Postponed seminar
Given the recent escalation of violence in Eastern Congo and the severe insecurity currently affecting Goma—a city where many IOB staff and GLAC participants have family, friends, or research collaborators—we have decided to postpone tomorrow’s GLAC seminar by Fergus O'Leary Simpson and Kristof Titeca on 'The Role of Rumour in Conservation Social Contracts.' This decision reflects our hope to reschedule at a more appropriate time, when we all have the emotional and professional capacity to fully engage.
Étant donné la récente escalade de violence dans l’Est du Congo et l’insécurité grave qui règne actuellement à Goma – une ville où de nombreux membres du personnel de l’IOB et participants au GLAC ont de la famille, des amis ou des collaborateurs de recherche – nous avons décidé de reporter le séminaire GLAC de demain, présenté par Fergus O'Leary Simpson et Kristof Titeca, intitulé « Le rôle des rumeurs dans les contrats sociaux de conservation ». Cette décision reflète notre souhait de reprogrammer cet événement à un moment plus opportun, lorsque nous serons tous en mesure de nous investir pleinement, tant sur le plan émotionnel que professionnel.
The role of rumour in conservation social contracts: the curious case of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Yangambi Biosphere Reserve
Speakers: Fergus O'Leary Simpson and Kristof Titeca
Rumours are common to nature conservation projects in Central Africa. Often seen as “weapons of the weak”, their role in resisting the restrictions imposed by conservation—through non-confrontational and undetectable means—has been studied widely. In this presentation, we will argue that rumours are not only a form of resistance; they also provide a means for people to connect their experience to the outside world. As such, they provide a means not only of resistance but of collaboration. To achieve this, we will connect the literatures on rumours and “conservation social contracts” —i.e., the obligations (and expectations) that bind different actors in the protection of nature. Zooming in on the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we will focus on how rumours surrounding the conservation of the reserve reflect an interplay between broader structural circumstances, and (local people’s) agency. On one hand, rumours are a means for people to make sense of, and position themselves in relation to, conservation projects. On the other hand, rumours are shaped by existing interpretive frameworks and events: in this case, the reserve’s colonial history and the contemporary climate crisis. While the rumours are rarely based on fact, they offer insights into how conservation social contacts are understood and negotiated at specific junctures.