Objects as Expression of Power, Religion and Therapy: The “Country” Pots in the Bamenda Grassfields Fondoms of Cameroon

In most parts of the world especially in Africa, people can be identified and distinguished through objects. These objects which some are worn on the body or carried along are decorated with symbols which could be decoded by those who comprehend their cultural connotations. The object this article focuses on is the indigenous or ‘country’ pots of the Bamenda Grassfields, pots which were used in the past by women in the kitchen, by traditional medical doctors and by traditional leaders; notables and heads of secret societies. Today, these country pots are not very visible in the kitchen as it was the case before because of the introduction of other containers. The questions raised by this paper are: What is the place of the country pot in the lives of the Bamenda Grassfields people? What is the symbolism of the motifs represented on the Bamenda Grassfields country pots? What are the change currently taking place in the production and use of these pots? The objectives of the article are to examine the roles and find out the meanings of the motifs represented on pots. It also explores the changes which are taking place in the production, commercialisation and use of the country pots. Data for this article was collected using the qualitative method and this data was analysed using content analysis and interpreted soon after collection was over. The interpretation was done with the theories of cultural ecology of Steward, functionalism of Radcliff-Brown and Malinowski, symbolic anthropology of Geertz and cultural evolution of Tylor and Morgan. Findings reveal that the country pots are an aspect of material culture of the Bamenda Grassfields. They are of very great cultural value and play a fundamental role in these cultures; they are an expression of power, religion, healing as well as communion. The country pots like any other cultural element, if they are valorised, they will continue to identify the people from generation to generation

Recursive modelling in predicting excess returns - case of the Nairobi Securities Exchange

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelors of Business Science in Financial Economics at Strathmore UniversityThe aim of this study was to test the applicability of a recursive modelling approach in modelling stock market returns in the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The dependent variable was the Nairobi Securities Exchange All Share Index, with a core assumption being that firms do not pay dividends. I test the applicability of recursive modelling using three returns models, each containing different regressors, and compare the performance of the models in predicting future values of the index, as well as the performance of the recursive forecasting model compared to a dynamic forecasting model. I find that a recursive model is capable of predicting future values of the index using all three models, with varying performance among the models, but fail to find conclusive evidence to suggest that the recursive forecasting model significantly outperforms a dynamic forecasting model

The Ten commandments. San Francisco, 1928. Printed by Albert Bender

Caption title.; In two columns.; "Of this sheet sixty copies only have been printed for Albert M. Bender, and these are for distribution among his fellow members of the Roxburghe club of San Francisco, & is printed in the year MCMXXVIII."; I. TiPage Order: Leafle

Is COVID-19 Expanding its Symptom List? The Case of Acute Acro-ischemia and Skin Rash

As the spread of SARS-CoV2 continues to increase globally, newer information gets reported every day. We are learning more and more about the presentation, symptoms and treatment of this infection. Earlier cardinal symptoms of COVID-19 had been fever, cough, and shortness of breath. New findings in its symptoms are now being reported some of which includes neurological symptoms, dizziness and diarrhoea. Of recent skin manifestations due to COVID-19 have drawn the attention of medical experts. The presence of a livedoid pattern (red mottled-net like coloration) rash and a rare skin lesion at the extremities also known as acro-ischemia in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 or patients presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 is now on a surge. Though the correlation between acute acro-ischemia, skin rash and COVID-19 is yet to be fully documented these dermatological and clinical observations in patients might just be another possible key indicator for the presence of the COVID-19 disease