scholarly journals Fault Lines, Racial and Aesthetic: The National Arts Festival at Grahamstown

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-337
Author(s):  
BRYAN SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Cultural Industries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
History Of ◽  
Street Performance ◽  
Arts Festival ◽  
Fault Lines ◽  
The City ◽  
Civic Space

This article asks how theatre shapes civic space by examining the emergence of racial divides in the city of Grahamstown, South Africa, during the annual National Arts Festival (NAF). I track how decision making by festival organizers has relied on economic research and implicit artistic preferences that have resulted in the steady exclusion of artists from local townships. I argue that the presence of the NAF in Grahamstown creates fault lines that are not physical, but aesthetic, in nature, creating invisible boundaries that reward stage performances at the expense of street performances. I track a history of street performance at the NAF, with particular attention to its local mime tradition, to demonstrate how this axis of festivity was integral to developing the NAF's cultural cachet, but was systematically managed, policed or appropriated to fit organizers’ image for Grahamstown at festival time. This work troubles aspirational narratives of creative and cultural industries that South Africa and other African countries have come to rely upon as inclusive and sustainable routes of economic development.

scholarly journals Multi-locus sequence analyses reveal a clonal L. borgpetersenii genotype in a heterogeneous invasive Rattus spp. community across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hamish Moseley ◽  
Kovashnee Naidoo ◽  
Armanda Bastos ◽  
Liezl Retief ◽  
John Frean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
The City

Abstract Background Rattus spp. are frequently implicated as key reservoir hosts for leptospirosis, one of the most common, but neglected, bacterial zoonoses in the world. Although leptospirosis is predicted to be a significant public health threat in Africa, studies from the continent are limited. Methods Rattus spp. (n=171) were sampled (January-May 2016) across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest inland metropole. Rattus spp. genetic diversity was evaluated by full length (1140 bp) cyt b sequencing of 42 samples. For comparison, a further 12 R. norvegicus samples collected in Cape Town, South Africa’s largest coastal metropole, were also genotyped. Leptospira infections were identified and genotyped using real-time PCR and multi-locus (lfb1, secY, lipL41) DNA sequencing. Results Five R. norvegicus haplotypes were identified across Johannesburg, four of which have not previously been detected in South Africa, and one in Cape Town. Across Johannesburg we identified a Leptospira spp. infection prevalence of 44% (75/171) and noted significant differences in the prevalence between administrative regions within the metropole. Multi-locus sequence analyses identified a clonal genotype consistent with L. borgpetersenii serogroup Javanica (serovar Ceylonica).Discussion The prevalence of infection identified in this study is amongst the highest detected in Rattus spp. in similar contexts across Africa. Despite the complex invasion history suggested by the heterogeneity in R. norvegicus haplotypes identified in Johannesburg, a single L. borgpetersenii genotype was identified in all infected rodents. The lack of L. interrogans in a rodent community dominated by R. norvegicus is notable given the widely recognised host-pathogen association between these species and evidence for L. interrogans infection in R. norvegicus in Cape Town. It is likely that environmental conditions (cold, dry winters) in Johannesburg may limit the transmission of L. interrogans. Spatial heterogeneity in prevalence suggest that local factors, such as land use, influence disease risk in the metropole. Conclusion In South Africa, as in other African countries, leptospirosis is likely underdiagnosed. The high prevalence of infection in urban rodents in Johannesburg suggest that further work is urgently needed to understand the potential public health risk posed by this neglected zoonotic pathogen.

scholarly journals Multi-locus sequence analyses reveal a clonal L. borgpetersenii genotype in a heterogeneous invasive Rattus spp. community across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hamish Moseley ◽  
Kovashnee Naidoo ◽  
Armanda Bastos ◽  
Liezl Retief ◽  
John Frean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
The City

Abstract BackgroundRattus spp. are frequently implicated as key reservoir hosts for leptospirosis, one of the most common, but neglected, bacterial zoonoses in the world. Although leptospirosis is predicted to be a significant public health threat in Africa, studies from the continent are limited. Methods Rattus spp. (n=171) were sampled (January-May 2016) across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest inland metropole. Rattus spp. genetic diversity was evaluated by full length (1140 bp) cyt b sequencing of 42 samples. For comparison, a further 12 R. norvegicus samples collected in Cape Town, South Africa’s largest coastal metropole, were also genotyped. Leptospira infections were identified and genotyped using real-time PCR and multi-locus (lfb1, secY, lipL41) DNA sequencing. Results Five R. norvegicus haplotypes were identified across Johannesburg, four of which have not previously been detected in South Africa, and one in Cape Town. Across Johannesburg we identified a Leptospira spp. infection prevalence of 44% (75/171) and noted significant differences in the prevalence between administrative regions within the metropole. Multi-locus sequence analyses identified a clonal genotype consistent with L. borgpetersenii serogroup Javanica (serovar Ceylonica).DiscussionThe prevalence of infection identified in this study is amongst the highest detected in Rattus spp. in similar contexts across Africa. Despite the complex invasion history suggested by the heterogeneity in R. norvegicus haplotypes identified in Johannesburg, a single L. borgpetersenii genotype was identified in all infected rodents. The lack of L. interrogans in a rodent community dominated by R. norvegicus is notable, given the widely recognised host-pathogen association between these species and evidence for L. interrogans infection in R. norvegicus in Cape Town. It is likely that environmental conditions (cold, dry winters) in Johannesburg may limit the transmission of L. interrogans. Spatial heterogeneity in prevalence suggest that local factors, such as land use, influence disease risk in the metropole. ConclusionIn South Africa, as in other African countries, leptospirosis is likely underdiagnosed. The high prevalence of infection in urban rodents in Johannesburg suggest that further work is urgently needed to understand the potential public health risk posed by this neglected zoonotic pathogen.

scholarly journals The history of the development of ballroom choreography in the Republic of South Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetiana Pavliuk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Government Support ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Ballroom Dancing ◽  
Dance Culture ◽  
African Experience ◽  
Ballroom Dance ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Republic

The purpose of the article is to analyze trends in the development of ballroom choreography in the Republic of South Africa. Research methodology is an organic set of basic principles of research: objectivity, historicism, multifactorial, systematicity, complexity, development, and pluralism, and to achieve the goal, the following methods of scientific knowledge are used: problem-chronological, concrete historical, statistical, descriptive, logical- analytical. Scientific Novelty. An attempt was made to research the topical issues of the history of the development of ballroom choreography in the Republic of South Africa. Conclusions. The versatility of the choreoplastic language of ballroom dance leads to the fact that even in those regions where ballroom choreography was historically regarded as the art of outsiders (conquerors and colonizers), which contradicts local artistic and aesthetic traditions, ballroom dancing becomes a part of the local dance culture. In addition, it is the ballroom choreography that is the very integrative element that connects local cultures that are quite far from Western thinking with the global worldview system. International cooperation between amateur dancers and professionals is promising in terms of cultural interaction and exchange of experience in the field of choreographic art. In general, the analysis of the African experience allows us to conclude that after passing through the stage of a kind of "nationalization" and adaptation by local ethics and aesthetics, ballroom choreography organically merges into the system of organizing leisure time, scenic screen art, and sports. To date, from the point of view of the development of ballroom choreography for Africa, only the overcoming of economic difficulties remains relevant. In the context of government support, ballroom choreography functions as an important resource for recovery, education, socialization of the population; it is able to fit into the national system of education, leisure, culture, and sports in the vast majority of African countries. Keywords: ballroom choreography, ballroom dance, competition dance.  

scholarly journals Sounding the Cape: Music, Identity and Politics in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis-Constant Martin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Rhythmic Pattern ◽  
Racial Identities ◽  
History Of ◽  
Musical Genres ◽  
Analytical Tools ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Musical Styles

For several centuries Cape Town has accommodated a great variety of musical genres which have usually been associated with specific population groups living in and around the city. Musical styles and genres produced in Cape Town have therefore been assigned an ìidentityî which is first and foremost social. This volume tries to question the relationship established between musical styles and genres, and social --in this case pseudo-racial --identities. In Sounding the Cape, Denis-Constant Martin recomposes and examines through the theoretical prism of creolisation the history of music in Cape Town, deploying analytical tools borrowed from the most recent studies of identity configurations. He demonstrates that musical creation in the Mother City, and in South Africa, has always been nurtured by contacts, exchanges and innovations whatever the efforts made by racist powers to separate and divide people according to their origin. Musicians interviewed at the dawn of the 21st century confirm that mixture and blending characterise all Cape Town's musics. They also emphasise the importance of a rhythmic pattern particular to Cape Town, the ghoema beat, whose origins are obviously mixed. The study of music demonstrates that the history of Cape Town, and of South Africa as a whole, undeniably fostered creole societies. Yet, twenty years after the collapse of apartheid, these societies are still divided along lines that combine economic factors and 'racial'categorisations. Martin concludes that, were music given a greater importance in educational and cultural policies, it could contribute to fighting these divisions and promote the notion of a nation that, in spite of the violence of racism and apartheid, has managed to invent a unique common culture.

scholarly journals Multi-locus sequence analyses reveal a clonal L. borgpetersenii genotype in a heterogeneous invasive Rattus spp. community across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Moseley ◽  
Kovashnee Naidoo ◽  
Armanda Bastos ◽  
Liezl Retief ◽  
John Frean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
The City

Abstract Background Rattus spp. are frequently implicated as key reservoir hosts for leptospirosis, one of the most common, but neglected, bacterial zoonoses in the world. Although leptospirosis is predicted to be a significant public health threat in Africa, studies from the continent are limited. Methods Rattus spp. (n = 171) were sampled (January–May 2016) across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest inland metropole. Rattus spp. genetic diversity was evaluated by full length (1140 bp) cyt b sequencing of 42 samples. For comparison, a further 12 Rattus norvegicus samples collected in Cape Town, South Africa’s largest coastal metropole, were also genotyped. Leptospira infections were identified and genotyped using real-time PCR and multi-locus (lfb1, secY and lipL41) DNA sequencing. Results Five R. norvegicus haplotypes were identified across Johannesburg, four of which have not previously been detected in South Africa, and one in Cape Town. Across Johannesburg we identified a Leptospira spp. infection prevalence of 44% (75/171) and noted significant differences in the prevalence between administrative regions within the metropole. Multi-locus sequence analyses identified a clonal genotype consistent with L. borgpetersenii serogroup Javanica (serovar Ceylonica). Discussion The prevalence of infection identified in this study is amongst the highest detected in Rattus spp. in similar contexts across Africa. Despite the complex invasion history suggested by the heterogeneity in R. norvegicus haplotypes identified in Johannesburg, a single L. borgpetersenii genotype was identified in all infected rodents. The lack of L. interrogans in a rodent community dominated by R. norvegicus is notable, given the widely recognised host-pathogen association between these species and evidence for L. interrogans infection in R. norvegicus in Cape Town. It is likely that environmental conditions (cold, dry winters) in Johannesburg may limit the transmission of L. interrogans. Spatial heterogeneity in prevalence suggest that local factors, such as land use, influence disease risk in the metropole. Conclusions In South Africa, as in other African countries, leptospirosis is likely underdiagnosed. The high prevalence of infection in urban rodents in Johannesburg suggest that further work is urgently needed to understand the potential public health risk posed by this neglected zoonotic pathogen.

scholarly journals History of ‘swine fever’ in Southern Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Louise Penrith
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
African Swine Fever ◽  
Classical Swine Fever ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of

The histories of the two swine fevers in southern Africa differ widely. Classical swine fever (hog cholera) has been known in the northern hemisphere since 1830 and it is probable that early cases of ‘swine fever’ in European settlers’ pigs in southern Africa were accepted to be that disease. It was only in 1921 that the first description of African swine fever as an entity different from classical swine fever was published after the disease had been studied in settlers’ pigs in Kenya. Shortly after that, reports of African swine fever in settlers’ pigs emerged from South Africa and Angola. In South Africa, the report related to pigs in the north-eastern part of the country. Previously (in 1905 or earlier) a disease assumed to be classical swine fever caused high mortality among pigs in the Western Cape and was only eradicated in 1918. African swine fever was found over the following years to be endemic in most southern African countries. Classical swine fever, however, apart from an introduction with subsequent endemic establishment in Madagascar and a number of introductions into Mauritius, the last one in 2000, had apparently remained absent from the region until it was diagnosed in the Western and subsequently the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 2005. It was eradicated by 2007. The history of these diseases in the southern African region demonstrates their importance and their potential for spread over long distances, emphasising the need for improved management of both diseases wherever they occur.

scholarly journals Multi-locus sequence analyses reveal a clonal L. borgpetersenii genotype in a heterogeneous invasive Rattus spp. community across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hamish Moseley ◽  
Kovashnee Naidoo ◽  
Armanda Bastos ◽  
Liezl Retief ◽  
John Frean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
The City

Abstract Background: Rattus spp. are frequently implicated as key reservoir hosts for leptospirosis, one of the most common, but neglected, bacterial zoonoses in the world. Although leptospirosis is predicted to be a significant public health threat in Africa, studies from the continent are limited. Methods: Rattus spp. (n = 171) were sampled (January-May 2016) across the City of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest inland metropole. Rattus spp. genetic diversity was evaluated by full length (1140 bp) cyt b sequencing of 42 samples. For comparison, a further 12 Rattus norvegicus samples collected in Cape Town, South Africa’s largest coastal metropole, were also genotyped. Leptospira infections were identified and genotyped using real-time PCR and multi-locus (lfb1, secY and lipL41) DNA sequencing. Results: Five R. norvegicus haplotypes were identified across Johannesburg, four of which have not previously been detected in South Africa, and one in Cape Town. Across Johannesburg we identified a Leptospira spp. infection prevalence of 44% (75/171) and noted significant differences in the prevalence between administrative regions within the metropole. Multi-locus sequence analyses identified a clonal genotype consistent with L. borgpetersenii serogroup Javanica (serovar Ceylonica).Discussion: The prevalence of infection identified in this study is amongst the highest detected in Rattus spp. in similar contexts across Africa. Despite the complex invasion history suggested by the heterogeneity in R. norvegicus haplotypes identified in Johannesburg, a single L. borgpetersenii genotype was identified in all infected rodents. The lack of L. interrogans in a rodent community dominated by R. norvegicus is notable, given the widely recognised host-pathogen association between these species and evidence for L. interrogans infection in R. norvegicus in Cape Town. It is likely that environmental conditions (cold, dry winters) in Johannesburg may limit the transmission of L. interrogans. Spatial heterogeneity in prevalence suggest that local factors, such as land use, influence disease risk in the metropole. Conclusions: In South Africa, as in other African countries, leptospirosis is likely underdiagnosed. The high prevalence of infection in urban rodents in Johannesburg suggest that further work is urgently needed to understand the potential public health risk posed by this neglected zoonotic pathogen.

scholarly journals The economic impact of the Volksblad Arts Festival

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Strydom ◽  
M. Saayman ◽  
A. Saayman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Arts Festivals ◽  
Event Tourism ◽  
Arts Festival ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Popular Festivals ◽  
The City

Purpose: Arts festivals, as a form of event tourism, are becoming more and more popular in South Africa with new festivals developing annually. The Volksblad Arts Festival in Bloemfontein celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2005. The purpose of this paper is to indicate the economic impact of the annual Volksblad Arts Festival on the local economy of Bloemfontein. Results are also compared with research done at other popular festivals in South Africa. Design/Methodology/Approach: The main thrust of the paper is to determine the economic impact of the Volksblad Arts Festival in Bloemfontein. More than 400 visitor questionnaires and 72 business questionnaires were administered and successfully completed during the festival that took place from 12-17 July 2005. Findings: The results show that this festival generates R18 405 653. If one compares it to festivals such as the KKNK in Oudtshoorn, the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and even Aardklop held in Potchefstroom, it is evident that Volksblad is a smaller festival and it is therefore also expected that the economic impact of the festival should be less. Implications: This paper presents a comprehensive approach to understanding the measurement of the economic impact of a festival like the Volksblad Arts Festival. It provides tourism managers of Bloemfontein with an indication of the potential of event tourism as a source of income for the city. It also indicates the need for more extensive marketing in order to increase the percentage of non-local visitors to the particular festival. Originality/Value: Bloemfontein is increasingly regarded as an event tourism destination rather than an end destination for leisure tourists. This research represents an original attempt to indicate the potential impact of events to the tourism managers of Bloemfontein as well as other destinations with similar interests.

scholarly journals Do Nations Have Stomachs? Food, Drink and Imagined Community in Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Nugent
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Imagined Community ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Rhetorical Question ◽  
History Of ◽  
Alcoholic Drinks ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Printed Word

This paper takes a rhetorical question posed by Ernest Gellner and reframes it to ask whether a sense of national identity can be forged through everyday acts of consumption – in particular, that of food and drink. The article finds value in Benedict Anderson's conception of the nation as an imagined community, but argues that it makes little sense to privilege the printed word over other forms of consumption. The article goes on to suggest that there have been significant convergences at the level of consumption, but that not all of this has led to reflection about what it means to be a member of the nation. Some lessons are drawn from literatures about music and dress, following which the attention turns to alcoholic drinks and everyday foodstuffs. The history of the consumption of beer and wine in South Africa is used as a case study for convergence in a least likely scenario. The discussion on food observes that while cuisine is not a matter of debate in many African countries, in some countries, like Ethiopia and Senegal, it is taken very seriously indeed. In South Africa, there are ongoing efforts to posit food preferences as something distinctively South African. Although the braai is often discussed in a lighthearted manner, the promotion of a sense of awareness about what all South Africans share in terms of eating habits also has a more serious side to it.

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