Abstract
In this review of Tsitsi Dangarembga's "Nervous Conditions", the author of the paper shows how the theme of African identity and culture is woven through the storyline. The paper investigates the importance of the narrators and women in the book, themes and the relevance of the story.

From the Paper
"With any story, the meaning within the story does not have impact unless we care about the character. Tambu is the main character that we care about in the novel. She engages the reader into the story because we want to know about her, we want to know about her struggle and we want to know why that struggle has occurred. The only way to learn of that struggle, is to learn about the culture and so the reader, while reading the novel, attempts to understand the culture. "

Tags:Nyasha, Tambu, women

From the Paper
"This study will provide a summary of Colin M. Turnbull's The Forest People: A Study of the Pygmies of the Congo. Turnbull has a deep respect for the Pygmies of the Ituri Forest in the Congo after living with them for years, and his emphasis in the book is on life as seen, experienced and loved by the Pygmies themselves:


This book tries to convey something of the lives and feelings of a people who live in a forest world, something of their intense love for that world and their trust in it. It is a world that will soon be gone forever, and with it the people (5).


Turnbull wants to show the reader how the people themselves feel about their world, the forest, the sounds, the animal and plant life, their culture, their practices, social system and beliefs. Outsiders---even villagers who live near the forest--..."

Abstract
This is a serious look at the way women are treated in Kenya. The paper goes out to explain the various consequences and types of Female Gentalia Mutilation . It also tries to justify why the practice is still carried out through the eyes of the traditional people. . The author argues that there is a need for strong outreach, education at the grassroots and family life education: that involves the communities and addresses the main reasons to discontinue the practice. This should be done in compromise but not by attacking the practicing few.

From the Paper
"According to the Kenya demographic Health Survey (KDHS), female circumcision is the partial or complete cutting away of a woman's external genitalia. While the practice is thought to be a cultural tradition in Kenya, KDHS says its origin and underlying cultural rational is not clearly understood. It is commonly referred to as female circumcision mostly to imply that it is similar to male circumcision. However, the degree of cutting is more extreme and often impairs a woman's sexual and reproductive functions. It is because of this that the name female genital mutilation is starring."

Tags:circumscision, clitoridectomy, passage, rights, rite, womanhood, women

Abstract
This paper looks at the findings from the site Olduvai Gorge. Despite the many years since the first discoveries, Olduvai remains an extremely important archaeological site. Debate over the significance of the Olduvai artifacts continues and new information may be revealed as new archaeological analysis techniques come into use.

From the Paper
"Olduvai Gorge has been described as the most important Palaeolithic site in Africa (Bray, 1970). Excavations of Olduvai, by Drs. Mary and Louis Leakey after 1931 [although conducted by Hans Reck prior to this (Ecco Homo, 1986)] unearthed a treasure of hominid fossils and stone tools (Potts, 1988). Oduvai has influenced views on evolution and shaped our ideas about the origins of human hunting and gathering (as well as cultural learning) behaviours. (Potts, 1988). Discoveries at Olduvai also include faunal remains, living floors and what is probably the oldest known human structure (Leakey, 1971)."

Tags:archeology

Abstract
In his ethnography "The Forest People," Colin Turnbull has done an excellent job of providing details of the different aspects of the BaMbuti. This essay gives a descriptive analysis of three cultural traits of the BaMbuti's culture from a functionalist perspective. The three topics discussed in this paper include politics, economics, and religion. There are many examples that could be included within each topic; however, for the purpose of this paper, it focuses mainly on one particular example for each section.

From the Paper
"With regards to political organization, the BaMbuti is a tightly knit hunter-gatherer tribe that has its own unique set of checks and balances. From a structural-functionalist perspective, peoples of the BaMbuti have no formal political authority; there are neither formal written laws, nor law enforcement agencies needed in the BaMbuti's relatively simple social structure. To the BaMbuti, cooperation is key concerning decisions affecting the group as a whole (Turnbull 124)."

Tags:figureheads, Belgian, Epulu, hunter

Abstract
This paper explains that, although purpose of this epic book, "Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali", is to tell a story for entertainment, it also teaches about the history of Africa, proving that Africa does have a history, and it does have culture and adventure. The author points out that the theme of religion is complicated by the references to both animal gods and magical powers and to Islam. The paper relates that the book depicts a male-oriented society in Western Africa, where women are the child care givers and tend the animals and the gardens, while men are the hunters, managers of family matters, and keepers of the structure of the house.

From the Paper
"Having more than one wife is another aspect of the gender culture in their ancient society. Polygamy was practiced amongst the kings in this book. Sogolon and her children lived in an old hut outside of the palace because the queen mother Sassouma Berete kicked them out after the king died. Against the king's wishes, her son Dankaran Touman was proclaimed king instead of Sundiata. Having many wives created a conflict when more than boy was born by more than one of the king's wives. The king's first wife was bitterly jealous and was the reason for Sogolon and her children having to go into exile. The queen mother took on almost a male gender role in this story because she wanted her son to the king."

Tags:men, women, islam, history, king

Abstract
In this essay, the subject of contraceptives in Kenya is discussed. This includes why Western medicine will not work in a society that basis wealth on the size of the family, the lack of understanding on both parties involved, the failure of family planning programs and the lack of follow up procedures. Before seeing the western trend of smaller families as the ideal, the paper argues that one must look at the notion of children as a form of wealth in the African family. Children remain valuable assets, even when the family is faced with economic hardship. Furthermore, in advance of implementing western knowledge of contraception, both sides must be educated in each others levels of understanding. Finally, to be educated, these women must have adequate resources. If high fertility rates want to be lowered, than there needs to be access to knowledgeable programs.

From the Paper
"The West fails on the absence of understanding why these contraceptives are unavailable, and when they are, why the Africans do not use them. The lack of understanding falls on the East when one realizes that they have no education on contraceptive issues. Absence of understanding of the African culture plays a part in the misconceptions of a high fertility rate."

Tags:africa, anthropology, birth, contraception, control, education, third, women, world

From the Paper
"Trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness, is widely regarded as the disease afflicting the poorest of the poor. Endemic to Eastern and Central Africa, trypanosomiasis is currently experiencing a dramatic resurgence in Sudan, Uganda, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. After running the results of the survey through statistical analysis software, the researchers were able to cross analyze different factors such as proximity to tsetse flies (the vector for this disease), daily farming or fishing activities and involvement in civil war to determine which variables were most responsible for the outbreak (Moore, 1999). The results showed that while, statistically, there was no direct relationship between the spread of trypanosomiasis and the existence of war within a country, civil unrest had been indirectly responsible for helping the disease get out of control once again."

Tags:disease, health, strife, tropical

Abstract
This paper examines the causes of the decline of the ancient Egyptian civilization and argues that a number of factors played a role. Among these are a shift from economic prosperity to poverty, the weakening power of the pharaoh (related to the rise of the priesthood and royal instability) and continuous warfare with neighbouring societies.

From the Paper
"From the Egyptian state's origins in the Old Kingdom, circa 2575 B.C., it flourished in relative isolation from other civilizations. It was protected by the Mediterranean in the north, the desert in the east and west, and by an "ethnic frontier" in the south (Adams, 1984, p. 38). During this time of remoteness, the Egyptian state built complex pyramid structures, developed a unique religion and established a political system based on the supremacy of the pharaoh and a hereditary bureaucracy (Fagan, 2004, p. 385). However, the prosperity and stability of the Old Kingdom (circa 2575 to 2180 B.C.) could not last forever, and since several succeeding pharaohs lacked leadership Egypt entered a period in which the central power of the government declined and local leaders became independent rulers within their own territories (Fagan, 2004, p. 389). In conjunction with this decline in power, came a prolonged drought cycle, but this led to improvements in agriculture and eventually to a rapid increase in population, though famines continued to strike for over three hundred years. Trade networks were vastly expanded during the Middle Kingdom (2134 to 1640 B.C.) and parts of the desert lands of Nubia were conquered, the first signs of imperial ambitions (Fagan, 2004, p. 390). The second intermediate period, occurring between 1640 and 1530 B.C., brought political instability and economic disorder to Egypt once again. However, in the same way that the first intermediate period brought improvements to the Egyptian civilization, this new period of instability brought several innovations that preserved Egypt's role in the eastern Mediterranean world (Fagan, 2004, p. 391). The New Kingdom, 1530 to 1070 B.C., brought with it periods of extensive wealth, an expansive empire, and political stability, though these qualities were quickly dissolved with the last of the long-lived pharaohs Rameses III (Fagan, 2004, p. 391; Ibid, p. 395). The last years of the Egyptian dynasties were marked by a "succession of short-lived, sometimes competing and generally unremarkable kings" (Rice, 1997, p. 1980). After this time political weakness opened the door to the rapidly evolving civilizations crowding Egypt's borders. By about 1000 B.C. the country was bankrupt and the influence of other ancient civilizations, Assyrians and Persians followed by the Greeks, came to dominate the Nile Valley (Clayton, 1994, p. 173). The decline of the Egyptian civilization resulted from the complex interplay of several factors including economic conditions, a weakening of the pharaohs? power, and warfare with other complex societies."

Tags:africa, ancient, anthropology, archaeology, civilization, decline, east, egypt, history, middle, pharaoh, societies

Abstract
This paper examines culture, society, and gender roles in Chinua Achebe's novel about survival of native clans in pre-colonial societies along the Niger River in "Things Fall Apart". The author discusses how Igbo tribal members dealt with gender restrictions.

From the Paper
"Achebe's use of the motif "agbala" in Things Fall Apart showed the importance of clear and distinct gender roles to the survival of the Igbo. In spite of Okonkwo's profound fear of being seen as weak or womanly, most men in the male dominated society still accorded respect toward women. The roles were re-enforced among the Igbo through conscious identification with one's own gender, by the religious structure and the social mores. The language, specifically the terms and phrases they used which were reflected in the narration, effectively integrated gender, religion and social mores to help the Igbo survive as a people."

Tags:achebe, chinua, igbo, okonkwo, women, gender, violence, respect, tribe, niger, obierka, wife, agbala