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Similarities and Differences in the Healing Practices of Pentecostal Churches and the African Traditional Religions in Botswana
Get PDFThe essay examines the similarities and differences in the healing practices of Pentecostal churches and the traditional religions in the context of Botswana. The major similarities result from the fact that in both the Pentecostal churches and the traditional religions there is a strong belief in supernatural interventions in times of crisis in order to preserve, prolong and protect life. While certain methods and strategies are similar, the belief in ancestors in the case of traditional religions, and in Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who are the key agents of healing for Pentecostal churches, mark the major points of difference. The term ‘healer’, is accepted and generally used to describe the traditional healing practitioners, while it is never used to refer to Pentecostals possessing and exercising the gift of healing. For Pentecostals the healer is either Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit
Mukondombera: HIV and AIDS and Shona Traditional Religion in Zimbabwe
Get PDFThis essay explores HIV and AIDS in light of Shona indigenous cultural practices in Zimbabwe. We will focus on indigenous cultural practices that facilitate the spread of the disease, the impact of the spread of the disease on society, the role of Indigenous healers and claims to curing the disease, AIDS education and research into a cure for AIDS, and problems faced by traditionalists in the fight against AIDS. This essay examines case studies of healing practices in the indigenous contexts as perceived by the Shona people, indigenous practitioners and their association ZINATHA, their clients and use of indigenous medicine. Medical specialists the world over are occupied with efforts to find a cure or vaccine for the epidemic. The elusive nature of the disease and failure to attain a cure by the international community warrants continuous efforts to grapple with the problem. Yet in the midst of this, very little in the literature on HIV and AIDS has focused on indigenous cultural practices in Zimbabwe. As a result, it is urgent that we explore the role cultural practices play in contributing or the promotion, prevention and containment of the AIDS epidemic. The essay makes use of sociological, anthropological and historical approaches to establish the role of indigenous culture and beliefs in the fight against the pandemic
Classifying Economic Areas for Urban Planning using Deep Learning and Satellite Imagery in East Africa
No full textMonitoring and assessing the distribution of economic areas in East Africa such as low and high income neighborhoods, has typically relied on the use of structured data and traditional survey approaches for collecting information such as questionnaires, interviews and field visits. These types of surveys are slow, costly and prone to human error. With the digital revolution, a lot of unstructured data is generated daily that is likely to contain useful proxy data for many economic variables. In this research we focus on satellite imagery data with applications in East Africa. Recently East African cities have been developing at a fast pace by building new infrastructure and constructing innovative economic zones. Moreover with increased urban population, cities have been expanding in multiple directions affecting the overall distribution of areas with economic activity. Automatic detection and classification of these areas could be used to inform a number of policies such as land usage and could also assist with policy enforcement monitoring. On the other hand, the distribution of different economic areas in a specific city could provide proxies for various economic development variables such as income distribution and poverty metrics. In this research, we apply deep learning techniques to satellite imagery to classify and assess the distribution of various economic areas of a specific region for urban planning. By benchmarking performance against traditional machine learning models, results show that deep learning techniques yielded superior performance. ResNet50 outperforms deep models considered and achieves a classification accuracy of 98\%
Identifying the interests of stakeholders in large construction projects: Based on Justification theory of Boltanski and Thévenot
Get PDFIn large construction projects, many stakeholders are involved, often with different interests. They look at the interests through the lenses of their conflicting worldviews, leading to the formation of different worlds that often have tensions among them. For example, to be viable, the projects must find a compromise between competition and collaboration. Hence, success in developing and implementing large construction projects requires analyzing the justifications of the world of stakeholders, identifying conflicts and creating agreements among them. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to use Boltanski and Thévenot\u27s theory to review the justifications of stakeholders’ various and understand the tensions and compromises in large construction projects. The research approach is exploratory qualitative, realized using a multiple case study. In this process, five cases were selected as five large construction projects from the four countries of Iran, Turkey, India and Ethiopia and were analyzed based on the data extracted from written, visual, and audio sources. The results indicate that while six stakeholder groups are identified in the sources, content analysis and clear evidence reveal that the industry, construction, and market groups dominate in large construction projects. In other words, the stakeholders often justify their benefits and losses through the lens of these three worlds. In addition, the research discusses tensions and possible compromises in large construction projects. The results of this research improve the insight and knowledge of project managers and contribute to the success of large construction projects. However, it faces limitations in terms of methodology and data adequacy
The ANC and Apartheid South Africa’s Nuclear Weapons Program
Get PDFThe African National Congress (ANC) was established in 1912 and banned by the apartheid government in 1960. Many members of the organisation went into exile, and it continued underground. The organisation became synonymous with the anti-apartheid and liberation struggle in South Africa until its unbanning in 1990. The organisation had early on adopted an anti-nuclear weapons position and its awareness of, and resistance against, the apartheid regime’s secret nuclear weapons program became one of the pillars of its global struggle to end apartheid. This paper traces the early development of the ANC’s position on nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, before discussing its international anti-nuclear initiatives, including its armed struggle and attack against the Koeberg nuclear power plant close to Cape Town, during its construction
African Activism Through Pugwash
Get PDFThe Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs grew from the Russell-Einstein Manifesto initiative in 1955 to become anamorphously structured transnational movement of natural and social scientists with a primary focus on the dangers of nuclear weapons. Pugwash, together with Sir Joseph Rotblat, a founding member and long-serving secretary-general and later president, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 for its role in highlighting these dangers. It did so through its annual conferences that brought together scientists, government officials and observers from across the world, as well as its workshops and publications, and behind-the scenesinterventions towards conflict resolution. The history and role of Pugwash has been the subject of many publications, but none of them pay adequate attention to Africans’ participation in Pugwash, if at all. And yet, a preliminary review of the quinquennial annals and newsletters that Ezume summarise the activities of Pugwash suggests that African scientists’ involvement in the annual conferences was significant. Africans also organised regional workshops on issues of special interest to the continent and jointly published with other Pugwash members. National chapters were established in several African countries and over the course of two decades, a Pan-African Pugwash group held at least six meetings and published some of these meetings’ proceedings. This opinionpiece is based on a preliminary exploratory effort to highlight how Africans engaged the Pugwash movement, to know more about the impact that Africans had in Pugwash and Pugwash had in Africa, and to look to the future—to encourage science activism and youth participation in peace and anti-nuclearism on the continent. We start off with a short introduction of Pugwash, telling its origin story and then proceed to Africans’ participation in and adoption of Pugwash to exercise peace activism
Conversation with Ambassador Abdul S. Minty, during a Conference on ‘Anti-Nuclear Activism in Africa: A Historical Perspective’, held at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, 3 April 2023
Get PDFWhen did you first become aware that the Apartheid government was not only interested in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy as they publicly professed, and how did you promote or publicize your concern
The Fundamental Element of Social Contract In a Developmental State: South African Case Study
Get PDFThe Conceptual Framework that underpins this article is that of advocating for a “Developmental state” that has the capacity to deliver services at national level but also creating a platform for the private sector to make a meaningful investment through trade and investment The article moves from the premise that “Developmental state” should be one that is able to intervene in service delivery as well as to intervene in the running of the economy especially as it relates to the role of the private sector in driving national and international goals. It is the argument of these article that for a “Developmental state” to become functional its should be comprised of meritocratic bureaucracy that is able to make use of the interventionist power in the same way that the East Asian Countries has done. As such the article arises from the argument that although the ANC led government has declared South Africa a “Developmental state”, such a state is still faced with numerous challenges that deter it to fulfill the requirements of a “Developmental state”. The study focus will also look at the extent at which the South African state is moving towards becoming a fully-fledged “Developmental state” regardless of the challenges been experienced and encountered.
Township Politics: Civic Struggles for a New South Africa
Get PDFThis book review explores "Township Politics: Civic Struggle for a New South Africa," offering a comprehensive assessment of its content and significance. Delving into the intricate dynamics of grassroots movements during the post-apartheid era, the review highlights the author\u27s adept storytelling and sociopolitical analysis. By humanizing the historical narrative through the voices of ordinary citizens and community leaders, the book succeeds in providing a nuanced understanding of the challenges and triumphs inherent in civic engagement within South African townships. The critique acknowledges the strength of the book\u27s dual approach, combining historical documentation with insightful analysis, while also considering the potential challenge posed by its level of detail. Overall, the review positions "Township Politics" as a compelling and essential read for those seeking a profound exploration of post-apartheid South Africa and the transformative power of grassroots activism
Unveiling the Hidden Power of Water Services Development Plans: Decoding MuSSA and WSDP\u27s Impact in the Dynamic ICT Space
Get PDFSouth African Water Services Authorities (WSAs) have been grappling with the challenge of providing sustainable water and sanitation services which is a product of the sector’s inadequate planning and practices systems. Consequently, many communities which are the end-users endure inadequate access to sustainable water and sanitation services. Thus, establishing effective planning mechanisms becomes crucial to ensure the provision of adequate and sustainable water and sanitation services, and this is the central problem of analysis and prescription for this paper. Notably, the paper recommends an already existing systems approach to local governance that takes advantage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to drive the modernisation of water and sanitation planning processes which are the Municipal Strategic Self-Assessment (MuSSA) and the Water Services Development Plan (WSDP). Through an emic perspective, systematic search of literature, and document analysis, this paper examines the 2022 MuSSA reports of Western Cape and Gauteng, to identify the challenges faced by the provinces. The findings reveal deficiencies in the Western Cape\u27s investment in asset renewal, infrastructure management, reduction of non-revenue water, and adherence to national standards. Similarly, Gauteng requires comprehensive reforms to address financial instability, asset management, and regulatory compliance. The paper also examines the progress of WSDP development in the 2022-2027 cycle, specifically focusing on the 2022-2023 financial cycle to assess WSAs\u27 compliance. Results indicate that, of 25 WSAs in the Western Cape, only 10 have initiated WSDP development, while 15 lag behind. In Gauteng, only 2 of 9 WSAs have begun the process. Notably, both provinces are behind schedule, having been expected to initiate WSDP development in 2022. The findings of this paper, give an invaluable snippet of the water services planning mechanisms at the local government to ensure proper monitoring and adequate intervention at a local level whilst ensuring the streamlining of resource allocation and recommends that the national government reflects on its shortcomings of ensuring legislative compliance by local government