#8 New Year, New...development projects?
Figure 1. “Down the Zambezi”, 1997. As we head into the New Year and this blog is reaching its end, it seems fitting to do what we all do on December 31st: reminisce and reflect. Over the last seven posts I explored hydropolitics in Southern Africa, by discussing it in relation to a variety of topics. Spanning from water wars and transboundary basins to the management of water at dams and in urban sanitation systems, I did my best at conveying the complexities of water politics. Above all, I hope the range of my chosen topics shows that hydropolitics is not just about mega-schemes and wars, like often portrayed in the media, but also about collaboration and community-led projects. Nonetheless, I tried to draw a connection between all posts by linking each case study or topic back to its historical context and the broader concept of development. In doing so, I was able to understand how the legacies of power influence and continue to influence contemporary development projects. Yet, if
