Hausa architecture is an important part of African indigenous architecture. In many respects its construction techniques, its wail decoration and its structural forms, have been recognised as unique. Most of the Hausa Architecture studied has been in the form of palaces, mosques and few houses of the affluent, merchants and administrators. However the bulk of the Hausa built environment is, and for long has been, composed of ordinary domestic houses that accommodate the citizens of its cities and hamlets. This work deals with Hausa architecture as found in the older parts a major Hausa urban centre; to wit the walled city of Kano. The Kano built environment is composed of several forms of architecture, but the main concern here is specifically with the Hausa domestic architecture in the walled city of Kano. The study is informed by the theoretical proposition that a correlation exists between the spatial organisation of domestic house and the social life of its inhabitants; consequently changes in one result in changes in the other and vice-versa. The study has four main objectives: to establish the basic characteristics of Hausa domestic architecture, i.e. its dominant spatial themes; to show how the resulting domestic environment is supportive of the Hausa-Islamic culture; to examine the cultural impact of colonialism on the concept of the dwelling unit and by extension, on the culture of the Hausa; and to broaden the data base of an indigenous knowledge system in the field of architecture. The principal findings of the work are: that Hausa domestic architecture as found in the walled city is conceptually of two broad types; that the design concept of these types is rooted in the Hausa socio-cultural paradigm; that the design concept is flexible enough to cater for the subcultural elements that are the hallmarks of any Hausa society; that the changes in the political, economic and social fabric of the Hausa society in its recent history have had very little effect on the spatial quality of Hausa domestic architecture.

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Despite the significance of sport in the modern evolution of the societies of Africa, until recently, there has been a lack of academic interest in the extent of its assimilation into the fabric of these societies. In contrast, this is a cultural history of sport in Tanzania. It involves both cultural continuity and change, of shifting ideologies over time in response to political stimuli, and of the social processes of diffusion, assimilation, alienation, rejection, adaptation and restoration of culture. The thesis examines the place of sport in Tanzanian society in precolonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. Underlying this approach is a revisionism that permits the exploration of sport from a Tanzanian and an African perspective. The consideration of the pre-colonial period traces the different types of physical activities of early eastern Africa and explores their functions in the lives of the indigenous peoples. Then follows a discussion of the arrival of the Arabs and t heir role in the spread of Islam in later eastern Africa and considers the negative attitudes towards sport that resulted from this Islamisation. Next is the review of the German colonisation of the country and the Teutonic introduction of Western education into German East Africa. Hand in hand with this education went marching drills, parades and German gymnastics which have become significant components of school sport in contemporary Tanzania. The crucial contribution of the British imperialist to modern Tanzanian sport in the form of team games, athletics and gymnastics in the shape of 'adapted Athleticism', is then described and analysed. Finally, sport in independent Tanzania and its association with nationalism, modernisation and globalisation is scrutinised. The central argument of this thesis is that modern sport in Tanzania has been a consequence of a multifaceted evolution embracing three distinct periods of the country's history and three disparate legacies: indigenous, Islamic and European, but that it was the British middle class colonial educationalists, more than others, who were responsible for the sport of modern Tanzania. Thus, in independent Tanzania, as in many other developing countries in Africa, modern sport has become clearly associated with Western culture but now, in addition, is linked to nationalism, modernisation and globalisation. The thesis concludes with the argument that Tanzania keenly aspires to integration into the world of global sport but at the same time searches for a distinctive identity by utilising Tanzanian 'sport', past and present, as an integral part of education and as an important ingredient in her culture.

This study offers an exploration of the drama which contains Aboriginal people's effort to attain a visible reality based on cultural and political rights. It is also a deeper understanding of the empowering and disempowering Indigenes in the discursive domain as well as in the existential reality. Though the study considers a large number of playtexts written by the Indigenous playwrights from 1970s to the present, it explores playtexts written by non-Indigenous playwrights as well. Here, the chief concern is to explore the discursive features of the texts, the items both linguistic and dramatic that tend to place or exclude Aboriginal people from discourses. Such a consideration may very well go beyond the periodic consideration of the plays. The Aboriginal theatre movement started in the 1970s serves as the complete reconceptualisation of Aboriginality in terms of centering Aboriginal Identity and culture in the dominant discursive domain. Such an intervention may involve the recovery of Aboriginal history from the dominant history of Australia and infusing positive attributes to Indigenes' identity. It also provides force in their existential reality. Freed from submission to the dominant's prescription, the drama appears as an alternative formula, but a rigorously vibrant medium of contestation in which history, identity, culture, politics and reality are endlessly expressive and persuasive. Keeping with the need to expose the complexity of the process of empowering and disempowering Indigenes, I read the discursive strategies employed in a selection of playtexts. The empowering drama adds dignity to Aboriginal people's gesture of friendship and goodwill and contrasts with the representation of aggressive colonial one. The drama exposes the encounter between negative and positive features in the representation of Aboriginality, thereby suggesting fighting against the authoritative design involves the representation of Indigenes in their terms. The most significant element the empowering drama contributes is its ability to capture the experience of the struggle of Indigenes to survive since colonisation. Aboriginal drama focuses more on the strategies to unsettle the dominant system than on the social order and the context. The final paradox is the act of inclusion and exclusion of Indigenes to/from the dominant theatrical discourses that indicate a fine line between empowerment and disempowerment.

Trachoma is known to be a significant cause of blindness in Australia. It was brought into the public spotlight 30 years ago by Fred Hollows. Unfortunately public interest has waned and so have efforts to combat this terrible and painful blinding disease. The World Health Organization has set the goal of eliminating the disease by 2020. Unless momentum is soon gained in Australia, there is a very real risk that Australia will be the last country on earth where blinding trachoma remains. The importance of trachoma in the overall context of Indigenous health is constantly debated. We set out to evaluate the SAFE strategy, including the impact of a swimming pool. However the project soon changed course. This thesis shows that trachoma is still a major public health concern and a cause of significant visual morbidity. This thesis demonstrates that the A and F components of the SAFE strategy can be an effective intervention. This thesis reports on some of the barriers that are impeding the widespread implementation of SAFE within the Northern Territory of Australia. (For complete abstract open document)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The alarming rates of ill-health and social disadvantage amongst Australian Indigenous peoples has continued despite improved understanding of the determinants behind these conditions. There appears to be an urgent need to review and re-orientate health and social programs, from a deficit-focused to a strengths-based model, whereby a community’s capacity and resilience is enhanced utilising, and building on, existing strengths and resources. The current study set out to investigate the meaning and role of resilience in the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. The aim of the study was to examine resilience within an Indigenous context, its potential role in strengthening the Indigenous response to adversity, and the prospective ways in which this may be used in initiatives aimed at boosting health and wellbeing in Indigenous communities. The study involved qualitative in-depth interviews and focus groups within the Indigenous Yaegl community of north-eastern New South Wales. This was achieved through extensive consultation with the community, and a strong commitment to upholding cultural sensitivities and ethical considerations. The data was analysed using a phenomenological framework, involving objective and in-depth thematic analysis, with specific focus on the relationships within the data and their associations with the research questions posed. The study indicates the resilience of the Yaegl community, involving individual, family and community level resilience, involves interdependent protective factors and support structures. The experience of hardship itself, and the ability to employ positive adaptational/coping skills and recruit a variety of protective resources are key to the development of resilience throughout the life continuum. The study demonstrates the importance of these mechanisms not only at the individual level, but also in the resilience of family units and the community. This appears particularly important within the Indigenous context where these levels of functioning are interdependently connected. The study has implications for health and social practitioners looking to broaden their understanding of the Indigenous experience, to one that acknowledges the many existing strengths and protective factors present in Indigenous communities. Practitioners and program developers would benefit from utilising this holistic model of resilience, in which individual, family and community based protective factors play important roles in the prevention of risk and the development of resilience. Programs incorporating this understanding are expected to be more effective in both service delivery and outcomes, because all levels of functioning would be viewed and addressed as interdependent elements in the development of resilience and response to adversity.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The alarming rates of ill-health and social disadvantage amongst Australian Indigenous peoples has continued despite improved understanding of the determinants behind these conditions. There appears to be an urgent need to review and re-orientate health and social programs, from a deficit-focused to a strengths-based model, whereby a community’s capacity and resilience is enhanced utilising, and building on, existing strengths and resources. The current study set out to investigate the meaning and role of resilience in the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. The aim of the study was to examine resilience within an Indigenous context, its potential role in strengthening the Indigenous response to adversity, and the prospective ways in which this may be used in initiatives aimed at boosting health and wellbeing in Indigenous communities. The study involved qualitative in-depth interviews and focus groups within the Indigenous Yaegl community of north-eastern New South Wales. This was achieved through extensive consultation with the community, and a strong commitment to upholding cultural sensitivities and ethical considerations. The data was analysed using a phenomenological framework, involving objective and in-depth thematic analysis, with specific focus on the relationships within the data and their associations with the research questions posed. The study indicates the resilience of the Yaegl community, involving individual, family and community level resilience, involves interdependent protective factors and support structures. The experience of hardship itself, and the ability to employ positive adaptational/coping skills and recruit a variety of protective resources are key to the development of resilience throughout the life continuum. The study demonstrates the importance of these mechanisms not only at the individual level, but also in the resilience of family units and the community. This appears particularly important within the Indigenous context where these levels of functioning are interdependently connected. The study has implications for health and social practitioners looking to broaden their understanding of the Indigenous experience, to one that acknowledges the many existing strengths and protective factors present in Indigenous communities. Practitioners and program developers would benefit from utilising this holistic model of resilience, in which individual, family and community based protective factors play important roles in the prevention of risk and the development of resilience. Programs incorporating this understanding are expected to be more effective in both service delivery and outcomes, because all levels of functioning would be viewed and addressed as interdependent elements in the development of resilience and response to adversity.

Diss. Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2004.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-114). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 296-322) and index.