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When “Green” Equals Thorny and Mean: The Politics and Costs of an Environmental Experiment in East Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2019

Peter D. Little Open the ORCID record for Peter D. Little [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract:

This article examines an environmental experiment in northern Kenya that went badly amiss. Focusing on the introduction of an invasive plant, prosopis juliflora, it explores wider issues of scientific hegemony, political identity, and land conflicts. Two legal cases pitting a small pastoralist community against the Kenyan state are discussed, which reveal a new but generally unsuccessful strategy by indigenous groups of utilizing courts to address injustices. The research draws on ethnographic, archival, and visual materials collected over a thirty-five-year period to demonstrate the violence and impoverishment that can be associated with technical interventions aimed at “greening” the environment.

Résumé:

Cet article examine une expérience environnementale dans le nord du Kenya qui a mal tourné. Axé sur l’introduction d’une plante envahissante, prosopis juliflora, il explore des questions plus larges d’hégémonie scientifique, d’identité politique et de conflits fonciers. Deux affaires juridiques opposant une petite communauté pastorale de l’État kényan sont examinées, révélant ainsi une stratégie nouvelle mais généralement infructueuse de la part de groupes autochtones qui ont recours aux tribunaux pour remédier aux injustices. La recherche s’appuie sur des documents ethnographiques, archivistiques et visuels rassemblés sur une période de trente-cinq ans pour démontrer la violence et l’appauvrissement pouvant être associés à des interventions techniques visant à « écologiser » l’environnement.

Resumo:

O presente artigo analisa uma experiência ambiental implementada no norte do Quénia, a qual correu extraordinariamente mal. Com principal enfoque na introdução de uma planta invasiva – a Prosopis juliflora –, o artigo explora temas mais abrangentes, como a hegemonia científica, a identidade política e os conflitos pela posse de terras. São debatidos dois casos jurídicos que opuseram uma pequena comunidade pastorícia ao Estado queniano, os quais revelam uma nova, mas geralmente malsucedida, estratégia adotada pelos grupos indígenas, segundo a qual recorrem aos tribunais para combater injustiças. Com base em materiais etnográficos, arquivísticos e visuais, esta investigação demonstra que as intervenções técnicas destinadas a tornar o ambiente “mais verde” podem estar associadas a violência e a empobrecimento.

Keywords

Human rightspoliticsindigenous peoplespastoralismenvironmental justicelandviolence
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 62 , Issue 3 , September 2019 , pp. 132 - 163
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2019 

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Footnotes

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was presented as the ASR Distinguished Lecture at the 61st Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, November 2018, Atlanta, GA.

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