UNAM Open Access Journal University of Namibia
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A critical examination of the Namibian children of the liberation struggle as presented in The Price of Freedom and Walking the Boeing 707
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The paper offers a critique of the traumatic experience of the Namibian children during the liberation struggle as presented in “The Price of freedom” and “Walking the Boeing 707”. When Namibia gained independence in 1990, many Namibians came back home from exile and amongst them were children. The paper found that the memoirs, “The Price freedom” and “Walking the Boeing 707”, capture the traumatic experiences faced by the Namibian children while in exile and even upon returning home. The children of the liberation struggle grew up in children’s homes away from their biological parents. This rendered the Namibian children of the liberation struggle vulnerable as they were confronted with various problems such as dropping out of school, death, and grief with no psychosocial assistance. Moreover, the study adopted a qualitative literary research approach that examined the lives experience and traumatic events. The findings suggest that there is compelling evidence that many Namibian exiled children deserve to be recognized as heroes and heroines as they also contributed to the independence of Namibia. Children of the liberation struggle literally and figuratively placed their life and limb in harm's way to liberate the country
IS WHAT YOU SEE WHAT YOU GET? A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF FEMALES IN JUNIOR PRIMARY ENGLISH FIRST LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS IN NAMIBIA
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This paper presents a critical discourse analysis of twelve junior primary English First language (EFL) textbooks in Namibia using visual images as units of analysis. We assumed there is gender inequality in textbooks. The aim of this study is to investigate how females are represented in these textbooks and why females are presented the way they are. The study is informed by the principles of feminist theory which is premised on the subordination and oppression of females in society. This led to the adaptation of the critical paradigm which also aims at bringing justice to the oppressed. The critical paradigm works well with the qualitative approach design chosen. The images were analysed using themes from the thematic analysis approach and were critiqued using the critical discourse analysis. In this article, we argue that females were oppressed, subordinated and stereotyped in various ways in the sampled textbooks. Findings reveal that females were stereotyped in domestic roles, parental roles, occupational roles, activities and games and were depicted as patients or victims who had no agency. Females were subordinated in occupations. This study was conducted in an African country and its findings are similar to those of other studies from other parts of the world which point out that patriarchy and politics influence the way females are portrayed in textbooks.
The Corruption conundrum of the Zuma Presidency
Full text linkThe Zuma presidency remains the most dramatic since the birth of liberal democracy in South Africa. The decision of the party oligarchy to support Zuma’s ambitions despite. overwhelming reservations about his moral uprightness demonstrates the “low” value placed on personal attributes by South Africa’s political class. This article would through historical and descriptive methods interrogate the forces that brought President Zuma to power, and “why and how” the establishment remained loyal to him through various challenges. In this regard, the article seeks to investigate the conditions which provided the enabling environment for the president of the ruling ANC who doubles as the President of South Africa to be involved in such controversies as the Nkandla probe, state capture, and an alleged rape. The article would analyze the concept of corruption by drawing insight from various perspectives. This would allow us to determine the extent to which some of former President Zuma’s alleged infractions in office can be regarded as corrupt practices. The article advances a thorough cleansing of the political space; this is a process that is expected to permeate the South African society as a whole
THE Struggle to improve quality of public secondary education in Tanzania: Rethinking on the culture of maintenance and rehabilitation of furniture and infrustructure
Full text linkThis study investigated the culture of maintenance and rehabilitation of furniture and infrastructure among the head of schools in public secondary schools in central Tanzania. The study investigated how leadership culture and political influences affect the culture of school maintenance. The investigation was broadened to include other factors that influence the culture of school maintenance. The study was cross-sectional. It involved qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were randomly collected from seven districts of Dodoma region. The researcher used structured questionnaires to collect data from Heads of school. About 33 Heads of school were randomly obtained across the region. A descriptive research design was adopted in aligning up with the purposes of the study. The design is a fact-finding and interpretation of findings is valid. The design gives the flexibility of using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The findings in both approaches reveal that the culture of maintenance and rehabilitation is directly influenced by both leadership culture and politics. Descriptive analysis revealed that factors such as shortage of funds were the major factors that were reported in all schools regardless of their nature. The study also revealed a lack of training for school management teams and minimal involvement of the community. Repairing was revealed to be very expensive. Overcrowded classes, ignorance, and negligence of students were other findings. Qualitative analysis focused on the factors discussed in the descriptive analysis. Additionally, qualitative analysis reveals that leadership culture and politics have direct effects on the culture of school maintenance. The study recommends regular training to leaders and politicians at all levels in respective areas because these are in touch with the schools and the nature of community members. The recommendation also notes the importance of regular audit and site visits by administrators to each school. There should be established a mobile repairing and rehabilitation unit which will visit all schools to do undertake this work at affordable costs and timely. Lastly, there is a need to recheck the involvement of the community and micro-politicians in school maintenance and the proportions of capitation grants need to be rechecked to give flexibility on spending
Teachers views on the utility of indigenous knowledge systems in the teaching of agriculture in selected schools in Zvimba District, Zimbabwe
Full text linkThis qualitative phenomenological study analysed teachers’ views on the utility of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the teaching of agriculture in primary schools. The study utilised a phenomenological multiple case study design which focused on three primary schools. A sample of 12 participants was purposively selected based on having five years or more teaching experience. Data collection utilised semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions for purposes of methodological triangulation. Data analysis utilised Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in which themes were generated from participants’ transcripts. The study established that teachers are aware of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and their importance in the teaching of agriculture. In addition, teachers also demonstrated knowledge of those indigenous knowledge forms prevalent in their communities and that they utilised these knowledge forms in the teaching of agriculture. However, despite their knowledge of indigenous knowledge forms, participants exhibited limitations in conceptualisation that tended to negatively impact on the range of syllabus topics that could benefit from the infusion of indigenous knowledge. In view of these findings, the study recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should mount workshops to conscientize teachers on the infusion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the teaching of agriculture. Furthermore, book publishers should be encouraged to publish textbooks that reflect the incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge and encourage schools to research and document indigenous knowledge prevalent in their communities from which pool of knowledge they can draw during teaching
Assessing the implementation of the fourth strategic plan (2011-2015) of the University of Namibia
Full text linkThe primary purpose of this study was to assess the implementation of the Strategic Plan (2011- 2015) of the University of Namibia. The study applied the mixed methods research approach involving survey and key informant interviews. The population of the study was 689 and the sample size was 239, which was selected using MEDLAB computer software sampling technique. Purposive or judgemental sampling technique was used to select key informants while stratified random sampling was used to select the survey respondents. The study revealed that even though there is a Strategic and Physical Planning Unit spearheading the strategic planning activities at the University of Namibia the process was not fully participatory. It also revealed that the strategic plan could not be effectively implemented due to too many unplanned activities, a high workload for staff, lack of strategic leadership, lack of commitment, lack of funding, lack of support and engagement of stakeholders, as well as the absence of a performance management system. The study recommends the establishment of a strategic planning committee at the institution to co-ordinate and communicate the strategic planning process and that the Strategic and Physical Planning Unit consider holding faculty/centre/unit-specific workshops to ensure carefully designed participation and periodic inputs at all levels. In addition, adequate resourcing and funding of the university by the Government of Namibia as well as the creation of a third income stream to reduce the burden on the government in terms of finances is recommended. Furthermore, the university management should provide strategic leadership to empower staff members to ensure the successful implementation of the strategic plan
Local farmers’ perceptions of human-wildlife conflicts in the King Nehale Conservancy, Namibia
No full textOver the past three decades, wildlife management programmes on communal lands in Southern Africa experienced a major institutional transformation from direct state control to the community-based management approach. While this community-based conservation approach is credited for population recovery of some wildlife species and creating opportunities for local communities to derive benefits from wildlife conservation efforts, costs associated with human-wildlife conflicts negatively affect local farmers’ livelihoods, particularly those neighbouring protected areas. This study investigated local farmers’ perceptions of human-wildlife conflicts in the King Nehale Conservancy, a communal conservancy located north of Etosha National Park. The study employed a quantitative design through a structured questionnaire where a total of 115 randomly selected respondents were interviewed. The results based on the analysis of the chi-square test of association showed that wildlife threatens community livelihoods mainly through livestock depredation and crop-raiding, contributing to negative attitudes towards wildlife. These perceptions were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with the respondents’ age groups and the number of years they have been living in the study area. Participants in the economically active age group and those that have been living in the conservancy for longer period, were more likely to agree with the perception that human-wildlife conflict is a serious issue in the conservancy compared to participants who said they have been living there for shorter period. These findings suggest that most local farmers perceive the presence of wildlife as being detrimental to their sources of livelihood. Consequently, these increasingly negative perceptions towards wildlife erodecommunity-based conservation efforts
Language and Culture as Tools of Gender Inequality among the Kuria
Full text linkDespite the efforts done by the Tanzanian Government regarding gender equality and human rights in a bid to enhance poverty eradication strategies, the Kuria culture presents major obstacles to the endeavours by holding back the development efforts initiated by Kuria women. This obvious gender inequality manifests itself not only in socio-cultural practices but also in the language used to refer to women and men. This article examines language, gender and culture in relation to Kuria women in Kuria society. The article aimed to examine the power behind the language of Kuria male to female, the effort done by the Kuria women for sustained development and the measures to be taken by the Government. The data for this article were collected through interviews, focus group discussions and different current sources of relevant literature published at least after 2000s. This article is anchored on the theory of Gender Practices. The findings have revealed that language, gender and culture are interconnected and cannot be separated. Language is not simply the reproducing tool for the expression of thoughts but rather, is itself the shaper of thought/ideas, the platform and guide for the individual’s mental action, for scrutiny of impressions
Unearthing the impact of remote social institutions on poverty and social inequality as development challenges: The case of micro-credit in South Africa
Full text linkDevelopment and the trajectory to development discourses place overwhelming emphasis on the characteristics of the “developed countries” and how they became what they are. Agricultural mechanization, industrialization and good governance have been identified as some of the drivers of development. Developing countries are advised to follow the same path if they intend to develop. Underlying this view of development is the subscription to the imperative of economic growth as a pre-requisite for development. However, economic growth has not always resulted in inclusive development, hence, the prevalence of intra-national and international inequalities. The prevalence of inequality undermines the gains of economic growth and development, in that there are winners and losers. The limitation of this approach is that human development is viewed as what a society does when they achieve significant economic growth or development. This is a view that sees economic policy as superior to social policy. In a context with high rate of poverty, such as Africa, poverty reduction drives focused on identifying remote institutions that might create or reduce it could be important for achieving inclusive development. This is based on the view that poverty is a development challenge in Africa and its reduction is an important step to the reduction of inequality. The case of the consumption of micro-credit in South Africa is used to illustrate how a seemingly remote social institution could foster or reduce poverty in concerned households
The proximate demonstrative pronoun in Ndebele
Full text linkThe studies on proximate demonstrative pronouns in Ndebele solely focus on the morphophonology of proximate demonstrative pronouns. As a result, the morphosyntax of proximate demonstrative pronouns is not explored. The paper examines the morphology and syntax of first position demonstrative pronouns in Ndebele. Most of the data used in this study is generated by the researcher and a handful of examples are drawn from written sources. The data is analysed within the parameters of the grammaticalisation theory. The paper proposes a typology that categorises demonstrative pronouns in Ndebele based on their morpho-syntax. There are three types of proximate demonstrative pronouns in Ndebele: the autonomous demonstrative pronoun, the proclitic demonstrative pronoun and the enclitic demonstrative pronoun. Each type has an eccentric structure: Type 1 usually has a complete demonstrative pronoun consisting of the demonstrative marker and the class agreement marker except in nasal classes where at times the class agreement marker is covert, Type 2 has the commencing consonant of the marker only in nasal classes while in non-nasal we have a full form, Type 3 appears without a commencing consonant. The study concludes that the internal structure of proximate demonstrative pronouns in is determined by the typology and the syntax of given proximate pronouns. The study recommends that the teaching and the study of the internal structure of Ndebele proximate demonstrative pronouns be done in the context of proposed typologies and the syntactic distribution of proximate demonstrative pronouns