UNAM Open Access Journal University of Namibia
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An inexpensive new multipurpose refrectometer.
Get PDFA new yet very inexpensive refrectometer for the determination of refractive index and impurity in liquids at instant has been proposed. This refrectometer requires a high resolution grating, a low power laser and a position detector. The position detector analyses and determines the impurity in a liquid directly based on its refractive index. The use of a plane mirror enhances the accuracy of the refractive indices as the measurements of required parameters are greatly increased
Does Mycobacterium bovis contribute to the case load of human tuberculosis in Namibia.
Get PDFNamibia has one of the highest infection rates of human tuberculosis (TB) in the world. The causative agent is generally asserted to be Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Renewed concerns have been raised globally in the last decades regarding the emergence of Mycobacterium bovis as a contributor to human TB. The pathogen is harbored by a number of mammalian animal species and, hence has a high zoonotic potential. Numerous investigations in recent years show evidence of the spread of M. bovis from the wildlifelivestock interface to humans in southern African countries. Rural communities in these regions are most at risk since livestock can easily be infected. Namibia is considered to be free of bovine TB in cattle because no cases have been reported since 1995. However the disease may be under-diagnosed in single cases especially in remote areas because of the slow and chronic course. Weakened animals might be slaughtered privately, with contaminated meat and raw milk from infected cows or goats being consumed. The aim of this review is to discuss the complex issues of diagnosis and epidemiology, and to highlight the importance of the differentiation of mycobacteria species in the medical laboratory for the outcome of patient treatment. M. bovis is clinically indistinguishable from human TB, possesses intrinsic resistance to at least one of the four first-line anti TB drugs, and shows a tendency to develop multidrug resistance. It poses a high risk predominantly for immuno-compromised individuals, as HIV-patients for example. Since Namibia has both - a high case load of HIV and TB - the occurrence and risk of zoonotic M. bovis in southern Africa should be discussed
Namibian marine algae as a potential source of novel bioactive natural products.
Get PDFA literature review shows that the medicinal chemistry and bioactivity of very few Namibian species has ever been investigated. In southern Africa, marine red algae such as species of Plocamium, Laurencia and Portieria are known to contain bioactive natural products. Of these three species, only Plocamium species are currently found in Namibia. In vitro testing of secondary metabolites from South African Plocamium species have demonstrated antibacterial, cytotoxic, antiplasmodial, and anti-fouling properties. Whilst the commercial benefits of some Namibian marine algae are well established, this review highlights the shortage of knowledge and research related to the pharmaceutical potential of Namibian marine algae, and how marine algae could possibly benefit the health and wellbeing of Namibians in the future
Grappling with a post-colonial challenge: A critical analysis of Shona writers’ vision of the HIV and Aids epidemic
Get PDFThe post-colonial era has witnessed many African writers embarking on, among many activities, decolonisation, cultural regeneration and nation-building through their works of art. Whilst they have striven to reclaim the African’s dignity, integrity and humanity that s/he has lost through colonialism, the post-colonial era has again presented to the same writer, new challenges posed by life, among them; the HIV and Aids epidemic. Whilst many writers have been quite eloquent in conveying the experiences and effects of HIV and AIDS on the affected, what has remained elusive is the root causes of its transmission as well as ways of dealing with the epidemic. Blame has largely been shouldered on patriarchy, men and ‘their’ promiscuous behaviour on one hand, and Shona traditional customs on the other, both of which are largely victims of a new socio-economic order. The paper thus is an exposition of the social vision of selected Shona writers concerning the HIV and Aids epidemic. It seeks to establish if they have moved away from the popular yet mythical victim-blame to accord the epidemic a more holistic and informative gaze. It also seeks to ascertain whether the writers have suggested realistic and humane solutions in their works of art or they have adopted the popular but less realistic defeatist stance. The paper uses the socio-historical approach to ground its observations and arguments
The impact of effective communication within the family
Get PDFMost verbal communication is done between one individual and another, be it in a family, social, or work setting. Any one-to-one verbal communication requires as much precision as possible, so that an individual can have immediate feedback as to whether he/she was understood accurately. Communicating effectively however involves more than just accuracy. The purpose of most communication is to influence the attitudes and behaviors of those being addressed. Since individuals have different ways of behaving and responding, it is important for people to learn to express themselves accurately and in a way that will accomplish their purpose of communication. This paper shows that developing good communication skills is critical for successful relationships. The paper reveals that good communication skills keep the family strong and better able to withstand every family issue and pitfall, and that effective communication is a key to family happiness. The paper also brings out the fact that effective communication within a family circle enables the family to handle stressors that arise, resolve daily conflicts, and raise children who are able to communicate well for the rest of their lives
The evolution of regional and local government
Get PDFAlthough regional and local government has been in existence in Namibia since the colonial times, it never existed in the communal areas of the territory. As a consequence of this, tribal authorities governed these parts of the territory. This underscored the importance of local government that time and also inhibited people from taking part in the decision making process on matters pertaining to their lives. This scenario reduced citizens to mere recipients of predetermined decisions of the colonial authorities. In some parts of the Police Zone, where regional and local government was practiced, local governments were mere extensions of the state in that all decisions were taken in colonial capitals and handed down to local governments for implementation. This effectively meant that regional and local government was subjected to central control, and also that, extensive centrally determined rules governed activities such as development planning and policy-making at sub national levels
“Confessional spaces and criminality”: Incest in Alice Walker and Yvonne Vera’s works
No full textThe paper explores incest in Alice Walker and Yvonne Vera’s works as site for contestation of larger forces in society. The portrayal of incest comes at a time where certain “truisms” known to be in Black men in the stereotypification lore are overly dramatised and this tend to submerge genuine and well meaning struggles for racial emancipation and self determination to the periphery. That black men are portrayed as people with unrestricted libido is neither fortuitous nor an incidental project in the aforementioned writers’ works, rather, as a matter of priority it is often easy to take the lesser path by further complicating and bashing the generic punch bag of the Caucasian world. Thus, l argue that the said incestuous relationships are meant to vulgarise in a parallel form the ongoing struggles in America and in Colonial Zimbabwe respectively in the manner of Thomas Rice’s staged minstrels in Antebellum America. The emphasis by Walker and Vera is on the defective forms of lifestyles by people who declare alibis from the struggles and many critics have tended to applaud such projections as characterising a quest for inclusivity of the formerly muffled voices. This article contextualises the crime of incest, in its socio-political realm and refutes the overblown criminality of the black men as a political invention. Cases of incest abound in society and may persist in the unforeseeable future but these are not a preserve of black men
The evolution of regional and local government
Get PDFAlthough regional and local government has been in existence in Namibia since the colonial times, it never existed in the communal areas of the territory. As a consequence of this, tribal authorities governed these parts of the territory. This underscored the importance of local government that time and also inhibited people from taking part in the decision making process on matters pertaining to their lives. This scenario reduced citizens to mere recipients of predetermined decisions of the colonial authorities. In some parts of the Police Zone, where regional and local government was practiced, local governments were mere extensions of the state in that all decisions were taken in colonial capitals and handed down to local governments for implementation. This effectively meant that regional and local government was subjected to central control, and also that, extensive centrally determined rules governed activities such as development planning and policy-making at sub national levels
Programme design and credit weighting in tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe: Meeting minimum quality assurance standards
Get PDFThis article provide a framework for the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) for setting minimum benchmarks for programme design and credit weighting by both public and private universities in Zimbabwe. The setting of minimum benchmarks is critical especially at present, when ZIMCHE has begun developing quality assurance instruments and guidelines that ensure controlled flexibility, comparability and competitiveness in academic systems and practices among the country’s tertiary institutions. The present article is the first attempt to stimulate and promote dialogue and reflection on important indicators of quality assurance standards such as programme design and credit weighting. The dialogue is necessary for two reasons: (a) ZIMCHE only started assuming its role as a quality assurance agency seriously in 2013 and the quality assurance discourse is still fairly new to most of its members. This means that they are learning on the job and (b) tertiary institutions are expected to develop their credit system policies and still achieve convergence with others in the absence of a National Qualification Framework (NQF) and Credit accumulation and Transfer (CAT) guidelines. The author assumes that ideas raised in this article do not only provide a framework for achieving a national template for academic benchmarking but stimulates discussion and dialogue on achieving that template
Mukwahepo: Woman, soldier, mother: As told to Ellen Ndeshi Namhila. Windhoek: University of Namibia Press, 2013; pp 141.
Get PDFUnlike many stories that deal with high ranking and public fi gures, Mukwahepo is a book about a humble and unknown personality who made outstanding and remarkable contributions to the liberation of Namibia, popularly called The Land of the Brave. Mukwahepo is an ordinary woman who performed extraordinary duties for her country. This book is a clear testimony that the contributions, especially those made by women, did not have to be ambassadorial or political