Journal for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (JSHSS, ISNN 2026-7215)

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http://hdl.handle.net/11070/1352

The Journal for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (JSHSS) is a peer-reviewed publication of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Namibia. The interdisciplinary journal publishes research papers from the research agendas of the faculties and from international scholars in humanities and social sciences, and related areas. Specifically, the journal concentrates on researches and critical analyses of issues on the wide spectrum of sociology, psychology, language, rhetoric, linguistics, visual and performing arts, literature, politics, economics, philosophy, history, human sciences, geography, media and information studies, inter alia. Guidelines for contributors: Each article must be submitted with an abstract of not more than 250 words. The article must have clear sections throughout. All articles must be in Microsoft Word and one and a half spaced. Each article should be between 4000 and 7000 words long. Shorter or longer articles may be published depending on their strengths. Book reviews must be between 800 and 1200 words long. JSHSS uses the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. The author of an article is requested to include his/her biographical information in 60 words, e-mail address and the name of their institution. Authors should use the following e-mail addresses to submit their articles: jkangira@unam.na; jhunter@unam.na; nmlambo@unam.na; journalhss@unam.na Editorial: Chief Editor: Prof Jairos Kangira (University of Namibia) Deputy Chief Editor: Prof Johannes Hunter (University of Namibia) Assistant Editor: Dr Nelson Mlambo (University of Namibia). Members of the Editorial Board Prof Herman Beyer (University of Namibia) Prof Beatrice Ekanjume-Ilongo (National University of Lesotho) Prof Pedzisai Mashiri (University of Zimbabwe) Prof Sibusiso Moyo (Durban University of Technology) Prof Kingo Mchombu (International University of Management) Prof Cathrine Nengomasha (University of Namibia) Prof Cezar Ornatowski (San Diego University, USA) Prof Phillipe-Joseph Salazar (University of Cape Town) Prof Isaac Mapaure (University of Namibia) Prof Ian Rothman (University of North West, RSA) Dr Mildred Nkolola-Wakumelo (University of Zambia).

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 189

Views and preferences of parents, teachers and principals on the implementation of the language policy in primary schools in Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2012) Mostert, Louise; Hamunyela, Miriam N.; Kasanda, Choshi D.; Smit, Talita C.; Kangira, Jairos; Zimba, Roderick F.; Hengari, Job U.; Veii, Kazuvire R.
The language policy of schools in Namibia states that from grade 1 to grade 3, learners should receive education in their mother tongues. The mother tongue becomes a subject from grade 4 onwards while English takes over as the medium of instruction. This paper presents the views of parents, teachers and principals and parents on how this policy is implemented in three schools studied in the Khomas region. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews from one urban school, one peri-urban school and one rural school. The fi ndings of the study refl ect diff erent language preferences between parents and teachers, the latter favouring English and the former advocating the mother tongue as
Does mass media communication support HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns among the youth in Oshana Region, northern Namibia?
(University of Namibia, 2012) Shikongo, Regina Mpingana; Mchombu, Kingo
HIV/AIDS is a global health and social problem, and has affected people of diverse backgrounds and all walks of life. Since it was detected in Namibia in 1986, many people have become hospitalised and died due to the disease. However, many organisations have used mass media campaigns to communicate health messages in an effort to bring change in people’s lifestyles and sexual behaviours. This paper explores the impact of mass media communication aimed at HIV/AIDS prevention among the youth in Oshana region, northern Namibia. In this paper both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were employed. Survey research was conducted among the In-school youth (ISY) and Out of-school youth (OOSY). Participants were drawn from nine secondary and 26 combined schools and six youth organizations in the region. Respondents revealed that mass media campaigns are available in the region disseminating information to the youth using the conventional health education model. Data also revealed that the majority in both sets of youth groups are sexually active, have sexual partners and received behaviour change information mainly through mass media (radio, television and printed materials) regularly. Study results further revealed that in addition to knowledge, youth require understanding and dialogue to be able to manage change in their social and sexual behaviours.
Community perceptions of climate change and vanability impacts in Oshana and Ohangwena Regions
(University of Namibia, 2012) Kaundjua, Maria B.; Angula, Margaret; Angombe, Simon T.
The links between climate change, social and economic development, health, and environmental sustainability have become a dominant and urgent global concern. Understanding community perceptions leads to successful adaptation to climate change. This paper analyses community perceptions of climate change in selected Namibian regions. The study applied the qualitative research approach using the focus group discussion method. The data collection was conducted within a Socio-economic and Gender Analysis framework. The study has revealed that the communities are aware that the climate is changing due to changes observed in the past three to four decades. However, the study concluded that the communities do not have an adaptive capacity to respond to catastrophic natural disaster events such as the recurrent floods of 2009, ww & 2011. The study recommends a programme on community awareness regarding climate variability and change and its implications. The government in collaboration with communities and other relevant stakeholders should set up a long-term adaptation strategy for Namibia.
Genitals are assets: Sexual and reproductive behaviours of street children of Harare, Zimbabwe, in the era of the HIV and Aids pandemic by Watch Ruparanganda. Umbreit: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011, pp 303.
(University of Namibia, 2012) Chirere, Memory
Watch Ruparanganda’s book, Genitals are Assets: Sexual and Reproductive Behaviours of Street Children of Harare, Zimbabwe, in the era of the HIV and Aids Pandemic, is extremely thought provoking and will make you want to laugh and cry at the same time. It explores the sexual and economic relations amongst the street children of Harare, Zimbabwe, in a language that is effortless and compelling. This is a book for both the deep academics and ordinary readers. Underneath everything else, this book goes into important theoretical and methodological debates about power differentials between men and women in society.
Death and dying: An analysis of the language used in copying with death in the Shona society
(University of Namibia, 2012) Kaguda, Damarris
This article analyses the language that the Shona speaking people in Zimbabwe use in naming death and dying, describing the dead, and consoling the bereaved. The research derives its linguistic analysis from a Shona socio-cultural-religious perspective. Related to this perspective, is the concept of saving face and easing the tension caused by death and this notion can be understood in the light of the politeness principle that guides human communication. Interviews and participatory observations were employed as data collection techniques in order to establish whether the Shona people use their language ordinarily or they fine-tune it to suit specific situations, particularly the unpalatable social situations like death and dying (language for specific purpose). Undergirded by these theoretical frameworks and methods, the study established that the Shona people have the tendency of creating, packaging and re-packaging their language use in relation to the social dilemma confronting them. Indirect ways of referring to tabooed matters such as death are in tandem with the Shona semantic philosophy in which by ‘indirection they find direction.’ In this regard, reference to death and dying often take the form of some blunt and euphemistic words or phrases, idiomatic and metaphorical expressions as a way of coping with death and dying. Euphemistic words and expressions allow the Shona people to talk about unpleasant notions and neutralise the unpleasantness, for example, the subjects of death and dying.
Sociolinguistic meaning of Bantu place names : The case of Ruhaya in north-western Tanzania
(University of Namibia, 2012) Buberwa, Adventina
This paper examines the sociolinguistic meaning behind the adoption of place names in Ruhaya, the language spoken in north-western Tanzania. The paper based on the assumption that place names are not arbitrary labels but are connected with particular social-cultural phenomena such as community heroes or persons who made notable contributions to the society or people who had achieved particular notoriety or events that had come to be considered unique. These would be reflected in what the name was derived from in the appropriate time and place (appropriate context). The paper reveals that Ruhaya place names have meanings which tend to be derived from phenomena such as names of unique people, events, fauna, flora, crops raised, habitation information, natural terrain and activities carried out in the area to which the name is given. Also, place names in Ruhaya have meanings relating to parts of the human body such as hip, nape, tongue, breast and heart. As language advance, it was necessary to explore such sociolinguistic elements as an important contribution to the growing body of sociolinguistics and linguistics knowledge relating to languages spoken in Tanzania and Africa in general.
Mwalimu J. K. Nyerere as an African rewriter: The case of Kiswahili creative translations and rewritings
(University of Namibia, 2012) Malangwa, Pendo S.
Rewriting, in the narrow sense, is the presentation of works of literature to suit various ideological and poetological ends; it refers to the written process of changing genres. In the broader sense, it includes all forms of transforming a text from one culture or text type to another. In that sense, rewriting places the production and reception of literature within the wider framework of culture and history. Translation is one form of rewriting; it transforms a text written in one source language into another target language. States or their leaders can use rewritings for cultural, political, economical and ideological purposes. J.K. Nyerere used rewriting as a tool for ideological, social and Cultural Revolution. Moreover, he used rewriting as a technique of mobilizing and influencing his society towards appreciating religious doctrine and African socialism. This paper examines some of J.K. Nyerere’s rewriting contributions into Kiswahili since his country’s independence.
Reduction of location error in GPS collar tracking data of bovine cattle by using data screening
(University of Namibia, 2012) Polojarvi, Katja; Colpaert, Alfred; Matengu, Keneth K.
Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry enables tracking of an individual animal over a long period of time and can provide researches with accurate information on animal movement. However, various environmental factors influence the satellite signals received by a GPS collar, potentially deteriorating accuracy of position. We tracked Caprivi Sanga cattle using Televilt Tellus Basic GPS collars in North-East Namibia in 2006 and 2007. Locations obtained during the night, when the cattle are gathered inside livestock enclosures, revealed that a significant proportion of the locations are inaccurate. We used data of seven GPS collars for testing different data screening options as a way to reduce location error. Basic analysis showed that simple measures of accuracy like dilution of precision (DOP) and figure of merit (FOM) are not sufficient to remove erroneous locations from the data. We removed the inaccurate locations with the following condition: 2D location with DOP >6 or 0< altitude <850 m or altitude >1050 m or DOP ≥10 or FOM ≥10 or walking speed of the animal over 4.5 km/h. This data screening option eliminated 75% of the most erroneous locations (>300 m from the livestock enclosures) retaining 97.2% of the locations correctly located inside the livestock enclosures. Before data screening, 95% (1372) of the night-time locations that were located outside the livestock enclosures were located 71-406 m from the enclosures. The maximum error was over 10 km. After data screening, 95% (485) of the locations were 54-298 m from the enclosures; the maximum error was 4.4 km.
Theorising the environment in fiction: An ecocritical reading of Jairos Kangira’s The bundle of firewood
(University of Namibia, 2012) Pasi, Juliet S.
Western perceptions of the African continent as a forest or ‘site of death’ can be traced to as far back as Joseph Conrad’s Heart of darkness. Post-colonial readings of this text exude a literary paradigm shift that has seen African writers attempt to valourise the African forest as a possible site of development. This ecological oriented criticism (ecocriticism) has emerged as one of the fresh ways of celebrating the environment as the fi gurative site upon which human regeneration is likely to occur. The environment becomes a response to the urgent mundane socio-economic issues and provokes readers to interrogate them. In discussing Kangira’s The bundle of firewood, this paper will analyse how these texts use the environment as a narratology to deconstruct the rigid divisions that typify girlhood stereotypes; seeing these not as monolithic, but as permeable and interchangeable. Thus, celebrating the environment is a way of shifting the centre; of giving agency to silent issues and silenced subjects. It becomes a powerful metaphor in terms of the self’s constant quest for definition in a society whose social sexual matrix it (the self) transgresses. The paper reflects on the ramifications of such transgressive politics. It argues that ecocriticism plays a significant role in creating and steering ideologies around a renegotiation of relationships. The paper concludes that the environment is metonymic of so many things; in this context, the politics of exclusivism, and the self’s radicalisation and involvement in a limitless re-fashioning.
School libraries and their role in promoting a reading culture: Case study of Caprivi, Omusati, Omaheke, Karas and Khomas regions of Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2012) Nengomasha, Cathrine T.; Uutoni, Wilhelm; Yule, Wilson
The importance of school libraries cannot be overemphasized. This paper is based on a study on school libraries in Namibia which was conducted by the University of Namibia, Department of Information and Communication Studies from July 2009 to February 2010. The study covered five of Namibia's thirteen regions, namely Caprivi, Omusati, Omaheke, Karas and Khomas. The study employed a qualitative and quantitative research design using a triangulation of data collection methods including surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and observation. Some of the questions the study aimed to answer were, "What is the state of school libraries?" and "What is their role in promoting a reading culture in Namibia?" The World Bank (2008, p. xxi) describes how effective school libraries can be as "they provide additional reading opportunities for students, which in turn improve reading skills, comprehension and writing clarity of expressions, which in turn support student performance in all other curriculum subjects. Although the study showed the existence of libraries in all the schools; more than Bo per cent of these were not adequately resourced in terms of reading materials, equipment, and stafj1ng. The study also established that although learners said that they liked reading there was no strong library programme to inculcate a reading culture in the learners. A number of other factors can contribute to a good or bad reading culture. These include the language of instruction and home/family environment. In Namibia, a 2011 report of the education system audit notes that proficiency in English, the language of instruction is below basic. The study concluded that the majority of school libraries in Namibia are not in a position to provide the benefits described by the Word Bank above. This is evidenced by the fact that there is a high failure rate in Namibian schools. The small percentage of schools with libraries that were well run happened to have a good pass rate but in these cases the libraries were also adequately resourced, equipped and staffed.
The accounting role of regional councillors in financial management for regional councils in Namibia : The cases of Oshana and Caprivi regional councils
(University of Namibia, 2012) Mutumba, Boniface S.
Although decisions to acquire and expend financial resources in regional councils are a domain of regional councillors, officials appointed by regional councils and those serving the Ministry of Regional Local Government and Rural Development in Namibia view this as quixotic. This paragonistic perception of appointed officials towards councillors gives rise to synthetic practices that continue to override the efficacy of regional councillors in their role as financiers at regional level in Namibia. Like other regional councils in Namibia, Oshana and Caprivi regional councils are grappling with challenges in financial management. Reflecting on the anecdote of experiences of these two regional councils, this paper makes the call for politicians, technocrats at central and regional government levels and academics to abandon, or at least more vigorously challenge the somewhat archaic, paragonistic methodologies that are very often inappropriate to democratic and corporate governance compliant financial management at sub national level. It argues that there is need to grow legislation based, innovative and creative methodological responses to separate the roles of regional councillors and technocrats appointed by regional councils in financial management. Citing the ideological and methodological shifts made in the Decentralisation process in Namibia, it is argued that it is indeed possible to create unique and exciting processes. Processes that move beyond the rhetoric of “the normative separation of the roles of councilors and officials” to one that in very real terms makes regional councillors the focus of financial planning, budgeting and budgetary control and monitoring the financial activities of regional councils.
To live in the hearts of those we left behind is not to die
(University of Namibia, 2012) Gwasira, Goodman
This paper discusses the issues that are conveyed by settlement lay-out and the meaning of space at the first mission station in South Africa, Genadendal. A historical archaeology appwach was used to collect data and analyse the remains building structures, materials and settlement lay·out that have survived at Genadenda/ in an attempt to make a case for c1 "Genadendal identity" and explain the cause for its continuity. The paper argues that the study of architectural structures and settlement /ay·out from an archaeological perspective can be viewed as an exercise in studying metapho1·s since the functional aspect of architecture is a result of" conscious reactions to physical needs" at a given time as Gribble (1998) writes. Such reactions are inevitably and subtly encoded in buildings and use of space. In addition, the paper demonstratc·s that the inhabitants of Genadendai mission str.ilion developed and exhibited a "Genadendal identify" through employing unique architectural technique' and conforming to a set of rules thot the missionories prescribed.
Inequalities of nutrition: The Namibian paradox
(University of Namibia, 2012) Misihairabgwi, Jane M.; Rennie, Timothy
The paradoxical coexistence of obesity with undernutrition has been we!l documented worldwide. In many developing countries, 6o % of households contain both underweight and obese individuals, a situation referred to as the "dual burden household". The Namibian population is simultaneously made up of groups of overweight and obese individuals as well as a large group of underweight individuals. Based on data collected from 2003 to 2004, 28 % of Namlbians were categorized as underweight, 11 % as overweight and 7 % as obese. Among adults, aged 30-46, 29% were categorized as overweight or obese. In a middle-income country such as Namibia, food scarcity may no longer be the driving factor behind energy intake. Instead, the availability of cheap, energy dense foods may facilitate the consumption of more calories whiJe an indoor, sedentary lifestyle would further reduce the average daily energy expenditure. Specific cultural perceptions may also encourage obesity. The 'double burden' of disease that has been created threatens to overwhelm the health services in Namibia. In this paper, we document reports on nutritional inequality internationally, and in Namibia specifically, and propose a research strategy to address the burden of the coexistence of under nutrition and obesity in Namibia. The paper documents a useful starting point for understanding the determinants of inequalities in nutritional status and provides some understanding of the causes of inequalities in nutritional status as well as the factors responsible for inequalities in health and nutritional status of individuals.
Trafficking in Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2012) Kiremire, Merab K.
US Department of State’s Offi ce to Monitor and Combat Traffi cking in Persons Annual Report (CTIP, 2008) classifi ed Namibia as a special case on the basis that whereas there was evidence that traffi cking in persons especially for sexual exploitation, was rife, the trend remained largely un-researched and un-documented. This researcher therefore aimed to establish whether human traffi cking as a social and economic activity existed in Namibia, and if so, its prevalence levels, extent, causes and impact and consequences on both its victims and society as a whole, and if so, whether it was targeting prostitutes into the regional and global sex trade industry in particular. The researcher thus gathered and analysed comprehensive quantitative and qualitative data generated through a standardized validated questionnaire to 230 respondent prostitutes representing 191 females and 39 males, and information provided by 18 case studies of real life human traffi cking victims, 32 key informants and 6 Focus Group Discussion meetings (FGDMs) comprising mainly of interest groups in prostitution hot spots in 18 out of 35 regional metropolises and border posts of the country. The study further interrogated the concepts of traffi cking, prostitution and exploitation within the context of its fi ndings, existing social concepts and structures and the day-to-day realities of the lives of individual and groups of people exposed to them. The study results established that while sex traffi cking as a social phenomenon exists in Namibia, it remained largely unknown and understood. Similarly, whereas it was a fairly new phenomenon, it was growing fast, aff ecting mainly unemployed young women, school-drop-out adolescents and orphans, who once they enter the industry, enjoy a symbiotic social and economic relationship with a mobile clientele of mainly tourists and long-distance commercial transporters. They inevitably get exposed to physical and health hazards including physical violence, abandonment, homelessness and diseases, among them Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and HIV. The study concluded that prostitution and sex traffi cking in Namibia are social, economic and gender-inequality issues that require urgent attention by relevant authorities and development agencies in terms of prevention and protection interventions at policy, legislative and service levels.
Searching for the rain
(University of Namibia, 2012) Ashikuti, Selma
Searching for the rain is an anthology of verse by Namibian poet Axaro W. Thaniseb who currently directs the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN). In this anthology, Thaniseb dares to address issues in post-independence Namibia that many would rather not hear nor talk about. He demonstrates bravery as he calls a spade a spade as he explores diff erent controversial themes. The same bravery is shown when he intelligently uses vernacular languages when he switches between languages in the book. In this realistic contemporary work, he shows both his great talent in writing and also his understanding and analysis of Namibian society, its passions, struggles and achievements and manages to do so impartially. Thaniseb’s style of writing is not only easy to read and thought provoking but it is also realistic. In this 46 poem anthology, Thaniseb covers themes raging from dreams, social inequalities, love, self-discovery, fear, pain, war to nationalism. As he travels not only across Namibia but across the world, he pens the poems we fi nd in Searching for the rain, the reader is therefore taken on a journey and into the thought life of the author as he writes with brutal honesty about his feelings, observation and judgements on life especially within Namibia. In this dominantly post-independence Namibian poetry, Thaniseb intricately uses many voices and as a result allows the reader an opportunity to hear not only his voice but many others’ such as that of a man in post-independence Namibia, a young man from the kasie, a man in love and a father who adores his daughter.
Waking the dead: Civilian casualties in the Namibian liberation struggle
(University of Namibia, 2012) Akawa, Martha; Silvester, Jeremy
The liberation Struggle is marked by an absence of archival sources. This absence leads to an impossibility of systematic historical analysis of conflicting archival evidence; as a result, history is created with a broad brush on a monumental landscape. In terms of public history, the emphasis has been placed on the memory of the soldiers who died fighting in the liberation struggle. A post-war publication has listed their names, although those who died on Namibian soil remain buried in anonymous graves. The internet provides a virtual graveyard, which attempts to unite all those who died on the South African side during their "Border War'. Such lists suggest that the compilers have been able to enter inaccessible archives and/or contact knowledgeable informants. Yet many of the soldiers who died, on both sides, during the Namibian liberation Struggle died in Southern Angola and the community memory of the war in Namibia is more closely linked to the many incidents in which civilians were killed inside Namibia during the conflict. In Namibia, almost a generation after the end of the war, it remains unknown how many Namibian civilians died during the Namibian Liberation Struggle. Where estimates are provided, the victims are reduced to nameless numbers. The absence of a consolidated archival record of these deaths means that an important dimension of the war remains hidden. This article will present the work that has been done to create an archive of Civilian Casualties of the Namibian liberation Struggle and discuss some of the challenges and difficulties associated with the project. It will argue that combining a range of sources into a new collection of consolidated information on individual deaths can challenge one of the archival absences on the liberation struggle and shape the historiography of the Namibian liberation struggle that is being created by a new generation of Namibian historians.
Grappling with a post-colonial challenge: A critical analysis of Shona writers’ vision of the HIV and Aids epidemic
(University of Namibia, 2012) Makaudze, Godwin; Gudhlanga, Enna S.
The post-colonial era has witnessed many African writers embarking on, among many activities, decolonisation, cultural regeneration and nation-building through their works of art. Whilst they have striven to reclaim the African’s dignity, integrity and humanity that s/he has lost through colonialism, the post-colonial era has again presented to the same writer, new challenges posed by life, among them; the HIV and Aids epidemic. Whilst many writers have been quite eloquent in conveying the experiences and effects of HIV and AIDS on the affected, what has remained elusive is the root causes of its transmission as well as ways of dealing with the epidemic. Blame has largely been shouldered on patriarchy, men and ‘their’ promiscuous behaviour on one hand, and Shona traditional customs on the other, both of which are largely victims of a new socio-economic order. The paper thus is an exposition of the social vision of selected Shona writers concerning the HIV and Aids epidemic. It seeks to establish if they have moved away from the popular yet mythical victim-blame to accord the epidemic a more holistic and informative gaze. It also seeks to ascertain whether the writers have suggested realistic and humane solutions in their works of art or they have adopted the popular but less realistic defeatist stance. The paper uses the socio-historical approach to ground its observations and arguments.
Violation and the inscription of opposites in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and Bram Stoker’s Dracula
(University of Namibia, 2012) Harford, Carolyn
Part of the power of myths and symbols is held to lie in their capacity to encompass opposites. This paper proposes that the mythologem of a male violation of a virginal female victim is inscripted to represent the opposites of fertility and infertility in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which represent the rape of Persephone by Hades and the vampiric attack on Lucy Westenra by Dracula, respectively. The opposition emerges partly in the fate of the victim. In the Homeric Hymn, Persephone is taken from above ground to the underworld by Hades, an allegory of the planting of the corn seed, which further symbolizes the cycle of fertility in which life emerges from death, as indicated by Kerényi (2002a). In Dracula, Lucy Westenra does not make this journey. When she dies after Dracula’s attack, she is not truly dead, neither above nor below, but trapped in the middle, as one of the Undead. This version of the mythologem may thus be said to represent infertility. This conclusion may be sharpened in the light of a common reading of Dracula as refl ecting the anxieties of Bram Stoker’s Victorian society about women’s sexuality. Lucy’s transformation into a vampire is accompanied by an increased sexual boldness towards the men around her. This voluptuousness suggests unchastity, the “fate worse than death”, represented by the fate of being undead. Unchastity in this light is opposed to, not fertility perse, but to socially sanctioned fertility.
Conflict resolution mechanisms between postgraduate mentors and their mentees
(University of Namibia, 2012) Mowes, Andrew D.
This paper examines different supervisory approaches. The discussion has been limited to two approaches, namely the master/apprentice approach and the laissez-faire approach. This is followed by a documentation of the typical problems that arise between supervisors and research students. These problems include: conflicting or unrealistic expectations of each other, poor feedback, tensions or conflicting perspectives from within the supervision panel, supervisor’s lack of knowledge and experience in research and supervision. Each problem is followed by a discussion of possible conflict resolution mechanisms.
Assessing virtual culture exchanges
(University of Namibia, 2012) Fox, Tom
The rapidly growing presence of old and new media in postcolonial Namibia, particularly from the decade after the turn of the Millennium, has signifi cance for cultural and lifestyle transformations in the country. Formerly entrenched social identities, shaped by restrictive colonialism and indigenous traditions, appear to be under pressure as shifts become apparent in the face of cultural globalisation. This article examines the characteristics of change from the perspective of young Windhoek adults’ experiences of Internet social networks. The research constitutes a cultural study that addresses the current knowledge gap regarding how the Internet is increasingly situated in youth identity and cultural lifestyle spaces. Social networks appear to be changing the cultural landscapes of Namibia, if the evidence is accepted, and youth are at the cutting edge of cultural transformations wrought by new media such as the Internet.

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