Showing papers in "Nordic Journal of African Studies in 2004"

The AU, NEPAD and the Promotion of Good Governance in Africa

Abstract: This article argues that good governance has been elusive in much of Africa. The failure of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) to address Africa’s developmental challenges, including the crisis of governance, led to its demise. In an attempt to promote good governance, as well as to address Africa’s post-cold war legion of challenges, the successor organisation, the African Union (AU) and its attendant development programme, the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), were established. These projects embody an innovative peer review mechanism by which African governments are assessed in terms of their progress towards good governance. Countries passing the review test would be rewarded with western aid. NEPAD, the AU and the review mechanism have exited hope because of the expectation that these would reorder governance policies in Africa. However, the article contends that in spite of the expectations and euphoria generated by these projects, they have a truncated capacity to induce good governance. This is not only due to the intrinsic contradictions in these initiatives, but also because of a confluence of factors, including the vulnerability of the projects to manipulation by African leaders, the preponderance of neo-patrimonial politics in Africa, the confusing relations between especially NEPAD and the AU, and the tendency for the G8 – Africa’s key partners – to renegade from their initial aid commitments.

Motherhood as a Source of Empowerment of Women in Yoruba Culture

Abstract: The paper looks into Yoruba culture with emphasis on motherhood and how it empowers women in Yorubaland. It also looks at other areas of Yoruba perception of women and how these different perceptions empower women in Yoruba culture. It tries to find ways by which consideration of Yoruba culture as regards women can contribute to the improvement of life for women generally. In order to achieve this objective, the paper looks at the various ways by which Yoruba culture views women - as priestesses, as wives, as daughters, as witches, and, most especially, as mothers. Both the positive and the negative aspects of the culture are discussed. The paper comes up with suggestions on how the conception of motherhood in Yoruba culture can enhance the considerations given to women at the policy formulation stage.

Swahili Language Manager: A Storehouse for Developing Multiple Computational Applications

Abstract: Swahili Language Manager (SALAMA) is a computational environment for managing written Swahili language and for developing various kinds of language applications. Having been subject to development since 1985, it currently (2004) contains the Standard Swahili lexicon as fully as possible. As it is a system for managing the language, it includes also the full morphological and morpho-phonological description of Swahili, a rule-based system for solving the word level ambiguities, a rule-based system for tagging text syntactically (including alternatively a shallow Constraint Grammar parsing or a deep Dependency Grammar parsing), a rule-based system for handling idiomatic expressions, proverbs and other non-standard clusters of words, and a semantic tagging and disambiguation system for defining correct semantic equivalents in English. SALAMA facilitates also a raw translation from Swahili to English, including the correct surface forms in English (e.g. verbs, nouns and adjectives) and transfer rules for the correct English word order. An essential part in developing and testing SALAMA is the Helsinki Corpus of Swahili, which has been under construction since 1988 and is currently globally available at the Language Bank of Finland (www.csc.fi). The paper discusses all these features in detail.

Towards a Study of the Lexicon of Sex and HIV/AIDS

Abstract: The first HIV/AIDS case in Malawi was diagnosed in 1985. Some medical practitioners, however, date the arrival of HIV/AIDS in Malawi from 1977. The advent of this fatal health condition was then made public to the nation of Malawi through a newspaper article and radio broadcasts on the then only broadcasting outlet, namely, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). The news of the outbreak of HIV/AIDS was received in different ways by different sections of the community. Three types of reactions may be noted for the purpose of this paper. The first reaction was one of shock and fear of this hitherto largely unknown ailment. Other people reacted by simply observing that the disease had always been there as evidenced by such names as magawagawa (they that you share) and kaliwondewonde (it that causes thinness). The third type of reaction was the ‘so what’ kind of response which pointed towards the fact that Malawians should not be unduly worried because it was a known fact that humans are destined to die sooner or later anyway. This paper aims to interrogate the relationship that obtains between cultural pursuits and dictates and the language that is employed in discussing matters of sex and HIV/AIDS. The paper examines the type of language and linguistic expressions, which are used in discussions about sex and sexual behaviour against the backdrop of a generally conservative and male dominated society. The conservative nature of the Malawian society is reflected in a kind of self-censored nature of linguistic use through the employment of euphemistic expressions. In addition, the paper also studies the language that is employed to discuss the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The conclusion reached is that most of the images invoked in such linguistic repertoire are those of being trapped by fatalistic determinism. If we accept that language is a reflection of a people’s culture and the manner in which the people perceive themselves as well as others, the implication of the language use is that certain sections of the community are not part of the national efforts and movements whose aim is to combat and arrest the spread of the fatal virus and all its concomitant socio-economic and cultural consequences. The language use also points out towards the fact that there is partial failure in attempts to effectively communicate about the obvious dangers of the disease whose spread in some cases is oiled by rampant and unacceptable poverty levels as well as lack of genuine empowerment of females to discuss and negotiate for safe sexual practices.

Post-Independence Disillusionment in Contemporary African Fiction: The Example of Meja Mwangi's 'Kill Me Quick'

Abstract: African writers have an enduring propensity for social and political commitment. Their texts mostly reflect and refract the socio-political events in their societies. Initially, African literature was a tool for celebrating the heroic grandeur of the African past; later it was used for anti-colonial struggle. Presently, it is being employed as a veritable weapon for depicting the postcolonial disillusionment in African nations. Therefore, African literature is always chained to the experiences of the peoples of the continent. In this paper, an attempt is made to examine the discourse of postcolonial decadence in contemporary African fiction. One of Meja Mwangi’s novels of postcolonial disillusionment, Kill Me Quick, is used as the case study for the discussion. It is observed that in Mwangi’s prose text, postcolonial pains in African nations are imaginatively captured with apt narrative devices.

"operation bwezani": the army, political change, and dr. banda's hegemony in malawi

Abstract: When the Malawi Army violently disarmed the Malawi Young Pioneers (MYP), a paramilitary wing of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), in Operation Bwezani at the height of the political transition in December 1993, their action was hailed as marking a turning point in Malawi Army relationship to politics. It was also cheered as a profoundly significant catalyst for the political transition to democracy from Banda’s autocracy. This article, however, argues that the fact that for close to thirty years the army did not act against Banda or his repressive machinery even when the army itself was a victim indicates the extent of Banda’s hegemony in Malawi. Banda’s hegemony undermined the Army’s potential for resistance to oppression in Malawi. It concludes that the Army’s action to disarm MYP was the result of the civilian political transition and not necessarily the cause. The, Army, therefore, was more of a beneficiary of the political transition than a catalyst.

Effect of World Bank Loan Withdrawal on the Performance of Agricultural Extension in Nigeria

Abstract: This paper examined the effect of World Bank loan withdrawal on the performance of extension services in Nigeria. This was because agricultural extension activities were tripartitely funded by World Bank, State and Federal governments in Nigeria. The final withdrawal would then have serious implications for the performance of the extension organizations. Data were obtained from secondary sources and analyzed using t-test statistics. The result indicates that there were sharp decline in the performance of extension activities after the loan withdrawal and thus the question of sustainability of the Agricultural Development Programme.

The affordability of school textbooks in kenya: consumer experiences in the transformation to a liberalising economy

Abstract: The growth of educational publishing in Kenya depends heavily on the disposable income of its customers. This article looks at the incomes of both actual and potential customers and how they prioritise their spending. The findings are based on research carried out in Kenya by the author. In selecting the areas to conduct the research, socio-economic factors, geographical conditions and level of development were considered. It was found that most textbook purchasers think that textbooks are very expensive in comparison with their own incomes. This has therefore led them to prioritise basic essential needs before thinking of purchasing textbooks.

A New Hope for African Women: Overview of Africa's Protocol on Women's Rights

Abstract: There can be no doubt today that the human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. However, for long African women have been suffering several human rights abuses, both in the private and public spheres. For instance, denial of inheritance rights and exclusion from participation in the governance of their countries. Remarkably, this is so despite the existence of several international instruments on the rights of women, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), of which most African countries are States Parties. This was the situation when the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women was adopted recently at Maputo, Mozambique. This article seeks to provide an overview of this important Protocol, and to show the new hope it holds for African women.

Roll-Back: Democratization and Social Fragmentation in Cameroon

Abstract: Cameroon’s democratic train appears to be moving in the opposite direction following a brief spell of euphoria that heralded the re-introduction of political pluralism in 1990. What was believed by many observers to be a revolution that was going to usher in a system of governance on the foundation of Social Justice is petering out. Rather, the country is mired in generalized poverty, social discord, and a return to the political high-handedness characteristic of the post-independence monolithic political period. Several reasons, including efforts by anti-democratic forces to regain the political and economic privileges associated with autocratic rule, have been adduced for this policy roll-back. This paper uses a historical and analytic framework to discuss some reasons for this democratic hold-up in Cameroon’s political and social transition within the broad and ongoing democratization process in SubSaharan Africa.

Trade-Union Activism Among University Teachers During Cameroon’s Political Liberalisation

Abstract: Academic staff trade unions in universities have succeeded in preserving a considerable degree of autonomy versus the state in a number of West African countries since independence, enabling them to play a significant role in the defence of their members’ interests. Cameroon forms an exception in the region as it was not until political liberalisation in the early 1990s that an autonomous academic staff trade union emerged there. This article examines the role of this trade union amidst the deep crisis bedevilling the university system in Cameroon. Faced with apparent government insensitivity to its demands, it has displayed a considerable degree of militancy but its failure to achieve important gains for its members has, it will be argued, been mainly due to the government’s evasive and repressive strategies. Only recently have the government and the university authorities become more prepared to solve university teachers’ contractual problems and grievances through dialogue and negotiation.

Elechi Amadi's Women: Voices of Reason

Abstract: This article assesses Elechi Amadi’s novelistic attitude to gender relations in his novels of the 60s and 70s, when traditional African society was still very strongly male-dominated, and reaches the conclusion that he saw in the woman the real force of stability and progress. Through highly successful narrative incidents he demonstrates how women succeed where men stumble, especially in conflict resolution and home management. This view brings its relevance to bear on the present-day scene where attempts are made, both within the African milieu and on the international stage, to endow women with a new role. Amadi maintains that the women have always shaped society with their positive thinking, and that therefore their importance needs greater recognition, not re-invention.

The Scopal Authority of Heads in Yoruba-English Code-Switching

Abstract: Many studies have confirmed that code-switched structures have some underlying grammatical and semantic rules that account for their well-formedness and acceptability. The importance of the heads in their structures has, however, not been fully explored. This paper studies the interaction of functional and lexical heads and the scope of each. It confirms that while functional heads legislate on the structure of an expression, lexical heads regulate the meaning of the structure. This is done through their influence over elements within their respective scopes. The Scope Limiting Constraint is proposed to account for the overlap between two heads as they co-operate to ensure grammaticality and acceptability of expressions.

Social Status as a Factor for the Readership of Yoruba Newspapers in Nigeria

Abstract: This paper examines the relevance or otherwise of the demographic variables of educational level, income level and age to the readership of mother-tongue newspapers, with a particular reference to Yoruba newspapers in Nigeria. A survey research method was adopted for the study. The study population was made up of civil servants in the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Ibadan, Nigeria. From this population a sample of 450 respondents was taken. The sampling procedure adopted was the systematic sampling. The instrument for the Survey Research was a self-administered questionnaire. This study established that Social Status is a factor in the readership of Yoruba Newspapers. The specific findings include. (i) The higher the age, the more the respondents were likely to be aware of Yoruba newspapers.(ii) The higher the level of education, the lower the readership of newspapers.(iii) The higher the level of education, the less regular the readership of Yoruba newspapers.

'Your Chitumbuka is Shallow. Its Not the Real Chitumbuka': Linguistic Purism Among the Chitumbuka Speakers in Malawi

Abstract: The paper discusses linguistic purism with reference to speakers of Chitumbuka in Malawi. Chitumbuka, along with other Malawian languages (except Chichewa/Chinyanja), was marginalised by the dictatorial regime of President Banda (1964-1994). One of the fruits of the post-Banda political dispensation has been the freedom to form language and cultural associations and the Chitumbuka Language and Culture Association (CLACA) is one example. One of CLACA's self-given responsibilities is that of a language guardian. In keeping with this role, CLACA has made a number of pronouncements aimed at determining, for example, what the “real” Chitumbuka is; who the “genuine” speakers of Chitumbuka are; and what culturally corrosive issues should be excluded from Chitumbuka-medium textbooks; and so on. All these concerns boil down to the fear of loss of Chitumbuka's purity and/or the fear of Tumbuka cultural erosion. This paper points to the futility of attempts to keep language and culture pure.

Méthodologie des Langues en Milieu Multilingue

Abstract: INTRODUCTION En ce moment, la pedagogie convergente fait l’objet d’etudes, d’articles et d’experimentations dans differents pays d’Afrique. En effet, les travaux menes dans les ecoles de Segou (Wambach, 2001) suscitent bon nombre d’analyses, d’evaluations, de reecritures autant de travaux sont realises souvent sans connaissance de nos options theoriques, des objectifs poursuivis, du contexte dans lequel l’action se deroulait. Ce fait nous interpelle et nous incite a exposer a notre tour notre conception. Pour illustrer ces pistes de reflexion nouvelles, nous comptons presenter, dans les pages qui suivent, la synthese theorique d’un exemple de pedagogie convergente telle qu’elle a ete construite lors des differentes recherches-actions mises au point depuis 1963 en Europe et depuis 1980 en Afrique.

Swahili Language Manager

Abstract: Swahili Language Manager (SALAMA) is a computational environment for managing written Swahili language and for developing various kinds of language applications. Having been subject to development since 1985, it currently (2004) contains the Standard Swahili lexicon as fully as possible. As it is a system for managing the language, it includes also the full morphological and morpho-phonological description of Swahili, a rule-based system for solving the word level ambiguities, a rule-based system for tagging text syntactically (including alternatively a shallow Constraint Grammar parsing or a deep Dependency Grammar parsing), a rule-based system for handling idiomatic expressions, proverbs and other non-standard clusters of words, and a semantic tagging and disambiguation system for defining correct semantic equivalents in English. SALAMA facilitates also a raw translation from Swahili to English, including the correct surface forms in English (e.g. verbs, nouns and adjectives) and transfer rules for the correct English word order. An essential part in developing and testing SALAMA is the Helsinki Corpus of Swahili, which has been under construction since 1988 and is currently globally available at the Language Bank of Finland (www.csc.fi). The paper discusses all these features in detail.

Reflections on ethical issues: a study of how urban women dealt with impoverishment

Abstract: This paper argues for the pursuit of social science research as a moral enterprise. The paper builds on the experience gained by the author during a 14-months post-graduate fieldwork project in a provincial town of Masvingo in southern Zimbabwe. Central to the research process is the need for participation, integrity and responsibility on the part of researchers. In deciding what is appropriate behaviour by the researcher there is need to take into account both local and global expectations and demands. Good and effective researchers should possess what Adjibolosoo terms positive human factor attributes such as integrity, loyalty, accountability, responsibility, motivation, honesty, wisdom, vision, dedication, commitment, creativity, skills, knowledge,understanding and trustworthiness. Ethically driven research entails establishing caring relationships and a concern for the well being of respondents. The paper also raises issues pertaining to the problematic of a man studying women, the politics of fieldwork and research as a political process, how a researcher positions himself/herself in order to engage policy makers and the powerful. Research it is argued should be founded on the basis of mutual respect. This means the avoidance of deception, dishonesty and pretence in fieldwork settings. A researcher without a caring ethic will find it hard to understand fieldwork challenges and observations.Ethical caring is the foundation on which trust between researcher and respondents is built in the course of research.

Post-Independence Disillusionment in Contemporary African Fiction

Abstract: African writers have an enduring propensity for social and political commitment. Their texts mostly reflect and refract the socio-political events in their societies. Initially, African literature was a tool for celebrating the heroic grandeur of the African past; later it was used for anti-colonial struggle. Presently, it is being employed as a veritable weapon for depicting the postcolonial disillusionment in African nations. Therefore, African literature is always chained to the experiences of the peoples of the continent. In this paper, an attempt is made to examine the discourse of postcolonial decadence in contemporary African fiction. One of Meja Mwangi's novels of postcolonial disillusionment, Kill Me Quick, is used as the case study for the discussion. It is observed that in Mwangi's prose text, postcolonial pains in African nations are imaginatively captured with apt narrative devices.

Reflections on Ethical Issues

Abstract: This paper argues for the pursuit of social science research as a moral enterprise. The paper builds on the experience gained by the author during a 14-months post-graduate fieldwork project in a provincial town of Masvingo in southern Zimbabwe. Central to the research process is the need for participation, integrity and responsibility on the part of researchers. In deciding what is appropriate behaviour by the researcher there is need to take into account both local and global expectations and demands. Good and effective researchers should possess what Adjibolosoo terms positive human factor attributes such as integrity, loyalty, accountability, responsibility, motivation, honesty, wisdom, vision, dedication, commitment, creativity, skills, knowledge, understanding and trustworthiness. Ethically driven research entails establishing caring relationships and a concern for the well being of respondents. The paper also raises issues pertaining to the problematic of a man studying women, the politics of fieldwork and research as a political process, how a researcher positions himself/herself in order to engage policy makers and the powerful. Research it is argued should be founded on the basis of mutual respect. This means the avoidance of deception, dishonesty and pretence in fieldwork settings. A researcher without a caring ethic will find it hard to understand fieldwork challenges and observations. Ethical caring is the foundation on which trust between researcher and respondents is built in the course of research.

A New Hope for African Women

Abstract: There can be no doubt today that the human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. However, for long African women have been suffering several human rights abuses, both in the private and public spheres. For instance, denial of inheritance rights and exclusion from participation in the governance of their countries. Remarkably, this is so despite the existence of several international instruments on the rights of women, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), of which most African countries are States Parties. This was the situation when the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women was adopted recently at Maputo, Mozambique. This article seeks to provide an overview of this important Protocol, and to show the new hope it holds for African women.

Direction of Nigerian Newspaper Rejoinders

Abstract: This paper examined rejoinders by corporate bodies and public figures to news stories and editorials in two Nigerian newspapers from 1999-2001 with a view to determining which type of rejoinders - mild or adversarial - were favoured The findings of the paper clearly indicates that majority of rejoinders were adversarial containing abusive language directed at journalists and media organizations The paper takes the position that these rejoinders point to the scant regard in which the Nigerian print media is held and recommends that the cherished value of balance in helping to reverse this worrisome trend

Handling tone in two-level morphology: the case of ha *

Abstract: The problem of handling tone in morphological parsing has not yet been widely addressed. The morphological parsers are typically developed for languages without contrastive tonal systems, and the application of such parsers need to be adapted to handle tonal phenomena. The major problem, especially with African tone languages, is the fact that the tonal features often function on a level separate from the segmental level and would thus require a level of description of their own. The purpose of this paper, however, is to show that the Two-Level approach is sufficient to handle at least the pitch-accent type system of tone in Ha.

The Place of Functional Communication in Self-Help Development Projects Among Adults in Osun State, Nigeria (1985-1999)

Abstract: This study examines in detail the place of functional communication in self-help activities for sustainable development in Osun State, from the points of view of the major stakeholders in the development of the rural society, viz: the change agents, community leaders, members of the community, facilitators and other sundry officials connected to small and large scale self-help promotion in our communities. In other words, the study tries to find out what type of communication strategies can be employed for successful self-help promotion in our rural communities, and how these communication variables can be maximally used to ensure speedy development of our rural areas. The sample for the study consisted of 150 adults from each of the four selected local councils, making a total of 600 subjects, which are made up of the adult educators, community change agents and adult members of the communities. Random Sampling Method (RSM) was employed to select four local government areas from all the geographical zones in Osun State, which are then considered to be fair representatives of local councils in Osun State. Questionnaire and oral interview are the principal instruments of data collection. Three null hypotheses are raised for the study, and the major technique of analysis is the T-test statistical method. The data collected is thereafter subjected to a thorough analysis, after which the results are discussed in line with the hypotheses developed for the study. The study therefore concluded and firmly established through the results of the data analysis that, there is a significant difference between provision of qualitative information and literacy awareness and participation of adults in self-help projects in Osun State.