A decentred reading of Zadie Smith’s Swing Time: voices of cross‐cultural belonging

This article explores the dynamics of differentiation through the perspective of a reconceptualised representation of race, identity and cultural belonging that Swing Time brings into scrutiny. Relying on a decentred vision of the on-going problematic of racism, it sketches the various possible ways of re-reading our belonging to the world through the solidarities that bridge humanity into a purely shared heritage through art and danc

Evaluation of Two Strategies for Community-Based Safety Monitoring during Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention Campaigns in Senegal, Compared with the National Spontaneous Reporting System.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine has been introduced in 12 African countries. Additional strategies for safety monitoring are needed to supplement national systems of spontaneous reporting that are known to under represent the incidence of adverse reactions. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine if adverse event (AE) reporting could be improved using a smartphone application provided to village health workers, or by active follow-up using a symptom card provided to caregivers. METHODS: Two strategies to improve reporting of AEs during SMC campaigns were evaluated, in comparison with the national system of spontaneous reporting, in 11 health post areas in Senegal. In each health post, an average of approximately 4000 children under 10 years of age received SMC treatment each month for 3 months during the 2015 malaria transmission season-a total of 134,000 treatments. In three health posts (serving approximately 14,000 children), caregivers were encouraged to report any adverse reactions to the nurse at the health post or to a community health worker (CHW) in their village, who had been trained to use a smartphone application to report the event (enhanced spontaneous reporting). In two health posts (approximately 10,000 children), active follow-up of children at home was organized after each SMC campaign to ask about AEs that caregivers had been asked to record on a symptom card (active surveillance). Six health posts (approximately 23,000 children) followed the national system of spontaneous reporting using the national reporting (yellow) form. Each AE report was assessed by a panel to determine likely association with SMC drugs. RESULTS: The incidence of reported AEs was 2.4, 30.6, and 21.6 per 1000 children treated per month, using the national system, enhanced spontaneous reporting, and active surveillance, respectively. The most commonly reported symptoms were vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. The incidence of vomiting, known to be caused by amodiaquine, was similar using both innovative methods (10/1000 in the first month, decreasing to 2.5/1000 in the third month). Despite increased surveillance, no serious adverse drug reactions were detected. CONCLUSION: Training CHWs in each village and health facility staff to report AEs using a mobile phone application led to much higher reporting rates than through the national system. This approach is feasible and acceptable, and could be further improved by strengthening laboratory investigation and the collection of control data immediately prior to SMC campaigns

A decentred reading of Zadie Smith’s Swing Time: voices of cross‐cultural belonging

This article explores the dynamics of differentiation through the perspective of a reconceptualised representation of race, identity and cultural belonging that Swing Time brings into scrutiny. Relying on a decentred vision of the on-going problematic of racism, it sketches the various possible ways of re-reading our belonging to the world through the solidarities that bridge humanity into a purely shared heritage through art and danc

Dynamique et transmission linguistique au Sénégal au cours des 25 dernières années

Véhicule de connaissances traditionnelles, les langues autochtones au Sénégal subissent aujourd’hui l’effet combiné des nouvelles configurations familiales et des dynamiques migratoires. Dans l’administration publique et l’enseignement, le français s’est imposé. Partant des quatre derniers recensements généraux de population, cette étude présente l’évolution des caractéristiques démo-linguistiques de la population du Sénégal. L’accent est mis sur une analyse dynamique de la langue maternelle, les questions de transfert ou de substitution au profit d’une langue d’usage et la place du français dans l’univers linguistique national. Ces préoccupations rejoignent la question lancinante de l’introduction des langues africaines à l’école qui constitue encore le noeud gordien du système éducatif sénégalais. Comment évoluent les langues maternelles au Sénégal ? Dans quelles zones ou aires géographiques les enfants perdent-ils la pratique des langues familiales ? Répondre à toutes ces questions nous permettra de dresser l’architecture linguistique qui mettra en valeur, non seulement les langues locales, mais également les parlers nationaux qui faciliteront leur intégration dans le système éducatif.Indigenous languages in Senegal, the vehicles of traditional knowledge, are now experiencing the combined effects of new family configurations and migration dynamics. In the public administration and education sector, French has become a reality. Based on the last four general population censuses, this study aims to present the evolution of the demo-linguistic characteristics of the population of Senegal. The emphasis is on a dynamic analysis of maternal languages, addressing questions about the transfer from or substitution of these in favour of a common working language, and about the place of French in the national linguistic universe. These issues are pertinent to the question still haunting the Senegalese education system concerning the introduction into schooling of local African languages. How are indigenous languages evolving in Senegal ? In which geographical areas do children lose the practice of family languages ? Responding to all these questions will enable us to design a linguistic architecture that will valorize not only local languages but also the national languages that will facilitate their integration into the educational system

Evaluation des estimations indirectes de mortalité dans trois observatoires de population au Sénégal

En Afrique sub-saharienne, les recensements constituent une source de données fondamentale pour estimer la mortalité, en raison de l’incomplétude de l’enregistrement des décès à l'état civil. Afin d’évaluer la fiabilité des niveaux de mortalité qui peuvent en être déduits, nous appliquons différentes méthodes d’estimation à des extraits des recensements sénégalais de 2002 et 2013, couvrant trois observatoires de population situés à Bandafassi, Mlomp et Niakhar. Les taux de mortalité des moins de cinq ans tirés du nombre d’enfants nés vivants et survivants s’avèrent plus bas que les niveaux attendus au vu des données du suivi démographique. Les estimations déduites des déclarations sur la survie des parents sont largement inférieures aux niveaux de mortalité adulte réellement observés selon le suivi. Par contre, les taux de mortalité par âge basés sur les décès récents déclarés dans les ménages sont conformes aux données du suivi, sauf pour la mortalité infantile qui est sensiblement sous-déclarée en 2002. Cette évaluation confirme que les méthodes indirectes procurent des estimations qui ne peuvent être considérées isolément mais doivent plutôt être systématiquement comparées les unes aux autres. Des études d’évaluation directes menées au niveau individuel à l’aide d’appariements sont nécessaires pour mieux identifier les différentes sources de biais

Possible influence of Plasmodium/Trypanosoma co-infections on the vectorial capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes

International audienceOBJECTIVE:In tropical Africa, trypanosomiasis is present in endemic areas with many other diseases including malaria. Because malaria vectors become more anthropo-zoophilic under the current insecticide pressure, they may be exposed to trypanosome parasites. By collecting mosquitoes in six study sites with distinct malaria infection prevalence and blood sample from cattle, we tried to assess the influence of malaria-trypanosomiasis co-endemicity on the vectorial capacity of Anopheles.RESULTS:Overall, all animal infections were due to Trypanosoma vivax (infection rates from 2.6 to 10.5%) in villages where the lowest Plasmodium prevalence were observed at the beginning of the study. An. gambiae s.l. displayed trophic preferences for human-animal hosts. Over 84 mosquitoes, only one was infected by Plasmodium falciparum (infection rate: 4.5%) in a site that displayed the highest prevalence at the beginning of the study. Thus, Anopheles could be exposed to Trypanosoma when they feed on infected animals. No Plasmodium infection was observed in the Trypanosoma-infected animals sites. This can be due to an interaction between both parasites as observed in mice and highlights the need of further studies considering Trypanosoma/Plasmodium mixed infections to better characterize the role of these infections in the dynamic of malaria transmission and the mechanisms involved