Child research in Africa

The concerns for African children should not be confined to the disadvantaged position of Africa, but rather extended to search into the virtues of their cultural heritage, historical background and values of the African civilisation as the basis for reflecting on the rights and welfare of the child. In other words, the perspectives on the African child are shaped by a multiplicity of factors that include both the worldview of the researchers, donor priorities and pressures, as well as what will 'sell' better in peer review journals. This implies a real concern with what is going on in terms of research on child issues in Africa, in order to avoid generalisations and particularising the African child in ways that portray them in an unfavourable light.