Humanities and Social Sciences
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- ItemTrade and exchange among the iron age inhabitants of Bwinambo site in Chinsali, Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2020) Lumpa, Elise MwilaTrade and exchange were critical areas of prehistoric people’s economic activities as they shaped their societies and adaptation to changing environments. This study explores aspects of trade and exchange among Iron Age inhabitants of Bwinambo archaeological site in Chinsali, Zambia. The site is especially suited for the study being located within the Tanganyika – Nyasa corridor in the north-eastern Zambia, an area that was a hive of trade activities during the pre-colonial period. Archaeological survey and excavation of four sites, revealed evidence of factors indicative of a settlement site such as a perennial source of water, wildlife and smelting kilns. Recovered materials from the excavated areas include local and imported pottery, beads, Metal objects, iron slag, hematite, fragments of shells, animal bones, fragments of human bones, charcoal, ash and burnt clay. Analysis of materials from the site revealed evidence of both local and external contacts stretching as far as the east African coast and Malawi. This is evidenced through similarities in pottery which does not belong to the known pottery tradition of the region in which the site lies. These include the Early Iron Working ware, Ivuna pottery, Proto Swhili Ware, Nkope ware, Kapeni ware and Mwabulambo ware. Cultural flora such as coconut plantations also revealed undisputed evidence of external contacts with the East African Coast. Local exchanges, on the other, were revealed through pottery from Kalambo, Kamnama, Makwe, Chondwe and Samfya. These have revealed evidence that the Tanganyika – Nyasa Corridor involved cross cultural contact characterized by interactions happening at multiple stages. The study concludes by emphasising that the objects of these exchanges were not restricted to exotics but rather a wide range of commodities that included pottery, iron, iron objects and food stuffs. Therefore, the absence of exotic goods in the archaeological record should not in any way rule out possibilities of long distance trade and exchanges. It can thus be inferred that these exchanges happened on a fairly regular basis and were not limited to personal bonds of reciprocity.
- ItemThe effectiveness of parliamentary reforms on citizen participation in parliamentary affairs in Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2021) Ng’andu, EvertyThe government of the Republic Zambia introduced parliamentary reforms in order to bring parliament closer to the people and enhance the functions and effectiveness of the National Assembly as a legislative body and agent of development. The reforms were part of the public sector reforms programme (PSRP) embarked on by the Zambian government after 1991 in order to promote efficiency and effectiveness in public institutions such as parliament. This study investigated the effectiveness of parliamentary reforms in enhancing citizen participation in parliamentary affairs. Two objectives guided the study which is; firstly, to examine the strategies used to reform parliament in Zambia. Secondly, to assess the extent to which the objectives of the parliamentary reforms have increased citizens’ participation in the legislative functions in Zambia, and to make policy recommendations that would enhance citizen participation in parliamentary affairs in Zambia. A case study in which 12 Members of Parliament, three directors of civil society organizations, and eight parliamentary support staff, and 30 ordinary citizens were purposely and conveniently sampled, and used in the study. The researcher used interview guide to collect data from Members of Parliament, directors of civil society organizations and parliamentary staff. Focus group discussions on the other hand were used to obtain data from ordinary citizens. The study revealed that citizens were generally aware of the National Assembly of Zambia and that MPs are elected to represent them. However, this did not translate into understanding and appreciation of the roles of the National Assembly. The study also established that the principal roles of parliament are legislation, representation and oversight. The study established that strategies used to reform parliament were: establishment of parliament radio and TV studios, establishment of constituency offices, construction of committee building/visitors center and formulation of strategic plans. With regard to factors affecting the effective implementation of the parliamentary reforms, it was established that these include, lack of time for MPs to visit their constituencies, inadequate government funding to support reforms, excessive executive powers, lack of political will, lack of monitoring and evaluation of the reforms. In terms of the levels of awareness and the extent to which citizens participate in parliamentary affairs, the study revealed low levels of both awareness and participation by citizens in parliamentary affairs in Zambia. Some of the factors contributing to the low levels of awareness and participation in parliamentary affairs include: long distances to constituency offices and parliament, strict security checks at Parliament, unfulfilled promise by MPs, fear of the unknown, language barrier, political and gender violence, lack of rule of law, inappropriate NAZ structures and failure to link constituency offices to ward development committees. Due to these limiting factors the majority of the citizens still have scanty knowledge of these reforms let alone the functions and roles of the National Assembly. The study concluded that parliamentary reforms to a greater extent have not been effective in promoting citizen participation in parliamentary affairs and as such government, the Members of Parliament, parliamentary staff, and indeed civil society organisations have a mammoth task to disseminate information to members of the public on the importance and benefits of participation in parliamentary reforms and affairs. Therefore, it was recommended among other things that the government should ensure that constituency offices are depoliticized, capacity built, strengthened and effectively used to sensitize the public about the openness of Parliament. Further, the study suggested some of the areas of future research not comprehensively covered in this research.
- ItemMeanings of male circumcision amongst circumcised men in Zambia: a case study of Gondwe township in Chilanga district.(The University of Zambia, 2021) Phiri, Wilson L.Background: Zambia has been battling the spread of HIV/AIDS using different interventions such as abstinence campaigns, messages of being faithful to one faithful partner, correct and consistent condom use. The Zambian government endorsed Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) as an additional biomedical strategy for preventing HIV/AIDS and reducing the risk of cervical cancer in women. Circumcised men attach different meaning and cultural values to their circumcision status. In Zambia much research has been done on male circumcision and most of these studies have focused on focused on knowledge, perceptions, acceptability and barriers to access MC services in general and research is yet to profile the meaning of circumcision and the cultural values attached to it by circumcised men. Aim: The study sought to understand the meaning of Male Circumcision (MC) among the circumcised men in Gondwe Township Lusaka. Methods: This was a qualitative study with an Interpretive Phenomenological research design. Data were collected using in-depth interviews from 20 circumcised men who were living in Gondwe Township at the time of study, who were 18 years and above. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Interviews were audio recorded. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis method was used for data analysis. Results: The study found that male circumcision carries health, social and cultural meaning and is understood primarily as a symbol of hygiene and a complimentary method of HIV prevention and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Additionally, male circumcision is a cultural practice that signifies a transition from boyhood to manhood among the circumcising ethnic groups in Zambia. MC also acts as an agent of socialization which teaches young boys the responsibilities; prepare them for sex, marriage, parenthood, respect for different people, a way to earn respect, promotion of division of labour and formation of social structures in society. The study further showed that the important factors influencing men to opt for circumcision were hygiene and cleanliness, protection from HIV and STIs, sexual pleasure, prevention of penile and cervical cancer, influence from peers, spousal/partners, parents and other family members. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that male circumcision has health, social and cultural meaning to the circumcised men and they viewed it as a method of maintaining hygiene and a complimentary method of HIV prevention and other STIs. It is also viewed as a cultural practice which signifies manhood among the circumcising ethnic groups in Zambia. However, based on the findings of this study, possible implications for the circumcision practice include attaining masculinity, protection and prevention of diseases, maintaining hygiene and cleanliness, socialization and earning respect in society.
- ItemA grammar of interrogatives in Tonga.(The University of Zambia, 2021) Haamilandu, HabeenzuThis study examined interrogatives in Tonga. In particular, the current study undertook to understand the phonological aspects of interrogative markers, morphological aspects, and their syntactic distributions as well as the role that semantics plays in interrogative constructions within the broader context of the Tonga grammar. The Basic Linguistic Theory is used as a theoretical framework. The Tonga language under scrutiny in this study is a language spoken by a Bantu group of people found mainly in Zambia and some parts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The variety of Tonga considered in this study is the plateau Tonga as particularly spoken in Choma district of the southern province of Zambia. The researcher identified the key informants for the study who are teachers of the language in secondary schools and subjected them to word and sentence list which they provided data accordingly by transforming declarative sentences into interrogatives in Tonga. The data from the study show that there are three types of interrogatives that exist in Tonga, and these are: polar interrogative, alternative interrogative and constituent interrogatives. With regards to interrogative particles in Tonga, Polar interrogatives use hena, tee, na and tonal particles while Constituent interrogatives use Buti, (Ku)li, (Mu)li, (Aa)li, Cili, Lili, Nkaambo nzi/ kai/nzi, Ni, Nzi and the alternative interrogatives in Tonga engage the following disjunctive particles in their formation: Naanka, Na and Na pe. Interrogative particles in Tonga assume different forms; they are either free or bound morphemes. Syntactically, all the interrogative particles in Tonga occur in-situ except for kuli ‘where’, kai ‘why’ and nkaambo nzi ‘why’ that occupy the initial position only. The coordinating conjunction ‘naanka’ is positioned between two polar interrogatives reduced to one, by ellipsis to form the alternative interrogative. In answering polar interrogatives in Tonga, the data revealed that, an addressee may answer with inzya to mean yes or peepe to mean no when responding to positive polar interrogatives accompanied with culturally appropriate gestures of head nodding. In answering constituent interrogatives in Tonga, a full clause that contains the constituent that fill the information gap the interrogative words seek to link is used or a simple word made up of the constituent being questioned is used. Interrogatives can be studied from different perspectives. The study recommends further studies on constituent interrogatives in Tonga using other theories such as the minimalist program and also to conduct an exhaustive examination of the phonology of the interrogatives in Tonga.
- ItemLearning (contexts) environments of young children in Zambia: daily experiences, quality of care and developmental outcomes in day care centres in Lusaka.(The University of Zambia, 2020) Liboma, InongeInvestment in early childhood development has in the recent past increased due to the 250 million under-five children in low- and middle-income countries at risk of not reaching their developmental potential. Thus, investigating the quantity of care in more challenging, developing world context like Zambia is imperative. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ECE daily experiences, quality of care and developmental outcomes of pre-schoolers enrolled in pre-school centres. The specific objectives include; to explore the ECE daily experiences of pre-schoolers in pre-school centres, to assess the ECE quality of care in the pre-schools and to compare whether pre-schooler’s developmental outcomes differ on the basis of attending a high or low quality pre-school centres. The study also examined the difference that may exist in developmental outcomes of children enrolled in adequate, average, and inadequate care pre-schools. A total number of six preschools and 53 pre-schoolers participated in the study. Using the ZamCAT, structured questionnaire and observations, qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The results indicate that pre-schools that service children from the majority poor are offering inadequate quality care to the children. The results also indicated that there is a significant difference in the receptive language development of children from the inadequate, average, and adequate pre-schools with F (2, 50) = 6, 92, P=.002 according to the ANOVA test analysis. Another significant difference observed in the development of children among the three types of pre-school quality care was the difference in the letter naming exercise. ANOVA test analysis indicated a significant difference of F (2, 50) = 6, 92, P =.019. This study did not record any gender or age differences in the developmental outcomes of children after a t-test analysis was conducted. The daily experiences of children assessed include daily routines such as learning time, play time, eating time, and safety of children. To assess quality, teacher qualifications, salary, child-teacher ratio, and teaching aids where considered. The results indicate that adequate preschools pay their teachers a good amount of money than average and inadequate preschools and have good child-teacher ratio. The qualifications of teachers in the three preschool categories are not quite different but the environment and teaching materials are way better in adequate care preschools than in average and inadequate care preschools. I therefore conclude from this study that pre-schools servicing children from middle and low social economic status families assessed offer low quality care and that depending on the inadequacy faced by the school, children may either delay in acquiring some or all the skills needed to develop fully. I recommend that preschool administrators and the government should put in place deliberate policies to promote quality care in preschools because access to ECE without quality care will still produce citizens who may fail to develop full potential and contribute fully to our nation.