Ethnographic Tools in the Service of Humanitarian Minesweeping

In the world of humanitarian mine clearing, priority actions are determined by the impact that mines have on people. This impact is evaluated by using specific techniques. The work carried out in Kisangani by Handicap International Belgium stresses that impact is much more than the number of mines planted. Access to land, economic activities and social composition are all key variables that influence the impact of mines. Impact, moreover, is a dynamic variable. People elaborate their own strategies to adapt to a mined landscape. To carry out the kind of study described in this article, recourse to ethnographic techniques has proven efficient. Adapted from the source document.