Purple Hibiscus: A Postcolonial Feminist Reading

The article investigates how Purple Hibiscus utilizes intertextuality and explores the intersection of class, gender, race, postcoloniality and violence in a context of theological imagination represented by two siblings, who express their Roman Catholic faith differently. The character of Papa Eugene, whose extreme religiosity and violence pervades the book, is depicted as a colonized subject, who embodies epistemic violence of a colonial past. The decolonizing postcolonial feminist perspective of the book is best modeled by the character of Aunty Ifeoma and how she expresses her Christian faith as an African woman. Whereas, Aunty Ifeoma is an articulate intellectual, women of different status are shown to use different means of resisting patriarchy and violence in the quest for liberating relationships, thereby modeling various expressions of feminist agency. This paper, therefore, explores the intersectionality of gender, class, race, religion, postcoloniality and power in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s debuting novel, Purple Hibiscus set in a political context of a military coup in Nigeria

On Becoming a Change Agent: Journeys of Teaching Gender and Health in an African Crisis Context

This paper discusses my activities in the classroom and beyond to address African contexts of the HIV and AIDS crisis. Alongside an account of my strategies, encounters and journeys, I discuss the activist Gugu Dlamini and Mmutle, a trickster of African folklore. Both act as inspirations for the role of change agent

Gap Analysis for Future Agricultural Education Research in Eswatini, Swaziland

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, agriculture educators began to use research as a way of verifying, creating, disseminating and applying new knowledge. However, existing literature is inconclusive on research themes covered and yet to be covered in Agricultural Education in Eswatini. Thus, this study sought to identify themes and gaps for future research in Agricultural Education in Eswatini. This was a qualitative study employing desk review in data collection. Trustworthiness of the content analysis guide was ensured through the use of experts from the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension (AEE) at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA). Data analysis was performed using frequencies and percentages. Findings of the study revealed that in Agricultural Education, gaps existed in the following thematic areas: primary themes - programme delivery methodologies and curriculum programme planning; and secondary themes- creative thinking and problem-solving; innovative instructional technologies; teaching basic and academic skills; professional staff development; educational methodologies for teaching and learning; professional preparation and competence; and needs of future agricultural workforce. The study concluded that research conducted in Agricultural Education in Eswatini is imbalanced in both primary and secondary research themes. Therefore, the Department of AEE at UNESWA must establish a research agenda to ensure that the research conducted is thematically balanced

On being firefighters : insights on curriculum transformation in HIV and AIDs contexts

Peer reviewedThe article theorises about various responses to an HIV and AIDS outbreak by comparing it to a burning hut in the village. These responses range from indifference to action oriented engagement with HIV and AIDS. It is a framework that challenges scholars of religion and other disciplines to place themselves within the story of HIV and AIDS and to plot their own response. The approach is both autobiographical and institutional in its analysis. The article thus highlights insights on curriculum transformation gathered from individual experiences and intuitional engagement by highlighting the writer’s response, organised efforts from the World Council of Churches, the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, the University of Botswana and other institutions. The conclusion emphasises that both research and teaching should be justice seeking.Research Institute for Theology and Religio

Macroinvertebrates

this book chapter is published in Ecology to Conservation Management ,a book called Fundamentals of Tropical Freshwater Wetlands page number 307 to 336This chapter introduces the diversity and community composition of macroinvertebrates occurring in wetlands with emphasis on the permanent and temporary wetlands in the Afrotropical region of the world. The chapter explores factors shaping the composition of macroinvertebrate communities of the permanent and temporary habitats, and the structuring role of dispersal mechanisms. The diversity and composition of macroinvertebrates is contrasted between different regions of the world and between permanent and temporary wetland types. Furthermore, the role of macroinvertebrates as indicators of habitat quality, ecosystem functions, and services provided by macroinvertebrates in wetlands is explored. Finally, the threats to macroinvertebrates in wetlands are highlighted

Vikela Ekhaya: A Novel, Community-Based, Tuberculosis Contact Management Program in a High Burden Setting

BACKGROUND: The prevention of tuberculosis (TB) in child contacts of TB cases and people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a public health priority, but global access to TB preventive therapy (TPT) remains low. In 2019, we implemented Vikela Ekhaya, a novel community-based TB contact management program in Eswatini designed to reduce barriers to accessing TPT. METHODS: Vikela Ekhaya offered differentiated TB and HIV testing for household contacts of TB cases by using mobile contact management teams to screen contacts, assess their TPT eligibility, and initiate and monitor TPT adherence in participants\u27 homes. RESULTS: In total, 945 contacts from 244 households were screened for TB symptoms; 72 (8%) contacts reported TB symptoms, and 5 contacts (0.5%) were diagnosed with prevalent TB. A total of 322 of 330 (98%) eligible asymptomatic household contacts initiated TPT. Of 322 contacts initiating TPT, 248 children initiated 3 months of isoniazid and rifampicin and 74 children and adults living with HIV initiated 6 months of isoniazid; 298 (93%) completed TPT. In clustered logistic regression analyses, unknown HIV status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 5.7, P = .023), positive HIV status (aOR 21.1, P = .001), urban setting (aOR 5.6, P = .006), and low income (aOR 5.9, P = .001) predicted loss from the cascade of care among TPT-eligible contacts. CONCLUSION: Vikela Ekhaya demonstrated that community-based TB household contact management is a feasible, acceptable, and successful strategy for TB screening and TPT delivery. The results of this study support the development of novel, differentiated, community-based interventions for TB prevention and control

Visceral Leishmaniasis: New Health Tools Are Needed

Half a million new cases of visceral leishmaniasis occur each year, and 10% of these are fatal. New tools are urgently needed for mapping, diagnosing, and treating the disease

The Bible and Children in Africa

The relationship between the Bible and Children in Africa is a topic of highest relevance. This book is treating it in two main perspectives which often are intertwined: | The exegetical perspective “Children in the Bible” is dealing with the concepts of childhood in biblical texts, asking for example: How are children conceived in different texts. What is their status in family, society and church? What is their relation to God? What is the metaphoric use of childhood in biblical soteriology? What is the function and meaning of calling adult persons “children” (of God, or of the Apostle)? | The contextual perspective “African children of today and the Bible” is dealing with the different life settings African children find themselves in and how the Bible is present in these life settings. Here the questions for example are: What is the status of children in family and society? How are traditional concepts of childhood changing under the conditions of poverty, HIV/AIDS and violence? How are the ideas and ideals of childhood influenced by the Bible? What is the role of the Bible in child-education? Can children’s rights be established with help of the Bible? This volume of BiAS 17 is collecting the papers presented at the 2012 BiAS meeting in Gaborone, Botswana, with some additional contributions

Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990-2015 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background Comparable data on the global and country-specific burden of neurological disorders and their trends are crucial for health-care planning and resource allocation. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study provides such information but does not routinely aggregate results that are of interest to clinicians specialising in neurological conditions. In this systematic analysis, we quantified the global disease burden due to neurological disorders in 2015 and its relationship with country development level. Methods We estimated global and country-specific prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs), and years lived with disability (YLDs) for various neurological disorders that in the GBD classification have been previously spread across multiple disease groupings. The more inclusive grouping of neurological disorders included stroke, meningitis, encephalitis, tetanus, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, migraine, tension-type headache, medication overuse headache, brain and nervous system cancers, and a residual category of other neurological disorders. We also analysed results based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a compound measure of income per capita, education, and fertility, to identify patterns associated with development and how countries fare against expected outcomes relative to their level of development. Findings Neurological disorders ranked as the leading cause group of DALYs in 2015 (250.7 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 229.1 to 274.7] million, comprising 10.2% of global DALYs) and the second-leading cause group of deaths (9.4 [9.1 to 9.7] million], comprising 16.8% of global deaths). The most prevalent neurological disorders were tensiontype headache (1505 9 [UI 1337.3 to 1681.6 million cases]), migraine (958.8 [872.1 to 1055.6] million), medication overuse headache (58.5 [50.8 to 67.4 million]), and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (46.0 [40.2 to 52.7 million]). Between 1990 and 2015, the number of deaths from neurological disorders increased by 36.7%, and the number of DALYs by 7.4%. These increases occurred despite decreases in age-standardised rates of death and DALYs of 26.1% and 29.7%, respectively; stroke and communicable neurological disorders were responsible for most of these decreases. Communicable neurological disorders were the largest cause of DALYs in countries with low SDI. Stroke rates were highest at middle levels of SDI and lowest at the highest SDI. Most of the changes in DALY rates of neurological disorders with development were driven by changes in YLLs. Interpretation Neurological disorders are an important cause of disability and death worldwide. Globally, the burden of neurological disorders has increased substantially over the past 25 years because of expanding population numbers and ageing, despite substantial decreases in mortality rates from stroke and communicable neurological disorders. The number of patients who will need care by clinicians with expertise in neurological conditions will continue to grow in coming decades. Policy makers and health-care providers should be aware of these trends to provide adequate services.Peer reviewe