Analyzes the role of the grandmother in the African extended family as portrayed in the work of Ghanian author and playwright, Ama Ata Aidoo. Discusses her functions as foster parent, babysitter, psychologist, teacher, and confidante. (FMW)

This article focuses on the global and African postures on the issues of child abuse and child labour. The global ethical ideals of the issues are characterized within their various theoretical perspectives while the African cultural realities are explored through the use of focus group discussion sessions, which were organized in six rural…

This study investigates the ways in which 150 Ghanaian junior secondary students negotiate the tensions between ethnic and national history in building conceptions of democratic citizenship. While unofficial histories operate in Ghana, and some of these may be oppositional, the students in this study do not describe their own or others' ethnic…

In this article, the author describes a unit she implemented on Batik designs. This unit helped second-graders gain an understanding of the batik process while learning about mask designs and the Senegalese culture. Batik has origins in many areas around the world, including Indonesia and West Africa. This fabric-resist process involves the…

The hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and subsequent oral history projects elevated testimony as part of the South African transformation process. In this article, the author argues that testimony as oral history is important as a public forum for people who have been historically invisible. In addition, he contends that…

The Pan African Society of Musical Arts Education (PASMAE) initiated the concept of Music Action Research Teams (MAT cells) at the grass-roots level for the collaborative sharing and learning of educators throughout Africa. The current number of 27 cells in Africa is a modest realization of the society's aims. However, it is strongly felt that if…

As our understanding of learning focuses on the whole person rather than individual aspects of learning, so the process of learning is beginning to be studied from a wide variety of perspectives and disciplines. This handbook presents a comprehensive overview of the contemporary research into learning: it brings together a diverse range of…

This resource guide of 40 items presents materials for studying various aspects of African life, culture, and history. The materials selected for the guide range from records and filmstrips to books and can be used by community groups as well as students. The guide is organized into 7 sections that include music, art and architecture, theater,…

In this study, the communicative interactions between African mothers and their infants at 4 to 5 months and 9 to 10 months are described. Particular attention is given to gaze, smiling, and vocalization. Results offer confirmation from another culture of the development of previously described forms of communication during the first year of life.…

A compilation of resolutions and recommendations from conferences held by African Governments and African regional and national Adult Education Associations, this booklet shows the progress made in adult education and literacy in the African States. The Conference of African States held in Addis Ababa May 15-25, 1961 laid the foundation for adult…

African languages and cultures are undertaught in American universities. Some problems, such as the lack of language teaching materials, might be corrected. But universities place a low priority on area studies in general, and on African studies in particular, and methodologism tends to occur at the expense of genuinely international offerings.…

A review of the literature indicates that some of the major problems experienced in developed nations prevail in developing countries but in the latter the problems are sometimes aggravated by environment-related factors. Specific problems and potential solutions are discussed. (LBH)

Yoruba cultural, religious, and linguistic traditions have been preserved to a great extent in Brazil, especially in the province of Bahia. Although many Afro-Brazilian religions have historically been considered lower-class, today Candomble and other religious/cultural practices are gaining social acceptance on a national level. (GC)

Focuses on some associations between movement and social relations using as an example the dance-play (nkwa) of the Ubakala Igbo of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria. Discusses how the dance is used to promote self-identity, prescribe and assert social values and roles, and mediate between persons and their situations. (JMF)