scholarly journals Christian Communication, Forms, Secularity, and Dimensions of Language in a Multifaceted Cultural Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-102
Author(s):  
Rufus Adebayo ◽  
Sylvia Zulu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Spiritual Values ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cultural Setting ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Religious Communication ◽  
Diverse Environment ◽  
Pentecostal Churches ◽  
The Relationship

Christian communication and the various dimensions of language are profoundly connected and interchangeably used in a multifaceted cultural setting. Christian churches in South Africa, similar to any other African countries, profess their philosophies, passions, and beliefs to multi-cultural congregations through the use of sacred languages and communication. This study posits that the uprising of Pentecostal churches has paved the way for nonspiritual dialectic languages and has also greatly lessened spiritual communication. As a result, the study highlights the relationship between language and religious communication among Pentecostal churches in a culturally diverse environment. This study employs a qualitative approach, through the gathering and categorisation of information between 20 churches located in Durban, South Africa to recognise Christian communication and the influence of secular linguistic features and their relationships with spirituality. This study has found that there are different forms and secular dimensions of language which differ from spiritual language and Christian communication. The study reveals that as modern Christian churches emerge, a revolutionised communication has evolved as compared to the language of orthodox churches. The study recommends that the use of language for religious communication and discourse should necessitate expounding spiritual values and courses of action.

scholarly journals The Role of Christian Churches in Geo-Economical and Geopolitical Rivalry of European Nations in Africa: 20th – 21st Centuries

2019 ◽  
pp. 82-92
Author(s):  
Ivan Zakharov
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Pentecostal Churches ◽  
Political Globalization ◽  
Social Partnerships

The article analyses the dynamics of Africa’s religious landscape from the perspective of European nations’ rivalry in 1910–2010 with particular attention towards the largest Christian denominations in the region – Catholic, Anglican, Dutch Reformed and Pentecostal Churches. The time frame under review is divided into Colonial and Postcolonial stages. It is established, that during Colonial stage the spread of Western Christianity in Africa was extensive and was largely motivated by the geopolitical and geo-economic interests of the leading world nations. The spread of Protestantism and Catholicism in Africa was determined by the state-confessional principle – religions formed stable nuclei in territories where they enjoyed the long-term support of colonial powers and carried out the function of its legitimation. In Postcolonial stage, due to the decline of metropolitan’s influence, Christian churches, numbering millions of adherents, have been turning into independent political and economic actors in African countries. Their competitiveness is determined by the attractiveness of the intra and extra-cult “product” offered by religions as well as the accumulated political and social partnerships of the Churches and other countries, including the governments of leading world powers, international and local organizations. In this regard, the spatial dynamics of the largest denominations of Christianity, especially Protestant, begins to acquire an intensive character, but the expansion of the nuclei of Christianity in the second half of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries still preserved. This led to the “alignment” of the Christianity geospace – if, most African countries in the early 20th century were characterized by the absolute dominance of one denomination, then by the 21st century there are almost no such countries. In other words, the boundaries of Christianity’s nucleus “blurred” due to an increase of intra-religious diversity. The article emphasizes that the role of Pentecostal Churches has grown significantly, which in the wake of the global evangelization movement have become the most important agents for the spread of the ideas of cultural, economic and political globalization in Africa. The author assumes further strengthening of the Pentecostal, Charismatic and some other denominations of Christianity in terms of their socio-political, economical and cultural influence on African countries.

scholarly journals Africa and the Commonwealth: What Relationship Since 1994?

2021 ◽  
pp. 22-32
Author(s):  
Modupeolu Faseke
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
African Continent ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Multilateral Organizations ◽  
The Relationship

The Commonwealth is a global organisation with some unique and important characteristics that complement other global multilateral organizations. Its peculiarities, most especially its networking and informal qualities, have endeared the organization until recently to her members.  In this age of internet in which smartness and alertness are highly valued, some of its traits are now becoming a thing of an anathema, regarded as a cog in the wheel of progress. African continent alone has over thirty percent of Commonwealth membership.  This paper examines Commonwealth relations with Africa since 1994 when apartheid ended in South Africa and Africans had a renewed relationship with the organization after both parties had endured a tenuous relationship in the preceding years. The study has the objective of assessing the economic and political gains Africa has derived from membership of the Commonwealth as well as to ascertain whether or not the relationship is mutually beneficial. The essay is qualitative and adopts the historical research methodology, detailing the evolution and progression in Commonwealth’s relationship with Africa during the period of study. The essay complements the use of secondary sources with primary sources. Data was therefore composed of official documents from the |Commonwealth Secretariat as well as documents from some African countries. The study concludes that Africa has benefitted immensely from the Commonwealth since 1994, despite some aspects of its relationship needing improvements. It recommends, therefore, that both parties will have to work towards a symbiotic relationship in order to enjoy a more robust partnership that is effective and impactful in the interest of all.

scholarly journals Using Google Health Trends to investigate COVID-19 incidence in Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Fulk ◽  
Daniel Romero-Alvarez ◽  
Qays Abu-Saymeh ◽  
Jarron M. Saint Onge ◽  
A. Townsend Peterson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Multiple Linear Regressions ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Derived Data ◽  
Linear Regressions

ABSTRACTObjectivesIn the present manuscript we used Internet-derived data to assess whether Google Health Trends (GHT) search counts are able to track COVID-19 incidences in Africa.MethodsWe collected COVID-19 case and death incidence for 54 African countries from February 2020 to January 2021. We used GHT to characterize COVID-19 incidence up to 24 January 2021, collecting the number of searches of four terms: ‘coronavirus’, ‘coronavirus symptoms’, ‘COVID19’, and ‘pandemic’. The terms were related to weekly COVID-19 case incidences for the study period via multiple linear regressions. We also collected 72 predictors assessing Internet accessibility, demographics, economics, etc., to explain the potential mechanisms linking the relationship between GHT searches and COVID-19.ResultsImportant increases for COVID-19 death incidence were observed for South Africa and Tunisia at the end of the study period. Our study demonstrated a lack of correlation between GHT and COVID-19 incidence for most African countries. The predictors analyzed were unhelpful in explaining the pattern of GHT statistics and their relationship to COVID-19, complicating interpretability of GHT.ConclusionsAccording to our results, GHT-based surveillance for an ongoing epidemic might be useful only in specific situations. Future studies might assess the algorithm in different epidemic contexts.

Safe sects? dynamic religion and AIDS in South Africa

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Garner
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
Pentecostal Churches ◽  
Marital Sex

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is rapidly escalating, and its demographic and social impact is beginning to be felt. Although the damage to the macro-economy is projected to be slight, the consequences for affected households will be dire, and social indicators such as life expectancy will deteriorate dramatically. A large majority of South Africans are affiliated to Christian Churches, but this has not prevented the types of sexual behaviour that promote the epidemic. Based on research in a KwaZulu township, this article presents evidence on the level of extra- and pre-marital sex (EPMS) among members of different church types. It is argued that only Pentecostal churches significantly reduce EPMS among members; and that they achieve this by maintaining high levels of four crucial variables: indoctrination, religious experience, exclusion and socialisation.

scholarly journals An Informetric Analysis of Relationship between Open Access Presence and Ranking of African Universities

Webology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Ifeanyi J. Ezema ◽  
Richard N.C Ugwuanyi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Science Policy ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
Moderate Correlation ◽  
Ranking Data ◽  
African Countries ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between open access presence and ranking of African universities. It adopted descriptive informetric to examine open access presence of African countries using Directory of Open Access Repositories (DOAR) and Research Gate scores (RGs) of the universities. Data was also extracted from the Journal Consortium (an African university ranking organisation) for metrics on African university ranking. Data on African open access presence was correlated with university rankings. Findings reveal that only twenty-four countries in Africa have records in DOAR and Research gate. Four of the countries (South Africa, Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria) contribute more over 85% of open access records in Africa and the same produced 68% of the top 100 universities in Africa. The study found a highly significant positive but moderate correlation between open access presence and ranking of African universities. It concludes that African universities need to review their science policy in line with open access initiative to enhance the visibility and ranking of the university globally.

MAKOTO AS THE INITIAL PRINCIPLE OF THE ETHICAL AND AESTHETIC BELIEFS OF THE JAPANESE

2020 ◽  
pp. 126-138
Author(s):  
M. P. Gerasimova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Moral Obligation ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
Chinese Characters ◽  
Spiritual Values ◽  
Conceptual Apparatus ◽  
Hieroglyphic Writing ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Aesthetic Ideal

Makoto (まこと, lit.: truth, genuineness, reality, “realness”) is an element of the conceptual apparatus of the traditional worldview of the Japanese. In Japan, it is generally accepted that makoto is a philosophical and aesthetic concept that underlies Japanese spirituality, involving among other principles understanding of the order and laws of the truly existing Universum (shinrabansho̅; 森羅万象) and the universal interconnectedness of things (bambutsu ittai; 万物一体), the desire to understand the true essence of everything that person meets in life, and, unlike other spiritual values, is purely Shinto in origin. After getting acquainted with the Chinese hieroglyphic writing three Chinese characters were borrowed for the word makoto. Each of these characters means truthfulness, genuineness, but has its own distinctive nuances: 真 means truth, authenticity, truthfulness, 実 signifies truth, reality, essence, content, and 誠 again means truthfulness, sincerity, and truth. Makoto (“true words”) and makoto (“true deeds”) imply the highest degree of sincerity of words and honesty, correctness of thoughts, actions, and deeds. The relationship “true words — true deeds” can be seen as one of the driving factors of moral obligation, prompting everyone in their field, as well as in relations between people, to strive to be real. This desire contributed to the formation of a heightened sense of duty and responsibility among the Japanese, which became a hallmark of their character. However, makoto has not only ethical connotation, but aesthetic one as well, and can be considered as the basis on which were formed the concept of mono no aware (もののあ われ、 物の哀れ) and the aesthetic ideal of the same name, that became the first link in the chain of japanese perceptions of beauty. Each link in this chain is an expression of a new facet of makoto, which was revealed as a result of certain elements of the worldview that came to the fore in the historical era.

Die klingende Ferne; Walter Braunfels’ Opera Die Vögel after Aristophanes’ Birds

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-371
Author(s):  
Michael Ewans
Keyword(s):  
Central Theme ◽  
Spiritual Values ◽  
Greek Comedy ◽  
Human Understanding ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract This article explores the opera Die Vögel (1920) by Walter Braunfels (1882–1954), and its reception of Aristophanes' Birds. The Introduction is substantial, as the work is little known. It is followed by an Overview of each of the two Acts, which discusses in Act I the relationship to Aristophanes (Braunfels discarded the second half of the original Greek comedy and struck out on a completely new path). Then the article analyses the development during Act II of insight into die klingende Ferne (‘the music of far away') by Hopeful, who is the principal human character in Braunfels' adaptation. It is shown that Hopeful's quest for spiritual values almost beyond human understanding is the central theme of the opera; the superiority of the life of birds, which Aristophanes treats humorously in the two parabaseis, is taken seriously in Braunfels' mystical second Act.

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.

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