Issue 1 (JULACE Vol. 2)

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http://hdl.handle.net/11070/2391

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African writing, aesthetics and discursive violence
(University of Namibia, 2017) Oyegoke, Lekan
As a signifier “African writing” is suitably pluralistic in its potential for denotation and connotation and delimitation of thematic concern. Wearing an ambiguous qualifier such as “African” the contestable positions taken for granted for this cultural tag – which had camouflaged as incontrovertible – are mediated by the pluralism of the nominal which it qualifies. The erstwhile monolith and subject/object of literary/critical discourse fissures viscerally agreeably into fluid ethnic, linguistic and cultural heterogeneity with the result that both the literature and the study based on this literature transform into semantically elastic nondescript items in a state of unremitting variability. Which condition seems compatible with postmodernist insistence of organic connections and disconnections between the system of sound and that of reality according to Saussurean linguistics and Barthesian associative distinction between signifier, signified and sign. Calibrated synchrony deepens the complexity of a subject/concept already detached from signifier, a changing and changeable signified that is stratified and is multilingual multiracial multicultural.
Another day in my life
(University of Namibia, 2017) Mkandawire, Lucy
As I lie on my mat in the still of the night, with only the intermittent sound of a laughing hyena in the far distance, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. The baby in my belly begins to kick as though reminding me that the little porridge that I had apportioned myself for supper was not enough for both of us. Since my husband left two months ago to live with his new wife, life has been even more difficult than before. At least when he was here I did not have to till the land on my own. But now I have to till the land, pound the corn, cook the meals – assuming there is something to cook, and take care of my three other children. And with a growing belly, doing household chores gets more and more difficult by the day. I’m thankful that I only have two more months to go before the baby comes. Then I can at least do the housework more comfortably while my mother tends to the baby.
Chinua Achebe and hybrid aesthetics
(University of Namibia, 2017) Waliaula, Ken Walibora
This essay examines the question of hybridity in Chinua Achebe’s fiction and essays with a view to bringing to fore the inherent contradictions, ambiguities and ambivalences that typify writing in the colonial language. It hinges on the premise that Achebe’s choice of English as a language of literary expression is fraught with rejection and acceptance, aporia and agony, and Anglophilia and Anglophobia. Therefore, in his articulation and projection of the postcolonial narrative, Achebe implicitly grapples with the issue of identity in trying to make sense of his world as well as the world of his fictional characters.
The gap between grade 5 learners and their English Second Language competency: Should we be worried?
(University of Namibia, 2017) Julius, Lukas Homateni; Hautemo, Aletta Mweneni
In Namibian (public) schools, Lower Primary learners (pre- primary- Grade 3) are taught through their mother tongue and switch to English as the language of learning and teaching from Upper Primary phase (Grade 4 onwards). Upper Primary phase teachers are therefore faced with the challenges of developing learners’ cognitive and academic skills which learners need to study other subjects that are taught in English. This paper explore factors that constraint four different Upper Primary phase teachers from four different schools in the northern part of Namibia to effectively teaching teach their subjects. A qualitative interpretive approach was used to explore the factors that constrain teachers from effectively teaching their subjects. Data collection methods consisted of interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. Analysis of the data reveals that the syllabus are way ahead of learners’ actual competency in English Second Language. In addition, data reveals that when learners come into the Upper Primary phase, they have such a poor foundation that they continue to learn little and lag behind grade appropriate outcomes throughout their school careers
Investigating students’ motivations to learn French Foreign Language at the University of Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2017) Lumbu, Simon D.; Zannier-Wahengo, Aurelie
This paper is based on a case study carried out to instigate the motivation in students studying French as a foreign language in a tertiary institution, in an Anglophone country. There is general consensus among applied linguists that all learning is stimulated by motivation. The type of motivation is a determining factor in a student’s performance. This study presented a first of its kind in a Namibian context. Using Gardner’s self-determination theory, the study sought to establish motivation patterns in students of French as a foreign language; to determine the attitudes of students towards the French language, culture and its speakers; and to determine students’ objectives of learning French. Using Gardner’s theory, the concurrent mixed methods approach, a questionnaire was administered to the participants. The study revealed that the French community enjoys a positive image among students. However, a lack of exposure to Francophone speakers outside the classroom was a demotivating factor
Matumizi ya lugha katika mandhari-lugha ya jiji la Dar es Salaam: Ulinganishi wa dhima za Kiswahili na Kiingereza
(University of Namibia, 2017) Kidami, Rhoda Peterson
Numerous studies have been undertaken on the uses of language in the linguistic-landscape of various cities in the world, for instance in Bangkok, Tokyo, Vilnius, Amsterdam, and Gaborone. Those studies revealed that the number of multilingual communities is increasing in the linguistic-landscape, with English use increasing more and more. The question is, what is the language use situation in the linguistic-landscape of Dar es Salaam city? The aim of this paper is to answer that question as well as comparing the functions of Kiswahili and English languages in the linguistic-landscape of Dar es Salaam city. Data were gathered through photographing, interview and observation. The findings of this study revealed the use of seven languages in the area of study. Furthermore, some language functions are similar to both languages (Kiswahili and English) while others are specifically to either Kiswahili or English.
Omikalo omikulu nomipe dhokuyunga oosa dhAawambo
(University of Namibia, 2017) Mbenzi, Petrus A.
This paper describes the past and the present mourning practices and rituals of Aawambo. It examines traditional practices, which were adhered to in the ancient time, and the impact of modernization on the mourning practices of Aawambo. The paper also presents the responses of the Aawambo to the funeral rites in Oshiwambo society. Interdependent construal theory is used to identify the tenets of mutual obligations among Aawambo during the mourning rite. In addition westernisation theory is employed to gauge the impact of euro-western culture on the mourning practices and rituals of Aawambo. The data for this paper were collected through interviews, observation and documented texts. In the final analysis, the paper reveals that western cultures co-exist with Oshiwambo culture. It further reveals mourning period has become a conduit for class distinction associated with prestige, respect and economic status.
Speakers living and languages dying: The endangerment of !Xóõ and øHua in Botswana
(University of Namibia, 2017) Moumakwa, Tshiamiso V.; Monaka, Kemmonye C.
!Xóõ and øHua are San languages spoken in Botswana, with !Xóõ also cross-bordering into South Africa and Namibia. !Xóõ is a Southern Khoesan language genetically affiliated to the Taa branch of Khoesan languages. The classification of øHua has been rather problematic. It has been classified with Southern Khoesan or Northern Khoesan, as an isolate or into the Ju-øHoan conglomerate. Both of these languages are acutely endangered. The objective of this article to is address the classification of !Xóõ and øHua, discuss the geographical spread in Botswana and lay out factors that lead to their acute endangerment in the country. The paper argues that endangering factors include the San relocation exercise in Botswana, contact with powerful Bantu groups and the current anguage/ language-in-education policy. The collective effect of these factors is the obliteration of !Xóõ and the øHua cultures and languages, and the domination and marginalization of these people in the land of their birth. The paper further recommends that this decimation of !Xóõ and øHua language and culture could be curbed by an enabling political will, documentation of these cultures and languages, the development of orthographies if possible, among other things.
Theoretical configurations and considerations on African popular culture
(University of Namibia, 2017) Senkoro, Fikeni E.
This conceptual paper deals with some theoretical configurations and considerations of the form and content of African popular culture/s. It problematizes the subject by raising some provocative questions that may produce further and, perhaps, new areas for discussions. The three leading questions are: What exactly is popular culture? For whom and by what means is such culture produced and consumed? To whom and to what end is such culture popular? The paper touches on questions of identity, especially pertaining to the youth; and the link between popular culture and social, political and economic power. Further, the paper deals with aspects of production, including mass production, and consumption of popular culture. The role of popular culture in the political processes is interrogated in terms of mobilization, resistance, articulation and maintenance of identities that provide alternative ways of interpreting different social forces. Issues of nationalism and national culture in the face of “globalization” are also touched on vis-à-vis African popular cultures. We also ask whether we should view the subject from purely anti-elitist and pro-masses outlook. Generally the paper probes into the place of popular culture within the bigger definition of culture as a drapery of physical, mental and emotional actions whose nexus holds a particular people together within and oftentimes across generations.

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