Suchergebnisse

Using the representations of the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the media, this article retrieves the Cathedral's role in public life in Zambian church history in order to tease out its significance in post-independence Zambia. In drawing on a case study and social capital theory, the article shows that the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, as a pre-independence religious building, was represented as a national house of worship, a heritage site and a political shrine. By this, it was a national worship space that played a role in hosting functions of varied nature, and a symbol of religious heritage. As a political shrine, the Cathedral was a space for guiding the nation and fostering reconciliation in the critical political moments of the country. These representations not only revealed the dynamics of the church's role, but also closely aligned to the Cathedral's social capital in public life through the intersection of the church and state relations in post-independence Zambia. The article argues that the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, although not a popular aspect of Zambian contemporary church history, was a religious, material cultural site and a space that allowed the church to contribute to post-independence church history in the country.

Studies on the public role of religion in Zambia have largely concentrated on the history of Christianity in the third republic when political expressions of religious beliefs became more apparent. Christianity was firmly embedded in the Zambian society at independence and its mission-educated leaders fully understood the importance of the consent and blessings of the churches (Ter Haar 1992) This article explores the role of the Roman Catholic Church in Zambia's political independence (1890 to 1964). This is because the impression that Christian missionaries (henceforth simply referred to as missionaries) in Africa supported colonial rule is pervasive and historians as well as students of mission history seem to have taken it for granted that missionaries were agents of colonialism. Using a qualitative document review approach that thematically analyzes the relevant data, the article shows that the Catholic Church, which from the 1990s to the present has been championing human rights and democracy in Africa, is not exempted from this 'charge'. As Haynes (1996:53) pointed out, 'mainstream Christian bodies were initially opposed to, then skeptical and finally won round to the idea of African independence'. The article positions the Roman Catholic Church in the political affairs of Zambia amid its apolitical claims. The article advances the argument that the Church contributed to Zambia's political development (here taken to mean the emergence of national sovereignty) directly and indirectly through the provision of education, health and pastoral services and the publication of pastoral letters though not to say it never erred. The article further points out the lost opportunities for the Church and draws lessons for 21st century Zambia.

One of the current critical issues in higher education in Africa and globally is about making student loans available in a sustainable and cost-effective manner. The argument is more complicated for Africa because of the complexities associated with loan schemes and the general austerity that African countries find themselves in. This article presents a case study and conceptualizes the scenario of shifting government bursaries to a student loan scheme in Zambia's higher education sector. Based on student views (N=729) and international experience, the article presents student reactions to the announcement of the implementation of the loan scheme in Zambia. Other issues explored in detail include cost-effectiveness and sustainability, loan conditionalities and forms of assistance to poor students. The article also highlights, and provokes policymakers with, questions on student loan schemes based on international experience. These are related to the modalities of who bears the ultimate risks; when and how to make the recoveries; and difficulties associated with "means testing" for would-be beneficiaries. The article uses quantitative methodological perspectives, in which "descriptive statistics" and "factor analysis" are employed. The major finding is that Zambian students are not opposed to the introduction of the student loan scheme, instead they see it as a cost-effective way of assisting students from a vulnerable background. The article strongly recommends exploring in detail the situation in other countries, so that all strengths and weaknesses are identified and carefully considered, before implementing the scheme. Un des problèmes les plus importants pour l'enseignement supérieur aujourd'hui en Afrique et dans le monde est de mettre à disposition des étudiants des systèmes de prêts qui soient durables et rentables. Le débat est particulièrement compliqué en Afrique à cause de la complexité des systèmes de prêts et de l'austérité générale à laquelle sont confrontés les pays africains. ...

What is development? Who defines that one community/ country is "developed", while another community/ country is "under-developed"? What is the relationship between religion and development? Does religion contribute to development or underdevelopment in Africa? These and related questions elicit quite charged reactions in African studies, development studies, political science and related fields. Africa's own history, including the memory of marginalisation, slavery and exploitation by global powers ensures that virtually every discussion on development is characterised by a lot of emotions and conflicting views. In this volume scholars from various African countries and many different religions and denominations contribute to this debate.