The bulk of the book is based on papers presented during two virtual conferences hosted by the University of Leiden (Netherlands) in 2021. At the Africa Knows! Conference, a panel was devoted to ... Show moreThe bulk of the book is based on papers presented during two virtual conferences hosted by the University of Leiden (Netherlands) in 2021. At the Africa Knows! Conference, a panel was devoted to ‘The language issue and knowledge communication in Africa.’ It was initiated by the Universities of Ilorin (Nigeria) and Chemnitz (Germany). The papers by Eleshin, Oloruntoba-Oju, Sanon-Ouattara, Van Pinxteren, and Zatolokina were all first presented at this panel, before being peer-reviewed for this volume. The central theme of the conference was the decolonization of Africa’s knowledge production and related processes. The second conference was the 10th World Congress on African Languages and Linguistics (WOCAL) in June, where a workshop took place under the auspices of the Edinburgh Circle on the Promotion of African Languages, entitled ‘Let’s turn to policy.’ The papers by Alfredo, Dissake, and Nguere and Smith were also first presented during this workshop before being peer-reviewed for this volume. In general, the position taken by the editors is that using indigenous languages in education can make an important contribution to national development as well as to personal empowerment. Africa is characterised in part by its continued use of former colonial languages in education. However, sixty years after independence, it seems high time to question this colonial heritage. In the context of global and digital communication today, old African values of multilingualism and culture-specific communicative strategies should not be neglected, but revalued and revived in new ways. We do not deny the importance of a good command of international languages. However, this should not be at the expense of indigenous languages. The introduction to the book argues that a transition towards increased use of African languages in formal domains will not only be necessary and practically possible, it will become inevitable. Show less
Recent studies of African boundaries have tended to focus either on the growing number of border disputes between States or on frontier regions that are said to offer local inhabitants a wide... Show moreRecent studies of African boundaries have tended to focus either on the growing number of border disputes between States or on frontier regions that are said to offer local inhabitants a wide range of economic opportunities. This article combines both approaches and demonstrates the ambiguous nature of the Anglophone Cameroon-Nigeria border. On the one hand, the border has been subject to regular skirmishes between Cameroon and Nigeria, culminating in a protracted war over the sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula - an area rich in oil reserves. On the other hand, it has for historical and economic reasons never constituted a real barrier to cross-border movements of labour and goods. The large Nigerian migrant community in Anglophone Cameroon, in particular, has been able to benefit from formal and informal cross-border trade for a long time. Unsurprisingly, its dominant position in the host community's commercial sector has been a continuous source of conflict. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract] 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
The Kapsiki of Cameroon and the Higi of Nigeria are two tribes from the Mandara hills area of central and western Africa. Though they form one coherent group of villages, they are usually... Show moreThe Kapsiki of Cameroon and the Higi of Nigeria are two tribes from the Mandara hills area of central and western Africa. Though they form one coherent group of villages, they are usually considered as two separate ethnic units. The author normally uses the term Kapsiki for both. Based on fieldwork in the village of Mogod‚ in 1972-1973 and follow-up visits in 1979 and 1984, he presents Kapsiki society, looking at territorial and kinship organization, religion, and marriage, and the way in which Kapsiki culture enhances the chances for survival of its members. The main theme - how marriage functions in a system with an exceptionally high divorce rate - serves to illustrate the fact that present-day Kapsiki life cannot be understood without reference to fighting and the Kapsiki warlike past Show less
