@article{d98b5e3b02a64d60b461e7177ee1a4fa,
title = "Land back to the people or not?' The variable pathways of civic mobilisation against land grabs in rural Sierra Leone",
abstract = "Drawing on empirical research from Pujehun and Port Loko districts in Sierra Leone, this article explains the variable pathways of civic activism mobilised by environmental advocacy, and legal empowerment organisations, in response to two prominent land grabs. By grounding the analysis within the ontology of place, this study examines the dynamic interplay between national politics, global corporate interests, transnational advocacy, and civic agency in each place. The article finds that although the balance of power between these actors matters, the nature of corporate interests involved can be significant in determining the exact trajectory of civic mobilisation, and ultimately its success.",
keywords = "Chiefs, Civil society, land grabbing, oil palm, Sierra Leone",
author = "Sukanya Podder",
note = "Funding Information: Various advocacy and campaign strategies including cross-learning from MALOA informed civic mobilisation in Port Loko. Women's mobilisation was supported by international agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and donors such as Irish Aid. Both agencies funded projects to promote women's customary rights to land. Mobilisation efforts gathered momentum in the lead up to the 2018 elections, and following the de-amalgamation of the Bureh, Kasseh and Maconteh Chiefdoms in August 2017. Notably, a five-day international workshop was organised in Port Loko town, by the Sierra Leone Network for the Right of Food (SilNORF), in collaboration with Bread for All, the World Rainforest Movement (WRM), among other partners, to shed light on the corporate strategies and tactics of oil palm companies in Sierra Leone. This meeting resulted in the Port Loko declaration on women's right to land that was signed by 24 national and international civil society organisations including GRAIN, UPHR, and various women's groups as well as landowners and land users{\textquoteright} associations. The woman's mobilisation platform called the {\textquoteleft}We want our land back{\textquoteright} campaign was launched in November 2017. Funding Information: I wish to thank the British Academy for funding this research. A special thanks goes to the Talking Drums Studio Sierra Leone-Sierra Leone team for their support during my fieldwork. I am indebted to all the civil society activists, and the community residents who shared their views with me. An earlier draft of this paper benefited from valuable feedback by two Sierra Leone experts. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s), 2023.",
year = "2023",
month = jun,
day = "26",
doi = "10.1017/S0022278X22000489",
language = "English",
volume = "61",
pages = "281--301",
journal = "JOURNAL OF MODERN AFRICAN STUDIES",
issn = "0022-278X",
publisher = "Cambridge University Press",
number = "2",
}