Institute of African Studies
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Item Gender and the stigma of onchocercal skin disease in Africa(Social Science and Medicine, 2000-05) Vlassoff, C.; Weiss, M.; Ovuga, E.B.L.; Eneanya, C.; Nwel, P.T.; Babalola, S.S.; Awedoba, A.K.; Theophilus, B.; Cofie, P.; Shetabi, P.This paper reports results from a multicenter study of gender differences in the stigma associated with onchocercal skin disease (OSD) in five African sites: Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria (Awka and Ibadan) and Uganda. The studies used a common protocol to compare affected and unaffected respondents, that is, men and women with onchodermatitis in highly endemic areas and respondents from communities with low endemicity or no onchocerciasis. The methods were both quantitative and qualitative, allowing for the comparison of stigma scores and people's verbal descriptions of their experiences and attitudes. Questions to the unaffected were asked after providing them with photographs and short descriptions (vignettes) depicting typical cases. We found that stigma was expressed more openly by the unaffected, who perceived OSD as something foreign or removed from themselves, whereas the affected tended to deny that they experienced stigma as a result of the condition. Gender differences in stigma scores were not significantly different for men and women, but qualitative data revealed that stigma was experienced differently by men and women, and that men and women were affected by it in distinctive ways. Men were more concerned about the impact of the disease on sexual performance and economic prospects, whereas women expressed more concern about physical appearance and life chances, especially marriage. Similar trends were found in the different sites in the responses of affected and unaffected respondents, and differences between them, despite geographical and cultural variations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.Item When men speak women listen': Gender Socialisation and Young Adolescents' Attitudes to Sexual and Reproductive Issues.(2001) Adomako, A. A.Despite several indications to the contrary, approaches to population and fertility issues continue to assume, either explicitly or implicitly, that women’s sexual and reproductive behaviours are central to bringing about change. While it is true that programme efforts in Family Planning and Reproductive Health are paying greater attention to the “male role”, issues of gender relations (and inequalities) receive much less attention in the conceptualisation of these programmes. The discourse on gender relations in Africa often start by pointing to issues of patriarchy; however, while this helps us to understand the status of women and men it usually neglects to explain how gender is constructed. Where the reproductive health lens is thrown on males, it is usually in the form of exhortations to men to have fewer children, or to be “responsible”, without consideration to why men have as many children as they do, or how and why men are “irresponsible”. There has been little examination of how girls and boys, who grow up into men and women, learn certain behaviours and attitudes. Attitudes to gender roles, formed in growing up years, have implications for later sexual behaviour. This paper discusses findings from separate Focus Group Discussions among boys, girls, and parents, in two communities in Ghana on the kinds of attitudes expressed with regard to specific gender roles and sexual and reproductive behaviour. The FGDs also point to some of the ways adolescents recognise sex-role disparities in their own socialisation and that of other young people. The two communities reflect two lineage types – one matrilineal and the other patrilineal. The data show that with few exceptions patriarchal attitudes essentially prevail across age, sex, and lineage type. The paper concludes by suggesting programmatic implications for strengthening the abilities of young males to be "responsible" in their sexual relations.Item AIDS-related knowledge and behavior among married Kenyan men: A behavioral paradox?(Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 2001-08) Dodoo, F.N.-A.; Ampofo, A.A.The heterosexual character of HIV/AIDS transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, a context where men are dominant in sexual and reproductive matters, underscores the importance of assessing male behavior in sexual and related health arenas. Despite condom use being the recommended and expected behavioral response to knowledge about the fatal outcome of HIV/AIDS infection, use continues to be extremely low in sub-Saharan Africa. This article explores the relationship between various facets of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and condom use among married Kenyan men. The main finding is one of a significant interaction effect of the recognition that it is impossible to visually identify infected parties and one's perception of self-risk. Although neither is in itself significant, simultaneously recognizing that healthy-looking persons may be infected and perceiving that one is himself not at risk significantly reduces condom use among men. This finding - of an interaction effect - plausibly explains why a perception of self-risk, on its own, does not necessarily translate into safe behavior. After all, those who believe they can identify infected persons may think they are at low risk because they avoid contact with the infected and, in selecting partners they deem free of infection, they may be less inclined to use condoms. This finding has implications for how specific aspects of AIDS-related knowledge are imparted to communities and individuals as well as for our understanding of other health-related behaviors.Item Akanization of the Hill Guan arts.(2002) Labi, K.A.The original inhabitants of the Akuapern Hills were predominantly Guan. From the mid-eighteenth century, they experienced fundamental political changes which marked a transition from the rule of priest-chiefs to secular chiefs. This new political order introduced new art forms and regalia. The cultural contact which took place in Akuapem did not result in an even diffusion of elements of Akan art and culture, but has been one of uneven and unbalanced adoption, modification and even rejection of some new art and religious forms. This article discusses the process of introducing an Akan type political system and its accompanying art in a group of Guan communities on the Akuapem Hills. Art and regalia in Akuapem portray the acceptance of new art forms, yet preserving some Guan traditional art forms amidst major artistic adoptions from the Akan. it therefore analyses whether the Akanization process was partial or complete.Item Mothering among Black and White Non-Ghanaian Women in Ghana.(2004) Adomako, A. A.Although “race”, like “gender” is a socially-constructed category, “colour” still has deep meaning and significance for most people. Often disconcertingly so. In 1998, during a trip to Germany with my daughters, at the time aged two and five, we shared one such experience. The three of us were travelling in the tram (or streetcar) with my sister and her son, aged one at the time. My nephew is phenotypically “white” with fair skin and blonde hair, while my sister and I, and my daughters, are varying shades of brown. At one stop an elderly lady got on board and sat close to me. It must have been obvious that my sister and I and our children belonged together. As the journey progressed it became clear that the woman was very curious about our party of multi-hued individuals. When she could no longer contain her curiosity the woman asked me about the family connections. I explained the family connections to her. She wanted to know how come my nephew was so white. I told her that his father was white. The woman then remarked matter-of-factly, “oh – he must have been very relieved that his son didn’t turn out dark.” I was too amused by the old woman’s complete lack of sophistication and sensitivity to have room for any anger or irritation at the racial slur. My sister had decided, she explained later, that she did not have the energy to begin an argument with someone who was so obviously unaware of her racialised thinking. However, the entire experience set me thinking about the power that parents, and in my sister’s case mothers, have to transmit, and more importantly subvert, “ racial” identities to their children. Clearly, for the white woman the Caucasian child was central and powerful while the rest of the family were the “other”. But how do mothers transmit or circumvent such images and racial identities when it comes to their own children? What race, or ethnicity, does your child become when s/he does not necessarily share your race/ethnicity? The question itself poses a contradiction. These are the issues that this paper explores.Item Giving quality lives to our families, enhancing government's performance: A woman's perspectives on the cultural dimension of development(Jenda, 2004) Sackey, B.M.This study focuses on one woman and her quest for development using her familiar cultural approach of reciprocity. In this way, she could effectively make positive changes in her own socio-economic status, as well as that of her family and the wider community. Indeed, she was also able to have the name of her country imprinted on the map of the global fishing industry. This case study is predicated on the premise that the nurturing of good social relations leads to community and national development. It observes that if government should adopt the cultural reciprocity approach, that will form a basis for mutual good relationship with its citizens, and give women incentives and stimulation in their work, it will in turn enhance its own performance. © Africa Resource Center, Inc. Publisher, 2004.Item Women’s and Gender Studies in English-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa.(2004) Adomako, A.A.; Beoku-Betts, J.; Njambi, W.N.; Osirim, M.This article seeks to broaden understanding of issues and controversies addressed in social science research on women’s and gender studies by researchers and activists based in English-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. The topics covered were selected from those ratified by African women in the Africa Platform for Action in 1995 as well as from current debates on the politics of identity. The common feminist issues the authors identified were health; gender-based violence; sexuality, education, globalization and work; and politics, the state, and nongovernmental organizations. In addition, the authors address theoretical and methodological trends. All four coauthors are feminist sociologists: One scholar is based in an African academic institution, two are Africans based in U.S. academic institutions, and one is an African American based in a U.S. academic institution.Item Ga clauses without syntactic subjects(Journal of African Languages and Linguistics, 2004-07) Dakubu, M.E.K.In Ga, certain locative or goal-oriented expressions involve a type of multi-verb construction that is characterized by the independence of the agreement (including A(spect), M(ood) and P(olarity)) features and argument structures of the verbs, such that the syntactic and functional status of the second, locative VP poses an interesting problem. The compositional semantics of the sentence suggests that the second, locative VP, sometimes known as a "verbid" expression, is the Predicate of the first, which then must be its semantic subject, and a close examination of various constructions in Ga indicates that this is a reasonable interpretation. On the other hand, only the first verb takes the full range of aspectual markers and arguments. This together with the relations holding between the objects of the verbs, and the behaviour of the locative VP when in focus, suggests that on the syntactic level the reverse situation holds, that the locative clause specifies the other as its adjunct. © Walter de Gruyter.Item Implementation of Ghana's health user fee policy and the exemption of the poor: Problems and prospects(Union for African Population Studies, 2004-12) Badasu, D.M.Like many other African countries, Ghana has been implementing a cost-sharing policy in its health sector since the 1990s. The adoption of this policy and the consequent charging of user fees for health services was due to stagnating economies and associated budgetary constraints and increasing gaps between supply and demand for basic social services that have been characteristic of African countries since the 1970s. The main objectives for the adoption of cost-sharing policies have been to improve both quality and access to health services. Studies focusing on the experience of African countries with the implementation of user fees indicate varying findings on the impact of user fees on their health delivery systems. The access of the poor, in particular, has been adversely affected, according to the findings of a number of studies. Policies, such as targeting the poor, have not been effectively implemented to mitigate the impacts of the user fee policy on their access. This paper examines the problems associated with granting exemption to the poor in Ghana. It also discusses the prospects of considering the poor in alternative policies that may be adopted in future. Its main findings indicate that a number of shortcomings of policy adoption, particularly the lack of specification of criteria by which the poor can be identified, make it difficult for health workers to grant exemptions. Further findings show that declining government budget allocations and supplies might have made it imperative for the facility manager to be more concerned about collecting revenue than attending to financial access of the poor. The study, however, suggests that despite the shortcomings of the targeting policy and its implementation, it should continue to be an important component of health policy, considering the vast inequalities in income in the population. © Copyright 2004 - Union for African Population Studies.Item In search of ethnic and political identity in an urban setting, the case of the Kotokoli of Accra, Ghana.(2005) Ntewusu, S.A.This short write up discusses the violence in Accra’s urban setting. Using the Kotokoli Cutlass festival as an example the paper discussed how northerners use violence to gain political recognition and power in Accra.Item Latɛ Sound Systems and Syllable Structure(2005) Akrofi Ansah, M.Leteh is an unwritten dialect of Guan which belongs to the Volta-Comoé (or Western Kwa) unit of the Niger-Congo family of languages. This paper is an aspect of the initial attempt to get the language documented and described. Hence, fundamental issues such as the vowel and consonant sounds are tackled. As a phonological unit, the syllable is the domain of some phonological as well as morphological processes in Leteh; again, it is the tone bearing unit. This paper will therefore, in addition, describe the syllable structure types in Leteh. Finally, conclusions which could serve as motivation for further studies are drawn.Item Agricultural markets in West Africa: Frontiers, agribusiness and social differentiation(IDS Bulletin, 2005-06) Amanor, K.S.Agricultural development policies and analyses have sought to reduce direct state intervention in order to promote free markets, yet rarely investigate the nature of African agribusiness and commodity markets. West African history shows a pattern of forest rents, frontier colonisation, boom and bust cycles and limited scope for diversifying production. Food markets present some opportunities, but are also characterised by unequal power in production and exchange State decline has left farmers to obtain technical inputs from private agribusinesses, but often on poor terms that heighten inequality and insecurity. © Institute of Development Studies.Item Afrocentricity, the adae festival of the Akan, African American festivals, and intergenerational communication(Journal of Black Studies, 2005-07) Owusu-Frempong, Y.African American communities celebrate different kinds of festivals each year, but little has been published on this subject. This article is intended to fill part of the vacuum, demonstrating the importance and functions of African festivals and their relationship with contemporary African American festivals. African festivals are a tool of community gathering and unity and place us at the center of our culture and social environment. They are also a medium of cultural education and intergenerational communication and play an important role in the preservation of our cultural heritage, transmitting knowledge and our experiences as a people to future generations. The celebration of festivals in the African American communities must not be seen merely as an annual congregation of street and food vendors, marching bands, and musicians but also as a tool of cultural reconstruction and transmission of knowledge to the younger generation. © 2005 Sage Publications.Item The Information Needs of Female Adult Literacy Learners in Accra(Information Development, 2005-09) Adjah, O.A.Reports on a study to identify the information needs, information sources, information seeking behaviour and barriers to access to information of 122 female adult literacy learners in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The main information need identified was information to solve day-to-day problems followed by the need to acquire basic conversational skills in English, to communicate with customers they meet in their trades and professions. The information needs of the subjects demand a new concept of service and practice. Literacy agents must team up with librarians to take care of the special needs of women enrolled in literacy classes. © 2005, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.Item Familial roles and social transformations: Older men and women in sub-Saharan Africa(Research on Aging, 2006-11) Oppong, C.By focusing on old people in sub-Saharan Africa, the author illustrates the need for comparative analyses of how culture, sociopolitical systems, and sweeping social change shape lives, interconnections, opportunities, and constraints among older people. In such work, gender contrasts are critical. Because of their position in reproduction and marital patterns, women in sub-Saharan Africa have tended to use lineal strategies, focused on children and grandchildren, in contrast to the more lateral, partner-oriented strategies followed by men. Migration into urban areas and the AIDS pandemic have left many older women in charge of grandchildren in rural areas with inadequate resources and infrastructure. Shaped by traditional values, norms, and roles in their early lives, they currently find many expectations unmet. Indeed, some of the traditional norms that ensured respect, support, reciprocity, and embeddedness may now leave many older people, especially women, isolated, weakened, and victims of illness and violence. © 2006 Sage Publications.Item Spoken Reminiscences of Political Agents in Northern Nigeria I(2007) Afeadie, P.A.The spoken reminiscences on political agents involved oral interviews on the role of indigenous service assistants in the establishment of British colonial rule in northern Nigeria. Conducting oral interviews was informed by the need to seek African perspective in historical inquiry. For a topic dealing with indigenous participants in the colonial establishment, historical enquiry would be enriched with the African opinion, which is largely contained in the oral traditions of the people. Such perspective would address issues such as the African mentality, which is hardly revealing in the written literature. Hence, the significance of the interviews in colonial historiography.Item Culture and development in Africa with special references to Ghana(Historical Society of Ghana, 2007) Awedoba, A. K.Item Enduring, ephemeral and emerging issues in public administration in Canada: Trends in Canadian Public Administration over 50 years (1958-2007)(Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), 2007) Carroll, B.W.; Kpessa, M.W.This issue of Canadian Public Administration marks two landmarks. It is the 50th anniversary issue of the Journal, and it is the last issue to be published by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. For this issue, we have not produced a ”special issue” in the sense of commissioning particular articles. Instead, we have brought together a number of articles that were already in the “pipeline” but that the editors thought made a particular contribution to public administration in Canada. This introductory article, or editor’s review, is a retrospective analysis of the content of the Journal. It would appear that while there has been a slight shift towards public policy and a greater concern with provincial and local administration, CPA has maintained an enduring interest in its core areas of administrative theory and political and legal institutions. The content is also compared with findings of the content of other journals and also other analyses of CPAT. This review is followed by commentaries by former editors and associate editors on their experiences with the JournalItem Private Pensions and Income Security in Old Age: An Uncertain Future(Social and Economic Dimensions of An Aging Population, 2007) Kpessa, M.W.; Hering, M.By all measures the private pension system in Canada is in difficulty. One estimate suggests that at the end of 2005 there were significant funding shortfalls in about three quarters of the traditional defined benefit pension plans that fall under federal jurisdiction in Canada. In order to discuss how vulnerable the current system is, to identify possible directions of reform, and to consider how to implement them, the conference on “Private Pensions and Income Security in Old Age: An Uncertain Future” brought together researchers, those who design and manage pension plans, and those responsible for pension policy, both from Canada and abroad. It was organized by the SEDAP Research Program and held in Hamilton, Ontario, in November 2006. This paper summarizes the presentations that were given in 10 conference sessions, covering issues such as pension regulations, poverty and income security in old age, policy options, reform obstacles, an international perspectives. Many of the conference presentations, including tables and graphs, are available on SEDAP’s website