Making Money with Memories: The Fusion of Heritage, Tourism and Identity Formation in South Africa

English Since the advent of the post-apartheid period, South Africa has been preoccupied with the identification, celebration, re-assessment and, not least of all, commodification of “heritage”. This article explores the link between heritage, tourism and identity formation in the “new” South Africa. New monuments, statues and heritage projects are enthusiastically being promoted to become major tourist attractions in the emerging cultural and heritage tourism industry, thus resulting in development and poverty alleviation. Tourism is also expected to become the lifeline for existing older monuments, now often ideologically repositioned. This article investigates critically to what extent heritage tourism can indeed deliver on the high expectations vested in it. While some heritage developments are indeed very successful as tourist attractions, others face a range of problems and challenges. The article also cautions that it may be problematic when the commodification of heritage becomes too successful. Lastly, it is suggested that South Africa might draw some useful lessons from considering how other countries have dealt with similar issues.     Afrikaans Inkomste uit Herinneringe: Die Versmelting van Erfenis, Toerisme en Identiteitsvorming in Suid-Afrika Sedert die aanvang van die post-apartheidsera, is Suid-Afrika besig met die identifikasie, viering, herwaardering en (nie in die geringste mate van almal nie) die kommodifisering van die “erfenis”. Hierdie artikel ondersoek die verhouding tussen erfenis, toerisme en identiteitsvorming in die “nuwe” Suid-Afrika. Nuwe monumente, standbeelde en erfenisprojekte word met entoesiasme bevorder ten einde grootskaalse toeriste-attraksies in die ontluikende kulturele en erfenistoerisme-industrie te word, en sodoende die verligting van armoede te bewerkstellig. Die verwagting word ook geskep dat toerisme die lewenslyn van bestaande ouer monumente, wat nou dikwels om ideologiese redes herposisioneer word, sal wees. Hierdie artikel ondersoek op kritiese wyse tot watter mate erfenistoerisme werklik aan die hoë verwagtinge wat daaraan gestel word, kan voldoen. Alhoewel sommige erfenisprojekte inderdaad uiters suksesvolle toeriste-attraksies is, is andere onderworpe aan vele probleme en uitdagings. Die artikel waarsku ook dat dit probleme kan skep indien ’n erfenis té suksesvol gekommodifiseer sou word. Ten slotte word voorgestel dat Suid-Afrika nuttige lesse kan leer uit die wyse waarop ander lande soortgelyke vraagstukke hanteer het

MURALS AS A POPULAR MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

The flourishing of community mural art in South Africa at the beginning of the 1990s was prompted directly by the demise of the apartheid regime. It was associated with -and spurred on- by the transformation of the socio-political landscape, the liberalization of race relations, the relaxation of city by-laws, and a widely-shared spirit of enthusiasm for the new ‘rainbow nation’. Today, roughly a decade later, the mural movement has virtually ceased to exist. It appears that many city officials and sponsors no longer think of murals as creative, vibrant expressions of a new African spirit, but rather as embarrassing, technically and stylistically primitive, low budget manifestations of an unwanted ‘Third World’ identity. Given the past enthusiasm with which artists, community activists, government departments and non-governmental organizations used to employ the mural medium for a variety of educational purposes and public awareness campaigns, one wonders why the phenomenon has proven to be so shortlived

Monuments and Affordance

The “#Rhodes Must Fall” campaign initiated by students at the University of Cape Town in March 2015 sparked a wave of statue defacements across South Africa and gave fresh impetus to the national debate about monuments of the colonial and apartheid era. Far less attention is paid to the pervasive neglect and defacement of post-apartheid commemorative markers and contestation over their meaning. This study advocates a shift from semiotic and discursive approaches to psychoanalytical approaches that foreground the individual and his/her multisensory physical engagement with monuments. James J. Gibson’s theory of affordance is drawn upon to examine how people in South Africa and beyond interact with monuments and especially statues—not as cultural symbols laden with meaning, but as material objects in space that afford opportunities for physical interaction—in affirmative, utilitarian and destructive ways. It is argued that such bodily engagements and the traces they sometimes leave on the commemorative marker can feed back into the process of signification and potentially produce new affordance effects.La campagne « #Rhodes Must Fall » initiée par des étudiants de l’Université de Cape Town en mars 2015 réussit à donner une nouvelle impulsion au débat national sur les monuments de l’époque coloniale et de l’ère de l’apartheid. Beaucoup moins d’attention a été portée à la négligence et au vandalisme des marqueurs commémoratifs post-apartheid et à leur signification contestée. Cette étude prône une transition entre des approches sémiotiques et discursives et des approches psychoanalytiques, lesquelles situent l’individu dans ses multiples engagements physiques et sensoriels avec les monuments. La théorie de J. J. Gibson de « l’affordance » (qui peut être traduit par « interaction potentielle ») nous conduit à examiner comment les gens en Afrique du Sud, et ailleurs, interagissent avec des monuments et surtout avec des statues — pas en tant que symboles culturels dotés de signification et du sens, mais plutôt en tant qu’objets matériels dans l’espace qui fournissent des occasions pour une interaction physique — et celle-ci sur différents modes, affirmatifs, utilitaires ou destructifs. Nous postulons que de tels engagements corporels et les traces qu’ils laissent parfois sur les marqueurs commémoratifs peuvent alimenter le processus de signification en produisant de nouveaux effets d’affordance

results of a randomized controlled trial

Bile acids (BAs) are increasingly recognised as metabolic regulators, potentially improving insulin sensitivity following bariatric surgery. However, physiological relevance of such observations remains unknown. Hence, we analysed serum BA composition and associated gut-derived hormone levels following lifestyle-induced weight loss in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS). 74 non-smoking men (45–55 yr) with MetS were randomised to a lifestyle-induced weight loss program (supervision via telemonitoring) or to a control arm. Before and after a 6 months intervention period clinical and laboratory parameters, body composition, serum BA profile, FGF-19, and GLP-1 concentrations were determined in fasting blood samples. 30 participants in the control and 33 participants in the treatment arm completed the study and were included in the data analysis. In participants of the treatment arm lifestyle-induced weight loss resulted in markedly improved insulin sensitivity. Serum levels of BA species and total GLP-1 decreased, while FGF-19 remained stable. Serum BA composition changed towards an increased 12α- hydroxylated/non-12α-hydroxylated ratio. None of these parameters changed in participants of the control arm. Our results demonstrate that improved metabolic control by lifestyle modifications lowers serum levels of BAs and GLP-1 and changes serum BA composition towards an increased 12α/non-12α ratio (ICTRP Trial Number: U1111-1158-3672)

Beratungskompetenzen für Inklusion iterativ entwickeln. Spiralcurriculum konkret!

Die AutorInnen konzipieren die Förderung von Beratungskompetenz als eine phasenübergreifende Aufgabe der Förderschullehrkräfteausbildung. Sie stellen das Konzept des Spiralcurriculums Sonderpädagogische Beratung in der inklusiven Schule (SoBiS) vor, das eine besonders intensive Beratungsprofessionalisierung über alle drei Phasen der Lehrkräfteausbildung im Kontext Inklusion verspricht. (DIPF/Orig.

Deletion of SERF2 in mice delays embryonic development and alters amyloid deposit structure in the brain

In age-related neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, disease-specific proteins become aggregation-prone and form amyloid-like deposits. Depletion of SERF proteins ameliorates this toxic process in worm and human cell models for diseases. Whether SERF modifies amyloid pathology in mammalian brain, however, has remained unknown. Here, we generated conditional Serf2 knockout mice and found that full-body deletion of Serf2 delayed embryonic development, causing premature birth and perinatal lethality. Brain-specific Serf2 knockout mice, on the other hand, were viable, and showed no major behavioral or cognitive abnormalities. In a mouse model for amyloid-β aggregation, brain depletion of Serf2 altered the binding of structure-specific amyloid dyes, previously used to distinguish amyloid polymorphisms in the human brain. These results suggest that Serf2 depletion changed the structure of amyloid deposits, which was further supported by scanning transmission electron microscopy, but further study will be required to confirm this observation. Altogether, our data reveal the pleiotropic functions of SERF2 in embryonic development and in the brain and support the existence of modifying factors of amyloid deposition in mammalian brain, which offer possibilities for polymorphism-based interventions. </p

Deletion of SERF2 in mice delays embryonic development and alters amyloid deposit structure in the brain

In age-related neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, disease-specific proteins become aggregation -prone and form amyloid-like deposits. Depletion of SERF pro-teins ameliorates this toxic process in worm and human cell models for diseases. Whether SERF modifies amyloid pathology in mammalian brain, however, has remained unknown. Here, we generated conditional Serf2 knockout mice and found that full -body deletion of Serf2 delayed embryonic development, causing premature birth and perinatal lethality. Brain-specific Serf2 knockout mice, on the other hand, were viable, and showed no major behavioral or cognitive abnormalities. In a mouse model for amyloid-beta aggregation, brain depletion of Serf2 altered the binding of structure-specific amyloid dyes, previously used to distinguish amyloid polymorphisms in the human brain. These results suggest that Serf2 depletion changed the structure of amyloid deposits, which was further supported by scanning transmission electron microscopy, but further study will be required to confirm this observation. Altogether, our data reveal the pleiotropic functions of SERF2 in embryonic development and in the brain and support the existence of modifying factors of amyloid deposition in mammalian brain, which offer possi-bilities for polymorphism-based interventions

Structural characteristics and contractual terms of specialist palliative homecare in Germany

Background Multi-professional specialist palliative homecare (SPHC) teams care for palliative patients with complex symptoms. In Germany, the SPHC directive regulates care provision, but model contracts for each federal state are heterogeneous regarding staff requirements, cooperation with other healthcare providers, and financial reimbursement. The structural characteristics of SPHC teams also vary. Aim We provide a structured overview of the existing model contracts, as well as a nationwide assessment of SPHC teams and their structural characteristics. Furthermore, we explore whether these characteristics serve to find specifc patterns of SPHC team models, based on empirical data. Methods This study is part of the multi-methods research project “SAVOIR”, funded by the German Innovations Fund. Most model contracts are publicly available. Structural characteristics (e.g. number, professions, and affiliations of team members, and external cooperation) were assessed via an online database (“Wegweiser Hospiz- und Palliativversorgung”) based on voluntary information obtained from SPHC teams. All the data were updated by phone during the assessment process. Data were descriptively analysed regarding staff, cooperation requirements, and reimbursement schemes, while latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify structural team models. Results Model contracts have heterogeneous contract partners and terms related to staff requirements (number and qualifications) and cooperation with other services. Fourteen reimbursement schemes were available, all combining different payment models. Of the 283 SPHC teams, 196 provided structural characteristics. Teams reported between one and 298 members (mean: 30.3, median: 18), mainly nurses and physicians, while 37.8% had a psychosocial professional as a team member. Most teams were composed of nurses and physicians employed in different settings; for example, staff was employed by the team, in private practices/nursing services, or in hospitals. Latent class analysis identified four structural team models, based on the team size, team members’ affiliation, and care organisation. Conclusion Both the contractual terms and teams’ structural characteristics vary substantially, and this must be considered when analysing patient data from SPHC. The identified patterns of team models can form a starting point from which to analyse different forms of care provision and their impact on care quality

Polyol pathway-generated fructose is indispensable for growth and survival of non-small cell lung cancer

Despite recent treatment advances, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and therefore it necessitates the exploration of new therapy options. One commonly shared feature of malignant cells is their ability to hijack metabolic pathways to confer survival or proliferation. In this study, we highlight the importance of the polyol pathway (PP) in NSCLC metabolism. This pathway is solely responsible for metabolizing glucose to fructose based on the enzymatic activity of aldose reductase (AKR1B1) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD). Via genetic and pharmacological manipulations, we reveal that PP activity is indispensable for NSCLC growth and survival in vitro and in murine xenograft models. Mechanistically, PP deficiency provokes multifactorial deficits, ranging from energetic breakdown and DNA damage, that ultimately trigger the induction of apoptosis. At the molecular level, this process is driven by pro-apoptotic JNK signaling and concomitant upregulation of the transcription factors c-Jun and ATF3. Moreover, we show that fructose, the PP end-product, as well as other non-glycolytic hexoses confer survival to cancer cells and resistance against chemotherapy via sustained NF-κB activity as well as an oxidative switch in metabolism. Given the detrimental consequence of PP gene targeting on growth and survival, we propose PP pathway interference as a viable therapeutic approach against NSCLC