ARCHIVED ISSUE

 

Volume 2 • Number 4 • 2008

●No Stone Unturned: From Aimé Césaire to Zimbabwe
by Itibari M. Zulu.
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●The Liberating Power of Words: An Interview with Poet Aimé Césaire
by Annick Thebia Melsan.
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A JPAS tribute to the life and work of Aimé Césaire (1913-2008) via a 1997 UNESCO Courier interview wherein he talks about his philosophy of Négritude, and his faith in the power of words.

●Barack Obama’s Dual Triple Heritage
by Amadu Jacky Kaba.
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Contributing to Ali A. Mazrui’s triple heritage concept of Africa, this paper argues that U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has a triple heritage, and that this new relationship is a contributing factor to his success. Hence, Obama has the potential to help unite the U.S., Africa and the U.S., a federal African Union, and the East-West regions of Africa, Asia and Europe.

● What Neighborhood Poverty Studies Can Learn from African American Studies
by Jessica S.  James.
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This article contends that African American Studies scholars can offer an alternative perspective to urban poverty research by giving sufficient attention to sources of strength and resiliency within low-income urban African American communities.

●Using Cultural Competence to Close the Achievement Gap
by Patrick Coggins and Shawnrece D. Campbell.
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This paper argues that the key to understanding how to close the academic achievement gap for African Americans and other students is to focus on integrating cultural competence into the curriculum, and in the education of all children.

●Estelusti Marginality: A Qualitative Examination of the Black Seminole
by Ray Von Robertson.
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This study is based on interview data with Black Seminoles/Estelusti in Oklahoma, focused on how the Black Seminoles negotiated their marginal status within the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

● Danceable Capitalism: Hip-Hop's Link to Corporate Space
by Christopher K. Johnson.
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This article discusses hip-hop’s progression from communal art to commodity and argues that the change is attributed to the lack of a strong social justice activism in the years the music became popular, and the lack of a communal critique.

● Africa’s Political, Industrial and Economic Development Dilemma: The Contemporary Era of the African Union
by Nana Adu-Pipim Boaduo.
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This paper argues that the time for Africa to initiate industrial and economic development through the efforts and initiatives of African states and citizens has dawned; thus the habit of begging and borrowing should be abandoned, because now is the time to rethink strategies and implementation plans for sustainable and equitable economic and social development so Africa can stand on its own feet to initiate an industrial and economic development agenda.

● Pan-Africanism and Development: The East African Community Model
by Baruti Katembo.
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This paper discusses the East African Community as an extension of Pan Africanism and thus a prototype for economic integration in other African regions with reciprocal benefit of mutual cooperation within the African Diaspora.

● Reclamation in Walker’s Jubilee: The Context of Development of the Historical Novel
by Babacar Dieng.
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This article contributes to scholarship on Margaret Walker’s book Jubilee, as an ancestor of the wave of neo-narratives of the enslaved, representing African-American historical fiction.

● An Interview with Marouba Fall: Premier Senegalese Novelist, Poet and Dramatist
by Tamara-Diana Braunstein.
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An interview with Senegalese novelist, poet and dramatist Marouba Fall wherein he discusses his latest novel, Betty Allen, which addresses various preconceptions about the nature of Islam and African society as well as different perceptions of the idea of liberty.

● Commemoration, Memory and Monuments in the Contested Language of Black Liberation: The South African Experience
by Ali Khangela  Hlongwane.
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In this paper, the author outlines the complex nature and practice of commemoration and memorialisation in South Africa with a particular focus on the June 16, 1976 Soweto uprisings which brought together people across the ideological divide to commemorate and commit to the unfolding liberation project. However, the unity was a short-term achievement as the imperatives of political and ideological hegemony brought political intolerance and ideological rivalry to the point that the memory and commemoration of the uprising became a contested societal arena to privilege the various ideological discourses of diverse liberation movements.

● Mother Tongue Usage in Learning: An Examination of Language Preferences in Zimbabwe
by Gamuchirai Tsitsi Ndamba.
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This paper is based on findings from a study designed to examine children and parent language preferences in view of Zimbabwean language policy derived from the 1987 Education Act, which requires instruction to be conducted in the mother tongue, in the early grades.

● Shona Traditional Children’s Games and Play: Songs as Indigenous Ways of Knowing
by Shumirai Nyota and Jacob Mapara.
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This article aims to show that Shona traditional children games and play songs represent an indigenous way of knowing, and how knowledge is embedded in Shona games and play songs.

● Shona Womanhood: Rethinking Social Identities in the Face of HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe
by Pascah Mungwini.
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This work explores how issues of women identity have been taken for granted and thus need to be reconstructed to confront the pandemic of HIV and AIDS. Therefore, a critical reading of the traditionally acclaimed picture of the ideal Shona woman is needed to raise new questions about ‘nativistic’ tendencies in the process of constructing Shona womanhood.

●Public Awareness and Sensitization HIV/AIDS Campaigns in Nigeria
by Salisu Mohammed Raj.
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An examination of the communicative effectiveness of language use in HIV/AIDS public awareness/sensitization campaigns in Nigeria via a survey to determine if the messages are generally understood as intended.

● The Aftermath of Slavery: Transitions and Transformations in Southeastern Nigeria
a book review by Saheed Aderinto.
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A review of The Aftermath of Slavery: Transitions and Transformations in Southeastern Nigeria (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2007) edited by Chima Korieh and Femi J. Kolapo.

● Books Received
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