West Africa

"It were worth while to die, if thereby a soul could be born again" - The Fearless Missions Approach of Mary Slessor

by Elke Speliopoulos

Submitted in partial fulfillment of course requirements for CHHI 657 - History of Christian Missions, at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. May 6, 2012.

Women missionaries working alone in Africa was an unheard-of concept when MarySlessor arrived in Africa to serve. It... more Women missionaries working alone in Africa was an unheard-of concept when MarySlessor arrived in Africa to serve. It was not that it was impossible, but that it was deemed toodangerous. Yet at five feet tall and with bright red hair ensuring she would stand out in anAfrican setting, this twenty-eight year old Scottish woman set out to do just that in 1876, startingat the Calabar River of modern-day Nigeria and pushing further and further into the Africaninterior to tribes deemed too dangerous to interact with, even by the indigenous people Slessorencountered. Showing uncommon bravery and challenging tribal traditions propelled MarySlessor to a legendary status even during her lifetime. Her approach to missions shows thathands-on, fearless love of those deemed unapproachable can bear Kingdom results and in turnserves as a model to a new generation of missionaries who face the threat of death from othersources than cannibals.

The Pedagogical Subject of Neoliberal Development

by Alvin Lim

Under review

I first started to seriously consider the pedagogical subject of neoliberal development when I began drafting a... more I first started to seriously consider the pedagogical subject of neoliberal development when I began drafting a proposed course on the challenges of development. In order for me to develop a syllabus for my proposed course, I had to understand the development challenges which emerged from Nigeria’s neoliberal transformation in the 1980s. After considering this history of neoliberal development in Nigeria, I describe a visit to the underdeveloped Koma Hills to see first hand the challenges faced by a traditional community facing the encroachment of "development." I conclude with a consideration of community service learning as a methodology for introducing my proposed students to the challenges of neoliberal development.

UN LINGUAGGIO POLITICO DELL’ISLAM IN AFRICA OCCIDENTALE: RESISTENZA, CONTROCULTURA, RIVOLUZIONE

by Alessandra Turchetti

Slavery and Colonialism: The Worst Terrorism on Africa

by Mohamed Eno

Co-authored with Omar A. Eno, Mohamed H. Ingiriis, and Jamal M. Haji; Published in African Renaissance, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2012.

Humans need not justify terrorism of any kind, regardless of whether one is Muslim, Christian or Jew, because it is... more Humans need not justify terrorism of any kind, regardless of whether one is Muslim, Christian or Jew, because it is the axis of evil and devastation of mankind. However, the deliberate use of the term terrorism in recent decades was carefully selected, mainly, against a certain religion (Islam). The idea was then globally politicized by the Western world. Leaving that scholarly view in its own right, we disagree with the opinion raising terrorism as the devil’s just-born child of evil, when in reality Africans had been terrorized for centuries as slaves and human chattel. Hence the basis for the concept of this thesis: conceptualizing the episode of ‘terrorism’ and ‘terrorist’ from the broader perspective of its practice from the Middle Passage or the Atlantic Slave Trade. To portray that argument and broaden the scope of the debate over this critically sensitive subject, we divided the discussion into three sections: an examination of what constitutes terrorism and terrorist; history of terrorism and terrorists from an Africa perspective; and the ideological constraints within the subject of terrorism as practiced by the US and its Western allies.

Power and Landscape in Atlantic West Africa

by J. Cameron Monroe

With Akin Ogundiran. In Power and Landscape in Atlantic West Africa: Archaeological Perspectives, edited by J. Cameron Monroe and Akin Ogundiran (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 1-46.

Notes sur la captation de la main-d'oeuvre enfantine dans la région de Kayes, Mali (1904-1955)

by Marie Rodet

Journal des Africanistes, Tome 81, Fascicule 2, 2011, numéro thématique: Migration dans l'enfance, migrations de l'enfance, Regards pluridisciplinaires

Mots-clefs: Mali, Kayes, fin de l'esclavage, droit de tutelle, main-d'oeuvre enfantine, enfants confié-e-s, petites... more Mots-clefs: Mali, Kayes, fin de l'esclavage, droit de tutelle, main-d'oeuvre enfantine, enfants confié-e-s, petites bonnes, mise en gage


Keywords: Mali, Kayes, end of slavery, custody rights, children workforce, fostered children, pawnship

Late Holocene Paleoclimate Reconstruction and Long-Term Human Response in the Region of Timbuktu, Mali (West Africa): Interdisciplinary collaboration in the study of Lake Faguibine and the drought-afflicted populations

by Douglas Park 

Co-Authored with R. McIntosh, R. Smith, P. Douglas, C. Warren and P. Coutros. Yale Climate and Energy Institute Multidisciplinary Grant for climate and archaeology research in Timbuktu. Granted 2009 - ongoing

This interdisciplinary project seeks to integrate climatological, remote sensing, geomorphological and archaeological... more This interdisciplinary project seeks to integrate climatological, remote sensing, geomorphological and archaeological research into a cohesive study of long-term climate change over the past 5000 years at the border between the Sahara and the Sahel at Timbuktu, which is part of the Middle Niger hydraulic system. Understanding how humans have responded to Late Holocene climates in this region, to their long-term trends and abrupt excursions, will provide insight into the types of social institutions employed by the local populations that sought effectively to deal with the unpredictability of their physical world.

#1 -- ÉTUDE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE PRÉLIMINAIRE DANS LA PROXIMITÉ DE TOMBOUCTOU: RAPPORT SUR LA PREMIÈRE CAMPAGNE DE RECHERCHE À TOMBOUCTOU

by Douglas Park 

Douglas P. Park (2008). Written with co-directer Teraba Togola (DNPC)

Written in French.

Presented to the Malian Direction Nationale du Patrimone Culture (DNPC)
and
Institut des Sciences Humaines (ISH)

Malgré quelques projets archéologiques de bonnes qualités menées à Tombouctou, notre savoir sur les anciennes... more Malgré quelques projets archéologiques de bonnes qualités menées à Tombouctou, notre savoir sur les anciennes habitations est limité et beaucoup d’aspects importants sur les origines d’une complexité sociale du Niger Bend restent dans l’obscurité. Avant cette surveillance, seulement deux autres études archéologiques avaient été mise en place : Une étude des alentours de la région en 1984 dirigée par Roderick et Susan McIntosh (1984, 1985, 1986), et une fouille de la ville en 1998 par Timothy Insole (1998, 2002, 2004). Raymond Mauny (1961:114-115, 493-494) et Ali Ould Sidi (n.d.) ont aussi écrit sur la archéologie de Tombouctou. Les quatre études servent comme ensemble de savoir archéologique sur l’histoire précoce de Tombouctou. Cependant, il est clair que pour les habitants locaux, les historiens et les archéologues que la population pré-islamique dans le voisinage de Tombouctou a été une base importante et formidable et le cœur de la genèse de ce qui au cours de l’histoire est devenu l’une des villes les plus grande du dessert et la plaque tournante pour le commerce transsaharien et l’éducation de haute niveau. Quand on essaye de visualiser l’organisation fondamentale ainsi que la dimension de la population pré-islamique de Tombouctou on ne peut pas s’empêcher d’être étonné par l’immensité des pièces de poterie. Comme on peut le voir, malgré les toutes les interprétations avancées on doit s’attendre à une surveillance plus intensive de cette région, la population archéologique dans les alentours de Tombouctou a été significativement plus grande que celle d’aujourd’hui. Les facteurs sociaux, culturels, économiques et environnementaux qui influencent l’interprétation en cours est un vrai nœud gordien qui nécessite son dénouement. Néanmoins, des fouilles plus intensives ainsi que des recherches dans les régions voisines tel que les oueds, les rives fluviales ainsi que les zones d’inondations saisonnières ensemble avec les comparaisons des cités où la complexité sociale précoce a déjà été prouvée, comme celle de Dia, Djenne-Djeno et Gao, et reconstruction environnementale modèles de Tombouctou sera possible.

#2 -- LA CAMPAGNE DE FOUILLE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE À TOMBOUCTOU: RAPPORT SUR LA DEUXIÈME CAMPAGNE DE RECHERCHE À TOMBOUCTOU

by Douglas Park 

Douglas P. Park (2008). Written with co-directers Peter Coutros (Yale) and Useman Kone (DNPC)

Written in French.

Presented to the Malian Direction Nationale du Patrimone Culture (DNPC)
and
Institut des Sciences Humaines (ISH)

La majeure partie de l’attention des savants à propos de Tombouctou concerne l’histoire islamique de la cité (Péfontan... more La majeure partie de l’attention des savants à propos de Tombouctou concerne l’histoire islamique de la cité (Péfontan 1922; Mauny 1952; Herbert 1980; Saad 1983; Insoll 1998, 2002, 2004; Hunwick 1999). S’agissant du passé préhistorique de la région, peu de recherches ont été effectuées. Le travail réalisé à Tombouctou de Juin à Novembre 2008 est la deuxième campagne archéologique préhistorique dans la région et la première fouilles d’habitats préhistoriques. Construit selon l’étude archéologique de R. McIntosh et S. Keech McIntosh en 1984 (R. McIntosh and S. Keech McIntosh 1984, 1985, 1993; S. Keech McIntosh and R. McIntosh 1986), qui a produit les premières preuves de l’urbanisation préhistorique à Tombouctou, le but de l’expédition de 2008 a été d'étendre la région d’étude autour de Tombouctou et de commencer à établir une chronologie grâce aux céramiques des habitats de l’Age de Fer de l’Azawad (environ 500-400 avant J.C. à environ 900-1000 de notre ère). Plusieurs buttes centrales ont été trouvées durant les recherches. Celles-ci mesurent entre 10 et 40 hectares (voire plus) pour une hauteur située entre 3 et 9 mètres. Chacune est entourée par des douzaines de sites satellites qui sont plus petits. Les modes d’habitat préhistoriques à Tombouctou permettent de dresser l’hypothèse d’une urbanisation caractérisée par des relations horizontales. Le début et la fin de cette urbanisation semble être dûs à la réponse humaine à des conditions climatiques variables, en grande partie imprévisibles.

Fluid attachment: reframing peacebuilding through Ahmadou Kourouma's Allah n'est pas obligé

by Christina Lux

Yield stability of photoperiod-sensitive sorghum [Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench)] accessions under diverse climatic environments

by Folkard Asch

Abdulai, A.L. Parzies, H., Kouressy, M., Vaksmann, M., Asch, F., Brueck, H., 2012
Yield stability of photoperiod-sensitive sorghum [Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench)] accessions under diverse climatic environments. International Journal of Agricultural Research, 7, 17-32.

Climate variability is a characteristic feature of the tropics where the summer monsoon starts from MaylJune and ends... more Climate variability is a characteristic feature of the tropics where the summer monsoon starts from MaylJune and ends mostly in October, thus producing an unprectably variable length of growing season. This results in serious challenges for the mainly subsistent small holder farmers in the arid to semi-arid zones of the tropics. A study was conducted to determine the attainable grain yield and yeld stability of 10 well characterized and extensively cultivated tropical sorghum accessions across 18 environments comprised of 3 dates of sowing at 3 sites (along a latitudinal gradient covering 3 agro-ecolopcal zones) over 2 years in Mali. For each year and site combination, sorghum accessions and dates of sowing were arranged in a split plot and tested in a Randomized Complete Block (RCB) design. Appropriate cultural practices and timing were used to minimize effects of biotic factors. In addition to Grain yeld, yeld penalty associated with delayed sowing was determined. Two static and five dynamic indices were used to assess the stability of grain yeld for genotypes across environments. Mean grain yeld ranged from 0 to 248 g m-2 across environments, from 74 to 208 g m-2 across the 10 genotypes and generally reduced with delayed sowing. A genotype combining photoperiod sensitivity and stay-green traits was revealed as the most stable. The similarities and hfferences were observed among the stability indices used in terms of ranking of the genotypes. Implications of these for adaptation to climate change are discussed

ECOWAS Ultimatum to President Gbagbo of Cote d’Ivoire

by Dawn Osakue

IOs have often been vilified and criticized for failing to carry out their mandates and promises. However, this paper has shown that while it will be good for them to fulfill their mandates etc., even when they do not, their simple existence creates some automatic effects, which are positive to international relations and global governance as a whole. The functions of IOs, exist far beyond the obvious and visible.

Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) are organisations that include at least three states among their membership,... more Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) are organisations that include at least three states among their membership, that have activities in several states, and that are created through a formal intergovernmental agreement such as a treaty, charter or statute.”  They serve a wide variety of functions and may be geographically placed or not, they may be driven by a single purpose, or could be multi-tasking organisations

NEW WEST AFRICAN FILMS BURNING HOT ON THE MEDIA MENU OF THE BLACK DIASPORA IN SOUTHEAST AMSTERDAM

by louise muller

L'insertion ivoirienne dans les rapports internationaux

by Daniel Bach

in: J.-F. Médard et Y.-A. Fauré (dir.), Etat et Bourgeoisie en Côte d'Ivoire, Paris, Karthala, 1981, p. 89-121.

Foreign policy of Côte d'Ivoire under Houphouët Boigny initial rejection of independence and relations with France,... more Foreign policy of Côte d'Ivoire under Houphouët Boigny initial rejection of independence and relations with France, recognition of Biafra, Conseil de l'Entente, OCAM, close relations with Jacques Foccart

Matrimony Unpropitious

by Mohamed Eno

Another excerpt from the book Corpses on the Menu

The African masses should beware of a total subscription to the 'Shared Values' project. Previous as well as current... more The African masses should beware of a total subscription to the 'Shared Values' project. Previous as well as current hardships created by the West should give us enough reading of where we are heading and who to trust along the journey.

Babies as Ancestors, Babies as Spirits: The Culture of Infancy in West Africa

by Alma Gottlieb

In “Babies as Ancestors, Babies as Spirits: The Culture of Infancy in West Africa,” Alma Gottlieb explores the... more In “Babies as Ancestors, Babies as Spirits: The Culture of Infancy in West Africa,” Alma Gottlieb explores the cultural values that underlie childhood in one corner of rural West Africa. In Côte d'Ivoire, the Beng people believe in an afterlife called wrugbe, where the deceased are said to live as ancestors before they are reincarnated in this life as infants. Yet all babies are said to partly remain in the afterlife, which they exit through a gradual spiritual journey that takes several years to complete. During the in-between time of early childhood, the consciousness of the baby is sometimes in wrugbe, sometimes in this life. Therefore, the main goal of parents of young children is to make this life pleasurable, so the child is not tempted to return to wrugbe. In this article, Gottlieb analyzes a set of ritual processes that are intended to hasten the baby’s exit from wrugbe and full entry into “this life,” including linguistic and other practices. The Beng model of childhood—with its dramatic differerences from the dominant Western view—reminds us that childhood is always deeply constructed by cultural assumptions, religious values, and social systems.

Women in Society, Women as Society: Lessons in Peacebuilding from Liberia

by Emily Helms

2012, « The Historicity of the Neoliberal State », in Social Anthropology, volume 20, n° 1, pp. 80-94

by Mathieu Hilgers

Debate with Loic Wacquant “Three Steps to a Historical Anthropology of Actually Existing Neoliberalism." Social Anthropology, 20, 1, with responses in the next issue: Jamie Peck, Nick Theodore, and Neil Brenner, Stephen Collier, Daniel Goldstein, Johanna Bockman, Don Kalb...

Whose Values Are Promoted in the African Union’s ‘Shared Values’ Project?

by Mohamed Eno

Co-authored with OA Eno, JM Haji & A Bencherab

Mohamed A. Eno, Omar A. Eno, Jamal M. Hagi, and Azzeddine Bencherab poses a thought-provoking question in their... more Mohamed A. Eno, Omar A. Eno, Jamal M. Hagi, and Azzeddine Bencherab poses a thought-provoking question in their contribution, Whose Values Are Promoted in the African Union’s ‘Shared Values’ Project?, revealing a thought-provoking discussion and also highly-insightful answers to this timely question.

Processus électoral et paradoxes d’un « coup académique » au Nigéria : les élections générales de 2011. Introduction Thématique.

by Gérard L. F. Chouin

Afrique Contemporaine 239, 2011, p. 63-74.