Imperial companies and mobility routes between Angola and Belgian Congo, 1910-1930

Abstract

This paper focuses on the mining networks between Angola and the Belgian Congo during European colonialism, examining the broader and enduring socio-spatial impacts of the construction of mobility routes and considering the multiple agents and agendas involved. It explores the roles played by Union Minière du Haut Katanga, Forminière, and Diamang in the planning, construction, and the use of railways and roads between the two territories. These complex connections involved the layout of the railway routes – ranging from decauville lines for local transport to the trans-imperial connections provided by the Benguela Railway between Katanga and Lobito, – the displacement and mobility of workers, the employment of new technologies and construction materials, the strong entanglements between mobility systems, and adaptation by local populations living near the lines and routes.