The Ing’ombe (cattle) in the Town: Reimagining Their Roles and Significance Beyond Animal Spaces in Karonga Town, Malawi

Abstract

There is a comprehensive literature that shows that the practice of cattle rearing has been embedded into urban societies of the African continent for many centuries. While the socio-economic and environmental impact of livestock rearing in urban Africa are storied, literature on urban livestock husbandry has missed integration with the transpecies urban theory, and resulted into generalisations of human-cattle relations. This omission undermines this literature to engage fully with the complexities of the livestock-human nexus in urban settings. Using multispecies research methods and building upon the shortcomings identified in urban livestock literature, this paper seeks to shed more light on the roles and significance of ing’ombe at Karonga Town. The study argues that cattle husbandry should be seen beyond the conventional Kantian view that objectifies urban livestock and overlooks their subjectivities in the development of urban societies. To that end, this study delves into the socio-economic, cultural, and environmental benefits of ing’ombe rearing and demonstrates convoluted relationship between cattle and humans at Karonga Town. The study aims to look beyond the humanised city. It opens a window into the ways in which human-ing’ombe relations both fashion and are shaped by socio-economic, cultural, and environmental activities within the town.