What can we learn by comparing practices and customs in different societies around the world?
Photo credit: Britt Reints - Flickr
by Yalin Xin
The world is witnessing a downward spiral in the recent development in U.S.-China relations, a reality that is worrisome to many. The US strategy on China has shifted to one of competitiveness against China as a potential challenge to the international order and threat to the U.S. Under this strategy, the focus of attention is on the differences rather than opportunities for cooperation.
Read Moreby Yalin Xin
As the scale of war in Ukraine continues to escalate, reports of casualties and humanitarian disasters are causing global concerns. What is China’s response to the crisis so far? Could China play a constructive role that leads to a ceasefire? …
Roots of problems often lie deep in the historical, cultural, sociopolitical systems of the region, and thus constructive approach to address the pervasive problem and restore lasting peace calls for attention to all related spheres.
Read Moreby Yalin Xin
China will fulfill its NDC goals, basically, by 2030, peaking its emissions of carbon dioxide by 2030; lowering the carbon emissions by 65 percent compared with 2005 levels; raising the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to 25%; and increasing wind and solar power capacity to over 1,200 gigawatts), commit itself to working with all parties to promote the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Paris Agreement, and promote the building of a global community with a shared future.
Read MoreResources compiled by Timothy Skinner, MLS.
Read Moreby Yalin Xin
Some highlights from the August 30 US-China dialogue between the Center for China and Globalization and George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S. - China Relations. Positive and promising!
Read MoreBook review by Yalin Xin, Director of WCIUs Institute of China Studies.
Read Moreby Yalin Xin, PhD
These reports from WCIU’s Institute of China Studies are intended to give readers a chance to see China's own perspective on the China story. The fact is that often times valuable lessons are filtered out by Western political lenses.
Read MoreResources compiled by WCIU Reference Librarian, Timothy Skinner, MLS.
Read MoreResources compiled by WCIU Reference Librarian, Timothy Skinner, MLS.
Read Moreby Ouzerou Carlos Njoya, PhD student at WCIU’s sister university in Camaroon.
This investigation explores the impact of a digital learning environment on student motivation and success in comparison to the failure and success rates of students in traditional lecture halls at the University of Yaoundé (Cameroon). Quantitative statistical analysis of the data in this research shows that the majority of students are motivated to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), including computers and the Internet, for their training. This study has revealed that the use of ICTs has an impact on both the motivation and the success of certain learners in this institution.
A link to the full article in French is HERE.
Read Moreby Kalemba Mwambazambi
The spread of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa poses an enormous challenge for public health providers in countries that are already weakened by many other evils such as poverty, wars, corruption, social injustice, and political conflicts. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a drop of water in a bucket already overflowing. Within the context of African concepts of family, sexuality, and of the pandemic itself, this article analyzes the tasks of public health providers, communities, and government. It emphasizes the role of families and the church in stemming the exponential spread of this pandemic.
Read Moreby Kalemba Mwambazambi and Basua Ngandu Kahakatshi
This study addresses the tension between the church and Central African culture. It tackles the question of the necessary new modes of the presence of the church through the resolution of the tension between the gospel and the culture in order to empower the people in Central Africa in different areas. This article demonstrates that the first missionaries in Central Africa countries did not understand the culture of African people and simply rejected what they could not understand because it was considered as heathen. As a result, the first missionaries’ contempt for African worldview and their fundamental values led to proselytism. There is a need to rethink the missional tools used by the church in order to present the Word of God in the language and culture of the people of Central Africa. This can lead to a change of mentality that in turn can lead to holistic development. If these tensions can be resolved, the leadership of the church can work to end corruption and injustice by promoting biblical values through its members who are active agents in all spheres of the African community social structure.
Read MoreUncontrolled urbanization and urban sanitation in South Cameroon. The case of the Obili district in Yaoundé
by Samuel-Béni Ella Ella, Maître de Conférences, Département de Sociologie, FALSH, UY1 and Carole Alexis Ngassomo Emama, doctoral student
Article is in French. [Copy and paste into Google Translate to read one segment of this article at a time (3900 character limit per translation).]
Uncontrolled urbanization and urban cleaning up in South-Cameroon. The case study of “Obili”‘s quarter in the Yaoundé III Town”. The present interactionist research establishes a relationship between uncontrolled urbanization and urban cleaning up at the “Obili”‘s quarter of the Yaoundé III Subdivision Council. After a brief description of this popular quarter, the authors reveal the deep causes of this uncontrolled urbanization, which focus on the non-respect of urban planning and public health, the demographic growth and the deviancy of inhabitants. This uncontrolled urbanization, which is materialized through anarchical constructions without rights of ways and the general insalubrity, creates the urban disorder, the dirt illnesses, the growing insecurity and the promiscuity, which disturbs relations between neighbors.
Read Moreby Kenton Moody, WCIU PhD student
“To be honest, I think all of us are a little afraid,” said one of the pastors who had come to discuss the establishment of a transition house for gang members wanting to leave the gangs. A circle of Evangelical leaders sat around the table looking defeated and puzzled at the same time. “We’re here because we want to do something and don’t know what to do,” said another, “Fear has all of us paralyzed!”
The pastor could’ve been speaking for the large majority of the Salvadoran population. Fear is part of life in El Salvador, one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Like many Latin American countries, El Salvador’s history is rife with violence, dictatorships, coups, war, and economic instability. The country won its independence from Spain in 1821 and unsuccessfully tried uniting with neighboring countries to form a larger Central American union. With such a small land mass, El Salvador survived by single crop economies—first indigo and then coffee. Fourteen families, who were known as the oligarchy, controlled the politics and economy for most of the 20th and 21st centuries and still are part of the controlling political parties today (Boland 2001).
Read MoreInnovating in an African Catechism to Overcome the Superficiality of Faith: The Central African Case Paradigm
by Banga Anatole, PhD Student, Institut Universitaire de Développement International (IUDI)
This article is in French. Use Google Translate if necessary to read one section at a time (3900 character limit per translation)
The author writes about an absence of transformation in the lives of those who declare themselves Christians. The ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) raised many questions among which the biblical teachings or catechism that pioneer missionaries taught years ago to introduce Christianity in the country. During the current armed conflict, when Muslim rebels persecuted harshly Christians to the extreme and destroyed churches, one can observe the so-called Christians militias reacted in very evil ways against Muslims in the country. The use of witchcraft to protect oneself against bullets from enemies, the killing of innocent people in the name of Christ, and so on, were some of the images international medias and breaking news at that time portrayed as the misconduct of believers in CAR. Yet, it is widely known Central African Republic has the record of 80% Christians, and according to Operation World 52% are evangelicals. Are such mentioned above testimonies the confirmation of the saying “in Africa churches are one mile length and one inch deep”?
When reflecting about that problem, we may find the root in the lack of anthropological knowledge at the time missionaries arrived and also their misinterpretation of the African peoples’ culture. The gospel was modeled according to a western point of view and didn’t deal according to the local context. Today, on the one hand, souls are saved every day, churches are planted every month, and statistics astonish us every year. But on other hand, there is no transformation of African societies. Poverty has prospered, wars are waging over the continent. We are suggesting an African catechism to overcome the problem. Such catechism will take in consideration the oral tradition of the people, the cultural context of the nation, the wide range of stories in use in the traditional societies for teaching, the community way of living of African people, as well as socioeconomic realities.
Read Moreby Moussa Bongoyok
The article in French, on “Living the Good News in an African Context,” demonstrates that being a Gospel Ambassador in a deeply wounded Africa is not an easy task. The diversity of this continent and the multiplicity of evils that undermine it can add to the complexity of the task. … To walk in the footsteps of Christ and the apostles is to help fellow humans to better understand and transcend their suffering, which unfortunately penetrates all spheres of social life and touches the human being in his body, mind and soul.
Read Moreby Jim Harries
As a champion for the Luo people, I am aware of sensitive information that outside speakers are not able to know about. To Interpret or Not to Interpret African Customs to Westerners? Sometimes I agonize over what to say or not say. Sometimes I am with other Westerners in African contexts. Should I tell other Westerners when they do things wrong? Are there even wrong ways of doing things? Why should I care whether they say or do silly things? Who am I to speak to them?
Read Moreby Brett Molter
This article applies face-negotiation theory (“saving face”) to conflict situations in Senegal, West Africa..
Read MoreResources compiled by WCIU Librarian, Timothy Skinner, MLS
Read MoreResources compiled by Timothy Skinner, MLS
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