Sustainability in Karamoja? Rethinking the terms of global sustainability in a crisis region of Africa

edited by David Knaute and Sacha Kagan. Cologne: Rudiger Koppe Verlag, 2009. xi + 526 pp. £24.80 (paperback). ISBN 978 3 89645 256 6.

Sustainability in Karamoja? was published as part of the Karamoja campaign, in an effort to raise awareness in Europe and the world concerning the difficulties faced by pastoralist groups in East Africa, particularly the Karamojong in Uganda. Following a literature review, the heart of the book attempts to illustrate the complexity of the factors leading to the famine and violence in Karamoja through an explication of ‘the Karamoja syndrome’. The central section consists of fifteen papers presented at conferences during the ‘Karamoja campaign’ and a final section illustrates additional efforts at raising awareness.

The work is well intentioned, with the important goal of improving the lot of pastoralists, specifically the Karamojong, by advocating for the acceptability and even benefit to society of their nomadic lifestyle. The authors have a sincere desire to create awareness concerning the numerous factors beyond the control of the Karamojong (such as global warming and governmental policies concerning land ownership) that have … 

http://afraf.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/02/28/afraf.adr012.extract