Tanzanian Art Forms
Panorama
Nutritional and Medicinal Values of Seaweeds
Mind Over Matter
Student Groups Expo Showcases Extracurricular Skills
News Update
Strong Foundation
for Better Progress
Department of Public
Relations and Information
Sultan Qaboos University
Issue 199
View Point
Well-rounded Graduates
A majority of students doing summer internships in major petroleum companies in Oman like Oxy and PDO are SQU students. Thanks to the number one
position of SQU among higher educational institutions in the country. Internships gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real world
environments. It also helps students develop skills which will help them
perform better at their jobs. It is obvious that internships greatly increase the
chances of a student to gain full time employment after graduation.
Khamis Rajab Al Busaidi
Editorial Supervision
Humaid Al Adwani
Editor -in-chief
M.K. Santhosh
Senior Editor
Younis Al Harrasi
Editor & Translator
Ahlam Al Wahaibi
Design & Layout
Rashad Al Wahaibi
& Photography Dept., CET
Photography
Like elsewhere in the world, one issue cited by employers in Oman is that
many graduates do not have the practical skills necessary to excel in the job
market. They feel that the professionalism of students is not always up to
the mark. In fact, it is apparent that enhanced levels of education alone are
not enough to prepare students for a real world environment. Being able to
improve these weaknesses will make graduates much more effective in their
careers.
Actually, internships provide students with experience that will make them
stronger. In addition to this, their work ethic will increase, and they will be
confident in their abilities. On job training helps students to learn about time
management, discipline, and effective communication skills. When students
use internships, they will bring benefits to themselves as well as their employers. As more and more employers feel that a section of students lack the
practical experience to excel in the real world, internships have become more
important than ever before.
Have you ever thought what actually employees are looking for? These are
the attributes that a student should imbibe during his or her internship. They
are motivation, leadership, oral communication skills, experience, and interpersonal skills. There is a number of employees who possess these skills naturally. At the same time, it should be noted that most employees don’t have
these traits, and they must be taught. In the real world environment, analytical skills are not enough. Job-seekers must have interpersonal and leadership
abilities. By effectively using internships, students can increase their skills and
make themselves valuable in the job market. Their employers will benefit as
well, and they can increase the efficiency of their businesses.
Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of articles, news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions may be edited
for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions to horizon@squ.edu.om preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited.
Horizon is published three times a month by the Department of Public Relations and Information,
Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50, P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Phone: +968 24141045
E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om
10 October 2010 P2
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om
News Update
Curtin University
Delegation at SQU
A high level delegation from Curtin University of Technology in
Western Australia, led by Prof. Andris Stelbovics, Pro Vice Chancellor, visited Sultan Qaboos University recently. At SQU, they
were received by Prof. Amer Al Rawas, Deputy Vice Chancellor
for Postgraduate Studies & Research, and H.H. Sayyida Dr. Mona
bint Fahd Al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Co-operation.
Both sides discussed prospective collaboration between SQU and
Curtin University of Technology by way of setting up collaborative and joint research activities, and exchange of academics and
students. H.H. Sayyida Dr. Mona bint Fahd Al Said said that SQU
has collaboration with several leading universities in the world.
Both sides expressed their interest in establishing research collaboration in an array of disciplines including petroleum and chemical
engineering, electrical, electronics and communication engineering, applied chemistry, nanosciences and physical sciences. They
also agreed in principle, to establish student exchange initiatives
between the universities with a view to expose each other’s students to good quality environment and institutions.
Curtin University of Technology is Western Australia’s largest
and most multi-cultural university with Australia’s third largest
international student population. It maintains campuses in Malaysia and Singapore while also conducting face-to-face teaching
in a number of countries. Curtin Univerisity’s delegation to SQU
consisted of Prof. Brian Evans, Head of the Dept of Petroleum Engineering, and Professor Syed Islam, Dean International.
SQU Hosts Internship
Poster Presentation
Sultan Qaboos University today hosted a poster presentation session by the
students who completed their summer internship for the year 2010 at the
petroleum giant Occidental of Oman (Oxy). The event, coordinated by the
Centre for Career Guidance at SQU, was held under the patronage of H.E.
Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, SQU Vice Chancellor.
Out of the around 25 students from various colleges in the Sultanate who
completed their summer internship in Oxy this year, the majority were from
SQU. Representing the summer interns, two students presented their training experience with the US based oil major. Hussam Al Nabhani, Human
Resources Manager of Oxy Oman also spoke on the occasion in which he
congratulated the students on their excellent performance during the training period. Thereafter, Dr. Al Bimani presented mementoes to the students
who successfully completed their internship training at Oxy.
The students completed their 12 weeks of the summer internship training at
Oxy in different areas such as Reservoir Engineering, Electrical Engineering,
Information Technology, Finance, Supply Chain Management and Quantity
surveying, etc. They assisted the company in developing new projects, contributed to existing research and operations, and familiarized themselves
with various aspects of the industry.
Oxy’s Oman operations are concentrated at the giant Mukhaizna oil field in
south-central Oman, the Safah field in northern Oman, and adjacent areas.
During its 30-year tenure in Oman, Oxy has increased production, reserves
and scope, and today is the country’s second-largest oil producer.
Student Groups Expo Showcases Extracurricular Skills
ricular activities, Prof. Amer Al Rawas said that the student groups play
a great role at the university as they give students a chance to participate
actively in different social and cultural activities and fulfil their potential.
“The period of study in the university is the time of a student’s development. It t is quite necessary to take into consideration not only a student’s
mind and certificate but also his or her all-round development”, he noted .
The exhibition featured 11 corners in which every society had its own allocated space. The student groups participated in the exhibition are the following: the Photo Society, the Plastic Arts Society, SQU Rovers Crew, the
Islamic Culture Society, Al Khaleel Literature Society, the English & Translation Society, the Society Friends Group Poetry, the Publicity Group, the IT
Society, the Voice of Human Development Society and the Music Group.
The Annual Student Groups Exhibition, organized by the Deanship of Students
Affairs at SQU was held recently under the patronage of Prof. Amer Al Rawas,
SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies & Research. Aimed at introducing different Student Groups to the newly joined students, the exhibition
encourages students, particularly first year students, to indulge in extracurricular
activities that provide chances for them to realize their potentials.
Each student group functioning at SQU under the Deanship of Student Affairs plays a major role in nurturing the extracurricular skills of students.
The activities of the groups reach beyond the university to the public at
large. For example, the Society Friends Group plays a key role in empowering the youth, the children, and the people with special needs by organizing
an array of activities.
Commenting on the importance of Student Groups in promoting extracur-
10 October 2010 P3
Insight
Strong Foundation for
Better Progress
SQU started implementing the Foundation Program for the new cohort of undergraduates for the current academic year. The goal of the Foundation Program
is to prepare admitted students for undergraduate level studies, enabling them
to experience a smoother and more successful transition. Dr. Said bin Ali Al Yahyaee, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Community Service, said
that the program has been designed in accordance with the Oman Academic
Standards that were published by the Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation which defines learning outcomes for English, Mathematics, Information
Technology and Study Skills. A student may satisfy the Foundation Program area
requirements by presenting an equivalent qualification, passing the exit test, or
attending the courses and passing them.
In the English area of the Foundation Programme at SQU, courses are offered at
6 levels, with each level lasting half a semester. When students enter SQU, they
are given an English Placement Test. Students whose English is very good and
who do well on this test are given an additional test, called an Exit Test to see
if they can be exempted from the Foundation Program. Students who do not
perform well on this Placement test are placed into one of the five levels in the
English programme. The general, the aims of the English courses in the FP are to
provide students with the English skills and the study skills they need to be successful in their degree programmes. In each of the levels, students study all the
language skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing. In the first four levels of
the English Foundation Program students from all the different English-medium
colleges study general English together. In Levels 5 and 6 students are placed
into different programmes according to their major.
In the Mathematics Area of Foundation Programme, courses are offered at two
levels: basic and advanced. Basic Mathematics is offered to those students who
do not pass the Placement Test, while Advanced Mathematics is offered to those
who pass the Basic Math test. Advanced Mathematics has two separate streams:
Mathematics for Social Sciences and Mathematics for Sciences. Of these, “Mathematics for Social Sciences” is offered to the students admitted to the colleges of
Arts & Social Sciences, Commerce & Economics, Education, and Law. The course,
“Mathematics for Sciences” is offered to the colleges of Agriculture & Marine Sciences, Engineering, Medicine & Health Sciences, Nursing, and Science. The objectives of the Mathematics courses are to ensure that the students are equipped
with the mathematical understanding and skills necessary to meet the cognitive
and practical requirements of degree programmes in a variety of disciplines.
In the Information Technology area of the Foundation Program, a course is offered to those students who do not pass the Placement Test (Theory) or Exit Test
(Practical). The objective of the Introduction to Information Technology course
is to ensure that the students are equipped with the basic knowledge and necessary skills of computers to meet the cognitive and practical requirements of
degree program in a variety of disciplines.
Dr. Said Al Yahyaee said that there is minor difference in course levels between the newly introduced Foundation Program and the courses that
the university had before. “In the case of English, the course levels are
the same, except in Level 6, where an additional component is to be
taught . However, the equivalency courses prescribed by Omani
Authority for Academic Accreditation is higher than the equivalency that SQU used to have in the past. We have been using
a minimum score of 4.5 in IELTS as an alternative to our
Exit Test. According to the new standards, it has to be
5 and above. This has been taken into consideration
in preparing the new program”, the Deputy Vice
Chancellor said. He added that in Mathematics and Information Technology also SQU
used to have courses before. “On mapping the standards objective of
the Authority, we found that
the standards are very
much the same as
it was used
to be
10 October 2010 P4
Dr. Said Al Yahyaee
at the university. However, the Authority has stipulated that the foundation
programs cannot be offered within a credit system. Hence we moved the basic
courses from the credit plans though the course materials remained almost the
same”, Dr. Al Yahyaee said.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor observed that with a strong foundation in the respective areas of study, students would achieve better progress in various
courses in the long run. “Our academic experience testifies that those students
who come up with good English background progress better than the students
who catch up later. I am optimistic that the Foundation Program will definitely
enrich the students ability and performance in their academic programs”, he observed.
Dr. Said Al Yahyaee expressed his gratitude for all academic and administrative
staff involved in implementation of the Foundation Program. He congratulated
the academics Language Centre and the Mathematics and Computer Science
Departments of the College of Science and the Foundation Program management team in successfully implementing the programs. With respect to the outcome of the program, the Deputy Vice Chancellor said that the university is in
the process of analysing the results more comprehensively.
As part of the program, placement tests were introduced for Mathematics and
Information Technology. Since feedback of student is crucial for the success of
the program, the university is planning a survey among students to elicit their
feedback on the quality, environment, administration of the test. “Based on the
results, we will be going for improvement if necessary, that would lead to providing stronger foundation for the new undergraduates” the Deputy Vice Chancellor concluded.
Commenting on the new Foundation Program, Prof. Krishnan Edamana in the
Department of Mathematics & Statistics, who is a coordinator of the Program in
Mathematics, said that the objective of the Foundation Program (FP) in Mathematics is primarily to fill the gap between the students’ academic skills they have
attained from secondary school and the academic levels required to successfully
carry out studies at the University level. “In the FP in Mathematics, students do
Basic Mathematics and Advanced Mathematics which is Mathematics for Sciences or Mathematics for Social Sciences depending on their college. They will
be exempted from doing the courses if they pass the placement or exit tests in
the concerned courses” he said. Prof. Krishnan added that he expected benefits
of the FP courses in Mathematics are that the students will get a good training
in the fundamental mathematical concepts and skills required to pursue undergraduate studies in a variety of disciplines.
Dr. Mohamed El-Hadi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science of the College of Science, who is a coordinator of the Program in IT, said
that the Foundation Program is an important stage for every student intending
to embark on under-graduate studies. “It allows students to measure their readiness for university level studies by evaluating their accumulated knowledge in
the three subject areas of IT, Mathematics and English. Students with insufficient
knowledge of the subjects will be directed to enrol in specially prepared course
that will help them bridge the gap”, Dr. El Hadi said.
Mind Over Matter
Nutritional and
Medicinal Values
of Seaweeds
This is the second part of the article titled “Seaweeds in Oman” published in the previous issue of Horizon. This article is prepared by a group of postgraduate students at the
College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences and the College of Science at SQU attending
a course in “Marine Biotechnology” developed and supervised by Prof. Bassam Soussi,
UNESCO Chair in Marine Biotechnology and Professor.
Nutritional values
Seaweed is used as a food in many parts of the world such as China, Japan, Chili,
Fiji and other countries. They include many local seaweed products in their daily
diet. For example, Japanese prepare sushi dish by wrapping it with red seaweed.
Seaweed has low calorie and contains fiber (polysaccharides), antioxidant, vitamins, and minerals which help cleanse the digestive tract, blood, lymph and kidneys and neutralize cholesterol.
Seaweed has been found to contain what is called a wealth of mineral elements
from the sea that can account for up to 36% of its dry mass. The mineral macronutrients include sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, sulphur and
phosphorus; the micronutrients include iodine, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, molybdenum, fluoride, manganese, boron, nickel and cobalt. Protein content in seaweed varies somewhat. It is low in brown algae at 5-11% of dry matter. Seaweed
contains several vitamins. Red and brown algae are rich in carotenes (provitamin
A) and are used, in fact, as a source of natural mixed carotenes for dietary supplements. The vitamin C in red and brown algae is also notable. Other vitamins are
also present, including B12, which is not found in most land plants.
Seaweed has very little fat, ranging from 1-5% of dry matter, although seaweed
lipids have a higher proportion of essential fatty acids than land plants. Green
algae, whose fatty acid make-up is the closest to higher plants, have a much
higher oleic and alpha-linoleic acid content. Red algae have a high EPA content,
a substance mostly found in animals, especially fish. Seaweed has high fiber content, making up 32% to 50% of dry matter. The soluble fibre fraction accounts for
51-56% of total fibres in green (ulvans) and red algae (agars, carrageenans and
xylans) and for 67-87% in brown algae. Soluble fibres are generally associated
with having cholesterol-lowering and hypoglycemic effects.
Medicinal values
Many bioactive chemicals identified in seaweed and these chemicals have been
found to have biological and pharmacological activity. For example, researchers
have discovered some compounds with pharmaceutical potential in a species
of red seaweed. Some of these natural compounds showed the potential to kill
cancer cells, bacteria and the HIV virus. The compound that was isolated killed
human tumour cells by inducing programmed cell death (called apoptosis), a
mechanism that is promising for development of new anti-cancer drugs. Other
compounds showed anti-bacterial activity towards antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Sulphated polysaccharides extracted from seaweed serve as potential antiviral drugs by showing inhibitory effects on the replication of herpes
simplex virus (HSV) and found to be potent and selective inhibitors of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) replication in cell culture.
tography, leather industry, plywood manufacturing, preservation of foodstuffs,
dairy industry, cosmetics industry and pharmaceutical industry. Carrageenan is
employed in food industry. Its value in the manufacture of sausages, corned beef,
meat balls, preparations of poultry and fish, chocolates, dessert gels, ice creams,
juice concentrates, marmalade, sardine sauces is well known. It is also used in the
manufacturing of non food items like air fresheners, textiles, toothpastes, hair
shampoos, sanitary napkins, tissues, culture media, fungicides, etc. The applications of alginate find place in frozen foods, pastry fillings, syrups, bakery icings,
dry mixes, meringues, frozen desserts, instant puddings, cooked puddings, chiffons, pie and pastry fillings, dessert gels, fabricated foods, salad dressings, meat
and flavor sauces.
Biofuels
Oil extracted from algae can be harvested and converted into biodiesel and the
algae’s carbohydrate content can be fermented into bioethanol and biobutanol.
High oil prices, competing demands between foods and other biofuel sources,
and the world food crisis, have ignited interest in algaculture (farming algae) for
making vegetable oil, biodiesel, bioethanol, biogasoline, biomethanol, biobutanol and other biofuels, using land that is not suitable for agriculture. Among
algal fuels’ attractive characteristics: they do not affect fresh water resources, can
be produced using ocean and wastewater, and are biodegradable and relatively
harmless to the environment if spilled. Algae cost more per unit mass yet can
yield over 30 times more energy per unit area than other, second-generation biofuel crops. One biofuels company has claimed that algae can produce more oil
in an area the size of a two car garage than a football field of soybeans, because
almost the entire algal organism can use sunlight to produce lipids, or oil.
Conclusion
Marine biotechnology is an area of significant industrial importance whose ramifications will reach almost every major industrial sector including health, environment, energy, food (aquaculture and agriculture), chemicals, advanced materials and national defence. Nowadays, marine life is being studied more than
it ever was in the past, and with our increased understanding of life in the sea
should come a greater appreciation of the importance of seaweeds in nature
and to man. Traditionally, seaweeds have been collected from natural stocks or
wild populations. Because of high nutritional value of seaweed, they can serve as
food to the people. Also, seaweeds are excellent producers of oxygen, sugars and
proteins. They can be used as seasoning, antibiotics and rations for animals. Also,
they are used in diverse fields of industry because of their rheological gelling or
thickening properties. As the Sultanate of Oman is a good source of seaweed, it
could open investment potential in seaweed industry.
Commercial uses of seaweeds
Seaweed polysaccharides, like agar, alginates and carrageenans, are economically the most important products from algae. They are used in diverse fields
of industry because of their rheological gelling or thickening properties. Agar
is widely used in paper manufacturing, culture media, packaging material, pho-
10 October 2010 P5
News Round Up
Good Response to Medical
Book Fair
Lecture on Current
Developments in Space
By: Nasra Al Busaidi
The Department of Physics of the College of Science at Sultan Qaboos
University recently organized a lecture on “Current Developments in
Space” jointly given by Prof Bernd Madauss, Prof Hans Dodel and Prof
Victor Billig, experts from the International Space University in France
and Carl Cranz Academy in Germany.
In their lecture, the team explored the history, present scenario and the
future of space and satellite technology and its applications including
weather forecasting, remote sensing, GPS systems, and satellite television. Quoting the names Tsiolkovsky, Hermann Oberth and Robert H.
Goddard, the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics, Prof. Bernd
explained how space travel has been materialized with the invention of
rockets and spacecraft.
Prof Hans Dodel gave an overview of different satellite orbits such as the
geostationary orbit, the most common orbit used for satellite communications, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
and the elliptical orbits. The team also elaborated on different space applications undertaken by mankind, including the Helios Solar Probe, the
International Space Station- an internationally developed research facility that is being assembled in low Earth orbit and, Galileo, the global
navigation satellite system currently being built by the European Union
and European Space Agency.
The Standing Committee on Medical Education (SCOME) organized
the first medical book fair (1st MeBo) on 26th and 27th of September
2010. The book fair, organized in collaboration with Al Batraa Bookshop was held in the College of Medicine & Health Sciences and it was
sponsored by Qatar National Bank (QNB), LuLu Hypermarket and AlHassan Electricals.The book fair was inaugurated by Dr. Arunodaya R.
Gujjar, Assistant Dean for Clinical affairs and Dr. Yahya Al-Farsi, Assistant Dean for Community Affairs in the presence of Sadiq Juma AlLawati, the National officer of SCOME.
1st MeBo was widely visited by doctors and students of the College
of Medicine & Health Sciences and other colleges and intuitions. The
visitors expressed their satisfaction in the books which were exhibited.
Commenting on the book fair, Sadiq Juma Al-Lawati said: “the idea of
organizing such events is to motivate students and to encourage them
to read. Sadiq also expressed his appreciation to the College of Medicine and health Sciences administration for their unlimited support”.
The representative of Al Batraa Bookshop said that he was impressed
by the response and the large number of the visitors who visited the fair
which resulted in ample sale of their books. He suggested that SCOME
should arrange for this event annually for the benefit of the students
and the bookshop as well.
Banquet in Honour of New Staff
He further said that in order to facilitate and streamline the procedures involved in receiving the new employees, the Public Relations & Information
Department has taken the initiative to form a consortium of various departments and centres. “Our department wholeheartedly welcomes any suggestions and new ideas from the employees with a view to further improve the
services offered in the years to come”, he said.
A banquet dinner to honour the new academic, technical and administrative
staff, was organized by the Department of Public Relations and Information
at SQU recently which was attended by scores of newly employees who
have joined SQU from different parts of the world. In his welcome address,
Khamis Rajab al Busaidi, Director of the Public Relations and Information
Department, said that SQU organizes this function annually under the direct guidance of the Vice-Chancellor, in order to meet the new cohort staff
who will contribute with their multi disciplinary talents and expertise to the
overall development of our prestigious institution.
10 October 2010 P6
Dr. Said bin Ali Al Yahyaee, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
and Community Service, who delivered the address on behalf of the university administration, said that meeting the new staff members together in a
new academic year is a real source of happiness and joy as they are coming from different parts of the world to give the gist of your experiences to
the students of the university. “The nation in return will highly appreciate
your efforts and achievements in this regard” he said. Commenting on their
professional roles, Dr. Said said that the university gives special importance
to your research because it will contribute to your academic status and promote both the university and its students.
“The university is committed to provide you with the convenient work environment, which enables you accomplish your mission and carry out your
tasks perfectly, and it will also help you overcome all of the difficulties that
some of you may encounter during your scientific and research march”, he
said.
Panorama
Tanzanian
Art
Forms
1. Tinga Tinga
3. Tree of Life or Ujamaa
4. Shetani feeds young
2. Simple Ujamaa figure
5. Makonde collection
By: Michael Ramsden, Publications Coordinator, The Language Centre
Of the three east African community countries, Uganda, Kenya and
Tanzania, the latter seems to have the most dynamic and original
art and this is attributable to one man and one community. The man
is Eduardo Said Tinga Tinga (1937 – 1972) and the community is the
Makonde people.
TingaTinga
You can’t go anywhere in Tanzania and Zanzibar without seeing TingaTinga paintings for sale. The style of these paintings is unique to
Tanzania and can best be described as colourful, dynamic and naïve
in the execution of their subject matter. Although the animals can be
readily identified as giraffes or elephants or whatever, they are often
misshapen and out of perspective and reminiscent of some mythical
spirit world. (Fig 1).
Their naiveté is not surprising when we consider how the paintings were at first conceived. Eduardo Tinga Tinga, a self-taught artist, worked on a building site and using any materials to hand like
sheets of hardboard and enamel paint used on bikes, he set out to
paint his square-formatted compositions and sold them to tourists.
There are many painters trying to pass off their work as ‘tinga tinga ‘
paintings but the painting executed by Eduardo’s disciples and true
followers are easily recognisable and indeed one can see artists at
work in the TingaTinga cooperative in Dar-es-Salaam.
Makonde
The Makonde, originially from Mozambique, fled the civil war in
the 60s and settled in Southern Tanzania bringing their carving skills
with them. Many of the wooden carvings are as strange to the untutored eye as the tingatinga paintings and, like the paintings, have a
mythical or spiritual quality, the original context of course of much
of the world’s artwork.
Creation Myth
The first proto-Makonde man is said to have settled along the banks
of the Ruvuma River in Mozambique before he took on human form.
He felt lonely and depressed and thought he might carve an image
of himself. Note it was necessary to carve himself as he had not seen
any other being. The next morning he found the carving had become
alive, and had changed into what he came to know as a woman. She
was not only the first woman but the first human being. This is interesting as scientists reckon we are all descended from an African
woman. With this woman in his world, it was now time for the proto-Makonde man to smarten himself up so he could get closer to his
new companion.
She bore children and thus they became the first truly human family,
but for some inexplicable reason they felt disturbed and could not
settle by the Ruvuma river and moved to a plateau with fresher air
where they led a happy and fruitful life.
Because the first Makonde and first human was female the woman is
a central motif and manifests itself in the simple carving in fig 2 and
in the Tree of Life carvings. The latter are also known as Ujamaa carvings after the African socialism imposed on the country by Mwalimu
Nyerere, the first president, and depicts the whole village pulling
together and helping each other (fig 3).
Whatever paradise garden the Makonde once lived in was frequently blighted by the Shetani. These spirits are variously depicted as
downright evil like figures from hell, grotesque and distorted, half
man half beast (see fig 4: Shetani feeds young),others more in the
tradition of African tricksters. A cult grew up around these Shetani
and are said to sexually assault sleeping men and so need appeasing
to stop their evil deeds. Some communities in east Africa offer food
to Shetani figurines as though these offerings will ward off evil. On
the other hand, some male carvers carry around female figurines for
good luck. One would assume these are not Shetani.
Why one would want to paint or carve the grotesque is an interesting point. Picasso’s work is reminiscent of some of the more abstract
Makonde carvings in the writer’s possession. Gargoyles often act as
spouts to run off rainwater in European churches and these are often
grotesque as though designed to ward off evil or more likely remind
the faithful that hell awaits the sinner.
10 October 2010 P7
Straight Talk
Prof. David Pannell
Professor, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia
Horizon: What are your major research interests?
Prof. Pannell:
My research includes the economics of land and water conservation; environmental policy; farmer adoption of land conservation practices; risk management; and economics of farming systems. I collaborate closely with other research
disciplines, including, in recent projects, with bio-physical modelers, plant scientists,
hydrologists, environmental scientists, and sociologists.
Horizon: How would you explain the role of your organization in promoting the
agricultural sector in the Australia?
Prof. Pannell: By means of research and consultancy activities, we are trying
to help the government to invest more effectively in the agricultural sector, to control
environmental issues like salinity. We work with the scientists to help them identify
the avenues of scientific research that are most likely to generate benefits for farmers. We also reach the farmers and the community at large with latest updates on our
research.
Horizon: Is soil and water salinity a major issue in Australia, just like Oman?
Prof. Pannell:
It is a big problem in Australia. We have two million hectares
of agricultural land that is affected by salinity. The chances are that the salt affected
land area will double in the next fifty years or so. The causes of salinity are different in
Australia. The main cause in Oman is excessive pumping of ground water that leads
the sea water to intrude and replace the groundwater drawn. In Australia, salinity is
already there in the soil. What happens is that, the replacement of natural vegetation
by agricultural crops causes groundwater levels to rise and mobilize salt. In the south
west corner of the country, the salinity condition has become particularly bad. I would
say that the problem is predominant in agricultural areas, but as well as affecting farm
land, it also has an impact on natural vegetation, waterways and roads.
Horizon: How do you counter the problem of salinity in your country?
Prof. Pannell: Various strategies are being used against salinity. In
areas where
salinity has not reached the ground surface, you can stop the process of groundwater
rise by planting trees and perennial pastures that use more water than annual crop
varieties. Hence the clean ground water levels remain intact. Although this strategy is
technically effective, it is often not a very good strategy from an economic perspective,
because it involves moving away from profitable crop production. The second strategy
is the use of engineering methods, such as pumping and drainage. These options work
well in certain situations but again are relatively expensive for farmers. The third strategy is to grow salt-tolerant crop varieties. Planting of salt tolerant fodder shrubs have
been reasonably successful in Australia. This strategy does not solve the problem of
salinity, but provides a way to live with the problem.
Horizon:
Which of the above mentioned strategies is given more importance in
Australia?
Prof. Pannell:
A similar level of importance has been given to all three strategies. For a particular farmer, the best strategy needs to be considered on a case-by-case
basis. A lot of research has been done over the past decade to combat salinity in Australia. A key focus of research has been on trying to improve the profitability of landuses that could help to prevent salinity, to overcome the poor profitability of current
options available to farmers. Research is also going on to produce improved crop and
pasture varieties that are tolerant to salt.
Horizon:
You have been listening to the deliberations of the salinity problem in
Oman. From your experience and expertise, what strategy is suitable for this country
to combat salinity issue?
Prof. Pannell:
My understanding is that the main issue in Oman is salt water
intrusion caused by over extraction of ground water. It is important to make sure that
too much ground water is not drawn so as to limit the level of salt water intrusion.
Efficient irrigation strategies that don’t use more water than necessary would help in
this regard. In places where the groundwater is already saline, a key strategy will be
the identification of salt-tolerant plants for farmers to use. If researchers are doing this,
they will need to pay close attention to how the plants fit into local farming systems.
David Pannell is Professor in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Western Australia, Director of the
Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy, and a Federation Fellow of the Australian Research Council. David’s
research has won awards in USA, Australia, Canada and UK.
In 2000 he was President of the Australian Agricultural and
Resource Economics Society. He participated in the International Conference of Management of Groundwater Salinization in Arid Regions, hosted by SQU this year.