Cityscapes and Sanctuaries: Exploring the Socio-Spatial and Religious Dynamics of Johannesburg and Lagos — Obvious Katsaura

In Pursuit of Development

The African continent is projected to have the fastest urban growth rate in the world: by 2050, Africa’s cities will be home to an additional 950 million people. While this surge presents urban centers with a wealth of opportunities such as a larger workforce, increased consumer markets, and greater potential for cultural exchange, it also brings forth substantial challenges. The rapid population growth can exacerbate existing problems such as inadequate infrastructure, housing shortages, and environmental concerns. African cities with their unique history and socio-economic landscape, must navigate these complexities while harnessing the potential for innovation and economic diversification that a growing populace brings.

Obvious Katsaura is a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand. His research interests are in, and at the intersections of, the fields of transnational urbanism, transnational religiosity, religious urbanism, urban politics and urban violence.

Key highlights

• Introduction – 00:24
• The development impacts of urban inequality – 03:36
• Fear, insecurity, and fortress mentality – 10:58
• Migrant life in Johannesburg – 15:38
• The role of churches in providing security and hope – 21:18
• Pentecostalism and development in Lagos – 30:38

Host

Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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