There is an enduring fascination with Kibera, a district of Nairobi usually prefaced with the phrase ‘Africa’s largest slum’. ‘Slum’ has connotations of poverty and squalor, and that’s about it. I prefer the term ‘shanty town’, which seems to reflect the nature of Kibera a little better – a sprawling, unplanned settlement where people live and meet and do business. There is no such thing as an unplanned development in the UK, so we have little understanding of what life looks like in places like Kibera, but there are streets, shops, and churches as well as homes. Kibera is home to middle class professionals as well as the urban poor. They are complex places, slums.
They are also a phenomenon of globalization, and perhaps an overlooked one, given that a billion people now live in them. Which is why this new book caught my eye. Adam Parsons, of Share the World’s Resources, has investigated Kibera in its full context – exploring it with those that live there, and setting it in the context of Kenya’s development and the world’s economic priorities. It looks fascinating. You can order Megaslumming: A Journey through Africa’s largest Shanty Town from STWR, or download an abridged version for free. As a taster, here’s a rather beautifully shot introductory video:
The Earthbound Report 