Symbolism in African Art
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A 6 page paper which examines the definition of symbolism in African art through masks and other three-dimensional work. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Filename: BBafrart.rtf

'Heart of Darkness' and 'An Image of Africa'
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3 pages in length. Authors Joseph Conrad and Chinua Achebe take us on emotional journeys into their works. The writer describes the talent with which these two authors transport us into their world. We read about the real people of Africa, their emotions and sometimes violent tendencies in their daily survival. These are books about real life; while the characters may be fictional, one infers from the emotions that drive both authors that most of these things have happened or could easily happen and are not simply fantasy. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: JGAacheb.wps

!Kung San: Cultural Change
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5 pages in length. Before the white man's social infiltration, the !Kung San were a nomadic people content to live their lives without any of the modern conveniences so readily associated with many parts of the world; in fact, there was little knowledge beyond their immediate villages as to what technological advancement actually meant. Theirs was a simple yet satisfying hunter/gatherer lifestyle perpetuated generation after generation with no external intrusion or forced cultural assimilation – until the white man arrived. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: TLCKung2.rtf

!Kung San: Environmental Degradation
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14 pages in length. The !Kung San of Namibia have endured a lifetime of struggle and strife, much of which has been at the hands of colonization. After being forced to abandon their traditional way of life and become dependent upon government handouts, Bushmen – whose practice of hunting and gathering has long been an important part of the ecosystem for thousands of years – have yet another catastrophic issue to deal with that threatens their very survival: environmental degradation. Bibliography lists 17 sources.
Filename: TLC!Kung.rtf

"Dancing Skeletons": A Review of the Book by Catherine Dettwyler
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A 5 page review of the ethnographic account of fieldwork in medical anthropology. Working among malnourished children in West Africa Dettwyler experienced both professional and personal insight. Although sometimes criticized for her subjective approach to her subject, in reality Dettwyler provides both a a touching human account and a valuable ethnography. Her approach to death as "the ultimate illness", however, is one which is unfortunate. This paper points out that death is in fact a natural component of life. To view death as an ultimate illness is to regard death, a phase which we must all pass through, as a personal and medical failure. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPskeltn.wps