| Popis: |
This article presents a case study of a waiting territory located on the African continent but turned towards the United States: the place used to be the Liberian Ambassador’s Residence in Conakry, Guinea and became a squat for 300 people (survey in 2008-2009). These Liberian people were predominantly waiting for a resettlement to the US in a family reunion procedure. The Liberian conflict (1990-2003) indeed reinforced the migratory couple between the US and Liberia. In their research program (ANR) named Terriat, Laurent Vidal, Alain Musset et Dominique Vidal underlined the complexity implied in French with the verb “attendre” by translating it in English by three different verbs : to hold on, to wait for et to stand still. This analysis helps to understand the variety of individual situations within the group of inhabitants at the Liberian Residence. Holding on their wandering paths since they first experienced war, waiting for the accomplishment of their migratory projects, or standing still and locked there, these inhabitants were living in a Liberian microcosm in the middle of the Guinean capital city. The paradox between the Residence’s land tenure and the refugee status of these Liberians accentuated the ambiguous character of this waiting situation. |
