#Malawi sliding towards violent #anarchy

As unrest takes hold in Malawi, LSE’s Linje Manyozo urges his fellow citizens to realise that democracy is not just about speaking, but also listening

Low back pain during pregnancy: Prevalence, risk factors and association with daily activities among pregnant women in urban Blantyre, Malawi

Introduction Low back pain (LBP) is a significant musculoskeletal problem during pregnancy with potential to negatively affect the woman’s quality of life. Data on LBP among pregnant women in Malawi is almost non-existent. We investigated the prevalence and risk factors of LBP and its association with functional activities in pregnant women in Malawi.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in Blantyre, Malawi, from December 2017 to January 2018. Participants were drawn from low-risk antenatal clinics in selected local health facilities. Written informed consent was sourced from study participants, permission was granted at each study site and the study received ethics approval from the College of Medicine Research Ethics Committee (COMREC). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages. The association between occurrence of LBP and selected factors was assessed using the Chi-Square test (X2) (α=5%) followed by a multiple logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated.Results We interviewed 404 pregnant women; the mean age of respondents was 25.83 years old (SD: ±5.91). Prevalence of LBP in pregnancy was 62% (n=249); 172 (69%) of these reported LBP for the first time during the current pregnancy. Gestational age was significantly associated with presence of LBP (P= 0.03). LBP was associated with the women’s sleep patterns, mobility, lifting techniques and sexual activities. However, a reasonable high proportion of those with LBP (34%) did not seek care for their low back pain. Conclusion LBP is highly prevalent and an important clinical condition among pregnant women in Blantyre, Malawi. Given the significant effect of LBP on quality of life, health workers need to be proactive in identifying LBP and provide the appropriate management

Road traffic collisions in Malawi: Trends and patterns of mortality on scene

The article “Road traffic collisions in Malawi: Trends and patterns of mortality on scene” is a retrospective evaluation of the road traffic deaths in Malawi from 2008-2012 using the National Road Safety Council of Malawi (NRSCM) database. In this study the investigators sought to establish the trends and patterns in deaths at road traffic crashes and define the sociodemographic characteristics of the victims, all of  which are critical for road traffic policy and emergency health services. Given the paucity of research into road trauma in Malawi, this study is important and timely

Critical reflections on the theory versus practice debate in communication for development

Even though the cliché ‘theory is practice’ registers in most communication for development debates, available evidence seems to suggest there is a growing chasm between the theory and practice of communication for development. This discussion argues that, with the increasing demand by governments and organisations for communication for development specialists, universities and training providers should rethink their graduate curricula. As course content, teaching methodologies and theoretical paradigms are revisited, trainers need to grill students on how the contestation of power is central to the application of communication in development. This paper advances two arguments. The first is that communication for development training has to begin listening to the innovative thinking that is shaping practice on the ground if the curriculum is to stay relevant. The second is that such programmes have forge strong linkages with development studies departments to ensure that students are well-grounded in development theory and practice

Critical reflections on the theory versus practice debate in communication for development

Even though the cliché ‘theory is practice’ registers in most communication for development debates, available evidence seems to suggest there is a growing chasm between the theory and practice of communication for development. This discussion argues that, with the increasing demand by governments and organisations for communication for development specialists, universities and training providers should rethink their graduate curricula. As course content, teaching methodologies and theoretical paradigms are revisited, trainers need to grill students on how the contestation of power is central to the application of communication in development. This paper advances two arguments. The first is that communication for development training has to begin listening to the innovative thinking that is shaping practice on the ground if the curriculum is to stay relevant. The second is that such programmes have forge strong linkages with development studies departments to ensure that students are well-grounded in development theory and practice

Reading modern ethnographic photography : a semiotic analysis of Kalahari Bushmen photographs by Paul Weinberg and Sian Dunn.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.Indigenous communities, like the Bushmen of the Southern Kalahari, always attract visitors who 'go there' to experience the 'life out there'. Travelling in their 4x4s, these visitors also bring cameras and take pictures of their interactions with subject communities as evidence of 'having been there'. For academics and journalists, these pictures are meant to illustrate their presentations of 'what is actually there'. Both types of photographs are known as ethnographic photography. This study. asks and attempts to answer the question: how do we study ethnographic photography? As much as photographers attempt to portray their subjects realistically, their representations are often contested and criticised as entrenching subjugation, displacement and dehumanisation of indigenous peoples through 'visual metaphors' and other significatory regimes. This discussion reconsiders the concept of imaging others, by offering an analytical semiotic comparison between Paul Weinberg's anchored and published photographic texts of the Bushmen, on the one hand, and Sian Dunn's unpublished, inactive texts of the #tKhomani Bushmen, on the other. The discussion is an attempt to understand documentary photographers, processes of producing of images, the contexts in which they are produced and how the communities that are represented make sense of them. Concerns with the objectivity of representation go beyond the taking and consuming pictures of other cultures. This study is, therefore, grounded in cultural, social and ideological factors that shape the production and consumption ofphotographic representations of and from other cultures

Radio, ICT Convergence and Knowledge Brokerage: Lessons from Sub?Saharan Africa

This article examines the changing role of radio for development in sub?Saharan Africa as ‘new’ Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) increasingly enter the information landscape. Grounded in the empirical findings of a research programme – Radio, Convergence and Development in Africa (RCDA) – it explores the potential for convergent communication technologies to improve knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing between development actors at all levels. By drawing on research carried out as part of the RCDA programme, this article raises questions about the ability for radio broadcasters to act as ‘knowledge intermediaries’ in this context – brokering and translating information about development issues between international non?governmental organisations (NGOs), local NGOs, grassroots advocacy groups and local beneficiaries. It draws attention to the barriers impeding their ability to fulfill this role by highlighting issues related to ICT convergence, capacity, funding and ‘NGO?isation’

The contribution of citizen views to understanding women’s empowerment as a process of change : the case of Niger

This article investigates citizen’s views on women’s empowerment as a process of change in Niger, the lowest country on the Human Development Index where women suffer widespread gender inequality. It draws on semi-structured interviews with radio and civil society organisation (CSO) representatives and on focus group discussions with radio listeners. By discussing how empowerment is perceived by the three groups, it examines which aspects of life disempower women and what could contribute to an empowering environment. It goes on to analyse how these responses can be used to shape radio broadcasts, to promote further female empowerment. Contributing to journalism, development, and women’s studies, the article provides valuable and transferable insights into the understanding of female dis/empowerment, which can be used in other similar developing countries

The appearance of accountability: communication technologies and power asymmetries in humanitarian aid and disaster recovery

New communication technologies are celebrated for their potential to improve the accountability of humanitarian agencies. The response to Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 represents the most systematic implementation of ‘accountability to affected people’ initiatives. Drawing on a year-long ethnography of the Haiyan recovery and 139 interviews with humanitarian workers and affected people, the article reveals a narrow interpretation of accountability as feedback which is increasingly captured through mobile phones. We observe that the digitized collection of feedback is not fed back to disaster-affected communities, but is directed to donors as evidence of ‘impact’. Rather than improving accountability to affected people, digitized feedback mechanisms sustained humanitarianism’s power asymmetries