The Scramble for Art in Central Africa.

The Scramble for Art in Central Africa. Enid Schildkrout and Curtis A. Keim. eds. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. 258 pp.     

Crafting Exhibitions

Book reviewed in this article:
Crafting Exhibitions: Contemporary Navajo Weaving: The Gloria F. Ross Collection of the Denver Art Museum .
Crafting Exhibitions: Reflections of the Weavers' World: The Gloria F. Ross Collection of the Denver Art Museum .     

Hair in African Art and Culture

Hair in African Art and Culture. The Museum for African Art, New York, February 9–May 28, 2000 (review venue); Apex Museum, Atlanta, July–September 2000; Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, October–December 2000; Museum of African American History, Detroit, January–April 2001; California African American Museum, Los Angeles, May–August 2001.
Hair in African Art and Culture. Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman. eds. New York: The Museum for African Art; Munich, London, New York: Prestel, 2000. 192 pp.     

Bamana Identity, State Formation, and the Sources of Bamana Art

Bamana: The Art of Existence in Mali. Museum for African Art, New York. September 19, 2001—March 2, 2002.
Bamana: The Art of Existence in Mali. Jean-Paul Colleyn. ed. New York: Museum for African Art, in association with Museum Rietberg and Snoek-Ducaju and Zoon, 2001. 263 pp.     

The genus Urera (Urticaceae) in eastern tropical Africa

The species of Urera Gaud. occurring in eastern tropical Africa are revised. Three species are recognized: U. cameroonensis Wedd., occurring from Uganda to the South African Republic (Natal), U. sansibarica Engl., restricted to the coastal zone of Kenya and Tanzania, and U. hypselodendron (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Wedd., occurring in montane forest from Ethiopia to Malawi. The original material of U. hypselodendron var. flamigniana Hauman (nom. inval.) and var. platyrrhachis Hauman (nom. inval.) is excluded from U. hypselodendron; the same applies to the other material of U. hypselodendron cited from central Zaire in Flore du Congo belge. Distribution maps of the eastern African species are provided. Also included is a preliminary study and discussion of the generic subdivision of Urera , with special reference to the species of this revision.     

Croton megalocarpoides sp. nov. An arborescent Euphorbiaceae from semi–evergreen vegetation in S Somalia and E Kenya

A new arborescent species of Croton, C. megalocarpoides Friis & Gilbert, is described from the coastal semi–evergreen forest and bushland in S Somalia and E Kenya. Its taxonomic affinity with other African species is demonstrated, particularly the relationship to C. megalocarpus Hutch., a montane E African species with which it has long been confused, and to C. mayumbense J. Léonard, and C. mubango Mull. Arg., two species from lowland forest and forest–savannah mosaic in W Zaire and surrounding countries. The phytogeographical position of the new species is briefly discussed.     

DISTRIBUTION,MIGRATION AND TIMING OF MOULT IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CLIFF SWALLOW

Earle, R. A. 1987. Distribution, migration and timing of moult in the South African Cliff Swallow. Ostrich 58:118-121. The South African Cliff Swallow Hirundo spilodera breeds in South Africa mainly between 25 and 31S and 24 and 31E. In some years with exceptionally high rainfall the breeding range is more extensive. Man has probably had a pronounced influence on the present-day distribution of this species. Seven winter recovery/collecting localities are known from the lower Congo basin in Zaire. Possible migrating birds were observed in Zambia and Malawi in the east, and on the Namibian coast in the west. The few sight records suggest a direct migrational route over Botswana. Moult takes place between March and September primarily in the winter quarters, but about 2% of the birds handled during March and April started moult before migrating.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
ETHNOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY: Handbook of West African Art. William R. Bascom and Paul Gebauer
ETHNOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY: Les Civilisations Africaines. Denise Paulme
ETHNOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY: Contribution a l'Étude de l'Histoire de l'Ancien Royaume de Porto-Novo. A. Akindélé and C. Aguessy     

Foliicole flechten aus zaire (III) Die GattungByssoloma Trevisan

Nine species ofByssoloma Trevisan (Pilocarpaceae) are reported from a collection of foliicolous lichens from Zaire, and includeB. murinum sp. n. In addition,B. usambarense sp. n. is described from adjacent Tanzania. A determination key is provided to all the known African species, and each species is briefly characterized.     

The Ethiopian water mouse Nilopegamys Osgood, with comments on semi-aquatic adaptations in African Muridae

A highly distinctive rodent from the highlands of Ethiopia is currently being confused with a very different mouse from the Zaire Basin. The Ethiopian water mouse, Nilopegamys Osgood 1928, can be distinguished from Colomys and all other African murids by external, cranial, post-cranial and dental characters. Adaptations of Mlopegamys for swimming are more extreme than those of any other African murid; as noted by Osgood, it is the only one with specializations reminiscent of Neotropical ichthyomyines or Australasian hydromyines. However, the African mice Colomys, Malacomys , and Deomys also exhibit varying degrees of semi-aquatic specializations. These genera constitute a previously unrecognized guild of 'waders'. Without swimming and while perched on elongate hind feet, all three consume insects and other small animals in shallow forest streams and pools. Both waders and swimmers show neurological adaptations to life in water, but Nilopegamys redefines certain extremes of cerebral development among African murids. Resurrected from synonymy with Colomys , this genus further accentuates the distinctiveness and imperilled status of the Ethiopian highland fauna.     

On the Size of African Riverine Fish Faunas

SYNOPSIS. An apparent anomaly exists in the size of riverinefish faunas of the Nile and Zaire; the Nile while considerablylonger, appears depauperate when compared with the Zaire. Thisparadox is explained when discharge, not length, is used asa measure of river size. Indeed, the number of freshwater fishspecies in African rivers is more closely related to dischargethan to length or catchment area. Discharge is directly proportionalto terrestrial productivity of a river basin, which in turnaffects total biomass of fish and number of species. Changesin the size of rivers during the geologic past affected theircapacity to sustain diverse fish faunas. Rivers flowing throughespecially arid lands during the late- Pleistocene were reducedin discharge, and concomitantly, fish faunas. Immigration offish from refuge rivers during the Holocene partially restoredthese diminished faunas. We propose that fish are more mobilethan they seem, and that the distinctiveness of riverine fishfaunas may be maintained by competitive pressure from establishedresidents, rather than by limited dispersal abilities of fish.Theories of the distribution of fish in Africa are considered,and we suggest that discharge as affected by climatic stabilityis largely responsible for the size of African riverine fishfaunas.     

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA2) in sub-Saharan Africa: distribution of the common 2.7-kb P gene deletion mutation

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA2) is the most common autosomal recessive disorder in the South African Negroid population, occurring with a prevalence of 1/3900 individuals. The OCA2 locus, P, has been mapped to chromosome 15q11–q13 and a 2.7-kb interstitial deletion has been found to be the common mutation in Africa. This study reports the detection of the deletion allele in OCA2-affected individuals from the southern African, Zambian and Central African Republic (CAR) Negroid populations (0.77, 131/170 OCA2 chromosomes; 0.79, 11/14; 0.33, 4/12, respectively). Normally pigmented individuals from different African countries were also tested. The deletion mutation was found at a frequency of 0.013 (10/780) in the normally pigmented southern African Negroid population and at a lower frequency in individuals from central Africa (0.002; 2/834), including individuals from Zambia, Cameroon, Zaire and the CAR. The study confirms the African origin of this deletion allele. Haplotype analysis suggests that the deletion mutation probably occurred only once and that it arose before the divergence of these African populations, which is estimated to be about 2000– 3000 years ago. The unusually high frequency of OCA2 mutations, in particular the 2.7-kb deletion, suggests some selective agent or genetic drift. Received: 24 September 1996 / Revised: 8 November 1996     

A new species of guenon (genus Cercopithecus) from Gabon

A new species of African forest monkey has been discovered in the lowland tropical rainforest of central Gabon. The previously undescribed monkey is a guenon, a member of the widespread African genus Cercopithecus. and belongs to the Cercopithecus lhoesti superspecies, whose two previously recognized species live in widely separated populations, C. preussi in Cameroon, and C. lhoesti east of the Zaire basin. The new guenon occurs as a small isolated population separated by 600 km and 1600 km, respectively, from the other two. Distinctive external characteristics are its white throat-ruff, extensive chestnut-orange saddle, and yellow-orange tip to the tail. Chromosomal analysis confirms its close phylogenetic affinities with C. preussi and C. Ihoesti, but reveals a unique karyotype. The guenon is described as a new species, Cercopithecus solatus, the sun-tailed monkey.     

Serological reactivity of baculovirus-expressed Ebola virus VP35 and nucleoproteins

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a member of the family Filoviridae and is classified as a biosafety level 4 virus. This classification makes the preparation of antigen and performance of diagnostic assays time-consuming and complicated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the value of EBOV immunoassays based on recombinant nucleoprotein (r-NP) and recombinant VP35 (r-VP35) using large serum panels of African origin and from primates. Furthermore, we investigated whether the results obtained with EBOV r-VP35 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) could improve on the findings obtained with the EBOV r-NP ELISA. The full-length EBOV NP and VP35 of the EBOV subtype Zaire were expressed as histidine-tagged recombinant proteins in the baculovirus expression system. The antigenic reactivity and specificity of these recombinant proteins were determined by Western blotting and ELISA using EBOV specific monoclonal antibodies. The results obtained with the r-NP and r-VP35 ELISAs were compared with the results obtained in an indirect immunofluorescence assay based on native EBOV subtype Zaire. EBOV specific monoclonal antibodies reacted specifically with the respective proteins in both Western blot and ELISA. Five hundred and twenty six samples from humans and primates were tested with r-NP and r-VP35 ELISAs. Monkey serum samples positive for EBOV subtype Reston and Zaire were both positive in the EBOV r-NP ELISA, whereas only the EBOV Zaire infected monkeys were positive in the r-VP35 ELISA. The sensitivity and specificity values of the EBOV recombinants' ELISAs compared to those of the immunofluorescence assay were 92% and 99% for r-NP and 44% and 100% for r-VP35. r-NP ELISA proved to be a sensitive and specific assay for EBOV diagnosis and for epidemiological studies for both EBOV subtypes Reston and Zaire. The use of r-VP35 in an ELISA format has no additional value for EBOV serodiagnosis.     

An intragenic deletion of the P gene is the common mutation causing tyrosinase-positive oculocutaneous albinism in southern African Negroids.

Tyrosinase-positive oculocutaneous albinism (OCA2), an autosomal recessive disorder of the melanin biosynthetic pathway, is the most common recessive disorder occurring in southern African Bantu-speaking Negroids, with an overall prevalence of 1/3,900. The OCA2 gene, P, has been mapped to chromosome 15q11-q13, and recently alterations in the P gene have been identified in OCA2 individuals. An intragenic deletion has been described and proposed to be of African origin because of its occurrence in four unrelated African American OCA2 individuals and in two individuals, one from Zaire and the other from Cameroon. This study shows that the intragenic deletion is a common cause of OCA2 in southern African Negroids (114/146 [.78]; OCA2 chromosomes) and is associated with one common haplotype (43/55 [.78]; OCA2 chromosomes), confirming the African origin of this allele. On the basis of haplotype data, it would appear that at least seven additional, less frequent OCA2 mutations occur in this population.     

Analysis of mtDNA variation in African populations reveals the most ancient of all human continent-specific haplogroups.

mtDNA sequence variation was examined in 140 Africans, including Pygmies from Zaire and Central African Republic (C.A.R.) and Mandenkalu, Wolof, and Pular from Senegal. More than 76% of the African mtDNAs (100% of the Pygmies and 67.3% of the Senegalese) formed one major mtDNA cluster (haplogroup L) defined by an African-specific HpaI site gain at nucleotide pair (np) 3592. Additional mutations subdivided haplogroup L into two subhaplogroups, each encompassing both Pygmy and Senegalese mtDNAs. A novel 12-bp homoplasmic insertion in the intergenic region between tRNA(Tyr) and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) genes was also observed in 17.6% of the Pygmies from C.A.R. This insertion is one of the largest observed in human mtDNAs. Another 25% of the Pygmy mtDNAs harbored a 9-bp deletion between the cytochrome oxidase II (COII) and tRNA(Lys) genes, a length polymorphism previously reported in non-African populations. In addition to haplogroup L, other haplogroups were observed in the Senegalese. These haplogroups were more similar to those observed in Europeans and Asians than to haplogroup L mtDNAs, suggesting that the African mtDNAs without the HpaI np 3592 site could be the ancestral types from which European and Asian mtDNAs were derived. Comparison of the intrapopulation sequence divergence in African and non-African populations confirms that African populations exhibit the largest extent of mtDNA variation, a result that further supports the hypothesis that Africans represent the most ancient human group and that all modern humans have a common and recent African origin. The age of the total African variation was estimated to be 101,000-133,000 years before present (YBP), while the age of haplogroup L was estimated at 98,000-130,000 YBP. These values substantially exceed the ages of all Asian- and European-specific mtDNA haplogroups.     

Seroepidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus in Africa.

Serum samples from 6015 African subjects without symptoms of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or contact with the disease were examined for antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus by a combination of an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and radioimmunoprecipitation (2567 samples) or by immunofluorescence (3448 samples). Serum samples had been collected between 1976 and 1984 in Senegal (n = 789), Liberia (935), Ivory Coast (1195), Burkina Faso (299), Nigeria (536), Gabon (1649), Zaire (15), Uganda (164), and Kenya (433). Only four samples contained antibodies. Three of these were from attenders at the Lambarene clinic in Gabon and one from a villager in Senegal. By contrast, two out of six AIDS suspects from Guinea-Bissau, all 13 patients with AIDS from Kinshasa (Zaire), and two out of three of their contacts were seropositive, all these specimens having been collected in 1985. These data show that fewer than one in a 1000 subjects were seropositive for AIDS at the time of sampling before 1985 and do not support the hypothesis of the disease originating in Africa.     

Seed dispersal versus seed predation: an inter-site comparison of two related African monkeys

C. pogonias and C. wolfi plant diets were studied in two sites, in Gabon and Zaire and compared with fruit availabilities. Monkeys in Gabon were found to be mainly fruit pulp-eaters while monkeys in Zaire were alternately seed-eaters, aril-eaters or leaf-eaters. These differences were related to differences in the availability of fruit categories: fleshy fruits were found to be much more abundant in Gabon than in Zaire forests. As a result, monkeys in Gabon were found to be mainly seed-dispersers while monkeys in Zaire were found, to a large extent, to be seed-predators. Results are discussed in terms of phenotypic flexibility in monkey feeding behavior, diversity of plant-monkey interactions, geographic variability of keystone plant resources, and their implications for forest management practices. The low availability of fleshy fruit species in Zaire is hypothezized to result from the poor soil conditions.     

Aerosol exposure to Zaire ebolavirus in three nonhuman primate species: differences in disease course and clinical pathology

There is little known concerning the disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) when inhaled, the likely route of exposure in a biological attack. Cynomolgus macaques, rhesus macaques, and African green monkeys were exposed to aerosolized ZEBOV to determine which species might be the most relevant model of the human disease. A petechial rash was noted on cynomolgus and rhesus macaques after fever onset but not on African green monkeys. Fever duration was shortest in rhesus macaques (62.7 ± 16.3 h) and longest in cynomolgus macaques (82.7 ± 22.3 h) and African green monkeys (88.4 ± 16.7 h). Virus was first detectable in the blood 3 days after challenge; the level of viremia was comparable among all three species. Hematological changes were noted in all three species, including decreases in lymphocyte and platelet counts. Increased blood coagulation times were most pronounced in African green monkeys. Clinical signs and time to death in all three species were comparable to what has been reported previously for each species after parenteral inoculation with ZEBOV. These data will be useful in selection of an animal model for efficacy studies.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Peoples of South Asia. By Clarence Maloney Biosocial Anthropology. Edited by Robin Fox Studies in African Social Anthropology. Edited by Meyer Fortes and Sheila Patterson Big-Men and Business: Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth in the New Guinea Highlands. By Ben R. Finney Polynesian Peasants and Proletarians. By Ben R. Finney Church and State in Tonga: The Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries and Political Development Te Ao Hurihuri: The World Moves On. Edited by Michael King Walbiri Iconography: Graphic Representation and Cultural Symbolism in a Central Australian Society. By Nancy D. Munn Vote Ferguson for Aboriginal Freedom. By Jack Hurner Look Forward, Not Back: Aborigines in Metropolitan Brisbane 1965–1966. By H. M. Smith and E. Biddle Aboriginal Prehistory in New England: An Archaeological Survey of Northeastern New South Wales. By Isabel McBryde Fort Jesus: a Portuguese Fortress on the East African Coast. By James Kirkman Archaeozoological Studies: Papers of the Archeozoological Conference 1974, held at the Biologisch-Archaeologisch Instituut of the State University of Groningen. Edited by A. T. Clason Men of the Earth: An Introduction to World Prehistory. By Brian M. Fagan