Humor and scatology in contemporary Zulu ceremonial songs

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-83
Author(s):  
Noleen Turner
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rites Of Passage ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
Young Girls ◽  
Kwazulu Natal

AbstractThis article focuses on humor embedded in the delivery and lyrics of a form of song sung by Zulu women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa still widely practiced in rural areas, called amaculo omgonqo ‘puberty songs.’ The aim is to ascertain how and why young Zulu females sing these unusual songs which are normally sung in the days preceding two rites of passage ceremonies; firstly, the umhlonyane ceremony, which is held to mark a young girl’s first menstruation during her puberty years, and secondly, approximately 10 years later, the umemulo ‘coming of age’ ceremony which is held for young girls who have reached marriageable age. Analysis is made of the unusual use of scatological and ribald language in these songs, which are sung by young girls before these two ceremonies. These songs are rendered socially acceptable only because of the context in which they are sung, and for the bawdy humor which is core to the lyrics.

Improving food security in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa: Too little, too slow

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (4-05) ◽  
pp. 468-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijke D'Haese ◽  
Nick Vink ◽  
Tharcisse Nkunzimana ◽  
Ellen Van Damme ◽  
Johan van Rooyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Kwazulu Natal

scholarly journals Gendered Perceptions of Sexual Behaviour in Rural South Africa

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ndinda ◽  
U. O. Uzodike ◽  
C. Chimbwete ◽  
M. T. M. Mgeyane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Rural South ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Rural South Africa

This paper discusses sexual behaviour findings collected through eleven homogenous focus group discussions conducted among women and men in a predominantly Zulu population in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The objective of this paper is to shed light on sexual behaviour in a rural community. The findings suggest that sex is a taboo subject and the discussion around it is concealed in the use of polite language, euphemisms, and gestures. There are gender and generational dimensions to the discussion of sex. The contribution of this paper lies in the identification of what rural people discuss about sex and the influence of cultural practices and urban or global forces on sexual behaviour in rural areas. The paper adds to the growing body of literature on the use of focus groups in understanding sexual behaviour in rural contexts.

scholarly journals Factors influencing uptake of schistosomiasis research findings in ingwavuma area, uMkhanyakude District, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tafadzwa Mindu ◽  
Moses J. Chimbari
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Research Uptake ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background: Research uptake is concerned with spreading ideas across multiple levels of the community. Barriers such as poverty, lack of infrastructure, illiteracy and culture prevent information sharing in arid rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: This study explores the factors influencing schistosomiasis research uptake and the available channels for the uptake of research findings from a transdisciplinary and eco-health research project on schistosomiasis in Ingwavuma area, uMkhanyakude district, KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. Methods: This case study conducted in 2017 involved 78 primary school children and 73 heads of household recruited through convenience and purposive sampling. Data were collected through focus group discussions, then transcribed and analysed by the researcher using thematic analysis. Results: Factors such as poor knowledge, water and sanitation problems, and lack of sufficient health workers hindered the uptake of schistosomiasis research findings. Participants recommended several platforms to share schistosomiasis research findings with the community, including: door to door visits; social gatherings such as sports events, talent shows, and religious gatherings; mass media platforms such as radio and television; social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter; and printed media such as posters, booklets and pamphlets. Conclusions: There is a need to train health workers and peer educators in this area of South Africa to educate people about schistosomiasis infection, screening and treatment through home visits or social events. Schistosomiasis research findings must be synthesised and packaged in different forms for dissemination via multimedia media-based communication channels.

scholarly journals South Africa: Who uses youth centers and why?

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Life Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Research Unit ◽  
Recreational Activities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Youth Centers

In 2000, the Reproductive Health Research Unit in KwaZulu Natal and the Population Council conducted an assessment of 12 youth centers and 7 affiliated peer education programs. The 12 centers, located in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, offer very different services. The two centers of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health focus on providing reproductive health (RH) information and services to adolescents. The six centers of the Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Project provide a broader range of youth-friendly RH services, including counseling and life skills education, as well as modest recreational activities. The four centers run by loveLife have large multipurpose facilities with a wide range of recreational activities, vocational and life skills training, and RH services. This brief states that less than one-third of local youth have ever visited the youth centers in this study area of South Africa. More than half of the youth center visitors were sexually experienced but visiting a center had little discernible effect on RH knowledge or safer sexual behavior. Youth want friendly, nonjudgmental providers; youth-only facilities and young providers are less important.

scholarly journals Hypertension care cascade in the Ingwavuma rural community, uMkhanyakude District, KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12372
Author(s):  
Herbert Chikafu ◽  
Moses Chimbari
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
High Blood Pressure ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Care Cascade ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Hypertension Screening ◽  
And Control

Background Treatment and control of hypertension are associated with a substantial reduction in adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes. Although South Africa aims to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases, there is limited evidence on the hypertension care cascade (HCC) performance in rural areas where stroke and hypertension are high. This study estimated HCC performance and identified predictors of hypertension screening among adults in the Ingwavuma community of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected using the WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) questionnaire from 400 adult participants, excluding pregnant women and those with physical or cognitive impairments. Three hundred and ninety-three participants had complete data, and 131 had high blood pressure. We calculated progression rates for screening, diagnosis, treatment and control of hypertension from the sub-sample of participants with high blood pressure and assessed the bivariate association between HCC stages and participant characteristics and their effect sizes. We used binary and multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of hypertension screening. Results Eighty-eight per cent of participants reported prior screening for hypertension. However, only 53.5% of patients under pharmacological treatment for hypertension had controlled blood pressure. In bivariate regression, employed participants were 80.3% (COR = 0.197, 95% CI [0.042–0.921]) more likely to be screened. In multivariable regression, the likelihood of hypertension screening was 82.4% (AOR = 0.176, 95% CI [0.047–0.655]) lower among participants in a cohabiting union than single participants. Similarly, employed participants were 87.4% (AOR = 0.129, 95% CI [0.017–0.952]) less likely to be screened than their unemployed counterparts. Conclusions The considerable attrition from the HCC across socio-demographic categories indicates a need for community-wide interventions. Empowering health care workers for community-based health promotion and hypertension management through point-of-care diagnostic tools could improve HCC performance. Efforts to improve the HCC should also focus on social determinants of health, notably gender and formal educational attainment.

Coming of Age, Peer Groups, and Rites of Passage

2009 ◽  
pp. 280-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Calame
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Rites Of Passage ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
Peer Groups ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
Young Girls ◽  
The Individual

In comparing the symposium to a Männerbund (brotherhood), this article reflects on its role as a backdrop to the discourse of social ‘initiation’ in a broader discussion of ‘rites of passage’ – rituals that more or less explicitly sacramentalize and define the development of the individual as a social being in ancient Greece, as in other societies. It discusses the rites of passage for groups of adolescents, initiation processes for young people, choral education for young girls, and narrative logic and aetiology.

Selected Key External Factors Influencing the Success of Rural Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 331-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence M. Lekhanya ◽  
Roger B. Mason
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Rural Businesses ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Skills Shortages

Small businesses are critical to improving economic development in rural areas of South Africa. However, rural entrepreneurs are still faced with challenges and problems which make the success of small businesses, especially in rural areas, uncertain. This paper investigates business environmental, financial and infrastructural factors that influence the success or otherwise of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas. Primary data was collected in five rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from a sample of 374 business owners/managers, with respondents completing a questionnaire. Access to finance and skills shortages were the factors that most significantly differentiated between more successful and less successful rural businesses in KZN. The majority of respondents indicated that poor roads/transport and access to electricity were major problems.

scholarly journals Factors Relating to Late Presentation of Patients With Breast Cancer in Area 2 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 497-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon R. Čačala ◽  
José Gilart
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Late Presentation ◽  
Skin Change ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Average Size

Purpose Patients with breast cancer (BC) in Area 2 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, often present with advanced disease. We performed a review of the patients’ sociodemographic characteristics and their reasons for late presentation to identify what changes could be made to improve time to presentation. Patients and Methods Fifty women with T1, T2, T3, or T4 BC were assessed for sociodemographic data. Patients in T3 and T4 groups were asked to provide reasons for late presentation. Results Of 172 patients, 50 had T2, T3, or T4 BC, and 22 had T1. Age ranged from 23 to 100 years (average, 56 years). There was no significant difference in age for different tumor sizes. The average size of a T1 tumor was 1.8 cm; T2, 3.6 cm; T3, 11.4 cm; and T4, 14.8 cm. Regarding education, 19% of patients had never attended school (T1, 5%; T2, 12%; T3, 22%; T4, 32%), and 19% had completed their education (finished 12th grade). The average education level was 6th grade. Patients with larger tumors had less education ( P < .05). Of the patients who lived in rural areas, 41% had T1, 52% had T2, 66% had T3, and 78% had T4 tumors ( P < .01). Patients with larger tumors were associated with having less electricity in their homes than patients with smaller tumors ( P < .05). Patients presented with a variety of symptoms. A breast lump was the presenting complaint in 96% of T1 and T2, 68% of T3 and 32% of T4; with a nipple or skin change, 2% of T3 and 8% of T4; because their families insisted, 6% of T3 and 8% of T4; because of pain, 24% of T3; and because of pain with malodorous smell, 50% of T4. Patients’ reasons for late presentation were fear (40%), not aware of disease severity (40%), fear of losing a breast (40%), referral problems (34%), financial problems (8%), and transportation problems (6%). Approximately 33% sought medical help from traditional healers, and 65% regularly attended clinics. Conclusion Patients who presented late often lived in rural areas with fewer amenities (such as having no electricity in their homes), less education, and poor understanding of BC. Pictorial information about BC needs to be introduced to people who live in rural communities, and opportunistic screening needs to be provided at local clinics.

Availability of Condoms in Urban and Rural Areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 353-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Gilmour ◽  
Salim S. Abdool Karim ◽  
Helena J. Fourie
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas
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