In much of Central Africa, eating wildlife is seen as a normal, desirable and common-sense practice. Almost all wild animals, from the largest mammals to the smallest invertebrates, are hunted, traded and consumed, providing vital income and nutrition for millions of people. But as demand for bushmeat grows, animal populations are being decimated, directly impacting biodiversity, local economies and public health. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Bushmeat explores questions ranging from deforestation and conservation strategies to infectious diseases, urban street food and law enforcement. It explains how the popularity of wild meat consumption has spread from rural areas into major cities, fuelled by rapid urbanisation, poorly defined regulations, and developing trade networks--whether small-scale and informal, or commercial and politically connected. While unsustainable hunting practices pose clear problems for wildlife conservation, they also increase the risk of rural food insecurity and of new infectious diseases emerging--as HIV, Ebola and Covid-19 have shown. But cultural attachment to wild meat, and its dietary importance for many communities, make the 'bushmeat crisis' difficult to solve. Based on extensive interviews and a comprehensive review of secondary literature, Bushmeat presents a startling account of one of the Anthropocene's catastrophes in the making.
Theodore Trefon Libros
A city of more than one million people caught between volcanic eruptions and armed conflict, Goma has come to embody the tragedy that is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Often portrayed by outsiders as a living hell, Goma is seen as a city of promise for many inside the country. Drawing on a rich tapestry of personal narratives, from taxi drivers to market traders, doctors to local humanitarian workers, Goma provides an engaging and unconventional portrait of an African city. In contrast to the bleak pessimism that dominates much of the writing on Congo, Theodore Trefon and Noël Kabuyaya instead emphasize the resilience, pragmatism, and ingenuity that characterizes so much of daily life in Goma. Resigned and hardened by struggle, the protagonists of the book give the impression that life is neither beautiful nor ugly, but an unending skirmish with destiny. In doing so, they offer startling insights into the social, cultural, and political landscape of this unique African city.