R4D Angola

Recent developments in human African trypanosomiasis.

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:50 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Welburn, S.C.; Odiit, M.

Production Year: 2002

Citation: Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases (2002) 15 (5) 477-484

Summary: Purpose of review: Sleeping sickness has re-emerged as a serious problem in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 100 000 deaths each year. South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola have experienced serious epidemics of the Gambian form of the disease. The control of Gambian sleeping sickness, which relies primarily on active case finding followed by chemotherapy, is being threatened by problems of drug resistance. Recently, Rhodesian sleeping sickness has also posed a health risk to travellers visiting game parks in East Africa.

Recent findings: Because of war-related constraints, which have prevented case detection, the prevalence of Gambian sleeping sickness commonly exceeds 5% and reached 29% in one focus in south Sudan. The incidence of Gambian infections refractory to melarsoprol treatment has also risen sharply in northern Uganda, northern Angola and southern Sudan, with failure rates as high as 26.9%. Molecular techniques based on the gene for human serum resistance (SRA) have enabled the identification of human infective parasites in the domestic animal reservoir. This molecular tool has shown that the Rhodesian form of the disease is being carried in cattle northwards in Uganda towards areas endemic for the Gambian form. The coalescence of distributions of the chronic and acute forms of the disease will present problems for both control and treatment.

Summary: This review surveys the molecular tools that are improving our understanding of the epidemiology of sleeping sickness, and highlights the search for new diagnostics and drugs to deal with the disease.

Mobilizing for democracy: citizen engagement and the politics of public participation

Wed, 11 May 2011 08:05 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Coelho, V.S.P.; von Lieres, B.

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Coelho, V.S.P.; von Lieres, B. Mobilizing for democracy: citizen engagement and the politics of public participation. In: Mobilising for Democracy: Citizen Action and the Politics of Public Participation. V.S.P. Coelho and B. von Lieres (Editors). Zed Books, London, UK (2010) ISBN 9781848134454 (Hardback)

Summary: This introductory chapter provides an overview of a book which introduces eleven original empirical case studies of how different forms of citizen mobilization have generated democratic outcomes in seven countries of the global South. It highlights the limitations of one-size-fits-all approaches to addressing the challenges of building democracy, and it demonstrates how the prospects for achieving democratic outcomes depend on a combination of forms of mobilization and distinctive political and institutional contexts.

Building democracy and citizenship at the local level: the Núcleo Representativo das Associações do Dombe Grande

Wed, 11 May 2011 07:42 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Ferreira, I.; Roque, S.

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Ferreira, I.; Roque, S. Building democracy and citizenship at the local level: the Núcleo Representativo das Associações do Dombe Grande. In: Mobilising for Democracy: Citizen Action and the Politics of Public Participation. V.S.P. Coelho and B. von Lieres (Editors). Zed Books, London, UK (2010) ISBN 9781848134454 (Hardback)

Summary: The chapter begins with a brief overview of the role of civic associations in African democratization and development, before moving on to discuss the history and politics of democratization in Angola. We then turn to examine the trajectory of the NRA (Núcleo Representativo das Associações do Dombe Grande – Federation of Representative Associations of Dombe Grande - a federation of fifteen local associations) and its member associations. Finally, we focus on the evolving relationship between the NRA and local government, discussing what it shows about the opportunities and limitations of civil society participation in processes of democratic deepening.

Participation, mutation and political transition: new democratic spaces in peri-urban Angola

Mon, 09 May 2011 08:47 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Roque, S.; Shankland, A.

Production Year: 2007

Citation: Roque, S.; Shankland, A. Participation, mutation and political transition: new democratic spaces in peri-urban Angola. In: Spaces for Change? The Politics of Citizen Participation in New Democratic Arenas, Andrea Cornwall and Vera Schattan P. Coalho (eds), Vol 4 of Claiming Citizenship Series. Zed Books Limited, London & New York, (2007) ISBN 9781842775530 (paperback)

Summary: This chapter examines participation spaces in peri-urban Luanda, Angola. It argues that significant ‘invisible’ processes of democratisation may be underway – including the emergence of new leaders at the local level and capital, Luanda, through case studies drawn from the Luanda Urban Poverty Programme (LUPP). The analysis argues that while the ‘invited spaces’ created by these NGOs may begin as conventional participation-in-development models, in the particular social and political context of Luanda they mutate into other forms of participation. These forms reflect the interests, agency and strategies of local actors, their encounters with and adaptation to a changing context, and the release of repressed political energy which follows the opening up of new participation spaces in a setting long characterised by lack of responsiveness. The chapter concludes by examining the challenges for NGOs promoting new participation spaces in contexts like Luanda, and the potential wider application of the lessons learned. In particular, it argues that there is a need to pay greater attention to the accountability implications of new spaces if the emerging leadership that they foster is not simply to reproduce the authoritarian practices of the old, while recognising that even when it has autocratic or elitist elements, this leadership may still play an essential part in steps towards broader participation.

Teaching and Learning Democracy: Collaborative Development of Courses on Citizenship

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:26 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: D. Kahane and B. von Lieres

Production Year: 2011

Citation: D. Kahane and B. von Lieres. Teaching and Learning Democracy: Collaborative Development of Courses on Citizenship. Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK (2011) 53 pp. ISBN 978 1 85864 984 6

Summary: How can educators work together to enhance work on democracy and citizenship? This paper analyses the trajectory and dynamics of the Teaching and Learning (T&L) group, an initiative that brought together educators from seven countries to address the challenges of developing and delivering courses on citizenship and democratising teaching and learning environments. Part of the Citizenship DRC, a wider research consortium that examined the dynamics of citizen participation in diverse contexts, the T&L group centred on peer-to-peer reflection, learning and support. Its innovative ways of working and success in developing a wide range of courses and trainings challenge expert-driven models of pedagogical development. They also point to the importance of transnational collaborations in enhancing curricula, courses and teaching methods that effectively support both learning about democracy and citizenship, and democratic teaching capacities.

Formats, partnerships, and content: optimising the components of an HIV and AIDS media campaign in Angola

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:04 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Formats, partnerships, and content: optimising the components of an HIV and AIDS media campaign in Angola

Production Year: 2006

Citation: BBC World Service Trust, UK. 4 pp.

Summary: In August 2005, the BBC World Service Trust, with funding from the British Government’s Department for International Development, began broadcasting ‘Mo Kamba’ (‘My Mate’), a radio call-in and discussion programme dealing with a wide range of issues around HIV and AIDS. The programme is aimed at 15-24 year olds, with a stated aim of raising knowledge of transmission routes, methods of risk reduction, and encouraging greater discussion about sexual health across Angola. This report presents findings from a survey of 15-24 year olds across four regions of Angola; Luanda, Benguela, Cunene and Lunda Norte, carried out in 2006, on the impact of the programmes.

Mobilising for Democracy: Citizen Action and the Politics of Public Participation

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:39 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: V. Schattan P. Coelho and B. von Lieres (Editors)

Production Year: 2010

Citation: V. Schattan P. Coelho and B. von Lieres (Editors). Mobilising for Democracy: Citizen Action and the Politics of Public Participation. Zed Books, (2010) ISBN 9781848134454 (Hardback), 9781848134461 (Paperback)

Summary: Mobilizing for Democracy is an in-depth study into how ordinary citizens and their organizations mobilize to deepen democracy. Featuring a collection of new empirical case studies from Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, this important new book illustrates how alternative forms of political mobilization such as protests, social participation, activism, litigation and lobbying engage with the formal institutions of representative democracy in ways that constitute the very essence of democratic politics and not, as many authors suggest, an indication of its failure. No other volume has brought together examples from such a broad Southern spectrum and covering such a diversity of actors: rural and urban dwellers, transnational activists, religious groups, politicians and social leaders. The cases illuminate the crucial contribution that citizen mobilization makes to democratization and the building of state institutions and reflect the uneasy relationship between citizens and the institutions that are designed to foster their political participation.

Changing Lives: Making Research Real : Phase 2

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:54 GMT

Project Status: Current
Project Background: This project aims to raise the profile of research in the media in Africa and Asia. It does this by working with seasoned journalists to uncover the human interest stories within often complex research programmes funded by DFID and others. Stories are posted on the IPS wire service and have been used by commercial radio and print media throughout Africa and Asia to stimulate awareness and debate on development issues. This second phase build on the success of a trial phase one, and will expand the programme to include radio production and a South-South learning component to test the programme in Asia.

Project Objectives:

The specific objectives are:

To raise awareness of research by generating quality editorial content that highlights the impact and value of research for distribution to mainstream and community media;

To increase media uptake of news on research and create an understanding of the conditions necessary to support such increased use;

To develop evidence-based best practices for South-South learning by creating opportunities for interaction with Asian reporters.

Intended Outputs:

The programme will deliver the following outputs:

72 printed features
24 radio stories
6 radio programmes
monthly and quarterly newsletters
All stories will be profiled on a dedicated IPS multi-media platform and will reach audiences identified as DFID's key stakeholders, including the media (who subscribe to IPS features - 400 in Africa alone).
Building the capacity of southern journalists to report science, utilising an established network of IPS journalists

Actual Outputs: Programme products included:
1. Updated mini-site entitled “Changing Lives: Making Research Real” linked to the IPS Africa web-page with links to various research organizations;
2. 60 African online feature stories;
3. Twelve thematically linked feature stories from Asia;
4. Columns produced by southern researchers;
5. Twenty-four radio stories a month;
6. Selected online stories rewritten for radio "rip and read";
7. At least six radio programmes during the project period;
8. Weekly distribution to media on the continent;
9. Monthly html newsletter distribution;
10. Quarterly eight-page newsletter;
11. Updated branding and branding materials including pamphlets;
12. Marketed distribution to media in Africa;
13. Specific partnership drive to ensure IPS Africa can harness regional events to improve journalistic coverage of research;
14. Evaluation meeting with best practices guidelines developed.

Putting Citizens at the Centre: Linking States and Societies for Responsive Governance. A policy-maker’s guide to the research of the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability.

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:42 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: N. Benequista, J. Gaventa and G. Barrett.

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Prepared for the Conference on ‘The Politics of Poverty, Elites, Citizens and States’, June 21 – 23, 2010. 20 pp.

Summary: The Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability (Citizenship DRC) conducts research into how citizens see and experience states and the other institutions that affect their lives, as well as how they engage, mobilise and participate to make their voices heard. This summary note provides a guide to key findings, especially those that link to contemporary policy debates on how citizen participation and engagement can contribute to development, strengthen democratic and responsive states, and help to realise human rights. For each message, reference is made to key documents that support these findings and articulate them in more detail.

Urban Growth and Poverty in Mining Africa.

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:27 GMT

Project Status: Current
Project Background:

Our study examines processes of urbanization at local, national and continental levels in Africa where mining is already or is in the process of becoming a major sector of the national economy. Following a review of continental trends we will engage in in-depth study of urbanizing mining settlements in three-countries: Tanzania (gold and diamonds), Angola (diamonds) and Ghana (gold). We will compare mature as opposed to newer small-scale mining settlements, as well as sampling an area dominated by long-established large-scale mining to reveal differences in patterns of urbanization and mineralization of the economy with regard to scale of mining, type of mineral, settlement's degree of maturity and poverty incidence.

Mineral discovery triggers population expansion and economic agglomeration at the site of discovery, generating various local and regional multiplier effects in demand for agricultural, industrial and service sector activities. Nationally, a country's mineral wealth will not only be reflected in the rapid growth of mining sites but also is likely to influence urban migration patterns more generally. Meanwhile the profits and tax revenues of African countries with established or newly-found mineral wealth is likely to be strongly reflected in urban infrastructural investment.

Most of the world's poorest countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. The African continent is now the site of an intense scramble for minerals on the part of foreign investors, domestic prospectors and African small-scale artisanal miners, and in some cases rebel armies waging civil war. Coupled with the fact that it has some of the highest urban growth rates in the world, it is timely to consider the impact of mining on African urbanization.

Many issues of an urban character are likely to arise simultaneously with mineral discovery. Mineral strikes attract labourers and investors from long distances in all directions. Thus, mining sites are usually far more ethnically mixed than the surrounding countryside. Strike sites can witness exceptionally high rates of in-migration over a few weeks, with information about the strike travelling quickly by mobile phone. Settlements expand rapidly to urban settlement size with the influx of miners and service providers but are unlikely to be gazetted as urban settlements for some time to come. Depending on the maturity of the mining site, housing conditions may be exceptionally poor accompanied by deficient education and medical services reflected in low school attendance and high levels of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Where there is demographic instability of the settlement, it is anticipated that weak marital ties combined with the relative absence of extended family support, may result in inadequate childcare arrangements.

As increasing numbers of Africans are pursuing a livelihood as formally employed workers in large-scale mines or informal small-scale miners or in the large and varied service sector, the security of livelihood is likely to alter. Unlike rural agrarian livelihoods where farming families anticipated returns around the growing season, mining returns are unpredictable and highly erratic. The relatively few people who gain employment as miners in large-scale mines are afforded regular wage payments, but only as long as the mines remain viable. Small-scale miners may take enormous risks when they embark on mining activities, never certain when they will experience a mineral strike. In newly established strike sites, the returns can be highly rewarding for those who have happened on the right location, whereas others can be resident and working in an area where some are experiencing very good returns while they are gaining little or nothing. Urbanizing mining sites raise problematic issues related to both absolute and relative poverty that will be explored in this study.