UNAM Open Access Journal University of Namibia
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Out of Action: By Chris Cooks. Johannesburg: 30 Degrees South Publishers 1999; pp 278.
Get PDFChris Cocks’ (2008) Out of action is the sequel to his (1988) Fireforce – one man’s war in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. In Fireforce the writer narrates his life in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. In Out of action the twenty-one year old Cocks explains his double role as civilian and police reservist when he writes: “A few months before I had been Lance-Corporal Cocks. Now I was Police Reservist Cocks, attempting to begin a civilian career in agriculture” (Cocks, 2008, p. 24). In reality, however, there is no distinction between the two roles as a lance-corporal and police reservist because the Rhodesian police was militarised. In the army Cocks was a stick leader while in the police he is leader of a Police Anti-Terrorist Unit (PATU). The PATU was a paramilitary specialist unit in the British South African Police (BSAP) while a stick was a four to six-man unit or battle group in the Rhodesian Army. For both units their call was to respond to guerrilla sightings and engage them in combat
Aesthetic of naming: Potential psycho-sociological effects of some forenames in use among Zimbabweans
Get PDFNaming aesthetics in Zimbabwe as in the rest of African cosmology have always been incident-based and this trend somewhat persists. The aesthetic of naming is a parent or guardian’s prerogative and expresses that individual/s wishes, joys, fears and attitudes but may not necessarily consider the named’s future perceptions or feelings engendered by the particular name that identifies them. Various studies have established general naming practices in Zimbabwe and off er many reasons to account for name types. For example, some Shona names are thought repositories of human experience while others are regarded as argument by proxy. Whereas most previous studies on onomastic practices in Zimbabwe have tended to focus on name etymologies and name meanings, the present paper seeks to assess the potential psycho-sociological effects of some significantly negative forenames encountered in school registers and on university graduation lists. A name may not have much statistical significance but when anyone human being carries it, the name becomes sufficiently important as is illustrated in the present discussion on the potential effects of just two common Zimbabwean names, ‘Mistake and Murambiwa’
Health Information Literacy of the University of Namibia’s Students
No full textThis article presents the findings of a study on the health information literacy of students at the University of Namibia main campus. The study was conducted between 2013 and 2014 and consisted of two hundred and seventy one (271) participants aged between 17-19 years old. The quantitative study used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data. The findings show that the majority of the respondents strongly believed that health information is important and they were able to seek health information. They also strongly agreed that they knew where to seek health information and they liked to get health information from a variety of sources. The respondents indicated that they were more comfortable getting information from the Internet than print sources. A gap in health information literacy was revealed by the fact that the respondents found it difficult to know who to believe in health issues, suggesting difficulties in critically evaluating the health information and sources. The study concludes that although UNAM students appeared knowledgeable in some health information issues, there are some gaps which need to be addressed. The study therefore recommends Kickbusch’s (2008) three way intervention strategy which comprises of culture and society, health and education systems to address the existing gaps in health information literacy
The multifarious names for HIV and AIDS in the Nyanja speech community of Zambia: An insight into the lay people’s multiple perceptions about the pandemic?
Get PDFThis paper analyses the discourse of HIV and AIDS in the Nyanja speech community of Zambia. Specifically the paper critically analyses the concepts that this speech community uses to refer to the pandemic so as to try and unravel the people’s perceptions about the pandemic as embodied in these concepts. The paper posits that for HIV and AIDS information education and communication programmes to yield positive results, health communicators need to be aware of such conceptualisations as they have a lot to reveal about the people’s attitudes towards the pandemic that could have a bearing on their health conduct and uptake of HIV and AIDS information
An empirical analysis of the risk factors that lead to Juvenile Delinquency among high school.
Get PDFJuvenile Delinquency has become a major issue in Namibia and globally, receiving a considerable amount of attention from the media and politicians, as it is widely believed by criminologists and sociologists alike, that most adult criminals started out as juvenile delinquents. The increasing levels of juvenile delinquency in Namibia, Windhoek in particular have become a matter of national concern. Much of the effort, thus far, has been focused on punishment and correctional measures but little has been done on prevention and intervention. This study attempts to provide an empirical understanding of the risk factors that lead to Juvenile Delinquency in Windhoek. To fully answer the research questions, a mixed method approach comprising qualitative and quantitative methods was carried out. Results show that a significant difference in attitude towards school exists between learners from low and high density areas. A further examination of these results, show that learners tend to uphold delinquency as acceptable. We also note that learners from higher density areas appear to have a negative attitude towards life. Based on these results, we conclude that Juvenile Delinquency among high school learners in Windhoek is a cultural demeanor as the results are similar regardless of respondents’ residential density and location of school. The results of this study will be significant in that they will help policy makers and members of society understand the underlying factors that are likely to lead youths into delinquent behaviour. This in turn will help stakeholders come up with more effective preventive and intervention programs
Qualitative and quantitative analysis of phytochemical compounds in Namibian Myrothamnus flabellifolius
Get PDFThe phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of the Namibian resurrection plant, Myrothamnus flabellifolius, which is traditionally used in the management and treatment of various diseases was determined. Samples were collected from Remhoogte pass, 130 km south west of Rehoboth. Solvent extraction using ethanol, methanol, water on powdered extracts (leaves and twigs) were done by soxhlet extraction and maceration. Twelve classes of phytochemicals tested positively; flavonoids, anthocyanins, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, triterpenes, cardiac glycosides, saponins, phlobatanins, tannins, polyphenols and reducing sugars in the leaves extracts. However, anthraquinones, anthranoids, iridoids, leucoanthocyanins, proteins and amino acids tested negatively in all three solvent extracts from both leaves and twigs. The quantitative antioxidant activity analysis namely; the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the solvent extracts from M. flabellifolius were also determined. The TPC and TFC ranged from 372.42±0.21 to 375.14±0.21 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 1.43±0.03 to 3.49±0.15 mg equivalents for quercetin (QE)/g respectively. The high TPC in M. flabellifolius makes it suitable for potential application as a potent natural source of antioxidants and validates the ethnobotanical uses of this plant in the traditional healing system in Namibia
Mwalimu J. K. Nyerere as an African rewriter: The case of Kiswahili creative translations and rewritings
Get PDFRewriting, in the narrow sense, is the presentation of works of literature to suit various ideological and poetological ends; it refers to the written process of changing genres. In the broader sense, it includes all forms of transforming a text from one culture or text type to another. In that sense, rewriting places the production and reception of literature within the wider framework of culture and history. Translation is one form of rewriting; it transforms a text written in one source language into another target language. States or their leaders can use rewritings for cultural, political, economical and ideological purposes. J.K. Nyerere used rewriting as a tool for ideological, social and Cultural Revolution. Moreover, he used rewriting as a technique of mobilizing and influencing his society towards appreciating religious doctrine and African socialism. This paper examines some of J.K. Nyerere’s rewriting contributions into Kiswahili since his country’s independence
Towards improving rural water supply and sanitation coverage in Caprivi, North-east Namibia
Get PDFImproving access to clean drinking water has been a major development goal of the Government of Namibia since independence. In particular, efforts were made to ensure that access to clean water for women and children who carry the responsibility of household maintenance and water provision in homesteads is improved. Women and children constitute a major part of the rural population and have traditionally relied on open water sources. By improving the supply of clean quality water, health risks can be reduced. This paper examines the progress done by the Government of Namibia in improving access to rural water supply through a case study of Caprivi region. A mixed methods approach is used. The results show that major improvements in rural water supply have been made, however this has not resulted in reduction of waterborne diseases
Gender, social capital and social reproduction: The (in)visibility of care work in the context of HIV/ AIDS
Get PDFIn Namibia the majority of orphans and vulnerable children are absorbed into the extended family structure. Out of an orphan population of 150 000 only a small number (729) is taken in by the 36 registered Residential Child Care Facilities (RCCFs) and 533 by unregistered RCCFs. There is, however, little discussion on who in the extended family does the caring or the gendered nature of that care. Women are the primary care givers of orphans and vulnerable children. This socially necessary reproductive labour is not enumerated or remunerated. The majority of households that take in orphans and vulnerable children are headed by elderly females who themselves depend on social transfers and remittances. The additional care burden exacerbates the crisis of social reproduction in affected households. Social Capital theorists, see women’s social reproductive labour as instrumental to reducing the care burden on the state. Feminist Social Reproduction theorists see it as contributing to social inequalities. Research in Namibia reveals the crises of social reproduction in AIDS affected households. This includes food insecurity, income insufficiency and the exclusion from services. Many affected households cannot access the social grants available due to social, economic and administrative barriers. This paper argues for the validation of women’s unpaid social reproductive labour in order to break the cycle of poverty and marginalization caused by AIDS. It argues for the inclusion of unpaid care work into macroeconomic frameworks
The analysis of content question words in Embosi and Teke
Get PDFThis paper demonstrates that the typological classification does not affect all the linguistic descriptive apparatus of languages belonging to the same language family. It appears that the content question word ‘what’ has two distinct positions in Embosi and Teke. In the former, it is a post verbal word, whereas in the latter it is a pre-verbal word; hence challenging Split CP Hypothesis that is unable to explain its occurrence in the languages under discussion