Tag: Africa
How cultural institutions prevent stigma around Lake Victoria
Professor Koen Stroeken proposes a new method of analysis for understanding cultural practices. His method extends beyond the situational analysis by intervention professionals to focus on the logics of action embedded within cultural traditions. He applies his proposed method of Cultural Analysis to describe the layered meanings within various rituals of Sukuma farmers in Tanzania. He argues against popular understandings […]
Urban water and sanitation reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa
Many countries in the developing world have undertaken ambitious reforms of their urban water and sanitation. Unfortunately, few have achieved excellent, sustainable results. In his recent book, Empty Buckets and Overflowing Pits, Dr Roland Werchota describes his research into urban water and sanitation sector reforms in four Sub-Saharan African countries, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and explains why these […]
Transnational research capacity building: whose standards count?
Background Research capacity building projects are transnational projects funded by a donor in the Global North, targeting universities in the Global South. Inevitably, these projects are embedded in various types of coloniality, as revealed by the capacity-building discourse itself. We offer a view from the Global North, by drawing on our own experiences of such projects and on a […]
ENACTS: Risk, Resilience, and the Revitalisation of Climate Services in the Developing World
To build resilience and national capacity to manage climate variability and adapt to change, governments and other bodies need robust and decision-relevant climate information at different levels. In many places, however, including most African countries, collection of climate data has been seriously inadequate, and even when available, poorly accessible. The Enhancing National Climate Services (ENACTS) initiative, led by Dr Tufa […]
Group support psychotherapy as a depression treatment in Uganda
Dr Ethel Nakimuli-Mpungu at Makerere University in Uganda works toward making therapy more culturally appropriate, particularly for people living with HIV and depression. She has developed a highly cost-effective group support psychotherapy programme that can be delivered by lay health workers and which has been shown to dramatically reduce depression symptoms and improve adherence to anti-viral medication in those affected. […]