A Look at the Country of Rwanda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Look at the Country of Rwanda - Essay Example Today, Rwanda, with the densest population in Africa, struggles to bring more prosperity to its approximately 9 million people by attracting investments, promoting tourism and boosting its agricultural output. -- and this distinction is most commonly used in connection with the Rwandan civil war or the genocide in 1994. However, the Rwandan people have historically belonged, using common culture and language as criteria, to one ethnic group called Banyarwanda (people of Rwanda).5 Dr. Anastase Shyaka, a professor at the University of Rwanda writes that prior to European colonization, all the Hutus, Tutsis and Twas were united and swore allegiance to one monarch, "Umwami". Further cementing this bond were the myths and folktales and clan-based identity, in which every Rwandan would trace his genealogy to one ancestor, called "Kanyarwanda". While the first king of Rwanda in the 15th century was identified as a Tutsi - the ethnic identity as explained by Prof. Shaka was more in connection with certain economic activities, and a Tutsi could lose his "Tutsiness" and become a Hutu and be deprived of his possessions. Therefore, the distinction was more economic and social, rather than strictly ge netic - a fact boosted by subsequent intermarriages, making the genetic basis moot and academic. All of Rwandans currently speak the same language (Kinyarwanda), and most are Christians (majority of whom are Catholic), with a sprinkling of Muslims. Political Culture Prior to the coming of European colonizers (first the Germans in 1894 and the Belgians in 1917), Rwanda was under a monarchy and its society was cohesive and stable. Political power was vested i the King who was in turn recognized and respected as protective of the interests of the citizens of Rwanda.6 To ensure checks and balances, three or four ministers were in-charge of different spheres of economic activity - for pasture, agriculture and hunting.7 When the Belgians ruled Rwanda, the political culture built on trust of the monarchical power to ensure fairness and equality was destroyed. Instead of three or four chiefs to oversee the different areas of livelihood, a single chief was installed, bringing the socio-economic foundation in service to the interests of the colonizers and its appointed rulers, while introducing forced labor.8 In 1935, the Belgian Colonial Administration issued identification cards clearly categorizing Rwandans as "Hutu", "Tutsi" and "Twa" on the basis on the number of heads of cattle they owned, with Tutsis classified as those with 10 or more cows. From then on, Rwandans came to see that their ethnicity is linked to opportunities for jobs and positions of power - as if identity comes first and was the primary factor over and above legitimate efforts to achieve success in society. That ethnicity became the crux of achieving or

Metabolic Disorders Case Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Metabolic Disorders Case Studies - Essay Example Other risk factors to developing type II diabetes include age, race, and history of glucose intolerance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, dyslipidemia or hypertension. Some genes that were found to play a role in type II diabetes include HNF-1-alpha and beta, CEL, APF-1, BLK, INS just to mention a few (Vijan, 1). The patient may have genetic predisposition to tyoe II diabetes. The patient’s treatment shows that she is taking Ramipril which is an ACE inhibitor suggesting that her hypertension and underlying causes may have been one of the etiological factors towards her development of type II diabetes. Clinical signs of diabetes mellitus can vary depending on the stage of the disease. The main presentations include, weight loss, polydypsia, polyuria and polyphagia. Other signs that may indicate an elevated level of blood glucose include yeast infections, blurred vision and paresthesias. As mentioned above, the symptoms depend on the stage and severity of damage that has been caused to the organism by the hyperglycemic state. In the majority of patients, the disorder is undiagnosed for many years due to the asymptomatic state of patients. According to several studies, patients with type II diabetes may remain asymptomatic for approximately six years. In later cases of the disease patients may lose all sensation in the extremeties due to the development of diabetic polyneuropathy and they will also have signs of macroangiopathies. The atient had already developed Diabetic Ketoacidosis which may suggest that she has the majority of symptoms mentioned above as her condition has alread y progressed. There several different groups of drugs that have been used to treat type II diabetes. The drugs are chosen based on the lifestyle of the patient and response to different treatment plans. This is assessed by the HbA1c level of the patient which is usually targeted at 7%. The first line of treatment involves changes of lifestyle along with the use of a Biguanide