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 2006New
This collection comprises a diverse and stimulating collection of essays on questions of gender and sexualities, crafted by both established and younger researchers. The collection includes fascinating insights into topics as varied as the popularity of thong underwear in urban Kenya, the complexity of Tanzanian youth’s negotiation of HIV-cultures, the dialogues between religion and controversial questions in sexualities activism, and the meaning of living as a Zimbabwean girl, who became HIV-positive because her mother had no access to antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy. Some pieces deepen contemporary debates, others initiate new questions. The collection seeks to sustain and invigorate research, policy-making and continentally-focused thought on difficult, yet compelling, realities.
Jane Bennett is the director of African Gender institute at the University of Cape Town. Her research interests include questions of sexualities, gender, and violence within African contexts, and also questions of African feminist theorising and strategic activism.
Sylvia Tamale is a leading African feminist who teaches law at Makerere University in Uganda. Her research interests include ‘Gender, Law & Sexuality,’ ‘Feminist Jurisprudence’ and ‘Women in Politics.’ Prof. Tamale was the first female dean of the School of Law at Makerere.
ISBN : 978 2 86978 712 4
CODESRIA 2017