Using my own experience as a sports administrator, I describe and analyse the organisational culture of West African sports. As a cultural anthropologist and draughts player, I have been President... Show moreUsing my own experience as a sports administrator, I describe and analyse the organisational culture of West African sports. As a cultural anthropologist and draughts player, I have been President of the F‚d‚ration Mondiale du Jeu de Dames for eleven years, followed by four years as Executive Vice-President of the Conf‚d‚ration Africaine du Jeu de Dames. Using a series of first hand cases, five major principles of 'management culture' or 'board-room culture' are discerned and analysed that seem to inform the way power is handled in West African sports. These are: personal presence, the primacy of the official, the importance of board positions, the personalisation of power and finally the use of the past to legitimise the present. In all of them, the small world of draughts offers an insider's view of the relationship between notions of power, the politicisation of sports and the processes of neo-patrimonialism that inform African politics more generally. The article ends with some thoughts on the cultural specificity of these processes in West Africa and on the position of sports in the wider African society. I have been President of the F‚d‚ration Mondiale du Jeu de Dames for eleven years, followed by four years as Executive Vice-President of the Conf‚d‚ration Africaine du Jeu de Dames. Using a series of first hand cases, five major principles of 'management culture' or 'board-room culture'are discerned and analysed that seem to inform the way power is handled in West African sports. These are: personal presence, the primacy of the official, the importance of board positions, the personalisation of power and finally the use of the past to legitimise the present. In all of them, the small world of draughts offers an insider's view of the relationship between notions of power, the politicisation of sports and the processes of neo-patrimonialism that inform African politics more generally. The article ends with some thoughts on the cultural specificity of these processes in West Africa and on the position of sports in the wider African society. Show less
Beek, W.E.A. van; Rutten, M.M.E.M.; Spierenburg, M. 2008
De Peul en de Dogon leven, ruim voor het tijdperk van grote Peulstaten als het Macinarijk, reeds lang naast elkaar in centraal Mali. De Peul weidden er hun kudden, pleegden er overvallen en... Show moreDe Peul en de Dogon leven, ruim voor het tijdperk van grote Peulstaten als het Macinarijk, reeds lang naast elkaar in centraal Mali. De Peul weidden er hun kudden, pleegden er overvallen en gebruikten het gebied als slavenreservoir. Ook de Dogon organiseerden van tijd tot tijd overvallen. Door de geschiedenis heen hebben de betrekkingen tussen de Dogon en de Peul afwisselende uitingsvormen gekend afhankelijk van de diverse woongebieden in de Seno-Gondo- en Seno-Mangovlakten. Rond de Falaise van Bandiagara blijkt uit diverse rituelen van de Dogon een diepe rancune jegens de Peul. In het spraakgebruik van de Dogon staat de Peul symbool voor het beeld van 'de ander', de bewoner van de wildernis. Maar als mens van de wildernis vertegenwoordigt de Peul ook andere waarden: omdat de wildernis wijs en sterk is, maar ook gevaarlijk en grillig, is de Peul dat ook. De betrekkingen tussen de Houmbebe, een Dogon subgroep van landbouwers in de Hayre, en de Peul, veehouders en halfnomaden, hebben een werkbare vorm gekregen door de opkomst van de 'njaatigi' (gastheer). In elk dorp heeft de Peul een 'njaatigi' op wie hij een beroep kan doen. Door de aanhoudende droogte in het gebied verandert de 'njaatigi'-verhouding echter steeds meer in een afhankelijkheidsrelatie. Noten. [Samenvatting ASC Leiden] Show less
On no continent are there as many twins as in Africa, and in no other area of Africa does the rate of twin births come near to that of West African countries like Nigeria, Benin and Togo, where... Show moreOn no continent are there as many twins as in Africa, and in no other area of Africa does the rate of twin births come near to that of West African countries like Nigeria, Benin and Togo, where the rate of twin births is over 2.5 per 1000. This article examines the position of twins among the Kapsiki of Cameroon and Nigeria through a comparison of the differences in cultural constructs of a 'normal' (single) birth and a twin birth, and through an analysis of the symbols and rituals surrounding the various types of birth. It appears that among the Kapsiki birth rites for 'normal' births gradually incorporate the infant into the kin group, protecting the mother and the child against evil influences. Twin birth rites are quite different. Other symbolic objects and a specific discourse are used. Twins form a special society within Kapsigi villages, due to the danger they are believed to pose for their parents. The symbolic position of twins is related to male initiation. The author concludes that twins are symbolically positioned on the fringe of Kapsiki society. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
