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Mary Lederer provides a valuable critical/historical survey of the genesis and development of the English novel in Botswana. This book comes as a timely correction of the notion that Botswana has no sustained fiction written in English, thus filling a gap that has existed for a long time in the literature of that country.
A Book of Rooms
(2014)
Kobus Moolman has published six previous collections of poetry, and several plays. He has been awarded the Ingrid Jonker prize, the PANSA award, the South African Literary Award, the DALRO poetry prize and the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry award. He teaches creative writing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
South African poetry today is charged with restlessness, burstng with diversity. Gone is the intense inward focus required to deal with a situation of systematic oppression, the enclosing effort of concentration on a single predicament. While politics and identity continue to be central themes, the poetry since the late 1990s reveals a richer investigation of ancestors and history, alongside more experimentation with language and translation; and enduring concern with the touchstones of love, loss, memory, and acts of witnessing. In the Heat of Shadows: South African Poetry 1996-2013 presents work by 33 poets and includes some translations from Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho and Xitsonga. This collection follows on from Denis Hirson's 1997 anthology The Lava of this Land: South African Poetry 1960-1996.
Driving change : the story of the South Africa Norway tertiary education development programme
(2014)
Driving Change tells a story that exemplifies a basic law of physics, known to all - the application of a relatively small lever can shift weight, create movement and initiate change far in excess of its own size. It tells a story about a particular instance of development cooperation, relatively modest in scope and aim that has nonetheless achieved remarkable things and has been held up as an exemplar of its kind. It does not tell a story of flawless execution and perfectly achieved outcomes: it is instead a narrative that gives some insight into the structural and organisational arrangements, the institutional and individual commitments, and above all, the work, intelligence and passion of its participants, which made the SANTED Programme a noteworthy success.
This publication is the result of a baseline study of the state of the higher education systems in the five Portuguese speaking countries in Africa (PALOP): Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe. The project was undertaken by an African international expert in the field of higher education studies and was fully sponsored and supported by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). The report offers a historical overview of the development of higher education in PALOP from colonial times to the present. The main objective of this baseline study is to map the landscape and dynamics of change in the higher education systems of PALOP countries. It focuses on describing the latest developments of trends of expansion, financing, governance and policy reforms closely linked to the development of higher education systems in these countries. Furthermore, the study will facilitate an informed debate and the dissemination of knowledge on the role of higher education for development in Africa.
The goal of Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa is to generate interest in student affairs in South Africa. The papers contained herein are based on best practice, local experience and well-researched international and local theories. The papers in this book deal with matters pertaining to international and national trends in student affairs: academic development, access and retention, counselling, and material support for students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are linked to national and international developments, as described in the first two papers. This publication will assist both young and experienced practitioners as they grow into their task of developing the students entrusted to them. All contributors are South Africans with a great deal of experience in student affairs, and all are committed to the advancement of student affairs in South Africa. The editors are former heads of student affairs portfolios at two leading South African universities.
Looking at two smaller-scale systemic school improvement projects implemented in selected district circuits in the North West and Eastern Cape by partnerships between government, JET Education Services, and private sector organisations, this book captures and reflects on the experiences of the practitioners involved. The Systemic School Improvement Model developed by JET to address an identified range of interconnected challenges at district, school, classroom and household level, is made up of seven components. In reflecting on what worked and what did not in the implementation of these different components, the different chapters set out some of the practical lessons learnt, which could be used to improve the design and implementation of similar education improvement projects. Many of the lessons in this field that remain under-recorded to date relate to the step-by-step processes followed, the relationship dynamics encountered at different levels of the education system, and the local realities confronting schools and districts in South Africa's rural areas. Drawing on field data that is often not available to researchers, the book endeavours to address this gap and record these lessons. It is not intended to provide an academic review of the systemic school improvement projects. It is presented rather to offer other development practitioners working to improve the quality of education in South African schools, an understanding of some of the real practical and logistical challenges that arise and how these may be resolved to take further school improvement projects forward at a wider district, provincial and national scale.
In a country like Namibia, where few academics often have to cover a subject in all its aspects, the scope of research necessarily has to be wide. In the case of the one honoured with this Festschrift, Hans-Volker Joachim Gretschel, these areas cover the German language and literature, comparative literature, translation, as well as didactics and lexicography. In this book his colleagues, friends and companions address all of these issues. Nonetheless this is not a random potpourri but one united by the relevance for the development of Namibia. The reader can look forward to noteworthy articles showing the way for German and German Studies in Southern Africa.
This report focuses on the chronology and geography of collective violence against migrant entrepreneurs since South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994. The overall aim of the research was to document and create a chronological account of attacks on migrant businesses, to categorise the types and frequency of attacks and to map the locations where such events occurred.
Now I See You
(2014)
Armed robbery is nothing new in South Africa. But when a pair of clever and squeaky-sounding criminals go on a looting spree that rocks several small towns in the Eastern Cape, Detective Inspector Thabisa Tswane from The Eagles, the Special Violent Crimes Unit is called to work the case. There's only one problem, one of the most important witnesses in the case is her estranged grandfather, Chief Solenkosi, who ordered her violent expulsion from the village over ten years ago. In another world of lunches at the Michelangelo, private game lodges and platinum cards, the rich and slick Ollis Sando smoothes his way through cocktail parties and networking meetings. He is rumoured to be in line for the presidency in the upcoming elections. But he has a dirty past, something to hide and a hostage to hide it for him. In Now I See You Thabisa's traditional and professional skills will be pushed to the limit. She will have to learn the difference between looking and seeing. And in stirring twists of fate, we'll see that past and present blur, everything is interconnected and nothing can be assumed.
As Ama's wedding day approaches and her friends - Beauty, Matlakala and Pamela are there to lend varying degrees of support. But when tragedy strikes on Ama's wedding day and spreads to every corner of the group's lives they hold on to each other to survive. Will their misfortunes bring them closer together or will they tear the quilt of their friendship apart? They are our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our girlfriends, our aunties. Pamela's body is a ravaged canvas of her troubles. Matlakala tries to prop up a failing relationship. Beauty's sharp tongue and dark secret threatens to doom her to a life lived alone. In To the Black Women We All Knew, Maenetsha showcases the modern township existence and its weakening yet ever-present link to tradition. Her vivid writing tells of the capriciousness of life and love and the strength of women in the face of a crisis..
This Day
(2014)
Loss has left Ella Spinner alone to care for her husband, Bart, who suffers from clinical depression. Their days now echo the tides: any progress made, rolls back. Yet Ella keeps pushing against the monotony. Set in Mossel Bay, Ella?s day begins like any other. But on this day the minutes begin to crack allowing change to filter through. As we cheer on her tenacity, we?re left asking ourselves what motivates anyone to try again.
The Last to Leave
(2014)
The Last to Leave is Margaret Clough's second collection of poetry. These poems follow on from her first extremely popular collection, At Least the Duck Survived (2011) in that the light, warm-hearted tone continues as does Clough's engagement with aging and mortality. These poems are a tonic and leave the reader feeling refreshed, saddened and better off. Clough has participated in The Franschoek Literary Festival, and has been invited to a number of reading engagements in the Western Cape, including the McGregor Poetry Festival. Her books sell out every time she reads.
Maybe it was an error for crime reporter Maggie Cloete to ignore the call from the AIDS worker, before someone put four bullets in his chest. It is post-apartheid South Africa, at the turn of the century. But there is a threat to the country's new democracy: HIV/AIDS, which is met with fear and superstition. Now that fear has reached Pietermaritzburg and an AIDS activist is dead. Maggie's instincts are on red alert. Despite threats from politicians and gangsters, she learns too much about Balthasar's life and his work at the AIDS Mission to be distant and professional. She is deeply, and dangerously, involved. Balthasar's Gift continues the tradition of pacy, hard-boiled South African crime fiction.
They are Coming
(2014)
This is the story of a small family in Lobengula township, Bulawayo: a shoemaker, Ngwenya, his wife, MaVundla, and their two children, Ambition and Senzeni, whose lives are turned upside-down when Senzeni joins the local youth militia. Mlalazi captures the texture of everyday life in the township, the humour, warmth, rivalry and fear as neighbours interact with each other or get swept up by events outside their control. Their constant search, however, is for autonomy and independence, for the ability to have control over their own lives. They are Coming provides us with perspectives often hidden from view, in a story where particular events are part of a more complex history.
Three years after the advent of Zimbabwe's Inclusive Government in February 2009, the country still awaits the elections that people hope will lead to a more enduring political settlement. Zimbabwe: Mired in Transition reviews the experience of recent years assesses the progress that has been made. What is the public mood, and how has it changed? What steps have been taken to reform the media? How important is a new constitution. Although the economy has stabilised to some extent with the adoption of a multi-currency regime, industrial and agricultural production are depressed, and investment inflows are limited; what spaces exist for fiscal reform? Are local authority structures and the state bureaucracy equipped to handle the tasks that will ne asked of them? In terms of two important areas, the book extends its analysis further back than 2009. First, is the issue of emigration. Estimates of the number of Zimbabweans in the diaspora range from three to four million; what impact us this having on national development, and to what extent might the trend of migration be reversed? The second concerns young people, the chapter on which concludes: 'We already have a 'lost generation' - those who were once called the 'born frees'. Unless positive changes are made, we will still have another'. This collection of eleven essays examines in detail some of the pressing questions which Zimbabweans must ask as they chart a way forward.
Girl on the Edge: A Memoir
(2014)
Ruth was four years old when her father was arrested for high treason and her world was turned upside-down. She grew up in constant fear of Special Branch policemen knocking on the door to arrest her mother or father, prominent South African communist. Ruth learned how to keep her mouth shut, to look out for microphones in the walls and to beware of friends who could betray her trust. At fourteen, Ruth left South Africa, clutching her teddy bear in one hand and her drawings in the other. A plan to England carried her into exile, a new world where she struggled to reconstruct a life fractured by fear. With an artist's eye for detail and colour, Ruth recalls her life with unflinching honesty: the Treason Trial; her struggle to conform; Friern Barnet Asylum for the 'hopeless insane'; LSD, protests, and free love in London, art school and motherhood; communes and camping- all steps in a journey that finally brought her home to South Africa on the brink of change. Heart- wrenchingly sad one minute, bursting with life and vigour the next, seamed throughout by strength and courage, girl on the edge allows us to look deep into one woman's life and travel with her to the brink and back again.
African scholarly research is relatively invisible globally because even though research production on the continent is growing in absolute terms, it is falling in comparative terms. In addition, traditional metrics of visibility, such as the Impact Factor, fail to make legible all African scholarly production. Many African universities also do not take a strategic approach to scholarly communication to broaden the reach of their scholars' work. To address this challenge, the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) was established to help raise the visibility of African scholarship by mapping current research and communication practices in Southern African universities and by recommending and piloting technical and administrative innovations based on open access dissemination principles. To do this, SCAP conducted extensive research in four faculties at the Universities of Botswana, Cape Town, Mauritius and Namibia.
Acacia
(2014)
Acacia is a strong and independent woman whose heart and heritage like rooted in Africa, while her reality in contemporary America finds itself in a very different time and place. In living her life, she must breach the distance between her current space and the ties that bind her. Straddling two sometimes opposing worlds of medicine and dance, Dr Acacia Graeme must find the balance between feeding her mind through work and study, and nourishing her soul and spirit through dance. And what happened when the music stops? Because it does, often. How will she get through the silence of her every day? This is the story of a flawed heroine whose intentions are pure, her truth perhaps less so. Torn between the enduring innocence of her first love and the life-long search that is her longing for one true love, she is compelled to come to terms with her own free nature and independent spirit and, in so doing, turn tragedy to triumph.
The publication is the latest in the African Studies in Russia series of compilations and contains full articles and annotations of the most important - from the point of view of editors - works of Russian Africanists over a certain period. The authors work at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The present issue covers the years 2010 to 2013 and consists of two sections. The first section presents conceptual articles on Africa published in authoritative journals. The second section offers synopses of books by Russian authors on economics, cultural anthropology, social and political development, gender studies, and international relations of African countries. The main objective of the triennial series of compilations is to introduce new findings of Russian Africanists to interested foreign scholars who do not speak Russian.
After The Tears
(2014)
Busi is pregnant with Parks' baby. Her granny is sick, there is no money for food, and her mother is still in Jozi. Her friends are supportive, but they don't understand how lonely it feels to be pregnant while they are out partying. She knows she should forget Parks, but she can't. So when he sends her an SMS telling her to meet him she goes - only to find out that he is not alone. And so Busi's life becomes more complicated than she can ever imagine.
It Takes Two
(2014)
FunDza celebrates young writers. Between June and December 2013, five of South Africa's best authors teamed up with five talented young writers to bring you this anthology of fast-paced, exciting short stories. From romance and heartache, to mystery and crime, these stories have something thrilling for every reader.
Bless me Father
(2014)
Bless Me Father is the true story of an incredible South African life. Born into a violent and broken family, and growing up in a variety of institutions, Cape Town based poet and writer Mario d'Offizi tells his remarkable, often shocking and ultimately inspiring life adventure - one that spans several decades in a country undergoing radical change. From his tough days at Boys Town to wild years in the advertising world, a stint in the restaurant business and a sharp edged journalistic adventure in the DRC, d'Offizi tells his critically acclaimed story with the unfailing sensitivity and warmth of a true poet.
In Search of Happiness
(2014)
Nana is fifteen when she travels from her village in the Eastern Cape to the city. She is overjoyed to be reunited with her family, even if they are living in a tiny shack. But she struggles to fit in at her new school, and she is shocked at the violence shown to Chino and Agnes, her Zimbabwean neighbours. When she and Agnes become close friends, and find love in unexpected places, Nana learns firsthand just how brutal ignorance can be and how hard it is to hold on to happiness.
The year 2013 marked 15 years of the phenomenal diplomatic relations between South Africa and China. Th e relationship between South Africa and China has been developing since diplomatic ties were established on 1 January 1998. Since then, South Africa-China's bilateral relations have undergone rapid and all-facet development. Th ere were frequent high level and other kinds of mutual exchanges between the two countries. Th e bilateral relations within the space of fifteen years have evolved from a Partnership to a Strategic Partnership, and then to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Furthermore, in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was set out in the Beijing Declaration signed in 2010, the two countries expressed the desire to further strengthen and deepen cooperation in both bilateral and regional affairs by establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership based on equality, mutual benefit and common development. Th e agreements range from political dialogue, trade, investment, mineral exploration, manufacturing, and agriculture to joint efforts in the global arena, such as in the United Nations, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). In recognition of the aforementioned bilateral achievements, on 19 September 2013, an Ambassadorial forum was co-hosted by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa, and the Africa Institute of South Africa Human Science Research Council (AISA-HSRC). The objective of the Ambassadorial Forum was to provide an opportunity for refl ections on the past and outlook on the future diplomatic relations between South Africa and China. This book presents the offi cial keynote addresses which provide strategic thinking and foresight into the bilateral relations between the two countries. Th e main substance of the book is a collection of the Ambassadorial Forum papers that were submitted. The papers evaluate economic and political progress from a national interest perspective. Progress is measured against variables such as trade growth, people-to-people development, partnerships, and the implementation of state agreements, all against the background of the theory of national interest.
This book addresses hot issues pertaining to the manner in which corporate South Africa has engaged the emerging green global economy. Firstly, the book profiles the green and low carbon economy landscape in South Africa and interfaces it with global trends. This way, the book aligns very well in terms of the Rio+20 outcomes on 'The Future We Want' that fully embraces the green global economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. The rest of the chapters in the book profile breakthroughs from selected companies. The book also comes as the second in a series that is addressing global and national concerns on the green global economy agenda. The first book entitled 'Green Economy and Climate Mitigation: Topics of Relevance to Africa' was produced as part of the 17th Session of the Conference of Parties' collaborative work carried out by the Institute of Global Dialogue, the Africa Institute of South Africa and Unisa's Institute for Corporate Citizenship. The book 'Breakthrough: Corporate South Africa in the Green Economy' comes in seven parts. Part I focuses on the Green Economy Landscape. This part considers both the international and national perspectives. Parts II-VI present different sector initiatives namely: Mining and Energy (Part II), Banking and Insurance (Part III), Forest and Paper (Part IV), Industrial (Part V) and Retailing and Aviation (Part VI). The last part is made up of a single chapter dealing with Emerging Issues and Way Forward.
This volume is an attempt to provide this intersectional and reflexive space. The thinking behind the book began in Lamu in mid-2010. It was a time when growing community resistance emerged towards the Kenyan government's plan to build a second seaport under a trans-frontier infrastructural project known as the Lamu Port- South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET). The editors agreed that a book that draws community activists, academics, researchers and policy makers into a discussion of the predicament of indigenous rights and development against the backdrop of the Endorois case was timely and needed. Assembled here are the original contributions of some of the leading contemporary thinkers in the area of indigenous and human rights in Africa. The book is an interdisciplinary effort with the single purpose of thinking through indigenous rights after the Endorois case but it is not a singular laudatory remark on indigenous life in Africa. The discussion begins by framing indigenous rights and claims to indigeneity as found in the Endorois decision and its related socio-political history. Subsequent chapters provide deeper contextual analysis by evaluating the tense relationship between indigenous peoples and the post-colonial nation-state. Overall, the book makes a peering and provocative contribution to the relational interests between state policies and the developmental intersections of indigeneity, indigenous rights, gender advocacy, environmental conservation, chronic trauma and transitional justice.
The quality of education is pivotal for the production of human capital and this cannot be compromised by failing to refocus on the quality of education offered in schools. The inputs in the system such as trained and motivated teachers, buildings and classrooms including sanitation, clean water, instructional material such as textbooks, as well as strong leadership with vision to steer the winds of change are important in providing the desired outcomes. The chapters in this volume are broadly divided into three subsections as follows: learner related issues, (farm and rural schools, poverty and schooling, school violence, and students rights); teacher related issues,(teacher morale and motivation, teachers for all schools, management needs of school principals); and administrative/policy related issues (inclusive education, and school community relations). The social demand for better schools, effective principals, qualified and committed teachers and better opportunities for all place a huge challenge to provinces and the state to protect the rights of all citizens. This volume sets out the challenges facing the education system in South Africa, such as poor school infrastructure, poor learning conditions, and a lack of learning materials and provides recommendations on how some of these can be overcome.
This book outlines perspectives of emerging and established African scholars on what one could describe as the debate on leadership and the articulation of the life of the mind in Africa's socio-economic, political and cultural life from the time of independence to date. The papers contained in the book cover the following thematic areas: Alternative Leadership Paradigm for Africa's Advancement; African Perspectives on Globalisation and international relations; Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance; Scientific, Technological and Cultural Dimensions of African Development. The first section deals with alternative leadership paradigms for Africa's advancement. It also debates the 'thin line' separating management studies from leadership studies and untangles the hermeneutic complexities in the term 'leadership'. Section two examines among other things, the crucial challenge of globalisation and public ethics and others African perspectives. The section also interrogates the current complexities and credibility deficits in the global governance of trade and towards the end engages philosophical questions about conscience and consciousness in African development and progress. The debates in section three continue to section four and focus on the overall issues of language and liberation, the significance of Multi-, Interand Trans-Disciplinary Approaches in the analysis of the African continent, appropriate indigenous paradigms for promoting the African renaissance as well as a series of debates on the meaning and prospects of regional integration in Africa's renewal. This provides just a snapshot of a very wide ranging and interesting debate contained in the publication.
Building Peace from Within
(2014)
This book seeks to examine how successful models of building 'peace from within' in the African context function. It draws emerging lessons to provide critical recommendations on policy, practice and academia - our primary audience. While there are numerous examples of failures of conflict resolution in Africa, shown by intractable conflict axes, less attention is paid to successes. While acknowledging the challenges that exist, this edited volume provides positive examples of building peace from within in fragile contexts through many forms of initiatives and actions at different levels: community-based (through individual and/or collective local peace initiatives), government (through ministries and/or departments), and regional (through external and/or multilateral infrastructure for peace). As a guiding principle the notion of building peace from within draws from the idea of community regeneration, which describes voluntary and peaceful activities of grassroots actors that reflect their broader interests of building peaceful communities and existence.
This book employs the event of the Arab Spring revolution of 2011 to reflect on the event itself and beyond. Some of the chapters address the colonial encounter and its lingering reverberations on the African sociopolitical landscape. Others address the aftermath of large scale societal violence and trauma that pervade the African context. The contributions indicate the range of challenges confronting African societies in the postmodern era. They also illustrate the sheer resilience and inventiveness of those societies in the face of apparently overwhelming odds. What is the nature of political power in contemporary Africa as constituted from below instead of being a state driven phenomenon? What constitutes sovereignty without recourse to the usual academic responses and discourses? These two questions loom behind most of the deliberations contained in this book with contributions from an impressive field of international scholars.
This book foregrounds emerging and different perspectives on the centenary of the ANC which was celebrated in February 2012. Differing in tenor, methodology and style, we present nineteen chapters that tackle various epochs and events in the making of the centenary of the oldest political organisation in Africa. The book offers new angles to our understanding of what sustained the ANC over one hundred years in spite of all the internal and external contradictions. There is arguably a view that part of what distinguishes the ANC from other revolutionary movements in the continent is that from the turn of the twentieth century its founders prioritised national unity across tribal, ethnic, linguistic, religious, gender and racial identities. This ideal of national unity informed their responses to the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910 and the declaration of the South African Republic in 1961. In principle, the leadership was opposed not to these manifestations of concrete nation state formation but to the practice of excluding the majority of South African citizens according to racial markers. As a contribution to the historiography of the ANC and that of South Africa which it was established to liberate, the book tackles the following critical questions: what traits in the ANC's genetic code have kept it alive for one hundred years? Is the ANC on course to meeting its historical mission of building an equitable, nonracial, non-sexist and socially-democratic society as articulated in the Africans' Claims, the Freedom Charter and the Strategy and Tactics documents? Finally, would the ANC continue to retain relevance for a bicentenary especially as it now contends with new internal and external contradictions in an increasingly unequally society and unipolar world order? This new hypothetical architecture, hopefully, will be employed by many others engaged in the study of the rise and fall of political organisations.
The book, the translation of Long Time Coming into Ndebele from English, brings together short stories and poems from thirty-three writers that provide snapshots of this turbulent period in Zimbabwe's history. Snapshots of living in a country where basic services have crumbled: where shops have no food, taps no water, banks no money, hospitals no drugs, bars no beer. Snapshots of characters surviving against seemingly insurmountable odds. Horrific snapshots of the abuse of power, of violence and oppression, of the destruction of dreams. But this is Zimbabwe and there are lighter moments and moments of hope: in some of life's simple pleasures, in the coming of the rains, in the wink and the smile of a stranger, in a challenge to patriarchy, in the inner strength of the people, in fighting back.
Textures
(2014)
The short stories and poems in this collection were written by students at King George VI School and centre for physically disabled children in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo. HIV and AIDS have had a devastating effect on all the communities of Zimbabwe, and those with disabilities have not been exempt from the effects of the virus, as is reflected in many of the pieces in this collection. The book clearly demonstrates both the talent of the students and their concern about the issues facing their community and wider society. Some of the stories and poems tell the stories of their lives, some come straight from their imagination, and some simply speak of their dreams for a better future.
A dazzling collection from across the African continent and diaspora - here SHORT STORY DAY AFRICA has assembled the best nineteen stories from their 2013 competition. Food is at the centre of stories from authors emerging and established, blending the secular, the supernatural, the old and the new in a spectacular celebration of short fiction. Civil wars, evictions, vacations, feasts and romances - the stories we bring to our tables that bring us together and tear us apart.
The history of people with disabilities has been dominated by their isolation and exclusion. The long fight towards inclusion - and inclusive education in particular - started not many years ago. Most were powerless to control their own destiny. Their participation in society has been the object of other's actions. In many countries their disability policies have a substantial element of protection and charity but not the right to equalisation of opportunities. This book highlights the process of change that is underway internationally. The equalisation of opportunities requires new processes through which the various systems of society such as health services and education are delivered. It means the right for people with disabilities to remain in their communities and to receive the schooling and social supports they need within the ordinary structures available in local communities. Strong advocacy is needed for this to happen. In particular parents need to be empowered, communities mobilised and professionals trained in new ways of working: hence this book. Drawing on experiences in Africa, the book describes the issues to be considered when it comes to implementing inclusive strategies: the processes to be followed and the roles of different sectors, such as people with disabilities, parents, policy makers, educationalists, health and community development professionals and crucially, society at large.
Like in many parts of the world, water resources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have been pivotal for human survival, economic growth, social development, and practicing certain religion and cultural ethos. However, in spite of the intrinsic values of water, its use and management in sub-Saharan Africa has not been without limitations. The demand for water resources is increasing mainly due to rapid population growth, industrialization and urbanization and dealing with water-related issues has been complex and challenging for sustainable growth. Whilst there are various efforts by national governments, non-government organizations and communities to effectively and efficiently utilize and manage water resources, there are few comprehensive studies in sub- Saharan Africa that show the impact of the efforts on poverty reduction. Although certain reports indicate that many SSA countries lack clear vision on how water use can be harnessed with pro-poor growth and how poor communities can be capacitated to use water for poverty reduction, there are little exhaustive studies that clearly show familiar and innovative water use and management interventions followed by communities, national governments and other stakeholders, and demonstrate the challenges and successes of the same. Cognizant of the knowledge gap, in 2012 OSSREA launched a research project on ordinary and innovative water use and management patterns and practices in SSA, with a view to generate new knowledge on unexploited opportunities that could enhance the contribution of water resources to poverty reduction. This anthology documents various issues including water use and management in agriculture especially in irrigation projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe; water harvesting in Kenya and Uganda; the role of local water use institutions in Ethiopia; and water source maintenance and protection in Uganda.
Feathers in Reverse
(2014)
Feathers in Reverse is the ideal gift for a loved one who is scared of poetry. It engages and immerses readers with the luring subtlety of a serpent. Themes treated include good and evil, heaven and earth, man and woman, birth and death, urbanism and rural life, wealth and poverty. As much as the poet highlights salient issues and conflicts in everyday life, he suggests answers to burning problems as well. A common thread runs through the over 300 poems feathered and featured in this collection. The notion of the 'feather' is cross-cultural. It reminds us of the feather used as a pen in ancient Europe and the 'red feather' that is stuck on the caps of African notables as a mark of distinction. Feathers in Reverse is a magic pudding to be sampled, shared and indulged.
This book is the celebration of one man's vendetta against a cancerous regime that thrives on the rape of democracy and human rights abuses. Lapiro de Mbanga, born Lambo Sandjo Pierre Roger on April 7, 1957 was a conduit for social change. He fought for change in his homeland and died fighting for change in Cameroon. Lapiro believed in the innate goodness of man but also had the conviction that absolute power corrupts absolutely. He was noted for contending that 'power creates monsters.' His entire musical career was devoted to fighting the cause of the downtrodden in Cameroon. He composed satirical songs on the socio-economic dysphonia in his beleaguered country. In his songs, he articulated the daily travails of the man in the street and the government-orchestrated injustices he witnessed. As a songwriter, Lapiro de Mbanga distinguished himself from his peers through bravado, valiance and the courage to say overtly what many a Cameroonian musician would only mumble in the privacy of their homes. Lapiro's anti-establishment music led to his arrest and imprisonment in September 2009 for three years. Released from prison on April 8, 2011 he was later given political asylum by the USA. On September 2, 2012 Lapiro relocated with some members of his family to Buffalo in New York where he died on March 16, 2014 after an illness. His revolutionary music and fighting spirit live on.
From my friendships and loves are born the lines herein. My greatest desire is that we must learn to love to the best of our abilities and not better than the Best of our abilities. Requesting the latter would be demanding the impossible. For me, every heart is filled with goodness and love that only a positive posturing and channeling of their energies can warrant the transcendence of these terrestrial realities to flirt with their divine counterparts.
The essays collected together in this book reflect the author's varied experiences in the realms of politics and social struggle; he notes that they cannot be separated from his other experiences in his country, Egypt, over the years. These experiences extend from popular culture or folklore, through the wider political world of African liberation politics, to the Committee for the Defense of National Culture. This book is like a long trip through African culture from the 1950s to the beginning of the 21st century. These essays will most likely provoke a lot of memories, sweet and bitter; with maybe the bitter ones as the more lasting. The author notes that it appears as if the only relationship that seems to have mattered, for a long time, for the Egyptians with the rest of Africa was the river Nile, which joins the country to ten other countries, while a vast desert stands in-between. Such separation ignores the ancient relations between Pharaonic Egypt and the rest of Africa, and the role of Egypt in supporting many liberation movements on the continent. The author has set himself some tough questions in this book: Is it legitimate today to use race to sub-divide the African continent? Can this, moreover, be simply done as if race is ahistorical or an idealistic concept of identities? Or are we going to talk about Arabism in Egypt, Libya or Maghreb as if it were an identity gained with the advent of the Arabs, implying that these were 'lands with no people' - a sort of 'No Man's Land?' Or was this a fragile space that could not confront the invading empire? Or will Arabism equate with Bantuism or negroism sometimes, and Hausa and Swahili cultures at other times? These are the types of issues that Helmi Sharawy examines in this very important book. Experiences that inform this book began with the author's first encounter in March 1956, with some African youths who were in Cairo for higher studies or as representatives of liberation movements with whom he worked as an intermediary with the Egyptian national state, which work left on him an everlasting impression.
Im ehemaligen Arbeitszimmer von Rainer Maria Rilke im Turm von Muzot haben sich außer einem Teil seiner Bibliothek auch viele Reminiszenzen an den Dichter und aus des Dichters Besitz erhalten. Vor Jahren hat mir der Zürcher Japanologe
Cornelius Ouwehand zu jedem der Objekte mitgeteilt, was es damit für Rilke für Bewandtnisse hatte, in welchem Brief, in
welchem Gedicht diese kaum "Kunstwerke" zu nennenden Gegenstände auftauchen. Zu einer kleinen, zwischen zwei Gläser gerahmten indischen Malerei, die in der Ecke unter einem Wandschränkchen mittels einer Schnuröse an die Wand genagelt ist und mich besonders interessierte, wusste selbst dieser grosse Rilkiana-Sammler nichts zu sagen. Wir nahmen an, sie sei erst später vom Besitzer des Turms, von Werner Reinhart oder seinen Erben, hier befestigt worden. Nun ist dem aber vermutlich nicht so gewesen: Das hübsche indische Bildchen, das wir auf dem undatierten Foto "Rilkes Arbeitszimmer in Muzot" schon an der Stelle finden, wo es auch heute noch hängt, wird unter der nicht ganz zutreffenden, aber von Rilke selbst gewählten Bezeichnung "Tänzerin" in mehreren Briefen erwähnt.
The growing role of IT in real estate asset management – the appraisal process as a master sample
(2014)
FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS FACE SERIOUS PROBLEMS IF MANY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS LEAVE QUICKLY BECAUSE SUCH CUSTOMERS HAVE LITTLE LONG-TERM VALUE. STILL, CURRENT REPORTING PRIMARILY FOCUSES ON CURRENT PROFITABILITY THAT REPRESENTS THE SHORT-TERM VALUE OF THE CUSTOMERS. THE LONG-TERM VALUE TYPICALLY RECEIVES LITTLE ATTENTION. CUSTOMER EQUITY REPORTING PRESENTS A MEANS TO FOCUS ON THE LONG-TERM VALUE OF THE COMPANY'S CUSTOMERS. IT AVOIDS THE RISK THAT SHORT-TERM PROFITS ARE INCREASED AT THE EXPENSE OF LONG-TERM VALUE CREATION AND ITS CENTRAL METRIC, CUSTOMER EQUITY, SERVES AS AN EARLY WARNING INDICATOR FOR RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS THAT FOCUS ON CUSTOMER LOSS.
Big data – more than a hype
(2014)
You reap what you sow! differences in knowledge exchange effectiveness between communication types
(2014)
FOR KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FINANCE INDUSTRY, AN EFFECTIVE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AMONG EMPLOYEES IS CRUCIAL FOR THE COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE. THEREFORE, COMPANIES INCREASINGLY RELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION. TO ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION IN ENTERPRISE SOCIAL MEDIA, WE APPLY HUMAN CODING AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS TO THE CONTENT AND TONE OF 15,505 ENTERPRISE MICROBLOGGING MESSAGES CREATED BY 1,166 EMPLOYEES OF AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDER. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT A MORE FACTUAL-ORIENTED COMMUNICATION TYPE BENEFITS FROM A HIGHER KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE EFFECTIVENESS COMPARED TO A PRIMARILY SELF-DISCLOSING COMMUNICATION TYPE.
ALMOST 20% OF THE GERMAN POPULATION CURRENTLY HOLDS A CONSUMER LOAN. DESPITE ITS OBVIOUS IMPORTANCE FOR A PRIVATE HOUSEHOLD’S BALANCE SHEET, WE KNOW SURPRISINGLY LITTLE ABOUT IT. ONE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE GERMAN CONSUMER/INSTALLMENT LOAN MARKET. WE COMPARED FIVE WIDELY ACCEPTED DATA SOURCES AND FOUND DIFFERENCES IN THE LOAN PARTICIPATION RATE, EVEN ON AN AGGREGATED NATIONWIDE LEVEL. IN A SECOND STEP, WE TRY TO FIND REASONS FOR EXTRAORDINARY HIGH GROWTH RATES AMONG SENIORS’ DEBT PARTICIPATION RATES.
ORGANIZATIONAL MINDFULNESS (OM) SUPPORTS THE MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE INCREASINGLY DYNAMIC WORK ENVIRONMENTS DRIVEN BY CLOUD COMPUTING OR MOBILE DEVICES. SPECIFICALLY, IN MINDFUL ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, RELIABLE OUTCOMES ARISE FROM OM IN THE FACE OF COMPLEX INFORMATION SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, EXTANT IS RESEARCH HAS DISREGARDED THE MULTILEVEL STRUCTURE OF MINDFULNESS, ESPECIALLY THEIMPORTANCE OF MINDFUL ORGANIZING (MO) ON LOWER HIERARCHICAL LEVELS. BASED ON DATA FROM 256 USERS OF AN ORGANIZATION WIDE CLOUD-BASED DESKTOP-AS-A-SERVICE SYSTEM, WE FOUND A SIGNIFICANTLY POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF THE COMBINATION OF OM AND MO AS WELL AS DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS FOR BOTH ON JOB PERFORMANCE.
THE WAY IN WHICH PEOPLE COMMUNICATE AFFECTS THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, SOCIAL NETWORK STRUCTURES AND ULTIMATELY THE SOCIAL CAPITAL ACQUIRED THROUGH THEIR CONNECTIONS. SOCIAL CAPITAL IS A KEY FACTOR FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS. THEREFORE, COMPANIES IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY INCREASINGLY IMPLEMENT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION AMONG EMPLOYEES AND TO LEVERAGE THE SOCIAL CAPITAL BENEFITS. ANALYZING THE INDIVIDUAL NETWORK STRUCTURES OF DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TYPES, WE FIND THAT A MORE SELF-DISCLOSING COMMUNICATION TYPE (“MEFORMER”) BENEFITS FROM A HIGHER EFFICACY IN BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL COMPARED TO A PRIMARILY FACTUAL-ORIENTED COMMUNICATION TYPE (“INFORMER”).
Customer equity reporting
(2014)
WHARTON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT UNIVERSITY OF PHILADELPHIA HAS JUSTLAUNCHED AN 8-WEEK ONLINE PROGRAM “STRATEGIC VALUE OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS – ONLINE” TAUGHT BY MARKETING PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR PETER FADER. HE INVITED PROFESSOR SKIERA, DIRECTOR OF THE E-FINANCE LAB, TO PHILADELPHIA TO LEARN ABOUT HIS THOUGHTS ON “CUSTOMER EQUITY REPORTING”. THIS ARTICLE SUMMARIZES SOME OF PROFESSOR FADER’S QUESTIONS AND PROFESSOR SKIERA’S REPLIES.
DIGITAL CURRENCIES ARE A GLOBALLY SPREADING PHENOMENON THAT IS FREQUENTLY AND PROMINENTLY ADDRESSED BY MEDIA, POLITICS AND ACADEMIA. WE AIM AT GIVING EMPIRICAL INSIGHTS ON WHETHER USERS’ INTEREST REGARDING DIGITAL CURRENCIES IS DRIVEN BY ITS APPEAL AS AN ASSET OR ITS UTILITY AS A CURRENCY. BASED ON OUR EVALUATION, WE FIND STRONG INDICATIONS THAT ESPECIALLY UNINFORMED USERS APPROACHING BITCOIN ARE NOT PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN AN ALTERNATIVE TRANSACTION SYSTEM, BUT SEEK TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT VEHICLE.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by an aberrant self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and a block in differentiation. The major therapeutic challenge is the characterization of the leukemic stem cell as a target for the eradication of the disease. Until now the biology of AML-associated fusion proteins (AAFPs), such as the t(15;17)-PML/RARα, t(8;21)-RUNX1/RUNX1T1 and t(6;9)-DEK/NUP214, all able to induce AML in mice, was investigated in different models and genetic backgrounds, not directly comparable to each other. To avoid the bias of different techniques and models we expressed these three AML-inducing oncogenes in an identical genetic background and compared their influence on the HSC compartment in vitro and in vivo.
These AAFPs exerted differential effects on HSCs and PML/RARα, similar to DEK/NUP214, induced a leukemic phenotype from a small subpopulation of HSCs with a surface marker pattern of long-term HSC and characterized by activated STAT3 and 5. In contrast the established AML occurred from mature populations in the bone marrow. The activation of STAT5 by PML/RARα and DEK/NUP214 was confirmed in t(15;17)(PML/RARα) and t(6;9)(DEK/NUP214)-positive patients as compared to normal CD34+ cells. The activation of STAT5 was reduced upon the exposure to Arsenic which was accompanied by apoptosis in both PML/RARα- and DEK/NUP214-positive leukemic cells. These findings indicate that in AML the activation of STATs plays a decisive role in the biology of the leukemic stem cell. Furthermore we establish exposure to arsenic as a novel concept for the treatment of this high risk t(6;9)-positive AML.
"Heiter und verteilt" : zyklische Ordnung und metrische Metamorphose in den Sonetten an Orpheus
(2014)
Die Sonette an Orpheus bilden ein poetisches Universum für sich, wie es schon der bestimmte Artikel – "Die Sonette" – sagt: Es gibt diesen einen Sonetten-Zyklus, der an Orpheus gerichtet ist; es gibt keine anderen Sonette an Orpheus. Eine verbindliche Deutung der zyklischen Komposition dieser Gedichte scheint bisher nicht gelungen zu sein, auch wenn ein äußerer Rahmen unschwer festzustellen ist: Die Sonette an Orpheus, "[g]eschrieben als ein Grab-Mal" für die frühverstorbene Tänzerin Wera Oukama-Knoop, bestehen aus einer Reihe von 55 Gedichten, die sich in zwei Gruppen aufteilt: in einen ersten Teil zu 26 und in einen zweiten zu 29 Sonetten. Beide Teile lassen eine Rahmung erkennen.
Mitteilungen
(2014)
Rezensionen verschiedenener Veröffentlichungen, u.a. 1) Blätter der Rilke-Gesellschaft 31 (2012). Hrsg. von Erich Unglaub und Jörg Paulus. Göttingen 2012; 2)Rainer Maria Rilke. Quarto. Zeitschrift des Schweizerischen Literaturarchivs 35 (2012). Verantwortlich für diese Nummer: Franziska Kolp in Zusammenarbeit mit Benedikt Tremp; 3) Rainer Maria Rilke: Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge. Das Manuskript des "Berner Taschenbuchs". Faksimile und Textgenetische Edition. Hrsg. von Thomas Richter und Franziska Kolp. Mit einem Nachwort von Irmgard M. Wirtz. Göttingen 2012
1897/98 lernten sich Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) und Anna von Münchhausen kennen. Ein engerer Kontakt zwischen Anna von Münchhausen und Rilke entstand durch den Sohn, der nach dem Abitur im November 1911 nach Paris ging und an der École de Droit sein Studium aufnahm. Thankmar besuchte den zeitgleich in Paris wohnenden Rilke zum ersten Mal im Mai 1913. Es entwickelte sich zwischen beiden ein freundschaftliches Verhältnis. Thankmar wurde einer der wenigen Freunde, mit denen sich Rilke duzte. In diesem Jahr setzt der Briefwechsel Rilkes sowohl mit Thankmar als auch mit dessen Mutter Anna von Münchhausen ein.
Unter den Schweizer Freunden Rilkes ist der Basler Historiker und Diplomat Carl Jacob Burckhardt (1891-1974) eine durchaus bemerkenswerte Gestalt. Die Entwicklung einer Beziehung zwischen dem jungen Mann aus Alt-Basler Familie und dem zunehmend vereinsamenden Prager Dichter zeigt auch der Briefwechsel zwischen beiden, der ganz im Kontext der "Schweizer Freunde" der zwanziger Jahre angesiedelt und zu lesen ist.
Rilkes Brief vom 30. Oktober 1926 an Eduard Korrodi (1885-1955), mit dem der Dichter seine Übertragung von Paul Valérys Prosatext "Tante Berthe" der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung zur Publikation anbot, mag manchen bekannt sein. Er befindet sich in Privat-Besitz, doch gelangte ein Teil davon aus einem Auktions-Katalog in die Rilke-Chronik. Der Adressat des Briefes hatte in Zürich und Berlin Germanistik studiert und 1912 mit einer Arbeit über Conrad Ferdinand Meyer promoviert. Von 1914 bis 1950 war er Feuilletonchef der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung. Obwohl Korrodi für eine weltoffene Schweiz eintrat, stand er literarischen Innovationen und der Emigrierung deutscher Autoren in den Jahren 1933-45 kritisch gegenüber, was bei einigen Intellektuellen auf Widerstand stieß. Mit Rilke, dessen Werk er schon früh kommentierte und dessen "Doppelzüngigkeit" er gegen Angriffe aus dem deutschen Sprachraum vehement verteidigte, verband ihn indes eine ungetrübte Freundschaft. Sie kam u. a. in seiner Grabrede und seiner späteren "Erinnerung an einen Dichter" zum Ausdruck. Hier der vollständige Inhalt von Rilkes letztem Brief an ihn, der im handgeschriebenen Original zwei Seiten einnimmt und die Unterschrift in einen schwungvollen "Kometenschweif" münden lässt.
Was lässt sich also vorerst über eine mögliche Rilke-Rezeption bei Thomas Bernhard sagen? Am ehesten kann man das Verhältnis der beiden Autoren darstellen, indem man Rilkes "Auftritte" in Bernhards Werk mit dem Dasein der verstorbenen Christine Brahe in Urnekloster vergleicht. Wäre er leibhaftig dort, er würde sich selbst sicherlich nicht in einem Spiegel erkennen, zu unterschiedlich sind Formen und Inhalte. Auch fehlt das Rilke-Portrait jedenfalls in Bernhards selbst gewählter Ahnengalerie. Es gibt allerdings einzelne Momente in den Texten, bei denen man vermeint, Rilke durch eine an sich "stets verschlossene Türe" in Bernhards Werk hineinschreiten zu sehen, gemessenen Schrittes geht er an den Figuren vorbei und verschwindet fast durchsichtig, fast unbemerkt wieder. Nur ein Geist, in dieser Welt gestorben und nicht mehr verlässlich zuhaus, ein Nachhall von einem vergangenen Zustand, dadurch aber dennoch, zumindest zwischen den Buchstaben, Zeilen und Seiten, zwischen den Buchtiteln und Klappentexten, vorhanden.
"Mais pourquoi, Madonna, ma pensée était-elle souvent inquiète de vous et sou-cieuse, bien que je fisse effort pour imaginer que vous étiez auprès de cette femme admirable, dont le visage s’est associé malgré moi dans mon âme au souvenir de grandes oeuvres d’art!" So heißt es in einem Brief, den Rilke Madeleine Annette de Broglie im August 1906 von der Sommerresidenz seines Gönners Karl von der Heydt aus zukommen ließ. Mit feiner Feder ist ihm eingeschrieben, wie die Adelige mit italienischen Wurzeln auf den Dichter gewirkt haben mag, sie, die "Madonna", wie Rilke sie nannte. Über mehrere Jahre – die Korrespondenz erstreckt sich von 1906 bis 1909 – stand Rilke mit ihr, deren zweite Ehe mit Prince Robert de Broglie 1906 gerichtlich für ungültig erklärt wurde, in Verbindung.
Der nachfolgende Beitrag behandelt den sprach- und kulturkritischen Impetus in Rilkes Gedichtsammlung "Aus dem Nachlaß des Grafen C. W.". Die Texte entstanden im November 1920 beziehungsweise im März 1921. Teils wegen Rilkes Distanzierung von diesem Werk, teils weil die Gedichtsammlung thematisch wenig Neues bringt, bildet "Aus dem Nachlaß des Grafen C. W." ein Desiderat der Rilke-Forschung, obwohl der Gedichtzyklus eine interessante Vorstufe zu den Duineser Elegien darstellt.
Die Sonette II 9 bis II 11 der Sonette an Orpheus werden in der Forschung als Gruppe bezeichnet. Man gibt der Gruppe gern ein Etikett, das diese Behauptung rechtfertigen soll. Die Argumente lauten "Neuzeit", "Modernisierungskritik" und
"Disparatheit der Welt". Allen gemein ist die Annahme eines Bezugs zu einer außerliterarischen Wirklichkeit.
Dem Sternbild in Rilkes Sonetten an Orpheus soll im Folgenden sich über die Formel der "Rettung der Phänomene" genähert werden. Das Motiv der Sterne sowie des Weltraums findet sich an zentralen Stellen innerhalb des Zyklus. Der Anordnung der Sterne zur Konstellation kommt dabei eine besondere Bedeutung zu. In Rückbezug auf die antike Direktive der Rettung der Phänomene lassen sich so das erkenntniskritische Potenzial von Konstellationen sowie deren geschichtliche und poetologische Relevanz innerhalb der Sonette aufzeigen. Die Theorie Walter Benjamins wird hierfür die entscheidenden Termini bieten.
Rilke hat die Nähe des Mittelmeers biographisch und lyrisch immer wieder gesucht, wie in seltener Verschmelzung von Schreib- und Lebensraum die auf Schloss Duino an der Levante bei Triest anspielenden "Duineser Elegien" (1923) zeigen. Auch verdankt er dem Mittelmeer poetologische Impulse, die seine Lyrik seit den "Neuen Gedichten" (1907) prägen, etwa das Nachdenken über die fragile Beziehung zwischen dinglich-konkreter Anschauung und deren sprachlicher Entsprechung und Benennung. Das im Januar 1907 auf Capri entstandene "Lied vom Meer" bündelt derartige Impulse, um sie in der raffinierten Synthese sprachlicher Figuren zugleich auf den Prüfstand zu stellen.
Die Sonette an Orpheus sind in vieler Hinsicht verschlüsselt und treiben damit bestimmte Züge Rilkescher Dichtung auf einen Höhepunkt. In den hier behandelten zwei Sonetten wird die existentielle Fragestellung in poetologische Überlegungen überführt: in den "Übergangsjahren" zu den späten großen Zyklen experimentierte Rilke auch schon mit einer besonderen Natur- und Raumerfahrung bzw. mit der Setzung eines neuen Objekt-Subjekt-Verhältnisses, in dem ihre Übergänge und ihre gegenseitigen Wandlungen eine tastende Artikulation erfahren und damit die sich von konkreten Bezüglichkeiten immer mehr entfernenden Formulierungen, wie sie dann in den Sonetten an Orpheus auftreten, allmählich einleiten.
"In Wahrheit singen, ist ein andrer Hauch." Musik und Verwandlung in Rilkes "Sonetten an Orpheus"
(2014)
Die Nähe der Sonette an Orpheus zur Musik ist kaum zu übersehen. Schon der im Titel genannte Adressat des Zyklus bürgt für eine gewisse Musikalität. In Ovids Metamorphosen, die Rilke als literarische Quelle für den Orpheus-Mythos dienten, ist die Musik bekanntermaßen von zentraler Bedeutung: Tiere, Pflanzen und Steine versammeln sich, um dem orphischen Gesang zuzuhören, Orpheus bewegt durch seinen Gesang Hades und Persephone dazu, seine Frau Eurydike aus der Unterwelt freizugeben, und nachdem er von den Mänaden zerrissen wurde, musizieren Kopf und Leier weiter. Es ist daher nicht verwunderlich, wenn Rilke in sämtlichen Sonetten, die an Orpheus gerichtet sind, also jeweils im Anfangs- und Endsonett beider Teile, die Musik bzw. den Gesang ins Zentrum rückt.
Die Gleichgültigkeit der Natur gegenüber der menschlichen Existenz wird bei Rainer Maria Rilke in seiner letzten Schaffensphase in der Schweiz mit einer ähnlichen Radikalität sprachlich-dichterisch kompensiert wie er früher das restlose Hineinbilden (nicht Abbilden!) der Welt in das Sprachkonstrukt nach den Vorbildern von Baudelaire, Rodin und Cézanne – um hier nur die wichtigsten zu nennen – vom eigenen Sprachinstrument forderte. Ich nehme an, daß Rilkes späteste Dichtung und Poetologie nur in engster Verbindung mit dem Konzept des Verzichts ausgelegt werden kann. Exemplarisch für die Poetik dieses lyrischen Ausgleichs im Kontext des spätesten Werkes ist die Sinnfigur der Fontäne, die Produktionsweise und Funktion der dichterischen Bilder illustriert und eine immanente Reflexion auf den Sinn und die Zielvorstellungen des dichterischen Schaffens enthält.
Poetik der Gelassenheit. Zur mystischen und poetologischen Fundierung von Rilkes Armut-Konzeption
(2014)
Blickt man auf Rilkes Künstlerbild des armen und unbehausten Mystikers, Mönchs und Propheten, wird das Wechselspiel von Armut und Reichtum im übertragenen Sinn bestimmend: In der Nachfolge Nietzsches kennzeichnen den heiligen Künstler einerseits sein Arm- und Verlassen-Sein und seine Demutsgesten; andererseits
erfährt er gerade im Zustand der Armut den inspirativen Anstoß für ein kreatives Wirken und durch seine reichhaltige, gottgleiche Kunstproduktion eine Nobilitierung.
"Des Armen Haus ist wie des Kindes Hand". Gefäß und Getränk oder Leere und Fülle in Rilkes Dichtung
(2014)
Die Kinderhand als das Bild für das "allerleiseste Empfangen", für das Offensein für einen Anspruch, den niemand herausfordern und niemand erwarten kann, hat eine Tradition in Rilkes Werk, das vor dem Stunden-Buch entstanden ist und es spinnt sich bis ins Spätwerk hinein fort. Die Gleichzeitigkeit von Leere und Fülle als von Gefäß und Getränk immer zugleich ist wohl nirgends so spielerisch und daher dauernd umgesetzt wie in den Sonetten an Orpheus, wo Wein, Kelter und
derjenige, der trinkt, alle eins und in sich doch unterscheidbar sind. Im Bekenntnis zum Hier darf die Unterscheidung nicht aufgegeben werden. Diese lebt aber vom Ununterschiedenen: die Erfahrung des Ununterschiedenen
als eine Erfahrung der "inspiratio" fasst Rilke mit der Gefäß-Metapher.
Der Goldregen im Park von Ulsgaard ist nicht nur eine ("schön blühende, giftige") Pflanze. In der bildenden Kunst (Tizian, Rembrandt, van Dyck, Klimt) ist die auf Ovid zurückgehende Geschichte der Königstochter Danaë oft dargestellt worden.
Die von ihrem Vater in einen Turm Verbannte wird von Zeus in Form eines Goldregens besucht und wird die Mutter des berühmten Helden Perseus. Rilkes Anlehnung an die mythische Tradition wird durch die kreative Anverwandlung besonders
gewinnend und die Begegnung der Liebenden erhält geradezu hintergründig eine erhebende Weihe. Der zurückhaltende Anschluss an den Mythos ist einer Erfahrung angemessen, die sprachlich allenfalls vergleichsweise ("wie"), im Kontrast ("nichts") oder als Möglichkeit ("vielleicht") fasslich erscheint. Die Begegnung von Mutter und Sohn am Fenster des Hauses in Ostia feiert Augustinus als Werk der göttlichen
Vorsehung, die Begegnung des Neffen und der Tante verklärt der Rilkesche Malte zu einem alle Erwartung übertreffenden aber willkommenen Glück: "Schöne, schöne Abelone." Die Deutung der Briefe als Liebesbriefe ergab sich für Malte nachträglich ("wie ich es jetzt sehe") und sie war die Konsequenz aus der Begegnung im Park schließlich.
André Gide, Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Kafka und Robert Walser haben den verlorenen Sohn literarisch in der Moderne beheimatet: Gides "Le retour de l’enfant prodigue" erschien 1907, Rilkes "Legende vom verlorenen Sohn" 1909/10 als Schlusskapitel des "Malte Laurids Brigge" im Vorabdruck in der "Neuen Rundschau". Dort las Kafka den Text noch bevor der Roman im Mai 1910 im Inselverlag vorlag und ehe auch Rilkes Übersetzung von Gides "Rückkehr des verlorenen Sohns" 1913 erschien. Kafkas "Heimkehr" entstand im Winter 1923/24 in Berlin, blieb allerdings unpubliziert im Nachlass. Von Robert Walser sind zwei "Verlorene Söhne" überliefert: 1917
erschien eine "Geschichte vom verlorenen Sohn" in der "Neuen Zürcher Zeitung", 1928 das Prosastück "Der verlorene Sohn" im "Berliner Tageblatt". All diesen Texten ist gemeinsam, dass sie das biblische Gleichnis (Lukas 15,11-32) neu erzählen. Sie lösen Erzählverlauf, Erzählsituation und Handlungskette auf und knüpfen sie neu. Damit errichten sie jeweils unterschiedliche, von der Vorlage ganz verschiedene Bezüge
des Subjekts im Verhältnis zu seiner Umwelt. Die Versionen von Gide, Walser und Rilke sollen im Folgenden vergleichend betrachtet werden.
Zu dem Erzähltyp der Schulzeit-Erinnerungen, die sich als ungerufene Reminiszenzen aus der eigenen Ferne oftmals an markanten biographischen Zäsuren zu melden pflegen, trägt Rilkes im Spätsommer 1919 hoch zu Soglio im Bergell entstandene Prosastudie Ur-Geräusch (in der Notation mit einem Bindestrich zwischen beiden Wortbestandteilen) eine bemerkenswert technisch gehaltene Skizze bei, in deren
Mittelpunkt die eindrucksvolle Demonstration des seinerzeit neuartigen Abspielgerätes des Phonographen vor einer staunenden Schulklasse steht, welcher auch der
junge René Maria angehörte. Der vom Lehrer zu didaktischen Zwecken mit primitiven Mitteln nachgebaute Apparat, bei dem ein Stück Pappe, trichterförmig gebogen, an der Öffnung mit einer Membran verklebt und in der spitz zulaufenden Mitte mit der Borste aus einer Kleiderbürste bestückt worden war, konnte
sodann gegen eine mit Kerzenwachs bezogene Walze gerichtet werden und, den Schalldruck der erzitternden Membran aufnehmend und weitergebend, in das noch halbweiche Wachs rund um die sich drehende Walze bleibende Linien einkerben, um auf diese Weise tatsächlich Phonographie zu treiben, mithin nichts anderes als das Aufschreiben der erklungenen Stimme.
Zu Karl dem Kühnen gibt es sowohl einen Berner Bezug als auch einen Malte-Bezug. Der Schweizer oder Berner Bezug ist, daß der "Fall" Karls des Kühnen, sein "Untergang", wie es in den "Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge" heißt, entscheidend
vorbereitet wurde durch zwei Schlachten, die er gegen die Eidgenossen verloren hatte, bei Grandson und Murten, nicht weit von Bern, beide 1476. Im "Malte Laurids Brigge" spielen diese Schlachten zwar keine Rolle (auch die Schlacht
bei Nancy, von Anfang Januar 1477, die den Fall und den Tod Karls brachte, interessiert nur in ihren Folgen), es wird aber mit den "Hörnern von Uri" auf diese Ereignisse und deren zentrale Bedeutung angespielt. Der zweite Schweizer oder
Berner Bezug sind die Teile der Burgunder Beute, die mit dem Lager der Feinde bei Grandson in die Hände der Sieger gefallen waren und die zum Teil im Historischen Museum in Bern aufbewahrt werden.
Die französischen Gedichte Rilkes können trotz einiger Interpretationen, die ausschließlich die späteren Gedichte betreffen, noch weitgehend als oeuvre inconnue bezeichnet werden, dies gilt im besonderen Maße für die vor 1923 entstandenen Gedichte, die im Allgemeinen als wenig interessant gelten. Dass das 1920 in Bern entstandene Gedicht "Nénuphar" durchaus literarische Qualitäten hat, soll im Folgenden
gezeigt werden.
Die Bedeutung dieser Gegenstände ist an ihre Besitzerin geknüpft, nach ihrem Tod sind sie wertlos geworden. Malte setzt sich mit der für ihn schmerzlichen Notwendigkeit auseinander, dass sich demgegenüber das, was er schreibt, mit neuen Bedeutungen füllen wird, weil es etwas "Großes" ist, ein zusammenhängender Text, ein "Gewebe". Er selbst fühlt sich bei dieser Vorstellung "zerbrochen", denn dauerhaft scheint er selbst kein fester Teil seines Werks zu sein.
Dass Rilkes Besuche im Bernischen Historischen Museum nachvollzogen werden können, ist dem Umstand zu verdanken, dass auch dessen annotierter Museumsführer dank der Schenkung von Nanny Wunderly-Volkart ins Rilke-Archiv der Schweizerischen Nationalbibliothek kam. Dieser Führer durch das bernische historische Museum diente Rilke auf seinen Rundgängen durchs Museum.
Rilkes Leben in der Schweiz
(2014)
"Die Schweiz" ist im Zusammenhang mit Rilke zugleich ein großes und ein kleines Thema. Ein kleines Thema ist es, wenn man bedenkt, dass Rilke nur die letzten acht Jahre seines Lebens in diesem Land gelebt hat. Eben diese Jahre des Erfolgs und der Qual waren es aber auch, die für seine Größe entscheidend wurden, zumindest dann, wenn man davon ausgeht, dass alles Vorhergehende wie "Das Stundenbuch", "Das Buch der Bilder", ja sogar beide Teile der "Neuen Gedichte" und der große Roman "Malte Laurids Brigge", die "große" Arbeit nur vorbereiteten. Dies mag eine Überzeichnung sein; jedenfalls aber wird man sagen können, dass die Welt, die sich Rilke in der Schweiz erschloss, in vieler Hinsicht Neuland für ihn war.