ABSTRACT
Africa has seen some changes pertaining to human mobility in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The continent has also witnessed a dramatic reduction in cross-border movements, especially along the Zambezi River (Zimbabwe and South Africa, Botswana, and South Africa, as well as Mozambique and South Africa). These changes have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which decimated tourism and business travel and severely curtailed labour migration and stifled the movement of all stripes, from that of international students to intellectual exchanges in all fields of studies. While the overall picture of human mobility from 2020 to 2021 was dramatically stifled, the experience of this curtailment is different when juxtaposed with other regions. Also, the war between Russia and Ukraine has not been helpful to Africa either. This paper endeavours to probe the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ravages of the war between Ukraine and Russia in Africa and illustrates that while Africa is yet to fully recover from the socio-economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, this conflict poses another major threat to the global economy with many African countries being directly affected. The article uses the lens of Pan-Africanism as a theory that very well encapsulates the yearnings and frustrations of Africans who are overwhelmed by the onslaught of globalisation that only looks at development from a skewed western paradigm that is more about enriching the already wealthy countries that thrives by a continuous siphoning of the wealth of the marginalised countries. The article uses an archival method of collecting the data that is documented in books, articles and other sources to seek mitigating factors to the COVID19 Pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The paper recommends a drastic change of leadership in Africa to usher in a new crop of leaders who are more driven by the development of the continent in areas of economics, governance, and self-reliance. © 2022 Ikenga. All right reserved.
ABSTRACT
The article investigates the relationship between the South African COVID-19 national lockdown and the upsurge of domestic violence in rural communities in South Africa. It draws from the experiences of female victims and narratives of the perpetrators of domestic violence in the Mahwelereng township, to systematically explain how the national lock-down provided enabling background for gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two overriding research questions guided the study: First, under what conditions did domestic violence occur during the COVID-19 lockdown in the township? Second, how were acts of violence justified by the perpetrators in the township? To answer these questions, the study has relied on feminist epistemologies, within which gender-based violence is interpreted as a result of threat to hegemony masculinity. Having been socialised in the culture of violence, the perpetrators of GBV (who were all men) within the township, were found to have resorted to the use of violence against their partners amidst changes in their family financial structure and the household confinements they experienced during this period. Within the context of these conditions, acts of violence against intimate partners were easily justified as an acceptable means to maintain control and remain the rightful head of the family.
ABSTRACT
At a time when the Nigerian schools are on a temporary closure following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper looked inwards and reflected on the nature of the education system and revealed its myriads of problems. The COVID-19 pandemic indeed had a huge impact on the educational system in Nigeria. It brought about the cessation of all learning activities in Nigeria except for private universities and secondary schools that swiftly switched to virtual learning platforms. It also illuminated the digital divide between the Nigerian student and his counterparts in other climes. COVID-19 pandemic outbreak also offered an opportunity for the nation to realise the poor status of its educational system. Some of the major problems that have confronted the Nigerian education system, as revealed by this paper, include poor funding, inadequate and dilapidating infrastructure, inadequate teaching facilities, poor teachers’ welfare, poor research funding, poor quality of teachers, unconducive learning environment, and the like. The study recommends for the exhibition of sufficient political will by the political leadership for the transformation of the education system as well as the sustained commitment of other stakeholders such policymakers and educational administrators for the transformation of the system to give it its rightful place in our national life. © 2021. Lifescience Global