The Role of the Zambian Media in Public Environmental Awareness and Education

Successful environmental communication is achieved through a well informed public as it will be better equipped and positioned to tackle environmental challenges of the 21st Century. A well informed public is partly a result of the role the media plays in disseminating information. Hence the media play a strategic role in raising public environmental awareness, dissemination of environmental information and inspiring environmental action. This study looked at the role of the Zambian media in public environmental awareness and education. The study aimed at finding out the role of the Zambian media in public environmental awareness and education. The study had three objectives: 1. to find out how many environmental journalists there were in selected media organisations; 2. to determine the content of environmental information published by the selected media; and 3. to find out the contribution of environmental journalism to the lives of ordinary people in the selected Zambian urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. The study used qualitative and quantitative research designs and also a survey research technique. The research analysed environmental contents of three prominent daily newspapers in Zambia namely The Post, Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia. The study also captured views and experiences of respondents from which qualitative and quantitative data was obtained. Purposive and random sampling were used to select respondents from the three dailies and from a cross section of the Zambian society. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were used to process field data. To collect primary data, daily publications in three selected months of May, June and July 2010 by the three newspaper companies were analysed to determine the topics and frequency of environmental news coverage. Questionnaires were administered to editors and journalists from the three daily newspapers and also a cross section of the Zambian society. The findings of the research indicated that the people tasked with the collection and publication of environmental information were not trained in environmental matters hence their inability to successfully communicate environmental information in an interesting and educative manner. More space was dedicated to the printing of political and sports news compared to environmental information which was deemed unsellable and bad for business. The study further found out that much of the space allocated to environmental coverage was dedicated to pollution. Further, most of the environmental events covered were based in urban areas and were noticed when accompanied by a prominent person in society or the government of the day. The study also found out that the public lacked sensitisation in environmental matters resulting in the inability of the people to be environmentally responsible either individually or at community level. The study recommended the following: 1. In-service media personnel need to be trained through refresher courses in environmental matters. 2. Environmental programmes to be designed in all institutions of higher learning that will train journalists who will tackle and cover environmental issues ably, as is the case in developed countries; and recommends that 3. The media needs to place value on environmental coverage by carrying out indepth analyses and research on the issues and events they publish

A historico-comparative study of Zambian Plateau Tonga and seven related lects.

The aim of this thesis is a historico-comparative study of Zambian Plateau Tonga (Guthrie's M 64) and seven related lects (Valley, Toka, Ila, Lenje, Soli, Subiya and Totela). Some previous studies have treated Subiya and Totela as a distinct subfamily of Bantu (Guthrie's K 40), while others agree in attaching it to M 60; SI has also been associated with Lunda (Guthrie's L 51) and Luvale (Guthrie's K 14). The present study is based on wordlists of some 650 items Including Swadesh's 200-wordlist of basic vocabulary collected for each of the lects during a five-month field trip to Zambia in 1987. The study examines this data both synchronically (Chapter 2) and diachronically, attempting to reconstruct an inventory of Proto-Tonga consonant and vowel phonemes (Chapters 3) and relating this to Guthrie's Proto-Bantu (Chapter 5). Hierachically two broad subdivisions of the Tonga lects can be made Subiya and Totela together form one branch of Tonga as evidenced by certain shared innovations. The other branch groups together Plateau, Valley, Toka, Ila, Lenje and Soli on the basis of another set of phonological developments and the six lects are collectively referred to as Core Tonga. However, this division cannot be rigidly adhered to because Subiya and Totela to some extent participate in innovations affecting one or more members of the core group. It cannot be decided at the moment whether Sb and Tt together with the core lects form one distinct subfamily of Bantu or whether Sb and Tt form a different subfamily with some other lects not studied here. (Chapter 4). Some of the innovations link neighbouring lects and point to diffusion of phonological features across a geographical continuum. This convergence is further illuminated by the discussion of sociolinguistic factors in Chapter 6

The role of the Zambian Media in Public enviromental Awareness and Education

Successful environmental communication is achieved through a well informed public as it will be better equipped and positioned to tackle the environmental challenges of the 21st century. A well informed public is partly a result of the role the media plays in disseminating information. In view of this, the media plays a strategic role in raising public environmental awareness, disseminating environmental information and inspiring environmental action. This study looked at the role of the Zambian media in public environmental awareness and education. The study aimed at finding out the role of the Zambian media in public environmental awareness and education. The study was guided by three objectives: to find out how many environmental journalists there were in selected media organizations; to determine the content of environmental information published by the selected media and; to find out the contribution of environmental journalism to the lives of ordinary people in the selected Zambian urban, rural and peri-urban areas. The study used qualitative and quantitative research designs and also a survey research technique. The research analyzed environmental contents of three prominent daily newspapers in Zambia namely; The Post, Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia. The study also captured views and experiences of respondents from which qualitative and quantitative data was obtained. Purposive and random sampling were used to select respondents from the three dailies and also from a cross section of the Zambian society. Statistical Package for Social Sciences and Microsoft Excel were used to process field data. To collect primary data, daily publications for three selected months of May, June and July 2010 by the three newspapers were analyzed to determine the topics and frequency of environmental news coverage. Questionnaires were administered to editors and journalists from the three daily newspapers and also a cross section of the Zambian society. The findings of the research indicated that people tasked with the collection and publication of environmental information were not trained in environmental matters hence their inability to successfully communicate environmental information in an interesting and educative manner. xii More space was dedicated to the printing of political and sports news compared to environmental information which was deemed unsellable and bad for business. The study further found out that much of the space allocated to environmental coverage was dedicated to pollution and that most of the environmental events covered were seasonal, were based only in urban areas and that these events only saw the light of day when accompanied by a prominent person in society or the government of the day. The study also found that the public lacked sensitization in environmental matters resulting in their inability to be environmentally responsible either individually or at community level. In view of the above research findings, the following recommendations arose: In-service media personnel need to be trained through refresher courses in environmental matters. Environmental programmes to be designed in all institutions of higher learning that train journalists in order to produce environmental journalists, as is the case in developed countries. The study further recommends that the media needs to place value on environmental coverage by carrying out in-depth analyses and research on the issues and events they publish and the media also need to reduce on too much technical terms in their environmental reporting. The media of all types in the country need to come together and partner with other interested stakeholders such as Ministry of Tourism Environment and Natural Resources and the Environmental Council of Zambia

A comparative study of the schizontocidal efficacy and safety of artemether versus chloroquine in uncomplicated malaria

A comparative study of medications being used for malaria treatment in Zimbabwe

Imprisoned and imperiled: access to HIV and TB prevention and treatment, and denial of human rights, in Zambian prisons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although HIV and tuberculosis (TB) prevalence are high in prisons throughout sub-Saharan Africa, little research has been conducted on factors related to prevention, testing and treatment services.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To better understand the relationship between prison conditions, the criminal justice system, and HIV and TB in Zambian prisons, we conducted a mixed-method study, including: facility assessments and in-depth interviews with 246 prisoners and 30 prison officers at six Zambian prisons; a review of Zambian legislation and policy governing prisons and the criminal justice system; and 46 key informant interviews with government and non-governmental organization officials and representatives of international agencies and donors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The facility assessments, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews found serious barriers to HIV and TB prevention and treatment, and extended pre-trial detention that contributed to overcrowded conditions. Disparities both between prisons and among different categories of prisoners within prisons were noted, with juveniles, women, pre-trial detainees and immigration detainees significantly less likely to access health services.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Current conditions and the lack of available medical care in Zambia's prisons violate human rights protections and threaten prisoners' health. In order to protect the health of prisoners, prison-based health services, linkages to community-based health care, general prison conditions and failures of the criminal justice system that exacerbate overcrowding must be immediately improved. International donors should work with the Zambian government to support prison and justice system reform and ensure that their provision of funding in such areas as health services respect human rights standards, including non-discrimination. Human rights protections against torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and criminal justice system rights, are essential to curbing the spread of HIV and TB in Zambian prisons, and to achieving broader goals to reduce HIV and TB in Zambia.</p

Responding to challenges in tourism in the era of climate change in Zambia.

Tourism is a vital driver of the global economy, Zambia inclusive. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the direct contribution of travel and tourism to world GDP in 2012 was US$ 2.1 trillion. However, the tourism sector is highly vulnerable to climate change. This is because tourism depends on environmental resources while climate defines the length and quality of tourism seasons. At the same time, tourism contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), the cause of global warming. Many types of tourism in Zambia are weather dependent and by extension, climate dependent. It is, therefore, very likely that climate change may affect tourism sector in Zambia. Climate change can reduce, increase and prolong heat waves or change the patterns of annual rainfall received in Zambia. Using literature review, this paper presents direct impacts and indirect impacts of climate change to the tourism sector and also proposes response strategies to climate change mitigation and adaptation in the Zambian context. Responses such as mainstreaming ESD, teacher education, research engagement, community-based approach, sustainability education among others are proposed

Criminal Justice Reform as HIV and TB Prevention in African Prisons

Katherine Todrys and Joseph Amon argue for criminal justice system reforms in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce HIV and TB transmission in prisons and to guarantee detainees' human rights and health

Climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation options among the Lozi speaking people in Barotse floodplain of Zambia.

The aims of this study were: - to find out how communities in the Barotse floodplain of Mongu district in Zambia are affected by climate change, establish adaptation opportunities practiced by the Lozi people and to raise awareness and stimulate interest in matters of climate change. Using primary and secondary data sources, it was observed that the negative impacts of climate change among the Lozi people include; increase in atmospheric pressure and excessive heat and flooding, prolonged spells of unexpected changes in seasons, reduction in food production and security, as well as inadequate clean water supply and extinction of some plant and animal species. The study also revealed vast local ecological knowledge that, if utilised, may help in the adaptation of climate change. The study further showed that climate change awareness and education are key in mitigating and adapting to climate change effects, though it was not found in the area. The study strongly recommend regular climate change awareness activities in order to promote mitigation and adaptation, need to pay greater and particular attention to the vast local ecological knowledge exhibited by the Lozi people that would help in adaptation to climate change in the area

Pharmacovigilance of antimalarial treatment in Africa: is it possible?

Pharmacovigilance, defined as "the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other possible drug related problem", is increasingly being recognized in Africa. Many African countries have simultaneously adopted artemisinin derivative based combination therapy (ACT) as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria, offering an opportunity to assess the safety of these drugs when used widely. While ACTs appear to be safe and well-tolerated, there is little experience with these medicines in Africa, outside clinical trials. Pharmacovigilance for ACTs and other combination treatments in Africa is essential. Malaria transmission intensity is high and antimalarial medicines are used frequently. Presumptive treatment of fever with antimalarials is common, often in the absence of a confirmed diagnosis, using drugs obtained without a prescription. Informal use of antimalarial drugs may increase the risk of incorrect dosing, inappropriate treatment, and drug interactions, which may impact negatively on drug safety. Furthermore, the administration of antimalarial treatments in patients with a concomitant illness, including HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malnutrition, is a concern. African countries are being encouraged to establish pharmacovigilance systems as ACTs are rolled out. However, pharmacovigilance is difficult, even in countries with a well-developed health care system. The rationale for pharmacovigilance of antimalarial drugs is discussed here, outlining the practical challenges and proposing approaches that could be adopted in Africa