This research is an inquiry into the use of traditional institutions in public policy with a focus on collaborative governance approaches that build on the customary practices. Collaborative governance processes seek to bring different stakeholders together for the purpose of finding solutions to public policy matters. The structure of traditional institutions shows the potential for their use in decision-making. This idea is explored in the general Cameroonian context by conducting interviews with six individuals from various fields. The interviews show some variations in opinions about the perception of the role of the traditional institutions as well as challenges faced. Collaborative governance is examined as a means to handling some of the challenges. The research concludes that traditional authorities are relevant to informing public policy but have to be used with caution. Other ways of expanding this research are looked at with recommendations made to government and traditional authorities / 10000-01-01

Research Report for Masters degree Faculty of Health Sciences / Since the early 1980's, global trends in dental caries have indicated that 80% of the caries is present in approximately 20% of the population which suggests a variation in susceptibility to the disease. In Sub-Saharan Africa and in South Africa, caries prevalence has shown a downward trend in preschool and school children. The reasons for this decline are obscure and have not been attributed to dietary habit, oral hygiene, the use of fluoride dentrifices or to any public health prevention program. Furthermore, the numbers of mutans streptococci, a group of pathogens associated with dental caries, have remained similar in children with and without caries. This implies that good dental health is possible in the presence of high prevalence of mutans streptococci, but raises speculation that the decrease in dental caries, may be caused by a change in virulence of these strains. It is also unclear if these bacterial strains are acquired through inter-familial transmission or genetically altered by influences from the oral environment. This thesis reports the first studies of gene expression and bacterial virulence in relation to traditional African-foods using clinical isolates from South African children. To establish the source of transmission, the phenotype and genotype of mutans streptococci strains from 31, five-year-old black, and coloured, children and their mothers living in Gauteng were characterized. The children were examined for caries, and plaque and salivary samples collected from both the children and their mothers. Samples were selectively cultured for mutans streptococci, biochemically differentiated and the genetic diversity of these isolates determined by PCR-RFLP of the gtfB and gtfI glucosyltransferase virulence genes. Phenotyping showed that Streptococcus mutans were 90% (155/172) prevalent, but the detection of Streptococcus sobrinus was low and comprised 10% (17/172) of the remaining vii isolates. Twenty-six percent of S. mutans clinical isolates (41/155) did not metabolise melibiose and the gtfA gene encoding for the uptake of this sugar was absent in 26 of the 41 melibiose-negative strains. GtfB gene polymorphisms in S. mutans clinical isolates from the two ethnic populations and from caries-free and caries-active 5-year-old children were similar (Principal Components Analysis). However high genetic diversity was observed in S. mutans isolates, with 23 different gtfB amplitypes shown by PCR-RFLP analysis. Sixteen different gtfI amplitypes were indicated in S. sobrinus clinical strains. The percentage match between gtfB amplitypes (HaeIII enzyme digests) in the children and their mothers ranged from 3% to 9% in caries-free children and caries-active children, respectively. Identical gtfB amplitypes from melibiose-negative phenotypes were shared by four mothers and their children only. To determine the growth and virulence response of the variant mutans streptococci genotypes, six laboratory reference strains (NCTC) and five, clinical isolates were challenged to traditional African staple foods and food combinations. The bacteria were exposed in batch culture for 16 hours to maize, samp, brown bread, maize+milk+sugar, maize+gravy, samp+beans, brown bread+margarine+peanut butter, 3% sucrose and a synthetic complex medium, BHI+3% sucrose. Results showed that growth was slow in maize (5.6 h) and samp (5.7 h) indicated by the long doubling time and the low number of generations (g = 4.2; g = 3.6). Sufficient lactic and acetic acid was produced to drop the pH to below 5.7, the ‘critical’ level for enamel demineralisation during the fermentation of brown bread (5.37), bread+margarine+peanut butter (5.51) and 3% sucrose (5.32). Water-insoluble extracellular polysaccharides produced was significantly lower (P<0.05) in samp and maize and viii maize+milk+sugar, with most residual glucose found in BHI + 3% sucrose (1.61±0.52 mg/mL) and maize+gravy (0.51±0.61 mg/mL). Mean concentrations of extracellular protein ranged from a low of 0.015±0.007 mg/mL in samp+beans to a high of 0.29±0.16 mg/mL in BHI + 3% sucrose. The inherent pH of individual foods closest to neutral was: milk (7.0) beans (6.07), samp (6.20), maize (6.82) and peanut butter (6.90). However, beans (5.7×10 G3 [H%]), milk (5.1 ×10G3 [H ]) and peanut butter (4.0×10 [H ]) showed more efficient buffering, which in combination % G3 % with other food components, raised the inherent buffering capacity of the food. These mixed foods required a larger quantity of acid to be produced by bacterial metabolism to lower the pH to 5.7. A preliminary study on the effect of single foods on S. mutans gtfB gene expression showed that mRNA gtfB transcripts were mostly inhibited in clinical isolates, but not in reference strains. The gtfI gene of all S. sobrinus test strains was expressed in 3% sucrose and BHI+3% sucrose, but the response differed in the remaining foods.The statistically significant association shown between mutans streptococci phenotype, gtf gene expression and the food challenge (P<0.0001), verifies that expressed phenotypic characteristics is dependent on gene expression. The results presented in this thesis show that a high diversity of gtf genes exists in mutans streptococci clinical isolates from South African black African, and coloured, 5-year-old children and their mothers. However, no specific genotype was unique either to dental status or ethnic population, with children acquiring genotypes from other points of contact besidesthe mother. Furthermore, the growth and virulence response (acidogenesis, water-insoluble ECP) of S. mutans and S. sobrinus genotypes and reference strains are subject to the dietary nutrients available. The inherent buffering capacity of maize, samp, maize+milk+sugar, maize+gravy and samp+beans, coupled to a low sucrose content, make these foods non-caries promoting, but the ability of test bacteria to remain viable on these nutrients, indicate that the mutans streptococci have a natural adaptive ability to assimilate other nutrients as a source of carbon when sucrose is limited. The control of gtfB and gtfI gene expression by traditional African foods suggests that virulence of the mutans streptococci are influenced more by the dietary environment than by genotype. Also, the difference in virulence properties between clinical and laboratory reference strains indicate an attenuation in virulence of wild-type strains.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T11:21:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TAMIRIS MAIA GONCALVES PEREIRA.pdf: 6798907 bytes, checksum: f67a2235e2697ac9d14d8c3e43094fa7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-11 / This paper aims to examine aspects relating to food production contained within the ritualistic kitchen, traditional yoruba african group, Ègbé Mògàjí Ifá, to understand the meanings contained in the practices and knowledge. The research examined issues relating to identity construction, hinged from the Nigerian religious tradition of worship of deities, brought to the city of Goiânia - Goiás, in 2001. It also sought to understand food production, the rites and the yoruba cosmology, since their meanings and forms of expression are intertwined, permeated by the relationship with the sacred. The results presented contemplated bibliographic data and imagery obtained through participant observation and interviews with the constituent members of the community. / O presente trabalho se propõe a estudar os aspectos referentes à produção alimentar contida no espaço da cozinha ritualística, do tradicional grupo africano yorubá, Ègbé Mògàjí Ifá, para compreensão dos significados contidos nas práticas e saberes. A pesquisa analisou questões relativas à construção identitária, articulada a partir da tradição religiosa nigeriana de culto aos orixás, trazida para a cidade de Goiânia Goiás, no ano 2001. Buscou também compreender a produção alimentar, os ritos e a cosmologia yorubá, uma vez que seus significados e formas de expressão estão imbricados, permeados pela relação com o sagrado. Os resultados apresentados contemplaram dados bibliográficos e imagéticos, obtidos através da observação participante e entrevistas com os membros constituintes da comunidade.

WARP and WEFT is a textile making guild, intricately woven into KNOOP, the proposed Clothing and Consumer Science building for the University of Pretoria. This building is situated in Hatfield next to the railway line, in close proximity to the Gautrain station and Rissik Station. KNOOP was designed in 2008 by Korine Stegmann in fulfilment of her MArch(Prof) at the University of Pretoria. Therefore, the building in which the intervention is proposed is, to date, only an architectural proposal and has not yet been built. The project was initiated due to a fascination with textiles and the relevance of textiles in interior architecture. This fascination with textiles is ascribed to the following: The first intriguing aspect of textiles is the structure and the underlying construction principles of textiles. The second aspect is the unique character of textiles compared to other building materials. Another interesting notion is the current international textile trend and current re-focus on textiles as a construction material after a long period of being neglected. The current hype about textiles is ascribed to the tactile qualities of textiles, which opposes an increasing movement towards virtualism. The raw and organic production process of handmade textiles is desirable and opposes automated production. Similarly to the Arts and Crafts movement, designers are once more interested in handmade products. Fourthly, textiles used in architecture has the intriguing ability to create an architecture which better relates to fashion in terms of fashion’s ability to easily change and adapt; fashion’s fleeting nature. Lastly, handmade textiles of a specific region have the ability to convey the identity of that specific region. This is a crucial ability to resist globalization and monotony in cultural identity. Appropriately, the fascination of this dissertation is with traditional African handmade textiles and its relevance in interior architecture. The contemporary unbuilt building was selected to demonstrate the value of a collaborative approach between an architect and interior architect prior to construction. The analysis of the architectural proposal shows that the interior architect can effectively recognize the strengths and weaknesses of a building from an interior perspective and enhance and improve these aspects. The aim is also to show that two programmes can function collaborative in one building and that intervention is possible within a building with a fixed programme. The site was selected due to the location and framework it falls within. The location of the site allows for exposure due to the pedestrian demand on the site. Also, the site is advantageously located within close proximity to main transportation nodes. The site falls within the extended Arcadia Arts and Cultural Corridor. The vision for this corridor is a lively and multicultural precinct which hosts a variety of arts and cultural facilities. The vision for these facilities is to portray the zest of local culture, especially to those disembarking the Gautrain. The textile making guild, WARP + WEFT is an important project within this precinct, due to the core concept of the guild to celebrate African textiles. The aim of the guild is to produce contemporary woven textiles which portray the identity of traditional African woven textiles. The vision for WARP + WEFT within the precinct is to exhibit textiles, expose the textile making processes and to create a unique African textile experience for both the public and the users of the guild. The interior intervention will celebrate African textiles by demonstrating how textiles are used to solve and embrace aspects identified through the analysis of the architectural proposal. These aspects include acoustic absorption, solar screening, adding softness, texture and colour to an environment predominantly defined by cold, hard, smooth and monotone surfaces, as well as providing versatile branding elements. The use of textiles in the interior intervention introduces the unique design question of how to design with textiles for a textile related programme, opposed to textiles being used for another programme, such as a theatre or a hotel. It is a matter of “textiles for textiles” instead of “textiles for music” or “textiles for sleeping”. The solution to this unique design problem is to differentiate between spaces which celebrate textiles by acting as a background or blank canvas for the exhibition and production of textiles and spaces which celebrate textiles by becoming textile-like. To create these spatial variations, the exclusive use of textiles is not sufficient. Textiles need to be translated into interior architecture which will be achieved through the following five methods: Translation through metaphor, translation through structure, interpretation of actual textiles, engagement through text and the translation of the unique qualities of textiles. Thus, the aim of the investigation is to celebrate textiles through the application of textiles and through the translation of textiles in interior architecture. / Dissertation MInt(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2012 / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

Submitted by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-01-13T15:06:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MACHADO_Elaine_2016.pdf: 11426332 bytes, checksum: bf19f404b1d624c3ef4d6b4a41db7533 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-01-13T15:06:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 MACHADO_Elaine_2016.pdf: 11426332 bytes, checksum: bf19f404b1d624c3ef4d6b4a41db7533 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-01-13T15:06:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 MACHADO_Elaine_2016.pdf: 11426332 bytes, checksum: bf19f404b1d624c3ef4d6b4a41db7533 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-13T15:06:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MACHADO_Elaine_2016.pdf: 11426332 bytes, checksum: bf19f404b1d624c3ef4d6b4a41db7533 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-22 / Não recebi financiamento / This dissertation presents the route of a reasearch performed in two elementary municipal schools in a town near Sorocaba (SP). Here we use the african traditional culture Dagara and the ubuntu philosophy to recreate ancestor experiences of care and enable the enlargement of the notion of humanity developed in the ocidental contemporary education. We understand that taking care is to establish relationships and, as from the civilizing values of african societies, we aim to take care communaly, with nature and spirituality. By the cartography method, we could experience the community caring which aims to interrupt medicalization and pathologization of life, as educators somehow affected compose each child's community. Once in community, we can see the invisible dimmension of care, we admit another way to live time and aim to desconstruct any excludent devices. The care for nature happened in the school's gardening project, where the teenagers could, through their enchantment, experience communion with nature. Knowing experience with nature, drawing attention to details and imagine themselves in a pleasant situation with nature led to enchantment. Care for spirituality was due to the experience of transcendence for appreciation of ancestors. We have reconnected the teenagers to their histories, costumes and knowledge, so the workin the field was valorized and respected in the school's gardening project, as an ancestry element. At a meeting with school inspectors the transcencence experience has contributed to compose their practices' ancestry. While experiencing care in an afro-focused perspective, I have been moving on my blackening process. I have diven in the african culture, in the black culture, to make ancestry my existance's meaning. I have participated in lectures, shows and several cultural workshops so blackness could inhabit my my mode of existence and understanding the world; it has been our way to reverse the whitening phenomenon because of which black people still feel the consequences. In this dissertation we describe how care happens in the traditional african cultures perspective and leaving spoors so it can be que ele possa tried in other contexts, allthough we need to tell that these have been inspiring experiences, but they have not changed those schools, neither education in that town, country, or ocident. Exist in these experiences the bias of provisoriety, the circumstancethat only political fight can confirm and establish. A fight for a humanized education, non-hegemonic and that considers the human dimensions excluded until then, but that african traditional cultures have much to teach. / Esta dissertação apresenta o percurso de uma pesquisa realizada em duas escolas de ensino fundamental da rede municipal de uma cidade próxima a Sorocaba (SP). Nesta pesquisa tomamos as culturas tradicionais africanas vividas pelo povo Dagara e na filosofia ubuntu para recriar experiências ancestrais de cuidado e possibilitar a ampliação da noção de humanidade desenvolvida na educação ocidental contemporânea. Entendemos que cuidar é estabelecer relações e, a partir dos valores civilizatórios das sociedades africanas, buscamos cuidar em comunidade, com a natureza e pela espiritualidade. Pelo método da cartografia, pudemos experimentar o cuidado em comunidade, que procurou interromper processos de medicalização e patologização da vida, na medida em que educadores afetados de alguma forma passaram a compor a comunidade de cada criança. Uma vez em comunidade, reconhecemos a dimensão invisível no cuidado, admitimos outra forma de viver o tempo e procuramos desconstruir artifícios de exclusão. O cuidado com a natureza aconteceu no projeto de horta escolar, onde os adolescentes puderam, pelo encantamento, experimentar a comunhão com a natureza. Conhecer a experiência com a natureza, chamar a atenção para os detalhes e imaginar-se numa situação prazerosa com a natureza propiciaram o encantamento. O cuidado pela espiritualidade se deu pela experiência de transcendência para valorização dos ancestrais. Fomos reconectando os adolescentes com suas histórias, costumes e saberes para que o trabalho no campo fosse valorizado e respeitado no projeto da horta escolar como elemento de ancestralidade. Na reunião com os inspetores, a experiência de transcendência contribuiu para constituir a ancestralidade de suas práticas. Enquanto experimentava o cuidado numa perspectiva afrocentrada, também caminhava em meu processo de enegrecimento. Mergulhei na cultura de matriz africana, na cultura negra, para fazer da ancestralidade, sentido para minha existência. Participei de palestras, espetáculos e oficinas culturais diversas para que a negritude fosse habitando meu modo de existir e de compreender o mundo, buscando reverter o fenômeno de branqueamento pelo qual todo negro e negra ainda sente as consequências. Nesta dissertação estamos narrando como o cuidado, na perspectiva das culturas tradicionais africanas, aconteceu e deixando pistas para que ele possa ser experimentado em outros contextos. Contudo, é preciso dizer que estas experiências foram inspiradoras, mas ainda não transformaram aquelas escolas, nem tampouco a educação daquela cidade ou ainda a educação brasileira ocidental. Existe nestas experiências o viés da provisoriedade, da circunstância que somente a luta política pode confirmar e estabelecer. Luta por uma educação humanizada, contra-hegemônica e que considera dimensões do ser humano excluídas até então, mas que as culturas tradicionais africanas têm muito a ensinar.

The aim of this project was to identify discourses of traditional African and African Christian women in a Tshivenda speaking community regarding the bereavement rituals performed after the death of a husband. Six focus groups were held with women who had lost their husbands to death. The verbal data were transcribed verbatim and translated from Tshivenda to English. I used a social constructionist paradigm to identify how Tshivenda women construct meaning about the bereavement rituals. The discourses that informed the construction of bereavement rituals were analysed to identify the situated meanings that emerged from the social reality during the performance of the prescribed cultural rituals. Certain discourses were found to be common to most of the women from both Christian and traditional African religions. The abnormality discourse was prevalent in informing the way that the participants, irrespective of their religious affiliation, constructed their grief experiences and bereavement rituals. They used language that implicated them as not normal and in need of healing (through performance of the rituals) for the injury caused by the death of their husbands. The power/patriarchal discourse informed the way participants used language to describe themselves as subordinate and powerless in relationships, while positioning others as having more power. A gender discourse in their constructions, implied that they performed rituals not only for socio-political reasons, but also because they were women, wives and mothers. Nevertheless, some participants used language that represented them as dominant and responsible for their actions, while others resisted cultural and societal labels of a widow as passive and with no voice about what happens in her life after the husband’s death. These participants accepted their gender stereotype, but enacted their freedom of action and interaction. These participants either performed the rituals because they were willing to or believed in their (rituals) role and significance in their lives or they did not perform the rituals because they were in a position to resist cultural norms and other people’s oppression. A religious-cultural discourse emerged in terms of social relationships and structures of the wider culture. The language they used was informed by their religious affiliation and a collectivist culture. Lastly, minor discourses (fear, blame, religious and witchcraft discourses) informed the participants’ description of other aspects of their experiences in ways that legitimised both the rituals and the participants’ positions. The discourses should be considered to help sensitise and inform people about the impact of bereavement rituals on the psychological well-being of bereaved women. It is also important for people to understand the positions women are subjected to by themselves, by others and by their religious-cultural heritage. The present study showed that it is important to empower widows who identified themselves as powerless and not responsible for their actions regarding bereavement rituals. They should be encouraged to re-construct their positions and their notions of issues like responsibility, power and womanhood that can assist them to understand the positions that they could accept or deny before and after the death of their husbands. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study is an investigation into the use of an African indigenous narrative game, Masekitlana, which I used as a therapeutic medium for four children, aged eight to 12 years. The participants are of Zulu origin and culture and were affected and orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. The game involved the participants in activities, such as hitting stones together or arranging them at will, that they felt familiar with and that enabled freer verbal expression from them. I employed a single-system research design that consisted of mixed methods approaches in the form of a qualitative thematic analysis and a quantitative graphic presentation of the results. The research design was a time series design that involved using, at four different times along the process of therapy, the measure of the Roberts-2 test (ethnic version). Therapy consisted of three sessions of standard of care therapy (therapy that was routinely being used in the psychology clinic) and three intervention therapy sessions of Masekitlana. I found the mixed-methods approach to be a practice-friendly form of research as it helped to describe the concerns of the participants in depth and enabled a concrete, quantitative conclusion about the efficacy of Masekitlana as an intervention. Syncretism of both approaches meant that qualitative data helped to clarify and confirm the findings of quantitative data and vice versa. Qualitative analysis showed how Masekitlana helped participants to express their traditional African beliefs, such as belief in the guidance of their ancestors, in the influence of bewitchment in their lives, and in the animation of the natural world. Thematic analysis also revealed the anger that participants felt resulting from the sense of disempowerment they experienced in Children’s Homes and from their separation from their biological families, and their need to sublimate this anger into future careers in the police force or alternatively to resort to crime. Thematic analysis also revealed the strategies employed by participants for coping with peer conflict in the Children’s Homes, and the challenges they face with schooling difficulties. Quantitative analysis revealed how participants progressed to complex forms of adaptive functioning and explanation of situations in their lives as a result of Masekitlana therapy. Recommendations arising out of this study are that psychologists strive to use forms of therapy that are familiar to the cultural backgrounds of indigenous children, and that training psychologists learn about the cultural beliefs of their patients and be exposed to the rituals used in traditional environments in order to understand indigenous clients. Psychologists should also be aware of the fact that, with the effects of television on children, and with present globalization and ease of international travel, children of African origin and culture are a mixture of traditional African and modern Western values. Therefore an integration of Western and indigenous forms of psychology might be considered. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Text in Afrikaans / Die eerste hoofstuk omskryf die begrip ngano, daarna volg 'n uiteensetting hoe die Venda mondelinge tradisie in die verlede gefunksioneer het en word die huidige aard en posisie van die verskynsel in die lewe van die gemeenskap gedefinieer. Veranderende sosio-ekonomiese en politieke kragte het die tradisionele lewenswyse van die Venda-mense in so 'n mate versteur dat die mondelinge tradisie en die stem van die storieverteller nie meer hoog waardeer word deur die moderne geslag nie. Die teoretiese uitgangspunt van hierdie tesis aanvaar dat religie 'n radikaal integrerend funksie het wat chaos in sinvolle patrone inkorporeer. Dialekties verbind aan die eerste beginsel van religie is die inherente drang van die mens se gees om alle gegewe limiete te transendeer. Vanuit hierdie fokus kan ngano as religieuse artikulasies interpreteer word wat chaos in sinvolle patrone uitdruk, en waarin oak opstand teen bestaande orde en tradisionele aannames uitgespreek word. In bree trekke skets die tweede hoofstuk die historiese agtergrond van die Venda-mense vanaf 800 nC tot en met die resente politieke veranderinge van 1994 in die Noordelike Provinsie. Die tweede deel van die hoofstuk bied 'n uiteensetting van hul religio-filosofiese agtergrond en tesame met die geskiedkundige gebeure dien dit as interpretatiewe konteks vir hierdie oeroue verhale wat van die een geslag na die ander oorgelewer is. In die volgende nege hoofstukke verskyn vyftig volksverhale wat in agt verskillende areas in Venda gedokumenteer is. Elke verhaal is vooraf voorsien van 'n opsomming van die inhoud van die verhaal asook 'n interpretasie van die verhaal deur die verteller self of verduidelikings van haar helpers. Die oorspronklike Venda-teks word gegee in die presiese woorde van die verteller met daarby die Afrikaanse vertaling. 'n Terna wat hehaaldelik voorkom is die opstand van die magteloses (die kind, die vrou of niksseggende persoon) teen magtiges (die koning, die man, dominerende familielede of tradisionele strukture). Ander gewilde temas is die ellende van hongersnood, die aanwending en voorkoms van toorkragte en bonatuurlike transformasies. Ten slotte is daar drie Sankambe-verhale waarin die fantastiese avonture van hasie, die aartbedrieer, wat op grand van blote vernuf oorleef, humoristies vertel word. Ofskoon daar duidelike artikulasies van verset en kritiek teen die tradisionele orde en teen magtiges is, waag ngano dit selde buite die tradisioneel religieus-filosofiese grense. / The first chapter outlines the concept ngano, thereafter the function of the Venda oral tradition in the past is described and the present nature and position of the phenomenon in community living is defined. Changing socio-economic and political forces disturbed traditional Venda life-style to such an extent that the oral tradition and the voice of the storyteller are not highly regarded by the modern generation. The theoretical point of departure of this thesis accepts the radical integrative function of religion ordering chaos into meaningful patterns. Dialectically tied to this first principle of religion is the inherent urgency of the human spirit to transcend all given limits. Viewed thus, ngano can be interpreted as religious utterances in which chaos is expressed in meaningful patterns and where resistance is articulated against existing order and traditional assumptions. Chapter two sketches the historical background of the Venda people from 800 AD up to recent political changes of 1994 in the Northern Province. The second part of this chapter presents an exposition of their religio-philosophic background which, together with the historical events provide an interpretative context for these ancient stories handed down from one generation to the next. Fifty folk tales (ngano) appear in the following nine chapters documented in eight different areas in Venda. Every narrative is introduced by a summary of the content of the story together with an interpretation by narrator and assistants. The Venda text is given first adhering as closely as possible to the original words of the narrator. Every line is followed by an Afrikaans translation. A recurring theme in ngano is the powerless (child, wife or insignificant person) resisting the powerful (king, husband/man, dominating family members or unyielding traditional structures). Other popular themes are the misery of famine, application and occurrence of witchcraft and supernatural transformations. Lastly three Sankambe-stories are documented in which the fantastic antics of the hare, the trickster in Venda folk tales who survives by sheer cunning, are humorously narrated. Although there are distinct expressions of resistance and criticism against the existing order and dominating powers, ngano seldom ventures beyond traditional religious and philosophic boundaries. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D. Litt et Phil. (Religious Studies)

There exists in the modern worlda form of non-Christianised religious thought which develops the basic ideas of indigenous African religion beyond their beginnings, and is represented in authorssuch as Kamalu, Osabutey-Aguedze, etc. The spheres of interest in such authors fiJay be analysed in terms of the following areas: Intervening ideological conditions bearing on African life (particularr; theological and cosmological ideas): The historical background of African life; The roots of African life, as manifested in its traditions, and tts ethical and cultural heritage; Means for the innovative development of African life, found in African concepts of knowledge, mysticism and magic; The perceived destiny of African life. The thesis concludes with an indication of areas of agreement and debate in post-traditional African thought, of problems faced by such thought; and of other possible priorities for future study. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D.Th. (Religious Studies)

Adolescence is a phase that includes substantial physical, social and psychological changes (Department of Health, 1999) and is considered to be a psychologically turbulent and emotional period in a person’s life (Strong, De Vault, Satad & Yarber, 2001) that can also have an influence o n parent–child relationships. The purpose of this stud y is to specifically focus on parent– adolescent relationships of African female adolescents as research and literature is limited regarding African female adolescent s’ experience of parent–adolescent relationships and the dynamics involve d. Little is known of how African female adolescents experience the relationship they have with their parents and what their needs are regarding these relationshi.p s The objectives of this studya re to explore and describe African female adolescents’ experience of parent–adolescent relationships, and to explore aspects of African female adolescents’ relationships with their parents that may influence t heir sense of well–being. Thirty and thirty–two African female adolescents participated voluntarily in graphic family sculpting and focus group interviews respectively. Six focus group interviews at Randfontein High School, Gauteng, provided rich data on African female adolescents’ experience of parentadolescent relationships and aspects of the relationships that influence their sense of wellbeing. The findings suggest that the majority of the participants experience a more positive relationship with their mothesr than with their fathesr, and that positive and negative aspects in their relationships with their parents is perceived to influence their well–being. The importance of communication was a very prominent theme in the focus group discussions. With regard to graphic family sculpting, the findings also suggest that the mothers have a more prominent and positive role and participants experience their fathers as less involved. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psyvhology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.