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From Dar es Salaam to Bongoland: Urban Mutations in Tanzania
The name Dar es Salaam comes from the Arabic phrase meaning house of peace. A popular but erroneous translation is ‘haven of peace’ resulting from a mix-up of the Arabic words “dar” (house) and “bandar” (harbour). Named in 1867 by the Sultan of Zanzibar, the town has for a long time benefitted from a reputation of being a place of tranquility. The tropical drowsiness is a comfort to the socialist poverty and under-equipment that causes an unending anxiety to reign over the town. Today, for the Tanzanian, the town has become Bongoland, that is, a place where survival is a matter of cunning and intelligence (bongo means ‘brain’ in Kiswahili). Far from being an anecdote, this slide into toponomy records the mutations that affect the links that Tanzanians maintain with their principal city and the manner in which it represents them.
This book takes into account the changes by departing from the hypothesis that they reveal a process of territorialisation. What are the processes – envisaged as spatial investments – which, by producing exclusivity, demarcations and exclusions, fragment the urban space and its social fabric? Do the practices and discussions of the urban dwellers construct limited spaces, appropriated, identified and managed by communities (in other words, territories)? Dar es Salaam is often described as a diversified, relatively homogenous and integrating place. However, is it not more appropriate to describe it as fragmented?
As territorialisation can only occur through frequenting, management and localised investment, it is therefore through certain places – first shelter and residential area, then the school, daladala station, the fire hydrant and the quays – that the town is observed. This led to broach the question in the geographical sense of urban policy carried out since German colonisation to date. At the same time, the analysis of these developments allows for an evaluation of the role of the urban crisis and the responses it brings.
In sum, the aim of this approach is to measure the impact of the uniqueness of the place on the current changes. On one hand, this is linked to its long-term insertion in the Swahili civilisation, and on the other, to its colonisation by Germany and later Britain and finally, to the singularity of the post-colonial path. This latter is marked by an alternation of Ujamaa with Structural Adjustment Plans applied since 1987. How does this remarkable political culture take part in the emerging city today?
This book is a translation of De Dar es Salaam à Bongoland: Mutations urbaines en Tanzanie, published by Karthala, Paris in 2006.
₵130.00 -
At Nineteen: Bracing the Odds of Teenage Pregnancy
COMPELLING, REVEALING and HEART-WARMING, this is a memoir that will resonate with you forever.
When a young teenage mother sets out on a lonely path to care for herself and her unborn child in an unfavourable environment, she manages to continue her education after the birth of her child, despite the loss of her father, who was her most important support system.
She manages to give her child the best of everything with the support of family and a few close friends. But as fate would have it, the worst was yet to come.
Hers is a tale of suffering and survival.
A book that inspires strength and character through adversity and challenges in life.
₵100.00 -
A Theology Of Marriage and Family: A Challenge To Same-Sex Relationships
In spite of the fact that this is a small book, in my candid view, this is an important contribution to the field of marriage and family life in our contemporary society. And this book will definitely be beneficial not only to people of faith, but sociologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, marriage counselors and researchers in marriage and family life in general.
—Prof. Samuel Awuah-Nyamekye, Former Head, Department of Religion and Human Values and currently, the Head, Department of Classics and Philosophy, University of Cape Coast.
₵30.00 -
Dating and Satisfied
Written from the deepest parts of their hearts, Dating and Satisfied (the second of the Waiting and Gaining series) captures the story of how Alex and Gloria’s great friendship metamorphosed into a beautiful love story in the midst of long distance. Each chapter captures a part of their story while extrapolating great principles in the process. This book will expose the reader to truthful, realistic, relevant and practical ideas. It is primarily intended for the single- closed up, ready to mingle, dating or engaged- Christian. Nonetheless, it has a lot to offer any other person too.
₵50.00Dating and Satisfied
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Oxford Street, Accra: City Life and the Itineraries of Transnationalism
In Oxford Street, Accra, Ato Quayson analyzes the dynamics of Ghana’s capital city through a focus on Oxford Street, part of Accra’s most vibrant and globalized commercial district. He traces the city’s evolution from its settlement in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. He combines his impressions of the sights, sounds, interactions, and distribution of space with broader dynamics, including the histories of colonial and postcolonial town planning and the marks of transnationalism evident in Accra’s salsa scene, gym culture, and commercial billboards.
Quayson finds that the various planning systems that have shaped the city—and had their stratifying effects intensified by the IMF-mandated structural adjustment programs of the late 1980s—prepared the way for the early-1990s transformation of a largely residential neighborhood into a kinetic shopping district. With an intense commercialism overlying, or coexisting with, stark economic inequalities, Oxford Street is a microcosm of historical and urban processes that have made Accra the variegated and contradictory metropolis that it is today.
“Oxford Street, Accra offers a fresh portrait of a rising African metropolis by one of the most original and skilled critics of the African condition. Deeply researched and packed with detail and bold in scope and analysis, Oxford Street, Accra is a unique addition to the growing body of work on contemporary African Urbanism. This extraordinary book shows the extent to which the future of urban theory might well lie in the global South.” – Achille Mbembe, author of Critique de la raison négre.
KEY SELLING POINTS:
- Oxford Street, Accra is a must-buy as an invaluable companion and compass for both newcomers and returning visitors to Accra.
- Oxford Street, Accra was chosen as one of the ‘UK Guardian’s 10 Best City Books of the World in 2014.’
- Oxford Street, Accra was also the Co-Winner of ‘The Urban History Association’s Top Award in the International Category For Books Published About World Cities in 2013 – 2014.’
- Oxford Street, Accra contains an encyclopedic knowledge of the City of Accra, tracing the city’s evolution from its settlement in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day.
- The book offers a microcosm of historical and urban knowledge of the making of the city that have transformed Accra into the sophisticated metropolis that is it today.
₵160.00 -
Yes I Do (Vol. 2): Living Happily Ever After
YES I DO Volume II is about building a healthy Christian family which has to be anchored on Christ and on an equally healthy marriage. What a healthy family is and its benefits to members are outlined in this book.
A novel concept called “THE MYSTICAL TRIPOD” which represents three basic factors (oneness or unity, mutual love and mutual respect) required to sustain Christian marriages has been introduced and used to discuss four major topics which are critical for blissful marriages.
“Interpersonal relationships” – This tackles how Christian couples can understand and relate to each other as they live together.
“Managing Family Resources”: This discusses in great detail how family material resources should be jointly owned and shared to ensure optimum use to promote understanding and to eliminate stress.
“Responsibilities and Roles of Spouses and Children”: The book teaches that with the application of the “Mystical Tripod” the responsibilities should be as mandated by the Holy Scriptures and should make the spouses compete to outdo each other in serving the interest of the family.
“Sex, Child Bearing and Christian Parenting”: Sex is projected as very central to marriage from the scripture; the details are therefore discussed and mutual support in raising children is encouraged. The principles for effective Christian parenting and step-parenting are also outlined.
₵30.00 -
Yes I Do (Vol. 1): Bone of my Bone – Discovering Your Soul Mate
“YES I DO” Volume I presents comprehensive teachings, sound pieces of information, advice and safety precautions. The pitfalls in establishing marital relationships have been discussed; exposing fraudsters in the system.
It does not only seek to build the spirituality of readers through the scriptures provided but also make a compelling case for them to develop their life and employable skills as a means of raising their personal values and improving their chances of getting a higher calibre of suitors.
The unmarried, are mentored and fully equipped with practical ways to market themselves, to search and to connect with the opposite sex. The expected outcome is that readers will know what to look out for and how to look for it in a would-be partner.
How to engage in effective Christian courtship that will lead to a fulfilling Christian marriage has also been dealt with in great detail – with the introduction of the “Soul mate session” an exciting courtship spiritual workshop to be held by partners.
It gives insights about common sources of conflict in marriages to forewarn and forearm readers and also suggests ways to forestall some of them during the search for suitors.
Common questions that bother young Christians have also been answered and illustrations given.
The basic teachings of the Catholic Church relating to marriage and divorce have also been discussed so that aspirants to the Christian marriage will know exactly what they are getting into.
It is recommended for all those involved in the formation of the youth; at home church or institutions.
₵30.00 -
General Acheampong: The Life and Times of Ghana’s Head of State (Hardcover)
A magnificent book…brilliant in shedding light on some of the most important but little known dark passages in our national history…worth reading by anybody who truly seeks knowledge about our recent past.
₵200.00 -
Contemporary Parenting
In this current era, women have had to take up jobs to support the home, especially in roles formerly dominated by men. In order to juggle the responsibilities of work and motherhood, the need to assign some responsibilities to caregivers or nannies is gradually gaining grounds. This book explores the contemporary phenomenon of engaging nannies and domestic assistants as a component of contemporary parenting and in addition, shares some best practices on how to prepare to do so more effectively.
The book has extensive discussions on behavioral needs and developmental stages in children. It also captures the influence of technology and social media on children, effects of strained parental relationships on children and parenting children with special needs. It further touches on parenting in a world of changing sexual orientations.
This book is well researched and beneficial to parents, guardians and those planning to have children. It is a page turner and highly recommended to everyone.
₵50.00Contemporary Parenting
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Overcoming Infertility: What to Do When Childbirth Delays
Overcoming Infertility: What to Do When Childbirth Delays is very practical as it has interviews from couples that have struggled to have children for years but have overcome the challenge. It brings to the fore practical experiences of those who are still struggling to bear children and couples who have adopted children and the issues they have encountered thereafter. There are also interviews with obstetricians and senior gynaecologists, counsellors and men of God who have been supportive to couples who find themselves in this situation.
This book tackles topics like childlessness, causes of infertility and treatment, scientific explanation of pregnancy, how society perceives childlessness as a woman’s problem, consequences of delayed childbirth, biblical assurances and possibilities of childbirth for everyone. Other topics include surrogacy and adoption, coping strategies against societal expectations and ridicule. It also delves into the use of herbal medicine for the treatment of infertility issues; the pros and cons. It contains a dose of supportive and self-help strategies on how the delay can be managed and how couples can live their lives without undue stress.
It is an advocacy tool that seeks to create awareness on the subject of infertility, support mechanisms available, treatment options and how society should be supportive, accommodative and sympathetic to the woes of couples struggling to have children. This material is useful for and not limited to counselling sessions, for couples struggling to have children, pastors, libraries, fertility centers and everyone.
₵50.00 -
The Unconventional Mother: How I Nurtured My Daughter with Disability into a Global Leader
If you think you have seen it all, this is the book that makes you stop. No, you haven’t. The extent that a super hero of a mother goes to keep her daughter alive and functional would fire you up and revise your notes about this thing called life.
Struck at birth by an unexpected combination of strange conditions, the life of a young girl was hanging in the balance from day one. The reader cannot help but be thrilled by how a mother – in the name of God – went to battle with and against science, eventually gifting to us a world-class professional.
Sometimes a medical journal, sometimes a family drama, sometimes a life-and-death page-turner, the episodes in this book involve diverse experts, hospitals across several countries, unusual insights on health as well as a redeeming grace of the highest order. This roller coaster lifesaving journey fortifies your resolve in your own particular struggle. When you finish The Unconventional Mother, the phrase ‘it is possible’ will taste different in your mouth.
₵110.00 -
Serving Ghana: 70+ Everyday Ghanaian Indigenous Recipes for Hospitality with Step-by-Step Instructions (Hardcover)
Full Colour Inside!
Serving Ghana: 70+ Everyday Ghanaian Indigenous Recipes for Hospitality with Step-by-step Instructions is a Ghanaian standard recipe book. The book is written in everyday language but takes care of a number of professional à la carte food production concerns of the professional chef.
With data collected through focus group discussions from thirteen ethnic groups as its basis, the book in addition to some nutritional information documents the recipes of popular indigenous soups, gravy, sauces and stews, grills and fries, one-pot dishes and carbohydrate accompaniments.
The book will facilitate the teaching and learning of younger generations to appreciate and cook Ghanaian local cuisine.
₵150.00 -
The Essentials of Early Childhood care and Education: A Handbook on Operating Early Childhood Development Centers and Orphanages in Ghana
A Handbook on Operating Early Childhood Development Centers and Orphanages in Ghana
₵25.00 -
Nice Things To Remember
What nice things do you want to remember? At home, at school, on the street, in the farm, when you travel, wherever you are, there are nice things to remember.
This book is for all children—to remind you about some of these nice things which you will like to remember
₵19.00Nice Things To Remember
₵19.00 -
Just Between Us: Highly Sensitive Matrimonial Love Letters
If you had the opportunity to write a critical letter to your spouse, what would the content of that letter be, especially if no one else but just the two of you would ever know what you wrote?
In Just Between Us, twenty-four love-constrained people, having travelled several years into their matrimony, write letters to their spouses, revealing top secrets, scandalous confessions, bizarre observations, childish suspicions, irreversible regrets, real fear, unbelievable actions, and even laughable inhibitions – all of them quite shocking and a bit disturbing.
“This is a work of fiction,” admits the author, “the figment of a fertile imagination.” Yet, this product of the author’s thought is so real that it will challenge your own wildest ideas about matrimonial relationships.
You will find the stories in these letters to be highly sensitive and sometimes uncomfortable, but they are unforgettable and deeply touching.
₵25.00