Religious Informality: Understanding Religion in the Urban Public Sphere in Addis Ababa

Abstract

The rise of fragile cities in the global South has been attributed to growing informalities. The aim of this article is to explore how religious bodies informally operate and utilise urban public places and how this contributes to the growing conflicts in Addis Ababa. We employed the concept of ‘religious informality’ to display how land was utilised, informally, outside the bounds of legal and planning frameworks. Based on an exploratory qualitative method, this study found that there is a growing multitude of urban informalities produced or facilitated by religious institutions, both in the city centre and peri-urban areas of Addis Ababa. Land is informally utilised not only by individuals but also by religious bodies, both for religious services and economic ends. Religious establishments have been perceived as a means of wealth accumulation, acquiring land informally, below or beyond the city planning standards and using it for informal businesses and settlements, all leading to intergroup conflicts. Hence, religion is a key urban actor but remains one of the least regulated and is becoming a central feature of growing urban fragility.