Islam, Polygyny and Modern Contraceptive Use in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa

Polygyny and women's health in sub-Saharan Africa.

In this paper we review the literature on the association between polygyny and women's health in sub-Saharan Africa. We argue that polygyny is an example of "co-operative conflict" within households, with likely implications for the vulnerability of polygynous women to illness, and for their access to treatment. We begin with a review of polygyny and then examine vulnerability to sexually trans...

The Archaeology of Islam in Sub-saharan Africa

A New Generation of Physicians in Sub-Saharan Africa?; Comment on “Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians”

This commentary follows up on an editorial by Eyal and colleagues in which these authors discuss the implications of the emergence of non-physician clinicians (NPCs) on the health labour market for the education of medical doctors. We generally agree with those authors and we want to stress the importance of clarifying the terminology to describe these practitioners and of defining more formall...

Abortion and contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa: how women plan their families.

Based on available evidence, this review article posits that contemporary use of abortion in sub-Saharan Africa often substitutes for and sometimes surpasses modern contraceptive practice. Some studies and some data sets indicate that this occurs not only among adolescents but also within older age groups. In several sub-Saharan cities, particularly where contraceptive use is low and access to ...

Islam and Cultural Changes in Modern Africa

Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion and at its present rate of expansion it will soon be the predominant religion of mankind. This is not a new or unexpected statistic, however it is something that is slowly making people re-examine their understanding of a religion of which many remain ignorant. Some are taking positive step, and by educating themselves they are discovering the truth...