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ORAL SONGS AND WEDLOCK: TRADITIONAL SONGS AS CEMENT OF CONNUBIAL UNION IN THE BEMBA TRADITIONAL SOCIETY
Get PDFThe article sheds light on the role that traditional oral songs played in fortifying matrimony in the Bemba traditional society. It problematises the idea that orality has relatively been abandoned in modern Zambian society particularly the singing of traditional songs. This neglect of orality, particularly, that of traditional songs has led to major weaknesses in connubial union resulting into numerous divorces. The article argues that there was relative stability of traditional marriages over modern ones in terms of duration of marriage while admitting the few challenges that characterised the former. It argues that traditional marriages were very stable largely because the songs inculcated certain essential values into the subject’s mind that rendered most marriages successful. Moreover, many people enjoyed these songs partly because of the songs melody, musicality, repetition, brevity, and duality of meaning. Ultimately, the article strongly recommends that modern Zambian society should embrace traditional songs and revert to the practice of singing these songs in modern times in order to salvage marriages. The article is grounded in theories in oral literature as propounded by scholars such as Ruth Finnegan and Isidore Okpewho, among others
EDITORIAL COMMENT
No full textIn this special issue on Language and Musicology, the authors of the ten articles with high levels of specialisations in the fields of Language and Literature have provided the ZANGO readers with a rich array of well-researched scholarly articles. As the legend of literature, William Shakespeare, once wrote that ‘the earth has music for those who listen’ this issue is parked with scholarly music for academicians and students to listen and enjoy
Using Culture Results from Hands and Razor Blades to Sensitise Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) on Infection Prevention Practices
Get PDFThis article describes findings from one component of a multi-phased study on infection prevention knowledge and practices of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) from 2006-2012.
The study included two activities within the training programme for TBAs, using a modified Ministry of Health (MoH) TBA Training Curriculum. One component of this curriculum involved sensitising the TBAs on two poor infection prevention practices - poor hand washing and cutting babies’ umbilical cords using any dirty, rusted, sharp instrument after tying it with traditional ulushishi (fibre from inside of tree bark). These practices cause maternal and infant morbidities. Seventy-eight out of one hundred intervention TBAs, whose right hands were swabbed for laboratory analysis, were chosen by simple random sampling. The training had theoretical and practical components. They were trained in four groups consisting of twenty-five TBAs in each group. The results showed no growth on the six razor blades after forty-eight hours of incubation, thus proving their sterility. The results from the hand swabbing showed one-hundred and seven isolates that can potentially infect mothers and babies during the birthing process. This result convinced the TBAs on the importance of hand washing. This was evidenced after the training, because the proportion of TBAs who washed their hands before delivering their clients, among the intervention group, was significantly different (
Comparison of Viral Load Suppression among HIV-1 Infected Children Aged 5 to 12 Years on Once Daily Versus Twice Daily Abacavir-Containing Regimens at University Teaching Hospitals - Children’s Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
Get PDFAbacavir is one of the first-line drugs used to treat HIV infection in paediatric patients in Zambia, whose use in children has not been widely published. This study compared the virologic response of abacavir given as part of a once-daily regimen with the response when given as part of a twice-daily regimen. A total of eighty-two children aged two to twelve years currently receiving antiretroviral therapy at the Paediatric Centre of Excellence, University Teaching Hospitals, Lusaka, Zambia, were observed in the study. This was a prospective cohort study. All the children were initially on twice daily abacavir containing regimen with lamivudine twice daily and efavirenz once daily, with 40 maintained on this regimen by the attending clinician and 42 switched to once-daily abacavir, lamivudine and efavirenz by the attending clinician. Profiles were obtained for each child to compare viral load at baseline and week 24. Data was analysed using Stata Version 16.The proportion of children with undetectable viral load in the once-daily group at twenty-four weeks was 64.3 per cent compared to 72.5 per centin the twice-daily group. Twice-daily dosing reduced the odds of achieving an undetectable viral load by about 59 per cent, while being male reduced the odds of achieving an undetectable HIV viral load by 19.6 per cent. Baseline haemoglobin, creatinine, or alanine transferase levels were not predictors of viral load suppression.The study suggests that once-daily dosing of an abacavir-containing regimen achieved a lower viral suppression rate when compared to twice-daily dosing. It is recommended that once-daily dosing of abacavir containing regimen should be considered as a dosing option for Zambian children living with HIV
Dynamics of Small-Scale Informal Industries: The Evolution of the Artisanal Stone Crushing Industry along Alick Nkhata Road in Kalingalinga Township, Lusaka, Zambia.
Get PDFStone crushing has grown as a source of income for men, women and children in Zambia. The spike in unemployment and elevated levels of poverty have given rise to stone crushing as a profession. Artisanal stone crushing is a thriving economic activity especially in peri-urban areas of Lusaka, including Kalingalinga Township. This is because more than half of the people in these areas, especially women, live in poverty, earning less than $1 per day. Although a lot has been written about the socio-economic and environmental effects of this industry, little has been written about the dynamic characteristic of the industry in the country. The study is a qualitative case study which used desk review and interviews to examine the dynamics of the small-scale stone crushing industry in Kalingalinga area of Lusaka, particularly in recent times when the area has seen a lot of structural changes. The article focuses on factors involved in expansion, decline and/or disappearance of the enterprises and the role that gender plays in the industry
The Role of Home Literacy Environment and Oral Language in the Development of Rhyme Awareness Skills in Preschool Children in Zambia
Get PDFThe home literacy environment and children's oral language abilities are key factors that influence the development of various components of phonological awareness skills in young children during their early years. Rhyme awareness skills, one of the earliest phonological awareness abilities to develop in children may also be fostered by these two aspects. However, the degree to which these factors support the development of rhyme awareness skills has not been extensively investigated in Zambia. This study explored the relationship between certain aspects of the home literacy environment (such as literacy resources, literacy activities, and parental literacy level), children’s oral language abilities and rhyme awareness skills of preschool children in Zambia. A total of 353 children (Mage=81.1 months; SD=15.7) from 14 public preschools in Lusaka province were randomly selected to participate in this study. Parents completed a questionnaire on their children’s literacy experiences at home, which included questions on the availability of literacy resources, the type of literacy activities children participate in, and the frequency with which they participate in literacy activities. Children’s language skills were assessed by measuring their receptive and expressive vocabulary and familiarity with the language of instruction in preschool. Both the ability to recognise rhyming words and the capacity to produce rhyming words were tested as part of the rhyming skill set. The data was analysed using a multiple linear regression. Results revealed that literacy activities at home and children’s language proficiency were predictors of rhyme awareness skills. However, the study did not find any association between parents literacy level, the availability of literacy resources in the home and rhyme awareness skills. Overall, the study underscores the importance of a supportive home literacy environment and oral language during early childhood. These findings hold significant implications for parents and policy makers in shaping early childhood education and promoting literacy development
The Relevance of the Zambian Languages Teacher Education Programme to the School’s Needs and Aspirations: The Case of One Public University in Zambia
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to establish the relevance of the Zambian Languages Teacher Education programme at one of the public universities in Zambia to the needs and aspirations of Zambian secondary schools. The sample size of the study was fourteen (14) comprising six fourth year Zambian Languages students, two teacher educators from the Literature and Languages Department for the content courses and two teacher educators from the Languages and Social Sciences Education Department for the methods courses. The study also included four former students at the university who studied Linguistics and African Languages (LAL) programme at bachelor’s degree level. Interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis were used to collect data from the participants. The study findings established that the programme was partially relevant as it equipped the trainee teachers with the right content, teaching methodology, revitalised cultural awareness and built teacher confidence in schools. However, the programme exhibited multiple weaknesses that included lack of programme harmonisation between what was offered at the University to what graduates taught in schools. Trainee teachers had inadequate time for peer teaching (micro-teaching) as well as teaching practice, lacked teaching and learning material. The programme had a biased instruction in one Zambian language and English instead of teaching in all the regional official languages which were to be taught by the teachers in schools
Decolonising the First World War: The Case of the Northern Rhodesian Askari, 1914-1918
Get PDFStudies have been done on African soldiers in former British colonies such as Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Nyasaland (Nyasaland) and South Africa. However, Northern Rhodesia has remained largely outside the scope of historical studies. Therefore, Northern Rhodesia’s important role in the First World War has received little attention. This article, therefore, highlights the incorporation of Northern Rhodesia’s askari (soldiers) into what was essentially a European war. In this way, it attempts to decolonise the history of the First World War which has viewed African theatres as marginal and unimportant on the global scale. It also brings out the experiences of Africans in this global war and their reactions to these experiences. The article uses the rich primary data in archives and museums in Zambia. It argues that Northern Rhodesia was an important player in the East Africa campaign; its soldiers had negative experiences in the war and reacted in various ways to these experiences. This article highlights the wider importance of African colonial troops to the Allied war effort
Knowledge, attitude and practice towards physiotherapy management after caesarean section delivery among doctors at the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia
Get PDFBackground: Caesarean section delivery (CSD) is one of the common surgical procedures performed to save the life of an expectant mother and the baby whenever needed. Although relatively safe, it is associated with complications, which Physiotherapists are well equipped to address and prevent. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of doctors towards physiotherapy management following CSD at the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia.
Methods: The study design was cross-sectional and convenient sampling method was used to recruit participants. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire modified from previous studies. Analysis for descriptive statistics was done using the statistical package of social sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 for windows. While association of factors was tested using the chi-square test at 0.05 level of significance.
Results: Forty-two medical doctors comprising 54.8% males participated in the study. Majority 64.3% had 1-5 years working experience and Obstetrics 73.8% was their major specialty of practice. Most of the participants 86% had adequate levels of knowledge on the practice of physiotherapy following CSD. However, 59.5% of the participants submitted not referring patients to physiotherapy following CSD. Further, work experience was significantly associated with level of knowledge (p=0.02701).
Conclusion: Participants in this study exhibited adequate levels of knowledge and positive attitudes, towards physiotherapy management but more than half of them had poor consultation practices as they referred post CSD patients for physiotherapy. This suggests a need for enhanced interaction and communication between medical officers and physiotherapists, which could be achieved through ward rounds, clinical meetings, seminars, and workshops
A Synthesis: Exploring the Interconnection between Disability and Covid-19
Get PDFBackground:
The global outbreak of Covid-19 has had far-reaching and devastating consequences, leading to widespread fatalities and the declaration of a pandemic as it rapidly spread across countries. In 2020 alone, there were over 23 million reported cases of Covid-19. Among those impacted, individuals with disabilities constitute a significant and vulnerable group, facing unique challenges in carrying out their daily tasks. The Sustainable Development Goals emphasize the importance of prioritizing the needs and rights of marginalized populations to ensure a life of dignity and safety for all. Unfortunately, people with disabilities are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of public health crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The primary objective of this review study is to shed light on the various factors contributing to the heightened vulnerability of individuals with disabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods:
To achieve this objective, a systematic search was conducted on Google Scholar using the keywords "COVID- 19 AND DISABILITY" to identify relevant articles.
Conclusion:
The impact of Covid-19 on individuals with disabilities has been multifaceted, resulting from a combination of factors such as an increased risk of adverse health outcomes, limited access to essential medical care and rehabilitation services, and the profound social consequences of pandemic containment efforts. Through this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between people with disabilities and the Covid-19 pandemic. By highlighting the challenges, they face, we can foster a greater awareness of their needs and advocate for more inclusive and targeted interventions to ensure their well-being and safety during these challenging times.
Keywords: Disability, Covid-29, Impairment, People living with disabilit