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Traditional Conflict Prevention and Peace Building: Dzoro System in Zimbabwe
Get PDFDespite its long existence among the Shona people of Zimbabwe, the dzoro system has largely remained undocumented in terms of its developmental and conflict prevention potential. In this article, it is noted that the dzoro system prevents conflict and promote peace. It does so through promoting constant interaction among members of the community, enforcing the value of togetherness, facilitating food security and providing an efficient division of labour. this article acknowledges the fact that the dzoro system perfoms a cocktail of functions among the Shona people and that there is no specific function to which it has been designed. With such a multiplicity of functions, it is noted that the system is organised along the Ubuntu philosophy which is critical in the preservation of peace and prevention of conflicts. The article is based on qualitative methods: unstructured interviews,focus group discussions and direct observations
Regionalism, Security and Development in Africa
Get PDFRegionalism, Security and Development in Africa is a collection of seventeen chapters edited by Ernest Toochi Aniche, Ikenna Mike Alumona, and Innocent Moyo. The book is a comprehensive one that explores the intricate relationships between African regionalism, security, and development, aiming to stimulate academic research, scholarly debates, and intellectual discourse. To achieve this, the volume is divided into 17 chapters written by esteemed scholars, mainly from Africa. The book reflects three intellectual traditions: Afro-optimism, Afro-pessimism, and Afro-realism. These perspectives shape the contributors’ views on regional integration, security, and development in Africa. The book is organised around four main themes: History and Theory of African Regionalism, Africa’s Comparative Regionalism, Regionalism and Security in Africa, and African Integration and Development
The Palgrave Handbook of Violence in Africa
Get PDFThe Palgrave Handbook of Violence in Africa is a collection of fifty-six chapters edited by Bernard Mlambo and Ezra Chitando. The individual chapters are authored by scholars with expertise in African studies and profound knowledge of conflicts in Africa. The book is divided into seven different parts discussing systematically the key elements of African culture, and the cultural mechanisms that create, sustain, resist, and mitigate violence in Africa. The book enumerated the enormous role violence has played in the continent’s affairs, before, during, and after Western rule and dominance. The book also pays detailed attention to theoretical emphases on the link between violence in Africa and other factors such as colonialism, regionalism, race, gender, warfare, statecraft, elections, apartheid, technology, etc. It also attends to theorises between violence and political regimes in Africa
Evaluating Security Expenses in Construction Projects: Insights from Key Stakeholders
Get PDFThe construction industry in South Africa faces significant challenges concerning security, particularly in combating crime on construction sites. This study explores the role of the quantity surveyor in mitigating security costs to achieve cost efficiency. During this qualitative study, eleven interviews were conducted with quantity surveyors, construction contractors, and private security professionals to gain insight into the challenges faced when accounting for security expenses in the South African construction industry. The data was thematically analysed to identify trends and themes. The findings highlight that quantity surveyors play a crucial role in managing security costs by integrating various security technologies with strategic planning. Their skill in incorporating security measures early into the budget and evaluating cost-benefit trade-offs ensures projects stay within financial limits while upholding strong security. This approach not only provides immediate and long-term cost savings but also enhances the overall success and safety of construction projects.
An Examination of Unethical Practices in the Construction Sector: The Case of Government Projects in the Wa Metropolis, Ghana
Get PDFAlthough several studies have been conducted on unethical practices in the construction industry worldwide, little has been done in Ghana\u27s Wa Metropolis, especially regarding government contracts. As a result, it is necessary to look into how unethical actions affect government construction projects in Wa Metropolis. The study used a mixed-methods approach. The survey included 212 respondents, while the interviews were conducted with 16 participants. Data were gathered using questionnaires and interviewing guides and then analysed using thematic analysis, factor analysis, Spearman\u27s rank correlation, and descriptive statistics. The results revealed that unethical practices in the construction industry are driven by contractors\u27 competition, bribery, profit maximisation, illegal contract awards, a lack of transparency, job insecurity, and excessive love of money. The effects of unethical practices in the construction industry were also found to include poor craftsmanship, short project lifespans, inexperienced contractors, safety concerns, fatalities, misallocation of resources, inflated project costs, and project abandonment. Overall, projects were negatively impacted by unethical behaviour in the construction industry. To enhance ethical conduct in the construction sector, the Association of Contractors should adopt and enforce a comprehensive code of ethics as a foundation for its operations, supported by robust regulatory oversight, strict adherence to public procurement laws, transparent bidding processes, and ongoing ethical awareness initiatives. The originality of this study lies in its focus on ethical issues within the construction industry, specifically in the Wa Metropolis. Unlike most prior studies in Ghana, which tend to address ethical concerns more broadly, this research uniquely concentrates on government projects
Decoloniality/Decolonization in the Twenty-First Century: What, Why, Where, Whom, What For?
Get PDFWe would like to share with you, in the mood of introductory remarks on this special issue, some of the points we made in the letter we sent inviting contributions. We would like to share with you some of the key issues underscored in the letter, so that you can become a participant reader reflecting on your own take on colonialism/coloniality as well as decolonization/decoloniality. It’s an invitation engage your own reflections of what is or would have been your take when reading the contribution to this volume, if you feel like expressing your own perspective
Psychology in South Africa’s responses to marginalised identities and the decolonial project: A systematic narrative review
Get PDFMarginalized identities have become a focal point in Psychology. Higher education institutions for example have attempted to promote diversity and inclusion through curriculum and policy changes. However, complex issues affecting marginalized identities persist, requiring transformative socio-economic and epistemic justice. This paper explores how Psychology in South Africa has responded to these challenges in the context of advancing the decolonial project. A systematic narrative review of publications (N=16) from the South African Journal of Psychology over five years (2020-2024) was conducted. The analysis examined how Psychology in South Africa has taken up the decolonial project by addressing the oppressions of three marginalized groups: (1) ‘Foreigners’ facing xenophobia; (2) the LGBT+ community experiencing homo-, bi-, and transphobia; and (3) disabled individuals confronting ableism. The review indicates that Psychology in South Africa is actively involved in problematizing the legacy of coloniality, however there is a need for more meaningful collaborations within the discipline
‘Ersatz Europeans and Their Minions’: Performing Whiteliness in Non-white Postcolonial African Ghettoes
Get PDFWhite lust and Black shame among blacks across all classes is a phenomenon that has not been fully explored and accounted for particularly as part of a residual inter-generational colonial psychosis expressed in everyday talk among black folk in postcolonial Africa. This leads to the questions: What aspects of whiteness or coloniser/colonised transactional relationships do the former colonised blacks manifest in conversations? How does whiteness refracted by class, gender, and ethnicity, remap itself onto new psycho-social relationships among blacks in former British settler colonies like Zimbabwe and South Africa? How are contemporary class differences expressed in terms of distance from or closeness to imagined whiteness in everyday ghetto language and communication? This research analyses meanings that attach to terms murungu (white person), and its plural form varungu (white persons) as used by Shona speaking black Zimbabweans in address or with reference to phenotypical non-white individuals as people engage in naturally occurring and undirected conversational talk in three different locations. In Black Skin White Masks, Fanon broached the idea of the psychotic split personality as a condition suffered by the colonised subject resulting from the colonial situation itself. The situation taught the blacks to place in a pedestal and pursue all that was white, to self-hate and to seek escape from their black skin that kept their soul prisoner. The article seeks to show cases through which everyday talk by black Zimbabweans online and in Zimbabwean based taxis reveals deeper undertones of black shame and an exaltation of whiteness. It concludes that we can still trace colour schizophrenia through everyday talk among ordinary black people of Southern Africa
Design and Implementation of a Web-Based Food Ordering Platform for Academic Environments
Get PDFThis study presents the design and implementation of a web-based food ordering system developed to address persistent inefficiencies in university food service operations. Conducted at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria, the research engaged students, food vendors, and administrative staff to assess existing challenges and user needs. Guided by the Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology, the system was built through iterative prototyping and continuous user feedback to ensure functionality, usability, and relevance. System performance was evaluated by comparing the speed and accuracy of digital order processing with traditional manual methods. Findings revealed that the digital platform significantly reduced processing time and minimized errors associated with handwritten or verbal orders. Usability testing using a standardized evaluation instrument further showed high user acceptance and overall positive interaction with the system. The study concludes that the developed platform enhances operational efficiency, reliability, and user satisfaction in campus food services, while also contributing to ongoing efforts toward digital transformation within higher education institutions
Alternate Expressions of Islam Through Film Videos in Kenya: Muslim Women Filmmakers Countering Social Exclusion in Kenya
No full textThis article investigates the ways in which Muslim actors in film video in Kenya make interpretations and reinterpretations of Islamic positions on gender roles, veiling, and women’s education. The foundational discourse on gender roles, women’s education, and veiling is contained in primary sources like the Qur’an and hadith. Muslim scholars articulate this discourse in mosque sermons and madrassa teachings. In the side lines of these official spaces are Muslim actors and filmmakers who use popular cultural forms to articulate re-interpretations of Islam and present their experiences in non-establishment environments. This article examines how Muslim women actors in Kenya use film video to challenge the double-marginal position of women in Islam and Muslims in Kenya. By perfomative processes of scriptwriting, acting, directing, and production, Muslim women performers in film video display various responses to contemporary issues. Using film video as a medium, they contribute to continuing discourses on gender roles, women’s education, and veiling. This article argues that the dynamic response by Muslim actors reinterprets norms and traditional positions as articulated by elites and religious authority figures. Methodologically, the empirical material is based on a literature review, one-on-one interviews, and close context analysis. This is juxtaposed with a critical reading of Utata, an amateur film video produced by Muslim filmmakers in Kenya. The film’s narrative describes and critiques Muslim’s conventional practises and positions. Utata highlights the complex challenges facing Muslims, pointing out that responses to questions around gender roles, women’s education, and veiling are, at times, multiple and varied. The stories told by interviewees indicate how Muslim women actors both support and confront male-centred discourses. The article makes use of Western theory, such as Bourdieu on cultural production and also feminist critiques on patriarchy in Islam. It is argued that Muslim women actors engage in a process of reinterpretation of Islamic positions, thereby challenging Muslim women’s double marginalization. Such reinterpretation creates avenues for women actors to contribute to popular Muslim discourses