Land Rush and local livelihoods in Central Africa
From a simulation game about disputed natural resources to community theatre action research and land conflict management policies
This project aims to provide a better understanding of how the rush for land is affecting the fabric of society in Central Africa and the local chances for peace and stability. The team is collaborating with academic and civil society partners to adopt an innovative methodological approach in which a simulation game (Land Rush) is transformed into community theatre for action-research. Land Rush is a game that simulates the complex reality of access to, and management of, natural resources in developing countries. The research methodology developed in this project allows researchers to access people’s hidden transcripts. This allows researchers and civil society partners to detect the deeper dynamics in land conflicts and inserts a positive dynamic into the civil society partners’ community building projects.
Team
Université Catholique de Louvain: One senior researcher and five Ph.D researchers, one postdoc, one independent graphic specialist and consultant on cultural heritage conservation and one NGO specialist on development education
Partners
Three Civil society partners: ARES (Académie de Recherche et d’Enseignement supérieur), the South Kivu (DRC) and FNRS Mandat d’Impulsion Scientifique
Project timeframe
Development of the method started in 2014 and the project received funding until 2020
Project Location
Louvain-la-Neuve, BELGIUM
Contact
www.land-rush.org
www.uclouvain.be
info[at]uclouvain.be
An Ansoms: an.ansoms[at]uclouvain.be