Afryka

Surface water resources in Africa

Renata Dulias — 2022-04-16

The paper presents selected issues related to the surface waters of continental Africa. In the first part, the main rivers, lakes, wetlands, and dam reservoirs are characterized, and the second outlines their importance for agriculture, fisheries, and inland waterways. The data were taken from the literature, the FAO statistical yearbook and the Aquastat, World Waterfalls Database, and Global Lakes and Wetlands Database. Africa has the world’s largest river systems (Nile, Congo), one of the world’s largest lakes (Lake Victoria, Tanganyika), the world’s largest wetlands (Sudd, Okavango delta, Niger inner delta), and dam reservoirs that are among the largest in the world (Volta on the Volta River and Kariba on the Zambezi). However, water resources are unevenly distributed and dependent on exceptional variability in precipitation in the short and long term. Next to the regions with vast irrigation possibilities and the development of fisheries and inland waterways, Africa has regions with drastically low surface water resources. Climate change, combined with a growing population, will deepen the disparities.

The influence of water on Egyptian tomb architecture: the case of private tombs from the times of the Old Kingdom

Kamil Kuraszkiewicz — 2022-04-16

The evidence found on the cemetery of palace officials west of the Step Pyramid complex in Saqqara indicates that ancient Egyptian tomb builders reacted to climate changes that occurred toward the end of the Old Kingdom (related to the 4.2 ka event) by introducing specific, innovative measures solutions to minimize a negative impact of rainfalls on the non-royal funerary cults. The solutions designed to protect the burial places and to re-activate offering places damaged by water are presented.

Dams and water reservoirs in Ethiopia as an element of Haile Sillasie I’s politics

Hanna Rubinkowska-Anioł — 2022-04-16

The aim of the article is to present the importance of building dams and water reservoirs in the politics of the last Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Sillasie I. The article concentrates on the propaganda aspect of this activity. The article presents the problem in a broader historical context, also referring to the periods after the fall of the Empire, thus trying to prove the continuity of the importance of the problem of water in Ethiopian politics. The main source used is ‟Ethiopian Observer”, published during Haile Sillasie’s reign, which promoted a positive image of the changes taking place in Ethiopia during this period.

Cultural conception of “water” in Hausaland

Izabela Will — 2022-04-16

The paper tries to answer the question of how the conception of “water” is understood by the Hausa people living mainly in Nigeria and Niger. The main aim of the paper is to develop a cultural schema of water based on everyday contact with this liquid in the household and in the natural environment. The analysis is based on the methodology of cultural linguistics (Sharifian 2017) which examines the relationship between language and cultural conceptualizations. The first part of the article is devoted to every-day use of water. The second part deals with ritual cleansing and healing. The third part describes natural and artificial water reservoirs. Particular attention has been paid to terms co-occuring with the Hausa word ruwa meaning ‘water’, i.e. names of vessels, containers, tanks, and reservoirs as well as people and creatures related to water, such as water carriers, masters of water and supernatural beings inhabiting rivers and lakes.

Water symbolism in the Koran

Ewa Siwierska — 2022-04-16

The object of this paper is to analyze the Koranic symbolism of water in the light of the Islamic conception of nature as well as God’s attributes and His attitude towards His creatures. According to the Qur’an, God made from water every living thing. Rain, rivers, seas, streams and springs are signs and manifestations of God’s existence in the universe. Water is also regarded as one of God’s favors on His servants. There are numerous Koranic verses relating water as a vehicle of penalty both in the wordly life and in the hereafter. In the Koranic eschatological descriptions, it also appears as God’s reward for believers in paradise.

Water management in difficult conditions. An example of the Machakos Kamba

Małgorzata Szupejko — 2022-04-16

Like the majority of African countries, contemporary Kenya is a mosaic of cultures and languages shaped throughout the centuries. The Akamba discussed in this article live in the Machakos County and are one of the most numerous ethnic groups in Kenya. Amongst the many characteristics of their culture, the ones most relevant to the topic are: collectivism, avoidance of uncertainty, hierarchy, orientation towards the future (long-term orientation), variety of traditionally undertaken tasks. These characteristics of their culture have influence for adaptability to the changing and difficult living conditions: in this case, thanks to the methods of obtaining water and the ways to store and protect it.

The activities of Wangari Muta Maathai. Responsibility for nature and human rights from the perspectives of the Green Belt Movement

Magdalena Dębowska — 2022-04-16

The article presents Wangari Muta Maathai’s lifetime achievements and her involvement in the environmental protection in Kenya (1977–2011). The analysis of the Green Belt Movement seeks answers to the questions concerning African grassroots movements and their opportunities in the field of natural environment conservation, including safe access to potable water sources. The organisation initiated by Wangari Muta Maathai has been promoting the idea of tree planting in order to maintain sustainable ecosystem, which also concerns the crucial issue of sufficient clean water resources. The main source book used in this article is Maathai’s autobiography that is supported by individual observations of Magdalena Dębowska, gained during numerous visits in Kenya in the following years: 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011–2012.

Water in Batongo’s rituals after resettlement from the shores of the Zambezi

Dariusz Skonieczko — 2021-12-01

The Zambezi River plays an extremely important role in the rituals of the Batonga people who inhabit areas of Zimbabwe and Zambia. The article traces how ceremonies changed after the construction of the Kariba Dam in 1959 when the entire people were displaced from their traditional settlements. This fact put the Batongas on two sides of the great river, which made mutual contacts difficult and led to economic and religious differences. The aim of this article is to show water rituals in the face of a changing reality that leads to their change and, more importantly, to a reduction in their practice.

6th Congress of Polish Africanists

Kinga Turkowska — 2022-04-16

2nd Polish African Conference „Africa – Directions of Development”

Konrad Czernichowski — 2022-04-16

Conference „EU – Sub-Saharan Africa challenges and opportunities: Engine for Growth and Job Creation?”

Konrad Czernichowski — 2022-04-16

3rd African Conference „Africa – the Continent of Options or Threads”

Konrad Czernichowski — 2022-04-16

Grzegorz Waliński (13.12.1963 – 13.02.2021)

Robert Piętek — 2021-12-01