Browsing by Author "Nakanyete, Ndapewa Fenny"

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    Communal land tenure security for widows in the Eenhana constituency of the Ohangwena region, Namibia
    (Journal of International Women's Studies, 2020) Nakanyete, Ndapewa Fenny
    Namibia is characterized by a history of discriminatory customary practices against women with regards to access to land, rights over land, and security of land tenure. Since independence in 1990, the country has adopted policies and legislative frameworks to bring about gender equality in all spheres of life, including the transformation of land tenure rights. These policies and acts give effect to the constitutional provisions that accord both men and women equal opportunities for access to land, rights over land and security of tenure. Widows are a particularly singled-out social group for legal protection, land security and rights to land enjoyed during their spouses’ lifetimes, and are granted protection, at least on paper, from discriminatory practices such as unlawful land evictions. This article evaluates and analyses the current status of land tenure security for widows in the Eenhana Constituency of the Ohangwena Region in Namibia. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods through questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions with widows, as well as key informant interviews with Communal Land Board representatives, members of the traditional authorities, as well as the Ministry of Land Reform’s regional office officials. Through this case study, the findings establish that even though Namibia acclaims progressive policies and legislative frameworks on gender equality, there are still pockets of discrimination against widows where they continue to be at risk of losing their land rights in some of Namibia’s communal areas. Addressing the land tenure insecurities and a guarantee of legal land rights for widows is key to reducing vulnerabilities within female-headed households in the communal areas. Traditional authorities remain a key governance structure in communal areas, particularly in relation to access to land, and land rights inheritance issues, amongst others. Similarly, the Communal Land Boards are statutory institutions mandated to ensure implementation of the provisions of the Communal Land Reform Act of 2002, including the protection of land rights for widows. The study, therefore, recommends three main measures: the removal of all forms of discriminatory customary practices against widows; continued awareness-raising initiatives on the rights of widows; and full implementation of legal provisions for the protection of widows’ land rights and security of tenure.
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    Indigenous knowledge for sustainable livelihoods: Evaluating non-timber forest product value chains for San communities in Northern Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2024) Nakanyete, Ndapewa Fenny; Diez, Javier Revilla
    The commercialisation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has been primarily promoted in the Global South for its potential to enhance subsistence and income opportunities for indigenous communities residing in or adjacent to forested areas. However, in practice, the traded NTFPs predominantly benefits companies in the Global North, leading to substantial income disparities and insufficient compensation for indigenous producers. This dissertation evaluates the integration of indigenous peoples as NTFP producers and knowledge holders into global value chains (GVCs) and regional value chains (RVCs), as well as the effectiveness of international legislation as a strategy to enhance their value capture within these chains. The dissertation’s primary objective is to contribute conceptually to global discussions on equitable profit distribution from natural resources, focusing on vulnerable forest dependent indigenous communities. Using a mixed-method approach, including interviews, focus group discussions, participant observations, and secondary statistical data analysis, the study begins by assessing the impact of integrating San NTFP harvesters from northern Namibia into GVCs and RVCs on their livelihoods. It then evaluates the roles of international and national legislation in ensuring fair benefit-sharing for these harvesters and communities, while exploring their challenges in enhancing value capture and the requirements for value upgrading opportunities. The findings reveal that, despite the increased global commercialisation and value of Namibia’s NTFPs, including Devil's Claw export worth over 143 million USD annually, individual San NTFP harvesters earned an average of only 1,538 NAD (80 USD) in 2021. Furthermore, the benefit-sharing regulations and initiatives have not iv effectively translated into fair benefit-sharing; only a few Namibian NTFP-harvesting communities established benefit-sharing agreements with multinational companies. While communities with benefit-sharing agreements have established local processing facilities and community enterprises to benefit through partnerships, the San communities in Bwabwata National Park and Okongo Constituency, lacking such agreements, face challenges in setting up similar structures. This hinders their value capture and bargaining power, ultimately leaving them susceptible to exploitation by intermediate companies and individual traders. In conclusion, this thesis emphasises the urgency of addressing persistent inequalities in benefit-sharing for indigenous and local communities in Namibia. Future research should explore the potential for reforms in ABS regulation to rectify legal gaps and ensure compliance for all value chain actors engaged in the use of NTFPs. Future research should also assess the feasibility of increasing value capture within the producing communities in Namibia for highly valued and globally demanded NTFPs
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    Laba
    (University of Namibia, 2018) Nakanyete, Ndapewa Fenny
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    Persistence of African languages and religions in Latin America since slavery
    (University of Namibia, 2018) Nakanyete, Ndapewa Fenny
    This paper examines the presence of African languages and spiritual practices of Candomblé, Santería and Vodou religions in Brazil, Cuba and Haiti respectively. The three religions are known to have been originated by African slaves that were mostly captured in- and transferred from West and Central Africa to Latin America. Currently, the three religions are not only followed by African descendants, but also by people of various ethnic backgrounds worldwide. Thus, people flock to the three countries regularly to be initiated into this African-based religions and cultures. On the other hand, similar spiritual practices on the African continent seem to be generally stigmatized if not demonized. Findings presented in this paper are as a result of direct observations and open interviews over a four months of fieldwork, as well as desktop reviews of existing literature. The findings demonstrate etymologies of terms and expressions that are of various African languages origin and are used in the three religions. The paper calls for integral comparative studies of parts in Africa with parts of Latin America to auxiliary identify linguistic and spirituality similarities, and significance roles of African slaves in maintaining African traditions.