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This book vividly depicts Somalia from its pre-colonial period to
the present day, documenting the tumultuous history of a nation
that has faced many challenges. Somalia is a nation with a history
that stretches back more than ten millennia to the beginnings of
human civilization. This book provides sweeping coverage of
Somalia's history ranging from the earliest times to its modern-day
status as a country of ten million inhabitants, providing a unique
social-scientific treatment of the nation's key issues across
ethnic and regional boundaries. The book addresses not only Somali
sociocultural and political history but also covers Somalia's
administration and economy, secessionist movements, civil and
regional wars, and examines the dynamics of state collapse,
democratization, terrorism, and piracy in contemporary times. The
author details the extremely rich history of the Somali people and
their customs while documenting past history, enabling readers to
make meaning out of the country's ongoing crisis.
AK-47 in a Wild Why World is a collection of essays on political
and socio-economic condition of the Modern Africa, humour and
poetry with a nationalistic touch. The approach, very blunt and
sometimes acerbic. The book argues about an unknown fear trapped in
the heart of every black African with a vicious grip on 3 out of
every 5; the thought of a life wasted under economic hardship, a
scary and degenerating environmental nightmare, the scare from an
imaginary superior powers chained in a grander fear of losing
political and vain physical relevance, the fear of a hell, a hell
of poverty and misery influenced by ignorance, greed and crass
illiteracy. According to the author, to run away from this fear, a
great conflict ensued, a conflict of the soul and self in the midst
of a society gone wild with itself. In the madness of this self
induced conflict emerges a great run that has set every black
African on a race out of motherland to cold places of comfort - A
spider web comfort. The book states categorically that unless the
black African sit down and address the myriads of problems plaguing
the entire continent, and build a positive cultural and economic
system the great Africa will spiral into further darkness. The idea
of humour laced into this frank discussion according to the author
is only to remind us that we are living in a world that is getting
hostile every minute of the day, unintelligent arguments,
misunderstandings, strife and things that are insane to ever
imagine we could do to each other. Humour is that idea that reminds
us that all the struggles leads nowhere but more struggles and
stress. The only way to prove that vanity of life is to find time
to share some joy.
Moroccan culture today is a blend of Berber, African, Arab, Jewish,
and European influences in an Islamic state. Morocco's strategic
position at the tip of North Africa just below Spain has brought
these cultures together through the centuries. The parallels with
African and Middle Eastern countries and other Muslim cultures are
drawn as the major topics are discussed, yet the uniqueness of
Moroccan traditions, particularly those of the indigenous Berbers,
stand out. The narrative emphasizes the evolving nature of the
storied subcultures. With more exposure to Western-style education
and pop culture, the younger generations are gradually turning away
from the strict religious observances of their elders. General
readers finally have a substantive resource for information on a
country most known in the United States for the Humphrey Bogart
classic Casablanca, images of the souks (markets), hashish, and
Berber rugs. The strong introduction surveys the people, land,
government, economy, educational system, and history. Most weight
is given to modern history, with French colonial rule ending in
1956 and a succession of monarchs since then. The discussion of
religion and worldview illuminates the Islamic base and Jewish
communities but is also notable for the discussion of Berber
beliefs in spirits. In the Literature and Media chapter, the oral
culture of the Berbers and the new preference for Western-style
education and use of French and even English are highlights. The
Moroccans are renowned as skilled artisans, and their products are
enumerated in the Art and Architecture/Housing chapter, along with
the intriguing descriptions of casbahs and old quarters in the
major cities. Moroccans are hospitable and family oriented, which
is reflected in descriptions of their cuisine and social customs.
Moroccan women seem to be somewhat freer than others in Muslim
countries but the chapter on Gender Roles, Marriage, and Family
shows that much progress is still needed. Ceremonies and
celebrations are important cultural markers that bring communities
together, and a wealth of religious, national, and family rites of
passage, with accompanying music and dance, round out the cultural
coverage.
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Unwanted (Hardcover)
Henry Mazi-Njoku
bundle available
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R895
Discovery Miles 8 950
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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UNWANTED is a story that brings to the fore discrimination and
stigmatization towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Set in
the bustling city of Port Harcourt, it narrates the story of three
youthful girls and a young man whose paths are more intertwined
than they can imagine...made stronger and weaker by their
experiences of stigmatization. It is a tale of struggles, successes
and human frailties.
This volume Psychology of Peace Promotion builds on previous
volumes of peace psychology, extending its contributions by drawing
from peace research and practices from five continents - Africa,
Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The book discusses
emerging disciplinary and inter-disciplinary theories and actions.
Each chapter begins with a theoretical framework for understanding
peace, followed by a critical review of peace promotion in a
specific setting, and concludes with an illustration of
psychological principles or theories in either a narrative format
or an empirical investigation. This volume develops, as well as
guides, its readers on the epistemology of promoting and sustaining
peace in varied settings around the world. This book presents
relevant, cutting-edge peace promotion strategies to anyone
interested in promoting peace more effectively, including peace
practitioners, scholars, teachers, and researchers, as well as the
general reader. It presents a number of innovative approaches,
illustrating their applications to specific social problems,
settings and populations. In addition, this volume has much in
store for both academic and practice-based scientists in the field
of peace psychology, mental health professionals, administrators,
educators, and graduate students from various disciplines. The goal
is the promotion and sustenance of peace, using theoretically
sound, yet innovative and creative approaches. As expressed by the
United Nations Secretary, "peace does not occur by happenstance."
Promoting and sustaining peace requires reflective, thoughtful, and
targeted efforts. This book inspires its readers to develop a
better understanding of peace and the means of promoting peace in a
sustainable way.
Although numerous studies have been made of the Western educated
political elite of colonial Nigeria in particular, and of Africa in
general, very few have approached the study from a perspective that
analyzes the impacts of indigenous institutions on the lives,
values, and ideas of these individuals. This book is about the
diachronic impact of indigenous and Western agencies in the
upbringing, socialization, and careers of the colonial Igbo
political elite of southeastern Nigeria. The thesis argues that the
new elite manifests the continuity of traditions and culture and
therefore their leadership values and the impact they brought on
African society cannot be fully understood without looking closely
at their lived experiences in those indigenous institutions where
African life coheres. The key has been to explore this question at
the level of biography, set in the context of a carefully
reconstructed social history of the particular local communities
surrounding the elite figures. It starts from an understanding of
their family and village life, and moves forward striving to
balance the familiar account of these individuals in public life,
with an account of the ongoing influences from family, kinship, age
grades, marriage and gender roles, secret societies, the church,
local leaders and others. The result is not only a model of a new
approach to African elite history, but also an argument about how
to understand these emergent leaders and their peers as individuals
who shared with their fellow Africans a dynamic and complex set of
values that evolved over the six decades of colonialism.
Recent advances in theory and observations using passive microwave
remote sensing have hightlighted the potential of spaceborne
sensors for contributing to the required land surface measurements
of soils, vegetation, snow cover and precipitation. Furthermore,
the spatial resolution of passive microwave observations matches
the special scales of large-scale models of land-atmosphere
interactions both for data assimilation and validation. In order to
stimulate and focus this research a workshop, sponsored by ESA and
NASA, was organized to review the state-of-the-art in microwave
radiometry related to land applications and to exchange ideas
leading into new directions for future research. This volume
contains the refereed papers from the aforementioned ESA/NASA
workshop, which are arranged by topic, as well as the (edited)
working group reports.
This book examines the intersection between national and
international counter-terrorism policies and civil society in
numerous national and regional contexts. The 9/11 terrorist attacks
against the United States in 2001 led to new waves of scholarship
on the proliferation of terrorism and efforts to combat
international terrorist groups, organizations, and networks. Civil
society organisations have been accused of serving as ideological
grounds for the recruitment of potential terrorists and a channel
for terrorist financing. Consequently, states around the world have
established new ranges of counter-terrorism measures that target
the operations of civil society organisations exclusively. Security
practices by states have become a common trend and have assisted in
the establishment of 'best practices' among non-liberal democratic
or authoritarian states, and are deeply entrenched in their
security infrastructures. In developing or newly democratized
states - those deemed democratically weak or fragile - these
exceptional securities measures are used as a cover for repressing
opposition groups, considered by these states as threats to their
national security and political power apparatuses. This timely
volume provides a detailed examination of the interplay of
counter-terrorism and civil society, offering a critical discussion
of the enforcement of global security measures by governments
around the world. -- .
This edited volume provides personal narratives of a diverse group
of scholars in academia regarding strategies to navigate academia
during times of COVID-19 and unrest. Black, Indigenous, and People
of Color (BIPOC) women in academia are grappling with emotional
tolls and invisible burdens, discrimination, political turmoil,
social unrest, and public health crises. Moreover, the rapid pivot
response to COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities among BIPOC women
in academia. This book explores their stories of ordeal,
triumph, loss, and hope.
New Perspectives on the Nigeria-Biafra War: No Victor, No
Vanquished analyzes the continued impact of the Nigeria-Biafra war
on the Igbo, the failure of the reconstruction and reconciliation
effort in the post-war period, and the politics of exclusion of the
memory of the war in public discourse in Nigeria. Furthermore, New
Perspectives on the Nigeria-Biafra War explores the resilience of
the Igbo people and the different strategies they have employed to
preserve the history and memory of Biafra. The contributors argue
that the war had important consequences for the socio-political
developments in the post-war period, ushering in two differing
ideologies: a paternalistic ideology of "co-option" of the Igbo by
the Nigerian state, under the false premise of 'No Victor, No
Vanquished," and the Igbo commitment to self-preservation on the
other.
Missions, States, and European Expansion in Africa aims to explore
the ways Christianity and colonialism acted as hegemonic or counter
hegemonic forces in the making of African societies. As Western
interventionist forces, Christianity and colonialism were crucial
in establishing and maintaining political, cultural, and economic
domination. Indeed, both elements of Africa's encounter with the
West played pivotal roles in shaping African societies during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This volume uses a wide range
of perspectives to address the intersection between missions,
evangelism, and colonial expansion across Africa. The contributors
address several issues, including missionary collaboration with the
colonizing effort of European powers; disagreements between
missionaries and colonizing agents; the ways in which missionaries
and colonial officials used language, imagery, and European
epistemology to legitimize relations of inequality with Africans;
and the ways in which both groups collaborated to transform African
societies. Thus, Missions, States, and European Expansion in Africa
transcends the narrow boundaries that often separate the role of
these two elements of European encounter to argue that missionary
endeavours and official colonial actions could all be
conceptualized as hegemonic institutions, in which both pursued the
same civilizing mission, even if they adopted different strategies
in their encounter with African societies.
Although numerous studies have been made of the Western educated
political elite of colonial Nigeria in particular, and of Africa in
general, very few have approached the study from a perspective that
analyzes the impacts of indigenous institutions on the lives,
values, and ideas of these individuals. This book is about the
diachronic impact of indigenous and Western agencies in the
upbringing, socialization, and careers of the colonial Igbo
political elite of southeastern Nigeria. The thesis argues that the
new elite manifests the continuity of traditions and culture and
therefore their leadership values and the impact they brought on
African society cannot be fully understood without looking closely
at their lived experiences in those indigenous institutions where
African life coheres. The key has been to explore this question at
the level of biography, set in the context of a carefully
reconstructed social history of the particular local communities
surrounding the elite figures. It starts from an understanding of
their family and village life, and moves forward striving to
balance the familiar account of these individuals in public life,
with an account of the ongoing influences from family, kinship, age
grades, marriage and gender roles, secret societies, the church,
local leaders and others. The result is not only a model of a new
approach to African elite history, but also an argument about how
to understand these emergent leaders and their peers as individuals
who shared with their fellow Africans a dynamic and complex set of
values that evolved over the six decades of colonialism.
This book examines the role of NGOs in development projects on the
African continent. It explores the challenges and the
contradictions in the relationship between the NGOs, the supporting
agencies, and the African people. It is intended to provide
guidance for civil society organizations and their client groups
who struggle to find viable means to collaborate with NGOs, the
private sector, and public sector. This books argues that increased
knowledge and cooperation is essential to the achievement of
sustainable development. Therefore, community based organizations
and public servants must consider whether they possess the
necessary resources as well as the economic opportunities before
they embark on any activity. Sustainable development activities
might not be useful or reasonable for every rural community in
Africa. One thing is very clear; the forces of globalization or
sustainable development do not respect cultural boundaries. This
book clearly states that for African nations to succeed they must
find alternatives to centralized powers of national government. In
addition, this book examines the transformation of several
sub-Saharan African nations in the twenty-first century. African
nations must reevaluate their concept of leadership, which rests on
the notion that good leaders are born, not made. Therefore, there
should be a greater emphasis on the development of political and
managerial skills through formal education and industrial training.
NGOs and civil societies could play a vital role in this
transformation and, therefore, the future of Africa.
Missions, States, and European Expansion in Africa aims to explore
the ways Christianity and colonialism acted as hegemonic or counter
hegemonic forces in the making of African societies. As Western
interventionist forces, Christianity and colonialism were crucial
in establishing and maintaining political, cultural, and economic
domination. Indeed, both elements of Africa's encounter with the
West played pivotal roles in shaping African societies during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This volume uses a wide range
of perspectives to address the intersection between missions,
evangelism, and colonial expansion across Africa. The contributors
address several issues, including missionary collaboration with the
colonizing effort of European powers; disagreements between
missionaries and colonizing agents; the ways in which missionaries
and colonial officials used language, imagery, and European
epistemology to legitimize relations of inequality with Africans;
and the ways in which both groups collaborated to transform African
societies. Thus, Missions, States, and European Expansion in Africa
transcends the narrow boundaries that often separate the role of
these two elements of European encounter to argue that missionary
endeavours and official colonial actions could all be
conceptualized as hegemonic institutions, in which both pursued the
same civilizing mission, even if they adopted different strategies
in their encounter with African societies.
Troubled Journey: Nigeria Since the Civil War is the latest of a
number of case-study probes into Nigeria's unique experience as a
modern African state. It pulls together a talented group of
Nigerian historians who have been close students of Nigeria's
"troubled journey" since Independence Day on October 1, 1960, and
more precisely since the conclusion of its devastating Civil War
from 1967 to 1970. This book is a major contribution to the
on-going debate about how the country can best be politically
restructured and socio-economically reformed.
A revisionist account of African masquerade carnivals in
transnational context that offers readers a unique perspective on
the connecting threads between African cultural trends and African
American cultural artifacts In recent decades, there has been an
explosion of scholarly interest in African-styled traditions and
the influence of these traditions upon the African diaspora. In
this important new analysis, author Raphael Njoku explores the
transnational connections between masquerade narratives and memory
over the past four centuries to show how enslaved Africans became
culture carriers of inherited African traditions. In doing so, he
questions the scholarly predisposition toward ethnicization of
African cultural artifacts in the Americas. As Njoku's research
shows, the practices reenacted by the Igbo and Bight of Biafra
modelers in the Americas were not exact replicas of the African
prototypes. Cultural modeling is dynamic, and the inheritors of
West African traditions often adapted their customs to their
circumstances--altering and transforming the meaning and purpose of
the customs they initially represented. With the Bantu migrations
serving as a catalyst for ethnic mixing and change prior to the
trans-Atlantic slave trade, African-themed cultural activities in
the New World became dilutions of practices from several ethnic
African and European nations. African cultures were already
experiencing changes through Bantuization; in this well-researched
and engagingly written scholarly work, the author explores the
extension of this process beyond the African continent. This book
is openly available in digital formats thanks to a generous grant
from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Among other relevant issues, this book adds new insights to the
proposed Igbo Christian rites of reconciliation. Towards an
inculturation, the resolutional equations of the Igbo cultural
method of reconciliation - oriko in ala di mma - are balanced with
the sacrament of reconciliation in operational life of the people
who are pastorally concerned. In this context, the author refers to
the Owerri archdiocesan working document on emume nsacha na ndozi,
meaning a ritual of purification and peace, as well as to the Igbo
Christian rite of reconciliation proposed by Augustine Echema. The
method of these new rites is para-liturgical in nature which
highlights the importance of reconciliation of human beings with
themselves, their neighbours and God, whenever sin has taken place.
Paradoxically, this new method of reconciliation can broaden
ecumenism and strengthens the social, cultural, political and
religious lives of the people. In this sense, reconciliation can be
seen as a natural spiritual cord that ties people to themselves and
to God in a communal and Christian environment.
The Igbo are one of the most populous ethnic groups in Nigeria and
are perhaps best known and celebrated in the work of Chinua Achebe.
In this landmark collection on Igbo society and arts, Toyin Falola
and Raphael Chijioke Njoku have compiled a detailed and innovative
examination of the Igbo experience in Africa and in the diaspora.
Focusing on institutions and cultural practices, the volume covers
the enslavement, middle passage, and American experience of the
Igbo as well as their return to Africa and aspects of Igbo
language, society, and cultural arts. By employing a variety of
disciplinary perspectives, this volume presents a comprehensive
view of how the Igbo were integrated into the Atlantic world
through the slave trade and slavery, the transformations of Igbo
identities and culture, and the strategies for resistance employed
by the Igbo in the New World. Moving beyond descriptions of generic
African experiences, this collection includes 21 essays by
prominent scholars throughout the world.
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