Configuring the living environment in mining areas in Angola: Contestations between mining companies, workers, local communities and the state

The creation of residential areas near diamond mining operations in Angola has been since its inception in the 1900s both the main driver of settlement and the condition for economic inclusion. Today, private corporations and the state manage mining towns associated to large-scale ventures. The local population rarely has access to employment in these mines or to the residential facilities of mine villages. At the same time, the increased control of artisanal mining leaves most local communities with fewer economic options and infrastructural improvements out of the cities do not reach all. Claims for better livelihoods and infrastructure in towns linked to large-scale mines have increased over the years and constitute an unprecedented strategy to access mining wealth. Resettlement areas, where state and companies are building new towns agglomerating the scattered surrounding villages as part of social responsibility programs become places of contestation among local communities, companies, and the state. This paper addresses the negotiations surrounding such programs, focusing on the expectations of the local community amid the conditions set by the urbanization policies of mining companies and the state, ultimately showing how these are new interplays within the Angolan mining contexts.