bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Constitutional Control: A preliminary observation of the Ethiopian system
Authors: Kassa Getahun
Published: February 2018

The present mechanism of constitutional adjudication in Ethiopia demonstrates unique features. The mechanism does not belong to any of the constitutional adjudication models operating in other countries. However, a well-developed system of constitutional adjudication is lacking in actual practice. The federal and regional state organs that exercise the power of constitutional control, i.e. the Council of Constitutional Inquiry and the House of Federation at the federal level and the Constitutional Interpretation Commissions, Council of Nationalities and Councils of Constitutional Inquiry at the regional level, are not functioning fully and, moreover, are not moving at equal pace. In some regional states, the institutions competent for constitutional control, though mentioned in the regional constitutions, are not even established yet. In other regions, these institutions have been established, but are not operating in practice. Besides, a challenge of judicial overlap is likely to emerge when the regional organs start to execute their task of constitutional control. Since no mechanism is devised to delimit the respective competences of thefederal and state organs, overlap between federal and state institutions is inevitable. Furthermore, there is no clear guidance with regards to the role of the judiciary on matters that involve determination of constitutionality.Key Words: Constitutional Control, Federal Constitution, Regional Constitutions, Cases, Traditional and Religious Rules and Institutions
Microcredit, money transfers, women, and the Cameroon diaspora
Authors: Ardener Shirley
Published: February 2018

The paper introduces the topic of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) and several other forms of microcredit institutions, variations of which are found in most communities around the world, and considers the impact on them of the current financial crisis. For many women and men, poor and wealthy alike, these institutions have been economic and social lifelines. Among many African peoples, they provide the main source of rural and urban credit, both for sustainable living and entrepreneurial endeavour. This paper draws on the experience of con-temporary Cameroonians, including those in the diaspora, in particular that of Dr Bridget Teboh. Social anthropologists have espoused ROSCAs for many decades. This paper cites the increasing attention such institutions now get from governments, NGOs, bankers and economists, and considers the impact of the current worldwide financial crisis on the behaviour of those who save in them. Key words: micro nance, tontines, ROSCAs
Performing rap ciphas in late-modern Cape Town: extreme locality and multilingual citizenship
Authors: Williams Quentin E. , Stroud Christopher
Published: February 2018

The study of hip-hop in Cape Town, and indeed South Africa, has traditionally focused on the narratives and poetics of resistance, race and counter-hegemonic agency in the context of apartheid and the early days of post-apartheid. Despite this attention, hip-hop cipha performances remain relatively under-researched. The aim of this paper is to suggest that cipha performances display linguistic and discursive features that not only are of particular interest to rap music and hip-hop on the Cape Flats of Cape Town speci cally, but that also engage core issues around multilingualism, agency and voice more generally. It demonstrates how in the process of entextualization a sense of locality, extreme locality, emerges in cipha performances by means of verbal cueing, representing place, expressing disrespect (dissing), and the (deictic) reference to local coordinates that is achieved by transposing or recontextualizing transidiomatic phrases, and by incorporating local proxemics and audience reactions through commentary and response. It concludes by suggesting that competition around acceptable linguistic forms and framings (metalinguistic disputes) of extreme locality comprise the very micro-processes behind the formation of new registers. At the same time, these registers create the semiotic space for the exercise of agency and voice through multilingual practices, that is, multilingual citizenship. Key words: multilingualism, hip-hop, rap, extreme locality, multilingual citizenship, Cape Town
Impact of international donors’ new policy agenda on project collaboration between community-based women organizations and NGOs in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: De Feyter Sophie
Published: February 2018

This article first describes the New Policy Agenda (NPA), af market-based ideology iniuencing donor agencies’ strategies for international development. The article then continues to discuss how community-based women organizations (CBWOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) evaluate their collaborations or ‘partnerships’ in practice in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. We tested the research hypothesis that the NPA reduces the likelihood of achieving equitable partnerships because of its insistence on ‘contracting’ partners, i.e. creating a patron-client relationship. This was carried out through qualitative research consisting mainly of semi-structured interviews and participatory observation with NGOs and CBWO representatives working in Kibera. Research results show that the contract conditions for CBWOs to enter into a partnership may reduce the chances of the most vulnerable groups in society of obtaining assistance. This ‘contracting’ relationship may also cause a loss of CBWO members’ motivation. The NPA and its emphasis on saving time and money also has a negative impact not only on the external development actors’ knowledge about the development context, but also on the multiple accountabilities in a CBWO-NGO partnership, on the quick-fix nature of the solutions applied to remedy the lack of accountability and on the practical implementation of ‘participatory development’ in Kibera. Key words: development, donor relations, contract, participatory development
European and Cameroonian scholarship on ethnicity and the making of identities in Cameroon: colonial and post-colonial trails
Authors: Vubo Emmanuel Yenshu
Published: February 2018

Relations between colonial and post-colonial studies in and on Cameroon have been both continuous and discontinuous. As reflected in the domains of historiography and social anthropology, this has impacted on ethnic self-representations and popular labeling. This paper examines contrasting drives that have led to a replication of colonial redefinitions of ethnicity and how this informs current discussions on ethnicity in Cameroon. The argument is that certain research works have informed or substantially influenced the identity question when one aknowledges that the colonial period is a bench mark epoch in the establishment of certain categories of ethnic perception. Although substantially deconstructed at the scientific level, these categories have survived and continue to influence social categories of perception that become common sense intrusions (what Bourdieu called doxa) into social science. Key words: colonialism, ethnicity, identity, perceptions, scholarship
Hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical investigation of a Precambrian basement aquifer in Bugesera Region (Burundi)
Authors: Bakundukize Charles
Published: February 2018

This study clearly shows that Bugesera region has genuine groundwater potential which could be circumscribed and tapped in order to provide enough drinking water to the inhabitants of the area. Thus, this study recommends further investigations and measures, including, geophysical investigations coupled to reconnaissance drillings, the installation of a network of piezometers to monitor the groundwater level variation, measurement of the discharge rate and water level fluctuation in the complex of marshlands and lakes, monitoring of groundwater quality and further pumping tests in order to rfine the distribution of hydraulic parameters in the study area.
“Making families”: parenting and belonging in transnational adoption in Flanders
Authors: De Graeve Katrien
Published: February 2018

The goal of this PhD project is to address major gaps in the present research by providing a theoretical and empirically-informed account of the narratives and performances of transnational adoptive parents. By exploring how adoptive parents both normalize and problematize the perceived differences of their children and families, and by examining what work is done and which imaginations are drawn upon in relation to that difference, it aims to gain insight into how racial, cultural and genetic diversity is metabolized within the so-called private realm of the family. Based within a feminist and constructivist anthropological epistemology, this thesis explores the identity work that parents conduct both for themselves, and on behalf of their children, and examines the citizenship potential of adoptive parents’ parenting work.
Gully development and its spatio-temporal variability since the late 19th century in the northern Ethiopian Highlands
Authors: Frankl Amaury
Published: February 2018

This study validates previous research and indicates important land degradation by gullying in the second half of the 20th century in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands. In recent decades, local communities have however proven that with proper land management, this trend can be reversed. At a regional scale, gully networks are increasingly being stabilized and the landscape is greening. These developments have to be understood within a socio-economic environment of strong population growth and a low level of technological development, where most people rely on land resources for their livelihood, and where the fragility of the country’s economy is frequently being emphasized, for example when climatic shocks such as drought cause severe food shortages and famine. Socio-economical developments and their relation to land degradation should therefore be monitored closely. With an annual population growth rate of 2.37% (period 2000-2010, CSA, 2008) and a population size which is likely to double by 2050, the country faces immense challenges. Key is to rehabilitate land as a resource base for food security and ecosystem services, and to strengthen and diversify the rural economy in order to make local communities less dependent on land resources. Such challenges are embraced by many local, national and international programs, and should remain high on the agenda. As to other dryland environments, this study emphasizes that fast land degradation may occur when improper land management is applied. Most dramatic is the development of extensive and deep gully networks, which export large quantities of sediment through the ephemeral gully and river system and therefore jeopardize in situ agricultural production. Moreover, decreased agricultural production in the proximity of gullies can be expected as a result of the depressed water tables. With fast network expansion occurring, infrastructures may be damaged and costs related to future planning may be much higher than originally budgeted for. Downstream effects are also important. Water pollution caused by sediment and urban wastewater threatens human health and decreases agricultural production. As a result of a stronger ash ood regime, rivers – even those that are located many km downstream of the gullies – may respond strongly and geomorphic changes may cause infrastructures to be damaged (e.g., Billi, 2008).
Impacts de l’agriculture de conservation sur les propriétés et la productivité des vertisols du Maroc Central
Authors: Moussadek Rachid
Published: February 2018

In Morocco, intensive agriculture with deep tillage and soil inversion caused rapid soil structure deterioration with loss of soil organic matter content. This practice leads to a decrease in soil fertility, a degradation of the soil physical properties and a reduction of crop yields in different soil types, such as Vertisols. In fact, Vertisols (or Tirs as vernacular name) are among the most productive soils in Morocco, but they are also susceptible to compaction and reduced water infiltration due to intensive tillage. No-tillage (NT) is commonly promoted as a management practice capable of offsetting soil carbon depletion, improving aggregation, enriching the soil nutrient pool and enhancing crop productivity in many parts of the world. However, the influence of the NT system as compared to the conventional tillage (CT) system on physical, chemical and hydrodynamic soil properties was not yet well studied in the semi-arid environment of Morocco where rainfall ranges from 350 to 600 mm. This research focused mainly on those parameters with important agronomical or environmental impact: bulk density (Db), soil strength assessed using cone index (CI), hydraulic conductivity (K), sorptivity (S), soil water potential (SWP), soil organic carbon content or stock (SOCc or SOCs), runoff, soil loss, soil CO2 emission and crop yield.
Luba folklore and women's ethno-gendered discourse of wifehood in “Cintu Wa Bujitu”
Authors: Mulamba Nshindi-Germain
Published: February 2018

This paper investigates Lubà-kasààyi folklore, particularly a folk song, in order to reveal an ethno-gendered construction of wifehood. It aims to show girls’ socialization into a sexist and patriarchal discourse and how such a practice ideologically initiates them into their future subservient role of caterers for the husbands’ alimentation needs. Moreover, folklore seems to perpetuate traditions, and so the gender inequality inscribed within them, a situation that is particularly apparent in villages. Key words: anthropological linguistics, ethno-gendered discourse, Lubà folklore, folk song, wifehood
Descriptors for Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) Kehlenbeck K.S. Padulosi, A. Alercia Bioversity International, World Agroforestry Centre Italy, Kenya, 2015
Authors: Van Damme Patrick
Published: February 2018

Bioversity International belongs to the so-called CG centre group. The latter, in full the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (though no longer known under their full name), consists of some fteen research centres that are members of the CGIAR Consortium. Each centre has a global mandate to study, improve and promote (sub)tropical crops and animal production. Research is carried out in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil soci- ety organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector.
La réforme de la fonction publique en Afrique subsaharienne : cas de la République Démocratique du Congo
Authors: Muambi Richard Tshienda
Published: February 2018

Many reforms of the public service took place during the last thirty years on the African continent. Different strategies have been implemented to modernize and improve the functioning of administrative structures. The objective pursued by this paper is to understand the strategies of reform of the public service applied by the Democratic Republic of Congo and to try to evaluate the results. Key words : reform of the public service, institutional tension, management tension and legitimation tension
Influence of reconciliation programmes on the reconciliation attitudes of war-affected adolescents in Northern Uganda
Authors: Alipanga Benjamin , De Schryver Maarten , Neema Stella , Broekaert Eric , Derluyn Ilse
Published: February 2018

Whether post-conflict reconciliation programmes are able to change hostile behaviours is not known. This study sought to assess the influence of reconciliation programmes on the reconciliation attitudes of war-affected adolescents in two communities in Northern Uganda. Four hundred and forty five adolescents within two communities, one with and the other without interventions were assessed for exposure to war-related and daily stressors and place of residence using hierar- chical regression analysis to predict reconciliation attitudes. Adolescents in the non-intervention community recorded more positive and also more negative reconciliation attitudes; exposure to daily and war-related stressors was more positively associated with increasing reconciliation attitudes among adolescents in the non-intervention than those in the intervention community. Overall the programmes recorded limited impact on reconciliation attitudes, perhaps due to the pervasive adverse social situation of the people. Conclusion: there is a need for multi-pronged, collaborative programme efforts targeting holistic recovery programmes with focus on changing negative reconciliation attitudes. Key words: reconciliation attitudes, reconciliation programmes, war-affected adolescents, Northern Uganda
Investigating health factors as predictor of early drop-out of first year accounting students at the University of the Free State, South Africa
Authors: Beyers Christa , Joubert Hanli
Published: February 2018

Introduction: The future of the South African workforce looks bleak given the challenges posed, not only by health factors, including HIV and AIDS, but also the success and throughput rate of rst year university students.

Methodology: The research in this study was conducted in 2013 using a post-positivist approach and applying an interpretive stance using a mixed method approach, which included a quantita- tive non-experimental predictive multivariate design as well as focus group interviews to triangu- late the ndings.

Results: We present ndings that psychosocial background factors, physical health and emotion- al health in uence success and non-completion rates among rst year students at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

Conclusion: We argue that early identi cation of poor psychosocial background, including health factors, can assist in empowering youths helping them to make healthy decisions and deal with stressful situations in a way that will not compromise their academic success.
Editorial
Authors: Verdoolaege Annelies
Published: February 2018

In this current issue we offer you  ve top articles from a wide range of different disciplines. Two articles are located in South Africa, one within health sciences and one in theatre studies. Museums in Cameroon, international legal frameworks linking the UK and Mauritius, and the European slave trade in 17th century Madagascar sum up the content of the remaining three articles. As always, we also publish a number of reports, mostly summaries of PhDs on Africa defended at Ghent University. The objective of these reports is to give you an overview of the Africa research taking place at Ghent University. In addition, we also want to give some visibility to these junior researchers, so please have a look at their topics and do not hesitate to get in touch with them for further questions and comments. Enjoy and... have you had a look already at the results of the presidential elections in Somalia?In this current issue we offer you  ve top articles from a wide range of different disciplines. Two articles are located in South Africa, one within health sciences and one in theatre studies. Museums in Cameroon, international legal frameworks linking the UK and Mauritius, and the European slave trade in 17th century Madagascar sum up the content of the remaining three articles. As always, we also publish a number of reports, mostly summaries of PhDs on Africa defended at Ghent University. The objective of these reports is to give you an overview of the Africa research taking place at Ghent University. In addition, we also want to give some visibility to these junior researchers, so please have a look at their topics and do not hesitate to get in touch with them.
Qualitative research as theater: fieldwork in a South African township through the prism of Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphor
Authors: Masquillier Caroline
Published: February 2018

This autoethnographic paper reflects on the qualitative fieldwork I conducted in a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. By exploring how a metaphor can assist in autoethnographic reflection, I aim to gain insight into how data can best be collected in deprived informal settlements characterized by high crime rates. This autoethnographic paper draws on the autobiographical materials of the researcher as primary data. This self-reflexive route, which relied on Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphor, helped me to process my various fieldwork experiences in a more systematic manner. Attempting to reconcile my ‘work’ role – a professional, reliable and con dential advisor – with my ‘non-work’ role – my supposed real self – involved emotion management and the tools of the stage outlined by Goffman in order that the fieldwork could be conducted in an atmosphere of trust while maintaining a professional distance. Key words: autoethnography, metaphor, role, social interaction, Erving Goffman, participant observation, in-depth interview, South Africa
Ephemeral stream dynamics, land cover changes and climate variability in the marginal grabens of the northern Ethiopian Rift Valley
Authors: Demissie Biadgilgn
Published: February 2018

This study focused on ephemeral streams morphodynamics and their relation with hydro-climatic and bio-physical characteristics in their headwater and graben floors in the marginal grabens along the northern Ethiopian Rift Valley. The Raya graben was taken as a case study area, which is the largest marginal graben in northern Ethiopia. The link between rainfall variability and land cover changes shows that there was a negative correlation between precipitation and deforestation which implies that an increase in precipitation decreases deforestation deterring the peasants from tree cutting. Regarding the relationship between upper catchment characteristics and river morphology, results show that upper catchment area is the most important controlling factor of the length of and the area occupied by the rivers in the graben bottom. A simple hydraulic analysis based on the change of specific discharge as the river ow approaches the bridges demonstrates that the abrupt change in channel width as the river approaches the bridge is the main cause of the thick deposition and, consequently, of the increased frequency of overbank oods upstream of the road bridges in the study area. The results related to channel bank erosion capacity of ash oods show that all the peak discharges were equally important in triggering channel bank erosion. Concomitantly, vegetated channels are much more resist- ant to channel bank erosion than non-vegetated banks. Land changes in graben bottoms dictate that the changes are not simply related to a distributary river system but that human interven- tion (e.g., the conversion of bushland and forests into cropland, settlement on alluvium, and avoidance of losing farmland to other land units) and natural vegetation regeneration (e.g., alluvial deposits into shrubland) are also important. Overall, the study suggests that to control the morphodynamics of the ephemeral rivers and their impact on farming activities in the gra- ben bottom, catchment rehabilitation activities need to focus both on the upper catchment and the river channels in the graben bottom. Key words: ephemeral streams, land change, graben, Rift Valley, land cover, climate variability
Studying Africa’s hydroclimate history over the last 2000 years
Authors: De Cort Gijs
Published: February 2018

Water-resource availability is one of the most important environmental factors on which Africa’s agricultural societies are reliant. However, our knowledge of the natural background variability of rainfall and drought over Africa is currently still inadequate to allow a full grasp of the relevant climate-dynamical mechanisms and guidance of much-needed forecasts of future trends. This report presents two new efforts to improve insights into how hydroclimate has varied throughout the continent over the past two millennia. Firstly, a thorough synthesis of data from instrumental measurements, historical accounts and natural climate archives resulted in an extensive review of Africa’s hydroclimate history. Secondly, the focus is narrowed to East Africa, where the sediments of hypersaline Lake Bogoria were used to reconstruct how a variable climate has driven large lake-level fluctuations over the last 1,300 years. Key words: paleoclimatology, natural climate archive, lake-level change, sedimentology, Lake Bogoria National Reserve
King of Kings – The Thriumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Authors: Stepman François
Published: February 2018

Haile Selassie is one of the most bizarre and misunderstood figures of 20th-century history, alternately worshipped and mocked, idolised and marginalised. This magni - cent biography by the German-Ethiopian historian Asfa-Wossen Asserate, is diligently researched and fair-minded with Selassie being accordedthe level of dignity he deserves. The book is manifestly a riposte to Ryszard Kapuscinski’s The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat, which portrayed the emperor, and indeed Addis Ababa’s entire Amharic elite, as a comic-opera laughing stock.
Intra-annual to multi-decadal xylem traits in a tropical moist semi-deciduous forest of Central Africa
Authors: De Mil Tom
Published: February 2018

A witness of a tree’s past conditions is the wood itself. The main research question of this dissertation is how to assess and reveal the driving forces of the patterns of wood traits on pith-to-bark cross-sections in tropical trees. Cambial and leaf phenology was monitored in the Luki Reserve (Mayombe forest, D.R. Congo). Furthermore, X-ray CT densitometry was explored to assess traits in a reliable way, for multiple species. Variability in phenology is observed for T. superba, which requires traits of individual trees to be fixed on a time axis. Furthermore, X-ray CT is a suitable method for assessing traits in a fast way. Cambial activity of understory trees has shown to be species-specific, whilst many trees show zero xylem growth. Finally, 66 years of tree growth was analysed, while trait analysis revealed a median ring count of only 32, thus implying many non-periodical rings. This work presents methodological improvements to measure traits as continuous variables from pith to bark, but also acknowledges that phenology still remains a key aspect in order to fix traits on a time axis. Key words: leaf phenology, wood anatomy, stable isotopes, Mayombe, dendrochronology, X-ray CT densitometry
Colonial taxation in Africa. A fiscal history of the Congo through the lens of customs (1886-1914)
Authors: De Roo Bas
Published: February 2018

Every colonial state in Africa faced the fiscal challenge of ruling vast, inaccessible and thinly populated territories that produced relatively little taxable wealth, without metropolitan grants-in-aid and with limited access to international bond markets. How colonial states dealt with this challenge determined how much resources could be invested in the administration of African colonies and how the colonizer interacted with the colonized. As such, taxation fundamentally shaped colonial rule. Thus far, most scholars have either studied the practice of “native” taxation or the general spending and revenue-raising patterns of colonial administrations. This thesis shines a new light on the fiscal history of colonial Africa – as well as the colonial history of the Congo – by focusing on customs, the second fiscal pillar on which African colonial states were founded. Key words : colonial history, fiscal history, Congo Free State, Belgian Congo
Voudou van New Orleans naar Cotonou op het ritme van de goden
Authors: Van Damme Patrick
Published: February 2018

This very, very interesting book was written by a Dutch modern music journalist who set up a crowdfunding campaign to be able to go and visit the roots of the voodoo music (and culture). His journey takes him and us to the USA (Mississippi and New Orleans’ mardi gras), the santeria in Cuba, Haiti, Surinam and nally, Togo and Benin. He participates in ceremonies, goes to con- certs and ‘events’, has many discussions, and brings a very well-documented impression of what voodoo is, and is not. The book leads us to numerous artists who have taken inspiration from the traditional drums and beats, and should thus be read with one’s vinyl or CD collection at hand, or else with youtube as universal reference for all things voodoo ! The work is very well-written in owing Dutch, draws on written references and offers a list of key words that will help the reader to understand the ner details of voodoo culture. Hopefully this book will be translated into Eng- lish so as to let a wider audience bene t from its many insights.
La mission civilisatrice au Congo. Réduire des espaces de vie en prison et en enfer
Authors: Blondeel William
Published: February 2018

The first book by Evariste (Kentey) Pini-Pini (°1955, Congo DRC) deals with the nature and the effects of the European domination in the Kongo Kingdom dating back to the end of the 15th century (“Kongo-Dyna-Nza”), the second wave of colonisation in the 19th and 20th centuries in the larger Congo territory (“Congo-prison”) and the post(neo)colonial period until the present day (“Congo-enfer”). The author gives special attention to the resistance of the Congolese people to this domination and he makes a strong plea for a “renouveau” of the “Nsi Kongo, espace de vie et de liberté”. Pini-Pini touches on a huge number of topics and evokes just as many questions about the past, present and future of the DRC Congo; about the clash and the possibility of reconciliation between the fundamental characteristics of 'the West' and 'Africa'; about the specfic role of religious actors within that relation; about the position of African immigrants in our Western/ Belgian society. The book, along with the work of a large part of the Congolese intelligentsia, does apparently not get the attention it should in Dutch-speaking Belgium. And while objections can be raised to the book, it deserves to be read and reviewed in order to stimulate the dialogue with authors such as Pini-Pini. Thus it may pave the way to the much broader dialogue, strongly asked for and desired, between ‘the West' and 'Black Africa' or, in a larger sense still, the 'Monde Noir'. Key words: Congo DRC, Kongo, colonialism, resistance, tradition, dialogue
Democracy and the third World
Authors: Doom Ruddy
Published: February 2018

Democracy
Images of Non-Western Cultures. The influence of history textbooks on public opinion in Dutch-speaking Belgium 1945- 1984.
Authors: De Baets Antoon
Published: February 2018

The This Ph.D. study tries to answer the question "Do history textbooks have an impact on people's ideas about other cultures?", by comparing the contents of a large sample of in- fluential history textbooks and curricula (covering 1945- 1984) with the results of a wide array of public opinion surveys about the Third World and immigrants (covering 1949- 1987). The theoretical part reviews ethnocentrism, cultural relativism and racism as dimensions of cultural images, focuses attention on the phenomenon and mechanism of influence, and assesses the place of the textbook in the complex network of factors acting upon youngsters and adults, inside and outside the school.The methodological part discusses the value of the two sources (relevance, validity and reliability of surveys; availability and use of history textbooks; comparability of both). Univer- ses of both sources are constructed and samples drawn from them. These samples are analysed with mutually attuned question batteries. The double empirical analysis leads to two series of conclusions and trends that are compared with each other. Five parallel trends are found in textbooks and surveys (dominant but decreasing ethnocentrism; decreasing nationalism; absence of racism; poor awareness of other cultures; social-evolutionist thinking). They coincide in time, while, for textbooks to have influence, trends there should precede these in the public. Four other trends only partially coincide, or diverge. In the case of still two other trends, mutual influence could be plausibly postulated.In globo, no firm evidence was found for the thesis that history textbooks autonomously influence the public. It rather is the general climate of opinion that, with years of delay, acts upon the textbook authors. The role of these authors, the immediate influences upon them (editors, curricula planners, academics, inspectors, teachers, parents and pupils), their biographies and their degree of representativeness vis-à-vis public opinion, are largely discussed. As a conclusion, the study argues that, by presenting cultural diversity more accurately, new history textbooks could become master cards in the construction of open and tolerant inter- cultural views and mentalities. KEYWORDS : ethnocentrism, mentalities, surveys
Military Budgets, Underdevolpment and Dependency
Authors: Nauwelaerts Philip
Published: February 2018

Military expenditures are considered to be one of the causes of underdevelop- ment. This statement is not easy to prove. The article tries to explain that relatively small military expenditures might have large consequences, e.g. on external debt and scarcity of foreign exchange.The problem for Africa is not in the first place the amount of military expenses or external debt,but the low productivity rate which makes repayment difficult. Africa still remains dependent in different economic fields from industrialized countries.The African situation would improve by more stable regimes and a better internal organization of the state, so that natural resources and other activities will really benefit the country. KEYWORDS: military, arms trade, debt, economic dependency
An Outline of the Parliamentarism and the One Party System: the Case of Togo
Authors: Van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal Emile A.B.
Published: February 2018

Witnessed the last hundred years profound political and constitutional changes. In this respect there are many differences between African States depending on which kind of colonial overlord has been the ruling power. The African State was ajuridical entity in international law, but was it also, at the time of independence, an empirical entity in national fact? In almost all cases the empirical reality as a functioning government was still primarily the presence of European bureaucrats who has embodied the colonial state. Independence therefore opened a gap between the international legitimacy and the internal marginality of many emergent African State. The gap often presented a real political dilemma to the new African rulers: they usually could retain European officials only by compromising their national independence and could dispense with them only at the risk of undermining governmental performance. After adoption of European constitutional law and with, initially, a high degree of similarity between most constitutions in French-speaking Africa, nowadays these constitutions differ widely, contrary to the Commonwealth Africa that has experienced fewer innovations and constitutional breakdowns. Parliamentary systems of government gave way to One Party Systems, introduced in many cases by the national army, as the best equiped, trained, paid and organised power in the country.This has been the political and constitutional development in Togo as well. Since 1969, it has a One Party System, the Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais, founded by the President of the Togolese Republic, Gen. Gnassingbé Eyadéma. But, as everywhere else, doubts are growing about the effectiveness of the One Party System. Are the Togolese perspectives such that Eyadéma is willing to have an open mind and to be all ears for the critics to his own creation? Another intriguing question is to know in which way the African traditional authorities ("chieftancy"), as the core of the concern for the local world and as the embodiment of a moral and political order, could have a new (?) role in the socio-political development of the state in Africa? Will the chiefs' position in the long term be that of a noble élite, an echo from the past, useful as a tourist attraction or as managers of fun parks with safari possibilities. KEY WORDS: chieftancy, constitutions, legal pluralism, one party system, politics, Togo.
The Possibilities to use Euphorbia Tirucalli as an Energy and a Rubber Crop
Authors: Van Damme Patrick
Published: February 2018

Euphorbia tirucalli has been used as a source for natural rubber at different times in history, especially in southern Africa. The latex resin content is too high to guarantee a good quality product and economic production has never taken off as some had hoped. The fact that the plant is very well adapted to arid and semi arid conditions and can be grown on marginal waste lands makes it a potential energy crop which can be turned into biogas without too much investment in costly technology. The first results obtained in the laboratory and in field conditions (Senegal) are very promising. The latex contains a number of interesting triterpenes which have a very high energy content and could be used in fuel production. Most of these applications have been tested or used in Africa and can offer long-term solutions for old problems, particularly in the case of renewable energy through biomass fermentation.KEY WORDS: rubber, biomass, biogas, triterpenes, energy crop
Lumumba, Hammerskjoeld and the 1960 Congo Crisis: a Case of International Misunderstanding?
Authors: Blommaert Jan
Published: February 2018

A number of influential works on the 1960 Congo Crisis, as well as most theoretical models of intercultural communication, consistently explain conflicts between cul- turally different participants in terms of features of ethnic communication style, cognition, value systems etc. A general picture emerges in which culture is seen as the cause of conflicts, misunderstandings, or communication breakdown. An ana- lysis of six letters exchanged between Lumumba and Hammarskjoeld during one of the crucial episodes of the Congo Crisis reveals that ethnic features of communica- tion style are the consequence, rather than the cause of conflicts. KEY WORDS: Congo (Zaïre), history, linguistics
Parentage-Protection of the Legitimate Biological Family-Adoption
Authors: Van Mensel Alfons
Published: February 2018

The modern codices which govern the personal and family law of islamic people, stay totally absorbed and influenced, by traditional Islamic law. The main issue in the parentage problem is marriage. Only within marriage, children can legally be procreated The few adaptations brought about, such as the possibility to adopt, the recognition of natural children in Tunisia, do not change the public image in many ways. Large attention is focused at the protection of the legitimate biological family-unit. This does not prevent that a very human treatment, in respect of the parentage of children, has been elaborated. Children are being placed, as much as possible, in the case of a legimitate family through techniques as there exists : recognition by men and women of children with unknown origin, the appointment by children of men and women as their father and mother, ... Belgian judges, confronted with the application of Islamic law, are showing signs of shortsightedness. Too frequently, Islamic law is put aside in favor of international public order. KEY WORDS : adoption, islam, islamic law
The Use of Spot-HRV Data for the Mapping of the Land Cover (applied upon East-Mono, Central Togo)
Authors: De Vliegher Beata Maria
Published: February 2018

The mapping of the land use in a tropical wet and dry area (East-Mono, Central Togo) is made using remote sensing data, recorded by the satellite SPOT. The negative, multispectral image data set has been transferred into positives by photographical means and afterwards enhanced using the diazo technique. The combination of the different diazo coloured images resulted in a false colour composite, being the basic document for the visual image interpretation. The image analysis, based upon differences in colour and texture, resulted in a photomorphic unit map. The use of a decision tree including the various image characteristics allowed the conversion of the photomorphic unit map into a land cover map. For this, six main land cover types could be differentiated resulting in 16 different classes of the final map. KEY WORDS :Remote sensing, SPOT, Multispectral view, Visual image interpre- tation, Mapping, Vegetation, Land use, Togo.
Productive Aspects of the Informal Economy. Research into the Indicators for an Answer to the Development in Africa
Authors: Muheme Bagalwa Basemake Gaspard
Published: February 2018

This article aims at deepening our understanding of the concept informal economy. It is the case that definitions with regard to the reality of this phenomenon vary in function of the author and the countries studied. Indeed, the concept needs to be discussed right across the countries of the West, the East European countries under the old system, i.e. until 1990, and the countries of Africa.With regard to the informal economy in Africa, the characteristics of irrationality and the lack of initiative on the part of economic agents has often been posited. However, this economic phenomenon is neither exclusive to Africa nor is it confined to the present time. Only a comparative approach will enable one to arrive at some precision with regard to the concepts used in the economic literature. Our primary goal is to place this informal economy within the global perspective of African development. This informal economy sets itself up as a creative attempt, often able to give efficient answers, whether in the field of agriculture or in other forms of activity, to the challenges of badly mismanaged societies.KEY WORDS: informal economy, plural activities, integrative economy, petty commodity production and consumption, interdependency of sectors
Ideolgy and the De/Naturalization of Meaning in the Cameroonian Novel
Authors: Yewah Emmanuel
Published: February 2018

This article shifts the focus of the study of ideology from the question "what is ideology?" to how it is produced and reproduced. It deals with the process by which social subjects/characters, i. e.. the dominant class and the subjugated, participate, through their interactions in the network of relationships, in the production and reproduction of ideologies and meanings once they have become educated, through their experiences and by other social activists, of their subjugating effects. KEY WORDS : (re)production, meaning, text
Reliability of Cancer Treatment Information on the Internet: Observational Study (Preprint)
Authors: Ogasawara Ryo , Katsumata Noriyuki , Toyooka Tatsushi , Akaishi Yuko , Yokoyama Takaaki , Kadokura Gemmu
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND

Finding the correct medical information in a flood of information from the internet is a significant issue for patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the reliability of the information on cancer treatment methods available on the internet based on an evaluation by medical oncologists, medical students, and cancer survivors.

METHODS

Using Google and Yahoo as the search engines, we carried out the information search using 2 keywords, “cancer treatment” and “cancer cure,” and the top 20 information sites were identified. A similar search was conducted on 5 types of cancer. The reliability of the information presented was rated on a 3-level scale (A, B, or C). Level A referred to reliable sites (providing information complying with the clinical practice guidelines for various types of cancer), Level B included sites not falling under either Level A or Level C, and Level C comprised dangerous or harmful sites (providing information on treatment not approved by the regulatory authority in Japan and bombastic advertisements without any relevant clinical evidence). The evaluation was conducted by medical oncologists, medical students, and cancer survivors. The consistency of the information reliability level rating between the medical students or cancer survivors with that of the medical oncologists was assessed by using the kappa value.

RESULTS

A total of 247 sites were evaluated for reliability. The ratings provided by the medical students’ group were as follows: Level A, 12.1% (30/247); Level B, 56.3% (139/247); and Level C, 31.6% (78/247). The ratings provided by the cancer survivors’ group were as follows: Level A, 16.8% (41/244); Level B, 44.7% (109/244); and Level C, 38.5% (94/244). The ratings provided by the oncologists’ group were as follows: Level A, 10.1% (25/247); Level B, 51.4% (127/247); and Level C, 38.5% (95/247). The intergroup rating consistency between the medical students’ group and oncologists’ group was 87.4% (216/247, kappa=0.77) and that between the cancer survivors’ group and oncologists’ group was 76.2% (186/244, kappa=0.61).

CONCLUSIONS

Of the investigated sites providing information on cancer treatment on the internet, the percentage of sites that seemed to provide harmful information was much higher than that of sites providing reliable information. The reliability level rating was highly consistent between the medical students’ group and the medical oncologists’ group and also between the cancer survivors’ group and the medical oncologists’ group.
Implementation and Effects of Risk-Dependent Obstetric Care in the Netherlands (Expect Study II): Protocol for an Impact Study (Preprint)
Authors: van Montfort Pim , Willemse Jessica PPM , Dirksen Carmen D , van Dooren Ivo MA , Meertens Linda JE , Spaanderman Marc EA , Zelis Maartje , Zwaan Iris M , Scheepers Hubertina CJ , Smits Luc JM
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND

Recently, validated risk models predicting adverse obstetric outcomes combined with risk-dependent care paths have been made available for early antenatal care in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. This study will evaluate implementation progress and impact of the new approach in obstetric care.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this paper is to describe the design of a study evaluating the impact of implementing risk-dependent care. Validated first-trimester prediction models are embedded in daily clinical practice and combined with risk-dependent obstetric care paths.

METHODS

A multicenter prospective cohort study consisting of women who receive risk-dependent care is being performed from April 2017 to April 2018 (Expect Study II). Obstetric risk profiles will be calculated using a Web-based tool, the Expect prediction tool. The primary outcomes are the adherence of health care professionals and compliance of women. Secondary outcomes are patient satisfaction and cost-effectiveness. Outcome measures will be established using Web-based questionnaires. The secondary outcomes of the risk-dependent care cohort (Expect II) will be compared with the outcomes of a similar prospective cohort (Expect I). Women of this similar cohort received former care-as-usual and were prospectively included between July 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015 (Expect I).

RESULTS

Currently, women are being recruited for the Expect Study II, and a total of 300 women are enrolled.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will provide information about the implementation and impact of a new approach in obstetric care using prediction models and risk-dependent obstetric care paths.

CLINICALTRIAL

Netherlands Trial Register NTR4143; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4143 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6t8ijtpd9)