Volume 1 (2012)

Permanent URI for this community

http://hdl.handle.net/11070/1353

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 34

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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The impact of effective communication within the family
(University of Namibia, 2012) Ekanjume-Ilongo, Beatrice
Most verbal communication is done between one individual and another, be it in a family, social, or work setting. Any one-to-one verbal communication requires as much precision as possible, so that an individual can have immediate feedback as to whether he/she was understood accurately. Communicating effectively however involves more than just accuracy. The purpose of most communication is to influence the attitudes and behaviors of those being addressed. Since individuals have different ways of behaving and responding, it is important for people to learn to express themselves accurately and in a way that will accomplish their purpose of communication. This paper shows that developing good communication skills is critical for successful relationships. The paper reveals that good communication skills keep the family strong and better able to withstand every family issue and pitfall, and that effective communication is a key to family happiness. The paper also brings out the fact that effective communication within a family circle enables the family to handle stressors that arise, resolve daily conflicts, and raise children who are able to communicate well for the rest of their lives.
The archaeology of the Dome Gorge in the Daureb/ Brandberg, Namibia: Themes, content and context
(University of Namibia, 2012) Gwasira, Goodman
The Ddureb' Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain, is one of the most weJI documented rock art regions in the world. All in a/1 almost 900sites comprising of almost 50 ooo individual images were recorded in the Ddureb. However the rock engravings' which have been found in the Dome Gorge remain relatively sparsely researched. The Dome Gorge is a unique site in the sense that paintings and engravings converge and in some cases superimpose each other. The aim of this research was to understand the entire corpus of the area through conducting empirical documentation of the site. Altogether seven different types of combinations of engravings and paintings were observed in the data. The study a/so investigated the spatial patterning of the rock engravings in the Dome Gorge and established an empirical description of the distribution and Jiguration of engravings based on quantitative analysis.
The developement of tourism entrepreneurial activities in Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2012) Kimaro, Mary-Ellen; Ihuha, Rosemary; Angula, Margaret
For decades entrepreneurship has been recognised as an important contributor to economic growth and development. The purpose of this paper is to examine the tourism entrepreneurial activities in Namibia and assess their potential to contribute to the economy. The main objective is to analyse the development process of tourism entrepreneurial activities in general and their current weaknesses, opportunities and threats as experienced by entrepreneurs in Windhoek and Okahandja. With the high unemployment rate being experienced in Namibia, a solution to this social problem is needed to help alleviate the plight of the unemployed and underemployed. The results of the survey provide insight into the entrepreneurial operations, and the challenges thereof. The results show that tourism entrepreneurs are potential employers in Namibia. The majority of products and services offered are not locally produced, opening an opportunity for entrepreneurs to diversify the offering and increase their market share by offering services and products such as traditional meals, clothing and jewellery. The study concludes that there are benefits for potential entrepreneurs to operate their own businesses. However, some shortcomings were noted that include lack of training and lack of awareness of available and affordable training programmes as well as other common and unique problems faced by these entrepreneurs. The study concludes that measures should be taken to ensure that entrepreneurs are nurtured and mentored in order to realise their business success. Furthermore, the study recommends a number of measures to improve the status quo of entrepreneurs and facilitate growth within the tourism entrepreneurial activities.
Information literacy programme at the University of Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2012) Iilonga, Selma
The research was done to investigate the information seeking behaviour among students at the University of Namibia. The study was conducted to fi nd out the reasons why students do not attend the information literacy training off ered by the University of Namibia library and to recommend ways in which information literacy can be integrated into the curriculum. The study used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods by employing self-administered questionnaires distributed to participants and using focus group interviews with library staff to ensure validity of the results. The fi ndings showed varied reasons for low turnout by the students for training and chief among these are poor communication of information to students concerning the days of training and lack of information on the part of students concerning the signifi cance of training in information literacy. The fi ndings also revealed that many students had the competence to use the internet, although they lacked knowledge of particular websites and databases which were relevant to their studies. The majority of students suggested more training as measures that can be taken to improve information literacy at the university and pointed out that students must be informed properly about training sessions. It was observed that the training did not have a written curriculum and it was recommended that a curriculum be developed to meet the needs of diff erent students. It was also recommended that critical databases must be made available to students through distribution of pamphlets and wall posters so that those students who are capable of using computers can access these databases that are critical to their studies.
Overcoming the barriers through literal and descriptive translations: Examples of Kanga names
(University of Namibia, 2012) Malangwa, Pendo S.
Kanga names are presented using Swahili pithy sayings, riddles and proverbs. The names communicate the culture and philosophy of the Swahili people, especially those dwelling along the coast of the Indian Ocean, their perceptions on women and the way women view themselves. There are attempts to translate these texts from Kiswahili into English for various reasons. Since the texts are cultivated in the Swahili culture and philosophy, establishing equivalents in English is a major challenge. Translators of such texts apply some techniques to achieve their objectives. This paper appreciates the application of literal and descriptive translations in translating these cultural expressions.
A first Namibian portfolio for languages
(University of Namibia, 2012) Zannier, Aurelie; Lumbu, Simon D.
Since its early beginnings in the 1970’s, the communicative approach has established itself as the preferred approach in the teaching and learning of French as a Foreign Language. It has signifi cantly changed teaching and learning methods by introducing innovative concepts, notions and material – such as communicative and intercultural competence, needs analysis, authentic material, and learner-centred practices. The assessment dimension had its share of transformation especially with the introduction of learners’ selfassessment and self-awareness skills. To operationalise these new self-assessment skills, innovative tools have been developed and tested. The Portfolio for Languages (a document produced by the European Council after the publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in 2001, which is now used in more than 38 countries in Europe) has proven its usefulness (for the learner as well as for the teacher) in the development of self-assessment skills, and in the monitoring an individual’s language development and of understanding learning objectives. To date no African portfolio for languages is in existence. In 2010, a team of fi ve Namibian teachers of French conceived the fi rst Namibian Portfolio for Languages that will be implemented in 2013 for all Grade 8 learners taking French as a Foreign Language in Namibian secondary schools. This pilot project will be carried out until 2017. The project is aimed at testing the eff ectiveness of the portfolio as an instrument if considered as a complementary tool to provide in the communicative approach needs in the Namibian context.
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.
A cognitive grammatical approach to the semantics of Nambya extended verbs
(University of Namibia, 2012) Chabata, Emmanuel
This article is an analysis of the meanings of extended verbs in Nambya. Put simply, an extended verb is a complex verb that is a consequence of combining a verb base and a verbal extension. Using the principles adopted in the theory of Cognitive Grammar (CG), it will be argued that the addition of different kinds of verbal extensions to verb bases often result in constructions with multiple meanings that are related. Unlike earlier scholarship on the meanings of extended verbs in Nambya that treats them as a result of a simple mathematical addition of the individual meanings of the verb base and the verbal extension, this article aims to show that the addition of derivational morphemes such as verbal extensions onto verb bases significantly modifies the meanings of the respective base forms. It is argued that the addition of the verbal extensions often results in two kinds of related meanings, that is, those that are mathematically derivable from the verb base by composition and those that are not easily traceable owing to the fact that they are generally idiosyncratic - hence the reason why extended verbs should sometimes be treated as new verbs that are different from their bases. In this regard, therefore, the proposal being made is that verbal extensions should be treated as highly productive morphemes in lexeme formation
Managing semi current records: A case for records centres for the public service of Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2012) Nengomasha, Cathrine T.; Nyanga, Erasmus H.
The records life cycle theory propagates for the management of records throughout their entire life cycle, i.e. from creation, through the stages when they are active, semi-active then non-current when disposition takes place and some records are destroyed and some preserved as archives. At various stages of their life cycle records need appropriate storage: records offices for current records; records centres for semi-current records; and archival facility for the non-current records identifi ed during appraisal as worthy of permanent preservation. The provision of records centres ensures that there is no decongestion in the offices, safe-guards against haphazard destruction of records and ensures that records which end up as archives are protected from hazards which might damage or destroy them. This paper makes a case for the establishment of records centres for Namibia’s public service semi-current records. The paper reports on findings of a study by the authors in April 2012, of commercial companies providing the public service of Namibia with records storage facilities. The authors make recommendations on how the management of semi-current records in the public service can be enhanced.
Praiseworthy values in President Hifikepunye Pohamba's epideictic speech marking Namibia's 20th anniversary of independence
(University of Namibia, 2012) Kangira, Jairos
This paper provides a rhetorical analysis of President l-lejlkepunye Pohamba's inaugural speech which he delivered when sworn in for his second term of office on 21 March 2010, the 2oth anniversary of Namibia's Independence. In our analysis we unravel the praiseworthy values contained in the speech and we also look at the unsaid or implied messages which we label subtleties. By using careful!y chosen words and phrases, Pobamba's speech promoted democracy, peace, unity, dignity, accountability, transparency, honesty, patriotism and the rule of low in Q nation of diverse cultures. As is the practice in speech communication, Pohamba used Aristotle's three proofs of rhetoric, namely, pathos, ethos and logos in his ceremonial speech, to persuade the audience to identify with his goals. Identification and con.substantiality play a crucial role in rhetoric. Speakers employ identification and consubstantiality in their speeches in order to influence the audience to view things the way they (speakers) see them. We also demonstrate that a speech never comes in isolation or alone; the Speaker traced the past and present, and gave a glimpse of the future of the country. Throughout the speech we see a pious President who subscribes to the democratic value of turn-taking of the Presidency as he openly stated that this was his second and last term as President of the RepubHc of Namibia.
Conventional and novel/creative metaphors: Do differing cultural environments affect parsing in a second language?
(University of Namibia, 2012) Smit, Talita C.
Metaphors can be regarded as systemic interrelations of multiple experiences which map one relatively stable domain to another. A number of cognitive linguists, such as KOvecses (2005) and Lakoff (2006), suggest that much metaphorical thinking arises from recurring patterns of physical experiences and sensori-motor interactions with the physical world. Gibbs (1999, p. 152) furthermore states that "people clearly a/so learn conceptual metaphors from their experiences with language." Research findings indicate that the default interpretations by First Language speakers were octuol/y the idiomCltic understandings, not the literal ones. The question could be asked whether this would be the case with Second Language speakers when drawing inferences from metaphorical expressions used by first language speakers, and specifically in the case of novel/creative metaphorical expressions.I assumed that this process might pose difficulties for ESl readers from an African environment when reading a business article in English which contained a fair amount of metaphorical expressions. I looked at both conventional metaphors and novel(creative metaphors. These were the metaphors with a source domain that presupposed meta-knowledge of the British English cultural environment. I also included in the research instrument a few orientational metaphors that were used in the business artcle. The findings of this study indicate concurrence with Gibbs (1999, cited in Yu zoog) that "{c]ultura/ models 'in shaping what people believe, how they act, and how they speak about the world and their own experiences' set up specific perspectives from which aspects of 'embodied experiences are viewed as particularly salient and meaningful in people's lives. ... In short, 'social and cultural constructions of experience fundamentaJ/y shape embodied metaphor."'

Browse

Browsing Volume 1 (2012) by Issue Date

Results Per Page

Sort Options