The Kalashnikov Generation

An immersive ethnographic account of Congo’s child and youth fighters in three decades of conflict.Written in a vivid, direct style, The Kalashnikov Generation takes us into the heart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, amid the hills and forests of Kivu and Ituri, where thousands of young people and children fight with Kalashnikovs in the many militias and armies that have fueled a war of staggering complexity and brutality for three decades. Exceptionally rich in strategic minerals, the Congo has long been the focus of regional and international ambitions. Rwanda continues to stoke rebellions in the east, while the government in Kinshasa and the national army struggle to assert sovereignty. This book enters the lives of young combatants to explore their world, their motivations, and the meaning of their experience. Both actors and victims, they stand at the center of a conflict that has claimed millions of lives.English translation of Generazione Kalashnikov: Un antropologo dentro la guerra in Congo, Luca Jourdan (Editori Laterza 2014)