Expresssing culture through drama: a reading of Anowa and the marriage of Anansewa

This paper examines the relationship between literature and culture through seminal effort exhibited in two plays; Anowa and The Marriage of Anansewa by Ama Atta Aidoo and Efua Sutherland respectively. With various discourse in the plays, we strive to analyse the link between literature and culture. The paper begins with a discussion of some theories of culture and literature and, per what is presented in the two plays, proceeds to establish the relationship between culture and literature. We observe that these foremost female writers are using drama to construct icons and symbols for women in particular and as a way of raising the consciousness of society or mankind in general about certain practises that affect women in particular in one way or another. Most importantly however, among other things, we also discuss the use of literature as a means of teaching acceptable cultural practices and also as a means of criticising unfavourable aspects of a particular culture. In a nutshell, we contend that literature can be used as a tool to sensitize a group of people and to teach and sustain essential socio-cultural practises. Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa Vol. 1 (2) 2009: pp. 175-18

Wolbachia endobacteria depletion by doxycycline as antifilarial therapy has macrofilaricidal activity in onchocerciasis: a randomized placebo-controlled study

In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Ghana, 67 onchocerciasis patients received 200-mg/day doxycycline for 4–6 weeks, followed by ivermectin (IVM) after 6 months. After 6–27 months, efficacy was evaluated by onchocercoma histology, PCR and microfilariae determination. Administration of doxycycline resulted in endobacteria depletion and female worm sterilization. The 6-week treatment was macrofilaricidal, with >60% of the female worms found dead, despite the presence of new, Wolbachia-containing worms acquired after the administration of doxycycline. Doxycycline may be developed as second-line drug for onchocerciasis, to be administered in areas without transmission, in foci with IVM resistance and in areas with Loa co-infections

Book Review:"The Akan Noun Phrase: Its Structure and Meaning" by LA Boadi

Lawrence Addai Boadi, 2010. "The Akan Noun Phrase: Its Structure and Meaning". Cantonments-Accra: Black Mask Ltd. 286 pages. ISBN 978-9988-8489-5-

Information structuring in Akan question-word fronting and focus constructions

Wh-question fronting and focus constructions III Akan have three structural characteristics in common: constituent fronting, introduction of a clitic morpheme after the fronted constituent, and pronoun resumption in a canonical clause position. In comparing these constructions to each other and to related canonical constructions, one is confronted with the question whether the same discourse-contextual information is consistently expressed in both constructions. Using the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar, we show that both whquestion fronting and focus constructions share representations in the constituent and functional structure. Considering the individual discourse-contextual information expressed in wh-question fronting and focus constructions, as compared to the discourse-contextual information expressed in the respective in situ and canonical clause counterparts, however, we show that a variance is drawn between them in the information structure. In a further constraint-based analysis, Optimality-Theoretic LFG is used to clarify the proposals made

Managing Workplace Conflict in the School Environment: Challenges, Rewards And The Way Forward

Conflict is a normal and natural part of our workplaces and lives. As people with diverse background come together in a working environment, differences in opinion, attitudes and beliefs are bound to occur as they interact. How such differences are managed determines the impact they can have on productivity and therefore organizational goals. Recognizing and addressing the factors that give rise to potential conflicts can have a positive impact on the workplace and productivity. Conflict, if constructively handled, can be very helpful in making necessary changes within the work environment. However, poorly resolved or unresolved conflict can result in feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, hopelessness, depression, and other emotions. It can even lead to resignation from jobs, dissolution of personal relations, aggression, and even violence.Key words: Conflict, Management and Workplace