This paper explores the underlying philosophy, beliefs, and practices surrounding witchcraft among the Ogoni and Ikwerre ethnic groups inhabiting the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Throughout recorded history, humanity has embarked upon a rational journey to identify solutions to the myriad vicissitudes and afflictions that have plagued human existence. Belief in supernatural phenomena such as witchcraft has conventionally furnished reasonable explanations for tragedy and occurrences deemed odd or inexplicable through conventional epistemologies. Within these cosmologies, witches are frequently perceived as enemies of societal equilibrium, capable of inflicting ill health, misfortune, and diverse forms of affliction upon communities. However, while beliefs related to witchcraft and the supernatural may serve as metaphors for powerful forces or social dysfunction, they simultaneously constitute autonomous systems of signs, symbols, and meanings that can potentially generate tangible positive effects for adherents, with historical origins rooted in indigenous cultures. This paper uses the descriptive methodology to argue that witchcraft, as a construct dependent on human agency, is not inherently immoral or detrimental. Rather, the central issue lies in the improper application of knowledge, experience, and intelligence derived from witchcraft practices toward selfish ambitions, such as harming others for personal advantage. The paper concludes that if oriented toward serving the greater good, advancing human society, and promoting human dignity, witchcraft merits encouragement, provided it is harnessed ethically through proper use.
{"title":"Witchcraft as Social Metaphor: Exploring the Supernatural Beliefs Among the Ogoni and Ikwerre of the Niger Delta","authors":"Sunday Deezia Burabari, Lawrence-Hart Grace","doi":"10.4314/jh.v31i2.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/jh.v31i2.4","url":null,"abstract":"This paper explores the underlying philosophy, beliefs, and practices surrounding witchcraft among the Ogoni and Ikwerre ethnic groups inhabiting the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Throughout recorded history, humanity has embarked upon a rational journey to identify solutions to the myriad vicissitudes and afflictions that have plagued human existence. Belief in supernatural phenomena such as witchcraft has conventionally furnished reasonable explanations for tragedy and occurrences deemed odd or inexplicable through conventional epistemologies. Within these cosmologies, witches are frequently perceived as enemies of societal equilibrium, capable of inflicting ill health, misfortune, and diverse forms of affliction upon communities. However, while beliefs related to witchcraft and the supernatural may serve as metaphors for powerful forces or social dysfunction, they simultaneously constitute autonomous systems of signs, symbols, and meanings that can potentially generate tangible positive effects for adherents, with historical origins rooted in indigenous cultures. This paper uses the descriptive methodology to argue that witchcraft, as a construct dependent on human agency, is not inherently immoral or detrimental. Rather, the central issue lies in the improper application of knowledge, experience, and intelligence derived from witchcraft practices toward selfish ambitions, such as harming others for personal advantage. The paper concludes that if oriented toward serving the greater good, advancing human society, and promoting human dignity, witchcraft merits encouragement, provided it is harnessed ethically through proper use.","PeriodicalId":477213,"journal":{"name":"Journal of humanities (Zomba)","volume":"9 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136018568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper evaluates Malawian learners’ French language comprehension abilities concerning the French radio program ‘Le Journal en français facile’ (The News in Simple French), broadcast by Radio France Internationale. Specifically, it assesses learners’ levels of aural comprehension of this Francophone news content designed for non-native audiences. The paper examines whether the universal applicability of the ‘français facile’ (simple French) concept across heterogeneous learners can be assumed, considering linguistic aspects deemed elementary from a Francophone perspective may not prove equivalently rudimentary for anglophone learners of French. Methodologically, the paper is grounded in the Bottom-up and Top-down listening comprehension model, which emphasises integrating linguistic and prior sociocultural knowledge to facilitate aural meaningmaking. Through French listening exercises and teacher interviews with a sample of Malawian college students, the study highlights limitations in comprehension, with listeners restricted to grasping essential lexical news components like numbers, names and locations while failing to parse complex news concepts —attributed to newscaster accent, pronunciation, speech rate, unfamiliar vocabulary, and insufficient prior knowledge activation. This paper argues the notion of “simple” French may be misconstrued when applied uniformly across diverse global learners engaging with RFI broadcasts, evidenced by difficulty comprehending the news program among numerous Malawian learners despite its simplified linguistic profile. Mastery of these broadcasts, it is contended, necessitates more advanced proficiency.
本文通过法国国际广播电台播放的法语广播节目“Le Journal en franais facile”来评估马拉维学习者的法语理解能力。具体来说，它评估了学习者对这篇为非母语受众设计的法语新闻内容的听觉理解水平。考虑到从法语国家的角度来看被认为是基本的语言方面，对于英语国家的法语学习者来说，可能并不同样是基本的，本文研究了“简单法语”概念在异质学习者中的普遍适用性是否可以被假设。在方法上，本文以自下而上和自上而下的听力理解模型为基础，该模型强调将语言和先前的社会文化知识结合起来，以促进听觉意义的形成。通过法语听力练习和对马拉维大学生的教师访谈，该研究强调了理解的局限性，听众被限制在掌握基本的词汇新闻成分，如数字、名字和位置，而无法解析复杂的新闻概念，这归因于新闻播音员的口音、发音、语速、不熟悉的词汇和事先知识激活不足。本文认为，“简单”法语的概念可能会被误解，当它统一应用于参与RFI广播的不同全球学习者时，许多马拉维学习者很难理解新闻节目，尽管它的语言简介简化了。有人认为，要掌握这些广播，需要更高级的熟练程度。
{"title":"Problematising Simplicity: Addressing Comprehension Gaps of RFI’s ‘Le Journal en Français Facile’","authors":"Boniface Dokotala","doi":"10.4314/jh.v31i2.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/jh.v31i2.5","url":null,"abstract":"This paper evaluates Malawian learners’ French language comprehension abilities concerning the French radio program ‘Le Journal en français facile’ (The News in Simple French), broadcast by Radio France Internationale. Specifically, it assesses learners’ levels of aural comprehension of this Francophone news content designed for non-native audiences. The paper examines whether the universal applicability of the ‘français facile’ (simple French) concept across heterogeneous learners can be assumed, considering linguistic aspects deemed elementary from a Francophone perspective may not prove equivalently rudimentary for anglophone learners of French. Methodologically, the paper is grounded in the Bottom-up and Top-down listening comprehension model, which emphasises integrating linguistic and prior sociocultural knowledge to facilitate aural meaningmaking. Through French listening exercises and teacher interviews with a sample of Malawian college students, the study highlights limitations in comprehension, with listeners restricted to grasping essential lexical news components like numbers, names and locations while failing to parse complex news concepts —attributed to newscaster accent, pronunciation, speech rate, unfamiliar vocabulary, and insufficient prior knowledge activation. This paper argues the notion of “simple” French may be misconstrued when applied uniformly across diverse global learners engaging with RFI broadcasts, evidenced by difficulty comprehending the news program among numerous Malawian learners despite its simplified linguistic profile. Mastery of these broadcasts, it is contended, necessitates more advanced proficiency.","PeriodicalId":477213,"journal":{"name":"Journal of humanities (Zomba)","volume":"9 6","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136018565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper explores the pedagogical challenges and dilemmas surrounding film and media arts education within Nigerian tertiary institutions against deficient teaching facilities and infrastructure. Teaching film and media arts has rapidly developed in recent years. Many Nigerian universities now recognise the necessity of robust film/media pedagogy to complement and respond to the escalating growth of the country’s indigenous film and entertainment industry. The onus is increasingly placed on Nigeria’s tertiary institutions to spearhead the advancement of film and media arts education, premised on disseminating adequate practical knowledge, skills acquisition, and integrating international best practices. However, a pivotal issue emerges regarding whether Nigerian tertiary institutions possess the requisite facilities to fulfil and drive this pedagogical mandate. This paper argues that most Nigerian universities continue to emphasise theoretical instruction over practical application, constrained by the unavailability of resources required to execute a technologically immersive media pedagogy tailored to the needs of the nation’s thriving creative industries. Drawing insights from a recent experimental pedagogical model undertaken at Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, this paper highlights how an integrated pedagogical methodology combining conventional teaching formats with social media tools and platforms may potentially mitigate the difficulties imposed by insufficient practical teaching facilities for film education in most African tertiary institutions.
{"title":"Rethinking Media Arts Instruction in Nigerian Universities","authors":"Abiodun Olayiwola","doi":"10.4314/jh.v31i2.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/jh.v31i2.6","url":null,"abstract":"This paper explores the pedagogical challenges and dilemmas surrounding film and media arts education within Nigerian tertiary institutions against deficient teaching facilities and infrastructure. Teaching film and media arts has rapidly developed in recent years. Many Nigerian universities now recognise the necessity of robust film/media pedagogy to complement and respond to the escalating growth of the country’s indigenous film and entertainment industry. The onus is increasingly placed on Nigeria’s tertiary institutions to spearhead the advancement of film and media arts education, premised on disseminating adequate practical knowledge, skills acquisition, and integrating international best practices. However, a pivotal issue emerges regarding whether Nigerian tertiary institutions possess the requisite facilities to fulfil and drive this pedagogical mandate. This paper argues that most Nigerian universities continue to emphasise theoretical instruction over practical application, constrained by the unavailability of resources required to execute a technologically immersive media pedagogy tailored to the needs of the nation’s thriving creative industries. Drawing insights from a recent experimental pedagogical model undertaken at Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, this paper highlights how an integrated pedagogical methodology combining conventional teaching formats with social media tools and platforms may potentially mitigate the difficulties imposed by insufficient practical teaching facilities for film education in most African tertiary institutions.","PeriodicalId":477213,"journal":{"name":"Journal of humanities (Zomba)","volume":"9 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136018569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper examines literary representations of marginalised, uncelebrated heroes in two novels by Maaza Mengiste: The Shadow King and Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. The central argument is that Mengiste excavates and portrays the overlooked heroic contributions of select male and female protagonists to honour their legacy and illuminate their vital yet under-recognised roles in constructing Ethiopian national identity. By adopting close textual analysis, the paper examines the conception of ‘heroism’ to characters derived from Mengiste’s fictionalised historiography centred upon Ethiopia. Furthermore, the sociocultural and ideological factors engendering the marginalisation of these heroic figures shall be scrutinised within the novels’ specific narrative contexts. Incorporating critical theoretical perspectives, the efficacy of violence as a liberating praxis against political oppression shall be evaluated through the lens of Frantz Fanon. At the same time, Marxian theories of alienation are employed to elucidate the subjective motivations compelling certain protagonists towards heroic but uncelebrated deeds. Methodologically, the paper is grounded in a close literary analysis of the theme of unheralded heroism within the two primary texts. A synthesis of supplementary scholarly perspectives bolsters this paper’s central thesis regarding unrecognised heroic narratives. The paper argues that despite contributing substantially to anti-oppressive struggles, Mengiste’s marginal protagonists remain uncelebrated within Ethiopia’s dominant historical discourses due to their race, class, gender, and ideological positionality.
{"title":"Honouring Uncelebrated Heroes in Maaza Mengiste’s <i>The Shadow King</i> and <i>Beneath the Lion’s Gaze</i>","authors":"Chrispin Mkumba","doi":"10.4314/jh.v31i2.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/jh.v31i2.3","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines literary representations of marginalised, uncelebrated heroes in two novels by Maaza Mengiste: The Shadow King and Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. The central argument is that Mengiste excavates and portrays the overlooked heroic contributions of select male and female protagonists to honour their legacy and illuminate their vital yet under-recognised roles in constructing Ethiopian national identity. By adopting close textual analysis, the paper examines the conception of ‘heroism’ to characters derived from Mengiste’s fictionalised historiography centred upon Ethiopia. Furthermore, the sociocultural and ideological factors engendering the marginalisation of these heroic figures shall be scrutinised within the novels’ specific narrative contexts. Incorporating critical theoretical perspectives, the efficacy of violence as a liberating praxis against political oppression shall be evaluated through the lens of Frantz Fanon. At the same time, Marxian theories of alienation are employed to elucidate the subjective motivations compelling certain protagonists towards heroic but uncelebrated deeds. Methodologically, the paper is grounded in a close literary analysis of the theme of unheralded heroism within the two primary texts. A synthesis of supplementary scholarly perspectives bolsters this paper’s central thesis regarding unrecognised heroic narratives. The paper argues that despite contributing substantially to anti-oppressive struggles, Mengiste’s marginal protagonists remain uncelebrated within Ethiopia’s dominant historical discourses due to their race, class, gender, and ideological positionality.","PeriodicalId":477213,"journal":{"name":"Journal of humanities (Zomba)","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136018570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Engaging the African Feminist ideological framework, this paper explores the intersection between African female initiation rites and male power and privilege. The paper engages the chinamwali, a female initiation rite practised by the Chikunda of Zambia. The initiation rite involves the seclusion of the ‘namwali’, the initiate, in an informal learning process during which older and more experienced women, aphungu, pass on messages to her on what it means to be a woman in society. The data for the article were generated from a study undertaken in 2018 in Chief Mphuka’s area of Luangwa District, in the Eastern part of Zambia, using narratives from 30 participants, including 15 women who have undergone chinamwali, who constituted the main research participants; 5 ritual instructors, aphungu; 5 men; and five uninitiated women. A thematic analysis of the findings led to the development of the ‘Chikunda masculinity’, which gives impetus to feminist scholarship regarding a new focus on women’s sexuality as a source of legitimising men’s dominant position over women. The article recommends the integration of transformative messages in the chinamwali curriculum that could empower the initiate to confront cultural practices that reinforce patriarchal hegemony.
{"title":"Rethinking Female Rites of Passage: The Chinamwali, Male Power, and African Feminisms","authors":"Carina Mweela Talakinu","doi":"10.4314/jh.v31i2.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/jh.v31i2.1","url":null,"abstract":"Engaging the African Feminist ideological framework, this paper explores the intersection between African female initiation rites and male power and privilege. The paper engages the chinamwali, a female initiation rite practised by the Chikunda of Zambia. The initiation rite involves the seclusion of the ‘namwali’, the initiate, in an informal learning process during which older and more experienced women, aphungu, pass on messages to her on what it means to be a woman in society. The data for the article were generated from a study undertaken in 2018 in Chief Mphuka’s area of Luangwa District, in the Eastern part of Zambia, using narratives from 30 participants, including 15 women who have undergone chinamwali, who constituted the main research participants; 5 ritual instructors, aphungu; 5 men; and five uninitiated women. A thematic analysis of the findings led to the development of the ‘Chikunda masculinity’, which gives impetus to feminist scholarship regarding a new focus on women’s sexuality as a source of legitimising men’s dominant position over women. The article recommends the integration of transformative messages in the chinamwali curriculum that could empower the initiate to confront cultural practices that reinforce patriarchal hegemony.","PeriodicalId":477213,"journal":{"name":"Journal of humanities (Zomba)","volume":"9 4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136018567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In Southern Africa, there exists a large-scale commodification of fauna, extending to the utilisation of animals in traditional medicine. In South Africa alone, 1,175 documented cases of rhinoceros poaching transpired in a single annum, and analogously, an estimated 100,000 pangolins are smuggled from there to Asia annually. These and myriad other species, whether intact, in part, or processed into medicaments, are vented either in their country of origin for application in traditional medicine or exported illicitly across the globe for similar purposes. In this paper, I posit that this large-scale commodification conflicts with a relational African environmental ethic. To substantiate this claim, I consider two cardinal concepts in African ecological ethics, which will illuminate how animals should be utilised and considered morally. Firstly, the Shona concept of Ukama employs Felix Murove’s exegesis. Secondly, I explore eco-bio- communitarianism, precisely the Nso worldview of Godfrey Tangwa. Upon applying these concepts to the utilisation of fauna in traditional medicine by traditional healers and to the current largescale commercial exploitation of animals in conventional medicine, this thesis concludes that only the profit-driven use opposes an African environmental ethic.
{"title":"Profit, Tradition, and African Wildlife: Examining Animal Commodification Through Eco-Bio-Communitarianism","authors":"Carla Turner","doi":"10.4314/jh.v31i2.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/jh.v31i2.2","url":null,"abstract":"In Southern Africa, there exists a large-scale commodification of fauna, extending to the utilisation of animals in traditional medicine. In South Africa alone, 1,175 documented cases of rhinoceros poaching transpired in a single annum, and analogously, an estimated 100,000 pangolins are smuggled from there to Asia annually. These and myriad other species, whether intact, in part, or processed into medicaments, are vented either in their country of origin for application in traditional medicine or exported illicitly across the globe for similar purposes. In this paper, I posit that this large-scale commodification conflicts with a relational African environmental ethic. To substantiate this claim, I consider two cardinal concepts in African ecological ethics, which will illuminate how animals should be utilised and considered morally. Firstly, the Shona concept of Ukama employs Felix Murove’s exegesis. Secondly, I explore eco-bio- communitarianism, precisely the Nso worldview of Godfrey Tangwa. Upon applying these concepts to the utilisation of fauna in traditional medicine by traditional healers and to the current largescale commercial exploitation of animals in conventional medicine, this thesis concludes that only the profit-driven use opposes an African environmental ethic.","PeriodicalId":477213,"journal":{"name":"Journal of humanities (Zomba)","volume":"9 5","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136018566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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