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OSSREA National Chapters' Activities
OSSREA Botswana Chapter Elects New Management Committee
OSSREA Botswana Chapter has witnessed a momentous transition in its management. It has elected a new Management Committee. The election, which was held under the auspices of the Administrator, Faculty of Social Sciences from 25 to 26 January 2005, culminated in the election of Dr. Josephine Ndaba as the new Liaison Officer. She replaces Professor Apollo Rwomire who has retired. The other office bearers of the branch are: Dr. Tapologo Maundeni as General Secretary, and Dr. Ernst Kitindi as Treasurer. Substantively and procedurally, the election conformed to all criteria and rules of the democratic electoral process. It was free and fair. Congratulations are due to the successful candidates.
OSSREA Ethiopia Chapter Activities
The Chapter organised a panel discussion under the theme, “Gender and Democracy in Ethiopia”. The discussion was opened by Dr. Bekele Gutema (Dean of College of Social Science). Dr. Habtamu Wondimu, who also chaired the discussion, made the welcoming speech. The panelists were:
A. Dr. Hirut Terefe – On Human Rights and Violence in Ethiopia
B. Dr. Gebru Mersha – On Gender and Democracy
C. Ato Beker Hadji – On Gender and Development
D. Mrs. Rahel Leslie – On Women and Culture (absent)
The panel discussion was attended by about 120 students, Addis Ababa University staff and others.
Twelve papers were presented at the National Workshop held from 3-4 December 2004 at the Ghion Hotel.
The Workshop was attended by about seventy members and invited guests. It was opened by the keynote speech and opening addresses of Dr. Regina G. M. Karega (Executive Committee President of OSSREA), Dr. Asmelash Beyene, and Professor Endashaw Bekele (the Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Programmes of Addis Ababa University). The welcoming speech was made by Dr. Habtamu Wondimu, the Liaison Officer of the Chapter, and the closing speech was made by Prof. Bahiru Zewde, Resident Vice President of OSSREA.
The papers presented were the following.
a. Elections and the Political Processes in Ethiopia, by Demissie Fantaye;
b. Federalism and Conflict Management in Ethiopia: Implications, by Kassaye Amare;
c. Ethnicity, Democracy and Governance in Ethiopia, by Markos Tekle;
d. Anyuaa-Surma Conceptions of Ethnicity, Power, Governance and Human Rights, by Bayeleyegn Tassew;
e. Academic Freedom and Accountability in Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions, by Firdissa Jebessa;
f. Gender, Culture and Education: An Alternative Approach to Enhance Girls Enrolment, by Dr. Wanna Leka;
g. Influence of Parents Over Their Respective Genders: Analysis Based on Oromo Proverbs, by Kebede Hordofa;
h. The Politics of Famine and the Right to Food in Ethiopia, by Alexander A. Vadala;
i. The Roles of Cooperatives in Promoting Democratic Culture in the Tigray Region, by Dr. Veerkumaran & Mengistu Hailu;
j. The Influence of Culture on Gender and Education in Ensaro and Wayou Woreda, North Showa, by Getachew Lemma;
k. Landmine Challenges to Development in Ethio-Eriterea Border, by Gemeda Aleme;
l. HIV/AIDS Epidemic and the Consequences of the Socioeconomic Development of Ethiopia, by Shimeles Gizaw.
The Chapter’s General Assembly took place on 4 December 2004, immediately after the completion of the Workshop. It was attended by about thirty members.
Work Plan for 2005 and Beyond
The following major activities of the Chapter are planned.
1. Round-table or Panel discussion on a theme to be decided by the Liaison Committee;
2. Annual National conference on one of the themes, such as “culture and human rights, migration, settlement, HIV/AIDS and the youth, multilingualism and challenges of unity, ethnicity and conflict management”. The conference will be held in August or September 2005 in Addis Ababa;
3. Search for the possibilities of publishing and disseminating at least one of the following proceedings:
A. Indigenous Knowledge System in Ethiopia (First workshop, 2000)
B. Conflict in the Horn: Prevention and Resolution (Second workshop, 2001)
C. Good Governance and Development (Fifth workshop, 2004)
The OSSREA Mauritius Chapter, which also has responsibility for Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, is planning to organise its second regional conference. Its first and inaugural regional conference was held in May 2004.
One of the aims of the Mauritius Chapter is to build a strong information and research network among the Indian Ocean islands, and in the process, to transfer the necessary 'autonomy' to each of the islands for which it currently is responsible. Hence, the Mauritius Chapter is planning to organise its second regional conference in Seychelles on the following theme: "The Role and Importance of Social Science Research in the Production of Knowledge". The proposed conference will take place either at the end of May 2005 or early June 2005.
The launch of the 'Conference Proceedings for the Media and Democracy in an Age of Transition' held in May 2004 is scheduled for the end of February 2005. The final workshop for the Mauritian Reader: Mauritius at the Crossroads - Continuity and Change (co-edited by Dr. Sheila Bunwaree and Dr. Roukaya Kasenally) is also planned for mid March 2005 and the draft report of will be sent to OSSREA. In addition, there will be an OSSREA Awareness Day, which aims to set up recruitment and promote OSSREA’s various publications.
OSSREA Mozambique Chapter 2nd National Workshop
The main activity of the Mozambique Chapter was the 2nd National Workshop that took place in Quelimane, from 28 to 29 September 2004, under the topic, “The Social Sciences in the Fight against HIV/AIDS in Mozambique". This was a two-days workshop and was attended by sixty-eight participants, among whom were representatives of the provincial government, six NGO’s, the National Council of HIV/AIDS, academic community, civil society, and university students.
The importance of the topic relates to the fundamental role of social sciences in making people aware of the problems caused by HIV/AIDS as well as contributing to a gradual change in attitude and mentality regarding concerns such as HIV/AIDS. In Mozambique, the average life expectancy, which recently has already reached 47.3 years for women and 43.4 for men, will further decrease to an average of about 35.9 years, because of AIDS in 2010, (Agenda 2025, 2003:31). This alarming statistics is more than revealing of the need for urgent preventive measures that will help reduce such high indexes of infection.
Located in the central region of the country, Quelimane is where the average incidence of HIV/AIDS in the Mozambique is above 12.2%. The relevance of Quelimane City for the workshop is related to the following key points:
For the past year or so, and principally because Mozambique was the presiding country for the African Union, Maputo welcomed an infinite number of international and national events;
(ii) Specifically pertaining to the topic of the workshop, Maputo has also hosted a number of events on HIV/AIDS;
(iii) All other cities and provinces of the country have very limited opportunities to hold seminars dedicated to HIV/AIDS, and Zambézia-Quelimane is one of them;
(iv) OSSREA cannot of course cover all needs of the country; but in Zambézia– Quelimane we have an outstanding representation, which we call the Moz-OSSREA Provincial Delegation hosted by Polytechnic and Academic Higher Institute, ISPU, the biggest private University in the country;
(v) The realization of this event in Quelimane has shown that Moz-OSSREA representation has national programmes that are not confined to Maputo and the Eduardo Mondlane University.
The 2nd National Workshop discussed fourteen papers, whose quality has strongly contributed to raising awareness of the theme, and to finding solutions to the problems that occur because of HIV/AIDS. Among the topics that were focused were the following:
· The relationship between HIV/AIDS and maternal mortality rates in the Zambézia province;
· The contribution of the Brazilian experience with anti-retroviral for the treatment of HIV/AIDS infections in Mozambique;
· Statistics of HIV/AIDS infections in the central region of Mozambique;
· “Traditional medicine” and HIV/AIDS;
· Condom: An economic problem or a question of African mentality?
Participation in OSSREA competitions
In 2004, one Mozambique candidate was awarded a Junior OSSREA Research Grant on Social Science – 2004. Another participated in the Regional Methodology Workshop held in Addis Ababa in October 2004.
OSSREA Somalia National Chapter
The Somali National Chapter is planning activities to strengthen the participation of Somali scholars in this year’s grant competition opportunities provided by OSSREA. These activities include:
I. Promoting OSSREA’s activities
In campaigns to promote OSSREA’s various research grant competitions, OSSREA’s promotional posters and pamphlets were distributed to various educational institutions, local universities and research centers. In addition to the distribution, the National Chapter organized two meetings for chapter members and local scholars. These sessions were aimed at disseminating information on the various OSSREA competitions and to encourage the participation of as many scholars as possible.
The following mechanisms will be used to promote the various grant competitions:
Continue the dissemination of on-going research grants information from OSSREA;
b. Facilitate and coordinate OSSREA’s programme for young scholars through distribution of brochures and other related documents;
c. Assist young scholars in their understanding of research methodologies applicable to their chosen social science research themes;
d. Provide advice to young scholars to send safely their research proposals to OSSREA headquarter in Addis Ababa prior to expiry date.
The promotional campaigns undertaken by the National Chapter resulted in an increase in the number of candidates that participated in the various OSSREA grant competitions for this year. Over ten applications were submitted in the various grant Competitions this year.
Despite the serious efforts by the national chapter to get applicants to the various OSSREA grants, no one has been accepted into the research grants for 2004. Members of the national chapter have discussed this problem and are working on improving the package delivery system between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa.
II. The national workshop for Somalia
This year the Somali National Chapter held its national workshop for the Somali scholars in the country. The goal of the workshop was to bring together local academicians and researchers and to facilitate an opportunity for them to discuss pertinent issues affecting the country. The workshop was held from 17 - 18 August 2004.
The theme selected for this year’s National Workshop was: Impact of the Prolonged Civil War in Somalia: Causes, Consequences and Implications for the future rebuilding of the Nation.
Seven papers were presented by various Somali scholars and practitioners. The topics of the presentations were:
Civil war impacts on Somali sports, by Eng. Mohed Elmi Gure
Poverty indicators in Somalia, by Hussein Elmi Gure
Problems encountered by Somali women during the civil war, by Khadra Isse
Education in Somalia, by Tahliil Osman
Conflict resolution approaches in Somalia, by Moh’ed Farah
Road safety and travel security in Somalia, Dr. Ali Mohed Yusuf
Women’s improvement in political participation, by Moh’ed Abdirashiid Kusow
III. Workshop Participation
The national workshop was well attended. Over two hundred participants took part in the two-day discussions. Most of the attendees were from the various educational institutions in Mogadishu. Lecturers and students from the local universities and institutes participated in the chapter’s national workshop. In addition, prominent individuals from the civil society and other professionals were in attendance. These participants contributed to the discussions.
IV. Review workshop presentations
After the conclusion of each presentation, discussions followed comments and questions regarding each individual presenter. The discussions provided the presenters with useful feedback on how to improve their papers. The presenters are now revising their papers by incorporating the suggestions from the discussions. The revised papers will be submitted to the workshop organizing committee by mid February 2005. Once all the papers are collected by the national chapter, they will be forwarded to OSSREA headquarters for publishing.
V. Constraints
The major constraints faced while implementing the above-mentioned activities include:
· There are no academic associations which can easily be contacted to disseminate workshop information to national scholars, and other academicians interested in research.
· Many of the academicians in Somalia are working under difficult circumstances to meet their basic family needs; as a result, they are unable to dedicate the time necessary for serious academic research.
· Lack of research facilities and the absence of libraries for updated reference materials are major constraints for local researchers.
· The absence of academic research training facilities in the country, following the collapse of the Somali state in early 1991, undermines the development of local research capacity in the country. This serious constraint reduces potential number of individuals that can engage in academic research and weakens the quality of research products.
VI. Plans for 2005
The National Chapter is planning a series of meetings to assess the activities of the Chapter last year and to plan for the activities of 2005. Some members have already proposed that the chapter organize a ‘Research Training Workshop’ for chapter members and other local scholars to enhance their research skills.
OSSREA Tanzania Chapter Holds Its 6th National Workshop
The 6th National Workshop, which was scheduled for 16-17 December 2004, was held as planned at the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) Conference Hall in Dar es Salaam.
The theme of the workshop was: “Sustainable Development and Enviroment: some emerging issues and solutions”. The opening was made by Professor Mayunga Nkunya, the Chief Academic Officer, University of Dar es Salaam. Twelve papers were presented covering the following four sub-themes:
1. Concept paper: “Sustainable Development and the Environment: State of the Art”, by Dr. A. Komba
Sub-theme 1: Politics, Participation, Poverty and Public Policy:
2. “The Politics of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources: The Case of Wildlife in Tanzania”, by Dr. A. Mvungi
3. “Conservation of Natural Resources in Developing Countries: Towards Involving the Poor”, by Dr. E. Dungumaro
4. “Sustaining the Environment Under Poverty Conditions: What Difference Public Policies Make?, by Dr. A. Komba
Sub-theme 2: Gender Dimensions
5. “Environmental Crisis in Rural Tanzania: Participatory Gender-based Approach”, by Professor I. Shao
6. “Women and Sustainable Development in Tanzania: Implications for Institutional and Policy Changes”, by Mr. A. Mwita and Mr. E. Kwayu.
Sub-theme 3: Case Studies in Sustainable Development
7. “Towards Sustaining Land-use Systems: Environment and the Land User in Mid-North- Eastern Tanzania”, by Mr. M. Hambati and Professor W. Rugumamu
8. “Impact of Tree-Planting on the Livelihood of Communities in Unguja, Zanzibar”, by Mr E. Mhache
Sub-theme 4: Indigenous Knowledge Systems
9. “The Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge in Sustaining Agricultural Production: The Case of Iraqw Farming Systems in Mama Isara Tanzania”, by Dr. E. Liwenga and Mr. J. Lyimo
10. “Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Farming Systems in Tanzania: What Does the System Mean in Mvomero and Morogoro Districts”, by Mr. A. Makauki and Mr. J. Itika
11. “Local Knowledge and Its Role in Sustainable Agriculture in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania: A Case of the Matengo Pit-Cultivation System of Mbinga District”, by Dr. A. Kangalawe and Mr. J. Lyimo
12. “Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Sustainable Development: Some Lessons from the Maasai”, by Mr. E. Chiwanga
The discussants initiated lively deliberations on the papers presented. The workshop was attended by forty people. At the end of the second day, i.e. 17 December, the Chapter members held their Annual General Meeting.