TY - JOUR
T1 - Slums of hope and slums of despair
T2 - Mobility and livelihoods in Nima, Accra
AU - Owusu, George
AU - Agyei-Mensah, Samuel
AU - Lund, Ragnhild
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Slums are universally assumed to be the worst places for people to live in, and it is often taken for granted that the livelihood situations of slum communities are also uniform and homogenous. So pervasive is the latter idea that most studies examining the livelihood situations of slum communities do not compare the socio-economic and cultural differences within such communities. A distinctive feature of slum communities is the pursuance of multiple livelihood strategies that are tied to migration. However, the links between migration and livelihood situations in many slum communities have not been extensively examined. The article seeks to examine the many faces of Nima, a slum community in Accra (Ghana), and link these to livelihoods and migration. The data for the study are drawn from varied sources, including in-depth, key informant interviews, personal observations, and census reports. The complexity and varied migration patterns both internationally and internally tied to livelihoods in Nima are revealed. The changing character of slums is discussed and it is concluded that slums are not only a matter of the negative aspects of urban places but there are positive sides as well. The significance of migration and migrants is crucial for understanding Nima's role in urban development, and for making the appropriate recommendations for livelihoods development in Nima.
AB - Slums are universally assumed to be the worst places for people to live in, and it is often taken for granted that the livelihood situations of slum communities are also uniform and homogenous. So pervasive is the latter idea that most studies examining the livelihood situations of slum communities do not compare the socio-economic and cultural differences within such communities. A distinctive feature of slum communities is the pursuance of multiple livelihood strategies that are tied to migration. However, the links between migration and livelihood situations in many slum communities have not been extensively examined. The article seeks to examine the many faces of Nima, a slum community in Accra (Ghana), and link these to livelihoods and migration. The data for the study are drawn from varied sources, including in-depth, key informant interviews, personal observations, and census reports. The complexity and varied migration patterns both internationally and internally tied to livelihoods in Nima are revealed. The changing character of slums is discussed and it is concluded that slums are not only a matter of the negative aspects of urban places but there are positive sides as well. The significance of migration and migrants is crucial for understanding Nima's role in urban development, and for making the appropriate recommendations for livelihoods development in Nima.
KW - Accra
KW - Livelihoods
KW - Poverty
KW - Slums
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=52349115639&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00291950802335798
DO - 10.1080/00291950802335798
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:52349115639
SN - 0029-1951
VL - 62
SP - 180
EP - 190
JO - Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift
JF - Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift
IS - 3
ER -