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Teaching for social justice: Importance of including Adolescent Literature with an Afrocentric context in the South African English Language Curriculum
Get PDFThe purpose of this paper is to review literature to understand the importance of including Adolescent Literature with an Afrocentric context in the English Language Curriculum. Its focus is on how crucial it is that the prescribed literary setwork for English Language learners, particularly grade 12 learners, mirror the geographical and social realities of learners, and promote local knowledge and heritage in local contexts while being sensitive to global imperatives. The theoretical frameworks of Decolonization, Afrocentricity, and Identity form the foundation of this argument as they are linked with the National Curriculum Statement’s principle of social transformation which motivated this writing, teaching literature for social transformation. The findings of this review revealed that teaching literature that is age appropriate and reflects leaners’ life experiences and history, in terms of geographical and social realities, can help learners understand literature and encourage reading. This review recommends further empirical research on Afrocentrism in education and the teaching of Adolescent Literature in South African contexts in the hopes that it would encourage South African setwork selectors to consider selecting Adolescent Literature with an Afrocentric context for South African English Language learners
The stratigraphic context, chronology, and cultural sequence at Little Muck Shelter, southern Africa
Get PDFHall and Smith’s (2000) excavations at Little Muck Shelter in the late 1990s uncovered a Later Stone Age sequence purported to span the last 2000 years. They identified four occupation phases that included what they called workshop phases when resident foragers were crafting vast amounts of goods for the purpose of trade with nearby farmers. In return, foragers obtained domestic items, ceramics, metal and glass beads. Despite the site’s distinct occupation horizons, and the potential it offered for understanding forager-farmer relations in the middle Limpopo Valley, no radiocarbon dates were obtained, and its cultural assemblage was not studied in great detail. To address this, a new excavation programme was designed to obtain radiocarbon results for the site’s entire occupation and better understand the stratigraphic and cultural sequence inside and outside the shelter. A large suite of radiocarbon dates from two laboratories are stratigraphically inconsistent, contradictory, do not conform with the regionally established cultural chronology, and must be rejected. To circumnavigate this, here we present a detailed chronological sequence for Little Muck based on changes in the cultural material assemblage. We compare this to the previous excavation results and assess stratigraphic relationships across the shelter. Our results make it possible to associate specific changes at the site with forager-farmer interactions in the middle Limpopo Valley, and demonstrate the continued occupation of the shelter into the thirteenth century CE Mapungubwe phase
Social Media Regulation and Autocratisation in Nigeria under Buhari
Get PDFThe digital revolution has exponentially transformed all facets of life, including governance systems across states and citizens’ engagement in contemporary contexts. It has occasioned seamless platforms for the expression of dissents and critique of governments in demand for good governance and accountability. Social media is empowering previously voiceless citizens with the freedom to express themselves and participate in public discourse. Unfortunately, the disposition of the government in regulating the new media space goes beyond gagging the press to repression. The state is gradually sinking into the swamp of authoritarianism characterized by numerous reactionary complexes. This paper, therefore, attempts a polemical analysis of shrinking civic space and freedom of expression manifesting through the social media regulation bill as a major indicator of autocratisation in Nigeria. It also sees excessive regulation of social media as a policy which could, when merged with a suppressed judiciary and weak legislature, result in authoritarian rule in Nigeria. Secondary data sources were utilized for the study, which argues that disobedience to court orders and the use of state institutions to suppress political opposition contribute to the erosion of democracy in Nigeria. The paper contends that, despite the widespread penetration and usage of the internet and social media in Nigeria, the Buhari administration has adopted authoritarian practices while maintaining a stance on fundamental rights and citizens’ participation in public affairs. Freedom of expression, speech and media independence are greatly under siege.
Ethnic Stereotypes on South African Black Twitter: A Virtual Ethnographic Study of Zulu, Venda and Pedi Representations
No full textSocial media platforms have emerged as dynamic spaces for expressing diverse voices and negotiating identities. Among these platforms, X (formerly Twitter) stands out as a powerful medium where users engage in real-time conversations, shape narratives and participate in discussions on various topics. In the South African context, X has become a significant arena for public discourse, reflecting the complexities of a nation marked by cultural diversity and a history of social stratification. This article examines South African Black Twitter, a distinctive digital subculture that has gained prominence in shaping public opinion and influencing societal conversations. The focus is on critically analysing ethnic stereotypes within this digital space, specifically examining how Zulu, Venda and Pedi ethnicities are represented and stereotyped. While South Africa’s multicultural landscape is celebrated for its diversity, it is not immune to the perpetuation of stereotypes, some of which are expressed on social media platforms such as X. By analysing a series of tweets, memes and graphics interchange formats collected through virtual ethnography, the study elucidates how the understanding and representation of these three ethnic groups in South Africa are embedded with stereotypes
Design and Development of a Serious Game in Service of Higher Education
Get PDFSerious games are a commodity that students need to understand certain boring or very difficult parts of their curriculum better. Therefore educators are motivated to employ a serious game in their curriculum. There are two ways in which an educator can obtain a serious game: First to get hold of an existing one and get the necessary permission to use it, and second, to create one. This article has opted for the second choice and takes the educator step by step on how to do it. This is an arduous task but so satisfactory in the end. However, this is not for the fainthearted, but for those educators who are really committed to supplying the best education for their students
Sacred Spaces Online: The Rise of Virtual Religion and Technology Adoption in CITAM Ngong Church
Get PDFThere is a consensus that the growth of technology in Kenya facilitated the spread of religion within the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article investigates how technology reshaped religious practice in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on CITAM Ngong Church. Based on six months of ethnographic fieldwork, the study examines how religious actors created virtual spaces to sustain worship in the absence of physical gatherings. Using Rogers’ diffusion and adoption theory, it analyzes how generational access and resource availability influenced participation in online religious life. Findings show that technological adoption was a complex and inherently social process. Further, the adoption of digital platforms was a socially negotiated process, shaped by age within and across the congregation, technology access, and differing understandings of spiritual presence online. The study argues that these virtual spaces function not only as practical substitutes during lockdowns but also as emerging cultural and spiritual sites of place-making that reframe narratives of divine action, transcendent presence, and communal belonging
Exploring Critical Measures for Developing Market Intelligence Culture in Construction Companies
No full textIn today\u27s highly competitive environment, integrating market intelligence (MI) is paramount to enhancing organisational decision-making processes. Despite its significance, measures for improving MI culture remain underexplored in the construction marketing literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify critical measures for improving MI culture within construction companies. Employing a sequential exploratory mixed-method approach, twelve key measures were initially derived from exploratory interviews and subsequently validated through an extensive review of relevant literature. The 215 construction companies that assessed these measures classified them as either \u27very critical\u27 or \u27critical.\u27 Factor analysis identified \u27top management commitment\u27 and \u27active internal marketing\u27 as the principal measures. It is recommended that construction companies allocate sufficient financial, technological, and human resources to nurture and sustain a strong MI culture. Furthermore, companies should view employees as internal customers, recognising their crucial role in improving MI culture. By fostering a robust MI culture, construction companies can strengthen decision-making capabilities and secure a competitive advantage through more accurate forecasting of market trends, customer preferences, and optimised pricing strategies. This study is the first to explore this subject within the construction industry, laying a foundation for future research
Procurement Planning Improvement Strategies and Challenges in Construction Project Delivery within the Public Tertiary Education Sector
No full textThe tertiary education sector projects are increasingly plagued by delay and budget blow-out, resulting in persistent cost and time overruns. The study investigates the influence of procurement planning improvement strategies and challenges in construction project delivery in the public tertiary sector. Data was collected from a random sample of 517 stakeholders in Rivers and Akwa Ibom State and analyzed using Mean Item Scores (MIS) and structural equation modeling (SEM). The research findings reveal that the procurement planning strategies with the most critical effect are improving the institutional framework, incorporating sustainability into procurement planning, and monitoring and evaluating procurement performance. The factors with high effect inhibiting procurement planning were identified as inadequate institutional framework/policy/regulation, poor supplier relationship management, and ineffective procurement regulation. The results of the path diagram indicate that implementing the procurement planning improvement strategies policy produces a perfect correlation (r = 1.00; very high) with challenges inhibiting effective procurement planning. This implies that the validated strategies could comprehensively and holistically mitigate the archetypes of challenges inhibiting procurement planning in the tertiary education sector in Akwa Ibom and Rivers State. The study concludes that non-compliance with procurement procedures can lead to delays, cost overruns, and poor project outcomes, therefore, procurement laws and procedures should be enforced. Therefore, this provides practical implications for policymakers on the need for institutional reforms and compliance within tertiary institutions. The study recommends that stakeholders develop risk management plans, conduct long-term dialed needs assessments, and embrace digital technologies such as e-procurement to improve procurement planning
KUPI’s Gender Campaigns, Digital Activism, and a Counterpublic in the Making
No full textThe expansion of the Internet and social media platforms over the past decades has empowered many progressive Muslim women’s groups associated with the Congress of Indonesian Women Ulama (KUPI) to leverage digital realms for their Islamic feminist campaigns. However, their digital initiatives often remain undervalued due to the marginalization of their gender discourses compared to the dominant conservative narratives surrounding women’s issues in the country. The aim of this article is to examine the last four years of the KUPI’s online feminist campaigns, especially those from after its second congress in November 2022. I focus on the KUPI’s creative endeavors to expand their feminist ideas through activities in online spaces and the potential of these endeavors to create an environment where they can articulate and increase their voices against the patriarchal discourses on women prevalent in Indonesian society. I draw my data from a combination of online observation from the KUPI\u27s media networks, interviews with individuals involved in the KUPI\u27s digital initiatives, and desk research on KUPI-related topics. I frame the data with a theoretical approach that examines the intersection of women’s digital activism and the creation of counterpublics in contemporary society. This framework acknowledges the capacity of these Islamic feminist activists to publicly discuss women-related issues, raise awareness about gender justice, and foster collective action aimed at improving women’s health and well-being
Parental Perspectives on Gamified Experiences and Entrepreneurial Skill Development in Children: A Qualitative Study from South Africa’s Eastern Cape
No full textGamified communication is increasingly recognised as a powerful modality in education, fostering interactive learning and behavioural transformation. This study explored how game-based communication strategies contribute to entrepreneurial skill development in childhood, with a focus on South Africa’s Eastern Cape. While gamification is well researched in Global North contexts, little is known about how it functions in early entrepreneurial development within African childhood settings. Drawing on an interpretivist paradigm, the study investigated how parents experience and make sense of gamified tools that promote entrepreneurial mindsets in their children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 parents, and data were analysed using the Gioia methodology and narrative analysis. The findings revealed that gamified platforms act as dynamic communication environments through which children engage in simulated entrepreneurial scenarios. Themes such as strategic risk taking, creative problem solving and financial decision making emerged as communicative competencies fostered through these interactions. Through foregrounding gamification as both a pedagogical and communicative practice, this study contributes to African-centred communication scholarship. It highlights the potential of gamified media in localised development contexts, particularly in addressing youth unemployment and social inequality. The research underscores the importance of adapting global digital communication frameworks to African childhood learning environments, opening up new avenues for policy, pedagogy and participatory communication