Africa in the Global Space – serie

Juxtaposing qualitative as well as quantitative facts across the broader African continent, the authors explore critical issues compounding developmental woes of the continent at the present. Despite the facts being on the fringes as explanations to the sluggish development of Africa, the authors show how they interact in shaping its development discourse. The authors also study unfolding events on the unforgiving global economy which have added to the misery of the continent. This book is an enthralling account which interrogates Africa’s present realities and how they interplay to further stagnate the continent. The authors add a new voice to issues affecting development by venturing into largely unexplored niches of Africa’s development conundrum.

Scholars in this edited collection tackle the issue of teaching students Technology while Technology Education has not been decolonized or made relevant to indigenous technological worldviews. This book provides solutions that address the question: How to decolonize Technology Education? The solutions include the African Technology Education Decolonization Framework that should guide the design and development of the Technology Education curriculum and its methodologies in tune with the local realities and tailored towards the African agenda on sustainable development. This book offers fresh ideas to conceptualize Technology Education from an indigenous perspective.

This book discusses the pivotal role of African indigenous knowledge systems (AIKS) in promoting, enhancing, and sustaining livelihoods in Africa. The authors argue that AIKS are of central importance in the development of sustainable livelihoods, particularly in rural communities. In their analysis, they draw on interdisciplinary research in the fields of agriculture, cultural and indigenous studies, development studies, education, geography, political science, and sociology. The objective is to make AIKS more applicable to mainstream educational and development agendas in Africa, a pressing issue in areas where Eurocentric scientific practices are cost prohibitive. The Dynamic of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems will be of interest to development professionals, policy makers, academics, students, and anyone interested in the field of AIKS and sustainable development in rural communities.

Yoruba Idealism questions, debates, and redefines the assumed epistemology in Yoruba idealism. It is a work in two parts. The first is built around a study of divinity–philosopher Orunmila, the mentalist, the father of Yoruba idealism, and the cultivator of Ifa–Ife Divination. This project, the first of its kind, sheds new light on the nature of Yoruba culture. The author’s central argument is that the Yoruba people are idealists by nature. Combining indigenous knowledge with the wisdom of Orunmila, the author defines Yoruba idealism as the ideal purpose of life, the search for the meaning of life, and the yearning for the best in life.The second part, The Mystic Land: Path to Initiation and Idealism, features Kinedi, a fifteen-year-old boy from Las Palmetto, the capital of Zala, who journeys to the Altar of Light and Idealism in order to be initiated, gain knowledge, and comprehend the value of idealism, in addition to obtaining the key of life. This book is the first of its kind and is an important new addition to the series Africa in the Global Space.

Historical and current educational perspectives are epistemologically challenging to weave together. The contributors brought together in this book have risen to that challenge and, in the process, have produced a detailed and thorough account of the issues and processes at play.Science, Mathematics, and Technology (SMT) education is recognised globally as a means of developing critically needed human capital. In Zimbabwe, SMT subjects constitute a significant component of the curriculum which, since political independence in 1980, has emphasised application-oriented, experientially-based teaching and learning. Efforts to mainstream this approach have resulted in several significant reforms to the country’s education system. Relatedly, there are ongoing attempts to boost uptake in SMT subjects and, through them, to develop such professional skills as problem-solving, lifelong learning, teamwork, critical thinking, and the capacity to contribute and adapt to our rapidly changing world.There is a self-evident need to document progress made in these efforts and, in the process, to carefully examine issues at play, challenges met, and solutions developed. This book, developed through a partnership involving Zimbabwean editors and authors, was developed to fulfil this need. It is long overdue.

Over recent decades, developing nations have been the beneficiaries of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from European and North American countries. ODA remains the central mechanism in sustaining and financing actions and processes related to international development. Despite these investments, experts continue to raise concerns about Africa’s poor performance on several development indicators. This book discusses the main challenges to aid effectiveness in Africa, with a specific focus on the health sector. It provides policymakers, scholars, and development experts with innovative strategies and policy recommendations for refining aid management. The book also provides critical analysis of several global developmental frameworks and related international action plans and commitments, ranging from the 2030 Global Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals to the Paris Climate Agreement. Lastly, the book also analyzes several theoretical frameworks on development, including modernization, world systems, international dependency, neoclassical growth, the concept of gross national happiness, and human development. "Dr Sobtafo brings a wealth of experience and broad practice to bear in what is an important reflective analysis on aid effectiveness and the nexus with development performance. There are lessons and insights that reach beyond Africa."—Michael Upton, New Zealand Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union "The book does first of all place people at the centre of the analysis, hence the pertinence of health and development as a focus. It further questions the common certainties on ODA and economic development and expands the discussion to include key drivers of human development and the necessity of partnership in an interdependent world. A pragmatic approach to deepen our understanding of complex issues that require more than simple solutions. Great ideas and questions for scholars, policy makers, and health and development practitioners."— Elhadj As Sy, Chairman, Koffi Annan Foundation; Former Secretary General, The International Federation of Red Cross Crescent Societies (IFRC); and Former UNICEF Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa

The Nso’ Concept of Time explores cosmology among the Nso’ people of north-western Cameroon. It examines the concept of time within the Nso’ world view, along with its implications for culture and traditional religion. The author addresses a wide range of metaphysical, ethical, anthropological, existential, and epistemological issues not only in relation to wider African philosophy, but also in relation to Western conceptions of time. The book is an important new contribution to African philosophy, cultural anthropology, African traditional religion, cosmology, and African metaphysics. It will appeal to scholars and students in a wide range of related disciplines. "This book is most certainly a first in the study of the Nso’ concept of time. Remi Prospero Fonka has excavated, carefully analyzed, and presented in readable form, a complex metaphysics of time within the Nso’ worldview. Students and researchers in African cultural studies, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology will find this book a useful resource. Those interested in comparative philosophy will also find in this book a cross-cultural phenomenological confrontation with Western cosmo-metaphysical models."—Nelson Shang, Lecturer of Philosophy, The University of Bamenda and The Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda "By highlighting the importance of always considering the concept of time alongside aspects of the universe or cosmos, Remi Prospero Fonka succinctly and with meticulous methodology, avails the opportunity for an understanding of the measurement of African time. The cross-cultural confrontations especially with phenomenological existentialists makes this book a necessary tool for students and researchers in multicultural studies, African philosophy, cosmology, African traditional religion, and African metaphysics."—Valentine Banfegha Ngalim, Associate Professor of Philosophy, The University of Bamenda, Cameroon

This book explores African philosophic sagacity, with its emphasis on wisdom, critical reflection, conflict resolution, and communal relevance. Sagacity seeks not only to outline and discuss traditional African cultural values, but also to apply those values in rational and practical ways in order to build a new society. Besides demonstrating the importance of sagacity in philosophy, the book outlines and discusses how it can be applied to pressing social and cultural issues across Africa. These include education, climate ethics, the institution of “widow” guardianship, and the naming system among the Luo ethnic group of Kenya. This is a robust and practical guide to African philosophic sagacity, as well as a passionate argument for its widespread adoption. It is a vital new contribution to an underappreciated field of thought in contemporary Africa.

Step into the rich tapestry of Nandom, a resilient community in West Africa, as this meticulously researched work uncovers the origins, traditions, and evolution of its people. Addressing a historical gap, the author combines academic rigor with a compelling narrative to explore Nandom’s transformative moments. The journey begins with Zenuo, the Dikpielle ancestor, tracing the arrival of the Bekuone, Kpielle, Birifuole/Baakaale, Kuselbe Gbaane/Gane/Berewuole, Bekyiine, and Metuole clans, and the Ninbule. The book also highlights Nandom’s role in domestic slavery and the slave trade. It further delves into the settlement history of villages along the Black Volta Basin—Gungunkpe, Tuopare, Dabagteng, Naapaal, Kogle, Ketuo, and Kokoligu. This case study provides readers with an intricate view of settlement and community development, making it an essential read for those interested in the history of northern Ghana.

The aim of this book is to revisit the African past in search of values and knowledge that might be used in tandem with modern ways to create a more sustainable future. The African tradition has sustained human life since time immemorial, and represents a wealth of knowledge: pre-colonial Africa had many flourishing cultures and a wide variety of economic activities. This way of life was deep rooted in African values of ubuntu, informed mainly by a humanistic and communitarian ethic. In their interaction with the environment, African communities were largely in harmony with their environment. This was facilitated through taboos, which were meant to protect the environment, as well as through storytelling and the totem system. After colonization, new cultures gradually replaced tradition, and new values were introduced to African life. Modern ways of production were also ushered in, including agricultural mechanization in farming, which supported for an expanding population but further undermined traditional methods. This book asks how the benefits of contemporary practice can be combined with traditional African values in the pursuit of a more sustainable way of life. It will be of interest to all those studying Indigeneous knowledge systems and their applicability to current and future society in Africa.

A Hidden Genocide explores the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, now ongoing for three decades, and its global ramifications. The violence has caused more deaths than any other conflict since World War II, and has been shaped by global capitalism and consumerism, and yet it is often overlooked: many people in the developed world are unaware of the war, and of how our actions as consumers have contributed to it. In this book, author Megan Goins examines the history of the conflict in its African and global context, as well as the reasons it has been so widely ignored around the world. Her analysis spans the history of the twentieth century, from Belgian colonialism to today’s conflict mineral trade. She also examines wars in neighboring Rwanda and Burundi, which have significantly affected the Congo, with violence spreading across borders. This book provides a comprehensive picture of the country, its neighbors and their role in the violence, primary rebel militias, conflict mineral trade, and the international community. It will be essential reading for all those interested in warfare and violence in contemporary Africa, as well as their international repercussions.