Vers une radioscopie de la ville coloniale : episodes dans la génèse de l’Avenue Kasa-Vubu, Kinshasa

This paper provides a discussion of the origin and development over time of the Avenue Kasa-Vubu in Kinshasa, DR Congo. We argue that this particular urban axis provides a powerful lens to dissect the palimpsest & patchwork of Congo's capital city, and that following the different episodes of its construction during colonial times enables us to grasp the impact of the logic of racial segregation that pervades Belgian colonial urban planning policies and practices. By focusing on particular sites along the Avenue Kasa Vubu, this paper demonstrates that the urban landscape of Kinshasa was made and shaped by a variety of urban actors, who did not necessarily share the same agenda. Discussing the 1959 riots in Kinshasa in relation to the Avenue Kasa Vubu finally allows to demonstrate that the principle of spatial urban segregation along racial lines was fragile and could, at times, be overturned in order to contest colonial power.

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