This paper examines thirty witchcraft cases reviewed by the Court of Appeal of Bertoua (East Province, Cameroon) during the period 1981-1984. The basic aim is to highlight the nature and sources of... Show moreThis paper examines thirty witchcraft cases reviewed by the Court of Appeal of Bertoua (East Province, Cameroon) during the period 1981-1984. The basic aim is to highlight the nature and sources of witchcraft accusations, the process of securing a conviction (i.e. proof), and finally, the magnitude of punishment meted out on sentencing. These issues are crystallized by a number of questions: Who initiates a witchcraft accusation and under what circumstances is such an accusation initiated? How do the modern courts establish proof in witchcraft accusations? What role does a witch doctor/diviner play in witchcraft proceedings? Are the modern State courts well suited to judge issues whose manifestations are strictly outside the limits of observable phenomena? A close review of the thirty cases shows that witchcraft accusations can be loosely classified into five main groups, according to their sources: village unrest and menace to State institutions; jealousy and hatred; quest for power; mystical cannibalism and irresistible impulses; and malpractices by witch doctors. The review is preceded by a brief survey of the colonial legacy on witchcraft and allied phenomena. Show less
This study is about cults in northwestern Tunisia. A cult is defined as a religious grouping which exhibits several distinctive characteristics: the number of participants is limited, exclusivism... Show moreThis study is about cults in northwestern Tunisia. A cult is defined as a religious grouping which exhibits several distinctive characteristics: the number of participants is limited, exclusivism is absent, the beliefs and practices are biased on one or several specific supernatural beings, and it is a religious subsystem. The study consists of two parts. The first describes and analyses a maraboutic cult whose ritual centre is situated in Balta. Balta and its cult are introduced in chapter 1. The second chapter is an application of the regional cult analysis to this cult in relation to formal Islam. The interrelationships of the cult with nationwide demographic, economic, and political developments in Tunisia during the past century are dealt with in chapter 3. The second part of the study focuses on a Sufi cult which belongs to the Islamic mystical order of the Rahmaniya and which is situated in the town of El Kef. Chapter 4 is an ethnographic introduction of the Rahmaniya cult and an examination of its position towards popular Islam and formal Islam. The most important nonreligious, contextual factors of the Rahmaniya cult are analysed in chapter 5. Finally, several theoretical implications for the analysis of regional cults are elaborated in the conclusion Show less
This contribution to the Africa seminar 'Beyond adjustment', organized by the Directorate General for International Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Maastricht, The... Show moreThis contribution to the Africa seminar 'Beyond adjustment', organized by the Directorate General for International Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Maastricht, The Netherlands, on June 30, 1990, summarizes the distinctive features of the African economic crisis, discusses the relevance of adjustment policies to remedy the crisis situation, and examines how the basic policy objective of 'food security' is affected by the IMF/World Bank structural adjustment programme. In this respect, it is important to observe that IMF/World Bank programmes do not take the purchasing power of different socioeconomic groups into account, while the food supply effect of policy instruments such as devaluation is variable. Show less
The Free University in Amsterdam has undertaken several research projects in the Sudan. One programme (1983-1986) was aimed at comparing spontaneous and organized settlement of refugees as roads... Show moreThe Free University in Amsterdam has undertaken several research projects in the Sudan. One programme (1983-1986) was aimed at comparing spontaneous and organized settlement of refugees as roads towards integration; the locations studied were in the region of Gedaref, in the southern part of the Eastern Region. A second programme (1986-1987), undertaken jointly by the Free University and the University of Khartoum's Development Studies and Research Centre, studied the impact of refugees on the host region; Kassala and the surrounding rural area were chosen for this study. The present publication is a collection of articles written by some of those involved in these research programmes. They summarize the principal results of the various researches. The first chapter, by Henk Tieleman, introduces some of the prominent issues in refugee studies and discusses possible theoretical approaches. This is followed by a chapter, by Tom Kuhlman, on the root cause of the largest refugee flow: the Eritrean conflict. Chapter 3, by Jan Bouke Wijbrandi, evaluates the economic integration of refugees under conditions of organized and spontaneous settlement, and chapter 4, by Walter Kok, discusses the burden of refugees as assessed in the Kassala region. The last article, by Moniek Boerenkamp and Arjan Schuthof, is a condensation of the research undertaken by two anthropologists among Eritrean refugees belonging to the Baria ethnic group in a village near Kassala. Show less
This article has two purposes: 1) to provide a first historical outline of the Tishana or Me'en, a small 'tribal' group living in southwestern Ethiopia, and 2) to illustrate the importance of a... Show moreThis article has two purposes: 1) to provide a first historical outline of the Tishana or Me'en, a small 'tribal' group living in southwestern Ethiopia, and 2) to illustrate the importance of a political economy approach for the explanation of such a process. Inspiration has been derived from the historical anthropological approach of E. Wolf (1982), which postulates the interdependence of political economic factors on the one hand, and social dynamics and cultural factors on the other. The vast majority of Me'en speakers now live in highland areas west of the Omo. However, some of the people who currently speak Me'en were pastoralists who lived in the lowlands bordering the southwestern Ethiopian highlands. The problem explained here is how and why a portion of these Me'en pastoralists left the lowlands and how they successfully adapted to highland areas where cattle keeping was notoriously difficult and where the invading northerners tried to prevent them from settling. A further issue is how they were able to absorb other groups and individuals from different ethnic origins. The author argues that the very expansion of the Me'en out of the Omo Valley into the highlands - that is the reshaping of their social reproductive system in a new ecoeconomic niche - was fuelled by Me'en ideology itself, and that this ideology was activated by the confrontation of the Me'en with the expanding frontier of the Abyssinian State. Their cultural ideology, bound up with cattle, entered into the adaptation process of the Me'en groups in a period of crisis. Bibliogr., notes, ref Show less
This study is a contribution to the analysis of the interplay of myth, legend, history and identity of the Beta Esra'el or Falasha of Ethiopia from a historical-anthropological perspective. The... Show moreThis study is a contribution to the analysis of the interplay of myth, legend, history and identity of the Beta Esra'el or Falasha of Ethiopia from a historical-anthropological perspective. The focus is on the issue of their ethnogenesis, or origin history, and its mythical reflection in the ideological domain. All known variations or genres of the stories presented by the Beta Esra'el to a variety of travellers, researchers and other visitors are presented, in conjunction with the relevant historical knowledge available to date. The theoretical question guiding this effort is how one might arrive at some historically plausible conclusions on the basis of a critical reflection on mythical traditions. The starting point is that Beta Esra'el stories can only be seen in their proper perspective when related ideologically to the mythical tradition of the Amhara-Tigray, who were for a long time the two politically and culturally dominant groups in the region, especially during the time of the centralizing 'Solomonic' empire (c. 1270-1975). The kind of myths considered consist of a kind of 'sacred narratives', which the author calls 'mytho-legends'. The initial hypothesis is that the Amhara-Tigray mytho-legends and the Beta Esra'el mytho-legends on their own origin and religious tradition form part of one domain of discourse. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in French (p. 539) Show less
This study examines the economic management strategies adopted by the Government of Cameroon. Economic planning in Cameroon has been anchored to the principles of planned liberalism, self-reliant... Show moreThis study examines the economic management strategies adopted by the Government of Cameroon. Economic planning in Cameroon has been anchored to the principles of planned liberalism, self-reliant development, balanced development and social justice. These concepts are elaborated and it is shown that the revenues needed to ensure that these principles are effectively implemented is derived mainly from the trade in raw materials. Attention is paid to the evolution of the Cameroonian economy, foreign trade, the regulation of cash-crop trade, trade in crude oil, taxation on international trade, sectoral distribution of investment, the promotion of the primary sector, the National Fund for Rural Development, the National Investment Code, private sector development, the State as entrepreneur, and the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises. Show less
Comprehensive overview of publications on Ethiopia published between c. 1957 up to 1990. The 5433 entries are arranged according to the following broad subject areas: Bibliographies - History of... Show moreComprehensive overview of publications on Ethiopia published between c. 1957 up to 1990. The 5433 entries are arranged according to the following broad subject areas: Bibliographies - History of Ethiopianist studies - Studies on manuscripts, documents, archives and library resources - Travellers and foreigners - History - Cultural geography and demography - Politics and law before 1974 - Politics, law and revolutionary development after 1974 - Peasantry and the rural sector before 1974 - Peasantry and the rural sector after 1974 - The urban sector - Modernization, communications, industry and economic development - Social structure and social change - Drought and famine; refugees and resettlement - International relations - Ethnoregional conflicts - Education - Health and health care - Ethnomedicine, traditional healing, disease history - Folklore, magic, oral traditions - Music - Material culture, architecture, arts and crafts - Christian and hagiographical literature - Religion and missions - Ethnography and ethnology. An author index is included Show less
This report, which is based on field research carried out in 1988, examines the marketing arrangements for raw cotton, cotton lint and cotton seed in Kenya, as well as the relationships and... Show moreThis report, which is based on field research carried out in 1988, examines the marketing arrangements for raw cotton, cotton lint and cotton seed in Kenya, as well as the relationships and conflicts between the actors involved. The report starts with the history of cotton production and marketing in Kenya. Next, the different participants in the cotton marketing system are introduced, i.e. the cotton farmers, the cooperative and private buying and ginning agents, the CLSMB (Cotton Lint and Seed Marketing Board), the textile factories and the cottonseed crushing mills. Existing problems at each marketing stage are looked at, and possible solutions discussed. In the last section, the large-scale reorganization of the present marketing system, as proposed by the Kenyan Government and outlined by the 1988 Cotton Act, is discussed. The reorganization is designed to solve the current problems and to reverse the declining cotton production trend. Show less
The economic policy of structural adjustment, which was initiated in most African countries during the 1980s, posed a serious threat to agricultural marketing boards in sub-Saharan Africa. Two... Show moreThe economic policy of structural adjustment, which was initiated in most African countries during the 1980s, posed a serious threat to agricultural marketing boards in sub-Saharan Africa. Two elements of structural adjustment were particularly ominous: 'privatization' threatened the continued existence of marketing boards as public enterprises, and the 'liberalization of trade' worsened the conditions under which they operated. On the basis of an extensive study of the literature, this report examines what actually happened to 39 marketing boards in 18 countries. The period covered is January 1980 till December 1989. The results, presented partly in the form of tables and partly as case studies, show that most marketing boards have survived but that their scope has been reduced. The case studies deal with the Office national de commercialisation des produits de base (ONCPB) in Cameroon, the Cotton Board of Kenya (CBK), the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) in Malawi, Senegal's Office national de coopération et d'assistance pour le développement (ONCAD), the Société nationale de commercialisation des oléagineux du Sénégal (Sonacos), and the National Milling Corporation (NMC) in Tanzania. Show less
This report on the role of local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the improvement of the socioeconomic position of women in Zambia is based on anthropological fieldwork carried out in 1988... Show moreThis report on the role of local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the improvement of the socioeconomic position of women in Zambia is based on anthropological fieldwork carried out in 1988 and 1989, and a consultancy mission undertaken on behalf of the Organization of Dutch volunteers abroad in May-June 1989. Chapter 1 reviews Zambia's socioeconomic situation, with special reference to the position of women. Chapter 2 focuses on different aspects of women in development issues in Zambia. In chapter 3, some notes are presented on the national machinery for women in development, including data on the United National Independence Party (UNIP) Women's League. Then follows a chapter on the role of local NGOs, and a chapter on research on women in development in Zambia in general. Chapter 6 introduces the theoretical and methodological context for the analysis of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) (chapter 7) and the NGO Coordinating Committee (NGO-CC), an umbrella organization of NGOs concerned with women's issues in Zambia. The author concludes that NGOs, such as the YWCA and the NGO-CC, have played and do play an important role in improving the socioeconomic position of women in Zambia. They also provide a channel to reach women at the grassroots level. However, their work is affected by many constraints, mostly due to a shortage of qualified staff and financial resources Show less
This research report traces all the main developments in IMF-World Bank policies in Uganda. Most of the material concerns the three IMF standby arrangements with Uganda for 1981-1984 and the World... Show moreThis research report traces all the main developments in IMF-World Bank policies in Uganda. Most of the material concerns the three IMF standby arrangements with Uganda for 1981-1984 and the World Bank Group's Structural Adjustment Programmes. These programmes introduced two contradictory policies at the same time. The IMF stabilization policies were aimed at reducing 'effective demand' in the economy by using the exchange rate as an instrument of retrenchment; the World Bank programmes were supposed to encourage 'growth' in the economy. The result was a chaotic economic performance which, by the end of 1984, had become inoperable. In 1986 the National Resistance Movement (NRM), after having taken power, originally condemned the IMF-World Bank policies. Soon, however, the NRM was forced to adopt the same, if not more hideous IMF and World Bank policies, which have continued to worsen the economic situation in the country. The conclusion is that, to reverse this situation, the people of Uganda must organize to regain their political initiative by intensifying the struggle for democracy at both national and grassroots levels. Show less
Seasonality research can offer an explanation for the persistent poverty in the rural areas of Third World countries. Besides, it offers a framework in which research questions originating from a... Show moreSeasonality research can offer an explanation for the persistent poverty in the rural areas of Third World countries. Besides, it offers a framework in which research questions originating from a variety of disciplines can be included. This book contains five lectures presented in December 1988 at a workshop on seasons, food supply and nutrition in Africa. D. Foeken offers an overview of aspects of seasonality in sub-Saharan Africa, which serves as a framework within which the other contributions fit. R. Niemeijer and W. Klaver present the seasonal fluctuations in the nutritional condition of young children and their mothers in Coast Province, Kenya, and relate these fluctuations to ecotype and household welfare level. J. van Raaij and W. Schultink discuss the usefulness of research on fluctuations in nutritional conditions by means of an analysis of the energy balance, using a survey held among rural women in Benin as illustration. A. den Hartog and I. Brouwer argue that, as long as food shortages are of a seasonal character, curative mechanisms will concern mainly food habits. When food shortage becomes more chronic, however, a variety of other adaptations may be necessary. Like seasonality, external interventions (such as fluctuations in government spending and the school calendar) have their rhythms; rhythms that may coincide or collide with the seasonal pattern. T. Dietz explores this aspect of seasonality, using data from surveys in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Togo/Benin and Morocco Show less
