The concerns for African children should not be confined to the disadvantaged position of Africa, but rather extended to search into the virtues of their cultural heritage, historical background and values of the African civilisation as the basis for reflecting on the rights and welfare of the child. In other words, the perspectives on the African child are shaped by a multiplicity of factors that include both the worldview of the researchers, donor priorities and pressures, as well as what will ‘sell’ better in peer review journals. This implies a real concern with what is going on in terms of research on child issues in Africa, in order to avoid generalisations and particularising the African children in ways that portray them in an unfavourable light.
Departing from this theoretical and philosophical background, scholars from 13 countries in Africa converged in Dakar to discuss issues related to child research in Africa. This monograph is about this extremely important exercise undertaken by Childwatch International and CODESRIA in collaboration with the Child and Youth Research and Training Programme at the University of the Western Cape, the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town and Kenyatta University.
It comprises three papers that were presented at that occasion as well as the discussion that follows. Recognising the challenges that face researchers and their institutions, and the existing gap between policy makers and researchers, the monograph is an excellent evaluation of the child research potential in Africa. It examines the feasibility of the child research on the continent by exploring ways through which researchers and institutions across Africa can strengthen the quantity and the quality of child research in Africa. An assessment of the available research resources, in particular the technical skills of African researchers, and available financial resources is also part of the analyses.
Maylene Shung King, Rose September, Frederick Moses Okatcha and Carlos Cardoso Codesria 2006
New
New
Featured
FeaturedOut Of Stock
Featured
Featured
The CODESRIA Policy Dialogue Series has been designed as a means of addressing the main challenges facing the African continent. Africa: Reaffirming our Commitment is designed to examine the economic foundations of our states and the question of the dignity of Africans as human beings. We are operating under a ferocious globalisation where the rules of engagement are based on economic and military supremacy, fields in which Africa still lags behind. The objective of this book is not to lament or finger-point those who caused Africa’s ills, but rather to think of means and propose strategies that can be used to free ourselves from poverty and oppression, and most importantly, identify the main drivers that could accelerate Africa’s development. This publication proffers ways by which our economy and our governments can be put at the service of all Africans. It proposes ways towards the establishment of pacific, harmonious, just and equitable societies in an Africa where local and pan-African citizenship will be a reality. It also advocates the establishment of collective identities and inclusive societies informed by a redefined vision of our future generated through a new education and mode of socialisation through schools and other national institutions.