University Botswana Journals
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Melamu’s Use of Absurd Humour as a Narrative Technique in “The Unweeded Garden”
Get PDFThe article examines narrative techniques in Moteane Melamu’s ‘The Unweeded Garden’. It uses the incongruity theory of humour to argue that the short story uses laughter not only to titillate the reader but to comment on gender relations. Melamu was a scholar of Shakespeare, and in writing the short story he would have been influenced by some of the characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The influence is seen particularly in his choice of the title and the idea of procrastination which are some of the common features in the play and the short story
Notes on Pronunciation Problems of Bakgalagari and Bakalanga Speakers of English in Botswana
Get PDFWhen Botswana became a British Protectorate in 1985, the territory that is now Botswana, with its diverse ethnic languages came under the influence of English which would later become a school language. English was used as a medium of instruction for children who had no knowledge of the language. There was not even a sizeable English-speaking community who could provide a good example of English pronunciation. English was learnt from people who were themselves hardly literate in it. The effect and consequence of this was that bad pronunciation habits were entrenched, and have, unfortunately, persisted. If Setswana speakers were fortunate that Setswana was later used in the classroom, nothing helped the speakers of languages such as Shekgalagari and iKalanga. Their poor pronunciation of English is for the most part traceable to their mother tongue. This article presents a preliminary discussion on these pronunciation challenges. The discussion seeks also to contribute to debates on challenges of learning English as a foreign language. The realisation of these phonetic struggles may also contribute to better teaching strategies for English in Botswana
THE GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL DROPOUTS IN BOTSWANA
Get PDFThis study used secondary data from the Statistics Botswana report for the year 2019 to assessspatial distribution of secondary school dropout (n= 2,201) in Botswana. School enrolment wasused to measure access to education while quality was measured using the number of teachersand the number of those who are trained, as well as student-classroom ratio. Efficiency wasmeasured using variables school dropout and number of repeaters. Analysis was done usingmultiple linear regression and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The findingsshowed that truancy was the leading (45.4%) cause of dropouts followed by pregnancy (29.2%)and other undisclosed reasons (12.7%). The highest secondary school dropout was found inrural and semi-urban districts ranging from 4-10%. Dropping out of school was elevated dueto having special needs and decreased with having trained teachers. These findings illustrate that high school dropout in rural and semi-urban districts warrant specific interventions in these areas
Clicks in Eastern Khoe languages: The case of Tsua
Get PDFThis paper discusses clicks in Tsua, an endangered Khoisan language spoken in the south-western parts of the Central District of Botswana. Tsua is situated in the Eastern Kalahari Khoe zone where languages show a systematic attrition of clicks in their phonology albeit Tsua presents an elaborate consonant system made up of non-click and click inventory. The paper seeks to respond to the question, ‘What is the nature of the phonology of Tsua? ‘The paper goes on to account for the phonological characteristics of this language. The discussion seeks to demonstrate that while clicks in this language remain fully phonemic as in other related languages, they are fewer and have less complex accompaniments when compared to those of related languages to the west. The paper further gives an account of the retention of preferred clicks. Furthermore, the paper gives an account of the phonetic mechanisms involved in the replacement and loss of clicks. The paper is an important contribution to the sub- fields of Khoisan phonology and typology. In addition, the paper contributes to the dynamics of language endangerment and loss. It shows that language loss processes may be observed among the Eastern Kalahari Khoe languages to which Tsua belongs and argues that this is what sets these languages apart from the Western Kalahari Khoe language
Cultural-Religious Traditions and Practices and the Law Governing Cadaveric Organ Donations in Nigeria
Get PDFThe paper discusses the legal framework for cadaveric organ donations in Nigeria. It is predominantly concerned with the co-existence of the law with centuries-old customary practices and traditions on corpse mystification and ancestral worship, under which cadaveric organ donations are an unfathomable taboo. It is noted that prevalent customary-religious traditions and practices are not conducive to cadaveric donations. At the same time, the legal framework reflected in the National Health Act of 2014 must be embraced and operationalized. It offers a historic opportunity for further gains in the near future
PERTINENT ASPECTS TO BE INCLUDED IN ECE PROGRAMMES FOR QUALITY PROVISION: AN INVESTIGATION OF TEACHERS’ VIEWS
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to collect the views of early childhood education (ECE) providers onaspects that need to be included in ECE curriculum with the view to improve quality standards.90 questionnaires from 50 ECE programs in the Southeast District were used. Data wasanalysed through principal component analysis (PCA) and further refined by factor analysis(FA). Both descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-Square) were used to interpret the data.Results revealed two aspects that were classified as highest priority and second highest prioritythat teachers thought were crucial in improving quality ECE in Botswana. The paper argues formeasures to be put in place to ensure provision of quality ECE in Botswana. The argument ismade against the milieu of studies arguing against mediocre ECE. Quality ECE leads tosignificantly better performance
Ubuntu/Unhu philosophy in Brian Chikwava’s Harare North as a Zimbabwean diaspora text
Get PDFThe paper examines how the human dignity, ubuntu/unhu, and identity of Zimbabweans in the diaspora are depicted in fiction, with particular focus on Brian Chikwava’s novel Harare North (Chikwava, 2009). A significant number of Zimbabweans were dispersed into the diaspora in the post-2000 era due to political and socio-economic instability in the country. These people went on a quest for better quality of life and economic opportunities outside their native country but encountered frustrations and insecurities that affected their human dignity in the host countries. Since the dispersion, there has been much research and critical work on Zimbabwe covering the period from 2000 to date. This paper adds to the scholarship by examining fictional representations of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora in the selected novel. The paper further investigates various coping mechanisms of migrants in the diaspora and argues that if the survival chances of a people are threatened, their human dignity is also threatened
TAXING FOREIGNERS OUT OF THE REAL PROPERTY SECTOR IN BOTSWANA
Get PDFThis is a commentary on changes to the law on transfer duty in Botswana brought about by the Transfer Duty (Amendment) Act of 2019. The most controversial aspect of the law was an increase in the rate of duty to be paid by non-citizens for all types of land to 30 per cent of the purchase price or value of the land, while the rate for citizens remained at 5 per cent. This was complimented by a raft of exemptions which significantly eroded the liability of citizens to pay transfer duty. This has the intended effect of discouraging acquisition of land by non-citizens, and confounding Botswana’s quest for foreign direct investment. The paper so contends. It also contends that naked discrimination against non-citizens in taxation matters would not be as easy to justify under the non-discrimination provisions of the Botswana Constitution as some might be tempted to think.  
Women, Waste Management and Environmental Opportunism
Get PDFThis is a discussion of some of the activities routinely undertaken by women in connection with a little but significant aspect of the environment. The location is a small part of the human habitat named Osun State in Africa’s most populous country. A feature of the environment that is under focus is waste management which is a process that includes waste generation, collection, disposal, re-cycling, and treatment. Women provide crucial agency in the process. Ecofeminism enables this study of an instance of how much is taken from the environment while the environment is rewarded with waste with implications for environmental sustainability