africanjourney

Witchcraft and Soccer

2004-07-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's funny how no matter what religion a person or persons practice they seem to think that it is essential to any parts of their life or life's activities. This article was done by a sports writer named Lwazi Dlamini for the Times of Swaziland. It is an article done about witchcraft being practised in African soccer to guarantee good performance from the players. The favorite team is the one considered to have good luck due to the witchcraft rituals and the opposing team is to have bad luck. There have been some controversy surrounding this kind of behavior and some say this kind of practice should not be allowed. There are "healers" who are allowed to have contact with the players to empower them for the game by routine of medicines and prayer sessions. In some cases the player's body is pricked with the sharp point of the porcupine quill, and a powdery medicine is rubbed into the bloodstream trough these pin-prick wounds. This not only fortify the player physically, but also act as communication tol to bring the ancestral spirits to the athlete. It is believed that the ancestral spirits will guide the player to make him do his best.

This practice is seen by some soccer coaches as a psychological boost for the player, if a player believes he/she has the ancestral spirits on their side, they can play like they are inspired. But this practice is also viewed from a darker side as tricks and witchcraft to do the opposing team harm or to cast evil spells on them. It is common to see a goat being slaughered right on the sidelines before a match supposedly in honor of and ancestor. However, the guts of the goat are poured onto the ground where the opposing team would have to walk over. (What a distraction this must be)

I think if this practice is solely for the purpose of boosting the players psychic or to heal his body in some way this would be okay. But to delibrately distract others by doing something in a malicious manner would seem to promote bad sportsmanship. I say keep the games clean and let the better man win.

Kibaki Faces Aid Freeze Over Graft

2004-07-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407061154.html

I read this piece and thought it was very interesting how even now other countries have to get involved in Africa's affairs in order to stop corruption. This particular story explains how top authorities in Kenya is running the business of corruption for private and personal gain. The eight missions which include: U.S. Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland have written a mission statement that demanded this corruption be stopped or they will no longer support Kenya with money. President Kibaki was ordered to sack and prosecute those that are involved with this scandal but it appears that he has failed to comply. There have also led to allegations of a cover-up with the attempt to demote the president's advisor who is in charge of investigating the corruption and it's players.

This particular article brought to my mind the SAP's that were mentioned in the G & G textbook in chapter 4. In order to satisfy the demand of the dominant class they had to meet the requirements of the (IMF)International Monetary Fund in order to get more money (loans). These requirements meant that outsiders would have to basically set up guidelines in how the government should be run. African leaders both then and now are not fans of this idea however. After the Cold War Countries such as Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Angola had monies cut off and were pressured to accommodate political change.

This shows that even today there is a constant demand for change and a heightened expectation Africans have for political transformation. Even though countries all over the world would like to think themselves as the better advocates in running their government it is mostly good that there are neighboring countries who find it necessary to see to it that these leaders are playing fair and not stomping the poor and under privileged just to gain more for themselves. That's another reason I believe democracy is a treasure in this country that we live in.

Women In Africa

2004-06-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Resources: Gordon & Gordon.

I found it very it delightful that women were noted as having a hand in the shaping and molding of today's Africa. They played major roles in many apects of the growing country. Their roles ranged from farmers to political activist. Some women were educated and some were not. Never-the-less they all had a hand in the growth of africa.

In precolonial africa, women held positions such as cheifs among the menfolk in some areas. The figure of the queen mother in many societies was ver influentioal, and it was she who selected the king. Women warriors fought and lead other warriors in battle. Even though women had these positions men tend to have the more formal authority position. African women played a vital economic role as well as being mothers. They were also producers: they grew most of the family's food, tended animals, and made tools and other articles used by the family. They cooked, helped construct residences and other buildings, hauled wood, and so on.

During the colonial era women had already loss a great deal of autonomy due to warfare, disease and slavery. Female powersand rights were ignored or underminded. Women became a form of property to be controlled as they lost effective control over their own labor.

Even today women in Sub-Saharan Africa are still employed in agriculture and it is estimated that women do 70-80 percent of the agricultural labor and produce up to 80% of the staple food. According the the World Bank, women work much more than men; an average woman's work day is 50% longer. (does this sound familiar).

Today, women pursue either marriage or an informal sexual relationship to survive or gain personal advancement. The novels by Achebe,s (Anthills of the Savannah) and Ngugi's (Devil on the Cross) seem to be good sources to indicate how women are portrayed and treated. It is also noted in the text that given Africa's critical economic and plitical problems, it is clear that suppressing the talents and skills of women to protect men's privileges is an enormous waste of human resources that Africa can no longer afford.

Tropical Diseases In Africa

2004-06-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

I found quite a bit of information at different sites concerning tropical diseases in Africa and other countries such as Southeast Asia and South America.

The severity of diseases in tropical areas is due to widespread poverty, in other words... Because of low national incomes, most developing countries cannot afford to buy vaccines to prevent poliomyelitis, measles, and yellow fever. Poor sanitation is especially to blame for the spread of cholera, in which the infecting agent is transmitted through contaminated sewage, and schistosomiasis, in which the intermediate vector, a snail, lives in contaminated water. And climate makes disease in tropical regions more severe by reducing agricultural production, which increases the risk of malnutrition. Hot weather and humid forests favor growth of the flies and mosquitoes that transmit malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, trachoma, trypanosomiasis, and onchocerciasis.

One disease in particular, Malaria is a major killer in tropical countries and a disease that is caused by an infection of the red blood cells with a tiny organism or parasite, called a protozoa. Malaria is caused by organisms that is carried by a mosquito called the Anopheles mosquito. Fever is the main symptom and causes several physical reactions to the human body. I don't know how true this is, so don't quote me, but somewhere I heard that in Africans the blood cell would sickle to protect or immune the blood stream from diseases such as malaria. This is what we now call sickle cell anemia.

Diseases like these seem to have played a major part in the slack in international trade and after the fifteenth century not many people wanted to risk the illness or death and this caused Africa to be isolated from the intercommunicating zone that stretched from Spain and Morocco to China.

Below are the links that I found most of my information:

http://www.mayaparadise.com/diseasee.htm
http://www.masta.info/library/factsheets/malaria_fact_sheet.pdf
Africa & Africans 4th Edition by Paul Bohannan and Philip Curtin

Secondary Education In Africa

2004-06-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

http://allafrica.com/stories/200406150091.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/200406080682.html

The above links are where I found information regarding secondary education in Africa. The two sites can be found in the African media links such as BBC News or PanAfrica. I found some interesting facts about what is being done for secondary education in Africa or instance there is a committee of more than 180 participants from 18 countries within and outside of africa that gather to raise the profile of secondary education in Africa. It seems that most of the money goes toward primary and basic education whether that secondary education.

An Education Expert named Jacob Bregman notes some reason secondary education is just as important as primary or basic education. He says that Africa's youth makes up 2/3 of the continent and it is not only important for children to understand how to read, write and count but they should have relevant and employable skills, competence, tools and opportunities to face the real world with it's cutthroat global and regional job markets.

One country in Africa (Teso) has addressed the issue of having better access to secondary education for their children. Acording to Christine Amongin Aporu the government there recognizes the need for secondary education and said this would be the only way to develope their societies. These sites helped me to see that it's not only our country that is concerned with education needs. This reminds me of how we here in the U.S. who are concerned about some of the same issues. The high cost of college tuitions and fees create a strain and force many to take jobs once they are out of primary school instead of going to college.

Attire In Africa

2004-06-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article in the BBCNews site regarding an issue concerning dress code in africa. It was noted that any member of the parliament in Kenya could be thrown out of the house just for wearing to casual of an attire. It is also noted that some think that suits were more proper to wear when a person (man) is in leadership but some think that it should be acceptable to wear the attire africans are and always have been accustomed to. Mandela himself is often shown wearing casual attire such as the madiba shirt that reflects the way african leaders have dressed for centuries.

I for one believe a person should surely be conscious of how they dress in leadership as it reflects you as a person to the general public. However, I believe a person should be able to reflect themselves as they see fit and not because what others say they should. I do believe that the african culture has for a long time expressed themselves through dressing with comfort and style. One comment to the article suggested that "it is high time that such remnants of the colonial yoke are shed. We should be focusing on productivity and not appearance." We could be more effective and productive anywhere in this world if we are comfortable.

AIDS In Africa

2004-05-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

I found information regarding acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) matter through the links page at Stanford University. One article I found to be interesting was that in May 2003 president Bush signed a plan to provide 12 million people with treatment and to establish preventative measures over a 5 year period. The report indicated that the plan is not going well and much more will need to be done.

About 70% of Sub-Saharan Africa is infected with the AIDS virus. It seems that there needs to be a better base to help fight the problem. Not to add fuel to the fire but the disease itself is not the only problem africans are facing but also a shortage of skilled health care providers is another heavy concern. I know that many africans come to america to study medicine and hopefully in the long run this will be a self help solution for the people.

The textbook (BC) mentioned that some authourites feel that AIDS started in Africa. This statement caused me to reflect back when I first heard of AIDS and how people were saying that AIDS was caused by african people having sex with animals or that Africans were nasty people. I am greatful for classes such as this to help better educate us all about the real truths.

To shed some light on all this I think it is wonderful when people get involved with global issues such as the AIDS epodimic. I found another site on the BBC news link that contained an article about Beyounce Knowles and others preparing for a tour to Cape Town Africa to raise funds and to help publicize the AIDS problem there. The show is to take place on November 29, 2004 and will be screened globally. The former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela helped to organize this event. I believe we all have a responsibility to help our neighbors.