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Naming Children after Deceased Members of the Lineage in Zambian Cultures: Pentecostal Perspectives
No full textThe act of naming living and non-living things is as old as humankind. Biblically, it started in the time of Adam.. This study explored the logic behind naming children after deceased members of the lineage in Zambian cultures from a Pentecostal perspective. The study used a case study design that involved the use of qualitative methods. The study used 20 selected Pentecostal Churches as the target population. The eligible respondents included 20 pastors, 10 parents, 10 Church Leaders (Deacons and Elders) as well as 8 focus group participants (comprising parents, deacons and elders) bringing the total number to 48 respondents; all of them being 35 years old and above. The participants were selected using purposive and snowballing methods and the data was collected using in-depth interview and a Focus Group Discussion. The data collected were analysed thematically. The study revealed that in the Zambian cultures naming Children after deceased members of the lineage was meant to keep the tradition. The findings show that Pentecostals oppose the naming of their children after the deceased members of the lineage. It is recommended that the Pentecostal churches should find a midway of incorporating Zambian naming culture. That way, the cultural heritage of Zambian Pentecostals would be upheld and valued
IMPROVING COURSEWORK AND PRACTICUM FOR A BETTER INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA
Get PDFThe article aims at proposing the improvement of initial teacher education in Africa. The authors used desk research to put together the arguments contained in this article. The main proposals of the chapter are two-fold. Firstly, the article proposes expansion of the teacher education coursework to include action research, African knowledge systems and intercultural education. Secondly, the article proposes a versatile practicum for initial teacher education. The practicum must be used for assessment and for professional development and teaching purposes. This chapter concludes that to produce the teacher of the 21st century, teacher preparation programmes must focus on active intellectual engagement by which teachers are equipped with requisite professional knowledge and skills. This agrees with the constructivist teaching/learning theory and participatory teaching methods, which advocate for active participation by students in the learning process. In this theory, learners are supposed to take charge of their learning through inquiry or discovery. To concretise this knowledge and skills acquisition through the practicum, the authors recommend for Zambia and indeed Africa, the school-based model. This preference for the school-based model is anchored on the fact that it is a much better model because, by attaching students to schools right from the first year of the programme, they will have adequate time for combining theory and practice and for developing correct professional dispositions
THE ROLE OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN ZAMBIA IN PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY AMONG MEMBERS IN SELECTED CONGREGATIONS IN LUSAKA DISTRICT: 2012-2017
Get PDFThe study examined the measures, challenges and factors that influenced the Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) to promote gender equality among their members. A case study design that involved the use of semi-structured interview and focus group discussion (FGD) qualitative methods, was used. Purposive sampling was used to select the 28 participants. The findings revealed that the RCZ played a significant role in promoting gender equality in the church through training religious leaders responsible for counselling young people and couples about to get married. The study concluded that although the RCZ played a significant role in promoting gender equality in Zambia, it concentrated much at the congregational rather than community and national levels
ZANGO VOLUME 38 ISSUE NO. 1 OF 2024
No full textWe welcome you to the thirty-eighth volume of the ZANGO: Zambia Journal of Contemporary Issues. The African wisdom continue to inspire and teach the ZANGO
editorial team on how to connect, learn and cooperate with scholars from all over the world, when we reflect on the words of African sages which say that When a
bird builds its nest it uses the feathers of other birds. The current edition contains exciting articles on a wide range of topics drawn from studies conducted and done by
scholars coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, the United States of America and Zambia
A Systematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Primary School Readiness for Transition Through Play-Based Pedagogies
Get PDFThis systematic review is based on studies that explored school readiness and transition through play-based pedagogies in Early Childhood and Primary Education. Relevant literature involved global literature whose search was conducted by independent researchers following the keyword string, which included among others, stakeholders’ roles in school readiness, transition, and play-based pedagogies. The literature search was done from May to August 2022 following the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA). Twenty peer-reviewed studies were identified, appraised, and included in the review. Findings from international literature showed that teachers’ implementation of play-based pedagogy revealed a significant and positive relationship to all domains of children’s holistic development. Learner assessment for school readiness and transitioning from pre-primary to primary through play-based pedagogies included academic, social, and personal learning during periods of play. The types of play-based assessments for school readiness identified included: (1) withdrawal assessment, (2) observational assessment, (3) embedded assessment, (4) teacher questioning/interview, (5) Photographs/videos and (6) documentation walls. While literature showed a positive connection between parental involvement and a child’s readiness for school including successful transition from preprimary to primary school, there was limited evidence pointing specifically to the influence of parental involvement in play-based pedagogies for school transitioning
What's in a Name? The Place of Language in the Naming of Programmes in the Zambian Radio and Television Industry
Get PDFThe old Shakespearian rhetorical question, 'What's in a name?'’' comes to the fore when we examine the names given to programmes by Zambian radio and television stations. While most people are not bothered by such names and would argue that it is the content of the programmes that is paramount, not the names thereof, it may be argued that the names are worth analysing from the perspective of onomastics, which is the scientific study of names and naming systems. No study has been conducted on the names of radio and television programmes in Zambia, and this is the lacuna that this study is concerned with. The study is qualitative in nature and analyses names of programmes in both public and private media houses. More specifically, the study concerns itself with the language used in the naming – that is, whether local names are used apart from English names and if so, which Zambian languages are the local names associated with. The findings reveal that none of the media houses selected for the study has a formal or written policy on language use. The naming of programmes tends to follow a linguistic pattern similar to what obtains with regard to the use of language: the public media has more programmes with names in local languages than the private media. Ultimately, however, the findings of this study underline the fact that there is no formal language policy guiding the affairs of the nation. It may be concluded, therefore, that the situation cannot be corrected or ameliorated without a clear language policy at national level
Complicating the Language of Conventional Nigerian Narratives: The Poetics of the Language Ofokri’s Narratives.
Get PDFNigerian narratives, from Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) to contemporary ones, have always resorted to the technique of realism by which they seek to make art correspond to life. These narratives were, therefore, metonymic, Roman Jakobson’s manner of describing language standing in for a state of reality. This circumstance persisted until Ben Okri’s mature novels deviated from it through being metaphoric and the deployment of unfamiliar characterisation, settings, action and language. By this deviation, Okri’s narratives seem to have ruptured the metonymic and the concretising literary language traditional to Nigerian narratives, an issue that has remained largely overlooked. Using Roman Jakobson’s linguistics and sundry descriptive methods (since Jakobson’s thought relevant to this study does not exceed metaphor and metonymy), this article teases out the variegated dimensions through which the literary language of Ben Okri’s latter works undermine and complicate the conventional literary language of Nigerian narratives. Focusing on this language, this article analyses, first, the metonymic – the tendency in the language of Nigerian literature and Okri’s earlier narratives to evoke a familiar reality; second, the metaphoric; third, the redefinition of human actions; fourth, the dissonance between the signifier and the signified in signs signifying institutional concepts; fifth, paradoxes; and last, parallelisms. It concludes that with the language of Okri’s later works so tied to his will- to-narrate in a way subversive of the technique of realism, while representing perceived resemblances through related poetic elements and features, he breathes fresh and rich energies into Nigeria’s existing realistic literature as well as flustering critics’ expectations
Clinico-Pathology and Therapeutic Management of a Primary Atypical Extra-Genital Ocular Transmissible Venereal Tumour in a Dog in Lusaka, Zambia
Get PDFCanine Transmissible Venereal Tumour (CTVT) is a contagious cancer commonly found in the genitalia of dogs, with rare extra-genital presentations, such as cutaneous, oral, nasal, and ocular forms. Extra-genital CTVT cases, especially in the ocular region, are infrequently reported, often leading to diagnostic challenges and underdiagnosis in regions with high prevalence.A two-year-old male German Shepherd mix was presented to the University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, with a red, lobulated mass originating from the third eyelid of the right eye, causing partial vision loss and continuous lacrimation. Initial clinical examination suggested ocular squamous cell carcinoma. However, cytology and histopathology fi ndings from a tissue biopsy revealed round and ovoid neoplastic cells with large pleomorphic nuclei, leading to a defi nitive diagnosis of primary ocular CTVT. The dog exhibited no genital involvement or evidence of tumour spread to other sites. The dog was treated with vincristine sulphate administered intravenously in six doses over six weeks. Following the second dose, the patient experienced leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, decreased appetite, and weight loss, all common side effects of vincristine. Supportive care, including antibiotics, fluid therapy, and appetite stimulants, was provided, resulting in improved condition. By the end of the treatment, the ocular mass had completely regressed, vision was restored, and the dog remained in remission with no recurrence observed after twelve months. This case represents the first reported instance of primary ocular CTVT in Zambia without genital involvement. The successful use of vincristine sulphate highlights its efficacy in treating extra-genital CTVT forms. Given CTVT’s potential for atypical presentations, it is crucial for veterinarians in endemic areas to consider it in the differential diagnosis of extra-genital ocular masses to prevent under diagnosis and ensure timely treatmen
Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ Crop Productivity and Adaption Strategies amidst Rainfall Variability Concerns in Chongwe District, Zambia.
No full textClimate change is a global challenge brought about by accelerated anthropogenic activities, leading to an increase in the presence of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere. Its impacts are profound in climate sensitive sectors such as smallholder agriculture. Zambia’s smallholder farmers are dependent on rain fed agriculture, and are thus vulnerable to climate change and climate variability. Climate variability, manifested through extreme events such as droughts, floods and abnormal temperatures work synergistically with other factors to affect crop productivity. This study was aimed at examining the determinants of smallholder farmers’ crop productivity amidst variability in seasonal rainfall received in Chongwe, Zambia . Five study sites (villages) in were purposively sampled, namely, Mudenda, Mutakama, Mulwila, Kalilika and Kangalangala. A total of 35 respondents and three key informants were interviewed during this study. The respondents were all smallholder farmers while the key informants were representatives from the Zambia Meteorological Department, Chongwe District Agriculture Office and a Traditional Leader. The trend analysis revealed that rainfall in Chongwe had decreased at an annual rate of 9.60mm between 2000 and 2021. Even though the reduction is not statistically significant (p = 0.181) the downward trend in rainfall should move smallholder farmers to devise adaptation measures to combat the decreased annual rainfall. Further, maize yields had decreased at an annual rate of 0.012 ton/ha between 2010 and 2019 which was not statistically significant (p=0.812). An assessment of social factors that could influence maize productivity revealed household size (r = 0.754; p = 0.012) and farming experience (r = 0.344; p = 0.043) as significant factors that affected maize productivity among the sampled households.. The study concludes that the smallholder farmers studied have experiencing decreased rainfall trends and maize productivity which increases their vulnerability to climate variability and climate change. The study recommends that agricultural development interventions should focus on enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers in Chongwe through climate change awareness, household income diversification and public social capital mechanisms
Exploring Bemba Traditional Religious Cosmology of Mystical Powers in Mpika District, Zambia
No full textThe study explored the Bemba Traditional Religious (BTR) cosmology of mystical powers in Mpika district. Among the Bemba people, these powers are considered impersonal, supernatural, or magical forces that pervade the cosmos, function behind all human activities, act in various ways for good and bad, and impact people’s daily lives. The study employed a qualitative research method and a descriptive case study. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were engaged to generate the appropriate data. Data was analysed using thematic framework analysis. The Bemba people and their traditional leaders made up the population. The sample size of 30 participants was chosen through homogenous purposive sampling. The study established that the Bemba people believed in the existence of the unseen or spirit world, which they thought was the source of magical abilities. Mystical powers manifested through witchcraft, divination, magic, traditional medicine, rituals, vows and oaths traditional healers, witches, diviners and medicine men and women