Ounongo Repository (Namibia Univ. of Science and Technology)
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Shaping worldviews: An analysis of post-secular feminist poetry of the diaspora
No full textTHESIS PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FUFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ENGLISH AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS
AT THE
NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR SARALA KRISHNAMURTHY
31 OCTOBER 2019This research study explores Post- Secular Feminism as found in diaspora poetry. It illustrates that worldviews are shaped through intersectionality as presented in post-secular feminism under a thematic analysis of: Religion, Home and Exile, Hurt and Healing, Mother, and Self-love. The five themes intersect one another and make post-secular feminism clear. The aim of the study was to explore how identity is shaped in nine anthologies of six select diaspora poets: Upile Chisala, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Rupi Kaur, Warsan Shire, Nayyirah Waheed and Ijeoma Umebinyuo. It subsequently looked at the influence of social media and how the poets’ popularity is exposed and relates to their worldviews.
The study was carried out using the post-secular feminist framework. Post-secular feminism places emphasis on the oppression of women within their religious spaces. To a large extent this oppression is as a result of intersectionality. Intersectionality is the interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. Thus, the select poets are oppressed in more than their religious spaces and poetry is their escape from this oppression. In the poetry studied for this research, post-secular feminism shapes worldviews. There is a clear link between post-secular feminism and the shaping of worldviews which the poetry reveals. This then illustrates that identities are shaped through intersectionality. Through close reading and analysis of the poetry, exploration of identities and worldviews transcend the rigid classification of identities, while attempting to forge a new space for social transformation and post-secular feminism to exist
Mapping and Monitoring Fractional Woody Vegetation Cover in the Arid Savannas of Namibia Using LiDAR Training Data, Machine Learning, and ALOS PALSAR Data
No full textNamibia is a very arid country, which has experienced significant bush encroachment and associated decreased livestock productivity. Therefore, it is essential to monitor bush encroachment and widespread debushing activities, including selective bush thinning and complete bush clearing. The aim of study was to develop a system to map and monitor fractional woody cover (FWC) at national scales (50 m and 75 m resolution) using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data (Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Arrayed L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) global mosaics, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016) and ancillary variables (mean annual precipitation—MAP, elevation), with machine learning models that were trained with diverse airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data sets (244,032 ha, 2008–2014). When only the SAR variables were used, an average R2 of 0.65 (RSME = 0.16) was attained. Adding either elevation or MAP, or both ancillary variables, increased the mean R2 to 0.75 (RSME = 0.13), and 0.79 (RSME = 0.12). The inclusion of MAP addressed the overestimation of FWC in very arid areas, but resulted in anomalies in the form of sharp gradients in FWC along a MAP contour which were most likely caused by to the geographic distribution of the LiDAR training data. Additional targeted LiDAR acquisitions could address this issue. This was the first attempt to produce SAR-derived FWC maps for Namibia and the maps contain substantially more detailed spatial information on woody vegetation structure than existing national maps. During the seven-year study period the Shrubland–Woodland Mosaic was the only vegetation structural class that exhibited a regional net gain in FWC of more than 0.2 across 9% (11,906 km2) of its area that may potentially be attributed to bush encroachment. FWC change maps provided regional insights and detailed local patterns related to debushing and regrowth that can inform national rangeland policies and debushing programs
Conflict-sensitive journalism: A practical handbook for journalists in southern Africa
No full textThis e-handbook is the third in a series of special publications offering guidance to media practitioners—editors and journalists—working in conflict-affected and post-conflict African countries.This publication is based on presentations delivered at a media, conflict and peacebuilding
training workshop aimed at building the capacity of African journalists to report on conflict and
peacebuilding in Southern Africa. The two-day workshop on “Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding
in Southern Africa” brought together sixteen print, radio, television, and digital journalists who
report on conflict and peacebuilding in the region. The journalists came from seven Southern
African countries—Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and
Namibia.
It was organised in July 2018 by the Department of Communication, Namibia University of
Science and Technology (NUST) and supported by the Social Science Research Council’s
African Peacebuilding Network (APN) grant program.
The workshop adopted a combination of theoretical and practical sessions with critique and
interactive exercises and was facilitated by experienced academics and practitioners who
combined the fundamental theories in the field with the rich experiences of their practice to
engender a holistic understanding of issues.
Journalists were introduced to concepts and key issues in conflict and peacebuilding, given
an understanding of the link between peace, and conflict, as well as led to reflect on the roles,
ideologies, and practices of the media in conflict and peacebuilding. The workshop looked at
civil strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The issue of
xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa also took centre stage. Journalists
were urged to adopt conflicts-sensitive journalism, which borrows heavily from Afrocentric
ideals such as Ubuntu and communitarianism. The issue of ethical reporting was also buttressed.
Moreover, the issue of the safety of journalists in conflict situations also received significant
attention.
The workshop also provided an opportunity to link together Southern African journalists and
scholars whose work focuses on conflict and peacebuilding to share experiences and learn new
ways to approach their writing in the belief that this would help mitigate the risks of the media
contributing to conflict
Comparison of Three Algorithms for the Evaluation of TanDEM-X Data for Gully Detection in Krumhuk Farm (Namibia)
No full textNamibia is a dry and low populated country highly dependent on agriculture, with many areas experiencing land degradation accelerated by climate change. One of the most obvious and damaging manifestations of these degradation processes are gullies, which lead to great economic losses while accelerating desertification. The development of standardized methods to detect and monitor the evolution of gully-affected areas is crucial to plan prevention and remediation strategies. With the aim of developing solutions applicable at a regional or even national scale, fully automated satellite-based remote sensing methods are explored in this research. For this purpose, three different algorithms are applied to a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generated from the TanDEM-X satellite mission to extract gullies from their geomorphological characteristics: (i) Inverted Morphological Reconstruction (IMR), (ii) Smoothing Moving Polynomial Fitting (SMPF) and (iii) Multi Profile Curvature Analysis (MPCA). These algorithms are adapted or newly developed to identify gullies at the pixel level (12 m) in our study site in the Krumhuk Farm. The results of the three methods are benchmarked with ground truth; specific scenarios are observed to better understand the performance of each method. Results show that MPCA is the most reliable method to identify gullies, achieving an overall accuracy of approximately 0.80 with values of Cohen Kappa close to 0.35. The performance of these parameters improves when detecting large gullies (>30 m width and >3 m depth) achieving Total Accuracies (TA) near to 0.90, Cohen Kappa above 0.5, and User Accuracy (UA) and Producer Accuracy (PA) over 0.50 for the gully class. Small gullies (<12 m wide and <2 m deep) are usually neglected in the classification results due to spatial resolution constraints within the input DEM. In addition, IMR generates accurate results for UA in the gully class (0.94). The MPCA method developed here is a promising tool for the identification of large gullies considering extensive study areas. Nevertheless, further development is needed to improve the accuracy of the algorithms, as well as to derive geomorphological gully parameters (e.g., perimeter and volume) instead of pixel-level classification
Linguistic landscape as symbolic construction of the public space: A case study of Mandume Ndemufayo Street, Ongwediva commercial and non-commercial signs, 2017-2018
No full textTHESIS PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ENGLISH AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS AT THE NAMIBIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (NUST)
Supervisor: Dr Niklaas FredericksThe present study through a multimodality approach aims at analysing the language used on signage, the placement and various designs by different designers and explored the practice of multilingualism within Mandume Ndemufayo’s signage. The study employed the qualitative method for flexibility in order to capture the “subtle nuances” that occurred during the investigation. It involved collecting evidence of signage by walking along Mandume Ndemufayo in the physical space, and photographing most of the signs that are defined by the relevant characteristics of the study such as language, images, colours and sizes of the signs. The public signage of Mandume Ndemufayo Street, Ongwediva, was analysed and interpreted within the researcher’s individual frame of reference. The study concluded that the real language practices of Namibians are reflected on commercial and non-commercial signs, which also reveals the designers’ power and identity. Finally, the study concludes that a multimodality approach is needed to study signs in Namibia as images and colours speak more about what words cannot express, and the design and placement of signage conveys the message
Literary Activities for the Teaching of English in a Namibian High School Setting: A Case Study
No full text*MEAL Candidate, Department of communication, FoHS at NUST, Namibia ** Corresponding author; Associate Professor and MEAL Coordinator, Department of communication, FoHS at NUST, NamibiaThe Namibian school syllabus covers literature as from the primary level to the high school although the teachers fail to use appropriate methodologies and models to interpret and present literary texts creating uplifting opportunities and engaging learners develop their passion for literature. Lack of sound subject delivery methods hinders the performance of learners in English as a second language (ESL). Namibian teachers have been introduced and trained to base their classroom practices on the learner-centered principle which promotes participatory pedagogy and active learning. Much focus has not been given to learners‟ participation in the English classroom setting. A questionnaire with 5 open-ended and 15 close-ended questions was distributed to English teachers and learners to find out the effects that literature had on the views, experiences, and practices of the teachers regarding lack of participation and performance in their English classes. FGDS and observations were also conducted to triangulate data. It was found out that the commonly used method of learner involvement was the discussion method and learners responding to questions. The teachers‟ roles were merely to give instruction and facilitate the learning process. In many situations, learners did not ask realistic questions and teachers preferred arranging learners to sit in groups. Teachers used the discovery and experiential methods through questioning techniques. However, despite the efforts to enhance participation, factors such as poor subject knowledge, little understanding of the topic, being coy, fear of making mistakes, lack of subject interest, hunger/tiredness, fear of teasing by classmates, and poor language proficiency hinder the performance of learners in ESL
The role of codeswitching as a conversational strategy between Ongwediva police officers and Ongwediva residents
No full textTHESIS PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ENGLISH AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS AT THE NAMIBIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (NUST).
Supervisor: Dr. Niklaas FredericksCode-switching is the alternation between two codes (languages), between people who share those particular codes. Choices about how code-switching manifests itself are determined by a number of social and linguistic factors. It is quite typical in multicultural and immigrant populations.
This study focused on the role of code-switching as a conversational strategy between Ongwediva police officers and Ongwediva residents. Ongwediva is a town situated in the northern part of Namibia. Majority of the residents in Ongwediva speaks English and Oshiwambo. The study therefore sought to understand the role that code-switching plays in the conversation between Ongwediva residents and police officers.
Findings from observations and recordings revealed that code-switching facilitates conversations and it makes communication easier for both Ongwediva Residents and police officers. The study indicated various strategies used to code-switch (borrowing, Tag-switching and intersentential) to make communication easy. The study also brought to light the reason why code-switching took place. It happened because people want to prove a point because the word does not exist in the Matrix language, it is also used to save time and also because some terms do not exist in oshiwambo.
The study concluded that code-switching is used as a gate to residents of Ongwediva in attaining their communication goals. It is essential for law makers to recognise code-switching as a conversational
strategy which also helps the speaker in a multilingual community like Ongwediva to express their identities and their cultures freely
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia.
No full textMycobacterium Tuberculosis commonly referred to as (TB) is still one of the major health concerns, with high prevalence globally as well as in Namibia. While significant progress has been achieved in the prevention and treatment services of TB in the country, including use of community-based service providers and community-based health workers, the number of relapse cases remained high. The study aimed at assessing the role of Community Based Service Providers in the prevention of relapse among TB infected patients in Namibia
A critical analysis of the advertising discourse by First National Bank (FNB) in Windhoek
No full textThesis submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters of English and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Communication, Namibia University of Science and Technology.
Supervisor: Prof. R. Makamani
Co- supervisor: Dr. H. MapudziThis study investigated how language is used to communicate meaning in bank advertisements. It also examined stylistics in advertising with specific focus on selected FNB branches in Windhoek. Stylistics is a branch of linguistics which studies the principles, as well as effect of choice and usage of different language elements in rendering thought and emotion under different conditions of communication. Advertising is a form of communication used to help sell products and services. There are many sampling strategies, for example, random and purposive sampling. The study employed purposive sampling since the researcher sought to gather information from reliable people. The researcher used 10 printed adverts from 5 FNB branches, which means that 2 printed adverts were collected from each branch. Advertisements are not only designed to fascinate, but also to achieve their persuasive goal. This study shows how language is used in bank advertisements to convey messages to the public. The stylistic elements employed in the analysis of bank advertisements included graphology, phonology, lexis, syntax and cohesion. The use of capitalisation and repetition for emphasis, phonemes and Gothic writing to attract the attention of readers and images to stimulate customers’ aspirations were some of the findings of the study. Given that studies on language use are still of high interest to linguists, this study critically interrogated the effectiveness of language choice in FNB bank advertisements. The conclusion is that stylistic devices are important in advertising as they attract customers to the services and products being advertised
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for Doctor of Philosophy in Iinformatics in the Department of Informatics at the Namibia University of Science and Technology
No full textE-Government is regarded as an important tool to help governments meet their goals. The theory of New Public Management arguably motivated the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in government with the idea of improving service delivery. However, e-Government use by citizens remains low. On the other hand, government’s vision of an inclusive e-Government has to still yield results, as many citizens are still not using the available e-government services. This challenge is common across Africa given the limited resources and other socio-economic challenges that are often given a higher priority over e-Government initiatives. This study used a public value theory to understand expectations of citizens from e-Government as suggested in the literature. The public value theory was adapted to the Namibian context using the available literature. Critical factors for attaining a citizen-centric e-Government were grouped into three main groups namely achievement of socially desirable outcomes, efficiency of public organizations and the delivery of public service. This study went on to identify key supportive factors for a government to achieve citizen-centric e-Government. This included access to ICT infrastructure, ICT skills, citizen’s attitude, creating local partnerships and understanding the citizen’s information needs. This study is a mixed method approach where qualitative and quantitative data (through questionnaires and interviews) were used as a data collection method. This study was conducted in seven (7) out of the fourteen (14) regions in Namibia. The participants are from seven (7) regional offices and one hundred and eighty-eight (188) respondents, and eight participants who took part in the interviews. The selection was done using the appropriate sampling procedures. Statistical analysis was used to carry out on the data gathered by use of a questionnaire while a content analysis was used on data gathered by use of interviews. The findings show that citizens are ready to embrace e-Government, though a lot still needs to be done in the area of provision of infrastructural facilities. At the end, a citizen-centric e-Government model for effective service delivery in Namibia was developed