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BRAZILIAN TRANSLATION OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH: GIVING VOICE TO THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Get PDFAfrican-American Vernacular English has been simulated in literature through eye dialect or feigned orality at least since the time of Mark Twain and Joel Chandler Harris, lurching between realism, empathetic paternalism, and hostile caricature. More recently, Black authors and filmmakers have been foregrounding the connection between identity, speech, and code-switching, and African-American Vernacular English is becoming increasingly present in media. Combined with expanding global media penetration, this trend has created a situation that translators and subtitlers worldwide must address. Among the small body of research on the translation of dialect/orality in Brazil, specific analysis of African-American Vernacular English is lacking, which is surprising, since Brazil is a major consumer of imported American cultural products and home to the second-largest African diaspora community in the world. Because no race-based dialects exist in Brazilian Portuguese, three general translation strategies have been used to represent African-American Vernacular English: homogenizing, ruralizing, and urbanizing. Examples will be presented of each strategy, their limitations will be discussed, and translator justifications for their use will be explored. A recent apparent trend away from homogenization will also be discussed
Differential urbanisation for settlement planning – A Western Cape case study
Get PDFThe differential urbanisation model is a means to assess settlement growth rates. While the model has been tested primarily at a national level, including in South Africa, this study seeks to apply the analysis to the sub-national scale in the Western Cape province and Cape Winelands district municipality. The study found that the model is applicable to both the province and the district municipality. Settlements of differing size and economic importance grew at varying rates relative to each other in a predictable sequence, which realised the urban hierarchy, over a 20-year period. This finding was unexpected, given that the urban differential model assumes economic growth as well as labour and socio-economic homogeneity – factors that have not been evenly sub-nationally. The applicability of the model to these locations may assist in the public division of resources, particularly in small towns, where meaningful urbanisation occurs, yet capital allocations are limited. The applicability of the study is in keeping with national, provincial, and municipal trends in planning that emphasise the interrelationship between settlements of different size and function over time, and the importance of spatial planning in guiding public infrastructure expenditure
Labour productivity in construction SMEs: Perspectives from South Africa
Get PDFSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are strategic to South African economic performance. Despite their strategic role in economic growth, South African construction SMEs are predominantly confronted with the problem of poor performance, which is partly due to poor productivity. This contributes to a negative outlook for construction and undermines its contribution to the nation’s economy. This study determines essential strategies to help improve construction SMEs’ productivity in South Africa. Qualitative data were collected from registered small and medium-sized construction organisations in South Africa, using a semi-structured interview approach. The research data were analysed, using content analysis. The study reported key strategies, including the need for proficiency at managerial and non-managerial levels, effective teamwork, and effective planning, to improve contractors’ productivity. Although existing studies have widely reported major factors influencing contractors’ productivity, there is still a shortage of research on SMEs’ productivity, especially in South Africa. This research determines SMEs-specific productivity challenges and the interventions needed to improve productivity in the SME sector.
Retraction notice to: Insurance for Social Change? Reflections on Ghana’s State Insurance since 1962
Get PDFReason: The article “Insurance for Social Change? Reflections on Ghana’s State Insurance since 1962” by Kwame Adum-Kyeremeh has been formally retracted by the Southern Journal for Contemporary History following a thorough investigation conducted by the editorial board. This action was taken in response to a plagiarism complaint submitted by Stella Nunoo Amankwaa on 7 December 2024.Kwame Adum-Kyeremeh was given the opportunity to respond to the retraction, and all correspondence has been duly recorded. We regret that our standard quality control procedures did not identify this issue prior to publication. Additional measures have since been implemented to strengthen our commitment to research integrity
Book Review:Erlank, Natasha. Convening Black Intimacy: Christianity, Gender, and Tradition in Early Twentieth-Century South Africa. Johannesburg: Wits University Press, 2022. xvi. 272 pp. ISBN: 9781776148165.
Get PDFNatasha Erlank’s Convening Black Intimacy: Christianity, Gender, and Tradition in Early Twentieth-Century South Africa is a text that chronicles how “black affect” (referring to the feelings of love, devotion, and attraction in intimate relationships) was profoundly reconfigured by the influence of Christianity.1 While acknowledging the profoundly destabilising effects of the system of migrant labour on the intimate and family lives of black South Africans, central to Erlank’sargument is the assertion that the modernising influence of the adoption of Christianity by black converts should not be elided (p. 6). She successfully makes this argument over the course of six substantive chapters, demonstrating how embedded Christianity was and continues to be in black life, and “black intimacy” in particular, which she defines as the, “interlinked and interlocking set of thinking, behavior, and feelings tied to sexuality, fertility, the moral dispositions associated with both of these, conjugal and family life, and the gendered roles that shape them” (p. 1). This is, by necessity, a broad definition, also taking into account the public life and discussion of these ideas – the “convening” part of the title
Assessing economic vulnerability in South African municipalities: A focus on mining-dependent regions using the Economic Complexity Index
Get PDFSouth Africa’s historical reliance on mineral resources has established thriving towns and settlements, sustaining households for decades. However, the decline in demand for these resources and mine closures pose significant threats to the future of these areas, creating vulnerabilities in towns and their dependent regions. This article addresses concerns about the vulnerability of certain South African municipalities, particularly those heavily dependent on mining. Employing an Economic Complexity Index (ECI), the study identifies and classifies vulnerable mining towns and regions. The methodology involves applying the concept of economic vulnerability, utilising sub-national economic and trade data to determine the complexity of municipal economies. In addition, geospatially linked data is employed to identify mining-dependent areas at risk. The results highlight municipalities with low economic complexity, signalling the need for targeted interventions and emphasising the importance of economic diversification in mitigating risks. The study not only serves as a warning for current planning, but also lays the groundwork for future research and evidence-based policymaking to ensure the sustainability and resilience of regional economies in South Africa
The implementation of the curriculum and assessment policy statement: School managers’ perspectives and experiences
No full textWorldwide, national educational authorities set curricular guidelines for schools to ensure implementation. Despite these measures, the translation of policies into school or classroom activities is rarely a smooth or complete process. South Africa has made significant and much-needed positive curriculum changes. However, effective curriculum implementation requires a sound understanding of the curriculum policy, adequate and varied resources and greater attention to contextual factors. Using the interpretivist paradigm and qualitative research design, the study explored the perspectives and experiences of school managers regarding the challenges and problems of implementing the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements in the Intermediate Phase within the South African curriculum reform context. For the first research question, the thematically analysed data generated the findings which highlight a generally good understanding and positive outlook of the revised curriculum policy by the participants. In contrast, the findings for the second research question confirmed that inadequate resources such as a shortage of teachers and textbooks, overcrowded classrooms and other learning support materials impact teaching and learning and the process of curriculum implementation negatively. The study contributes to the important topic of curriculum reforms and curriculum implementation challenges and problems. The study recommends, among others, strategies needed for monitoring the implementation of the CAPS, placing individual school managers as change agents and adopting the three constructs of the theory of curriculum implementation for strengthening implementation
An exploration of African-student agency: Placing students from historically disadvantaged communities at the centre
Get PDFAt the national universities within South Africa, various events during the past years indicate that students suffer under different kinds of oppression. It is widely acknowledged that students from poor, rural geographical areas find the university space alienating and not speaking to their life worlds. In this paper I respond to Fataar’s (2019) notion of the “misrecognised” university student in the South African context. My focus on students coming from historically disadvantaged communities aims to contribute to ongoing debates about social justice for students in the university sector. The problem to be addressed in this paper is the misalignment between the critical horizontal knowledge ofhistorically disadvantaged students and the knowledge codes of the university relating to learning, curriculum, and pedagogical practices. I therefore argue that if university institutional practices recognise, embrace, and align with students’ agency, resilience and adaption, a reframed institutional platform could engage students in their intellectual becoming. Furthermore, I am guided by two questions: 1) How can students from historically disadvantaged communities use their critical horizontal knowledges to connect with disciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge of the university to enhance critical specialised consciousness in the becoming of ethical humans? and 2) How can an African theorisation of student agency form the basis to consciously reframe the core institutional function of the university? In responding to these questions, I locate my arguments in African-student agency, reviewing literature by African scholars to gain an understanding of the African concept of student agency
Dynamics of Social Media Metrics and Fashion Subculture Among South African Young TikTok Users
No full textThe effect of TikTok globally has resulted in an increase in literature pertaining to the platform. Despite wide acknowledgment in social media, TikTok metrics and how they formulate fashion sub-cultures remains underexplored. This study explored TikTok metrics that resultantly formulate fashion subculture amongst Generation Z (Gen Z) TikTok users. The proposed conceptual framework was developed to assist marketing managers explore fashion subculture interest via various TikTok metrics. This research followed a qualitative approach. Data was collected through structured interviews, using convenience sampling among five Gen Z participants. Thematic analysis procedure was adopted and findings revealed that engagement metrics indicate strong potential in enabling fashion subculture among TikTok users. Furthermore, metrics enabled Gen Z users to discover fashion subculture content through hashtags, engagement in social exchanges through likes and comments, store digital fashion inspiration through saves and spread information through shares. These findings also allow for future studies to explore the limitation(s) phenomenon highlighted in this study. Recommendations were provided for fashion brands and practitioners. As this research suggests, can result in more refined trend analysis procedures as well as applicable direct marketing strategies through TikTok
Use of photo-elicitation interviews to explore urban landscape identity in the context of urban renewal changes, a case of Kisumu City, Kenya
Get PDFPhoto-elicitation interviews (PEIs) was used in this study to identify and discuss the main aspects that constitute the formation of the urban landscape identity of Kisumu City, Kenya. A total of 12 participants were purposively selected based on professions, sex and age, availability, and willingness to participate. The aim of this study was to elicit resident opinions about ongoing and completed urban renewal projects within Kisumu City, Kenya. First, the participants were asked which photos represented the city identity and contributed to its image. The responses were categorised under physical, sociocultural, and economic aspects. They were also expected to comment on the outcome of the ongoing and completed upgrading within the central business district of the city. The researcher took 28 photos of the various features within Kisumu City for discussion. PEI was used as a method to collect data in addition to other methods such as surveys whose findings have been presented in other papers. The findings revealed that Lake Victoria and its scenery were important both as a natural feature of the physical environment and for sociocultural contribution to the image of Kisumu City. Other features identified for both of these aspects were parks and public buildings within the city. The meaning aspect was also associated with these features with varying strengths. The vast majority of the participants were satisfied with the new look of Kisumu City, especially the revamped streets after the renewal projects