ABSTRACT
Gold, diamonds, and certain precious minerals are subject to unmonitored extraction by young ‘diggers,’ those true pioneers of contemporary Africa who flout national and multinational companies and political authorities, often risking their lives. ‘Bureaux’ or ‘coordination commissions’ supervise their operations, which are also monitored by the president, a secretary who is in charge of the interpretation of the regulations, a treasurer or auditor, and a deputy treasurer who ensures the execution of sanctions and the payment of fines, all in a friendly atmosphere since they are ‘friendly societies.’ In political terms, the militias, the assertive presence of which is an evident sign of a ‘failed state’ in the eyes of international relations experts, in fact contribute to the state's wider reproduction. The social and political ambiguity of bureaucracy makes it one of the pillars of colonial and postcolonial ‘hegemonic research,’ at the interface of coercion and support.
