Station: DER ST / Il/legal border trade
Many border economies are illegalized worldwide as so-called "smuggling". The stories of the Porteadoras of Melilla and the Magendo trade of Uganda exemplify that economic activities need to be contextualized to be truly understood.
Pigeonhole thinking: The criminalisation of border trade
As trading hubs for international flows of goods, border towns are places of opportunity. Due to different currencies and import regulations of neighbouring countries, there is scope for business.
“Comercio Atípico”: The History of the Porteadoras of Melilla
Due to a regulation, it is in principle possible to carry goods as “hand luggage” across the European-African border between Melilla in Spain and Nador in Morocco.
Magendo: The emergence of informal border trade to Uganda
When the Ugandan ruler Idi Amin challenged the colonial borders of East Africa in the 1970s and threatened his neighbouring countries with military intervention, the Kenyan government reacted by closing the border. Without direct access to the sea, Uganda suffered an economic collapse.