The way we tell stories matters, and it matters even more if the stories are about refugees. Narratives have transformative potential because the way we talk about displaced communities influences...Show moreThe way we tell stories matters, and it matters even more if the stories are about refugees. Narratives have transformative potential because the way we talk about displaced communities influences how we think and treat them. My research journey in Cairo is about Stories of Strength. Cairo is dust, organized chaos, and constant noise, but I enjoyed walking on Cairo’s gritty streets with my friend Didi who told me her story. Life in exile is not easy, especially if you are a young African refugee female dreaming about going to university and becoming a businesswoman. Life in exile is not easy, but none talks about it, and none cares, or at least, this is how my friends felt. This thesis intends to denounce the exhausting social context that young African refugee females experience when accessing education in Egypt, while at the same time, demonstrating that those girls are warriors. Ethnography became the central research method used to test the hypothesis, while the outcome resulted in non-fictional life stories of young African refugee female students, including their flight to Egypt and their struggle to survive, gender, and racial discrimination, and obtain an education. Two life experiences have been included in the Annexes of this study, while an analysis of them has been conducted in the main body. The results showed that African refugee females effectively navigate alternatives in a challenging educational context that limits them from achieving their academic and professional dreams. On this basis, it was confirmed that the stories of young African refugee girls are Stories of Strength while reminding the reader that narratives have transformative potential and that the way we tell stories matters.Show less
Karel Schoeman (26 October 1939 – 1 May 2017) was one of South Africa’s most prolific writers. His idiosyncratic style contributed to a unique form of authorship. Schoeman’s novels were awarded...Show moreKarel Schoeman (26 October 1939 – 1 May 2017) was one of South Africa’s most prolific writers. His idiosyncratic style contributed to a unique form of authorship. Schoeman’s novels were awarded with many prizes and the output of his historical work is unsurpassed. His status however remains relatively unknown in the world outside South Africa. This can be attributed mainly to the fact that most of his work is written in Afrikaans. Schoeman was raised in three languages. His first language was Dutch, which was spoken at home with his mother. Afrikaans was his second and English his third language. His first unpublished novels were in Dutch and English. From his early twenties on he wrote predominantly in Afrikaans. A decade later he distanced himself from the Afrikaner part of the community. This raises the social-linguistic problem of how it is possible for an author to deeply engage in a language and at the same time not be part of its social group. This matter will be discussed in paragraph two where the course of Schoeman’s life and his attraction and aversion concerning the Afrikaners can be followed and in paragraph four which deals with Schoeman’s creative writing. Schoeman’s work has been the subject of several articles, reviews and theses; many of them are of South African origin. A thesis that investigates the problem posed above has not been written yet.Show less
Casa do Fernandez or Ilojo Bar was a National Monument in the heart of Lagos Island, Nigeria. It was built by the returnees who came back from Brazil to Africa, the homeland that the Transatlantic...Show moreCasa do Fernandez or Ilojo Bar was a National Monument in the heart of Lagos Island, Nigeria. It was built by the returnees who came back from Brazil to Africa, the homeland that the Transatlantic Slave Trade had taken their forefathers away from. Although it was a National Monument and should have been protected under Nigerian heritage law, it was illegally demolished on 11 September 2016. How could this prime example of Brazilian-style architecture have been destroyed in broad daylight? This thesis uses Casa do Fernandez as a case study to explore the challenges of preserving built heritage in Nigeria. In the process, it tries to figure out why there is so little knowledge about the history of a building declared a National Monument over sixty years ago. The story of the monument turns out to be different than always assumed. After researching the building’s history, the focus is turned to heritage: the way the present interacts with the past. Could the way Casa do Fernandez has been defined as heritage have something to do with its sad end? The thesis argues that the rigid definition of Casa do Fernandez as strictly Afro-Brazilian heritage detached the site of its cultural meaning to other groups in society and sowed the seeds of the eventual demise of the National Monument. It is a plea for a wider and more inclusive interpretation of this heritage-site in particular and of heritage in general.Show less
Although international media houses have focused on Boko Haram as the biggest contributor to violence in northern Nigeria, ethnic conflict has caused significantly more casualties in the past few...Show moreAlthough international media houses have focused on Boko Haram as the biggest contributor to violence in northern Nigeria, ethnic conflict has caused significantly more casualties in the past few years. This instability has been exacerbated by increases in criminality, terrorism, desertification, and drought that has changed land-use patterns. I argue that the rapid increase in access to Information and Communication Technologies, and especially social media, has created violent conditions by enabling discursive warfare in online spaces, where incendiary rhetoric circulates and is consumed faster than older media forms like newspapers or radio. Using the concept of cultural violence (Galtung 1990) as an umbrella term, this thesis will discuss how the presence of prominent societal norms and ideas legitimize violent discourses and dangerous speech online, which are continuously reinforced and reproduced. In Nigeria, online discourses reveal how dominant beliefs and ethnic labels have become so embedded within the culture that they function as absolute and remain uncontested. As these ideologies spread exponentially on social media, alongside other fake news or misinformation from local news organisations, this has the potential to normalise direct violence. My thesis will focus on this discursive warfare online, and will not attempt to explain how or whether it translates to direct violence because the ramifications of cultural violence are often not immediately visible, but persist and prevail more insidiously, over a longer period of time.Show less
This thesis provides an analysis of three marginal historical movements from the inter-war period in the 20th century; German neocolonialism, Japanese Pan-Asianism and Pan-Africanism. All three...Show moreThis thesis provides an analysis of three marginal historical movements from the inter-war period in the 20th century; German neocolonialism, Japanese Pan-Asianism and Pan-Africanism. All three movements represent trends that present alternative views of the dominant ideologies of the century which they were ultimately suppressed by with the onset of the Second World War. Based on what documentation they left behind however, a model can be constructed that attempts to explain how these movements could have survived or otherwise have seen a resurgence in the absence of global liberalism and communism. Alternative histories found in video games, such as the popular Hearts of Iron IV expansion made by its (non-academic) community The New Order: Last Days of Europe provide an opportunity to put this model into practice, but the shortcomings in its existing narrative regarding Africa must first be addressed.Show less
The introduction of biometric SIM card registration in January 2020 requiring proof of citizenship or legal status highlighted the critical importance of mobile telephony to the livelihoods of...Show moreThe introduction of biometric SIM card registration in January 2020 requiring proof of citizenship or legal status highlighted the critical importance of mobile telephony to the livelihoods of refugees in Dar-es-Salaam. Under the Tanzanian asylum regime, legally registered refugees are neither allowed to leave their camps nor work formally. On the other hand, urban refugees with no legal status depend on mobile connectivity for creating a livelihood informally. With formal employment opportunities limited even for Tanzanian citizens, new forms of mobility in the digital era and translocal connections become lifelines for new opportunities. This thesis explores the ways in which youth in Dar-es-Salaam, both refugees and citizens, creatively use and appropriate mobile phones and social media to navigate their livelihoods. Based on interviews, focus group discussions, and digital observations during three months of research in Dar-es-Salaam, this thesis identifies three common ways of using mobile phone and social media for income generation outside of secure employment: digitally mediated communication with financial supporters, intermediation in sales transactions, and commerce via social media. The findings suggest that the interplay of both online and offline and local and translocal networks allows urban youth to capitalize on their social ties successfully. While this inventive appropriation of mobile technology enables youth to overcome the challenges of urban life, this thesis also highlights the limitations of digital mobility in resolving structural inequalities.Show less
In today’s interconnected world, inclusive development necessitates every community to participate by contributing its unique knowledge in diversity. The rapidly advancing multi-media and...Show moreIn today’s interconnected world, inclusive development necessitates every community to participate by contributing its unique knowledge in diversity. The rapidly advancing multi-media and technological environment gives each citizen with a mobile phone the capacity to record their experience and share it instantly with the world via the internet yet the gradually disappearing cultural identity of the Iteso remains under researched. This multimodal work provides insight into Iteso cultural identity by archiving and analysing the Iteso traditional music and performance corpus, finding alternatives to ensure continuity of Iteso Knowledge in this error where the oral traditions are vanishing while urbanization and internationalization evict younger Iteso generations from their local villages of socialization with a promise of a better and modern life The introduction gives you insights into my main questions, purpose, motivation for this as well as my justification for this research. Chapter 3 is my methodology while in Chapter 4, I give a summary of the corpus in my video story plus some featured traditional instruments and a link to my findings in form of a video story in which I give answers to most of my research questions. I elaborate the question of Iteso identity in terms of origin, migration, basic characteristics, dressing, evolving, marriage customs, political structure, food and majoring on their music in relation to my own personal journey as an Iteso musician who left my village 20 years ago yet doing my best to keep in contact with my roots. In chapter 5, I draw conclusions and recommendations including the reality that Iteso culture could disappear with the next 50 years, yet there is no need to worry or merely complaining about this erosion, instead, we should maximize technology to archive a hybrid form of orality making it available in all modern formats, the “the internet never forgets”! Whereas a post-colonial renewal of Iteso cultural identity and knowledge is slowly happening as myself and my partners are establishing new avenues of reviving Iteso cultural music through Akogo Festival, Africa Safari Festival as well as my continuous archival research and music tours, I recommend more Afrocentric and citizen research to cover all aspects of the Iteso society. Also pertinent is a revival in the Iteso chieftaincy to drift away from English structuring and naming of Iteso a sacred organization that symbolizes Iteso pride, they should abandone the Iteso cultural union brand and adopt Ateker Iteso or concentrate on Einos Iteso Kopitane. A symbol of Iteso pride should be in Ateso not foreign languagesShow less
This thesis explores the potential of multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) to improve mining governance in Sub-Saharan Africa for inclusive and sustainable growth and development. It examines the...Show moreThis thesis explores the potential of multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) to improve mining governance in Sub-Saharan Africa for inclusive and sustainable growth and development. It examines the challenges and opportunities of contemporary mining, highlighting the importance of accountability, transparency and representation in decision-making processes. Transformative governance is found to necessitate multi-stakeholder collaboration and mining-engaged MSPs are proposed as holistic initiatives to this end. The 5-2-3 model is introduced to guide mining-engaged platforms in conflict mitigation through trust-building and continuous reflection. Findings from a stakeholder-informed case study of Sierra Leone show that mining-engaged MSPs can promote inclusive and sustainable mining governance.Show less
Nigeria is facing large problems with food security. The country is ranked 100th (out of 113) on the Global Food Security Index, and the statistics on hunger, poverty, malnourishment, are not...Show moreNigeria is facing large problems with food security. The country is ranked 100th (out of 113) on the Global Food Security Index, and the statistics on hunger, poverty, malnourishment, are not painting a much more positive image (The Economist, 2020). President Muhammadu Buhari and his government consider agriculture to be the path to food security in Nigeria. Over the years, several policies have been installed to launch the agricultural sector into development, increase domestic food production, and decrease food imports. These policies are not undisputed. Critics argue that the Nigerian government acts erratic and that the implementation of the policies is lacking. Although the goals of the policies seem to be in line with what the sector needs, in spite of the efforts, the sector has not managed to significantly increase production and Nigeria remains food insecure. This paper aims to contribute to the debate by investigating why there is such a big gap between the policymaking and positive results. To this aim I will identify the threats to the Nigerian food security, conduct a thorough analysis of the standing agricultural policies of the Buhari administration, give an assessment of their effectiveness, and in addition, I will research the producers’ perspectives on the policies by doing interviews. I find that the policies touch upon the right subjects; the goals and challenges are defined in line with what the agricultural sector needs, but the implementation is seriously lacking. Therefore, the agricultural sector is unable to develop and Nigeria remains food insecure.Show less
This research investigates if Moyee Coffee, a Dutch coffee corporation who adopts a different strategy than other fair trade coffee corporations, can contribute to the fifth goal (Gender Equality)...Show moreThis research investigates if Moyee Coffee, a Dutch coffee corporation who adopts a different strategy than other fair trade coffee corporations, can contribute to the fifth goal (Gender Equality) of the Sustainable Development Goal Agenda 2030. The research investigates the political, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of coffee in Ethiopia, known as the birthplace of Arabica coffee. It highlights how generic and fair trade coffee supply chains operate. It seeks to understand how the position of smallholder farmers could be improved through the workings of a continental and supra-national development agenda. All this whilst highlighting the position of women within each topic. The research explicitly focuses on women regarding SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and the generally marginalized position of women within global supply chains. By investigating the workings of Moyee Coffee, this research highlights to what extent there is gender equality among the smallholder farmers as employed by Moyee. By aligning the baseline measurements to the theoretical approaches of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, Gendered Commodity Chains theories, and national and regional data, it seeks to understand to what extend there is gender equality among smallholder farmers as employed by Moyee and how there is a possible contribution to SDG 5 (Gender Equality). The key outcomes of the research indicated that there is no differentiation between the position of female smallholder farmers as employed by Moyee and the regional and national female smallholder farmers. Thus, the livelihoods of female smallholder farmers, through the workings of a different type of fair trade, are not empowered nor improved. However, the regional outcomes, to which the outcomes of the data of Moyee compare, do contribute to a slight extend to the realization of SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Nevertheless, the outcomes of the baseline study invite more specific interventions targeted at improving the lives of female smallholder farmers.Show less
The purpose of this research is to investigate the socio-economic and associated political circumstances that inform the conditions of non-nationals participating in the South African cultural...Show moreThe purpose of this research is to investigate the socio-economic and associated political circumstances that inform the conditions of non-nationals participating in the South African cultural industry. This is in light of previous literature on cultural productions of diasporas but applied to the specific context of Johannesburg. The exploration is relevant in contributing to discussions surrounding the South-South migration, sustainable immigration and integration, gatekeeping practices, as well as providing arguments for more inclusive cultural policy making decisions. Central to this research are questions regarding barriers to the creative sector, the use of hybrid form and content in cultural productions of non-nationals, and the dichotomy between ‘self-presentation’ and ‘other-presentation’ of non-nationals in institutionalized spaces. The research is conducted using a multimodal discourse analysis and took place during a research internship at a Johannesburg-based emerging artists center. Primary analysis is in the form of nine semi-structured interviews (in-person and online) whereas secondary analysis examines the content of the creative products of each respondent. Findings show that the cultural production of non-nationals is affected the most by local market demands and financial considerations. There is clear evidence that respondents wish to assimilate their works into the local scene by using specific business strategies and aesthetic adaptations. Therefore, respondents do not wish to highlight themselves as ‘others’ in their ‘self-presentation’. This posed a direct contrast to institutional framing techniques that highlight diasporic individuals in a tokenizing way. The logistics of migration and xenophobia prove to be the greatest challenges for non-nationals but despite this, individuals wish to remain in Johannesburg and continue working in the cultural industries.Show less
Engaging in a just energy transition implies the equitable participation of all stakeholders. The successful development of renewable energy infrastructure projects relies on a strong social...Show moreEngaging in a just energy transition implies the equitable participation of all stakeholders. The successful development of renewable energy infrastructure projects relies on a strong social support. Companies must implement ambitious community engagement practices to gain a social license to operate (SLO) and, thus, mitigate social acceptance risks. This study aims at investigating the interactions between involved companies and host communities of such projects in South Africa, where firms must engage in local economic development activities. It focuses on the construction phase of third-party EPC projects (when Engineering, Procurement and Construction services are offered by an actor that is not the original developer). Based on a comprehensive literature review, field research was conducted. Thorough observations were recorded. Questionnaire surveys were disseminated to the company’s employees and local workers. Semi- structured interviews and discussions were conducted with company’s representatives, local workers, and other community members. A comparative case study approach is adopted to evaluate corporate management strategies. Two projects located in the North West province, Bokamoso and Waterloo Solar Parks, and overseen by the same EPC company, are analyzed. The SLO concept is utilized to assess actual community responses and frame elements of corporate management that might have influenced the positive observed levels of SLO. Results show that: • There is a slight mismatch between the reality on site and its perception by the company. • The company maintains a negative approach to communication, both internally and externally, which negatively influenced local communities’ responses. • Community responses are also shaped by external factors that the company acknowledges but difficultly navigates. These results suggest that host communities and local rules of the game should be better understood by corporate proponents. Practical recommendations to improve community engagement and better mitigate social acceptance risks in renewable energy infrastructure projects, solely during the construction phase, in South Africa are offered.Show less
Ethiopia is a popular destination for Eritrean refugees, due both to its close proximity and its since 2010 implemented progressive policy allowing Eritrean refugees to reside out of the camps and...Show moreEthiopia is a popular destination for Eritrean refugees, due both to its close proximity and its since 2010 implemented progressive policy allowing Eritrean refugees to reside out of the camps and in its cities, such as Addis Ababa, granted they would be self-sufficient. However, this scheme did not allow refugees to work. As a result, in 2016, the country vowed to increase its commitment and pledged to improve refugee laws by providing education, employment rights, and basic services. It was thought that Eritrea and Ethiopia’s historical relationship and cultural similarities would support the socio-cultural integration of Eritrean refugees into the Ethiopian host community. However, in reality, the level of integration amongst Eritrean refugees in Addis Ababa is still relatively low. To investigate this phenomenon, the following research question is proposed: “Why are many Eritrean refugees not socio-culturally integrated into Ethiopian host community in Addis Ababa?” This paper uses a qualitative approach to illustrate and analyse the ethnography of Eritrean and Ethiopian communities in two areas in Addis Ababa, Bole Arabsa and Mebrat Haile Gofa. Data was gathered through informal, open interviews and participant observation. A thematic approach was also used to draw conclusions from the data, to engage with the topic in new way and lastly, it offers valuable insights into the socio-cultural integration of Eritrean urban refugees within their host communities. The study’s findings indicate that language plays a key role in the overall process of integration, however, in the case of Eritrean refugees in Addis Ababa, many do not feel incentivized to learn the local language, which is Amharic. Furthermore, refugees’ knowledge of another language spoken in Ethiopia, Tigrigna, leads to discrimination by other ethnic groups. A review of past theoretical approaches to this topic suggests that religion is another key facilitator for integration. However, even though both Eritreans and Ethiopians hold similar religious beliefs, their religious practices are entirely separate. The same holds true for food and coffee ceremonies, to a large extent. This is caused by the marginal interaction between the two communities, leading to both living entirely separate and in parallel to each other. Social integration is made even more complex by the poor treatment of refugees by local authorities, as well as general mistrust from both sides due to a further consequence of their historical past, which still has a significant impact today. More importantly, access to the local economy is close to non-existent for Eritrean refugees and are therefore dependent on remittances from abroad for financial support. Moreover, this paradigm creates a circular problem, as remittances further limit their involvement in the local economy. Lastly, as Ethiopia is a transit destination, refugees are further disincentivized from staying in Addis Ababa.Show less
This study investigates the normative framework and the experienced reality of a social norm to enable effective policymaking, which improves the financial situation of the underserved in Eastern...Show moreThis study investigates the normative framework and the experienced reality of a social norm to enable effective policymaking, which improves the financial situation of the underserved in Eastern Province, Zambia. Social norms are becoming increasingly part of social science research, but working with social norms is not straightforward. This thesis contributes to this field of knowledge by giving in-depth qualitative knowledge of how a social norm influences people in rural Zambia. A previously conducted quantitative research revealed tensions between the desire for individual control over money and social and personal norms prohibiting secrecy, advocating the communal over personal interests. During a fieldwork period of ten weeks, seven group and twenty-two individual interviews were conducted. The group interviews show the content of the social norm and how salient it is in the communities where the interviews were conducted. The individual interviews shed light on how a social norm and its behavioral prescriptions are personally experienced. The main conclusion is that it is context-dependent on how social norms influence people's behavior choices, and this differs with time and personal circumstances. The behavioral prescriptions of the social norm prohibiting saving in secret do not guide all community members' actual behavior all the time. Some people sporadically elude or violate the norm secretly, while others do it openly, and again others never transgress. This norm is dynamically and flexibly interpreted depending on people's living situations. Effective policies should include this variety of households and living situations to improve the financial situation of the underserved.Show less
This research presents and analyses how Bole Michael, Addis Ababa functions in Somali mobility and the role of Somali entrepreneurship in this area. Moreover, it aims to avoid going along with...Show moreThis research presents and analyses how Bole Michael, Addis Ababa functions in Somali mobility and the role of Somali entrepreneurship in this area. Moreover, it aims to avoid going along with popular notions and conventional theories on Somalis and entrepreneurs. Henceforth, this research uses literature that fits the context of Somalis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Furthermore, this study shows that Somalis in Bole Michael do not identify as refugees, which contradicts the simplified paradigm illustrated by existing literature on Somalis in Bole Michael. Nevertheless, it reveals that Bole Michael functions as a transit hub for various Somali migrants moving through Bole Michael to Europe and North America. Additionally, Somali enterprises in Bole Michael are service-based and offer services that assist the journey undertaken by migrants, such as; guesthouses, money transfer operators and restaurants. Accordingly, this research argues that Somali businesses sustain and stimulate international Somali mobility. This thesis concludes with suggestions for further research that studies the stimulating effect of money transfer companies on illegal migration among Somali youth.Show less
