AfriFuture Research Bulletin 1 (2),2021

AfriFuture’s Research Bulletin 1(2) 2021 covers a wide range of issues  including the darker side of social media and how it relates to cybercrime, the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on persons with visual impairment, the scourge of corruption in non-governmental organisations (NGO’s), the challenges and realities of persons living with disabilities as well as the dynamics of life saving blood donations. For this and more, read on.

Social Media Implications of Cybercrime on Human Security in Namibia

Over the past two decades, the development of modern societies has become intimately interconnected due to globalisation that has brought sophisticated technology. As a consequence, the re-organisation of criminal behaviour has been transformed by these new technologies (Minnaar, 2016). The potential of this innovation has not passed unnoticed by business, citizens and criminals. With more than three billion internet users in the world and the speed with which technology brings new developments to the market, anyone connected can become a victim of cybercrime (Council of Europe, 2015). Snell (2015) has added that since 1973, as computers have become increasingly more accessible, affordable, diverse and pervasive, the nature and rate of offending via technology has evolved and grown to enormous proportions.

Access to Information on Covid-19 for Persons with Visual Impairment in Masvingo, Zimbabwe

In December 2019, a novel virus SARS-2 (COVID-19) was discovered in the city of Wuhan, in China. The news of the discovery of the virus in Wuhan City spread rapidly across the world. By January 2020, the whole world was aware of the deadly COVID-19 virus and how it threatened humanity. However, the spread of such important information was high among the sighted. Those with visual impairment were not in the mainstream of information dissemination about the pandemic. This research sought to investigate how the information on COVID-19 was disseminated, if persons with visual impairment would access such information and strategies that could be adopted to reach persons with visual impairment on COVID-19 information.

Music and Peace-making in Zimbabwe: An Analysis of Victor Kunonga’s Songs

Music has the power to promote peace in the society as evidenced in this study. The paper adopts the Ubuntu Journalism Theory to analyse Victor Kunonga’s songs that activate and sensitise people about peace, human rights, human dignity, social justice, and social cohesiveness in Zimbabwe. The paper adopts qualitative research methods to explore the relationship between Kunonga’s songs and peace-making. Using discourse analysis, the paper finds out that Kunonga uses the power of language to promote a sense of togetherness. He uses ChiShona, English, and IsiNdebele to support the concepts of human rights for peace, non-violence, peace sensitivity, justice, culture of peace, and peace education. The paper concludes that Kunonga exploits the reach, spread, as well as acceptance of his music among Zimbabweans to preach the need for peace and co-existence. His music acts as a peacemaker, mediator, and the voice of the voiceless.

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Source: AfriFuture