African Biography and Historiography

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Entry Point ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African History ◽  
Political Biography ◽  
Biographical Dictionary ◽  
African Context ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Vast Range

Biography in the African context can take many forms, from brief entries in a biographical dictionary or obituary in a newspaper to multivolume studies of single individuals. It can encompass one or many subjects and serves both to celebrate the famous and illuminate obscure lives. Biographies can be instructional as well as inspirational. Sometimes, it is hard to draw a line between biography and autobiography because of the way a work has been compiled. An attempt is made to understand this vast range of forms, with reference to social and political biography. The main focus is on work produced since the 1970s, with examples drawn from all regions of sub-Saharan Africa (although Southern Africa is better represented than others, as is English-medium material). Matters that preoccupy biographers everywhere, such as the relationship between writer and subject and the larger relationship between biography and history, are raised. Biography can be an excellent entry point into the complexities of African history.

DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION AND FERTILITY BEHAVIOUR IN AN AFRICAN CONTEXT: AN EXAMINATION OF COUPLE DATA FROM GHANA

2008 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN OBENG GYIMAH ◽  
BAFFOUR TAKYI ◽  
ERIC YEBOAH TENKORANG
Keyword(s):  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Fertility Behaviour ◽  
Sample Data ◽  
African Context ◽  
Lower Fertility ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Religious Differences

SummaryAlthough studies have examined religious differences in fertility in sub-Saharan Africa, it is argued in this paper that using women-only sample data may be conceptually problematic in patriarchal African societies where the influence of husbands on their wives’ reproductive preferences is paramount. The present study contributes to this discourse by examining the relationship between religion and fertility behaviour using matched-couple data from Ghana. Guided by the ‘religious values’ and ‘characteristics’ hypotheses, the results indicate significant religious differences in fertility. Compared with Traditionalists, Christians and Muslims have lower fertility, albeit these differences diminish significantly after controlling for socioeconomic variables. The impact of wife’s religious denomination on marital fertility is attenuated after controlling for husband’s religious affiliation. Also, fertility was found to be higher if couples belong to the same faith compared with those of different faiths.

The Age of the Prophets (1900–1930)

2020 ◽  
pp. 581-604
Author(s):  
David W. Kling
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Ivory Coast ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African History ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Village ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter begins by examining the relationship between Christianity and colonialism in sub-Saharan Africa and assessing Christianity’s explosive growth in the twentieth century. Indeed, accounting for conversion to Christianity in Africa has been a much-discussed topic among historians, sociologists, anthropologists, missiologists, and theologians. The chapter then moves to consider the conversion and converting mission of William Wadé Harris, the single greatest evangelist in African history and the quintessential representative of numerous prophet-healing movements in West Africa in the first decades of the twentieth century. Crucial to the extension of the gospel and conversion of the Dida people of the southern Ivory Coast was the composition of hymns to the Christian God. As typified the Christianization process throughout a largely illiterate Africa, neither text nor catechism but song became the village people’s theology.

scholarly journals HIV and cardiovascular disease in sub-Saharan Africa: Demographic and Health Survey data for 4 countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard E. Egede ◽  
Rebekah J. Walker ◽  
Patricia Monroe ◽  
Joni S. Williams ◽  
Jennifer A. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Demographic And Health Survey ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Investigate the relationship between two common cardiovascular diseases and HIV in adults living in sub-Saharan Africa using population data provided through the Demographic and Health Survey. Methods Data for four sub-Saharan countries were used. All adults asked questions regarding diagnosis of HIV, diabetes, and hypertension were included in the sample totaling 5356 in Lesotho, 3294 in Namibia, 9917 in Senegal, and 1051 in South Africa. Logistic models were run for each country separately, with self-reported diabetes as the first outcome and self-reported hypertension as the second outcome and HIV status as the primary independent variable. Models were adjusted for age, gender, rural/urban residence and BMI. Complex survey design allowed weighting to the population. Results Prevalence of self-reported diabetes ranged from 3.8% in Namibia to 0.5% in Senegal. Prevalence of self-reported hypertension ranged from 22.9% in Namibia to 0.6% in Senegal. In unadjusted models, individuals with HIV in Lesotho were 2 times more likely to have self-reported diabetes (OR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.08–3.73), however the relationship lost significance after adjustment. Individuals with HIV were less likely to have self-reported diabetes after adjustment in Namibia (OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.12–0.72) and less likely to have self-reported hypertension after adjustment in Lesotho (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.47–0.83). Relationships were not significant for Senegal or South Africa. Discussion HIV did not serve as a risk factor for self-reported cardiovascular disease in sub-Saharan Africa during the years included in this study. However, given the growing prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in the region, and the high prevalence of undiagnosed cardiovascular disease, it will be important to continue to track and monitor cardiovascular disease at the population level and in individuals with and without HIV. Conclusions The odds of self-reported diabetes in individuals with HIV was high in Lesotho and low in Namibia, while the odds of self-reported hypertension in individuals with HIV was low across all 4 countries included in this study. Programs are needed to target individuals that need to manage multiple diseases at once and should consider increasing access to cardiovascular disease management programs for older adults, individuals with high BMI, women, and those living in urban settings.

Genetic polymorphism and population structure ofEchinococcus ortleppi

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (4) ◽  
pp. 450-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. ADDY ◽  
M. WASSERMANN ◽  
F. BANDA ◽  
H. MBAYA ◽  
J. ASCHENBORN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Polymorphism ◽  
South America ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa

SUMMARYThe zoonotic cestodeEchinococcus ortleppi(Lopez-Neyra and Soler Planas, 1943) is mainly transmitted between dogs and cattle. It occurs worldwide but is only found sporadically in most regions, with the notable exception of parts of southern Africa and South America. Its epidemiology is little understood and the extent of intraspecific variability is unknown. We have analysed in the present study the genetic diversity among 178E. ortleppiisolates from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and South America using the complete mitochondrialcox1(1608 bp) andnad1(894 bp) DNA sequences. Genetic polymorphism within the loci revealed 15cox1and sixnad1haplotypes, respectively, and 20 haplotypes of the concatenated genes. Presence of most haplotypes was correlated to geographical regions, and only one haplotype had a wider spread in both eastern and southern Africa. Intraspecific microvariance was low in comparison withEchinococcus granulosussensu stricto, despite the wide geographic range of examined isolates. In addition, the various sub-populations showed only subtle deviation from neutrality and were mostly genetically differentiated. This is the first insight into the population genetics of the enigmatic cattle adaptedEchinococcus ortleppi. It, therefore, provides baseline data for biogeographical comparison amongE. ortleppiendemic regions and for tracing its translocation paths.

scholarly journals The Regime-Switching Behaviour of Exchange Rates and Frontier Stock Market Prices in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Maud Korley ◽  
Evangelos Giouvris
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Regime Switching ◽  
Markov Switching ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Var Model ◽  
High Volatility ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Fx Market

Frontier markets have become increasingly investible, providing diversification opportunities; however, there is very little research (with conflicting results) on the relationship between Foreign Exchange (FX) and frontier stock markets. Understanding this relationship is important for both international investor and policymakers. The Markov-switching Vector Auto Regressive (VAR) model is used to examine the relationship between FX and frontier stock markets. There are two distinct regimes in both the frontier stock market and the FX market: a low-volatility and a high-volatility regime. In contrast with emerging markets characterised by “high volatility/low return”, frontier stock markets provide high (positive) returns in the high-volatility regime. The high-volatility regime is less persistent than the low-volatility regime, contrary to conventional wisdom. The Markov Switching VAR model indicates that the relationship between the FX market and the stock market is regime-dependent. Changes in the stock market have a significant impact on the FX market during both normal (calm) and crisis (turbulent) periods. However, the reverse effect is weak or nonexistent. The stock-oriented model is the prevalent model for Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Irrespective of the regime, there is no relationship between the stock market and the FX market in Cote d’Ivoire. Our results are robust in model selection and degree of comovement.

Firearms in Southern Africa: A survey

1971 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shula Marks ◽  
Anthony Atmore
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Settler Population ◽  
White Settlement

The relationships of the peoples of southern Africa after the establishment and expansion of the white settlement in the mid-seventeenth century can be seen in terms of both conflict and interdependence, both resistance and collaboration. The conflict often split over into warfare, not only between black and white, but also within both groups. As time passed, firearms came to be used by ever-widening circles of the combatants, often as much the result of the increased collaboration and interdependence between peoples as of the increased conflict. As Inez Sutton has pointed out, ‘in contrast to most of the rest of [sub-Saharan] Africa, the presence of a settler population ensured that the supply of arms was the most modern rather than the most obsolete’, and on the whole non-whites were acutely aware of changes in the manufacture of firearms in the nineteenth century.

A phenomenological study of time concept and management and productivity in a sub–Saharan African context

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
James B Abugre
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Phenomenological Psychology ◽  
Private Organizations ◽  
African Context ◽  
Flexible Resource ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Study Participants

The purpose of this article was to investigate the concept of time and its management in relation to productivity. Consequently, this work employed phenomenological psychology to unearth the experiences of employees on the concept of time management and its impact on productivity using Ghana as a study. Participants involved both local and expatriate workers sharing their experiences on the subject matter in a conversational style. Results indicated that clock time is considered a flexible resource in both social and professional settings. Findings also revealed that time management drives productivity, and its orientation is consequential to the cultural behaviors of local employees in both public and private organizations based on the quality of their corporate cultures. Hence, rigid timelines can turn around public organizations in sub-Saharan Africa and the world as a whole.

The Relationship between Theatre and Ritual in the Sogo bò of the Bamana from Mali

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-240
Author(s):  
Marie Kruger
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Associate Professor ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Repetitive Nature ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Metaphorical Expression ◽  
The University ◽  
Shifting Boundaries ◽  
The Relationship

The Sogo bò, primarily an animal masquerade, can be distinguished from Western theatre through its use of a fluid space with shifting boundaries between spectator and performer. An oral tradition dictates the characterization, scenario, and content. The resemblance to ritual can be found in structural elements such as its repetitive nature and the use of non-realistic performance objects and motions. As in ritual, there is a clear sense of order, an evocative presentational style, and a strong collective dimension. The functional resemblance lies in the complex metaphorical expression through which relationships and values are symbolized, objectified, and embodied in a highly artistic way. Marie Kruger is an associate professor and the Chair of the Department of Drama at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, where puppetry is offered as a performance and research option. Her research is focused on masquerades in Africa and the various contemporary applications of puppetry in sub-Saharan Africa.

Elite violence and elite numeracy in Africa from 1400 CE to 1950 CE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joerg Baten ◽  
Kleoniki Alexopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Early Development ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African History ◽  
African Development ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract How can we trace early African development? The share of rulers’ known birth year has been identified as an indicator of elite numeracy in African regions since 1400, and the share of murdered rulers allows us to gain insights into interpersonal violence behaviour of African elites. From this emerges a dynamic picture of quantitative African history: the absence of elite violence and high elite numeracy developed jointly in sub-Saharan Africa. Some African regions, such as today’s Ethiopia and Angola, took the lead in early development but also experienced severe declines. Development in Africa was, on average, later than in Northwestern Europe.

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