This paper examines the role and evolution of Native Medical Auxiliaries (NMAs) in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, during British colonial rule between the 1920s and 1960s. It argues that NMAs were not merely subordinates within the colonial medical system but active agents who negotiated and blended Western medical practices with indigenous healing knowledge. Drawing on archival records and oral histories, the paper finds that NMAs filled critical gaps in healthcare delivery, particularly in rural areas, while simultaneously preserving local therapeutic traditions. By applying Local Agency Theory, the paper highlights the NMAs’ strategic engagement with colonial structures and their contribution to shaping hybrid medical spaces. The paper challenges Eurocentric narratives in colonial medical history by centering African agency and knowledge production.
This paper critically examines the assertion that feminism is a Western import and incompatible with African cultures by demonstrating that African women have participated in activism and liberation struggles prior to the emergence of the term ‘feminism’. Although the term ‘feminism’ did not originate within African societies, it was subsequently adopted to describe these longstanding struggles. Through historical analysis and a review of existing literature, this study highlights that pre colonial African societies often afforded women considerable autonomy and leadership, which were later diminished by colonial and post-colonial patriarchal systems. The marginalisation of African women across the political, legal, and economic spheres is analysed alongside the resilience and resistance of some women’s movements prior and during colonisation. Drawing on evidence from various scholars, the paper demonstrates that women’s struggles for rights are not a recent phenomenon introduced by Western women, but are deeply rooted in African societies. The argument that labels feminism as ‘un-African’ erases African women’s experiences, and perpetuates patriarchal oppression. This study contributes to the existing literature by refuting claims that feminism is un-African, anti-men, disruptive, or a threat to African families; and affirms the significance of African feminism in addressing contemporary gender inequalities.
Guided by the social capital theory, this study systematically reviews empirical evidence on Christian leaders’ advocacy roles in HIV prevention across Southern Africa. The objective was to assess how different forms of social capital shape the effectiveness of faith-based HIV advocacy across the region. The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was conducted between January and June 2025, covering peer-reviewed studies published in English from 2001 to 2021. The eligible studies employed qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods; and explicitly examined Christian leaders’ HIV/AIDS advocacy within Southern African contexts. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was appraised using the mixed methods appraisal tool (2018), with most studies rated moderate to high quality. The findings indicate that prevention and behaviour change initiatives rooted in bonding social capital within congregations represent the most consistent and impactful dimension of Christian HIV advocacy. Dense, trust-based pastoral networks were associated with improved HIV awareness, reduced stigma, strengthened caregiving practices, and enhanced treatment adherence. In contrast, community engagement, partnerships with public health actors, and policy advocacy broadened reach through bridging and linking social capital; but yielded more variable outcomes, often constrained by limited technical capacity, donor dependency, and structural inequalities. Overall, faith-based HIV advocacy is most effective when inclusive and trust-based relationships are strategically aligned with biomedical knowledge. The study concludes that strengthened theological engagement, targeted clergy training, and equitable collaboration with public health stakeholders are essential to enhance sustainability and structural impact.
This study explores the ethnobiology of the Raute nomads in Nepal, a dwindling hunter-gatherer group facing threats from modernisation, deforestation, and sedentarisation policies. Despite growing ethnobiological research on indigenous knowledge, there remains a scholarly gap in integrated analyses of how nomadic practices like hunting, craftsmanship, and migration interlink to promote sustainability, particularly in South Asian contexts. Drawing on six weeks of ethnographic fieldwork with a single Raute community (n=15 key informants via purposive sampling for interviews; 3 focus groups of 6-8 participants via convenience sampling), this research employs participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions to address this gap. Findings reveal that the Raute's selective hunting (e.g., targeting macaques and langurs seasonally with traditional tools), sustainable craftsmanship (e.g., using fast-regenerating species like Bombax ceiba), and adaptive migration patterns maintain ecological balance and biodiversity. However, external pressures endanger these practices. The study contributes to ethnobiology by demonstrating how traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) can inform modern conservation strategies, advocating for inclusive policies that preserve nomadic lifeways amid globalisation and climate change.
Ecosystem-based approach that integrates floods and environmental risk management is believed to reduce flood disaster risk while providing socio-economic and environmental benefits to floodplain occupants. This study examined the socio-economic and environmental benefits of the ecosystem-based approach in managing flood disaster risk in the Little Ruaha River Basin in the southern highlands of Tanzania. The study involved 157 participants and employed the mixed research design to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Semi-structured interviews, in-depth interviews, direct field observation and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect primary data, whereas documentary review was used to collect secondary data. Findings revealed that communities in the study area adopted different ecosystem-based practices for reducing flood disaster risk. These included afforestation, wetlands conservation, agroforestry and river dredging. The study further found that ecosystem-based practices conserved soil, offered physical protection against floods, provided income, improved food security, provided building materials and fodder. As a result, households’ resilience to the effects of floods was improved. The study recommends the government and the private sector to support local communities in terms of resources, awareness raising and training in order to sustain ecosystems for enhanced resilience against flood disaster risks.
