Makala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Makala | |
|---|---|
| Commune de Makala | |
   Makala on map of Kinshasa city-province | |
  Makala Location in DR Congo | |
| Coordinates: 4°22′37″S 15°18′37″E / 4.37694°S 15.31028°E[1] | |
| Country |  DR Congo |
| City-Province | Kinshasa |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.60 km2 (2.16 sq mi) |
| Population (2015 est.) | |
• Total | 698,495 |
| • Density | 125,000/km2 (323,000/sq mi) |
Makala is a commune located in the Funa District of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2] Covering an area of 5.60 square kilometers,[3] Makala is situated in Kinshasa's southern hilly region and has an estimated population of 698,495 as of 2015.[4]
The commune is notable for housing the Makala Central Prison, strategically sited at the confluence of the Makala and Selembao communes.[5][6] It is also the site of the Chemin Neuf Community's mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where significant humanitarian initiatives, including the operation of primary and secondary schools and support for street children, are undertaken.[7] Close to the Ngaba Roundabout market, a major trading post for Kongo Central's agricultural products, Makala benefits from its location along National Road No. 1, attracting residents from surrounding areas like Ngaba and Lemba.[3][8]
The name "Makala" has disputed origins; some attribute it to the Humbu word meaning "cry", while others suggest it derives the Lingala word for charcoal ("makala"), associated with the Bangala people's charcoal trade near the present site of Makala Central Prison.[9]
Geography
Makala originated as a village situated at the geomorphological transition between the alluvial plain of the Congo River and the southern highlands.[10] The alluvial plain, which spans 5 to 7 kilometers in width and has an area of approximately 100 km2, lies between 300 and 320 meters above sea level. Surrounding this lowland, the southern hills, including the Ngaliema, Amba, and Ngafula heights, ascend to altitudes ranging from 350 to 675 meters, delineating the southern frontier of the city and extending towards the Batéké Plateau in the southeast.[10] The geomorphology of these uplands, such as the Binza and Kimwenza heights, is thought to have arisen from the erosional disintegration of the plateau.[10]
The commune of Makala is bordered by several major avenues and communes: Bay-Pass Avenue separates it from Mont-Ngufula, University Avenue separates it from Ngaba, Elengesa Avenue divides it from Ngiri-Ngiri and Selembao, and Kikwit Avenue marks the boundary with Kalamu.[11] The Kalamu River traverses the commune, splitting it into two distinct parts. Makala 1, located north of the river, extends to University Avenue, while Makala 2 lies to the south and extends to Elengesa Avenue. Makala 2 is less densely urbanized, often afflicted by erosive processes and flooding during the rainy season, exacerbated by the river's lack of dredging.[11]
Administrative division
Makala operates under the governance of Kinshasa's municipal authorities and is administered by a municipal council and an executive college.[12] Leadership is provided by a mayor (Burgomaster; French: Bourgmestre) and a deputy mayor, both appointed by the head of state.[12] Although plans for burgomaster elections by communal councils have been proposed, this reform has not yet been implemented.
Administratively, Makala is divided into 18 neighborhoods:[9]
- Bagata
- Bahumbu
- Bolima
- Kabila
- Kisantu
- Kwango
- Lemba village
- Mabulu I
- Mabulu II
- Malala
- Mawanga
- Mmfidi
- Mikasi
- Salongo
- Selo
- Tampa
- Uele
- Wamba
Urbanization
.png)
Urbanization in Makala began in the 1950s, and the village was incorporated into the city of Kinshasa in 1958, alongside 12 other communes.[11] Over time, Makala became an integral part of Kinshasa's urban framework, characterized by peripheral breakpoints that serve as key, albeit sometimes poorly defined, nodes within the city's fabric.[11][13] Positioned at the interface between the hills and the terraces of the plain, Makala and its neighboring commune, Bumbu, occupy areas that were previously home to older villages, including Makala's original settlement near the Bumbu River.[13] By 1975, the Atlas of Kinshasa described Makala and similar neighborhoods, including Masina and Ngaba, as "eccentric and extension neighborhoods", a characterization indicative of its transitional role from rural origins to a burgeoning peri-urban enclave.[14]
Makala's urban planning adopted a geometric grid system of north-south and east-west streets, which is only disrupted by natural features such as the Kalamu River.[15] This systematic grid layout design, initially optimized for the flat alluvial terrain, was later extrapolated onto the more precipitous slopes of the southern highlands. However, this rigidly uniform layout proved inadequate for the topographical nuances of the hilly regions, precipitating significant soil erosion during the rainy seasons.[15]
In November 2010, the provincial administration of Kinshasa initiated remedial measures to address the urban planning challenges that afflicted Makala, alongside other communes.[16] Under the auspices of the Provincial Minister of Land Affairs, Urbanization, and Housing, Antoine Bidingi Muzingu, two key appointees were tasked with rectifying the chaotic spatial development: Menteke Nembe for housing and Aseke Ehuke for urban planning. These appointments marked a pivotal effort to mitigate the pervasive issues of unregulated construction and urban sprawl plaguing the commune for the first time.[16] Among the notable disruptions to Makala's grid-like spatial order is the Ngaba Roundabout, situated at the commune's southeastern periphery, where it intersects with Ngaba and Lemba.[3]
.svg){kind=small}