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‘Living Rugged, Dying Brutal’: Understanding Gang Lifeworlds through Death
Full text linkThis study examined death rituals as a frame to understanding the meaning of life and the afterlife from the perspective of gang members, and how these meanings frame the violent sub-culture of gangs. Utilizing a case study analysis of the Iceland and Deebam gangs, the two leading gangs in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, we identified a collection of material and non-material deathrituals which are separately embedded in the ideological orientations as well as practical activities of both gangs. Our findings showed that the meaning of life and death is drawn from a belief system that holds a promise of ‘life after death’ or of ‘dead gang members having lasting feasts with their gods’. Such post-death privileges are believed to be a reward for gang loyalty often manifestedthrough the ‘ruggedity’ or ‘brutality’ of the deceased gang members while alive. This implies that upon demise, membership and social status of gang members transcend to the afterlife. We argued that it is these belief systems amongst gang members that frame the forms of death rituals that are usually characterized by swearing by the gods, promise of revenge and other forms of rugged or brutal show of violence that incentivizes/sustains the violent sub-culture and precarity of the gang life
Foreword
No full textAs the African continent stands at the cusp of profound technological advancement, it finds itself compelled to confront both the pros and the cons of the digital revolution. Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, mobile commerce, and advanced machine learning (ML) are no longer emerging phenomena in distant economies; they are deeply embedded in Africa’s sociopolitical, economic, and cultural fabric. This special issue of Technology and Society within the African Context, illuminates the multidimensional implications of these advancements, recognising the urgency of both proactive engagement and ethical stewardship. Through ten insightful contributions, this issue seeks to provide a deep understanding of how Africa might harness these technologies to foster resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability across sectors
When Race, Rape, and Religion Collide: A Case Study of IPV, IPA, and Femicide Intervention during the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textUN Women identified gender-based Violence (GBV) as the shadow pandemic of the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022. For almost two years, women and girls worldwide were sheltering in homes with abusive intimate partners and experiencing violent trauma and even death. The United States (US) was among the nations that experienced lockdown-related spikes in GBV. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the domestic violence crisis peaked in early 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown, mostly among women and children who were having to shelter with their abusers. Among this population of women living in the US who were experiencing the shadow pandemic were female college/university students who experienced either intimate partner violence (IPV) while sheltering with abusive partners and/or cyber intimate partner aggression (IPA) via technology and social media. Black female college students were not only victims of IPV and IPA but also of femicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a case study of an HBCU chaplain, this article explores intervention in and prevention of IPV, IPA, and femicide during the COVID-19 pandemic at the intersection of race, gender, class, and religion for African-descended female college students. Specifically, this article will investigate what role historical black college/university (HBCU) chaplains play in intervening in lockdown IPV, IPA, and femicide. Using the concept of positionality, the author argues that the HBCU chaplain is a key on-campus figure who can intervene and prevent sexual assault on college and university campuses. The article concludes with suggestions for necessary further research needed to address GBV on HBCU campuses.
Unearthed potential: Reflecting on the past and shaping the future of Middle Stone Age research in Zimbabwe
Full text linkZimbabwe is home to numerous well-preserved deposits spanning from the Earlier to the Later Stone Age. However, research on the Middle Stone Age has been limited, with most studies conducted during the colonial era. Following independence, economic decline and political challenges have led to sporadic research efforts, leaving Zimbabwe marginalised in discussions on Homo sapiens\u27 origins. As a result, key questions about early human behaviours and adaptations remain unresolved. Renewed Middle Stone Age research could provide valuable insights into behavioural evolution, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of human origins and supporting polycentric theories of our species\u27 emergence
South Africa and International Law: South Africa’s Multilateral Response to the Russia-Ukraine War
Full text linkThis study aims to review South Africa’s multilateral response to the Russia-Ukraine war concerning the discourse of international law and South Africa’s national interests. The response was met with significant backlash. However, it elucidates several imperatives, notably, the power politics of international law, South Africa’s advocacy of multilateralism, and its obligation to the BRICS bloc. This research adopts a qualitative research approach and uses the theory of Realism. Recent 2023 developments in South Africa concerning International law and the Russia-Ukraine war have sparked huge debates across international relations and academia. Topics of war crime, alliance, BRICS summit, and international law have continued dominating the mist surrounding these events and their impact. Arguably, in international relations, post-economic crisis tends to compel states to adopt a realist attitude towards their foreign policy to see through their national interests. However, due to the geopolitical and global economic crisis, protectionism in the international space has become contemporaneous, where every country enforces Realism in their foreign policy using their sovereign capacity and influence in the international space. However, such creates a beggar-thy-neighbour effect on their counterparts. South Africa finds itself being affected by these foreign protectionist policies. When the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant of arrest to South Africa against the President of Russia, this was followed by debates on notions of law and litigation; however, at the center of these debates is the South African dilemma between international law and economic cooperation with the BRICS bloc. The arguments following the dilemma have alluded to South Africa hosting a successful BRICS summit, and the execution of the warrant as South Africa remains a signatory of the Rome statute. In assessing the justification of this warrant was the relevance of international law to South Africa.
The Influence of South Africa’s Democratic Principles on its Cybersecurity Framework and Cyber Threat Response: A Qualitative Inquiry
Full text linkThis study explores the intricate relationship between South Africa\u27s democratic political system, its commitment to human and private rights, and the development of its cybersecurity framework, strategy, and response to cyber threats. Given the country\u27s robust constitutional commitment to human rights, this research explores how these democratic principles are integrated into and influence cybersecurity policies and practices. Through a comprehensive analysis of legislative documents, policy frameworks, this study identifies the extent to which democratic values and human rights considerations shape South Africa\u27s approach to cybersecurity.
The findings reveal that South Africa\u27s cybersecurity strategy is deeply influenced by its democratic ethos, with a strong emphasis on protecting individual rights while ensuring national security. The study highlights how laws such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the Cybercrimes Act balance the need for security with the protection of privacy and freedom of expression. Furthermore, it explores the multi-stakeholder approach adopted by South Africa, emphasizing public participation, transparency, and accountability in developing and implementing cybersecurity measures. This research also explores the challenges and tensions that arise from striving to protect human rights within the cybersecurity domain, such as ensuring privacy and freedom of information in the face of increasing cyber threats. The study provides insights into how South Africa navigates these challenges, including the mechanisms put in place to ensure oversight and accountability in the surveillance and data collection practices by state security agencies
Environmental Sustainability: The Case of a Multi-Business Packaging Organisation in South Africa
Full text linkSouth Africa contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and is vulnerable to climate change\u27s effects on health, livelihoods, water, and food. The South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) supports an equitable transition to a low-carbon economy and a climate‐resilient society protected for the benefit of present and future generations. The increased awareness and requirement to protect the environment has resulted in a growing demand from environmentally conscious customers for suppliers to practice the triple bottom line that requires a balanced approach to managing people, planet, and profit. Organisations therefore must have clear environmental objectives that must be aligned with the strategic goals of the organisation, to ensure better, utilisation of the organisation’s resources, management of cost, and management of the organisation’s environmental culture.
Organisations implement Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to evaluate, eliminate and mitigate their impact on the environment to improve their environmental performance. This study was conducted across three business units of a South African packaging organisation that aimed to ascertain the environmental sustainability status of the organisation. A mixed quantitative and qualitative research methodology was used to gain an understanding of the current environmental sustainability initiatives of the organisation and the challenges that the organisation faced towards achieving its’ contribution towards environmental sustainability.
The results of the research indicated that the organisation has environment management systems that support environment sustainability, however, there is room to further improve their environmental performance
Entrepreneurship and Future Perspectives in BRICS- Operational Improvements and Sustainable Air Transport Development in the Global South
No full textThere is a clear inequality between air transport systems development in Global North countries from the Global South ones. It is possible to observe this inequality when analyzing each region\u27s route network and the total number of flights. This article aims to analyze how the adherence to The Carbon Offset Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) which comprises a market-based measure to stabilize emissions from 2020 onwards by international civil aviation can restrict growth and impact air transport expansion in developing countries, focusing on the BRICS countries. Considering a bibliographical review, the article highlights how ICAO developed measures to reduce CO2 emissions, including operational, technical, and alternative fuel measures, consisting of CORSIA in a complementary market measure. Additionally, based on the methodology developed by ICAO, the estimated reduction in CO2 emissions from implementing operational measures in Brazil was calculated using the annual number of arrivals and departures at airports. Operational measures are more in line with developing countries\u27 United Nations\u27 sustainable development goals, which have a broader sustainable development view of society. They are the best short-term option since Technological measures have a high implementation cost, and their incorporation into aircraft fleets takes a long time using SAF strongly depends on reducing associated production costs and developing a supply chain that allows its production to scale. As BRICS countries implement operational measures in their air transport systems, there is an increasing gain in efficiency and a reduction in CO2 emissions. Market measures such as CORSIA can restrict the expansion of air transport infrastructure in developing countries, consequently impacting their economic growth
The Future of the Study of Religions in Africa: Decolonial-Pluriversal Directions
Full text linkThere is a theoretically intractable argument about what we might mean by ‘Africa’. The origin and knowledge about ‘Africa’ as an identifier or a construct have continued to dictate the agenda for Africa, religions in Africa, and African Studies in Africa and the diaspora. Although ‘religions in Africa’ are receiving profound empirical and methodological attention, this article argues that they have continued to be approached from the theoretical question of what Africa might mean. It further states that the three main religions in Africa—African Indigenous Religion, Christianity, and Islam—are locked in this theoretical hole, but scholars have continued to navigate the threshold through thematic studies dictated by the names of the continent. It concludes by stating that the study of religions in Africa, though complexified, both now and in the past, will still follow the trajectories dictated outside Africa. But the article also suggests that a decolonial-pluriversal approach could help to appreciate the African worldviews in tension with other worldviews
Climate, Security, and the Study of Religion in Africa: Insights from Northern Mozambique
Full text linkHow the security risks associated with climate change, such as social instability and conflicts over dwindling resources, impact the study of religion in Africa has received limited attention from scholars of African religions, despite the need to determine how these impacts influence how religion is conceptualized. However, climate-related security risks intersect with religious beliefs and practices. This article draws on participatory methodologies and an ethnographic study of the security risks stemming from climate change in northern Mozambique. It demonstrates that the emergence of security challenges related to climate change provides religious studies with new data and, therefore, new challenges in rethinking the meaning of African religions. It also shows the significance of attributing religion to climate disasters among religious communities, exposes the epistemological assumptions and conflicts over the role of religion in social challenges, and demonstrates the transcendence of religious differences in times of widespread social crises. The article thus contributes to setting the stage for future studies that aim to understand how climate-driven vulnerabilities change the conception of and engagement with religion in Africa