Really, Daddy is a collection of twelve stories that explore the dynamics of racial, intra-racial, gender, and religious power clashes. In narratives that range from realistic to postmodern, characters move through conflicts on a path to self-realization. Ostensibly the responsible ones, the protagonists’ identities are elucidated in the context of the burdens that they carry. At the center of this collection are women and fathers in crisis, as they attempt to save their families or to nourish their own spirits. Whether the character is an African-American Muslim mother shocked into indecision when the Qur’an doesn’t lead her family in its crisis, or an enslaved woman torturing other slaves out of anger over losing her female love, fabulist techniques are combined with realism to unfold the haunting and humorous tales of the imposition of family responsibilities on the lives of the most vulnerable. Here, the reader will find the lapsed Catholic and her wife seeking help from African religion devotees who don’t approve of lesbian relationships, the maid who sacrifices her daughter to a lecherous boss so the rest of her family can eat, and the gay Muslim brother and his lesbian sister in conflict over what to do with his baby. Reflecting the contemporary world in which people live in overlapping marginal spaces of society, these are the stories of America’s forgotten subcultures. / Master of Fine Arts

Depuis la fin de la guerre froide, on note que le rôle de la religion s’est grandement accru dans l'élaboration des visions du monde et dans la fragmentation globale, en partie en étant impliquée dans certains violents conflits. Cette situation se reflète en particulier dans la politique ethno-religieuse du Nigéria. La passation du pouvoir des militaires aux civils en 1999 a été accompagnée de violents conflits entre chrétiens et musulmans. Ces conflits constituent l'une des crises les plus graves auxquelles le Nigéria est aujourd’hui confronté. Au cours des dernières années, les émeutes interreligieuses sont devenues des événements de routine au Nigéria. Face à cette situation, quelles contributions les milieux éducatifs nigérians ont ils apportées? Même si depuis le début des années 1980s le domaine de l’éducation à la paix a vu naitre un nouveau mouvement de réforme visant à directement analyser les problèmes de la violence, ce mouvement de réforme n’a guère touché le milieu de l’éducation supérieure au Nigéria, que ce soit dans ses institutions religieuses ou non-religieuses. Elle laisse les élites éduqués avec peu de formation formelle pour comprendre les causes de cette violence et en particulier les solutions alternatives à y apporter pour contribuer à plus de relations pacifiques au Nigéria. A partir de la théorie et méthodologie de la praxéologie, la présente thèse entend combler cette double lacune. Elle présente le contexte nigérian et les détails d’un curriculum interreligieux d’éducation à la paix élaborée pour les leaders religieux nigérians. Elle permet de mieux comprendre le rôle que le discours religieux joue dans la banalisation de la majeure partie de la violence actuelle. Elle met l’emphase en particulier sur les besoins de mieux former les leaders religieux grâce à une éventuelle dissémination d’un curriculum d’éducation à la paix interreligieuse adaptée à la réalité multi-religieuse nigériane et, en particulier, à sa longue histoire des conflits interreligieux. Ce curriculum est fondé sur les conceptions religieuses de la paix provenant des traditions yoruba, musulmanes et chrétiennes. Il vise à favoriser des relations interreligieuses qui soient compassionnelles, spirituelles, pacifiques et pleines de succès entre toutes les diverses communautés de croyants au Nigeria. Le curriculum couvrira une période intensive d’un an et, en guise d’exemple, sera appliqué au département de science des religions de l’Université d’Ibadan. Cette thèse postule que l'élaboration d'un curriculum interreligieux d’éducation à la paix pour les leaders religieux au Nigeria réduira, à long terme, la violence religieuse grandissante au Nigéria, en abordant les tensions entre les populations traditionnelles, musulmanes et chrétiennes et en permettant aux artisans religieux de la paix de créer des îlots interreligieux de paix ainsi que de participer activement dans la découverte de moyens de réduire la violence récurrente. / Since the end of the Cold War, we have witnessed the increasing role religion plays in shaping worldviews as well as global fragmentation, part of which through being directly involved in violent conflicts. This situation is no better reflected than in the ethno-religious politics of Nigeria. Since the transition from a military to a civilian regime in 1999, violent conflicts between Christians and Muslims continue to erupt and constitute one of the gravest dangers facing Nigeria. In the last few years, interreligious riots have even become routine events in Nigeria. What have Nigerians done about this situation, especially in educational circles? Although since the early 1980s the field of Peace Education has developed a new educational reform movement aimed at addressing directly problems of violence, this reform has hardly reached Nigerian higher education (both religious and non-religious institutions of higher learning). It has left the educated elites with little formal educational training to understand the causes of this violence and especially how to provide alternatives for more peaceful relations within Nigeria. Using a praxeological theory and method, this dissertation addresses this doubly bleak situation by presenting the context for and the details of an interreligious curriculum for peace education for religious leaders in Nigeria. Understanding the role religious discourse plays in fostering much of the current violence, this thesis focuses in particular on the needs to educate better religious leaders through the eventual dissemination of an interreligious curriculum for peace education adapted to the Nigerian multi-religious reality and long history of interreligious conflicts in particular. This one-year curriculum builds upon religious Yoruba, Islamic and Christian conceptions of peace, with the goal of creating a safe, caring, spiritual, peaceful and successful interfaith relationship between all Nigerian religious communities. It is contextualized for use as an example in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Ibadan. This thesis argues that the development of an interreligious curriculum for peace education for religious leaders in Nigeria will, in the long term, reduce the growing religious violence in Nigeria, by addressing the tensions between Traditional, Christian and Muslim populations and by enabling religious peacemakers to create interreligious islands of peace as well as to actively participate in finding ways to reduce the on-going violence.

Ce travail se penche sur les difficultés auxquelles font face les apprenants nigérians de français, précisément ceux de langue maternelle yoruba, quant à ce qui concerne les temps passés du français : l'imparfait et le passé composé. Nous sommes parti des productions des apprenants, deux exercices à trous et un écrit long de type rédaction, pour exposer les erreurs de temps commises. Nous avons découvert, suite à l'analyse des productions, que la plupart de ces erreurs proviennent du système aspectuo-temporel du yoruba, langue ne connaissant pas de conjugaison (désinences verbales) comme le français. Mais, la langue étrangère qu'ils sont en train d'apprendre constitue aussi une source de ces difficultés : il leur est particulièrement difficile de gérer les circonstants et adverbes temporels, les connecteurs syntaxiques et logiques, et l'ensemble des shifters accompagnant les temps verbaux français, surtout un écrit long. D'autre part, l'analyse des deux tests à trous en plus de celle des copies de rédaction montrent que, le manque de connaissance de certaines notions linguistiques est une autre cause des difficultés rencontrées par les apprenants : la notion de discours / récit et celle de premier / arrière-plan.En somme, nous pensons qu'un enseignement / apprentissage des temps basé sur la notion d'aspect grammatical, et prenant en compte les notions précédemment mentionnées, sera certainement plus productif. Nos propositions de pistes pour un meilleur enseignement/apprentissage des temps concernés terminent cette recherche. Nous pensons, par ailleurs, qu'en ajoutant à ce que nous venons de dire, les détails que nous ont révélés les analyses linguistiques des systèmes aspectuo-temporels des deux langues, nous pourrons construire par la suite une méthode d'enseignement et apprentissage des temps verbaux du passé pour l'apprenant nigérian. Ainsi, nous aurons apporté une autre contribution à l'enseignement / apprentissage du français au Nigeria. / Nigerian learners of French as a Foreign Language are generally faced with difficulties while using French Past Tenses in producing written composition. In this thesis, we are particularly interested in the case of the Yoruba learners of French language. The analysis of their written composition copies reveals that most of the errors committed originate from the mother tongue, Yoruba which does not know the tense-markedness of French language with her conjugation and complicated verb endings. This specifically means that there are problems closely related to the French Language herself. Actually, Yoruba learners find it particularly difficult to use French temporal adverbs and shifters in their written composition copies. On the other hand, through our analysis of copies of two objective tests in which students were to produce the missing verb forms, we also found that the learners lack some theoretical linguistic knowledge which is important in understanding French past tenses : for instance, Benveniste's “Discours & récit” and Weinrich's “Premier plan / Arrière-plan”. In addition, our analysis of the tempo-aspectual systems of both languages shows that contrary to French language, Yoruba aspects and tenses do not function separately.We believe that students would better understand the use of French past tenses if they have a good grasp of the “grammatical aspect” notion and if this linguistic notion is taken into account while teaching the topic. We brought the research to a close with different suggestions on how to improve the teaching / learning of the French tenses concerned here. On the whole, placing oneself on the didactic perspective, we are of the opinion that all these information put together can help develop a Methodology for the teaching and learning of French past tenses; and by so doing, advance the more the cause of the teaching and learning of French in Nigeria.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Language Practice, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / This research is designed to assess the validity of the Sapir Whorf hypothesis in relation to the linguistic and cultural notions of the Yoruba and Zulu language speakers’ via the evaluation of the culture enriched drama text The Lion and The Jewel by Wole Soyinka. The study, which uses both questionnaires and interviews to derive responses from participants, engages both the primary and secondary data throughout the chapters. The study queried both the hypothesis’ strong version, (language governs thought: linguistic classifications restrain and influence mental classifications); and its weak version, (linguistic classifications and their use influence thought as well as some other classes of non-linguistic activities) and their possible reliability. Participants’ ages were between 16 and 46 years old who all speak both English and isiZulu (isiZulu-speaking participants) and English and Yoruba (Yoruba-speaking participants). Questionnaires were used and interviews were conducted, the research questions were answered and the findings provided support for validity of the linguistic relativity hypothesis, that is, languages indeed influence thought. The findings also revealed that linguistic influence on cognition is not limited to different language speakers alone, but also same language speakers per level of exposure to other languages and concepts. Based on these findings, recommendations have been made. Among which is the soliciting more research on language and culture (acculturation and enculturation) such that societal peace, love, unity and development can be maintained and promoted in any monolingual, bilingual or multilingual society. Also, educators should be aware of the possibility of a psycholinguistic influence on thought and assimilate it into schools’ curriculum so that multiculturation is fully adopted and promoted in the schools.

Thesis (DTh)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH SUMMARY: This study is based primarily on the presupposition that the conventional definition or description of a biblical heroine does not take into account certain ‘hidden’ women in the Old Testament who could be distinguished due to their wisdom. By using the Yoruba woman as a contextual interpretive lens, the study investigates two female characters in the Old Testament each of whom is named in only one verse of Scriptures – “the First Deborah” in Genesis 35:8 and Sheerah in 1 Chronicles 7:24. The investigation takes its point of departure from the figure of Woman Wisdom of the book of Proverbs, which commentators have characterized as a metaphor for the Israelite heroine – a consummate image of the true Israelite female icon. It is indeed remarkable that Woman Wisdom has been associated with various female figures in the Old Testament such as Ruth, Abigail, the Wise Woman of Tekoa and the Wise Woman of Abel, etc. However, this study calls for a broader definition of wisdom based on the investigation of certain women in Old Testament narratives (e.g. Deborah and Sheerah) who have received only fleeting mention and recognition but whose lives reflect a possible connection to wisdom on a deeper level. It is shown that classical (arguably masculine) ways of reading the text tend to sideline or altogether overlook certain female characters, which are regarded as marginal such as Deborah and Sheerah. However, there are narrative gaps in the units where such women are found that could be filled by a reading of the text that is sensitive to details. It is argued that a more careful examination of the minute details in the texts could break down the metanarratives in a way that shows that they have hermeneutical significance. Therefore, attention to the narrative details unveils new dimensions of meaning and implications between the two texts (women) under investigation that have not been related in previous studies. Of significance is the fact that classical readings of the two verses that mention “the First Deborah” and Sheerah (Gen 35:8 and 1 Chron 7:24) regard them as intrusive in their respective contexts. However, a multiplex reading of each of the two verses in this study has shown that, rather than being intrusive, both have been strategically constructed to underscore the importance of the two women, and that the verses actually fit into their present pericope. The references to both Deborah and Sheerah are rooted in strong Old Testament traditions namely Bethel and Ephraimite, respectively, both of which play visible roles within the pericopes. What’s more, both verses are found within significant contexts – one in the middle of a section that closes the Jacob Cycle and introduces the Joseph Cycle, the other in the midst of a theologically driven genealogy that begins with Adam. Again, based on the multifaceted character of Woman Wisdom, in particular, as a teacher, a nourisher and a builder, it is argued that this metaphor of an Israelite heroine is embodied in both “the First Deborah” and Sheerah. Whereas Deborah was a wet nurse who must have nourished and nurtured the offspring of Rebekah, her mistress, Sheerah has been identified as the only female builder throughout Scriptures. The identification of the role of a wet nurse as a nurturer and nourisher as well as the role of a daughter as a builder with Woman Wisdom points to two silent heroines, one in the private domain and the other in the public sphere, who have remained unrecognized and uncelebrated in Old Testament scholarship. Furthermore, the roles of Deborah and Sheerah, respectively as wet nurse and builder, indicate that women participated in various spectrums of societal life especially in the Second Temple period when it is assumed that the texts reached their final forms. Not only did they perform roles that were associated with women, they equally participated in roles that were regarded as traditionally masculine. In this regard, a study of the women in the book of Chronicles offers a fresh glimpse into the roles and positions of women in the Second Temple period as well as into the Chronicler’s purpose and emphasis, in particular, regarding his concept of laer"f.yI-lk'. On a theological level, the achievements of the two women demonstrate God’s penchant for supporting the weak and the marginalized and for affirming those who are regarded as less likely to succeed. The mention of the First Deborah in the Old Testament proves that in God’s script, there are no little people. In the case of Sheerah, the point that there is a lare f" y. -I lk ' that includes outstanding female achievers indicates that, theologically speaking, there is no barrier against what women can do. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die vertrekpunt van hierdie studie is die veronderstelling dat konvensionele beskrywende definisies van Bybelse heldinne sekere 'versteekte' vroue in die Ou Testament, wat uitstaan danksy hulle wysheid, verontagsaam. Met die Yoruba-vrou as kontekstuele interpretatiewe lens word twee vroulike karakters in die Ou Testament bestudeer wat elk in slegs een vers genoem word – “die Eerste Debora” in Genesis 35:8 en Seëra in 1 Kronieke 7:24. Die vertrekpunt is die figuur van Vrou Wysheid uit die boek Spreuke, wat deur kommentators gekenmerk is as 'n metafoor vir die Israelitiese heldin – 'n volkome beeld van die ware Israelitiese vroulike ikoon. Dit is merkwaardig dat Vrou Wysheid met verskeie vroulike figure in die Ou Testament vereenselwig word, soos Rut, Abigail, die Wyse Vrou van Tekoa en die Wyse Vrou van Abel, ens. Hierdie studie betrek egter 'n breër definisie van wysheid, gebaseer op 'n ondersoek na sekere vroue in Ou Testament-narratiewe (byvoorbeeld Debora en Seëra) wat slegs kursoriese erkenning geniet maar wie se lewens dui op 'n moontlike konneksie met wysheid op 'n dieper vlak. Daar word aangedui dat klassieke (aanvegbaar manlike) wyses om die teks te lees, neig om sekere vroulike karakters soos Debora en Seëra, oor die hoof te sien, en hulle sodoende te relegeer tot marginale figure. Die narratiewe gapings in die eenhede waar hierdie vroue figureer, kan oorbrug word deur 'n lees van die teks wat sensitief is ten opsigte van detail. Die argument word gestel dat nader ondersoek na die fyn besonderhede in die tekste die metanarratiewe kan dekonstrueer op 'n wyse wat hulle hermeneutiese betekenis belig. Sulke aandag aan die narratiewe detail ontbloot nuwe dimensies van betekenis en implikasies tussen die twee relevante tekste (vroue) wat nog nie in vorige navorsing weergegee is nie. Dit is betekenisvol dat huidige navorsing van die twee verse wat na “die Eerste Debora” en Seëra verwys (Gen 35:8 en 1 Kron 7:24) beide as toevoegings beskryf in hulle verskeie kontekste. 'n Meerdimensionele lees van elk van die twee verse in hierdie studie toon egter dat veel anders as toevoegings, beide verse die vroue as strategiese konstrukte stel om hulle belangrikheid aan te dui binne die perikope. Die verwysings na beide Debora en Seëra is geanker in vaste Ou-Testamentiese tradisies, naamlik die Bet-El en Efraimitiese tradisies respektiewelik, wat beide figureer binne die perikope. Wat meer is, beide verse word aangetref binne beduidende kontekste – een in die middel van 'n gedeelte wat die Jakob-siklus afsluit en die Josef-siklus inlei, die ander midde in 'n teologies-gedrewe genealogie wat vertrek vanaf Adam. Weer eens, ooreenkomstig die veelsydige karakter van Vrou Wysheid, spesifiek in die rolle van onderrigter, voeder en bouer; word geargumenteer dat hierdie metafoor vir 'n Israelitiese heldin beliggaam word in “die Eerste Debora” en Seëra. Debora was 'n soogmoeder wat die nageslag van haar meesteres, Rebekah, gevoed en opgevoed het; daarenteen word Sheerah geïdentifiseer as die enigste vroulike bouer in die Bybel. Die identifikasie van Vrou Wysheid deur die rol van 'n soogmoeder as voeder en opvoeder, sowel as dié van 'n dogter as 'n bouer, wys op twee stille heldinne, een in die private domein en die ander in die openbare sfeer, wat geen erkenning of verering in Ou- Testamentiese besinning geniet nie. Verder dui die rolle van Debora en Seëra, respektiewelik as soogmoeder en as bouer, daarop dat vroue aktief was in verskeie sektore van die sosiale lewe, veral tydens die Tweede Tempel-periode waartydens aanvaar word die tekste in hul finale weergawes geformuleer is. Vroue was dus aktief nie alleen in rolle wat met hulle geassosieer is nie, maar ook in rolle wat tradisioneel aan mans toegeskryf is. 'n Studie van die vroue in die Kronieke-boek bied vars insae in die rolle en posisies van vroue tydens die Tweede Tempel-periode, asook in die Kronis se doel en beklemtoning, veral betreffende die konsep van laer"f.yI-lk'. Op teologiese vlak illustreer die prestasies van die twee vroue God se voorliefde vir ondersteuning aan die swakkes en gemarginaliseerdes, en vir bemagtiging van dié wat beskou word as minder waarskynlike presteerders. Die verwysing na “die Eerste Debora” in die Ou Testament bewys dat in God se teks, daar geen klein mensies bestaan nie. In die geval van Seëra, bewys die feit dat daar 'n lare f" y. -I lk ' is wat besondere vroue insluit, dat daar teologies-gesproke, nie perke is aan die potensiaal van vroue nie.

M. Tech. (Fine Art, Department of Visual Arts and Design, Faculty of Human Sciences), Vaal University of Technology| / My Masters of Fine Arts degree consists of two components: the dissertation and practical works in the form of sculptures displayed as an exhibition. This body of work explores myth, belief and ritual practices relating to birth, life and death of twins in Xhosa culture. The purpose of the dissertation is to enrich and reflect on both the understanding of Xhosa ritual practices and that of my own work. The study will hopefully add significantly to the body of knowledge about Xhosa Indigenous Knowledge Systems as relating to twins. UNESCO emphasizes that Indigenous Knowledge Systems are part of immaterial cultural heritage such as languages, music and dance, festivities, rituals and traditional craftsmanship, and this cultural heritage is important for the identity of a society (Kaya & Masoga 2008:2). The choice of employing autoethnography in this qualitative study is derived from lived experience. Born as a twin in a rural Xhosa community, I experienced some unusual practices during my upbringing and thus a qualitative research method is used, involving auto-ethnography. This methodological approach aims at exploration of personal experience as a focus of investigation. The study also looks briefly at Yoruba twins as a means of finding similarities and commonalties with those of Xhosa culture. / National Arts Council

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Arts, 2016 / This study focuses on the aesthetics and ethics of translating African literature, using a case of two of D.O. Fagunwa’s Yoruba novels, namely; Igbo Olodumare (1949) translated by Wole Soyinka as In the Forest of Olodumare (2010) and Adiitu Olodumare (1961) translated by Olu Obafemi as The Mysteries of God (2012). More specifically, the overall aim of this study is to determine the positions of these target texts on the domestication and foreignization continuum. The study of these texts is carried out using a descriptive and systemic theoretical framework, based on Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), Polysystem theory and the notion of norms of translational behaviour. The descriptive approach is extended by drawing on ideological and ethical approaches to translating postcolonial and marginalized literature. Lambert and Van Gorp’s model for the description of translation products is used in exploring the position of Fagunwa’s translated novels in the target literary system. A close comparative analysis of a number of extracts from the two target texts and their corresponding source texts is conducted in order to determine the approaches taken by both translators in their translation of the distinctive stylistic features of Fagunwa’s prose. Building on the work of Christopher Fotheringham (2015) in the field of stylistic analysis of translated African prose, this study describes and analyses the occurrence of shifts of formal literary features between these target texts and their corresponding source texts. This is done by employing Antoine Berman’s scheme of deforming tendencies and Anton Popovič’s scheme of stylistic shifts as the basis for the translational shift analysis. / GR2017

A research project submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of arts in psychology through the Faculty of humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg / Socio-cultural factors and contexts influence sexuality and associated practices across the life course. Few studies have questioned what constitutes sexuality, sexual pleasure, and notions of risky sexual practices, and how elderly people engage in help-seeking for sexual health promotion and problem-solving. In response to the dearth of such research in Africa, this thesis explores the cultural interpretations, values, beliefs, and embodied practices associated with sexuality and help-seeking behaviour among urban-dwelling elderly Yoruba people (60–80 years and above) in the city of Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. In addition, it investigates healthcare providers’ (biomedical and traditional) perceptions of sexuality and the prevention, treatment, and promotion of sexual health in old age. The thesis is rooted in Bourdieu’s social practice theory, Harré and Langenhove social positioning theory and an anthropological perspective on age-graded sexualities. From an interpretative constructivist framework, the thesis adopts an exploratory sequential mixed design. The design entails collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data in a single study. The choice of research design was informed by the perspective that diverse but relevant methodological positions opens the window into contextual understanding of sexuality in old age. The qualitative data consists of 12 vignettes based on focus group discussion (FGD) with three categories (60-69, 70-79 and 80 years and above) of 107 elderly men and women. From a thematic analysis, the FGD findings informed the conduct of 18 semi-structured interviews on equal proportion with elderly men and women (60+) and 11 semi-structured interviews with 2 healthcare providers (biomedicine and traditional medical systems). Subsequently, the thematic findings from the FGDs and interviews informed the development of a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered among 252 elderly Yoruba people (60+). The findings reveal a dominance normative beliefs and cultural expectations around bodily changes characterised the gendered differences in sexual experiences and expectations in old age. From the exemplary perspective, the ‘good old age’ connotes compliance with normative sexual orientations, beliefs, and practices. The qualitative and quantitative results affirmed the existence and engagement in penetrative and pleasurable sex at differentiated degrees for elderly men and women. The qualitative findings reveal a lack of consensus regarding the age elderly women or men should disengage from sexual activities. The survey shows that more women (75.8%) than men (54%) agreed that elderly people of their age should stop having sex. The qualitative findings also reveal that health challenges, psychosocial satisfactions in marriage, differences in sexual prowess, and financial independence affect engagement and desires in sexual activities. Two-thirds (60.3%) of the survey respondents also agreed that elderly men and women should engage in sexual activities if their health allows. The body as a ‘site of moral action’ places elderly women and men at differentiated positions within heterosexual normativity. From a disadvantaged stance, sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman can result in a folk sexual dysfunction known as idakole (poor erection and quick ejaculation) for men. Furthermore, sex with menstruating or menopausal women could cause loss of spiritual powers for men. These views resonate with some taboos on sex and efficacy of some traditional medicine. As a form of contestation, bodily changes during menopause represent a period of abstaining, suppressing or disengaging from obligatory sexual duties. It also affords women the avenue to avoid the experience of oyun iju (a socially constructed folk pregnancy). As a counter reaction, menopause also provides valid positions 3 for some sexually active elderly men to seek new intimate relations with younger women. By expounding on the privileged position of men, the findings portray a normative view that elongates men’s sexual retirement until death. Without doubting the possibilities of losing sexual prowess with age, the use of traditional aphrodisiacs was perceived to improve sexual performance and pleasures. Such measures are scarce for women, except those that could aid male’s sexual pleasures when used by women like ado dun (pleasurable and irresistible vagina sex). In this light, the thesis argues that the differentiated gendered framing of bodily changes and sexuality take the body as a moral and health site to arrive at an interpretation of old age that could influence ageing experience as ‘good’ or ‘miserable’. The findings also show that the premium on penetrative sex and pleasures create differentiated opportunities for elderly men to contract sexual infections. The possibilities of contracting sexual infections among sexually active elderly people was not doubted. Gonorrhoea, syphilis and magun (a folk sexual infection) emerged as common examples of sexual infections among old and young in the study settings. Gonorrhoea and syphilis can be treated via biomedicine and traditional medicine. Magun and HIV are untreated sexual infections but are preventable through sexual abstinence and use of traditional medical measures. Traditional preventive measures such as onde (amulet), ajesara (incisions and digestible concoctions) perform dual functions: prevent disease and guarantee pleasurable sex. Both qualitative and quantitative results reveal that condom use can prevent sexually transmitted infections. However, condom use was also conceived to reduce sexual pleasures for men and women. In this direction, the survey results affirm that condom use can reduce sexual pleasures for elderly men (77.8%) and women (22.2%), respectively. More than average (55.7%) of the female and about one-third (44.3%) of the male respondents also perceive the condom as more useful for younger people. 4 With the possibilities of contracting sexual infections, the qualitative findings affirm that aetiological explanations around a sexual health problem can act as a constraint and also facilitate medical help-seeking. Also, shameful feelings, stigma, and unstable or poor financial conditions inhibit responsive help-seeking. More than one-third (49.6%) of the survey respondents perceived doctors’ indifference as a constraint. This was followed by shame (22.6%), neglect from other family members (10.7%) and neglect of children (10.3%). Contraction of sexual infection in old age can also lead to withdrawal of quality support from significant others. The thesis argues that the social framework of the exemplary elder influence post-reproductive sexual health outcomes within the study context. Healthcare providers from the two medical systems acknowledged the need for post-reproductive sexual health care services. Such services were, however, perceived along the gender divide as more elderly males than females expressed and sought help from both systems. The provisions of post-reproductive sexual health services within the biomedical system attracted some pluses. A few of the female participants acknowledge the efforts of biomedical trained physicians and nurses in creating awareness on how to overcome menopausal challenges. The findings highlight that socio-cultural understandings of the intersections among ageing, sexuality, and gender influence framing of sexual health needs and unequal sexual health outcomes in old age. The possibility of such influences lie in cultural conceptions of the ideal body and the appropriate timing of sexual activities. Such normative views therefore influence how elderly people make sense of bodily changes, their sexuality, help-seeking, and response to sexual health needs from health care providers. Healthcare professionals from both medical systems are also prone to the influence of normative social frameworks in responding to post-reproductive sexual health needs. With the need to achieve a healthy ageing population and the 5 existing gaps in post-reproductive sexual health services, this thesis argues that normative beliefs, values and practices around sexuality influence sexual experiences, practices, dispositions to sexual infections, availability and access to post-reproductive sexual healthcare services within the study settings. Public enlightenment around sexual rights across the life course are needed to complement a review of existing sexual healthcare services in Nigeria. It will also improve the therapeutic relations between professional healthcare providers and their elderly clients. These initiatives can position professional healthcare providers for responsive diagnosis, prevention and management of post-reproductive sexual health needs and a possible realisation of healthy ageing population in Nigeria. / GR2017

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:48:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SEBASTIAO FERNANDO DA SILVA.pdf: 1277846 bytes, checksum: 42c08c3da2c4490dbfd9d195149122eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-21 / This theoretical and bibliographical research aims to describe the Cult of Òrúnmìlà- Ifa, which originated from West Africa, especially from Nigeria, Benin and surrounding countries, also being practiced in Brazil. Therefore, we sought to understand the yoruba culture, a little of its history and characteristics. For understanding the Òrúnmìlà-Ifa philosophy is critical to apply the interpretive analysis of the Yoruba´s worldview. The worldview of this people is based on a hierarchically structured system from a Supreme Being, called Olodumare, arch-deities, ancestors, natural phenomena and Orisa. It´s holy city, Ilé-Ife, is considered by the Yoruba as the origin of mankind. The Yorubas perform various ceremonies and rites of passage to iniciate people in Òrúnmìlà-Ifa, one arch-divinity, a spirit, an adviser of Olodumare, with transit between heaven and earth, responsible for organizing and ordering the world´s pathaways of the good and peace, creating then a cult with his name. It is noteworthy the ancestry cult, being the ancestor a person or entity revered for his-hers virtues and ethical and moral teachings. The Yoruba respect and obey the elders, whose values are orally passed from generation to generation, forming an model of principles meant to shape the formation of good character (Ìwàpèlè), peace, peaceful coexistence and respect for others, animals and nature. With the Africans diaspora, the Cult of Òrúnmìlà-Ifa (and others) had been spread to several countries, including Brazil. The Cult of Òrúnmìlà-Ifa has its own philosophy that leads people to form self-awareness and driving the social and religious life of the community. / Esta pesquisa de cunho teórico-bibliográfico tem por objetivo descrever o Culto de Òrúnmìlà-Ifá, que é originário da África Ocidental, especialmente da Nigéria, Benin e países circunvizinhos, sendo também praticado no Brasil. Para tanto, buscou-se entender a cultura yorubana, um pouco da sua história e características. Para a compreensão da Filosofia de Òrúnmìlà-Ifá é fundamental a análise interpretativa da cosmovisão dos Yorùba. A cosmogonia desse povo constitui-se de um sistema estruturado hierarquicamente a partir de um Ser Supremo, denominado Òlódùmarè, arqui-divindades, ancestrais, fenômenos da natureza e orisá. A sua cidade sagrada, Ilé-Ifé, é considerada pelos Yorùba como a origem da humanidade. Eles realizam cerimônias diversas e ritos de passagem para formarem iniciados em Òrúnmìlà-Ifá, uma arqui-divindade, um espírito, um conselheiro de Òlódùmarè, com trânsito entre o céu e a terra, encarregado de organizar e ordenar o mundo nos caminhos do bem e da paz, criando-se então um culto com o seu nome. Destaca-se nessa cultura a ancestralidade, sendo o ancestral uma pessoa ou entidade reverenciada por suas virtudes e ensinamentos éticos e morais. Os Yorùba respeitam e obedecem aos anciães, cujos valores são passados, oralmente, de geração em geração, formando um ideário de princípios voltados para a formação do bom caráter (Ìwàpèlè), da paz, da convivência harmoniosa e de respeito ao outro, aos animais e à natureza. Com a diáspora dos africanos, o Culto de Òrúnmìlà-Ifá (e outros) foi difundido por diversos países, inclusive o Brasil. O Culto de Òrúnmìlà-Ifá apresenta uma filosofia própria, que leva as pessoas a formarem a consciência de si e que dirige a vida social e religiosa da comunidade.

This study explores the dynamics at play in the nineteenth century interaction between European mission Christianity and the peoples and cultures of West Africa with Akan (Gold Coast) and Yoruba (Nigeria) lands serving as the model theatres of the interaction. It appreciates the fact that in a context such as West Africa, where religious consciousness permeates every aspect of life, the coming of the Gospel to its peoples impacted every aspect of the social and religious lives of the people. Chapter one sets the agenda for the study by exploring the dynamics involved in the transmission of the Gospel as it spread from Palestine to the Graeco-Roman world, medieval Europe, Enlightenment Europe and, later, Africa in the nineteenth century. It also defines the limits of the study to the period 1820-1892. Chapter two explores the religious and the cultural environments that gave shape to the modem European missionary movement. It highlights the features of the European Reformation that were factors in defining missionary methods in West Africa. It also emphasizes the subtle infiltration of Enlightenment ideals-the primacy of Reason, the way of Nature, and the idea of Progress-into missionary consciousness about Africa and its peoples. Chapter three delineates the religious and the cultural milieus of West Africans in contrast to that of European missionaries. It underscores the integral nature of religion to the totality of life among West Africans. It also contrasts the socio-political conditions of Akan land and Yoruba land in the nineteenth century while appreciating the rapid changes impinging on their peoples. Chapter four explores how the prevailing realities in Akan and Yoruba lands defined the fortunes and the prospects of the missionary message among the people. In doing this, it draws from four model encounters of mission Christianity with West African peoples and cultures. In Mankessim, the deception associated with a traditional cult was exposed. At Akyem Abuakwa, the contention between missionaries and the royalty for authority over the people led to social disruption. The resistance of the guild of Ifa priests to Christian conversion and the assuring presence of missionaries to the warrior class created ambivalence at Abeokuta. Ibadan offers us an irenic model of interaction between mission Christianity and West African religions as Ifa, the Yoruba cult of divination, sanctioned the presence of missionaries in the city. Chapter five reflects on the issues that are significant in the interaction of the Gospel with West African cultures. It appreciates the congruence between the Gospel and West African religious worldview. It assesses the impact of missionary methods on the traditional values of West Africans, appreciating the strength and the weaknesses of the school system, the value of Bible translation into mother-tongues, and the contextual relevance of the mission station method of evangelization. It also explores the meaning of Christian conversion in West Africa using the models of A.D. Nock, John V. Taylor and Andrew F. Walls. Chapter six concludes with Andrew Walls' three tests of the expansion of Christianity. The conclusion is that in spite of the failures and weaknesses of some of the methods adopted by European missionaries in evangelizing West Africa, their converts understood their message, domesticated it according to their understanding and appropriated its benefits to the life of their societies. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.