Women In West Africa Research Articles

Introduction to Roundtable Commentary for West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition

Introduction to Roundtable Commentary for <i>West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition</i>

West African Women of God: A Response

Abstract This article, by the author of West Africa's Women of God, responds to five commentaries on my book. It raises issues about prophetic movements in West Africa, the role of women prophets, Diola religious history, and future research projects on Diola prophetic movements. Of central concern is Alinesitoué Diatta and her place within an ongoing tradition of women prophets of the supreme being. This tradition emerged from an older tradition of male prophets during the period of Portuguese, French, and British colonization.

Reflections on West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition

Abstract This brief discussion of Robert Baum's recent book, West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition, is based on comments made at a roundtable devoted to the work at the 2016 meeting of the American Academy of Religion. This commentary looks at Baum's work from the perspective of African history, including reflections on Baum's training as a historian. Focus is given to the persistent influence of Robin Horton's work on African conversion and the importance of Baum's book in challenging Horton's analysis.

Mass media exposure and modern contraceptive use among married West African adolescents

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether family planning (FP) messaging is reaching married adolescent women in West Africa, and whether such messaging is associated with increased contraceptive use.Materials and methods: We utilised data from the 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for Burkina Faso and Senegal (women 15–49; N = 17,067 and N = 15,688, respectively). We used chi-square tests to evaluate whether FP messaging exposure (via TV, radio, and/or print) differed according to socio-demographic characteristics. Subsequent analysis focussed on married adolescents (15–19; N = 961 in Burkina Faso, N = 996 in Senegal) which utilised propensity score matching and multivariable logistic regression models to test the association between self-reported FP messaging exposure and modern contraceptive use, knowledge of a modern contraceptive method, and future intention to use contraception.Results: A higher proportion of women 15–49 who reported FP messaging exposure were urban, from higher wealth quintiles, and had higher education levels, compared with unexposed women. A smaller proportion of adolescents reported exposure compared to older age groups. Among married adolescents, there was a positive but non-significant association between FP messaging exposure and use of a modern contraceptive method in Senegal (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.3; 95% CI: 0.92, 5.73). No such association was found in Burkina Faso (aOR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.43, 2.26).Conclusions: Mass media campaigns are not reaching the most vulnerable populations in West Africa, such as adolescents and poorer rural women. Adapting mass media campaigns to address these gaps is important for increasing exposure to FP messaging.

Incidence, persistence and determinants of human papillomavirus: A prospective cohort study of 10,000 HIV-negative Nigerian women.

1510 Background: Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer in Africa. Persistent High-risk HPV (HRHPV) infection is a necessary cause but little is known about the persistence and associated risk factors of HRHPV infection in African women. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors and incidence of HPV infection in Nigerian women. Methods: ACCME is a multicenter prospective cohort study of host germline, cervical somatic and HRHPV genomics, epigenomics, and vaginal microenvironment; and their association with HPV. From February/2014 to January/2016, 10,000 HIV-negative women were enrolled into the cohort and are being followed up every 6 months. We used SPF25/LiPA10to characterize HPV infection and defined persistent infection as 2 consecutive positive tests done at least 12 months apart. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between risk factors and persistent HPV. Results: The mean (SD) age of the study participants at baseline was 40 (10) years and the mean (SD) vaginal pH was 5.2 (0.6). About 42% of the participants were positive for any HPV positive and 21% had persistence of any HPV infections. Some, 35% of the participants had multiple infections with any HPV. About 54% of those with persistent any HPV infections had HRHPV; HPV types 52 (25%) and 18 (15%) were the most prevalent and persistent HRHPV types. The incidence of any HPV infection was 6.6/1,000 person-months while that of HRHPV was 2.6/1,000 person-months. Age, body mass index, level of education, marital and socio-economic status and total number of lifetime sexual partners were associated with HPV infection in these women. Conclusions: We defined the incidence, risk factors and commonest types of HRHPV in a large cohort of women in West Africa.

Incidence, Persistence, and Determinants of Human Papillomavirus: A Prospective Cohort Study of HIV-Negative Nigerian Women

Abstract 63 Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Africa. Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HRHPV) infection is a necessary cause but little is known about the persistence and associated risk factors of HRHPV infection in African women. We undertook this work to determine risk factors and the incidence of HPV infection in Nigerian women. Methods: ACCME is a multicenter, prospective cohort study of host germline, cervical somatic and HRHPV genomics, epigenomics, and vaginal microenvironment and their association with HPV. From February 2014 to January 2016, 10,000 HIV-negative women were enrolled in the cohort and are being observed every 6 months. We used SPF25/LiPA10 to characterize HPV infection and defined persistent infection as two consecutive positive tests performed at least 12 months apart. Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between risk factors and persistent HPV. Results: The mean (± standard deviation) age of study participants at baseline was 40 (± 10) years, and mean (± standard deviation) vaginal pH was 5.2 (± 0.6). Approximately 42% of participants were positive for any HPV and 21% had persistence of any HPV infection. Some (35%) participants had multiple infections with any HPV. Approximately 54% of those with persistent any HPV infection had HRHPV—HPV type 52 (25%) and type 18 (15%) were the most prevalent and persistent HRHPV types. Incidence of any HPV infection was 6.6 per 1,000 person-months, whereas that of HRHPV was 2.6 per 1,000 person-months. Age, body mass index, education level, marital and socioeconomic status, and total number of lifetime sexual partners were associated with HPV infection in these women. Conclusion: We defined the incidence, risk factors, and most common types of HRHPV in a large cohort of women in West Africa. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Sally N. Adebamowo No relationship to disclose Michael Odutola No relationship to disclose Ayotunde Famooto No relationship to disclose Eileen Dareng No relationship to disclose Amos Adebayo No relationship to disclose Peter Achara No relationship to disclose Bunmi Alabi No relationship to disclose Kayode Obende No relationship to disclose Richard Offiong No relationship to disclose Sanni Ologun No relationship to disclose Clement A. Adebamowo Speakers' Bureau: Merck

Review of West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition

Review of <i>West Africa's Women of God: Alinesitoué and the Diola Prophetic Tradition</i>

West Africa's women of God: Alinesitoue and the Diola prophetic tradition

West Africa's women of God: Alinesitoue and the Diola prophetic tradition

Associations of Household Wealth and Individual Literacy with Prenatal Care in Ten West African Countries.

Objective To examine associations of household wealth and individual literacy with prenatal care in West Africa. Methods Data on women with recent births in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone were obtained from 2006 to 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys (n=58,512). Separate logistic regressions estimated associations of literacy and wealth quintiles with prenatal care, controlling for age, parity, marital status, rural/urban residence, religion, multiple births, pregnancy wantedness, and the woman's involvement in decision-making at home. Any prenatal care was defined by ≥1 prenatal care visit. Adequate prenatal care was defined as at least four prenatal care visits beginning in the first trimester, at least one with a skilled provider. Results Seventy-eight percent of women had any prenatal care; 23% had adequate care. Women who were not literate had lower odds of having any prenatal care (odds ratio, OR 0.29; 95% confidence interval, CI 0.26-0.33) and lower odds of adequate care (OR 0.73, CI 0.68-0.78). Women in the poorest wealth quintile were substantially less likely to have any prenatal care than women in the wealthiest quintile (OR 0.24, CI 0.11-0.18), and less likely to have adequate care (OR 0.31, CI 0.27-0.35). Conclusions for Practice A substantial percentage of women in West Africa have no prenatal care. Few have adequate care. Illiteracy and poverty are important risk factors for having little or no prenatal care. Increasing education for girls, promoting culturally appropriate messages about prenatal care, and building trust in providers may increase prenatal care.

Geographically Weighted Regression of Determinants Affecting Women’s Access to Land in Africa

The underlying motivation of this study is to account for the spatial variation of factors affecting women’s access to land, which has been largely ignored by the traditional regression-based model studies, much to the detriment of spatially varying relationships. Using household and individual-level data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), this study used Geographically Weighted Regression to explore and analyze the spatial relationships between women’s access to own or family land and determinants that influence women’s access to land in Africa. The results demonstrated that HIV-positive women in West Africa and Ethiopia were more likely to have access to own land than family land. Educated women in North, West and Southern Africa were less likely to have access to own land than their non-educated counterparts. Population density exhibited predominantly negative influence over women’s access to both own and family land. The relationship between rural areas and women’s access to their own land was mostly not significant across the continent. However, both rural and urban women in West Africa and Ethiopia were negatively associated with access to family land. Women within the 15–24 age group in West, Central and East Africa were more likely to have access to own land than family land, while those within the 25–34 and 35–49 age groups had a better chance of gaining access to family than own land, with the results being significant in Southern, West and North Africa. While some of the reasons for these variations have been discussed in this paper there is still need for further investigation particularly focusing on smaller regions since this study shows that women’s access to land changes as one crosses geographical boundaries even within the same country.

Non-falciparum malaria infections in pregnant women in West Africa.

BackgroundNon-Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections are found in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa but little is known about their importance in pregnancy.MethodsBlood samples were collected at first antenatal clinic attendance from 2526 women enrolled in a trial of intermittent screening and treatment of malaria in pregnancy (ISTp) versus intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) conducted in Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana and Mali. DNA was extracted from blood spots and tested for P. falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale using a nested PCR test. Risk factors for a non-falciparum malaria infection were investigated and the influence of these infections on the outcome of pregnancy was determined.ResultsP. falciparum infection was detected frequently (overall prevalence by PCR: 38.8 %, [95 % CI 37.0, 40.8]), with a prevalence ranging from 10.8 % in The Gambia to 56.1 % in Ghana. Non-falciparum malaria infections were found only rarely (overall prevalence 1.39 % [95 % CI 1.00, 1.92]), ranging from 0.17 % in the Gambia to 3.81 % in Mali. Ten non-falciparum mono-infections and 25 mixed falciparum and non-falciparum infections were found. P. malariae was the most frequent non-falciparum infection identified; P. vivax was detected only in Mali. Only four of the non-falciparum mono-infections were detected by microscopy or rapid diagnostic test. Recruitment during the late rainy season and low socio-economic status were associated with an increased risk of non-falciparum malaria as well as falciparum malaria. The outcome of pregnancy did not differ between women with a non-falciparum malaria infection and those who were not infected with malaria at first ANC attendance.ConclusionsNon-falciparum infections were infrequent in the populations studied, rarely detected when present as a mono-infection and unlikely to have had an important impact on the outcome of pregnancy in the communities studied due to the small number of women infected with non-falciparum parasites.

Rural-urban migration: A path for empowering women through entrepreneurial activities in West Africa

Migration has contributed to the economic empowerment of women in West Africa. Empowerment can be accepted as a way to open up entrepreneurial opportunities that could contradict the established gender norm. Thus, in some cases migration can be part of an economic empowering process for women. This paper addresses the question of entrepreneurial empowerment (perceived as positive economic impact even when women did not participate in the decision of migrating to another place) based on the answers of a group of women living in Ibadan, Nigeria. This study captured their perceptions regarding how migration has financially improved their lives through entrepreneurial activities. One hundred and sixty three women participated in this pilot case study. The results showed how trading instead of family and tradition influenced the success of this group of women in terms of migration.

Introduction: En-gendering Islamic Authority in West Africa

Islamic Africa, vol. 5, no. 2, 2014. issn 2154-0993. Copyright © 2014 by Northwestern University Press. All rights reserved. www.islamicafricajournal.org Women and gender have very often been marginal or absent in the academic literature on Islam in West Africa. Where the literature has not itself marginalized or completely ignored women, it has often defined women as essentially marginal in relation to Islam. Contributors to this special issue of Islamic Africa seek not merely to bring more attention to Muslim women in West Africa but to examine the mutually constitutive relationships between Islamic authority and gendered discourses and practices. This introduction begins by reviewing the emergence of literature on women and gender in Muslim West Africa, pointing out some of the assumptions that have often limited this literature as well as recent attempts to remedy these assumptions. These include the assumption that women are categorically defined as marginal in relation to Islam; that men are to women as the public is to the private; and that “women” and “Islam” can be approached as monolithic objects of analysis. Then we outline several themes that we consider key to an engendered study of Islamic authority in West Africa. First, we propose performativity as an organizing concept for understanding how authority is exercised, recognized, reconfigured, and challenged in relation to gender and Islam. For instance, we ask how women present new leadership roles as “felicitous” in relation to gendered norms of piety. Second, we suggest reexamining Islamic knowledge, a key component of performances of Islamic authority, moving beyond binaries such as “scriptural” and “oral” knowledge and examining forms and practices of Islamic knowledge that Introduction: Engendering Islamic Authority in West Africa

Discerning the Reality of ‘Those Left Behind’ in Contemporary Migration Processes in Sub-Saharan Africa: Some Theoretical Reflections in the Light of Data From Senegal

When analysing migration processes, particular problems arise due to the phenomenon of migration rarely being addressed holistically – largely because of its complexity. This is evident in the study of South–North migrations, where the majority of existing research has been through an economic perspective often neglecting the sociocultural dimensions. In this article, we consider the situation of men and women in West Africa who do not migrate despite living in communities saturated by intense emigration to European or other Northern countries. We review the existing literature on ‘those left behind’ in general, and more specifically in the West African context and then, based on a case study in Senegal, we examine the processes that lead some people to stay behind, while others migrate. In this article, we discuss and deconstruct the label ‘left-behind’ as found in the literature and discuss it based on qualitative interviews conducted in a community in Senegal.

Breast cancer in pre-menopausal women in West Africa: Analysis of temporal trends and evaluation of risk factors associated with reproductive life

BackgroundIn West Africa, trends and risk factors for breast cancer (BC) have been rarely studied. MethodsHere we have analyzed trends of BC over two periods in two population-based cancer registries, in Mali-Bamako (1987–1997; 1998–2009) and in The Gambia (1988–1997; 1998–2006). We have conducted a case–control study (n = 253 cases, 249 controls) on risk factors associated with reproductive life stratified by menopausal status in Bamako. ResultsBetween the two periods, BC incidence rates increased by 20% (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.20 (95% CI [1.07–1.35])) in Bamako, with an annual percentage change of 2% (95% CI [0.4–3.6]). The increase was of 30% in women under 55 years (IRR 1.30 (95% CI [1.14–1.60])). A similar pattern was observed in The Gambia for women under 50 years (IRR 1.47 (95% CI [1.07–2.01])). Overall, pre-menopausal breast cancer was predominant in both countries. In contrary to what is well established, case–control study showed that late age at menarche (>14 years) increased the risk of BC among pre-menopausal women (OR: 2.02 (95% CI [1.08–3.78])) while it tended to be protective in post-menopausal women (OR: 0.61 (95% CI [0.29–1.29])). Later age at a first pregnancy (>20 years) was associated with a reduction of risk in pre-menopausal women (OR: 0.41 (95% CI [0.18–0.89])). ConclusionThese results indicate that the burden of pre-menopausal BC is increasing in West African countries. These cancers appear to be associated with distinct reproductive risk factors, highlighting the need for better understanding the biological bases of early BC in African populations.

A Transnational Perspective on William Dawes’ Treatment of Women

In an article published in History Australia in 2009 Cassandra Pybus reported grave allegations about William Dawe’s treatment of women in West Africa, charges that include debauchery and inciting his sexual partners to commit infanticide if they became pregnant. A fuller review of Colonial Office papers and the papers of Thomas Perronet Thompson casts doubt on the allegations. Dawes was certainly not the father of the reputed child of Anne Edwards, later Morgan, the woman Pybus names as having been convicted of infanticide. I also place Pybus’s inferences about Dawe’s relationship with Patyegarang in the longer, documented perspective of his benevolent work in Antigua and of his religiosity.This article has been peer-reviewed.

Vulnerable Groups Within a Vulnerable Population: Awareness of the A(H1N1)pdm09 Pandemic and Willingness to Be Vaccinated Among Pregnant Women in Ivory Coast

Because little is known about attitudes toward influenza and influenza vaccine among pregnant women in West Africa, before local distribution of A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine in Ivory Coast we assessed knowledge of the pandemic and acceptance of the A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine in a diverse population of pregnant women. A cross-sectional intercept survey of 411 pregnant women in 4 prenatal care settings was conducted during 15-28 February 2010 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The majority (64.5%) of pregnant women said they had heard of the influenza pandemic, and of these, the majority (61.3%) were aware of the A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine. However, awareness varied significantly by clinical setting, education level, and access to media (P < .001 for all comparisons). After adjustment for other sociodemographic factors, college-educated women were 16.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.3-85.2) times as likely as women without formal education to be aware of the pandemic. After controlling for both education and demographic characteristics, women with televisions were 5 times as likely as women without television to be aware of the pandemic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.94; 95% CI, 1.34-18.17). Of those aware of the influenza pandemic, 69.8% said they would accept the A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine while they were pregnant. Although awareness was highest in private prenatal care clinics, compared with public outpatient clinics (90.6% vs 37.5%), acceptance of vaccine was significantly lower in private settings, compared with public outpatient settings (57.3% vs 87.2%; P < .001 for each comparison). Gaps in knowledge about the influenza pandemic and vaccine highlight the challenges of pandemic preparedness in poorer countries, where substantial disparities in education and media access are evident.

Population Differences in Breast Cancer: Survey in Indigenous African Women Reveals Over-Representation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Compared with white women, black women experience a disproportionate burden of aggressive breast cancer for reasons that remain unknown and understudied. In the first study of its kind, we determined the distribution of molecular subtypes of invasive breast tumors in indigenous black women in West Africa. The study comprised 507 patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 1996 and 2007 at six geographic regions in Nigeria and Senegal. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections were constructed into tissue microarrays and immunostained with 15 antibodies. Five molecular subtypes were determined, and hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to explore subgroups for unclassified cases. The mean (+/- standard deviation) age of 378 patients in the first cohort was 44.8 +/- 11.8 years, with the majority of women presenting with large (4.4 +/- 2.0 cm) high-grade tumors (83%) in advanced stages (72% node positive). The proportions of estrogen receptor (ER) -positive, progesterone receptor-positive, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -positive tumors were 24%, 20%, and 17%, respectively. Triple negativity for these markers was predominant, including basal-like (27%) and unclassified subtype (28%). Other subtypes were luminal A (27%), luminal B (2%), and HER2 positive/ER negative (15%). The findings were replicated in the second cohort of 129 patients. The unclassified cases could be grouped into a bad prognosis branch, with expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, B-cell lymphoma extra-large protein, and Cyclin E, and a good prognosis branch, with expression of B-cell lymphoma protein 2 and Cyclin D1. These findings underscore the urgent need for research into the etiology and treatment of the aggressive molecular subtypes that disproportionately affect young women in the African diaspora.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes and their variants in high risk West Africa women immigrants in South Italy

BackgroundThe distribution of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) varies greatly across populations and HPV surveys have been performed in different geographical regions in order to apply appropriate vaccine strategies. Little information, however, exists regarding HPV genotypes distribution in immigrant women from countries at high incidence for cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the spectrum of HPVs and their variants among HIV-positive and HIV-negative women immigrants in South Italy mainly from West Africa and with a history of prostitution.ResultsCervical cytological samples have been collected from 14 HIV-positive and 31 HIV-negative immigrants (38 out of 45 were born in Nigeria), attending a gynecological outpatient clinic in the Campania region. Human papillomaviruses were detected by broad spectrum consensus-primer-pairs MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+-based polymerase chain reaction and characterized by nucleotide sequence analysis. Altogether, 42.2% (19/45) of samples were HPV positive with detection rates of 57.1% (8/14) in HIV-positive and 35.5% (11/31) in HIV-negative women. Among the twelve different viral genotypes identified, HPV33, 58, 70 and 81 were the prevalent genotypes with a frequency of 6.7% each, followed by HPV16, 35, 42, 54, 31, 52, 56 and 67, in descending order of prevalence. Sequence homology studies performed on the L1 amplified fragments of HPV16, 52 and 58 isolates allowed the identification of nucleotide changes distinctive of non-European variants.ConclusionThe overall HPV prevalence (42.2%) was high in this immigrant women group with the most common viral types other than HPV16 and 18, against which current vaccine strategies have been developed. The distribution of HPV genotypes and their variants in high-risk immigrants reflects that of their original countries. The surveillance of risk groups that may act as viral reservoirs of uncommon genotypes within different countries are necessary to determine the severity of HPV infection with the different viral types and to monitor a possible shift of prevalent strains following vaccination.

Igbo rural women in Africa as creative personalities: musical processing of socio-economic solidarity

The author closely examines the contribution of Igbo rural women in West Africa (south-eastern part of Nigeria, West Africa) as creative personalities. Analytical summaries of selected transcribed music of the women are presented, while focusing on the creative intentions behind the music as outlets for processing social and economic solidarity. In their roles as creative personalities, the women provide not only musical entertainment for comprehensive social interaction in conformity to cultural norms and values but also moral, ethical and cultural education to the entire community through the musical arts.