Africa Development is a quarterly bilingual journal. It is a social science journal with a major focus on issues that are central to the development of society. Its principal objective is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among African scholars from a variety of intellectual persuasions and various disciplines. The journal also encourages the submission of articles by other contributors working on Africa or those undertaking a comparative analysis of the developing world issues.
1 - The Petty Bourgeoisie in the Thought of Amilcar Cabral and Walter Rodney
Paper presented at the International Symposium in commemoration of the centenary of Cabral’s birth. Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau 9–12 September 2024 2023
2 - Indigenous African Knowledge and the Challenge of Epistemic Translation
Keynote Address presented at the 'African Fellowships for Research in Indigenous and Alternative Knowledges' (AFRIAK), conference organised by CODESRIA Dakar, Senegal, 25–27 November 2024
3 - Contract Farming and Multidimensional Poverty in Low-Income Countries
Poverty is prevalent among rural smallholder farmers in low-income countries. A substantial body of literature suggests that contract farming can enhance smallholders’ welfare by improving market access and promoting rural development. Existing studies usually focus on single welfare components and on a single crop, contract scheme or geographical area. ‘Big picture’ analyses remain scarce. We develop a new multidimensional poverty index and examine the relationship between contract farming and poverty in six low-income countries. We find that contract farming is associated with decreased poverty among smallholders in low-income countries. Yet, major differences appear between countries, indicating that the contract farming-welfare link is contingent on many national and regional factors. We also find that food-crop farming households are more likely to benefit from contract farming than if they farmed cash crops, which tend to be linked to global value chains by default. Since richer farmers can self-select into contracts and bargain better under market conditions, we argue that policy room exists to promote contract farming for low-resourced farmers in low-income countries.
4 - The Social Demands Behind the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis of 2016 and the Government’s Response
In 2016, some Anglophone civil society organisations and university students in Cameroon began to protest peacefully against the dominance of the French language and the Francophone system in English schools and courts. The protest was the culmination of over fifty years of frustration among those who accused the Francophone-dominated government of undermining Anglophone identity in a bicultural country that had, at independence, been a union between former British Southern Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroon. This paper posits that the Anglophone conflict is rooted both in the legacy of European colonisation in Africa and the flawed policies of the Ahidjo and Biya regimes. Both regimes manifested apparent blindness to the cherished colonial identity of Anglophones and violated protective provisions of the Federal Constitution that established the union. Although colonialism created an Anglophone minority, successive Francophone-led administrations neglected Cameroon’s biculturalism and bijuralism, leading to Anglophone marginalisation, disillusion, and protests. Current government attempts to resolve the conflict are flawed because they do not address the root structural causes of the conflict.
5 - From the Spectacular to Oral Spectacle
This article explores the use and adaption of oral spectacle in Zimbabwean film as an innovative measure in filmmaking using Tsitsi Dangarembga’s film, Everyone’s Child (1996) as a case study. Drawing on insights from speech act theory, this article examines filmmaking techniques that incorporate African indigenous storytelling techniques methods to engage the audience's imagination and represent spatialities. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, including critical discourse analysis and semiotic analysis, to analyse the selected film. The researchers explore the use of rich oral spectacle drawn from traditional African as a powerful and inexpensive alternative to expensive Western Hollywood-style spectacular special effects. This represents a radical innovation with both aesthetic and ideological implications. The findings establish that Zimbabwean filmmakers employ indigenous epistemologies that draw on traditional oral storytelling techniques to effectively replace physical representations and locations, such as landscapes. By centring their work on oral spectacle and drawing on narrative traditions, filmmakers are able to engage audiences in a more authentic, relatable and immersive experience of the stories they tell.
6 - Beyond Numbers: Unveiling the Subjective Well-Being of South Africa's Informal Sector Workers
The informal sector plays a modest but notable role in South Africa’s economy, but the living standards and financial circumstances of individuals in this sector often lead to prolonged entrapment. Despite these challenges, individuals employed in the informal sector exhibit average subjective well-being (SWB). Some studies have shown that the usual determinants of SWB have little impact on people employed in South Africa’s informal sector. This study aimed to confirm these findings by utilising a comprehensive dataset and concentrating on the informal sector as a whole. Employing an Ordered Probit model, we analysed the determinants of SWB in informal employment in South Africa using the merged Wave 5 (2017) dataset from the adult National Income Dynamics Study. The results revealed that only certain factors, including age, income, relative income, health status, and marital status, have a significant impact on SWB in the informal sector. Specifically, older age, lower health levels, above-average income, and experiences of divorce or separation are associated with a negative impact on SWB. Conversely, average income levels have a positive effect on SWB. We recommend targeted age-sensitive interventions, income enhancement programmes, as well as financial literacy and savings initiatives to help to improve the well-being of informal sector participants.
7 - Commissions of Inquiry: The Hybrid Hollowing Out of State Governance in South Africa
The release in mid-2022 of The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture Report brought the number of completed official commissions of inquiry (CoIs) since 2001 to twelve. Currently, there has been a substantial increase in the use and establishment of CoIs. This article contends that the establishment of CoIs in inappropriate circumstances should be seen as a disturbing practice by the African National Congress (ANC)-led government to outsource its political and institutional leadership role to quasi-legal arrangements like CoIs. This article uses Rational Choice Theory/ Choice Theory to examine the terms of reference of two recent CoIs. It then contends that there has been a marked decline in state capacity, and that appointing CoIs due to ANC political party decisions is a form of the hybrid ‘hollowing out of state governance’, which involves outsourcing governance and leadership to CoIs. This jeopardises the government’s ability to address socio-economic and institutional public policy problems. New government usage standards are needed to guide decisions on when it is indeed appropriate in South Africa to establish a CoI to examine and report on an important societal concern.
8 - Diamond Mining Conflicts in Tanzania: Community Perspectives and Implications
Tanzania is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of its natural resources, including its mines. In the mid-1980s, the government shifted its role from being the owner of mining companies to being the regulator and facilitator of mining. Despite these reforms, Tanzanians remain among the world’s poorest people. Of particular importance are ongoing conflicts between privately owned mining companies and impoverished surrounding communities. Using Action Research (AR) methodology, this study explored community perspectives of mining-related conflicts in order to devise long-term solutions. The key findings highlight the potential of AR to achieve relative peace between mining company operations and the surrounding communities. In this case, an AR intervention conducted in 2017 (with subsequent follow up visits from 2018 to 2023) empowered affected communities to express their perspectives on ongoing conflicts, foster ties with local journalists, and create an inclusive framework for participatory decision-making. This paved the way for affected communities to receive compensation from mining companies. In conclusion, this AR study has facilitated transformative learning that enabled participating communities to develop a thorough understanding of the challenges they face, communicate their perspectives, and take appropriate action to improve their situation. This AR project was able to address challenges that had not been effectively addressed since the 1940s.
Contents The Petty Bourgeoisie in the Thought of Amilcar Cabral and Walter Rodney Issa Shivji...........................................................................................................................1 Paper presented at the International Symposium in commemoration of the centenary of Cabral’s birth. Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau 9–12 September 2024 2023 Article présenté lors du Symposium international organisé en commémoration du centenaire de la naissance de Cabral.Cap-Vert et Guinée-Bissau, 9–12 septembre 20243 Indigenous African Knowledge and the Challenge of Epistemic Translation Zubairu Wai ...........................................................................................................................15 Keynote Address presented at the 'African Fellowships for Research in Indigenous and Alternative Knowledges' (AFRIAK), conference organised by CODESRIA. Dakar, Senegal, 25–27 November 2024 Discours d'ouverture présenté lors de la conférence sur 'Les bourses pour la recherche sur les savoirs autochtones et alternatifs en Afrique' (AFRIAK), organisée par le CODESRIA. Dakar, Sénégal, 25–27 novembre 2024 Contract Farming and Multidimensional Poverty in Low-Income Countries: An Analysis of Smallholder Farmers Simon Meister & Abel Gwaindepi ..............................................................................39 The Social Demands Behind the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis of 2016 and the Government’s Response: Exploring the Origins of Post-colonial Conflicts in Africa Lotsmart Fonjong & Joseph Takougang.....................................................................75 From the Spectacular to Oral Spectacle: Towards a New Paradigm for Creating the Mise-en-Scène in Zimbabwean Film James Gonese, Peace Mukwara, Batsirai Chivhanga & Nehemiah Chivandikwa .....................................................................101 Beyond Numbers: Unveiling the Subjective Well-Being of South Africa's Informal Sector Workers Ezli Durandt & Marinda Pretorius ........................................................................125 Commissions of Inquiry: The Hybrid Hollowing out of State Governance in South Africa TK Pooe..................................................................................................................................149 Diamond Mining Conflicts in Tanzania: Community Perspectives and Implications Rasel M. Madaha..............................................................................................................175