Camagu: A Multimovement Work Exploring the IsiXhosa Culture of South Africa

The IsiXhosa language of South Africa is a rich historic language that has been preserved aurally through generations. The distinct clicks in this language, made in the mouth, are a characteristic spoken feature. Although IsiXhosa follows the Roman alphabet, individual letters require the pronunciation of different clicks, each having a different sound quality. These particular sounds will change depending on the interaction of the tongue and teeth within the mouth. Alongside this rich historic language is the practice of herbal healing, performed by individuals called Sangomas. A Sangoma’s primary goal is to communicate with the ancestors and to provide spiritual guidance to individuals seeking help. Before practicing herbal healing, a Sangoma must undergo several stages of initiation. These stages comprise a series of unforeseen peculiar events and/or a period of sickness, dreams and acceptance. Camagu, in four movements for soprano vocalist and chamber ensemble, demonstrated how the use of these clicks can be incorporated and integrated into contemporary Western classical composition through the use of text from the language and distinct clicks as soundscapes within the work. It also explores how using the journey of the Sangomas inspired a narrative that is conveyed through text, derived from quotes of practicing Sangomas

Informetrics Education in Library and Information Science (LIS) Academic Department in South Africa

The purpose of this paper is to explore literature on informetrics education globally, in order to determine the relevance of informetrics education in South Africa. This paper is based on the literature review on informetrics education in the field of LIS worldwide. The paper addresses the status of informetrics education; extent and levels at which informetrics education is offered; teaching methods for informetrics education; and, challenges associated with informetrics education. The literature reveals that there are 32 countries that offer informetrics education within the field of LIS worldwide. The informetrics education is commonly offered to both under-graduate and post-graduate students. For undergraduates, it is generally offered as an elective course. Commonly, the course content consists of laws and theories, link analysis, resource allocation, methods and applications, innovation and forecasting. The lecture method (face-to-face) of teaching is commonly used. There is a variation of course names from department to department, such as Informetrics, Bibliometrics, Scientometrics, etc. Challenges associated with informetrics education were revealed, including: teaching capacity, student preparedness and ICT support. This paper noted the limitation of informetrics education locally and globally, and recommends more awareness creation, curricula development, short courses and awareness of global trends. Theoretically, the paper will add to the body of literature within the field of LIS. It will offer a vivid characterization of informetrics and demonstrate the importance of its education. Practically, this paper provides a prolific centre of knowledge sharing among LIS departments concerning informetrics education. Through a good attention given to informetrics education, the research evaluation in various fields will attain utmost quality and objectivity

Risk addiction: reading heteromasculinity and orgasm in Basic Instinct 2

For the Degree of Master of Arts in Dramatic Art by DissertationA large body of critical work exists on the construction of femininity in films noir and erotic thrillers, yet little research examines similar constructions of heteromasculinity in these films. This dissertation deploys a poststructuralist theoretical lens to analyse how Basic Instinct 2’s textual mechanisms construct and inflect heterosexual femininity and masculinity, with a special focus on masculinity. I argue that the erotic thriller’s foregrounding of a sexually aggressive femme fatale and the seemingly uncontrollable sexual desire she excites in her male counterpart may function to elide unacknowledged queer desire in the masculine subject. While BI2 presents an apparently heteronormative couple in the form of Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) and Michael Glass (David Morrissey), I propose that their engagement in sadomasochistic activities in which Glass is the ‘bottom’ leaves space for the spectator to interpret their sexual practices in queer terms

Correlating altmetrics and h5-Index using Google Scholar metrics for journals in Library and Information Science

The purpose of this paper is to correlate altmetrics and h5-index using Google Scholar metrics for journals in Library and Information Science, in order to clarify the relative significance of altmetrics in evaluating research impact. This paper adopted the behavioural bibliometrics to analyse data that was collected from Google Scholar metrics for three systematically selected journals in LIS. We obtained altmetrics scores for selected articles from Altmetrics.com. This paper focuses on: (i) the extent in which altmetrics indicators correlate with the journal’s h5-index; (ii) the disproportions amongst altmetrics indicators, and; (iii) the comparison of article altmetrics scores in journals with different h5-index. The results of this paper reveal noteworthy independence of altmetrics from h5-index. Therefore, the journal’s h5-index does not impact or reflect on its article altmetrics. Amongst other altmetrics indicators, Mendeley dominates in all articles altmetrics. The results further confirmed the possibility of articles in journals with low h5-index to attained greater social media attention than articles in journals with high h5-index. This paper adds to the body of knowledge in LIS, informetrics in particular. It is hoped that the results of this study will help create better understanding of altmetrics and prevent its misuse

Storytelling and management.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Business Administration, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Degree of Master of Management.The concept of storytelling and management / organisation throughout the World has been intensively researched in recent years. For instance, Blunt and Jones, 1991; Lessem, 1989, 1993, 1994; Christie, 1993; Chown, 1994; Mbigi, 1993; Zemke, 1990; O'Reilly. 1985; Wilkins, 1984 and many more, have made a significant contribution towards storytelling and management. This report was aimed at providing a partial answer to the following question: "At the level of management style or in their technique, are South African managers inspired storytellers or detached analysts?" The fundamental aim was to establish whether storytelling forms an important part of the South African manager' s leadership repertoire. In conjunction with this aim, the proposition made by Lessem (1994) that storytelling competence is an important subset of communal management, was tested. Propositions for this research were as follows: Storytelling is an important competency for South African managers. • Storytelling is used consciously by South African managers to achieve specific aims. • South African managers can identify the characteristics of good, healthy stories and good storytellers in organisations. • South African managers can identify specific examples ·of stories used in their own organisations. • South African managers can identify other managers who use storytelling as part of their leadership repertoire. The research was confined to organisations operating within the PWV boundaries. the method of "snowball" sampling was utilised to collect the data, whereby telephonic contact was made with individual members of' executive teams in organisations. These individual managers were asked if they could identify any persons within the executive team whom they would characterise as using stories as part of their leadership repertoire. (Abbreviation abstract)Andrew Chakane 201

When culture equals femicide: ‘affluent polygyny’ a South African dilemma

Polygyny is still prevalent in South Africa though the country is ravished by the AIDS pandemic. This article aims to highlight the effects of affluent polygyny on South African women. The findings were very much indicative of the dangers of entering into these arrangements because of socio-economic issues and the high rate of unemployment. This dependency causes women to agree to marry already married men for financial stability. Postcolonial feminist scholarship advanced by black women who were subjected recolonization as their ideas and concepts is the theoretical underpinning for this paper. This theory highlights the complexity of marginalisation of women in affluent polygyny in a previously colonised country. The article asserts that postcolonial feminist theory provides a further understanding of how women suffer at the hands of polygynists. The theory of Gender and Power is also used to understand the gendered relations of affluent polygyny in contemporary times because in African traditional societies, polygyny is perceived as a sociological issue.Key words: polygyny, postcolonial feminist theory, affluence, HIV/AIDS, gender and powe

Defining Feminine Roles: A ‘Gendered’ Depiction of Women through Zulu Proverbs

In most African societies language reflects the subordination of women to men and the respect they must show to men and their elders. This paper is a preliminary investigation which aims to examine how women are portrayed in selected Zulu proverbs. The proverbs discussed in this article reflect how Zulu society perceives men as intelligent in conflict resolution and skilled in societal disputes. Proverbs discussed in this paper are informed by the way Zulu men are socialised and the manner in which young girls are brought up. Men are socialised into thinking that women need to start preparing themselves for marriage from a young age. Female behaviour needs to be socially acceptable, as every person encountered by an unmarried female is a potential husband and potential in-law. This grooming is evident in the proverbs frequently used in Zulu society. This article uses the African womanism theory which argues for a feminist critique of gender that draws from the experiences of African women, and also rejects the male dominance in African societies

The socio-economic implications of conversion from commercial agriculture to private game farming: The case study of Cradock, a small town in the iNxuba Yethemba Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

This thesis sets out to investigate the socio-economic consequences or implications on the township people in Cradock (a town located in iNxuba Yethemba Municipality, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa) of the recent conversions from commercial agriculture to private game farming (PGF). The study draws primarily on research conducted in the town, the history of which is rooted in the development and expansion of commercial agriculture that took place in the early 1800s. It is specifically concerned with the effects of the conversion of agricultural land to game farming on the socio-economic conditions of black African and coloured township people, who have directly or indirectly depended on commercial agricultural production for many decades past. These people have, over the last 200 years, benefited from commercial agriculture through employment, material resource supplies and off-farm activities. These three kinds of socio-economic mechanisms played a crucial role in sustaining the socio-economic conditions of the Eastern Cape's semi-arid towns, such as Cradock, in particular, of those citizens who reside in the townships. By using the de-agrarianisation thesis as a theoretical framework, the study argues that the agrarian change in the form of conversion towards private game farming industry is a form of the de-agrarianisation process, not the proliferation of off-farm activities or off-farm employment, as postulated by Bryceson and Jamal (1997). The study addresses the current debate about the implications of agrarian change emerging in the semi-arid area of the Eastern Cape and in South Africa. At an empirical level, the study seeks to test the proponents of private game farming who argue that game farming in formerly agrarian areas generates national revenue and provides multiple socio-economic benefits to the poor and marginalised people. Part of the context in which the discussion in this study takes place is the role that the development of agricultural land aims to play in improving the socio-economic status or The study uses the economic history of agrarian economy in the Karoo and its production in relation to black Africans as an approach to analyse the effects of conversion. It critically examines the dynamics related to the contribution of private game farming in Cradock, an area historically known as an agricultural stronghold. The study thus argues that the recent introduction of private game farming in the formerly agrarian areas has established an elitist economy that is virtually inaccessible to the people of the area, especially the poor and previously marginalised people residing in the townships of Cradock. The study uses qualitative research design and various qualitative data collection methods such as interviews, household interviews, focus group interviews and qualitative observation, to unpack the socio-economic implications of conversions from the perspective of the township residents. The findings of the study indicate that while the introduction of private game farming industry in Cradock has generated employment for some township people, the industry has negatively affected the socio-economic livelihoods of these people. Although they receive a wage higher than what they received in the former commercial agriculture, the study reveals that their livelihoods are severely and negatively affected by the conversion, as they now have restrained access to the material resource supplies they used to access when the land was used for commercial agriculture. This, in turn, has resulted into the decline of off-farm activities such as butcheries, informal trades, and the trade in and selling of agricultural implements that were an integral part of the former agrarian economy of the town

An integrated approach to the prevention and promotion of health in the workplace: a review from international experience

This paper reports the results of a review of health promotion programmes in the workplace. The aim of this review was to ascertain evidence of success in health promotion in the workplace. Workplace health promotion (WHP) programmes help to improve employee health by optimising an organisation’s overall economic, structural and cultural environment. It also tends to reach the healthy workers at the best companies, which are employing the healthier individuals in the formal sectors of the economy. The workplace is viewed as an effective setting for health promotion in order to achieve the goal of “Health for All”, and for other benefits such as reducing and controlling healthcare costs as a result of the growing epidemics of communicable and  non-communicable diseases. Strategies to facilitate workplace health promotion include health education, behaviour-directed prevention, and incorporating the organisation’s development strategy into human resources policies to make prevention the essential part of the entire corporate strategy. A healthy, motivated and contented workforce is fundamental to the future social and economic wellbeing of any nation. The protection of employees against exposure to various occupational hazards can be achieved through implementing integrated programmes to improve employees’ wellness and promoting a health- and safety-oriented culture in the workplace

Out with old, in with the new: Negotiating identity in re-naming a Xhosa umtshakazi

Umtshakazi (singular) is a bride and abatshakazi (plural) are brides in  isiXhosa language. The word is derived from the word ‘tsha’ which means new in isiXhosa. The word is popularly known as Makoti in other African languages, such as isiZulu. In short, a bride is a woman about to be married or newly married and thus a “new member” of the husband’s family. In a South African context, naming is not reserved for new-born children as there are circumstances whereby older people get new names. In Xhosa re-naming of abatshakazi, is a religious practice where name-givers bestow a name on a newlywed and then expect brides to live up to their newly acquired names. Like most things cultural, the brides  have no choice but to accept the  new name, embrace what the name entails and live up to the family’s expectations. Through the re-naming process the bride assumes a new identity which means taking the responsibility that comes with it. This article examines how such a process gives brides new roles to play; how brides make a conscious effort to live up to the name and how this changes their identity. This article is going to take a phenomenology stance. The phenomenology theory is a theoretical proposition which focuses on people’s perceptions of the world in which they live and what it means to them. It focuses on people’s lived experiences. This theory is essential in this article as the article focuses on the individual experiences of Xhosa  abatshakazi in the naming process. Key Words: gender, culture, names, identity, marriag