Migratory dynamics in the sub-Saharan region: territories, culture, societies and change

Rural-urban migration in Africa has had a profound impact on urban growth and change. Population flows from the countryside to the cities, whatever the reasons for their consolidation in the various countries, have also contributed to a major transformation of the rural world. In addition to the spatial dimension of the movement, there are socio-economic and cultural dimensions which, much more than inducing change, have been transforming rural realities very firmly and rapidly, not only at the level of space, but also at the level of communities. Some changes are more obvious because they relate to production and its impact on the agricultural system, the impoverishment of families, environmental changes and migration. But alongside these, more discrete issues need to be considered, namely the need for populations to adapt to these changes, which require an almost permanent adjustment and development of new skills, ways of thinking and behaviours.
In this presentation, we propose to attempt a reading of some of the challenges of these changes, based on a methodology supported by bibliographical research and data collected during field research in Mozambique and Angola in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

Keywords: migration, urbanisation, rural contexts, families, change.