The social and cultural impact of internally displaced persons, IDPs’ camps on the host community in Nigeria: a sociological evaluation
The global displacement of persons through armed conflict, organised crime, ecological degradation from climate change, food shortages and developmental projects has become a common occurrence throughout the world of today. Displaced persons end up either as migrants across borders, refugees seeking asylum or resettlement as internally displaced persons (IDPs) within their own country of origin. Such people cannot easily return to their homes largely because of impending threats to their lives. Most of these IDPs have no choice other than to reside in displaced persons camps that are often ad hoc in nature. These camps are frequently little more than makeshift tents or basic government facilities such as abandoned schools or uncompleted housing estates that cannot satisfactorily provide for them or give them hope for a better future. The primary concern of the international community, governments and international aid agencies typically is the humanitarian needs of those displaced, as well as how best to resolve the major sources of threat that drive displacement on an ongoing basis. Resolving these and attendant issues can be a challenging and arduous task, resolve issues of management, community accommodation and service provision can take several years. Prolonged settlement can lead to the creation of new forms of interaction between host communities and the displaced. Using qualitative in-depth interviews, participant observations and biographical research interviews, this thesis examines the various social and cultural impacts that IDP camps make on host communities in Nigeria. By exploring how such interaction can foster new economies, as well as new patterns of social interaction and cultural understanding between host communities and displaced people, this study highlights the role of IDP camps and exchanges with host communities in Nigeria in advancing the super diversification and cosmopolitanisation of local Nigerian communities. Such processes of change are not the product of deliberate moves to transform local cultural and social identity but, rather, are the consequence of the long-term presence of IDP camps within host communities. These evolving social and cultural trends are documented by this research and can be shown to have a long-standing influence on the erosion of ethno-religious barriers between displaced persons and those within host communities, creating new forms of interaction, identities, relationships, and hierarchies. This thesis further assesses the challenges that increasing levels of displacement are creating for local government. It suggests reasons for why the Nigerian postcolonial state cannot adopt a sustainable approach to displacement management by relying solely on the IDP camp model and proposes that a postcolonial approach is required that actively involves host communities, constructively utilises African traditions of hospitality and promotes a sense of community living in combination with new social integration strategies. Such a model is considered necessary to address issues arising in relation to the country’s economic instability, sources of conflict, environmental risks and heavy dependence on foreign aid, all of which hinder Nigeria’s abilities to develop as a socially resilient state and to nurture a politically, ecologically, economically and socially stable country. This study suggest that the African traditions of hospitality, cooperation and community spirit can be better used as a viable means of fostering more effective local solutions to displacement in Africa, in ways that align with the recommendations of the Kampala Convention agreement (2009).
Migration, Displacement, Forced migration, Internally displaced persons (IDP), Postcolonialism, Boko Haram, Biographical research, IDP camp, Host community, Lived experience
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