Daily Archives: June 21, 2009
Doctoral Theses by Mozambicans and about Mozambique
Information about doctoral theses
The book Doctoral Theses by Mozambicans and about Mozambique contains information about 314 doctoral theses by Mozambicans and 319 doctoral dissertations by foreigners about Mozambique. The theses are presented in chronological order. Alphabetic indices of Mozambican doctorate holders and of foreigners with doctoral theses about Mozambique are included.  Thematic indices by field of research are presented. A list of Mozambican female doctorate holders is presented. Comparative tables summarize the information given in the catalogues.
This resource may help government, academia, the media, and industry locate needed talent for employment or consultation.
Paulus Gerdes, former Dean of the Faculties of Education (1983-1987) and Mathematics (1987-1989) of the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, and former Rector of the Universidade Pedagógica (1989-1996), compiled the catalogues in his capacity as President of the Commission to set up Mozambique’s third public university, Universidade Lúrio, that has its main campus in Nampula in the North of the country.
How to get a copy
Available from Amazon in English and Portuguese:
Doctoral Theses by Mozambicans and about Mozambique
or from Paul Gerdes Lulu online shopfront:Â http://stores.lulu.com/pgerdes
Suggested Books
- Mozambique (Country Guide) (new edition)
- Mozambique, 4th: The Bradt Travel Guide
- Mozambique Map (Country Map)
Resource for African Archaeology
Stone tools Montague Cave South Africa
[Photo credit: gbaku]
If you are interested in African archaeology take a look at this web site: World Wide Web Library of AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
The African-Archaeology.Net web site has developed from the “Anthropology Resources on the Internet” (ARI) directory specialising in Anthropology. It was started by Allen Lutins in 1995. It has been felt for some time the african archaeology resources listed in ARI would benefit from a specific web resource bringing together the information gathered for the last few years and stored under various topics headings.
Related articles
- The World’s Oldest Bed Is 77,000 Years Old [Archaeology] (gizmodo.com)
- Sibudu, Ancient South African Settlement, Shows Ancestors Used Insect Repellent Plants (huffingtonpost.com)
Facilitating Education in Mali
A study of Douentza in Mali
From Enabling Education Network there is an article about Facilitating Education in Mali by Sue Stubbs
Mali is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Douentza is the poorest district in Mali- 90% of the population live below the poverty line. Over half the population in this country is children. Mali has a rich history and culture. It has produced Islamic scholars, world-renowned musicians, and is home to world-renowned historic cities.
The term ‘poverty’ needs to be carefully and clearly understood; economic and material indicators do not reflect the value and richness of human life, culture and tradition.
This article demonstrates how education, and inclusive education, in a context such as Mali, cannot be understood in isolation from broader issues such as survival, food security, agriculture and the overall condition and future of children’s lives within their community. Some of the issues affecting children in this part of the world were harsh environmental conditions threatening their survival and nutrition; the lack of basic services such as water, health and education, and the impact of the HIV pandemic were identified. Women, children, people with disabilities, those who are HIV positive and nomads/semi-nopmdas were also identified as being particularly vulnerable. Certain castes and ethnic groups are excluded or discriminated against.
According to the International Labour Organisation Mali has the second highest rate of child labour in the world. However, most young children who worked did not think their work as oppressive or abusive. It won them approval and they were given considerable responsibility. It was felt that parents who prevented their children working did not have their children’s best interests at heart. Therefore, programmes in this area should not create unnecessary competition between schooling and work.
Linking school and work in Ghana and Tanzania
Preparing schoolchildren for work
Linking school and work in Ghana and Tanzania
The lack of preparedness of school leavers for the world of work is a long-standing and controversial issue. In countries such as Ghana and Tanzania, where the school system has expanded dramatically post-independence, many young people have faced difficulties finding jobs suited to their skills.
Read more
Books
Language policy in Nigeria
I’ve long been interested in the language situation in Nigeria and followed through a link today from the Language Policy List to a blog called Mobilink. The post that caught my eye waws one on Ethnic Minorities, Justice and Languages. Here’s a quote from the article:
Ethnic Minorities, Justice and Languages
I picked up a yellow-covered book recently which happened to contain the rules of the Nigerian civil service and flipped through it casually, promising myself to read the book with greater commitment in the future. To my astonishment under the language examination section, only three local languages stood clearly apart for usage, but it stipulated separately, that any other local language can be used, provided there is a ‘reasonable reason to do so.’ A wind of thoughts possessed me. Why aren’t the Igbo,Yoruba and Hausa languages subjected to such stricture? Why the qualification? What is so special about these three languages? In a country of many languages – this is a travesty and one that must be rectified quickly if sanity, justice, development must prevail. I think it is time that all Nigerians plunge their hands into helping drag Nigeria out of the doldrums.
Go here to read the full article
Suggested Books
Related articles
- Pidgin English as The Unifying Language of Nigerians (socyberty.com)
Free Resource : Child-safe organisations training toolkit
Children South Africa
[Photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection]
A useful resource for African organisations
This toolkit should be useful for African organisations working with children.
Child-safe organisations: training toolkit, King, K., Save the Children Fund (SCF) (2006)
This training programme and toolkit provides a framework for the development and practical application of child protection policies within local organisations that work with and for children. The training especially targets grassroots and local organisations which may not have the benefit of policy departments and in-house child protection specialists.
The specific aim of the training is to encourage organisations to look within their own organisations and to assess for themselves what they can do to ensure their organisations uphold best practice in child protection.
The toolkit contains three modules and a self-study guide which are organised as follows:
- Module 1: Raising awareness about child protection
- Module 2: Assessing an organization’s contact with children and how well they deal with child protection issues
- Module 3: Guidance on what organisations can do to improve their child protection status
- Self-Study Guide: information according to the structure of the training modules which helps staff to examine the status of their own organisation with regard to child protection policies, procedures and personnel.
How to get a copy
Download a pdf copy of the  Childsafe Organisations: Training Toolkit
Suggested book
Ghana : West African Wisdom, Adinkra symbols
[Photo credit: honeyblikk under a Creative Commons license]
West African Wisdom: Adinkra Symbols & Meanings
African symbols known as adinkra are ubiquitous in Ghana, a beautiful West African country on the Atlantic, situated between Cote d’Ivoire and Togo. On cloth and walls, in pottery and logos, these Asante tribe symbols can be found everywhere.
Making Adinkra cloth
[Photo credit: bookbird under a Creative Commons license]
Bookbird at Flickr.com has a great series of photos of Adinkra cloth being made. The one above is the first one in the series.
Another site to explore is the Adinkra Symbol Index which makes available high-quality renditions of these African symbols at no cost for personal and non-profit uses. Â It is well worth exploring the site.
Suggested Books and art materials
- The Adinkra dictionary: A visual primer on the language of Adinkra
- West African Adinkra Symbols: 31 Rubber Stamps
- Stencils West Africa Ghana: Ancient & Living Cultures Series: Grades 3+: Teacher Resource (Ancient and Living Cultures)
- African Symbols
- Culture and Customs of Ghana (Culture and Customs of Africa)
Related articles
- Adinkra Symbols (africanessence.wordpress.com)
Africa : Solar Water purification
This is a great idea – sterilise water by leaving bottles in the sun says an article on BBC. It takes a day to sterilise a bottle of water, but it costs nothing and is more effective than boiling. If the water can be heated to 50 degrees then it can sterilise in an hour. Most bugs causing stomach upsets will be dealt with by this method. My only question would be about the composition of the plastic in the bottles – aren’t some of them now described as dangerous when heated? (I remember reading something about baby’s bottles.)
