6 research outputs found
The media and Africa's on-going quest for a true humanity: a Bikoian approach
No full textUpon their arrival on the African continent, among their first acts of denuding and attenuating Africans, European colonialists targeted African culture as their casualty in order to kill Africans’ self-consciousness. European culture was made a point of reference and African culture was regarded as something negative and primitive, resulting in Africans despising themselves and worshipping everything European. Aiding European imperialism in denigrating the African image and personality was the European-owned media. In reaction to the imperialists’ project, the Black Consciousness Movement martyr, Bantu Steve Biko advanced the view that in order to liberate Africans, self-consciousness and self-esteem had to be restored to Africans. In his view this had to be done through the act of African cultural reclamation. In this article the author interrogates the concept of African cultural reclamation and the role the media can play in order to fulfil Africa’s quest for a true humanity as envisaged by Biko.Publisher's versio
Authorship in copyright law: a critique in the context of the fourth industrial revolution
No full textDissertation(LL.M.(Mercantile Law))--University of the Free State, 2023This dissertation critically examines the demands for an amendment of the South African Copyright Act 98 of 1978 to bring it in line with modern times. It investigates authorship in copyright law from the perspective of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This dissertation focuses specifically on artificial intelligence (AI) and its ability to generate copyrightable works under the Act. The growing use of AI technology inversely leads to the growing production of works generated by AI. These mechanically produced works share the same traits as those that, according to South African law, are entitled to copyright protection. As a result, there is currently uncertainty over who the author of such works is, because AI machines do not qualify as authors under the South African Copyright Act.
This dissertation examines the definition of an author in the existing Copyright Act, as well as the requirements for authorship and copyright protection, in order to determine if this section of the Act needs to be amended to reflect the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
To accomplish this, the dissertation investigates prominent South African intellectual property law textbooks as well as international sources that have conducted extensive research on the subject. The dissertation reveals the excessive use of artificial intelligence machinery and its products in the country and around the world. It demonstrates the growing need for legislation to govern such machinery in the country, as well as rules to regulate the usage of such technology and the copyrightable works it produces.
The dissertation studies the nature of copyright in a work made by AI equipment nationwide and internationally, as well as how these machines will affect different areas in the country. An analysis of the requirements for copyright is provided, and it is argued that the present requirements for copyright cater to works generated by artificial intelligence even though these machines do not qualify as authors under the Act. Furthermore, the dissertation demonstrates how a lack of regulations in this regard will have a negative impact on specific areas, such as the country's education system. It indicates that South African legislation has not advanced sufficiently in comparison to other countries.
The dissertation finds that the current Copyright Act is outdated and needs to be amended to account for AI generated works as well as AI authorship. Furthermore, legislation to oversee AI technology in the country should also be considered
The Media and Africa's on-going quest for a true humanity : a Bikoian approach
No full textCITATION: Sesanti, S. 2012. The Media and Africa's on-going quest for a true humanity : a Bikoian approach. Communitas, 17, doi:10.38140/com.v17i0.984.The original publication is available at https://journals.ufs.ac.zaUpon their arrival on the African continent, among their first acts of denuding and attenuating Africans, European colonialists targeted African culture as their casualty in order to kill Africans’ self-consciousness. European culture was made a point of reference and African culture was regarded as something negative and primitive, resulting in Africans despising themselves and worshipping everything European. Aiding European imperialism in denigrating the African image and personality was the European-owned media. In reaction to the imperialists’ project, the Black Consciousness Movement martyr, Bantu Steve Biko advanced the view that in order to liberate Africans, self-consciousness and self-esteem had to be restored to Africans. In his view this had to be done through the act of African cultural reclamation. In this article the author interrogates the concept of African cultural reclamation and the role the media can play in order to fulfil Africa’s quest for a true humanity as envisaged by Biko.https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/com/article/view/984Publisher's versio
Effectiveness of integrating HIV prevention within sexual reproductive health services with or without peer support among adolescents and young adults in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Isisekelo Sempilo): 2 × 2 factorial, open-label, randomised controlled trial
No full textBackground: approximately 200,000 South Africans acquired HIV in 2021 despite universal HIV test and treat (UTT) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).Methods: we conducted a 2x2 factorial open label randomised controlled trial. N=3000 potentially eligible 16-29-year-olds, randomly sampled from a population surveillance area in a mostly rural part of KwaZulu-Natal, were randomised to one of 4 arms: 1) enhanced Standard of Care (SoC): access to mobile youth-friendly services for differentiated HIV prevention (condoms, UTT, PrEP if eligible); 2) Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH): baseline self-collected specimens for sexually transmitted infection testing and referral to differentiated HIV prevention services; 3) Peer-support: referral to a peer navigator for support, condom provision and facilitation of attendance for differentiated HIV prevention services; 4) SRH + peer-support. Co-primary effectiveness outcomes were: 1) linkage to differentiated HIV prevention services within 60 days of enrolment; 2) transmissible HIV (HIV viral load ≥400 copies/mL) measured from dried blood spots (DBS) at 12 months. 3) the proportion of sampled individuals who consented to participation and gave a DBS for HIV testing at 12 months. Logistic regression was used for analyses, adjusted for age, sex and rural/peri-urban area.Findings: between March 2020 and August 2022, 1743/2301(76%) eligible individuals were enrolled, with a 12-month DBS collected from 1168 (67%). Baseline characteristics and 12-month outcome ascertainment were similar by arm. 755 (43.3%) linked to services by 60 days; SRH increased linkage (aOR 1.68;95%CI=1.39-2.04) but peer-support had no effect. At 12 months, 227 (19%) tested ELISA-positive for HIV, of whom 41 (18%) had a viral load ≥400 copies/ml. The overall prevalence of transmissible HIV was 3.5%. There was no evidence of an effect of either intervention on transmissible HIV (main effects: SRH aOR 1.12; 95%CI=0.60-2.11; peer-support aOR 1.03; 95%CI=0.55-1.94). Interpretation: in this representative sample of adolescents and youth in a mostly rural area of South Africa, STI testing and SRH (but not peer support) increased uptake of differentiated HIV prevention. While the UNAIDS target of 90:90:90 was exceeded, neither SRH nor peer support showed evidence of reducing transmissible HIV
Analysis of the convention on the marking of plastic explosives for the purpose of detection
No full textThe thrust of this research lies in Chapter II in which the study using, inter alia, travaux preparatoires attempts to give an analytical and critical review and interpretation of the provisions of the Convention on the Marking of Explosives for the purpose of Detection of 1991. Analysing the provisions of the Convention, the study tries to preserve and reflect the atmosphere that characterised the deliberations of the International Air Law Conference of 1991, an exercise that is thought to be helpful when one is coupling the theoretical analysis with the practical problems of implementation. For this reason, the study is not restricted to theoretical questions of treaty law. The author benefited from personal participation, as an observer, in the International Conference on Air Law held at Montreal from 14 February to 1 March 1991.The first chapter presents a full picture of the legal measures for safeguarding aviation security. This chapter endeavours to review the interpretation and implementation of the aviation security multilateral instruments presently in force
Effectiveness of integrating HIV prevention within sexual reproductive health services with or without peer support among adolescents and young adults in rural KwaZuluNatal, South Africa (Isisekelo Sempilo): 2 x 2 factorial, openlabel, randomised controlled trial
No full textBackground: Approximately 200 000 South Africans acquired HIV in 2021 despite the availability of universal HIV test and treat and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of sexual and reproductive health services or peer support, or both, on the uptake of serostatus neutral HIV services or reduction of sexually transmissible HIV. Methods: We did an open-label, 2 × 2 randomised factorial trial among young people in a mostly rural area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Inclusion criteria included being aged 16–29 years, living in the mapped geographical areas that were accessible to the area-based peer navigators, being willing and able to provide informed consent, and being willing to provide a dried blood spot for anonymous HIV testing and HIV viral load measurement at 12 months. Participants were randomly allocated by computer-generated algorithm to one of four groups: those in the standard-of-care group were referred to youth-friendly services for differentiated HIV prevention (condoms, universal HIV test and treat with antiretroviral therapy, and PrEP if eligible); those in the sexual and reproductive health services group received baseline self-collected specimens for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and referral to integrated sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention services; those in the peer support group were referred to peer navigators for health promotion, condom provision, and facilitation of attendance for differentiated HIV prevention services; and those in the final group received a combination of sexual and reproductive health services and peer support. Coprimary outcomes were linkage to clinical services within 60 days of enrolment, proportion of participants who had sexually transmissible HIV at 12 months after enrolment, and proportion of sampled individuals who consented to participation and gave a dried blood spot for HIV testing at 12 months. Logistic regression was used for analyses, and adjusted for age, sex, and rural or peri-urban area of residence. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04532307) and is closed. Findings: Between March 2, 2020, and July 7, 2022, 1743 (75·7%) of 2301 eligible individuals were enrolled and followed up. 12-month dried blood spots were collected from 1168 participants (67·0%). The median age of the participants was 21 years (IQR 18–25), 51·4% were female, and 51·1% had secondary level education. Baseline characteristics and 12-month outcome ascertainment were similar between groups. 755 (43·3%) linked to services by 60 days. 430 (49·8%) of 863 who were in the sexual reproductive health services group were linked to care compared with 325 (36·9%) of 880 who were not in the sexual and reproductive health services group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1·68; 95% CI 1·39–2·04); peer support had no effect: 385 (43·5%) of 858 compared with 370 (43·1%) of 885 (1·02, 0·84–1·23). At 12 months, 227 (19%) tested ELISA-positive for HIV, of whom 41 (18%) had viral loads of 400 copies per mL; overall prevalence of transmissible HIV was 3·5%. 22 (3·7%) of 578 participants in the sexual and reproductive health services group had transmissible HIV compared with 19 (3·3%) of 590 not in the sexual and reproductive health services group (aOR 1·12; 95% CI 0·60–2·11). The findings were also non-significant for peer support: 21 (3·3%) of 565 compared with 20 (3·3%) of 603 (aOR 1·03; 95% CI 0·55–1·94). There were no serious adverse events or deaths during the study. Interpretation: This study provides evidence that STI testing and sexual and reproductive health services create demand for serostatus neutral HIV prevention in adolescents and young adults in Africa. STI testing and integration of HIV and sexual health has the potential to reach those at risk and tackle unmet sexual health needs. Funding: US National Institute of Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and 3ie
