My research paper, dated April 10, 2016, titled “Dams on the Zambezi: Delusions of Economic Grandeur” was completed during undergrad. The following is an excerpt from the paper:
The Zambezi River weaves across southern Africa. It rises in eastern Angola, passes through Zambia, flows along the borders of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, crosses through Mozambique, and enters the Indian Ocean as displayed in the map’s image on this page. The research topic was chosen due to interest in human and environmental losses sustained by local African communities from dam construction passed off as economic development projects along the Zambezi River. Awareness of the issue stemmed from attending a KSU Year of the Portuguese event in 2015. Allen Isaacman, Regents Professor of History at the University of Minnesota lectured on “Development Projects in Mozambique: Spanning the Colonial/Post-Colonial Divide.”1 This research paper explores aspects relative to the issue of human and environmental losses from two dam construction projects on the Zambezi River in Mozambique.
