Mitungi as … thinking about urban space and infrastructure with the jerry can

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dc.contributor.authorKasper, Moritz
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-19T06:12:21Z
dc.date.available2025-08-19T06:12:21Z
dc.date.issued2024-05-10
dc.description.abstractAt first glance, there is hardly anything more boring and mundane in the urban landscape of Nairobi than the plastic jerry can, or mtungi in Swahili (pl.: mitungi). An inconspicuous thing that is constantly used, re-used, and re-purposed but remains somewhat invisible in its ubiquity. Its most common and important function however is to contain, store, and hold water. Yet, given Nairobi’s erratic and heterogeneous waterscape, mitungi do not just hold water for vendors and households. Rather, they hold the entire city together. Based on a longstanding connection to Nairobi as well as empirical research in 2021–2023, I present mitungi as more than just boring things or receptacles, but rather as incredibly multiple devices for engagements with African/southern urbanisms. Ultimately, my reflections argue for a joyful and unapologetic fascination with the supposedly mundane as an approach to engaging with contemporary cities, spaces, and infrastructures.en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2003/43846
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.17877/DE290R-25620
dc.language.isoen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesUrban geography; 45(10)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectInfrastructureen
dc.subjectJerry canen
dc.subjectMundaneen
dc.subjectNairobien
dc.subjectStorageen
dc.subject.ddc710
dc.titleMitungi as … thinking about urban space and infrastructure with the jerry canen
dc.typeText
dc.type.publicationtypeArticle
dcterms.accessRightsopen access
eldorado.secondarypublicationtrue
eldorado.secondarypublication.primarycitationKasper, M. (2024). Mitungi as … thinking about urban space and infrastructure with the jerry can. Urban Geography, 45(10), 1865–1875. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2024.2344952
eldorado.secondarypublication.primaryidentifierhttps://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2024.2344952

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