Despite the historical significance of states in Africa gaining political independence since the 1950s, the continent has struggled with the challenges of sustaining security and peace. African leaders, who set out with the ideals of the iconic Nkrumah's ‘Pan-Africanism' of the 1950s, as committed to in the launching of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, sought permanent solutions to problems rooted in this decolonial ideal when they founded the subsequent African Union (AU) in 2002. The stated aim of the AU was to create peace, security, and stability in Africa. Accordingly, the slogan ‘African solutions to African problems' is closely linked to Pan-Africanism as a decolonial philosophy and driving force that became a policy objective. The African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), implemented in 2002 at the founding of the AU, was established as a mechanism to obtain this objective. The AU has undertaken to take a leading role and responsibility in addressing violent conflicts in Africa as the root issue lies in the historical context that African problems are neither caused nor continued by sovereign African agencies; the point is historically, politically, and economically more complex. Hence, the stated ideal of the aphorism ‘African solutions to African problems' can only be meaningfully attained if the mechanisms to achieve peace and security are situated within sovereign African agencies and cultural political philosophies – the complexities of the global and post-colonial political and economic context notwithstanding. This mini-thesis critically engages the stated Africa-centred decolonial aspiration and approach for sovereignty and asks, therefore, to what extent the AU has succeeded in applying its sovereign agency in achieving ‘African solutions' designed for peace in the case study of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2004.

This dissertation, using the theoretical framework of Afropessimism, discusses how Blackness is an ethico-political structure, in which the slave's natal alienation and social death establishes the resilient forms of Black (non)being. This project centrally argues against locating a theory of the production of Blackness in the socio-political relations of colonial subjugation, and instead proposes that Blackness is a structure, an ‘abstract code', that must be understood as deriving from racial slavery. This thought enterprise is explored in relation to South African histories of slavery to re-claim the concept of “social death” as inaugurating the structure of Blackness in Southern Africa. By suggesting how it is the absolute negation of the Black slave that creates the conditions for the possibility of the political, ethical, and civil subject – indeed, the very possibility of the Human, this study presents a discussion on how Black studies requires both a temporal and geographical reconstruction in understanding – firstly by extending much further ‘back' than the moment of South African colonialism, and secondly, by expanding the geographies of Blackness beyond European colonial rule. Furthermore, this study explores and exposes the limits of several major South African forms of political and philosophical thought and campaigns for Black emancipation: feminism, liberalism, Marxism, and Black Consciousness. An exploration which serves to highlight how the existing historiography of South Africa has disarticulated the conceptual significance of racial slavery to the making of Blackness in a way that locates it specifically in social death, with all its implications for Black (non)being. While recognizing that the political structure of Blackness precedes or cannot be located in the mechanics of South African colonial settlements, this dissertation exposes the limits and failures of a civil politics of Blackness in both national liberation and ‘progressive' struggles.

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The spread of Congolese music and musicians across the African continent since the 1960s is a phenomenon without parallel. How this was achieved has not been given the academic attention it is due. The welcome Congolese musicians received to perform at Independence Day celebrations all over Africa in the early 1960s was a testament to the Pan-African appeal of their music. The perceived modernity, the national coherence, and the danceable quality of their music all contributed to this appeal. The cosmopolitan influences from the African Diaspora, especially those from Latin America, were reunited with their African origins in the Lingala songs and guitar driven melodies of Congolese stars in African Jazz, OK Jazz, and Les Bantous de la Capitale. Their performance skills were allied with the entrepreneurialism of Greek traders who produced and sold their records around Africa. The power of the radio transmitters built by the colonial authorities during World War Two in Leopoldville and Brazzaville meant the music could be heard throughout the continent. In the 1970s Congolese music benefited from state patronage, more investment in broadcasting capacity and the establishment of stadium tour circuits in the regions of Africa where urban populations were seeing unprecedented growth, especially in capital cities. Congolese musicians also settled and became an enduring musical presence in these regions. Congolese musical migrants staffed bands in Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rhodesia, Malawi, Rwanda and Burundi. In the 1980s and 1990s a continual process of innovation by two new generations of musicians in Kinshasa provided fresh impetus for this continental musical presence. The spread of Congolese musicians and music stopped at the South African border. Under apartheid South Africa was cut off from the popular culture of its neighbours. Since 1994 a steady increase in Congolese migrants has not resulted in the development of a Congolese music scene comparable to that found just North of the border. Instead the fragmentation of South African national popular music and the continued predominance of an African American influence have combined in making South Africa impervious to the attractions of Congolese Rumba. Comparative research on xenophobia now places South Africa at the top of the global league table. Since 1994 the nation-building project and attempts to unify those South African citizens that were divided by apartheid has excluded African migrants from the rest of Africa. Attacks on African migrants in South Africa have steadily increased since 1994 as the flow of people in search of economic opportunities has increased. The contrast between the inclusion of Congolese music and musicians in the national life of East African countries, like Tanzania and Kenya, and their exclusion in South Africa provide us with examples of how different the experience of Diaspora can be depending on how tightly the boundaries of the nation are drawn and the constituents of which the nation is imagined to exist.

This thesis explores how people’s knowledge about sustainability affects participation in combined conservation and development initiatives. It focuses principally on two case studies that embody these dual objectives: the ‘conservancy programme’ in Namibia and the Alto Bermejo Project in Argentina. The concept of sustainability – of living in a way that meets both current and future needs – has led, on a global scale, to a re-casting of the relationship between conservation and development as one of necessary interdependence. Such is the credibility invested in the concept of sustainability that it is found underpinning policy and intervention in countries as distinct as Namibia and Argentina. These observations set up the two central questions of the thesis. First, what types of participation characterise decision-making processes within these two contexts? Second, how is having knowledge on sustainability one (though not the only) causal determinant of who participates, in what activities and on what basis? These questions pave the way for analysis of the types of participation found in two Namibian conservancies and specific components of the Alto Bermejo Project in Argentina. A key belief shaping policy and intervention in both contexts is that wider local involvement is a precondition of sustainable natural resource use. Consequently, strong efforts are made in both places to attempt to ensure that local people are key decision-makers. However, talk of local-level, grassroots participation in the Namibian or Argentine context, whilst by no means wholly misplaced, can obscure the high participation levels of NGO, government and specific private-sector actors. This is because both initiatives depend for the achievement of their objectives on a process of knowledge transfer from implementers to beneficiaries. Much of the knowledge deemed necessary for the realisation of these objectives lies with government, NGO and specific private sector actors. Having this knowledge, therefore, renders their participation indispensable. Indeed, the very access of these actors to the resources on which intervention depends is partly a function of the credibility invested in their knowledge. Access to resources is also a means through which the credibility of such knowledge is reinforced. This dynamic I call ‘circularity in intervention’. ‘Circularity in intervention’ entails a variety of advantages and disadvantages relative to context and perspective, which this thesis neither condemns nor condones. It does, nonetheless, seek to clarify one important point. Our account of participation in the Namibian or Argentine examples is incomplete without looking at how having or not having knowledge about sustainability affects participation.

<p> Ghanaian choral music emerged from the colonial experience through a process of musical hybridity and became relevant in the post-independent state of Ghana. This dissertation begins by exploring how two distinct musical forms developed from within the Methodist and Presbyterian missions in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These musical forms utilized both European hymn harmony and local musical features. The institutional histories and structures of these missions explain the significance of this hybridity and distinct characteristics of the forms. These local-language choral works spread through these institutions despite the attempts of people in leadership positions to keep local culture separate from Christian schools and churches. The fourth chapter explores the broader social impact of the choral tradition that emerged from the Presbyterian mission, and its implications for the national independence movement through the history of one choral work composed by 1929 by Ephraim Amu. Then, based on a case study of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and its workplace choir, I examine how intellectual leaders such as Kwabena Nketia have, in the context of the post-independent state of Ghana, promoted choral music as an aspect of national development and unity. Ethnographic work at the GBC reveals the sometimes contentious negotiations that are involved in this process. This dissertation is based on both ethnographic and archival research conducted during three research trips to Ghana from 2012 to 2015. This research reveals how Ghanaians have challenged colonial ideology through composing and performing choral music. Peircian semiotics and postcolonial theory provides a framework for exploring how the hybridity of choral music in Ghana has contributed to the development of postcolonial consciousness there.</p>

<p> Background: Low- and middle-income countries have been experiencing unprecedented rates of urbanization. Rapid urbanization has attributed to an upsurge in non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers in these countries. Most low- and middle-income countries are also still struggling to control communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. This phenomenon, described as the double burden of disease, places greater strains on urban health systems and vulnerable urban populations, such as slum dwellers, who are likely to bear the brunt of any negative health outcomes. Given the potential impacts of urbanization and quality of health services on poverty and disease in the urban poor, there is urgent need to study urban health systems and the ways in which services can be made more available, accessible, and acceptable to socioeconomically disadvantaged and culturally/ethnically diverse populations. </p><p> Objectives: This dissertation is a case study that investigated the community-defined health system for Korogocho slum residents in Nairobi, Kenya. Specifically, the purpose of the research study was to (1) determine the readiness of health workers to provide HIV- and diabetes-related services, (2) define the components of the health system as perceived by Korogocho residents; that is, determine the community-defined health system, (3) assess the factors that affect health service utilization with respect to HIV/AIDS and diabetes prevention, care, and treatment, and (4) make recommendations for improving the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of health services for Korogocho residents. </p><p> Methods: The case study research employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. Three complementary peer-review quality manuscripts were developed. Manuscript 1 presents results from one of the first assessments of health provider readiness to provide HIV/AIDS- and diabetes-related services using data from the Demographic and Health Survey&rsquo;s Kenya Service Provision Assessment. A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted. Readiness was defined as health workers having the training to provide the minimum HIV/AIDS services as prescribed by key government policies. Data analysis was conducted using STATA version 13 to assess the readiness of health workers in terms of a weighted proportion of providers from facility levels 2-4 who were trained in essential HIV/AIDS- and diabetes-related services according to Kenya&rsquo;s national guidelines. Manuscript 2 details the results of a qualitative inquiry to understand the community-defined health system and identify factors that influence Korogocho residents&rsquo; health utilization behavior, especially in relation to HIV/AIDS and diabetes services. Manuscript 3 utilized a qualitative assessment to determine the role of informal health providers (those who have not received a Western biomedical model of medical training) in health service delivery to the Korogocho community. In both Manuscripts 2 and 3, semi-structured interviews were conducted with community members and informal health providers, respectively. Qualitative sampling was conducted with the purpose of generating a conceptual model of the urban health system for slum residents. Analysis of semi-structured qualitative interviews with community members and informal health providers in Manuscripts 2 and 3 was completed through an iterative process using NVivo 11 for Mac. </p><p> Results: The results of this research demonstrate the complexity of urban health systems. Korogocho residents utilize health services from a variety of facilities and providers from both the formal and informal sectors. Their health utilization behavior is primarily influenced by the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of health services, health facilities, and health providers. Informal health providers play a critical role in terms of expanding the availability and accessibility of health services to Korogocho residents. The results of this case study also reveal that training levels of health providers in Nairobi for the delivery of HIV- and diabetes-related services are low. On average, 12% of health workers interviewed in the 2010 Kenya service provision assessment reported having training in the previous 2 years in the full complement of essential HIV-related services as prescribed by Kenyan Government policies. There were similar low proportions of training for the provision of diabetes-related services among the three health worker cadres included in this analysis of the 2010 Kenya service provision assessment. Moreover, the community&rsquo;s perceptions of the availability and accessibility of diabetes services lagged behind HIV services.</p><p> Conclusions: The results of this research reveal key information that can impact the health systems strengthening agenda, particularly for improving the availability and accessibility of health services to the urban poor. It is also clear from this research that there is an urgent need to scale up the training of health providers to handle the current double burden of disease. Further, among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, such as urban slums, the intentional incorporation of informal providers into the health system is a key step towards ensuring that much needed health services reach the urban poor.</p>

<p> The purpose of writing this project, <i>Best Practices for Church Planting in Metro New York City among French-Speaking African Immigrants</i> is to determine and to expose best practices in planting churches among French-speaking African immigrants in the Metro New York City area. This study seeks to contribute valuable insight and information for newcomers to new church plantings in this area on the use of best practices for starting a successful and healthy church. </p><p> Chapter 1 develops the purpose, goals, context, and rationale of the project. This chapter introduces the hypothesis and research questions. It also describes the limitations of the study and assumptions. The theoretical and theological foundations for researching are developed in this chapter. </p><p> Chapter 2 provides previous research and review of related literature for identifying relationships between ideas and practices, establishing the context of the project, and seeking new lines of inquiry. </p><p> Chapter 3 sets forth the research methodology utilized in approaching this project by interviewing ten active church planters in the Metro New York City area who have been in ministry for more than five years. The questions are divided into three sections: the history of the church, the procedures on the call to ministry, and the ministry strategies. In data collection, the key words coding in interviews is used to categorize the results. </p><p> Chapter 4 presents an analysis of the method used to gather supporting data in the hypotheses found through the interviews. The resulting data showed eight best practices available for church planters. Hypothesis 1: The participants affirmed as best practice the selection of a good location of the church plant. Hypothesis 2: The participants affirmed as a best practice team building for leadership. Hypothesis 3: The participants affirmed as a best practice imparting vision to leaders. Hypothesis 4: The participants affirm as a best practice targeting the community leaders. Hypothesis 5: The participants affirm as a best practice to concentrate effort on the French language first. Hypothesis 6: The participants affirm as a best practice addressing the need to provide social services. Hypothesis 7: The participants affirm as a best practice the use of African style music in worship service. Hypothesis 8: The participants affirm as a best practice training leaders from other nationalities. This is followed by a detailed study of the workings and effective church planting in this area. </p><p> Chapter 5 assesses the conclusions, research implications, and points to the strategy for areas of further research on preparing seminars for the current church planters and the newcomers called to this type of ministry and specially this people group.</p>

<p> This study explores the behaviors of effective local Christian church pastors in Tanzania, East Africa and it addresses gaps in the current knowledge related to African religious leadership, leadership theory in the African context, leadership across African cultures, and African leadership in relationship to followership. A qualitative research method using a multiple case study design was employed to provide an understanding of effective African pastors as local leaders who contribute to African social welfare. Effective pastor leaders with a demonstrated record of numerically growing their churches while also conducting development projects for the betterment of local communities were interviewed, along with focus groups of members from their congregations. Additional data were gathered through observations and by reviewing documents. Results of transformational leadership theory surveys (Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-MLQ) completed by Tanzanian pastors are also presented. The study found that effective Tanzanian pastors demonstrated behaviors consistent with transformational leadership behaviors, improved the lives of parishioners and community members, and were instrumental in growing the numerical membership and financial base of their churches. The study identified the activities taken by effective pastors when they began their tenures, as well as the ongoing and decision-making/problem resolution activities throughout their tenures. </p>

No description available.