University of Cape Coast Journals
Not a member yet
449 research outputs found
Sort by
Becoming conscious of the self: Spatial dynamics, character pairs and the feminist vision in Amma Darko’s beyond the horizon
Get PDFThe relationship between spatial dynamics, character pairs and how this is constitutive of the feminist vision in Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon has rarely been explored, despite the growing critical reception. The paper explores how Darko’s women become awakened by the redemptive roles of their fellow women through the narrative’s climatic journeys. Drawing on theories of spatiality and African feminisms, this paper argues that Darko’s attempt at associating specific characters within particular geographical contexts helps us to rethink controversial and conventional discourses on the African woman – sisterhood solidarity, education, financial freedom and bodily integrity as routes to the total emancipation of the African woman. Thus, the study suggests a shift from the rather clichéd argument that the text is male-targeted
UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION FOR TRANSNATIONAL CYBERCRIMES?
Get PDFTransnational cybercrimes (TNCCs) are cybercrimes occurring across several jurisdictions. The advancement of technology has brought about an increase in the sophistication, severity and comprehensiveness of incidents of cybercrimes such that cybercrimes can now be effortlessly transnational. In the main, however, the various legal responses to TNCCs have shown States consistently applying traditional territorially based rules to online activities by enacting laws that do not adequately address the borderless nature of the Internet. This paper examines the jurisdictional challenges of transnational cybercrimes as well as the inadequacies of present legal responses to transnational cybercrime. With the aid of the doctrinal research methodology (legal analysis), it finds that purely domestic legal responses to cybercrimes, no matter how advanced, are inadequate as a fragmented approach cannot effectively eradicate the problem created by the presence of safe havens. It concludes that a holistic approach is needed and recommends the adoption of a global instrument with international recognition of universal jurisdiction for serious categories of TNCCs capable of compromising international Peace and security, such as cyber terrorism, hacking and the creation and dissemination of malicious codes targeting critical infrastructures or leading to the denial of essential services
A RHETORIC OF CHINA’S EXPLOITATION OF RELIGION IN WEST AFRICA
Get PDFThis paper attempts to deconstruct Chinese business agents’ exploitation of religion as an economic resource in West Africa. Focusing on three cases from Ghana sampled on YouTube, the paper argues that China’s religion project in Africa involves three rhetorical strategies. These are reverse proselytization, repackaging of African/Ghanaian Christian gospel songs, and enstoolment of Chinese as African chiefs. The analysis reveals that Chinese foreign workers employ this capitalist model based on the working hypothesis that the average African of the postcolonial/neocolonial epoch is economically vulnerable and yet passionately religious, and, thus, would look to religion for solutions. Implications of the findings are reported in the paper
Basic school teachers’ attitude and confidence level in teaching the computing common-core programme curriculum in Ghana
Get PDFThis study investigates the attitudes and confidence levels of Basic 7-9 teachers in Ghana regarding the implementation of the Computing Common Core Programme (CCP) curriculum. Utilizing Rogers\u27 Diffusion of Innovations Theory as a framework, the research explores factors influencing teacher confidence, including access to ICT resources and professional development opportunities. A descriptive survey design was employed, involving 287 teachers from public schools across Ghana. The findings reveal a high level of teacher confidence in teaching the CCP curriculum, despite limited access to ICT tools and resources. A positive, albeit insignificant, correlation was found between ICT resource availability and teacher confidence. However, professional development avenues significantly impact teacher confidence, aligning with Rogers\u27 theory on the role of communication channels and social systems in the diffusion of innovation. The study recommends prioritizing the provision of ICT tools in schools and expanding professional development opportunities for teachers to ensure the successful implementation of the CCP curriculum
Positive Education and Student Wellbeing: A Review of Relationship between Gifted and Non-Gifted Students\u27 Wellbeing and High Achievement
Get PDFIn the pursuit of fostering creativity and technology for innovative economies, students\u27 wellbeing has grown globally. Positive education, which emphasises nurturing strengths for wellbeing and peak performance, plays a crucial role. Yet, research on its impact in disciplines, especially STEM areas, is limited. This article reviews 57 studies limited to gifted and non-gifted students, including STEM subjects, to analyse the relationship between positive education and gifted student achievements. Examining literature from 1999 to 2023, the study highlights the significant connection between wellbeingfocused education and academic success. Findings reveal that not only individuals\u27 character traits, constitute inward restorative defenses against mental health issues across all age groups but also the gifted, particularly gifted males, are more susceptible to mental disorders compared to their nongifted and normal or average-intelligence counterparts. The research highlights the importance of identifying gifted students early, utilising their potential for wellbeing and improved outcomes, especially in interdisciplinary fields such as STEM. Incorporating gifted education and wellbeing into preservice teacher education through holistic institutional approaches is crucial, particularly in the context of developing African nations. The study also suggests socio-emotional development for advancing academics, especially in STEM. This research suggests future exploration into the intersection of positive education and students\u27 academic accomplishment
PROTECTING SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS IN NIGERIA’S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: LEGISLATIVE ACTION AS A ‘SHIELD’ UNDER THE 1999 CONSTITUTION
Get PDFAside from public health devastations, one aspect of Nigeria’s national life that was severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, was the economic space. As part of the government’s mitigating measures, an economic stimulus package was put together to help those most hit by the crisis. However, a key item was left out i.e., legislation enacted by the Parliament, to ensure the protection of the socio-economic rights of the people. This article analyses how the Nigerian legislature could have triggered relevant provisions of the Constitution to adequately protect this class of rights, as a response to the devastating impact of the pandemic. This analysis is carried out against the backdrop of the existing non-justiciable status of socio-economic rights in the country. The article makes the point that there is a great deal of potential in the country’s constitutional framework regarding legislative powers, that could have been creatively deployed by the Parliament to enact legislation that would serve as a ’Shield’ for socio-economic rights in the pandemic, notwithstanding the clog of non-justiciability. The article concludes that the legislature as the people’s representative ought to have better executed its constitutional powers, by demonstrating uncommon courage at a time when it mattered mos
Editorial
Get PDFThis special issue of Drumspeak brings together five papers that shed novel theoretical and interpretive insights on Amma Darko’s novel Beyond the Horizon. Written in the fin de siècle of the long twentieth century, Beyond the Horizon is a sobering meditation on the migration of Africans to the West. It is an important text in the subgenre of African literature that focuses on migration, dislocation, prostitution, and the crisis of expectations that confront African migrants in the West. The novel is, therefore, central to what Iheka and Taylor (2018, p. 18) call “the migration turn in African cultural productions.” Since its publication, Beyond the Horizon has generated asignificant corpus of literature that attests to theamplitude of Darko’s craft and vision
PROPRIETY OF POLITICAL APPOINTEES’ ENGAGEMENT IN PRIVATE LEGAL PRACTICE IN NIGERIA: ACHIKA & ORS. V. N.K.S.T. HOSPITAL MKAR IN PERSPECTIVE
Get PDFThe National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in David Achika & Ors. v. N.K.S.T. Hospital Mkar & Anor adopted the expressio unius est exclusio alterius rule of interpretation and held that a Special Adviser (SA) on legal matters appointed on a permanent basis, with salary is not prohibited from engaging in private law practice while serving because he is not a public officer (PO) within the framework of part 2 of Code of Conduct for Public Officers (CCPO). This paper, through doctrinal method, reviews this decision by examining the propriety of permitting a Special Adviser on full-time basis and remuneration to engage in private law practice (PLP). It interrogates the nuances of permanent employment/engagement and argues that while an SA is not mentioned in Part 2 of the CCPO, engagement in PLP fosters divided attention despite being remunerated on full-time basis and it is a detraction from the notion of full-time employment/engagement. It further contends that engagement in PLP can expose a political appointee to conflict of interest which should be avoided. It makes recommendations on the amendment of the 5th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution to include political appointees within the prohibited ambit of persons to engage in private practice
In pursuit of dreams: migration and toxic masculinity in beyond the horizon
Get PDFThis paper explores masculinity and migration, analyzing the complex processes of sustaining manhood in a differentenvironment in Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon. The paper argues that the fraught nature of the migrant experiencecontributes to the creation of toxic masculinities and the perpetuation of gender-based exploitation of the female. Migration then creates new opportunities for male exploitative behaviour which is detrimental to the male himself
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION: THE STATE GOVERNORS AND DEFICIT OF DEMOCRACY IN GRASSROOTS NIGERIA
Get PDFAfter twenty-three years of the fourth democratic republic in Nigeria, there is a strong temptation to presume that democracy has taken firm roots at the grassroots. However, the whimsical manner by which the state Governors have subverted and hijacked the Local Governments (LGs) structures in their respective states suggests the contrary. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) makes provisions for elected LG Councils, yet, the Governors having being in firm charge have rendered these provisions illusory. They toy with the autonomy and vitality of the LGs, interfering and removing elected LG officials at their fancies. This study assesses the role of the state Governors in the determination of representations at the LG level in Nigeria and its effects in providing credible leadership for rural development. Data were gathered through primary and secondary sources such as 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), books relevant to the present study, peer review journal articles, judicial precedents, internet materials and newspaper reports. The above data were subject to content analysis. The paper finds that the LG elections in Nigeria are not given premium position by many state governments which robs the nation of a structured leadership development avenue. It also finds that the Electoral Management Body in the states are not independent. The paper, therefore, proffers Constitutional reforms as the way out of the wood. This will not only stop the Governors from acting capriciously and as omnipotent emperors, it will also allow the LGs enhance their capacity for optimum utilization of local initiatives through democratic means