« Modernisation » du minier artisanal : hybridation de la réforme et relations de pouvoir à Kalimbi/RDC

Certified ‘green’ since 2012, the Kalimbi mine is now considered to be a model of conflict free minerals exploitation thanks to a traceability system in which the tin industry was a lead actor. Traceability has increased transparency in the supply chain and has allowed the government to better control production as well as generate more taxes. But has the more general objective of improving people’s wellbeing also been achieved? This article first of all examines the nature and origins of the reform of the artisanal mining sector in the DRC, framing this reform in the context of ‘modernization theories’. We thereby concentrate on four characteristics of modernization theories: calling into question old systems and replacing them by new orders (1); the role of the state in this transition (2); economic growth and population wellbeing as objectives of the reform (3); private sector as a motor for growth (4). Secondly, this article focuses on the implementation of the reform in Kalimbi. Confronted with local institutions and power relations, the reform is characterized by a process of hybridization. We argue that, despite its characterization as a ‘modernization’ of the sector, the reform of the artisanal mining sector is in essence a hybrid process, resulting in an unequal distribution of costs and benefits.