People In Africa Research Articles

Developing the African Continent with the Three Sixty Dimension Populous Turn

Currently the African continent is bedeviled by continuous strife ranging from, hunger, disease, civil war, frequent coups, territorial wars and disputes, Xenophobia, dilapidated infrastructure, mismanagement of resources, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, crime, and the list could be endless. Initially we blamed the colonial masters, who then gave us our freedom through independence thus enabling us to elect our own leaders among whom at the beginning of their leadership seemed perfect but eventually turned into dictators. This led to the second wave of African leadership, where we embraced democracy. It is sad to say that this has not resulted into any better Africa that we anticipated. This research examines an about turn (360 degree) approach by the populous towards changing the African content for better political, social, civil and economic development. In particular the study investigates dialogue as opposed to war (civil or territorial) as a means of political stability, African tribe as opposed to nepotism or tribalism as a means of social development. Earning ones right as opposed to corruption as a mean of economic development, Obeying the law as opposed to breaking the law as a means of reducing crime, all these being facilitated by embracing one another to enable their achievement the original African way as opposed to working for one or the other’s glory the current trend in our today’s World. The study makes a comparative survey of the two cases (represented by the pie charts below) to determine the better of the two and analytical data inferences clearly points at the African development case as the favored case so long as the populous work together as opposed to working as individuals or for individuals.

Studying the Elements of African Esthetics by Makeup Artist for their Implementation in Theater and Cinema

Науковий рецензований журнал відкритого доступу, що публікує статті з актуальних питань загальнотеоретичних, мистецьких, історичних, практичних аспектів у галузі аудіовізуального мистецтва та виробництва.

Cultural values of trees in the East African context

Certain trees have a sacred status, are used in rituals, and have symbolic importance for ethnicity, identity and connection to a place. In this paper I will explore the values that some East African ethnic groups attribute to trees and their symbolism through an interdisciplinary point of view. Several literary works, have been penned and highlighted the relationship between man and nature: tree’s metaphor and symbolism have been used in both Tanzanian and Kenyan literary production; and symbols are also an aspect of East African agrarian history because production, exchanges, and consumption are mediated by systems of meaning.

In Search of the True Faith: the Appearance of Orthodox Old Believers in Uganda and Spiritual Anti-globalism in Contemporary Africa

Abstract The present article, based on field evidence collected in 2017, deals with a very recent phenomenon — the Orthodox Old Believers in Uganda. This faith originated in Russia, however in Uganda all its adherents belong to African ethnic groups. We describe the short by now history and current state of the Old-Believer communities in Uganda and then concentrate on their members’ motivation for converting to Old Believers vs. knowledge of this religion. We show that what brings them to Old Believers is the search for the true faith associated with the original and hence correct way of performing Christian rites. In this we see an intricate interplay of the features typical for authentic African cultures and acquired by them in the course of interaction with the wider world. Basing on our case study, we discuss how globalist and anti-globalist trends manifest themselves in the religious context in contemporary Africa.

The Relationship Between Environmental Exposure and Genetic Architecture of the 2q33 Locus With Esophageal Cancer in South Africa.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has a high prevalence in several countries in Africa and Asia. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Chinese populations have identified several ESCC susceptibility loci, including variants on chromosome 2q33 and 6p21, but the contribution of these loci to risk in African populations is unknown. In this study we tested the association of 10 genetic variants at these two risk loci on susceptibility to ESCC in two South African ethnic groups. Variants at 2q33 (rs3769823, rs10931936, rs13016963, rs7578456, rs2244438) and 6p21 (rs911178, rs3763338, rs2844695, rs17533090, rs1536501) were genotyped in a set of Black Xhosa (463 cases and 480 controls) and Mixed Ancestry (269 cases and 288 controls) individuals. Genotyping was performed using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. The Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to compare the allele frequency between cases and controls. Gene-environment interactions with tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption were investigated in a case-control analysis. A logistic regression analysis was further performed to elucidate the independent effect of each association signal on the risk of ESCC. The 2q33 variants rs10931936, rs7578456, and rs2244438 were marginally associated with higher risk of ESCC in the Mixed Ancestry population (ORs = 1.39–1.58, p ≤ 0.035), of which rs7578456 and rs2244438 remained significant after multiple correction (p < 0.005). The associations with rs7578456 and rs2244438 were also observed across strata of tobacco smoking (ORs = 1.47–2.75, p ≤ 0.035) and alcohol consumption (ORs = 1.45–2.06, p ≤ 0.085) status. However, only the association with rs2244438, which lies within an exon of TRAK2, remained significant after adjustment for the other variants in the region. Interestingly, none of the variants tested were significantly associated with ESCC in the Black South African population. These finding implicate TRAK2 as a casual gene for ESCC risk in the Mixed Ancestry population of South Africa and confirm prior evidence of population-specific differences in the genetic contribution to ESCC, which may reflect differences in genetic architecture and environmental exposure across ethnic groups.

Segmentariedad política y sultanato. Los sultanes marroquíes Abdelaziz, Hafid y Yussef (1894-1927) y la política colonial francesa

El análisis segmentarista —alianzas y contra alianzas de segmentos de tribu— se inicia con Ibn Jaldún y su visión de las tribus norteafricanas en el siglo XIV, pero se activa sobre todo desde los estudios de W. Robertson Smith y E.E. Evans-Prichard a finales del siglo XIX y primera mitad del XX. Estas teorías han sufrido un cierto descrédito en los años de la descolonización. En este artículo se estudia el periodo de 1894 a 1927 en Marruecos, correspondiente a los sultanes Abdelaziz, Hafid y Yussef, para volver sobre la tesis segmentarista, pero ahora aplicada no sólo al sistema tribal, sino al majzén mismo, y sobre todo a la política europea del momento en relación al reino jerifiano. De esta manera, se recuperan las hipótesis segmentarias, sacándolas del estrecho marco anterior.

Variability in the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) promotor in a HIV-infected Portuguese population

Introduction: Dolutegravir is an HIV-1 integrase inhibitor (INI) recently approved for the treatment of HIV infection and is metabolized by UGT1A1 [1]. This protein is responsible for the glucuronidation of many compounds, and some functional polymorphisms in the UGT1A1 gene results in a decrease of enzyme activity [2]. The polymorphism (rs8175347) is associated with thymine-adenine (TA) repeats located in the TATA box in the promoter region of the UGT1A1 gene. The increasing number of TA repeats is inversely associated with UGT1A1 transcription, with 6 repeats (allele*1) being associated with normal UGT1A1 activity phenotype. 7 and 8 TA repeats (alleles *28 and *37, respectively) with low UGT1A1 activity phenotype [1]. Knowledge of the frequency distribution of functional polymorphisms in a HIV-infected population may improve therapeutic options. The present study aims to identify the frequency of UGT1A1 (rs8175347) gene polymorphism in a population of Portuguese HIV-infected patients and compare with other ethnic groups. Materials and methods: The study includes 74 Portuguese HIV-infected adult patients receiving ARV therapy. The informed consent and the study protocol were approved by ethics committee. Genotyping the (TA) insertion in the TATA box region of UGT1A1 gene was performed by PCR amplification followed by direct sequencing. The allelic and genotype frequencies were tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by goodness off fit χ2 test with a 95% CI, using The R Project for Statistical Computing. Obtained frequencies were then compared with 219 unrelated individuals collected from the database Pharmgkb using a χ2 test. Results: All frequencies in our study group were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p = 0.4016). In this study the allelic frequencies for UGT1A1 *1, *28 and * 37 alleles were 61.49%, 30.41% and 8.11%, respectively, being significantly different from African, Asian and European (p < 0.001) ethnic groups. The genotype frequencies for UGT1A 1*1/*1, *1/*28, *1/*37, *28/*28 and *28/*37 were 32.43%, 44.59%, 13.51%, 6.76% and 2.70%, respectively. In our sample a total of 67.56% patients have UGT1A1 * 28 or * 37 alleles which was significantly associated with lower UGT1A1 activity phenotype. Discussion and conclusions: Obtained UGT1A1*28 and *37 frequencies were similar to the ones observed in African population and different from those of European and Asian origin. Patients with UGT1A1*28 and *37 alleles in our study may be at risk of dolutegravir therapeutic failure, consequently drug monitoring is recommended to guide dose adjustment. Our study contributes for personalized medicine optimization, indicating the individual differences in genetic characteristics.

The African Burial Ground in New York City: Memory, Spirituality, and Space

The African Burial Ground in New York City: Memory, Spirituality, and Space

Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of a Measure of Ethnic Identity Among Black South African Youth

ABSTRACT The authors examined the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) among Black South African adolescents (ages = 13–14; 52% female) representing several ethnic groups (Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu) and evaluated the measure for differential item functioning primarily among four ethnic groups (Sotho, Tswana, Xhosa, and Zulu). Results indicated that a two-dimensional model best represented the data, reflecting ethnic search/clarity and ethnic affirmations. Subsequently, we evaluated the equivalence of the MEIM among the four South African ethnic groups and a sample of African American adolescents (Mage = 15.57 years; SD = 1.22; 51% female). Further analyses revealed that configural and metric models were excellent across the four South African ethnic groups and the African American group. However, scalar invariance (i.e., intercept) was not found; the item intercepts were different for the South African ethnic groups and African Americans. Findings are discussed with consideration for conducting research on ethnic identity among youth in South Africa.

The Indian Novel in English: A Search for Identity

The Indian Novel in English:A Search for Identity* K. S. Narayana Rao The Indian struggle for independence from the British rule showed a strange paradox: an intense but understandable dislike of the British occupation of the country and an equally strong but puzzling sentimental attachment to the English language. In fact, the departure of the British from India produced a near-violent campaign to retain English as a national language and a unifying tool for the country. The birth of a new nation also generated a new impulse to create new literary works in every language of Indian origin as well as in English, which some claimed as an Indian language. Those who had been writing in English before the country won her independence now took to writing in that language with redoubled vigour, as it were, and many newcomers joined them, with the result that, although the English-speaking Indians were, and still are, a minority, the number of Indian writers who write in English is an impressive one. Of this group of writers who write in English, the Indian novelists are the most conspicuous both for the quantity and quality of their output. Such an output will impress us as an even more remarkable achievement if we bear in mind the fact that there is no such thing as a tradition of novel writing in India dating from the ancient times. Ancient India produced many great things but not a novel as we understand it today. Ā nō bhadrāh rtavō yantu viswatah1—may noble thoughts come to us from all sides—said our ancestors some four thousand years ago. They might well have added, noble things too. For the Indian novel and short fiction in their present form, both in English and in the Indian languages, are an importation from the West generally and from England in particular. While we had several forms of literature before, including such things as champu (a composition which employs both the prose and the verse media), the modern Indian novel and the short story owe their existence to the West. The novel existed in Sanskrit as romance at a time when the English language was still in its infancy. Dandin's Dasakumāracharita (sixth century), Bâna's Kādambari (seventh century), and [End Page 26] Subandhu's Vāsavadatta (seventh century) have been considered standard works of fiction. An English scholar named Horrwitz says that "Bâna has written the best Sanskrit novel."2 Indeed, the word kādambari is used at least in three Indian languages (Kannada, Telugu, and Marāthi) to denote a novel. Even the short story in its present form as a complex, subtle, and highly artistic work is a borrowing from the West. Of course, ancient India was a treasure trove of short fiction, and we exported a good quantity of it to the West and appeared to have got in return the modern short story. It is common knowledge that stories like those of the Panchatantra3 with their device of the frame story travelled west and influenced Western literature including Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Today some of them exist in the West in modified, garbled, or changed versions, such as the Welsh story of Llewellyn's dog, Gelert.4 The very story of the migration of these tales is a fascinating one. The Oxford scholar Macdonell holds that "the history of how Indian fairy tales and fables migrated from one country to another, to nearly all the peoples of Europe and Asia, and even to African tribes from their original home in India, borders on the marvellous."5 But modern Indian fiction is Western in its origin and inspiration. When the Indians awoke to what are now the most popular forms of literature among the authors and the reading public in India, namely the short story and the novel, they must have said to themselves, "But Westward look, the land is bright!"6 The novel is a well-established form in Indian languages, without a readily visible trace, if I may say so, of foreignness about it, although it is perfectly clear that the novels and the novelists have often been inspired...

Young African Leaders Forum (YALF) Projects

The Young African Leaders Forum (YALF) is an independent pan-African organisation whose major objective is to effectuate sustainable development in every African nation. We achieve this by detecting the root causes of Africa's developmental problems, researching and proffering workable solutions to them as well as executing these strategic solutions. We also work to empower Africa's young people to participate actively in the society so that they can improve their own lives by representing and solving their needs whilst also advocating for those of others. Our organization is incorporated and headquartered in South Africa - and has members and representations in 30 African nations, USA and Canada. We are also the official publishers of Africa's first youth­ led journal of development, YALJOD.

Initiation as a Factor and the Way of Social and Gender Identitfication

The article is devoted to the consideration of one of the most important institutions of traditional society – the initiatives that scientists refer to the so-called rites of passage of boys and girls in the age class of men and women. The authors show on numerous examples of different African ethnic groups that initiations are a significant cultural phenomenon as a factor and a way of social and gender identification. Despite the fact that this custom on the continent is observed in some tribes and peoples still, while maintaining its cultural and social significance, it has many opponents not only among feminists, but also representatives of the official authorities and politicians. The article provides statistical data on the spread of this ritual in various countries of modern Africa and analyzes the documents of governments and international organizations designed to combat this archaic phenomenon.

Exploring the knowledge, explanatory models of illness, and patterns of healthcare-seeking behaviour of Fang culture-bound syndromes in Equatorial Guinea.

In 1994, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) included “culture-bound syndromes” in its classification of psychiatric disorders and associated them with disease processes that manifest in behavioural or thought disorders that develop within a given cultural context. This study examines the definitions, explanatory models, signs and symptoms, and healthcare-seeking behaviours common to Fang culture-bound syndromes (i.e., kong, eluma, witchcraft, mibili, mikug, and nsamadalu). The Fang ethnic group is the majority ethnic group in Equatorial Guinea. From September 2012 to January 2013, 45 key Fang informants were selected, including community leaders, tribal elders, healthcare workers, traditional healers, and non-Catholic pastors in 39 of 724 Fang tribal villages in 6 of 13 districts in the mainland region of Equatorial Guinea. An ethnographic approach with an emic-etic perspective was employed. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and a questionnaire that included DHS6 key indicators. Interviews were designed based on the Cultural Formulation form in the DSM-5 and explored the definition of Fang cultural syndromes, symptoms, cultural perceptions of cause, and current help-seeking. Participants defined “Fang culture-bound syndromes" as those diseases that cannot be cured, treated, or diagnosed by science. Such syndromes present with the same signs and symptoms as diseases identified by Western medicine. However, they arise because of the actions of enemies, because of the actions of spirits or ancestors, as punishments for disregarding the law of God, because of the violation of sexual or dietary taboos, or because of the violation of a Fang rite of passage, the dzas, which is celebrated at birth. Six Fang culture-bound syndromes were included in the study: 1) Eluma, a disease that is targeted at the victim out of envy and starts out with sharp, intense, focussed pain and aggressiveness; 2) Witchcraft, characterized by isolation from the outside, socially maladaptive behaviour, and the use of hallucinogenic substances; 3) Kong, which is common among the wealthy class and manifests as a disconnection from the environment and a lack of vital energy; 4) Mibili, a possession by evil spirits that manifests through visual and auditory hallucinations; 5) Mikug, which appears after a person has had contact with human bones in a ritual; and 6) Nsamadalu, which emerges after a traumatic process caused by violating traditions through having sexual relations with one’s sister or brother. The therapeutic resources of choice for addressing Fang culture-bound syndromes were traditional Fang medicine and the religious practices of the Bethany and Pentecostal churches, among others. Among African ethnic groups, symbolism, the weight of tradition, and the principle of chance in health and disease are underlying factors in the presentation of certain diseases, which in ethno-psychiatry are now referred to as culture-bound syndromes. In this study, traditional healers, elders, healthcare professionals, religious figures, and leaders of the Fang community in Equatorial Guinea referred to six such cultural syndromes: eluma, witchcraft, kong, mibili, mikug, and nsamadalu. In the absence of a multidisciplinary approach to mental illness in the country, the Fang ethnic group seeks healthcare for culture-bound syndromes from traditional healing and religious rites in the Evangelical faiths.

Pharmacogenetics of Antiretroviral Drug Response and Pharmacokinetic Variations in Indigenous South African Populations.

Interindividual and interethnic differences in response to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are influenced by genetic variation. The few genomic studies conducted among African-Americans and African ethnic groups do not reflect the extensive genetic diversity within African populations. ARVs are widely used in Africa. Therefore, genomic characterization of African populations is required before genotype-guided dosing becomes possible. The aim of this study was to determine and report on the frequency of genetic variants in genes implicated in metabolism and transport of ARVs in South African populations. The study comprised 48 self-reported South African Colored (SAC) and 296 self-reported Black African (BA) individuals. Allele and genotype frequency distributions for 93 variants contributing to metabolism and transport of ARVs were compared between groups, and other global populations. Fifty-three variants had significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies when comparing SAC and BA groups. Thirteen of these have strong clinical annotations, affecting efavirenz and tenofovir pharmacokinetics. This study provides a summary of the genetic variation within genes implicated in metabolism and transport of ARVs in indigenous South African populations. The observed differences between indigenous population groups, and between these groups and global populations, demonstrate that data generated from specific African populations cannot be used to infer genetic diversity within other populations on the continent. These results highlight the need for comprehensive characterization of genetic variation within indigenous African populations, and the clinical utility of these variants in ARV dosing for global precision medicine. Population pharmacogenetics is a nascent field of global health and warrants further research and education.

BUILDING A MODERN AFRICAN HAIRDRESSING FACTORY

Development is about bringing well-being to the people. And this well-being is related to the ac-quirement of basic needs including: basic food, education, health care, proper vocational training and especially employment which are a great necessity for the poorest of the world in Africa who unfor-tunately lack it. Therefore, these poor people of Africa are practicing di˙erent type of jobs in order to survive: Hairdressing is one of those jobs that are deeply rooted in the African culture which in contrary are truly neglected over there, especially by parents who does not give any consideration to this type of activity. The idea is that Hairdressing like other vocational professions are what remain to do while one fail to accomplish the so called “proper education”. All parents wish their kids to become Medical Doctor, Engineer, and Lawyer/Solicitor/Barrister or Judge. . . Teacher. However, the hairdressing sector has become over the time an interesting business sector in some organized economy around the world, where it counts for billions of US dollars. As poverty is increasingly progressing in Africa, though the continent is registering an average economic growth of 7% per year, Hairdressing is one of those economic sectors that should be supported in order to be well managed and developed throughout the continent. Hence, jobs will be created and people can feed themselves and their family and become autonomous. Therefore, as Information and communication technology, ICT become tools to be used to tackle poverty issues, the concept of People.net that stand for the transfer of knowledges or constructive information either throughout sound culturally integrated highly usable mobile and/or web ICT platform among people either rural or urban from any background should be considered in order to help the poor people of Africa to sustainably boost their various job activities. Thus, reduce ignorance and reinforce personal and collective development. Applied to the Hairdressing category of activity, knowledge could be exchanged, more clients will be acquired, turnover will rise up, appoint-ments will be well scheduled. . . online training could be ran and catalogues could also be showed o˙ and consulted either by clients/customers or peers

‘Exhibits with real colour and interest’: representations of the West India Regiment at Atlantic World’s Fairs

ABSTRACTBeyond their role in expanding and securing the British Empire, the West India Regiments (WIRs) were used to sell the Caribbean region to tourists and potential investors. Soldiers travelled in person and in photographic form to numerous world’s fairs that brought the empire to London and major American cities such as Chicago and New Orleans. Through their representation at these events their likeness, and in some cases their actual physical presence, was showcased to a range of audiences who did not have to venture outside of their home countries for the experience. For nations such as Britain, who controlled vast empires, the fairs provided a justification for empire by showcasing the lack of development of some native peoples and the advancement of others under colonial rule through human exhibits. The WIRs were used as key examples of this progress and decorated promotional stands related to the West Indian colonies, unlike representatives of African ethnic groups who were used to populate constructed ‘native villages’.

Abstract 3426: Genetic architecture of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in African American veterans

Abstract Background: Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is one of the most common malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract worldwide and is unresponsive to therapy. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) comprises the majority of EC in African Americans, Asians and other ethnic groups, while esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) predominates among Caucasians. Poor prognosis of EC in Caucasians and African Americans is reflected by five-year survival rates of 21% and 14 %, respectively. The aggressiveness and lower survival rate of African American ESCC patients than that from patients of other ethnic groups are evident even after adjusting for treatment modalities and socioeconomic factors. These characteristics suggest the existence of an ethnic- or race-dependent component of EC etiology. However, the genetic architecture of ESCC in AA is not well studied, and thus, mostly undefined. Our study aims to identify exonic mutations that may represent critical genetic changes in African American ESC carcinogenesis. Methods and Materials: Whole exome sequencing (WES) of matched tumor and normal tissue DNA from endoscopic biopsies from late-stage ESCC of nine African American Veteran male patients was conducted. This study was approved by the DC VAMC Institutional Review Board, and a written informed consent was obtained from each patient prior to biopsy. Biopsies were de-identified, freshly frozen and stored at -80 °C. To proceed to exon capture, we enriched our samples by using Agilent SureSelect XT Human All Exon V6+UTR. Paired-end sequencing at a read depth of 100X was performed on the exon libraries using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 sequencer. We applied Genome Analysis Toolkit's best practices WES pipeline to identify both germline and somatic variations in the dataset. The Seven Bridges Cancer Genomics Cloud platform was used for processing the data and annotating the variants. Variants were mapped to genomic regions and further aggregated at the gene level, pathways, and biological processes relevant to disease by using Reactome, Pathway Studio, and Ingenuity Variant Analysis. Results: In all samples, 27,586 variants consisted of 86% single nucleotide variation, 8.5% insertions and 5.5% deletions. Approximately half of the variants caused missense changes while 0.12% created nonsense mutations. High impact mutations occurred in genes that have a role in DNA damage repair, stress response, detoxification pathways, keratinization and immune surveillance. Conclusion: We found unique genomic variation in African American ESCC, that reveals a potential molecular signature for the aggressiveness and lethality of ESCC in this population. Future functional studies will be conducted to elucidate the role of these mutations in ESCC pathogenesis. Citation Format: Robert Wadleigh, Krithika Bhuvaneshwar, Gustavo Marino, Vincente Notario, Jack Lichy, Yuriy Gusev, Hayriye Verda Erkizan. Genetic architecture of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in African American veterans [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3426.

„Néger atyafiak”

In the Hungarian cultural memory the festival of the Hungarian Millennium in Budapest was an occasion to celebrate the social and the industrial development of the country which became the coequal partner of Austria after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. The festival was similar to a World’s Fair of the era, with many popular spectacles in the City Park of the capital. In my paper I describe a forgotten episode of the festival, notably the exhibit of an African tribe in the zoo of Budapest. By the analysis of the report of the weekly Vasárnapi Ujság (Sunday News) it is possible to demonstrate that the millennial narrative of the modernity and the successful nation is based on a colonial discourse.

Facial Asymmetry-Based Anthropometric Differences between Gender and Ethnicity

Bilateral facial asymmetry is frequently exhibited by humans but its combined evaluation across demographic traits including gender and ethnicity is still an open research problem. In this study we measure and evaluate facial asymmetry across gender and different ethnic groups and investigate the differences in asymmetric facial dimensions among the subjects from two public face datasets, the MORPH and FERET. To this end, we detect 28 facial asymmetric dimensions from each face image using an anthropometric technique. An exploratory analysis is then performed via a multiple linear regression model to determine the impact of gender and ethnicity on facial asymmetry. Post-hoc Tukey test has been used to validate the results of the proposed method. The results show that out of 28 asymmetric dimensions, females differ in 25 dimensions from males. African, Asian, Hispanic and other ethnic groups have asymmetric dimensions that differ significantly from those of Europeans. These findings could be important to certain applications like the design of facial fits, as well as guidelines for facial cosmetic surgeons. Lastly, we train a neural network classifier that employs asymmetric dimensions for gender and race classification. The experimental results show that our trained classifier outperforms the support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbors (kNN) classifiers.

Meaning Production in the Civil Religious Mozambique

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Tsonga tribal and Mozambican national identities are civil religious constructs. They resulted from sacrificial ritual performances, the expropriation of traditions and symbols, and the creation of sacred spaces. Formed as a linguistic, cultural, religious and tribal unity, the Tsonga provided a historical genealogy and structural template for the emergence of Moçambicanidade as a civil religion. Drawing upon postcolonial theory and discourse analysis, the essay uses the analytical category “civil religion” as a focusing lens in order to explore the dynamics of national solidarity in selected main archival sources: First, the construction of the Tsonga narratives of the tiMhamba, the Sacred Woods and the expropriation of local traditions recorded in Henri-Alexandre Junod’s, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;t&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;he Life of a South African Tribe&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;; second, the pedigree of a heightened value for union, Protestant work-ethics and education, bequeathed to Eduardo Mondlane and evident in his The Struggle for Mozambique&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;. Since the focus of the essay is on the productions of civil religion rather than their reception, evidence is drawn from textual analysis rather than from fieldwork methods. As a consequence of the analysis, the study argues that both Tsonga and Moçambicanidade are subaltern identities to modernity, perhaps destined to fail, but existing within the frame of modernity as its alter ego.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;