain societies of Central Africa, is founded on various historical sources, from the iconographic representations contained in chronicles, travel accounts and ethnographies of travelers and scholars who visited the various societies of the period, and images of museum collections of African instruments, to phonograms made available by electronic means.