Walter Sisulu University
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Power, Powerlessness and Radical Protest in Contemporary Cameroonian Popular Music
Get PDFThe fraught relationship between popular music and the various kinds of power in Africa has stimulated intensive scholarship and encouraged heated discussions on the topic. Of special interest seems to be the multifaceted character of that interrelationship. It is generally agreed that artistic expression is influenced by political power and that the two mutually inform and shape each other. This article examines the themes of power, powerlessness, and protest as they affect political governance in Cameroon, Central Africa, and as they are reflected in Cameroonian popular music. It further shows how popular songs are used to examine fundamental issues of national concern and to criticise the political leadership. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate how popular music can open a window of understanding into the current political process in Cameroon with a view to drawing implications for positive change. Written against the background of new historicism and postcolonial theories, the article is built on the assumption that popular music is a vibrant and dynamic form of oral literature which is shaped by social, economic, and political forces in present-day Cameroon. As a result, popular music has the potential to play a role in influencing a society’s perception and sense of direction. The article concludes by recommending that if the issues of power and marginality in Cameroon are to be addressed more successfully, and if the politically fraught conditions are to be ameliorated, then Cameroonians must be prepared to undergo a radical change of mentality. Keywords: Cameroon; marginalisation; popular music; power; powerlessness; radical protes
The effect of academic staff development on lecturer teaching practices at a historically disadvantaged institution: lecturer’ perspectives
Get PDFThis study aimed to determine the lecturers’ perspective on the role of Academic Staff Development (ASD) in enhancing and upskilling lecturers' teaching practices and strategies to improve student learning. The study was undertaken at a comprehensive HE Institution in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This study was based on the critical theory which advances change, transformation, emancipation, contradiction, alienation and domination, tenets that academic staff development also advocates. Academic development is supported by principles upheld by critical theory, for example, empowerment, transformation and democracy. For this study, the population comprised those lecturers who attended academic staff development workshops as from 2015 to 2017 at the HDI. In line with the Quanti-Quali mixed explanatory sequential approach, I collected quantitative data from academics using questionnaires; followed by interviews to collect qualitative data. The results showed that the majority appreciated academic staff development as a career changing experience as it capacitated them to teach, grounding them in pedagogical content knowledge in addition to their discipline specialisations. Some constraining conditions to the uptake of ASD at the HDI emerged from the study. Due to the privileging of research over teaching, ASD was seen as a waste of their research time. Institutional environment constraints such as huge workloads, constraining departmental cultures; poor timing of ASD workshops, poor institutional communication about ASD activities and lack of monitoring of implementing those skills, were classified as hindrances. Finally, it is clear that lecturers are made, not born. Recommendations are that it must be compulsory for all academics to attend ASD workshops at least bi-annually. ASDs should be planned and conducted in three phases, namely, pre-workshop, workshop and post-workshop phases.Thesis (Doctoral) -- Faculty of Education Sciences, 202
RNA – Sustainable Marine & Freshwater Economic Development (SMAFED)
Get PDFIn a knowledge-based economy, the capacity to compete in the global market is highly dependent on the ability to innovate and apply the relevant technologies to industries and productive sectors. Investment in Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) and its integration into the social, economic and governance policies can increase global market competiveness, create employment and increase productivity, which are key components for achieving S. African Vision 2030. It is against this National background that Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has established RNAs. The general theme of the RNA is; Marine & Freshwater Resource Management & Economic Development. Hence, the name the proposed name (SMAFED
Evaluation of Supermarket Food Waste as partial replacement of commercial feed un Mozambique Tilapia, Oreochromis Mossambicus Culture
Get PDFRe-thinking freedom: selected Life-Writings of South African Born-frees
Get PDFIdeas of freedom in post-apartheid South Africa cannot be understood in isolation from the lived experiences of the people we often consider as the future of South Africa. Freedom is a time-bound value whose meaning keeps changing as time goes by, and our understanding of freedom before 1994 cannot be the same as today. With close reference to the selected life writings of South African born-frees, this study examines ideas of freedom as expressed in these texts written from the perspectives of ordinary young black people in post-apartheid South Africa. It unpacks the youth’s rejection of the tag ‘born-free’ by bringing out the difficulties of their upbringing in poverty and inequality. This work argues that poverty, inequality, unemployment, and dilapidated infrastructure in public schools are still very much a feature of post-apartheid South Africa, and that the government is yet to fully transform the lives of ordinary black people who much as they try to do so themselves, are still faced with structural inequalities, physical and symbolic violence. Through decolonial theory, the selected texts are analysed to trace the legacies of colonialism and apartheid and how notions of freedom have changed over time.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, 202
Prevalence and factors associated with suicidal ideation amongst college students in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, South Africa
Get PDFBackground: Suicidal behaviour amongst college students constitutes a significant social and public health problem globally. This study determined the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal ideation amongst students of higher education in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM), South Africa. Methods: In this institution-based cross-sectional study, a multistage cluster sampling of 826 participants, drawn from a college in NMBM, was conducted from January to March 2020. Data were collected with a standardised self-administered questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with suicidal ideation. Results: Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 24 years, with a mean age of 20.49 years (standard deviation, 1.88 years). The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and plans in the preceding 12 months were 24.5% and 9.6%, respectively. The odds of suicidal ideation were higher in students who experienced bullying (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35–2.65), mental illness (AOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.35–2.65), a history of sexual assault (AOR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.20–5.21) and experience of sexual assault by or to a close family member (AOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.01–2.82). Underlying chronic illness was associated with a twofold risk for suicidal ideation in both sexes. Conclusion: About a quarter of the students sampled at the college had experienced suicidal ideation and some had had suicidal plans in the preceding 12 months. Screening for the identified risk factors amongst the student population coupled with prompt interventions would mitigate the risk of suicide in the study population. Keywords: suicidal behaviour; suicidal plans; higher education; students; South Africa
Immigrant trade in Wood crafts Stones and Beads in Cape Towns Craft Markets South Africa A Critical Review
Get PDFAlthough extensive studies and investigations exist within provincial and national spheres of the craft making and trading sector in South Africa, most of these investigations have aimed to conceptualise craft and the identification of the obstacles, as well as the demurred in the craft industry as whole. However, not much is known about immigrant traders in the African craft market. The objective of this study was to investigate the process involves in the manufacturing and trading of woodcraft, stones carving and beads stores owned by immigrant traders. The study utilised a desk methodology to review literature in Green Market Square, Stellenbosch Craft markets, Hout Bay Craft Market and Franschhoek Craft market. The findings revealed that the art of wood carving uses cutting tools to make wooden figures, ornamental objects and sculptures. The beads are made of fine glass, broken and unusable bottles and other varieties of scrap glass. The finding also revealed that most craft businesses are seasonal the markets do not have shades and unpredictable weather pattern in Cape Town is also a problem, which limits growth prospects.The study recommended that policy makers should developed these markets
The Primacy of Effective Human Capital Management to the Growth of Entrepreneurship Ventures. A Study of Cases from the Fast Food Restaurant Sector in Cape Town
Get PDFThis paper draws on two fields, human resources management and entrepreneurship to examine the observed problem of stalled established business ownership even despite favourable Total Early Stage entrepreneurship (TEA) among many nations. The aim of the study was to established the perceptions of entrepreneurs on the influence of human capital on the growth and sustainability of entrepreneurial ventures from the restaurant sector in Cape Town. The study adopted a qualitative research design which was based on interviews to infer the entrepreneurs’ perceptions on the role of effective human capital management to growth of entrepreneurial ventures. Fifteen interviews were conducted and analysed following a thematic analyse procedure. Various themes and sub themes which pointed to the critically of effective human capital management were established. It was found the people possess certain social, philosophical, psychological and ideological attributes that cannot be found from other resources. At the end of the analysis, it was established that human resources are central to the growth of entrepreneurial ventures as they possess certain exploitable entrepreneurial talents, are capable of unlocking the value of other resources and also they are the drivers of growth. Following these findings, it was recommended that entrepreneurs should centralise effective human capital management for growth. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Human Capital, Small Businesses, Business Growth, Competitive Advantag
The relationship between energy price and economic growth in South Africa
Get PDFThis study empirically investigated the relationship between energy prices and economic growth in South Africa by employing the auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test technique for the period from 1994 to 2019. The ARDL model is capable of detecting hidden co-integration relationships and perfectly works even in the series that are integrated of different orders. The study found the presence of a long-run relationship between the variables. The findings revealed that electricity prices have a negative impact on economic growth in the long run and short run, while crude oil prices highlighted a positive linkage with economic growth in the long run and short run. The Granger causality analysis indicated the non-existence of causal relationship between energy prices and economic growth in South Africa. However, in South Africa the Granger causality found unidirectional causality from labour productivity to economic growth and from gross fixed capital formation to economic growth. The study recommends that the government should take steps to mitigate the effects of rising in electricity prices.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of Economics and Financial Sciences, 202
Women’s perceptions, beliefs and lived experiences of postpartum intrauterine contraception at a District Hospital in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa – a qualitative study
Get PDFBackground There is a significant unmet need for family planning in South Africa where long acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), including intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCD) are underutilised. The situation is no different in the Amathole District in the Eastern Cape where high rates of unintended pregnancies continue to be a problem. The postpartum period presents a unique opportunity for providing effective contraception. It has been established that immediate post-placental insertion of a copper IUCD is a safe, effective method that has the potential to reduce unintended pregnancy rates. A Post placental intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) refers to an IUCD that is placed into the uterine fundus immediately after delivery of the placenta after caesarean or vaginal delivery. The understanding of women’s perceptions, beliefs and lived experiences of the PPIUCD in this community has the potential to improve uptake of this method. The aim of the study was to fully explore the phenomenon of postpartum intrauterine contraception as a means of family planning at Madwaleni District Hospital in the Amathole District within the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Methods A qualitative, phenomenological study design was used in gathering data through a combination of three focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews with three different groups of peripartum women. Data was collected from perinatal women at three snapshots in time, namely prior to labour, during the postpartum admission and at 12 weeks postpartum with the aim to fully explore the phenomenon of post-placental IUCD use in the study population. III Results The data was analysed using the framework method and five themes were derived iteratively from the text. These themes included the perceptions of perinatal women towards a PPIUCD, the origins of these perceptions, the reasons why women would or would not choose the method for themselves and lastly, the experiences of those women who chose the method. The findings of this study showed that PPIUCD was a novel method in this community and that misinformation, largely driven by deficiencies in antenatal counselling, led to hesitancy to adopt the method. These deficiencies extended to those women who consented to a PPIUCD insertion at caesarean section who did not fully understand what they had consented to. Despite this, women were open to a more effective, convenient contraceptive and the overall experiences of those women who chose to use a PPIUCD was positive. Conclusions Post-placental IUCD insertion was a relatively new method in the study population. Deficiencies in antenatal contraceptive counselling created uncertainty and scepticism which in turn contributed to low uptake of the method among perinatal women. Despite this, there was a strong desire amongst perinatal women to access effective, convenient family planning and prevent future unwanted pregnancies. The overall experiences of women who did choose the method was positive. This suggested that with the right counselling and support, there would be an increase in uptake of PPIUCD in the population. Recommendations from this study include the need to explore healthcare workers perspectives on this topic, to further explore the lived experience of PPIUCD users over a longer period of time and to explore the effectiveness of various antenatal counselling strategies to equip women to make peripartum contraceptive choices.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 202