Tribal Crafts of Africa

Getting the numbers right in Africa--a tribal solution.

It often seems that the health care numbers and vital statistics in Africa are as hazy as the sun on the horizon. Medical statistics, for example, can come with staggering margins of error. The World Health Organization notes in “2011 World Health Statistics” that “there are considerable uncertainty ranges for many countries due to limitations in data availability, quality and timeliness. Uncer...

An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used in Villages under Jongilanga Tribal Council, Mpumalanga, South Africa

BACKGROUND Medicinal plants remain an integral part of the lives of people in rural areas. The aim of this study was to document information about the medicinal plants used by Shangaan people in villages under Jongilanga tribal council, Bushbuckridge municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants was conducted using a semi-s...

Spaces of change: tribal authorities in the former KaNgwane homeland, South Africa

South Africa’s democratic transition has had a significant impact upon localized governance systems in mediating development opportunities within the former apartheid homelands. This paper uses a case study from the former KaNgwane homeland to evaluate the role of the Matsamo Tribal Authority in shaping livelihoods and access to environmental resources. It is argued that although the colonial a...

A Political Ecological Analysis of the Pilanesberg National Park and the Lebatlane Tribal Reserve, South Africa

Rheumatoid arthritis in a tribal Xhosa population in the Transkei, Southern Africa.

An epidemiological survey of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was undertaken in a tribal Xhosa community in the Transkei of Southern Africa. 577 respondents aged 18 and over were examined clinically and of these, 549 were investigated radiologically and 482 serologically. The presence of RA was then assessed by means of a modification of the Rome criteria, as used in previous comparable surveys. The p...