The World Bank has been increasingly involved in post-Independence Kenya’s agricultural development since the drought of 1973 and the Oil Crisis of the same year. Their stated objectives across...Show moreThe World Bank has been increasingly involved in post-Independence Kenya’s agricultural development since the drought of 1973 and the Oil Crisis of the same year. Their stated objectives across these loan agreements and Structural Adjustment Programs have been to liberalise trade and ultimately create a situation of food security in Kenya. In the years that have followed, Kenya has continued to be a major exporter of horticultural goods such as cut-flowers and black tea. Yet Kenya has not emerged as a food secure nation. In fact Kenya is now recognised as a food insecure nation. This is undeniably a highly complex issue with all manner of contributing factors, most notably the worsening climate crisis and internal displacement this has caused. However, Kenya is East Africa’s largest and arguably most stable economy with hugely profitable agricultural exports. Kenya is also a nation unlike many other African nations in that its most valuable natural resource is its soil rather than what lies beneath it. Despite this, more than a third of Kenyan children suffer from stunting meaning chronic malnutrition in pregnant women and children is widespread. This research therefore utilises a theoretical framework based on elements from the Neoliberal Theory of Development, Postcolonial Theory and World Systems Theory to analyse how the World Bank’s loan conditionalities have contributed to Kenya’s status as food insecure. With many of these loans still in the process of being repaid this research focuses on the impacts they have had thus far.Show less
South Africa's transition from an authoritarian, racialized regime to a liberal democracy at the end of the Apartheid period was in all forms radical. Politically, all citizens were suddenly equal...Show moreSouth Africa's transition from an authoritarian, racialized regime to a liberal democracy at the end of the Apartheid period was in all forms radical. Politically, all citizens were suddenly equal before the law, all of whom having the right to vote, and economically the country was open to the rest of the world again, thrusting its economy into a hypermodern globalized system. Both of these changes had significant impacts on the cultural experiences of the nation’s people, who were negotiating ways to manifest their identities in the midst of all these changes, and, through this, renegotiating the power structures at the base of society. This thesis explores how popular culture, more specifically the music genres of Kwaito and Hip-hop, not only reflected this transition, but also helped shape it. Through a lense of cultural studies and political economics, the effects of these genres on power relations in the creation of a new South Africa are studied. Kwaito's evasion of, and Hip-hop's resistance against social control are seen to have effectuated new standards with regards to cultural norms and their inherent power structures, thus portraying the capacity of popular culture to spark change outside of its usual sphere of influence.Show less
The intention of this thesis is to research the successfulness of microfinance initiatives (MFIs) at alleviating poverty in Ghana. The correlation between poverty alleviation and microfinance has...Show moreThe intention of this thesis is to research the successfulness of microfinance initiatives (MFIs) at alleviating poverty in Ghana. The correlation between poverty alleviation and microfinance has been researched before, but all of these examinations had case-selection bias. Even though they tried to make suggestions for improvement, these suggestions did not seek for development of a fact-based risk scoring framework. Most scholars make a convincing argument that MFIs do help alleviate poverty. They are not able to provide absolute data on the level of improvement, which made it impossible to give a quantitative answer to how successful microfinance is at helping alleviate poverty. Therefore, this thesis objectively analyses the positive and negative aspects of MFIs and the possibilities to improve the functioning of MFIs by creating a framework to further alleviate poverty in Ghana.Show less
Language is a complex abstract notion, which helps in shaping particular identities in the process of nation-state building. However, many other variables play a role in the development of...Show moreLanguage is a complex abstract notion, which helps in shaping particular identities in the process of nation-state building. However, many other variables play a role in the development of individuals identifying as a collective group bearing the same identities. For example, a unique legacy of colonialism in Cameroon is the nation’s division along the Country’s two official colonial languages: English and French. This division has been the source of a recurring pattern of political conflicts between the Anglophone and Francophone. Many scholars narrate colonialism as a link in the creation of two major linguistic identities in-groups through the post-colonial languages. Consequently, the official post-colonial language situation translates into a conflict of division between linguistic groups of belonging, which leads to politics of identity regarding the case of British Cameroon. This results to seeking sovereignty in order to attain the right of self-determination. In order to shed light on British Cameroon’s choice of constructing an Anglophone identity in relation to their regions, this thesis examines the position of post-colonial languages as a tool in re-negotiating social identities, in order to change the present condition of English-speaking Cameroonians. It traces the historical and socio-linguistic emergence of specific pressure groups and activists, who took radical measures in the forming of the Anglophone identity in the space of Cameroon.Show less
The African Union (AU) accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague of disproportionately issuing arrest warrants against African perpetrators of international law, as compared to...Show moreThe African Union (AU) accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague of disproportionately issuing arrest warrants against African perpetrators of international law, as compared to citizens from other continents. Despite this sentiment towards the ICC, the AU endorses the fight against impunity. In this thesis it is researched how the AU could prosecute a perpetrator of international crimes on its own continent. One case study covers the prosecution by the AU in one of its courts. Another case study is the prosecution in one of its member states, this is based on the case of Hissène Habré who was convicted in Senegal for (among other crimes) crimes against humanity in 2016. Based on these case studies it will be concluded what the possibilities for the AU are if they are really committed to fight impunity in Africa.Show less
This BA thesis deals with the persistence of FGM in Kenya despite various attempts to erase the practice, looking in particular at underlying social dimensions.
The purpose of this thesis is to use a new lens through which to analyse terrorist recruitment tactics. This will be done by examining how Al-Shabaab has manipulated the collective memory of the...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to use a new lens through which to analyse terrorist recruitment tactics. This will be done by examining how Al-Shabaab has manipulated the collective memory of the Kenyan ‘military intervention’ through their tweets during the Westgate terrorist attack of 2013. In order to answer this question, the tweets will be analysed through the field of memory studies, paying special attention to postmemory, collectivisation of memory, false memory creation and the establishment of imagined communities. This thesis concludes that Al-Shabaab and other terrorist organisations on a more global level are able to acquire recruits through manipulating how memories are represented in social media. By mediating the narrative of the Kenyan intervention in Twitter, Al-Shabaab is able to transmit the memory to a larger audience ensuring the continuity of their struggle against Kenya throughout varying social spheres and different generations.Show less
The thesis aims to illustrate how Food Aid, Free Trade Agreements, and Agricultural Dumping are closely related. By drawing the relation between these three seemingly separate issues, a divergent...Show moreThe thesis aims to illustrate how Food Aid, Free Trade Agreements, and Agricultural Dumping are closely related. By drawing the relation between these three seemingly separate issues, a divergent perspective upon the global trading system is exposed. The thesis reaches its outcome by using both macro and micro analyses. Where macro analyses allows the debate to have a more theoretical nature, the micro analyses of the case study on Agricultural Dumping in Mozambique shows a more practical side of the debate. By the use of these two analytical tools, the thesis illustrates how Agricultural Dumping is a negative effect of Food Aid, enabled through Free Trade Agreements. As open market policies and low domestic protection are part of these agreements, local agricultural markets in sub- Saharan Africa become unable to compete with subsidised imported agricultural goods. Hence, the three issues all contribute to an unequal market system that, in certain situations, provides advantages for the donor country and leaves the receiving country at a disadvantage.Show less
