SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

Again at the crossroads : Rwanda and Burundi, 2000-2001

Upphovsperson:	Reyntjens, Filip
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2001
Ämnesord:	conflicts, Rwanda, Burundi, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

This report is the third overview by Filip Reyntjens on recent developments in Rwanda and Burundi. The first one "Talking or Fighting?" (published 1999) covered the period 1998-1999, the second one "Small States in an Unstable region"covered the period 1999-2000. In the new publication the political evolution of Rwanda and Burundi is investigated in a broader regional geopolitical context.

Liberia - the eye of the storm : a review of the literature on internally displaced, refugees and returnees

Upphovsperson:	Nilsson, Desirée
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet; Sida
År:	2003
Ämnesord:	conflicts, Refugees, Living conditions, Humanitarian assistance, Liberia, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

One of the most prominent, and from a humanitarian and human rights perspective most troubling aspects of internal conflicts during recent years is the plight of the internally displaced persons, and refugees. Forced to leave their homes in search of refuge, internally displaced persons often find themselves with little protection, with unclear rights, and without safe livelihoods. While their most important support generally comes from the communities receiving them, which often have very few resources, international humanitarian organisations have not been able to agree on clear mandates with regard to who should have the overall responsibility for assisting them. Although the international community is better organised to care for those who have crossed borders and become refugees, it is still struggling to finetune and coordinate available aid instruments and to mobilize sufficient resources in order to facilitate their post-conflict return, resettlement and reintegration. As this literature review of internally displaced persons, refugees and returnees shows in relation to Liberia, there are ongoing conflicts where we lack sufficient understanding of migration patterns and the socio-economic conditions of the displaced, an understanding which is a prerequisite for designing appropriate preventive and mitigating action. This review also highlights the severe lack of protection of civilians in Liberia, children in particular, which leads to forced recruitments to local armed groups as well as exposure to sexual violence.

Les migrations de travail : une question qui concerne aussi les enfants et les jeunes

Upphovsperson:	Thorsen, Dorte
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2009
Ämnesord:	migration du travail, marché du travail, chômage des jeunes, travail des enfants, migration rurale-urbaine, accès à l´éducation, chances d´éducation, l'Afrique, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

Un effort politique considérable a été fait pour tendre à l’élimination du travail des enfants et l’attention se concentre actuellement sur la question de la création d’emploi pour les jeunes. La plupart des solutions proposées partent du principe que l’éducation est une composante fondamentale de l’enfance et que le manque d’éducation constitue un obstacle majeur à l’emploi des jeunes. Les difficultés prolongées que ces derniers rencontrent pour trouver un emploi à l’issue de leur scolarisation ou d’une formation professionnelle ne sont considérées qu’en termes de programmes éducatifs mal adaptés et de barrières économiques à l’entreprenariat des jeunes. Le travail des enfants (en dessous de 18 ans) est en soi un objet de débats, tandis que les migrations de travail des jeunes sont absentes des stratégies de développement suédoises et danoises les plus récentes en direction de l’Afrique.En rapprochant les réflexions sur le travail des enfants et l’emploi des jeunes – habituellement traitées séparément et par des organisations différentes – ce numéro de Policy Notes met en lumière une série de questions à prendre en compte dans les politiques de développement contextualisées. Deux arguments principaux sont développés:-Le centrage sur la scolarisation rend invisibles les enfants travailleurs et les savoirs qu’ils acquièrent en dehors de l’école.-Le centrage sur la formation technique/professionnelle comme étant le plus sûr moyen pour les jeunes d’accéder à l’emploi ignore les inégalités entre mondes rural et urbain, ainsi que les modalités de l’organisation du marché du travail en Afrique.

Re-distribution from above : the politics of land rights and squatting in coastal Kenya

Upphovsperson:	Kanyinga, Karuti
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2000
Ämnesord:	Kenya, East Africa, Land tenure, Land settlement, Resettlement, Land Rights, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

Using empirical evidence collected from the coastal district of Kenya, an area with a long history of private land ownership which is also situated in a country with one of the most comprehensive efforts at land tenure reform dating from the colonial period, this report challenges the key assumptions of the proponents of land indivualization. In so doing, the author not only points to the many dysfunctionalities associated with land privatisation, including the numerous conflicts it generates on account of the dispossessions and landlessness associated with it, it also reinforces the growing critique that customary land tenure is far more complex and flexible than its critics are prepared to concede.

Language, democracy and education in Africa

Upphovsperson:	Brock-Utne, Birgit
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2002
Ämnesord:	South Africa, Tanzania, democracy, education, Language Policy, languages of instruction, Globalization, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

This publication comprises two papers, both written during January and February 2002 when the author was a guest researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI). In the first paper, "The Language Question in Africa seen in the Context of Globalisation, Social Justice and Democracy", the language question is looked at through the eyes of a social and political scientist. The choice of an official language in Africa is viewed as a question of social class, of power. What social classes profit from the continued use of European languages in Africa? Who benefits? Who loses? The focus here is not only on language use in education but also on language use in the courts and in the political domain, especially in South Africa. Examples are mostly drawn from South Africa and Tanzania, where the author is conducting two research projects in the area of language and education. The second paper, "The Battle over the Language of Instruction in Tanzania", describes two further research projects in which the author is currently involved. In this paper, the author focuses on the question of the language of instruction through the eyes of an educationist. The paper builds on recent research conducted in Tanzania by the author and her Tanzanian Master's degree students.

Internally displaced, refugees and returnees from and in the Sudan : a review

Upphovsperson:	Nilsson, Desirée
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet; Sida
År:	2000
Ämnesord:	Sudan, East africa, Refugees, Return migration, Research, Literature surveys, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

The Sudan has been at war since independence intermitted only by a brief period of peace that lasted for a decade. The civil war that has been ravaging the country as well as the conflicts in the neighbouring countries have contributed to the difficult problem of population displacement in the region. Sweden has for many years contributed disaster relief to the Sudan. The Swedish humanitarian development assistance directed to meet the needs of the Sudanese people is currently at a stable 70 million SEK. It is very important to take into account the experiences gained on population displacement in order to prevent more disasters from taking place but also to improve the assistance given to the people who have already left their homes. With this aim, the Swedish Government has just adopted a new strategy for humanitarian assistance to Sudan, focusing on protection for the internally displaced, particularly women and children. State of the art reviews concerning refugees and the displaced in Mozambique and Somalia have previously been published by the Nordic Africa Institute and Sida within the series Studies on Emergencies and Disaster Relief. This report is another contribution within that series and it will hopefully serve as a source to some of the research on population displacement from and in the Sudan. The report comprises a review of the literature and includes comments on priorities for future research.

Singing culture : a study of gospel music in Zimbabwe

Upphovsperson:	Chitando, Ezra
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2002
Ämnesord:	Zimbabwe, music, Christianity, Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

This study examines the historical development, social, political and economic significance of gospel music in Zimbabwe. It approaches music with Christian theological ideas and popular appeal as a cultural phenomenon with manifold implications. Applying a history of religions approach to the study of a widespread religious phenomenon, the study seeks to link religious studies with popular culture. It argues that gospel music represents a valuable entry point into a discussion of contemporary African cultural production. Gospel music successfully blends the musical traditions of Zimbabwe, influences from other African countries, and musical styles from other parts of the world. Through the application of multiple methodological lenses, the study sets out to describe, analyse and interpret gospel music in Zimbabwe during the 1990s. It outlines the historical development of popular music in Zimbabwe, alongside locating the emergence of gospel music in the politically and economically challenging 1990s. The report captures the impact of Christianity on music performances, highlights the various groups of cultural workers who have derived opportunities from gospel music and undertakes an analysis of the context in which gospel music was able to thrive. Through an examination of dominant themes in Zimbabwean gospel music and its creative appropriation of various musical styles, the study illustrates the complexity underlying contemporary African artistic products. This study also seeks to bring to the fore the long-standing issue of the relationship between Christianity and African culture. Although many African theologians, nationalists, missiologists, Non-Governmental Organisation activists and other practitioners have proffered valuable insights, in most instances their efforts have been vitiated by a preoccupation with a frozen view of African culture. Many writers have tended to view African culture as a relic from some glorious past. Although this may please avid cultural nationalists, it obfuscates the inherently adaptive nature of African, and indeed of any other, culture. Consequently, in this study the focus is on gospel music as an integral part of contemporary African culture. By examining gospel music texts, performances by artists and audiences at gospel concerts and television presentations, the study contributes to the discourses on religion and public spaces. The report also brings to the fore the neglected theme of music and the construction of religious and other identities.

Extended handshake or wrestling match? : youth and urban culture celebrating politics in Kenya

Upphovsperson:	Lukalo, Fibian Kavulani
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2006
Ämnesord:	Kenya, urban youth, popular culture, music, politics, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

One of the factors affecting the social, political and economic situation in Africa today is the youth. Among today's African populations, there are various groups of younger people who find themselves disillusioned with the inevitable lack of political space available to them for meeting their needs. Kenya is uniquely positioned within Africa, since it has experienced relative peace and avoided major political turmoil. However, there is no question that since the early 1980s the youth have increasingly begun to agitate for political accountability from their leaders. This agitation has taken various forms, key among which were artistic expressions through music. In this way, youth carved out for themselves a niche of 'social inclusion' from which they questioned corrupt practices. These practices, by state agents, leaders and the common 'mwananchi', were intimately linked to moral decay in the society. This discussion paper addresses the varied notions of culture, politics and youth music in the Kenyan context during former President Moi's presidency. Moving away from the notion that youth activities can be equated with terror and acts of idleness, the author examines the historical centrality of music and politics in Kenya. Using imagery derived from proverbs as a basis of thinking, the author discusses the changing views of culture and identity among the youth of Kenya. To enhance the discussion, politics and the urban context serve as the basis for interrogating youth involvement through music in the political space in Kenya. Finally, the discussion presents the youth musician Eric Wainaina and discusses his use of music as an intervention into the issue of political decay and corruption. The underlying thrust of this discussion is to reflect upon and dispel the assumption that, through their music, youth in Kenya are engaged in violent activities against the state.

Measuring democracy and human rights in Southern Africa

Upphovspersoner:	Davids, Yul Derek | Melber, Henning
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2002
Ämnesord:	Democratisation, Liberation, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

Are there ways and means of measuring democracy and “good governance”? The contributions to this Discussion Paper present attempts to do this by means of surveys on democratic attitudes in Mozambique and Namibia respectively as well as by exploring the degree of commitment to and violation of human rights in a comparative perspective in Namibia and South Africa. They illustrate attitudes by offering empirical evidence of the preferences and views of local people, as well as by examining the track record of a human rights culture. In doing so, by going beyond a level of theoretical analysis, they offer concrete evidence of attitudes prevalent among both individuals and state agencies in societies of Southern Africa.

Armed struggle and democracy : the case of South Africa

Upphovsperson:	Legassick, Martin
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2002
Ämnesord:	Armed struggle, democracy, Liberation, ANC, Historical analysis, Political culture, South Africa, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

The impact of the concept(s) of armed struggle for the notion(s) of democracy in South(ern) Africa is the focus of this paper. Originally submitted to a conference on '(Re-) Conceptualising Democracy and Liberation in Southern Africa', held in Windhoek/Namibia during July 2002, it argues from the point of departure of the personal involvement of the author in the issues raised. The author was part of a group which criticised the strategy of armed struggle in the ANC. For the articulation of this dissenting view they were suspended from the movement in 1979 and finally expelled in 1985. With this paper he inspires a debate, which can claim relevance for current issues of democracy in South Africa and the Southern African region more generally. Given the degree of personal involvement of its author, this analysis is contemporary history based on personal insights, and provides arguments for a necessary discussion.

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