"EX AFRICA SEMPER ALIQUID NOVI": Some Random Reflections on Challenges to Christian Mission Arising in Africa in the Twenty-first Century

2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Saayman

AbstractIn this article, South African missiologist Willem Saayman outlines and reflects on four issues and challenges which arise from Africa and serve to define missiological thinking today. The first three are "problems": (1) the AIDS crisis and its implications for an African sexual morality; (2) the question of authentic contextualization or inculturation; (3) the scandal of African poverty and the call for justice in an age of globalization. The fourth issue and challenge reflects on the reasons for the growth of the church in sub-Saharan Africa. Saayman cites six reasons for such growth: (1) a holistic understanding of the gospel; (2) joy in evangelizing; (3) a non-apologetic approach to evangelism; (4) the presentation of the gospel as truly good news; (5) the worshiping of a person, not a book; and (6) mission carried out as an action in hope-against-hope. Saayman concludes with a caution about the quality of such rapid church growth. Quoting a line from the late Orlando Costas-"Sometimes, when we think the church is growing, it is actually simply getting fat!"-Saayman warns that the church needs to grow as well in theological depth and the capacity for self-critique.

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
P. Christy Pototsky ◽  
Will Cresswell

Abstract We tested if peer-reviewed conservation research output has increased in sub-Saharan African countries over the last 30 years in response to increased development. We carried out a bibliometric analysis to identify the number of conservation research papers published by national authors of 41 sub-Saharan African countries during 1987–2017, to provide an index of national conservation research output. We identified country-specific development factors influencing these totals, using general linear modelling. There were positive relationships between conservation research output and population size, GDP, literacy rate, international tourism receipts and population growth rate, and negative relationships with urban population and agricultural land cover, in total explaining 77% of variation. Thirty-eight per cent of countries contributed < 30 conservation research papers (of 12,701) in 30 years. Analysis of trends in primary authorship in a random subsample of 2,374 of these papers showed that primary authorship by sub-Saharan African authors has increased significantly over time but is now at a lower rate than primary authorship for authors from countries outside the country associated with the search term, usually a European or North American country. Overall, 46% of papers had national primary authors, but 67% of these were South African. The results show that conservation research output in sub-Saharan Africa overall is increasing but only significantly in a few countries, and is still dominated by non-national scientists, probably as a result of a lack of socio-economic development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e003499
Author(s):  
Ryan G Wagner ◽  
Nigel J Crowther ◽  
Lisa K Micklesfield ◽  
Palwende Romauld Boua ◽  
Engelbert A Nonterah ◽  
...  

IntroductionCardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are increasing in sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of these risk factors on future CVD outcomes and burden is poorly understood. We examined the magnitude of modifiable risk factors, estimated future CVD risk and compared results between three commonly used 10-year CVD risk factor algorithms and their variants in four African countries.MethodsIn the Africa-Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic studies (the AWI-Gen Study), 10 349 randomly sampled individuals aged 40–60 years from six sites participated in a survey, with blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid levels measured. Using these data, 10-year CVD risk estimates using Framingham, Globorisk and WHO-CVD and their office-based variants were generated. Differences in future CVD risk and results by algorithm are described using kappa and coefficients to examine agreement and correlations, respectively.ResultsThe 10-year CVD risk across all participants in all sites varied from 2.6% (95% CI: 1.6% to 4.1%) using the WHO-CVD lab algorithm to 6.5% (95% CI: 3.7% to 11.4%) using the Framingham office algorithm, with substantial differences in risk between sites. The highest risk was in South African settings (in urban Soweto: 8.9% (IQR: 5.3–15.3)). Agreement between algorithms was low to moderate (kappa from 0.03 to 0.55) and correlations ranged between 0.28 and 0.70. Depending on the algorithm used, those at high risk (defined as risk of 10-year CVD event >20%) who were under treatment for a modifiable risk factor ranged from 19.2% to 33.9%, with substantial variation by both sex and site.ConclusionThe African sites in this study are at different stages of an ongoing epidemiological transition as evidenced by both risk factor levels and estimated 10-year CVD risk. There is low correlation and disparate levels of population risk, predicted by different risk algorithms, within sites. Validating existing risk algorithms or designing context-specific 10-year CVD risk algorithms is essential for accurately defining population risk and targeting national policies and individual CVD treatment on the African continent.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-60
Author(s):  
Andrew McKinnon

AbstractThere is an emerging debate about the growth of Anglicanism in sub-Saharan Africa. With this debate in mind, this paper uses four statistically representative surveys of sub-Saharan Africa to estimate the relative and absolute number who identify as Anglican in five countries: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The results for Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania are broadly consistent with previous scholarly assessments. The findings on Nigeria and Uganda, the two largest provinces, are likely to be more controversial. The evidence from statistically representative surveys finds that the claims often made of the Church of Nigeria consisting of ‘over 18 million’ exceedingly unlikely; the best statistical estimate is that under 8 million Nigerians identify as Anglican. The evidence presented here shows that Uganda (rather than Nigeria) has the strongest claim to being the largest province in Africa in terms of those who identify as Anglican, and is larger than is usually assumed. Evidence from the Ugandan Census of Populations and Households, however, also suggests the proportion of Ugandans that identify as Anglican is in decline, even if absolute numbers have been growing, driven by population growth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentine Erulu ◽  
Mitchel Okumu ◽  
Francis Ochola ◽  
Joseph Gikunju

The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) ranks consistently as one of the most revered snakes in sub-Saharan Africa. It has potent neurotoxic venom, and envenomation results in rapid onset and severe clinical manifestations. This report describes the clinical course and reversal of effects of black mamba envenomation in a 13-year-old boy in the Jimba area of Malindi. The victim presented to Watamu Hospital, a low resource health facility with labored breathing, frothing at the mouth, severe ptosis and pupils non-responsive to light. His blood pressure was unrecordable, heart rate was 100 beats per minute but thready, his temperature was 35.5 °C, and oxygen saturation was 83%. Management involved suction to clear salivary secretions, several hours of mechanical ventilation via ambu-bagging, oxygen saturation monitoring, and the use of South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP) polyvalent antivenom. Subcutaneous adrenaline was used to stave off anaphylaxis. The victim went into cardiac arrest on two occasions and chest compressions lasting 3–5 min was used to complement artificial ventilation. Hemodynamic instability was corrected using IV infusion of ringers lactate and normal saline (three liters over 24 h). Adequate mechanical ventilation and the use of specific antivenom remain key in the management of black mamba envenomation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-124
Author(s):  
Johan Hough ◽  
Andre Parker ◽  
Ernst Neuland

“Africa‟s not for sissies” is what one often hears when discussing business conditions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the good news is that the new millennium increasingly exhibits significant trends in support of the notion that a reversal of SSA‟s fortunes is underway: annual GDP growth in the region is well ahead of the global average, civil wars in the region have largely come to an end and, for two years running, private equity investment flows into the region have surpassed that of foreign aid, Africa‟s traditional „crutch‟. Importantly, a small band of early-mover Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are making their presence felt in the region and beginning to make good profits. These firms include the likes of Diageo, The Coca-Cola Company, MTN and SABMiller. The purpose of this article is to research the nature and the changing face of the MNC, impact on globalization and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and some MNC strategies to enter foreign markets.


Author(s):  
Eleanor M. Fox ◽  
Mor Bakhoum

This chapter identifies four clusters of nations based on state of development, in order to highlight significant qualitative differences that may call for different law and policies. The first cluster comprises the least developed sub-Saharan African countries with the most resource-challenged competition authorities, such as Benin and Togo. The second cluster compromises nations that have advanced economically to a perceptibly higher level. The third cluster is a “group” of one—South Africa. With all of its challenges, the South African competition regime is as close to a gold standard as there is in sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, for comparison, the fourth cluster comprises the developed countries, led in particular by the European Union and the United States. These nations have open economies, fairly robust markets, good infrastructure, and good institutions. The chapter proceeds to identify, from the point of view of each of the clusters, the most fitting competition framework nationally and globally. The chapter proposes how the divergences can be brought into sympathy.


Author(s):  
Eleanor M. Fox ◽  
Mor Bakhoum

This chapter explores South African competition law. South Africa has the most sophisticated system of competition law and policy in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a mission to expand economic opportunity and facilitate inclusive development. In the wake of the UN Millennium Development Goals and the follow-on Sustainable Development Goals, there is a new world consciousness of the need to combat deep systemic poverty and to reverse the tide of increasing inequality of wealth, income, and opportunity. If there is any nation in the world whose competition law mandates integration of equity and efficiency, it is South Africa, and its policymakers are intent to address this need. The chapter looks at the South African Competition Act and highlights selected cases to illustrate the law and its implementation, including the effort by the Competition Tribunal to give serious regard to the equality and inclusiveness values that animated the statute.


Author(s):  
John F. McCauley

Charismatic Pentecostalism constitutes perhaps the most important contemporary movement in sub-Saharan Africa, combining extremely rapid growth with an informal political presence. The movement has expanded in Africa by bringing traditional spirituality into a modern setting, offering social and economic hope to both the upwardly mobile and the destitute. Despite having minority status, its messages of pending prosperity and spiritual warfare, and its astute exploitation of mass media, have positioned the Charismatic Pentecostal movement to exert important if informal influence on politics in the region. It is reshaping the channels through which resources flow from Big Men to their followers; it is implicating new and different international actors; and it is allowing followers to live fully within the church through the provision of social services. Perhaps most importantly, the movement has introduced language of national identity—of good and evil, and Christian nations—that captivates just as it divides. Its potential to influence the formal politics of institutions and parties is limited by the absence of organizational hierarchy and a central focus on remaking the individual rather than addressing social injustices. Nevertheless, by informal means, the movement has “Pentecostalized” politics in many African countries.


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