The Issue and Human Dimensions

Map of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

The central focus of this project will be examining the impacts of human-environmental interactions of those residing in rural areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the Congo) on the country's rise in Ebola epidemics over the last forty years. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a large country located within the region of Central Africa. In the years following the Congo gaining independence from Belgium, ten identified Ebola outbreaks have emerged (Moran 2018, 1295). Since the beginning of the most recent outbreak that began in August of 2018, there have been over one-thousand cases of Ebola, resulting in the death of six-hundred Congolese citizens and counting (Jasarevic 2019). The reasons why Ebola is spreading so rapidly through urban areas are relatively well-documented, however, there is less information available on what has caused the disease to keep reemerging in the Congo.

The Congo is a heavily-forested region, meaning the environment is an essential aspect of life for many Congolese groups. The Congo Basin Forest, in particular, contains rich biodiversity and supplies natural resources for tens of millions of indigenous Congolese. The area is worth billions in materials alone, yet a large percentage of Congolese live in poverty, especially those in rural areas. Due to government forces that operate beyond their control, many Congolese populations must live on a budget of around one dollar a day. It is difficult to rise out of this extreme poverty as the Congo consistently scores low on providing opportunities for continuation of education and well-paying jobs (Putman, Darrouzet-Nardi, and Mangindula 2014). In addition to facing poverty, Congolese fear being harmed or displaced as a result of the armed groups that attack in rural areas; more than 3 million are displaced once or multiple times (Putman, Darrouzet-Nardi, and Mangindula 2014). This mobile lifestyle in combination with the many citizens who already have poor health and nutrition makes it much easier for Ebola to spread. Another accelerant for Ebola spreading in rural areas is the common cultural practice of consuming bushmeat in place of what would be considered more domestic forms of protein. Deforestation is a significant issue in these same areas, and there are concerns that the resulting loss of habitat may be pushing Ebola-carrying species into native hunting zones where the gathering of bushmeat is prevalent.

For this research project, the anthropological perspectives of cultural ecology, political ecology, and ethnoecology aid in discussing the issue of Ebola in the Congo. The Ebola crisis is complex, but in observing, through multiple perspectives, how rural Congolese communities relate with the world around them, it is possible to formulate effective policies and educational measures for the future.

Sources: https://ebolainthecongo.blogspot.com/2019/03/bibliography.html