Black Pastoralists, White Farmers: The Dynamics of Land Dispossession and Labour Recruitment in Southern Namibia, 1915-1955.

The dissertation examines the dynamics of rural economic struggle within the reserves and on white commercial farms. The supply of farm labour during the period 1915-1955 can be seen as an equation with a number of variables. Black pastoral communities in southern Namibia sought to retain control over their land and their labour. In contrast, the administration sought the division of land amongst a new wave of white immigrants and the recruitment of local black pastoralists as farm labourers. The 'state apparatus' available to enforce legislation in the early years of South African rule was initially weak and local labour control depended largely on the relationship between individual farmers and their workforce. The mobility of stock was essential to black pastoralists and denser white settlement increased the constraining influence of cartographical reserve borders. The State described these as 'labour reserves' and effectively prevented the emergence of black farmers who might rival their white neighbours. Yet case studies of the Bondelswarts and Berseba reserves show how economic differentiation influenced the shape of political resistance. The pattern of rapid white settlement in southern Namibia was initially inspired by a political, rather than economic agenda. The drought of 1929-1934 was a turning point in the economic history of the region. The subsequent transformation of the white farming community into the primary source of revenue within Namibia was strongly linked to the successful expansion of the karakul industry in southern Namibia. The alienation of land and the increase in the quantity and quality of white farmers stock was a crucial factor in the detrimental revision of the terms of employment of local workers on farms. The growing prosperity of white farmers in the region resulted in a change in the composition of the labour force with increased reliance upon migrant labour from northern Namibia

The MANGO study: a prospective investigation of oxygen enhanced and blood-oxygen level dependent MRI as imaging biomarkers of hypoxia in glioblastoma

BackgroundGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive type of brain cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of ~5% and most tumours recurring locally within months of first-line treatment. Hypoxia is associated with worse clinical outcomes in GBM, as it leads to localized resistance to radiotherapy and subsequent tumour recurrence. Current standard of care treatment does not account for tumour hypoxia, due to the challenges of mapping tumour hypoxia in routine clinical practice. In this clinical study, we aim to investigate the role of oxygen enhanced (OE) and blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI as non-invasive imaging biomarkers of hypoxia in GBM, and to evaluate their potential role in dose-painting radiotherapy planning and treatment response assessment.MethodsThe primary endpoint is to evaluate the quantitative and spatial correlation between OE and BOLD MRI measurements and [18F]MISO values of uptake in the tumour. The secondary endpoints are to evaluate the repeatability of MRI biomarkers of hypoxia in a test-retest study, to estimate the potential clinical benefits of using MRI biomarkers of hypoxia to guide dose-painting radiotherapy, and to evaluate the ability of MRI biomarkers of hypoxia to assess treatment response. Twenty newly diagnosed GBM patients will be enrolled in this study. Patients will undergo standard of care treatment while receiving additional OE/BOLD MRI and [18F]MISO PET scans at several timepoints during treatment. The ability of OE/BOLD MRI to map hypoxic tumour regions will be evaluated by assessing spatial and quantitative correlations with areas of hypoxic tumour identified via [18F]MISO PET imaging.DiscussionMANGO (Magnetic resonance imaging of hypoxia for radiation treatment guidance in glioblastoma multiforme) is a diagnostic/prognostic study investigating the role of imaging biomarkers of hypoxia in GBM management. The study will generate a large amount of longitudinal multimodal MRI and PET imaging data that could be used to unveil dynamic changes in tumour physiology that currently limit treatment efficacy, thereby providing a means to develop more effective and personalised treatments

Manipulation of starch bioaccessibility in wheat endosperm to regulate starch digestion, postprandial glycemia, insulinemia, and gut hormone responses: a randomized controlled trial in healthy ileostomy participants

Background: Cereal crops, particularly wheat, are a major dietary source of starch, and the bioaccessibility of starch has implications for postprandial glycemia. The structure and properties of plant foods have been identified as critical factors in influencing nutrient bioaccessibility; however, the physical and biochemical disassembly of cereal food during digestion has not been widely studied. Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare the effects of 2 porridge meals prepared from wheat endosperm with different degrees of starch bioaccessibility on postprandial metabolism (e.g., glycemia) and to gain insight into the structural and biochemical breakdown of the test meals during gastroileal transit. Design: A randomized crossover trial in 9 healthy ileostomy participants was designed to compare the effects of 55 g starch, provided as coarse (2-mm particles) or smooth (0.2-mm particles) wheat porridge, on postprandial changes in blood glucose, insulin, C-peptide, lipids, and gut hormones and on the resistant starch (RS) content of ileal effluent. Undigested food in the ileal output was examined microscopically to identify cell walls and encapsulated starch. Results: Blood glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide concentrations were significantly lower (i.e., 33%, 43%, 40%, and 50% lower 120-min incremental AUC, respectively) after consumption of the coarse porridge than after the smooth porridge (P , 0.01). In vitro, starch digestion was slower in the coarse porridge than in the smooth porridge (33% less starch digested at 90 min, P , 0.05, paired t test). In vivo, the structural integrity of coarse particles (~2 mm) of wheat endosperm was retained during gastroileal transit. Microscopic examination revealed a progressive loss of starch from the periphery toward the particle core. The structure of the test meal had no effect on the amount or pattern of RS output. Conclusion: The structural integrity of wheat endosperm is largely retained during gastroileal digestion and has a primary role in influencing the rate of starch amylolysis and, consequently, postprandial metabolism. This trial was registered at isrctn.org as ISRCTN40517475

Archive of Darkness:William Kentridge's Black Box/Chambre Noire

Situating itself in histories of cinema and installation art, William Kentridge's Black Box/Chambre Noire (2005) raises questions about screens, exhibition space, site-specificity and spectatorship. Through his timely intervention in a debate on Germany’s colonial past, Kentridge’s postcolonial art has contributed to the recognition and remembrance of a forgotten, colonial genocide. This article argues that, by transposing his signature technique of drawings for projection onto a new set of media, Kentridge explores how and what we can know through cinematic projection in the white cube. In particular, his metaphor of the illuminated shadow enables him to animate archival fragments as shadows and silhouettes. By creating a multi-directional archive, Black Box enables an affective engagement with the spectres of colonialism and provides a forum for the calibration of moral questions around reparation, reconciliation and forgiveness

The »Africa Accessioned Network«

In Namibia, it is difficult today to locate many historical artefacts that embody the cultural identity of communities. Yet these objects have been collected and, often, archived (rather than displayed) in museums beyond the continent. The internet gives access to a disparate »virtual museum« of Namibian cultural heritage. The »Africa Accessioned« project aims to locate and list the diaspora of African ethnographic collections held in European museums as a tool to generate dialogue and collaborative projects. We see the project as a concept that could be extended, a concept that operates with little or no financial resources. Four African countries provided the initial focus for the project: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The project initially mapped relevant collections held in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the UK. A secondary exercise has documented Namibian collections in Finnish museums in more detail and will be used to demonstrate the project’s potential to develop the notion of the »museum as process«. However, the presentation will also speculate on the ways in which German museums might engage more effectively with Namibian communities. The project recognises the contextual framework of the circulation of material culture along colonial trade routes. It seeks to position museums as mediums for global dialogue. Conversations can enable source communities to provide greater historical depth regarding the intangible cultural heritage and places which provide a more complete biography of an object in a collection. However, establishing mechanisms to enable effective dialogue remains a challenge. The project is not a campaign for the repatriation of all African artefacts to the continent, but it will initiate debate about the provenance and significance of some artefacts. We believe that the willingness to review collections and to address the past can stimulate inter-cultural dialogue and lead to positive co-operation. European museums need to engage with this legacy, but should see dialogue as an opportunity, rather than a threat. Collections can generate connections. Museums can build bridges, rather than barriers, between communities

Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History

Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History brings together the work of experienced academics and a new wave of young Namibian historians - architects of the past - who are working on a range of public history and heritage projects, from late nineteenth century resistance to the use of songs, from the role of gender in SWAPO's camps to memorialisation, and from international solidarity to aspects of the history of Kavango and Caprivi. In a culturally and politically diverse democracy such as Namibia, there are bound to be different perspectives on the past, and history will be as plural as the history-tellers. The chapters in this book reflect this diversity, and combine to create a remarkable collection of divergent voices, providing alternative perspectives on the past. Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History writes 'forgotten' people into history; provides a reading of the past that reflects the tensions and competing identities that pervaded 'the struggle'; and deals with 'heritage that hurts'

Far beyond the Sun – I. The beating magnetic heart in Horologium

International audienc