Editorial 3 
Editorial 
\ major concern for social development and social work teachers and trainers in the Third 
World is the need to generate and have available locally relevant material. Part of the historical 
legacy of this discipline in the Third World is the dependence on North American and 
Suropean, particularly British and French, literature, theory and experience. There has been 
br some decades the recognition of the need to document our own experiences, and to use 
hem for teaching and training, to develop locally relevant theory, and to inform policy and 
iractice in the field. 
It is, therefore, a duty of a development journal in the Third World to promote dialogue 
ind discussion of issues of interest and concern to development practioners and policy 
nakers, and to reproduce these in an accessible form. Not only is the dialogue itself, 
(specially where it brings together a number of people from different areas of interest and 
afferent disciplines, of value, but such dialogue can, if documented, contribute towards the 
levelopment of locally relevant material and the development of theory. The Journal of 
iocial Development in Africa has been concerned to promote such dialogue, with particular 
eference to Zimbabwe, and to the S ADCC and larger African region of which it forms apart. 
Kn obvious way to promote this kind of dialogue is through workshops which allow a number 
)f people to meet and discuss issues, gives speakers an opportunity (and the impetus) to think 
hrough and present papers in particular areas, and gives policy makers, academics and 
•ractioners the opportunity to share ideas in both a formal and informal way. 
In 1986 the Journal hosted a valuable regional workshop on Rural Poverty, Social 
)evelopment and Fieldwork (Hampson and Willmore, 1986), and in 1989 a national 
workshop on Health Manpower Issues in Relation to Equity in and Access to Health Services 
n Zimbabwe (Willmore and Hall, 1989). Some of the deliberations of, and the main issues 
aised in, this latter workshop are addressed in this issue of the Journal. David Sanders' paper, 
Equity in Health: Nine Years On", traces the roots of the health (disease) situation in 
Zimbabwe today to its colonial capitalist past and identifies the important place that 
ommunity participation and accountability must have in the development of a democratic 
ealth system. While recognising that great strides have been made in these areas in 
Smbabwe in the post-Independence era, Sanders nevertheless stresses the need for much 
lore to be done. Rene Loewenson, in "An Overview of Health Manpower Issues in Relation 
j Equity in Health Services in Zimbabwe", picks up these issues of equity and democratisation 
f the health services by focusing on health manpower issues. Drawing on her own experience 
nd research she summarises and addresses some of the major issues of concern raised in the 
workshop, and looks particularly at the socioeconomic context of health and the importance 
f class as a factor in the distribution of, and therefore the levels of equity in and access to, 
ealth services. In the third contribution from the Health Workshop, Samuel Agere, "Issues 
f Equity in and Access to Health Care in Zimbabwe", recognises the maldistribution of 
ealth resources in Zimbabwe, identifies a number of reasons for this, and suggests some 
otenlial solutions and strategies to rectify the situation. 
In a health related case study in this issue, which looks at community perceptions and 
ealth related behaviour, Mike Bourdillon looks at behaviour related to hygiene in three
4 Editorial 
communities. He concludes that habit and custom are more effective determinants of 
behaviour than rational argument, and that habits are formed only through frequent and 
regular sanctions. 
The Bourdillon case study is one of two case studies presented in this issue. While not the 
usual approach to articles in this Journal, these case studies provide information and 
interesting insights into issues of concern to development practt'oners and academics and help 
to document pur experiences and reflections, the importance of which has already been 
indicated earlier. In the second of the case studies, Brian MdcGarry shares the experience of 
introducing a new milling technology, originally developed in Botswana, into a rural area in 
Zimbabwe. He lookscriticallyattheprocessandthe results, and once again attention is drawn 
to the differences between the benefits that promoters of certain projects hope to provide and 
those that actually accrue to members of communities. 
In the remaining article in this issue, in what is a very topidal subject in Zimbabwe (as in 
other African countries) today, Kola Olugbade discusses the role that tertiary level students 
can play in national development and national politics. He argues that in Nigeria, rather than 
being seen as a threat to those in power, students could play a very important and positive role 
in mobilising people and promoting real dialogue in preparation for the new society to emerge 
after the handover to civilian rule in Nigeria, intended for 1992. 
As this Journal has now entered its fifth year of publication the Editor and Editorial Board 
feel that this is an opportune moment to ask readers for feedback on the Journal. You will 
therefore find a loose leaf questionnaire in this issue which asks a few simple questions about 
your reactions to the Journal. We would ask you to please take the time to complete this 
questionnaire and mail it back to us. For institutional subscriptions, including libraries, we 
would ask that someone be delegated to complete the questionnaire, basing answers on the 
general reactions in the institution totheJournal. If anyone is ready to give any other feedback 
to us on the Journal generally, or on ideas about how the Journal should proceed in the future, 
such comments would be very welcome. 
References 
HampsonJoe and Willmore Brigid (eds) (1986) Social Development and Rural 
Fieldwork, Journal of Social Development in Africa, School of Social Work, Harare. 
Willmore Brigid and Hall Nigel (1989) Health manpower Issues in Relation to Equity 
in and Access to Health Services in Zimbabwe, Journal of Social Development in 
Africa, School of Social Work, Harare. 
The Editor and Editorial Board of the Journal of Social 
Development in Africa would like to express their condolences 
on the death of Dr DanielS Sanders, Dean of the School of Social 
Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a 
member of the Editorial Advisory Board of this Journal.