ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates post-conflict recovery processes and Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) approaches in Angola, by presenting case study material from research in two municipalities in Huíla province. It shows that there are multiple ways of envisioning and pursuing post-conflict recovery which do not necessarily build on what is there and sometimes even run counter to it. In this chapter, I argue that whereas LRRD approaches are based on the notion that post-conflict recovery processes follow a linear route from crisis to normality, in Angola this linear route is not present. LRRD in Angola has overwhelmingly and uncritically been approached through ‘seeds and tools’ interventions by aid agencies, revealing a narrow understanding of rural livelihood dynamics. The chapter analyses the roles of local people, aid agencies, and the Angolan state in the re-shaping of rural society as part of post-conflict recovery processes.
