Decolonisation and independence in Africa resulted in new beginnings, as well as imagined futures. For a number of postcolonial African nation-states, these imagined futures were rooted in a new...Show moreDecolonisation and independence in Africa resulted in new beginnings, as well as imagined futures. For a number of postcolonial African nation-states, these imagined futures were rooted in a new political ideology – African Socialism. In an attempt by a number of African leaders to find a postcolonial identity, African Socialism was thought to satisfy the demands of newly independent African nation-states.Show less
This thesis is in accordance with the requirements for the completion of the International Relations Master Program. First, the aim of this thesis was to test the existing theory that a failed or...Show moreThis thesis is in accordance with the requirements for the completion of the International Relations Master Program. First, the aim of this thesis was to test the existing theory that a failed or collapsed regime is a necessary component for the presence of a change in witchcraft victimology from elderly women to urban children. This was done by analyzing the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, and Ghana. The second chapter illustrates the state of the art of literature regarding the theories underlying this research, alternative explanations for a shift in victimology, and type of regimes present in African states. The third chapter explains the between-case multi-criterial analysis conducted to ascertain each case’s regime type and the presence (or lack thereof) of a shift in witchcraft victimology. The fourth chapter relays the results of the analysis where it was determined that out of the four cases, two were in accordance with the existing theory, and two refuted it. The fifth and final chapter concludes this thesis by critically examining the results and methodology and a conclusory statement claiming that a collapsed and failed regime is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for the shift in victimology of witchcraft accusations from elderly women to urban children.Show less
This Master thesis tries to argue South Africa’s uncertain future as regional leader on the African continent. It builds on Geldenhuys’ description of South Africa as ideational leader almost a...Show moreThis Master thesis tries to argue South Africa’s uncertain future as regional leader on the African continent. It builds on Geldenhuys’ description of South Africa as ideational leader almost a decade later. South Africa’s intended withdrawal from the ICC’s jurisdiction of which they notified the world in October 2016, will be used as a case study to substantiate this argument. The intended withdrawal was a political move which at the time caused international chaos, but now 2 years have passed, there needs to be a reassessment of what has changed and what impact this decision had. Therefore, this thesis subsequently serves the purpose of creating a chronological overview of the events between 2002 and 2018 regarding the ICC, the African Union and South Africa.Show less
Contemporary development studies needs a 'processual shift' from development to developing in order to transcend the static problematisation of African underdevelopment. The Washington Consensus...Show moreContemporary development studies needs a 'processual shift' from development to developing in order to transcend the static problematisation of African underdevelopment. The Washington Consensus and the Beijing Consensus still approach African underdevelopment according to a teleological view that is rooted in the belief that economic growth is necessary for achieving prosperity. By applying complexity science to the economy, this research fills the lack within International Relations (IR) of critically revising African development in contemporary, changing contexts. A model of economic evolution is employed to conduct a transformative analysis of Kenya's developing within the twenty-first century New Silk Road (NSR). Utilising the process tracing method to examine combined data sets, the researcher explores manifestations of the interdependence between evolutionary technological, institutional, and strategic forces. The analysis provides an innovative account of how and why economic evolution has emerged in Kenya. Future research should refine the model, but not define it: evolution is an endless process from which the economy as a complex adaptive system emerges.Show less
This thesis utilizes a comparative perspective in analyzing the perceived differences between how people with albinism (PWA) are treated in Benin, Cameroon, The Democratic Republic of the Congo ...Show moreThis thesis utilizes a comparative perspective in analyzing the perceived differences between how people with albinism (PWA) are treated in Benin, Cameroon, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, by examining the variables of ethno-religious composition and socio-economic conditions in the countries. This research has shown that although the differences might be small, they are of crucial importance in how a PWA is perceived in these countries and how these notions have changed over time; from PWA being revered in pre-colonial Yorubaland and the old Kongo Kingdom, to today’s experiences of stigma and discrimination in name-calling, mutilations, and killings. Similarly, a stark contrast also exists amongst some of the countries – from PWA in Benin being revered, to PWA fearing for their lives in Tanzania due to a higher demand for PWA body parts to be used in witchcraft. Tanzania is also the African country that has garnered the most international attention for its treatment of PWA, and although the government and the state attempt to limit the extreme discrimination, it continues to persist. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that the problems of stigma and discrimination as experienced by PWA are not limited to Tanzania, but exist all over the African continent.Show less
For the last decade, a new trend has emerged in both the academic as well as political debate which identifies a decline of American domination and a rise of “the rest”. In other words, a movement...Show moreFor the last decade, a new trend has emerged in both the academic as well as political debate which identifies a decline of American domination and a rise of “the rest”. In other words, a movement towards multipolarity. A particular topic of dispute among both scholars and politicians is the degree to which this multipolar world order is either regionalising or globalising the world. One of the domains that has been impacted by the study of regionalisation is the domain of security. A particular topic of debate amongst politicians and scholars concerns peace operations and the role of the United Nations (UN) and regional organisations. Within the African context, the question arises if the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) should take on the role of regional peacekeepers. This paper sets out to analyse the regionalisation of peace operations in Africa and question the viability of regional organisations as an alternative to the UN as main actor in peace operations. To this end, it will measure the ability of RECs to organise and execute peace operations. It will become clear that the regionalisation of security is a logical consequence of the regional and cross-border characteristic of African conflicts and that regional organisations bring some merits to the table in terms of local legitimacy and willingness. Nevertheless, the case of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will show that a long way still lies ahead and that the organisation currently only manages to bridge some of the same shortcomings as the UN encounters, without offering much advantages.Show less
This bachelor thesis seeks to identify the relevant actors in the medical and muti markets for organs in South Africa. Firstly a theoretical background is presented, in order to identify the...Show moreThis bachelor thesis seeks to identify the relevant actors in the medical and muti markets for organs in South Africa. Firstly a theoretical background is presented, in order to identify the relevant theories and concepts needed to understand organ markets. A brief overview of the two markets to be compared is also given. This background serves to support the central research question: Who are the relevant actors in the medical and muti markets for organs in South Africa and how do the respective actors interact and how do these interactions flow? A methodology for answering the above question is also presented. The method used in this bachelor thesis consisted of a review of the relevant literature and media sources in order to build an overview of actors in each market. These overviews are then used to construct actor network diagrams for each of the markets. The overviews and diagrams are then discussed. The study has shown that the markets are indeed comparable, and that they share a similar flow of organs. However, the muti market is a decentralized one with a strong linear flow from the source person to the recipient. The medical market on the other hand was found to be a distributed network, with organs and interactions flowing between and through a number of actors rather than from one side to another.Show less
The African Union (AU), whose main objective is to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development of the African region, presents itself as an energetic and ambitious driving force for change...Show moreThe African Union (AU), whose main objective is to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development of the African region, presents itself as an energetic and ambitious driving force for change in the continent’s human rights landscape. In June 2014, the AU adopted the Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol on the Statue of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights, often referred to as the Malabo Protocol. The Malabo Protocol extends the jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR) and empowers it to try serious crimes of international concern such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Although the ACJHR is not yet an operational court, it has the potential to bring positive contributions to a continent tormented by persistent conflicts and a culture of impunity. AU member states now stand before various paths in the realization of human rights and they have been involved in an ongoing discussion on Universal Jurisdiction and its life-form, the International Criminal Court (ICC). A thorough consideration of all the grounds for the AU’s decision to give the African Court jurisdiction over international crimes will then show that the process has been motivated by other reasons than late anti-ICC sentiment alone. This study will not only examine the ICC versus Africa debate, it will also go beyond it. In this way, an African perspective will be offered that explains a larger focus on regional processes of African human rights law not only as a result of growing anti-ICC sentiment. Instead, it will be argued that there has been a legal and historical necessity for the development of an African perspective to international human rights law that is not necessarily meant to duplicate or impede on the work of the ICC.Show less
The Early Anglo-Saxons did not split Middle-Earth in continents like we divide the earth now. This thesis will attempt to answer the question of how the influx of Christian and Greco-Latin...Show moreThe Early Anglo-Saxons did not split Middle-Earth in continents like we divide the earth now. This thesis will attempt to answer the question of how the influx of Christian and Greco-Latin literature influences the representation of Africa and Asia in Anglo-Saxon England.Show less
Why are many countries in Africa still underdeveloped? This thesis argues that the enduring political instability is fundamentally caused with the colonial structures inherited from the colonial...Show moreWhy are many countries in Africa still underdeveloped? This thesis argues that the enduring political instability is fundamentally caused with the colonial structures inherited from the colonial power before decolonization. While the African revolution started to liberate themselves from the colonizers, they have not liberated themselves from the colonial systems.Show less
This thesis is in fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the International Studies Bachelor Program. First, the aim of this thesis is to ascertain the perceived effectiveness of the...Show moreThis thesis is in fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the International Studies Bachelor Program. First, the aim of this thesis is to ascertain the perceived effectiveness of the 2015 Tanzanian Witchdoctor Ban as a countermeasure to the violence being perpetrated against people with albinism from the standpoint of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Tanzanian Government, and various NGOs actively engaged in the welfare of people with albinism in the region. The second chapter illustrates the state of the art of the literature concerning the Tanzanian societal witchcraft paradigm, status of PWA in traditional culture, occult-legislation, and indicators of legislative efficacy. The third chapter explains the multi-indicator document analysis conducted to determine each actor’s perception of the ban’s efficacy. The fourth chapter relays the results of the analysis, where it was determined that the United Nations Human Rights Council held a neutral perception of the effectiveness of the Witchdoctor Ban, the Tanzanian Government held a positive perception, and the various NGOs held a negative perception. This thesis henceforth concludes with a critical examination of the results and methodology, and a conclusory statement that further research into efficacy indicators and occult-legislation as an institutional countermeasure towards the violence against people with albinism can be facilitated by the foundation built through this research and its accompanied findings.Show less
Crowdfunding is increasing rapidly as an alternative source of financing business and other projects. Some see in crowdfunding a lot of potential for Sub Saharan Africa. Crowdfunding in this...Show moreCrowdfunding is increasing rapidly as an alternative source of financing business and other projects. Some see in crowdfunding a lot of potential for Sub Saharan Africa. Crowdfunding in this context, however, has never been studied. This research is an explorative empirical study into crowdfunding in Ghana. The main finding is that crowdfunding is still very limited with only two crowdfunding platforms showing serious activity. By linking crowdfunding to entrepreneurship theory it is argued that contemporary crowdfunding in Ghana has no significant contribution to economic growth and innovation.Show less
