Tinodes atlasensis Ibrahimi, Mabrouki & Taybi, sp. nov. (Trichoptera: Psychomyiidae), a new species from Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The caddisfly fauna of North Africa and Morocco is still poorly known, with only a few historical and recent investigations, carried out sporadically. In this paper we describe a new species, Tinodes atlasensis Ibrahimi, Mabrouki & Taybi, sp. nov. from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The new species is closest to Tinodes baenai Gonzales & Otero, 1984, known from the Iberian Peninsula and mainly differs by the shape of segment IX, coxopodites, harpago and the process of basal plate. Tinodes atlasensis Ibrahimi, Mabrouki & Taybi, sp. nov. is the seventh known species of the genus Tinodes Curtis, 1834 from Morocco. Future caddisfly investigations in this North African country will most certainly increase the number of the known species and reveal other new ones.

Epilogue

At the end of the first chapter (1.5), I noted that, since having moved to an African country, I have considered myself to have had a moral obligation to engage with its intellectual traditions when teaching and researching. I would have rightly felt guilt had I taught merely Western ethics to African students and contributed only Euro-American-Australasian perspectives to journals published in the sub-Saharan region. Having been principally trained as an analytic moral and political philosopher, I have been in a good position to articulate normative-theoretic interpretations of African morality, to evaluate these moral theories by appealing to intuitions, and to apply them to a range of practical controversies. Now, it would be welcome if the relational moral theory I have defended in this book could explain why I had a duty to make such a contribution to the field. And indeed it does. I have had an obligation of some weight to teach and research African philosophical ideas as I am particularly able to do so for a reason that is by now familiar to the reader. In the way that a newly trained doctor has an obligation of some weight to give something back to his country before emigrating (...

An Overview of the State of Electoral Democracy in Africa

Most recent accounts paint a bleak and gloomy picture of the state of global democracy. This is particularly so in Africa where the optimism of a democratic revival in the 1990s is rapidly giving way to narratives of doom and gloom. Using survey data compiled by well-established regional and global international organisations, this paper assesses the state of electoral democracy in Africa, reviews the challenges that have been encountered, and considers the prospects for the future. The trend in the evolution of electoral democracy on the continent in the last three decades points to an authoritarian mobilisation and resurgence. Although elections have become the norm, these elections are increasingly being used to disguise all forms of undemocratic governance. The major lesson to be drawn from the study is that there is no African country where democracy and constitutionalism can be thought of as firmly consolidated and secure. The number of countries which are declining due to failed or flawed electoral processes, or which show signs of stagnation, far exceed those that have improved to one degree or another. Current developments are not random ad hoc efforts to undermine the credibility of elections and democracy but rather, rational and well-calculated responses by ruling African elites who seek to perpetuate their rule. What this points to is the need to rethink strategies for promoting genuinely competitive elections, democracy, and constitutionalism.

Risk factors for some tropical diseases in an African country

Background Often, non-clinical risk factors could affect the predisposition of an individual to diseases. Understanding these factors and their impacts helps in disease prevention and control. This study identified risk factors for malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, chickenpox, measles, hepatitis B, and urinary tract infection in a population in an African country. Methods Our study was an observational, correlational, and quantitative one that explored relationships among risk variables and disease prevalence - without modifying or controlling the variables. Data for this study was obtained through random sampling of a population of patients and physicians in the eastern/southern, western, and northern parts of Nigeria in 2015–2016. A total of 2199 patient consultation forms were returned by 102 (out of 125) physicians, and considered useful for analysis. Demographic data of patients, physicians, and diagnosis outcomes were analysed descriptively through frequency distributions, aggregate analysis, and graphs. The influence of risk factors on the disease manifestations (diagnosis outcomes) was determined using regression analysis. Results Our results show that living in a tropical climate is by far a major risk factor associated with tropical diseases (malaria: t = 19.9, typhoid: t = − 3.2, chickenpox: t = − 6.5 and typhoid: t = 12.7). The risk for contracting infections is relative to specific diseases; for example, contact with chickenpox infected person poses a high risk of contracting the virus (t = 41.8), while poor personal hygiene predisposes people to high risk of urinary tract infection (t = 23.6). On the other hand, urbanization and homelessness pose very low risks of disposing the individual to the diseases under consideration, while low fluid intake, lack of voiding, and wearing non-cotton underwear predispose individuals to few diseases. Conclusion The risk factors identified in our study exert differential and discriminating influences in the causation, predisposition, and transmission of these disease studied. It is recommended that significant effort be devoted by governments in the tropics to the mitigation of these modifiable risk factors. The most important strategy to mitigate the occurrence of these risk factors will be improving the living conditions of people and the provision of social protection measures to reduce the occurrence and burden of these diseases.

HEALTH VULNERABILITY VERSUS ECONOMIC RESILIENCE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The purpose of this study is to understand how countries have leveraged on their economic resilience to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus is on a global sample of 150 countries. The study develops a health vulnerability index (HVI) and leverages on an existing economic resilience index (ERI) to provide four main scenarios from which to understand the problem statement, namely ‘low HVI-low ERI,’ ‘high HVI-low ERI,’ ‘high HVI-high ERI,’ and ‘low HVI-high ERI’ quadrants. Countries that have robustly fought the pandemic are those in the ‘low HVI-high ERI’ quadrant and, to a lesser extent, countries in the ‘low HVI-low ERI’ quadrant. Most European countries, namely one African country (Rwanda), four Asian countries (e.g., Japan, China, South Korea, and Thailand), and six American countries (e.g., United States, Canada, Uruguay, Panama, Argentina, and Costa Rica) are apparent in the ideal quadrant.

An overview of plant collecting in Angola from 1690 to 2000

Angola is a large south-tropical African country with a rich plant diversity of over 7000 species. The vast majority of the plants collected in the country for deposition in preserved collections was obtained while Angola was under Portuguese rule. An historical analysis is presented of plant collecting in the country from the earliest times until the end of the 20th century. We also reflect on connections between biodiversity science and slavery; only recently have these links been acknowledged and receiving attention. The social environment prevalent in Angola at the time of its historical botanical exploration is discussed to enable an improved understanding of connections between scientific endeavour, colonialism, and slavery in the country. Gender- and ethnic group-based aspects are analysed and discussed.

Climate Change and Young People in Uganda: A Literature Review

The disruptions of anthropogenic climate change are increasingly severe. People living in sub-Saharan Africa are especially exposed to these risks, and amongst them young people. It is well established that climate disruptions have the potential to halt education, displace populations, and wreck infrastructure. This rigorous literature review focuses on climate change in the landlocked East African country of Uganda, demographically the world’s third youngest country, where young people struggle to get by due to insufficient work opportunities. Extended to other countries in the Eastern and Central African region, the review considers what is known about the intersection of youth livelihoods and climate change; young people’s susceptibility to climate disruption due to limited resources and livelihood options; and the constraints around their responses. The review findings suggest the need for substantial youth informed interventions to bolster young people’s economic resilience and adaptive capacity given the worsening climate change and prolonged population growth.

The Moroccan Nationalist Movement and its Anticolonial Activism from 1925 to 1944

During the latter part of the Nineteenth Century, the European colonial rivalry over Morocco intensified. The European powers targeted the North African country because of its strategic location and rich natural resources. Hence, after establishing the French and Spanish Protectorates over Morocco, the colonial powers started to implement their exploitative policies in the Sherifian Kingdom. Those policies provoked the Moroccan people, who refused any foreign presence in their country and pushed them to engage in armed resistance. However, the failure of the armed resistance to liberate Morocco and the emergence of a new generation saturated with the spirit of peaceful resistance contributed to the birth of the Moroccan nationalist movement as a political organization aiming to confront the colonizers’ plans and ambitions by peaceful means. The present paper is intended to highlight the political struggle of the Moroccan nationalist movement from its inception to 1944. More specifically, the paper aims to outline the factors contributing to the emergence of the movement and the means of actions it adopted in its peaceful struggle against colonialism. Finllay, it discusses the historical events that encouraged the nationalist movement to move from calling for reforms to calling for full independence.