scholarly journals Sparks of Life: The Concept of Fire in Iron Working

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-57
Author(s):  
Randi Barndon
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
East African ◽  
Metal Production ◽  
Iron Smelting ◽  
Iron Working

The author discusses fire as a concept, with an emphasis on traditional iron working and its links with bodily based experiences played out as material metaphors as well as mental conceptions. In East African iron using communities, iron smelting was cloaked in secrecy, seclusion and gendered sexual connotations. An elaborate use of bodily based metaphors guided the use of magic and medicines and created moral laws during periods of smelting. The article will attempt to explain how concepts of fire were related to this. Some preliminary comparisons are made between Greek, Norse and African myths and legends about smiths and their role as 'masters of fire'. Finally, by drawing on case studies based on fieldwork among Fipa and Pangwa blacksmiths and former iron smelters, the author will explore the interconnections between concepts of fire, bodily based metaphors and metal production.

scholarly journals Election Management Bodies in East Africa

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Makulilo ◽  
Eugene Ntaganda ◽  
Margaret Sekaggya ◽  
Patrick Osodo
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Free Expression ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The People ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Electoral Management Bodies

The management of elections is increasingly generating impassioned debate in these East African nations - Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The bodies that manage and conduct elections are, therefore, coming under intense citizen and stakeholder scrutiny for the manner in which they are composed, how they organise and perform their mandates, and the outcomes they achieve. The effectiveness of electoral management bodies (EMBs) has largely been influenced by the impact of political violence on election management reforms in East Africa. Even in countries where EMBs are the products of reforms initiated in the aftermath of violent disputes over elections, they still face enormous challenges in dealing with electoral disputes and anticipating election-related crises. Although changes to constitutions and the laws in these countries have sought to make EMBs independent and, therefore, more inclined to deliver free, fair and credible elections, there are many issues that determine their impartiality and their ability to allow for the aggregation and free expression of the will of the people. These shortcomings negatively impact on democracy. This volume assembles case studies on the capacity of EMBs in these five East African countries to deliver democratic and transparent elections.

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