The Dapo Abiodun-led administration has said it will continue to promote religious tolerance and ensure peaceful co-existence among various adherents in the state.
Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Oluwasesan Fagbayi, stated this during the 2024 Isese Day celebration held in Abeokuta on Tuesday.
Fagbayi maintained that celebrating the rich cultural heritage and traditions, giving necessary support to traditional institutions, as well as enhancing the promotion of Indigenous tradition would preserve Yoruba traditional religion.
The Commissioner represented by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Quudus Yusuff, noted that the colourful display by different traditional religious sects at the celebration was proof that the Day was worthy of being recognised as an international event, to attract tourists across the globe, thereby enhancing the tourism potential of the state.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ogun State Alternative Medicine Board, OGAMB, who is also the Alawoerin of Egbaland, Chief Nurudeen Olaleye, enjoined all traditional worshippers across the country to use the occasion to pray for peace, unity and stability of the state and the country in general.
Speaking on the theme of the event, Vengeance, at Oke-Abola mountain, Saje, Abeokuta, the guest lecturer, Ojubona Akanbi, admonished people to desist from taking vengeance as the consequences were usually destructive and could hinder progress, adding that love and unity among people would prevent people from hurting others.
He charged youths to avoid acts capable of disrupting the peace and progress of the society, tasking them to add their quota to the development of the state and the nation.
DAILY POST reports that August 20 was declared Isese Day in some Western states to celebrate the Yoruba traditional religion and traditions since 2023 and is being observed simultaneously across all states in the southwest.
Culture Italian scholars examine Leonardo da Vinci’s handwritten notes on student’s sketch, but contents remain unknown
15:50 on August 24, 2024 (updated at 16:05 on August 24)
A document believed to be in Leonardo da Vinci’s handwriting (provided by the Historical, Cultural and Environmental Assets Assessment Committee, in collaboration with the National Museum of Natural History)
[Geneva Kyodo News]Italian art historians have identified text written on a part of a painting owned by a Swiss art collector as likely to be in Leonardo da Vinci’s own handwriting. It has not yet been possible to decipher what is written, and Silvano Vincetti, who led the appraisal, said, “It is a mystery that may one day be solved.”
The painting, a red charcoal drawing of a young woman’s torso, was rediscovered in the 1990s after passing through the hands of Swiss antiquities dealers, and in 2001 the late Carlo Pedretti, a well-known authority on Leonardo da Vinci, identified it as a work by Da Vinci’s pupil Cesare da Sesto (1477-1523).
If you’re not across much of popular culture, the US election may require some interpretation. The Democratic National Convention has been an exercise in creating a theatrical cast drawn from celebrity, music and drama. Take, for instance, Nancy Pelosi, the “Mother of Dragons” – a main character in Game of Thrones – as she was introduced at the DNC. A dragon tamer who was also introduced as “brat before brat was brat” (a buzzy reference to the musician Charli xcx’s album of the same name, which denotes a confident, nonchalantly rebellious woman). Kamala Harris herself was anointed as “brat” the moment that Joe Biden stepped down, but already Harris’s mother – who had Indian heritage and raised Harris as a single parent – has been declared the uberbrat, more brat than even her daughter.
If all that’s too obscure, perhaps Taylor Swift is a more familiar touchstone. Commentators have suggested that Swift’s boyfriend, the NFL player Travis Kelce, has much in common with vice-presidential candidate and Harris running mate Tim Walz, and more broadly with the “wife guys” of the DNC – all of whom are men who, while confident in their masculinity, are not ashamed to talk up their wives and girlfriends and take a back seat. Harris has captured this loose amalgamation of cinematic performance and cultural zeitgeist by delivering liberals what they sorely need: a “Beyoncé moment”. She is experiencing her “Renaissance”, according to the New York Times columnist Charles M Blow – a reference to the spectacular pyrotechnic tour that elevated Beyoncé to pop icon status. The rumour that Beyoncé herself was appearing as a surprise guest at the DNC drew much speculation, as if her presence alone would bless the campaign and ordain its political legitimacy.
Meme, celebrity and cultural symbolism have become the language not only of political performance but also of political analysis and media coverage. The worlds of social media and politics have fully converged, producing a sort of extended entertainment event. Harris’s transformation itself, within days, from a relatively low-impact and low-presence vice-president to the juggernaut she has become has involved a hectic re-scripting. Only a year after she assumed vice-presidential office, the question was “where did it go wrong” for Harris. She was “hobbled in the public consciousness”. Early last year, the New York Times reported that “even some Democrats whom her own advisers referred reporters to for supportive quotes confided privately that they had lost hope in her”.
Her rapid rehabilitation into the Beyoncé of politics stems in part from panic. For a moment, it looked as though Biden really was going to dig his heels in and refuse to step aside – which would have delivered a definite win to Donald Trump. Then the assassination attempt on Trump gave him his own narrative boost, which through meme, music and online reaction similarly coalesced to frame Trump as a potent winner against a frail incumbent. Harris emerged when it seemed as though all might be lost. The plot didn’t twist so much as it was forcefully twisted, offering up Harris as a fusion of feelgood cultural references and memeable content.
This all feels symptomatic both of liberals’ political anxieties and their pandering to changing habits of political consumption. With every election, new generations come online and older generations receive more of their news as internet content which cycles through the political sphere. For opinion-makers for whom Barack Obama’s presidency turned into the nightmare of Trump, this fevered rehabilitation of Harris feels like an urgent duty. The chance of another Obama era is within touching distance so long as they make Harris happen. With that comes a tendency to focus on their precious outcome with a zeal that leaves little space for scrutinising their candidate (Labour sceptics before the last general election may relate), and the infantilisation of a public that cannot be trusted in a cutthroat media market where political lives are increasingly determined by clips and fragments. “The survivalist in me,” says Blow, as opposed to the journalist, believes that Harris should continue not to give interviews in case one bad answer overshadows 10 good ones.
These tendencies have also been accelerated by the real prospect of a second Trump term and the omnipresent shadow he has cast since 2016. Since his first election, a rightwing movement whose power lies in nastiness and loathing has grown under Trump’s dominion. Democrats may be hoping the alternative to this darkness lies in presenting Harris as the “president of joy”, as Bill Clinton recently called her.
But feed people feelings alone and they will also respond in the same way, captive only as long as the energy can be maintained, and as long as the other side doesn’t catch a good wind that sends the story in another direction. Feelings are fickle and images are fragile. Rather than building a durable movement, the result is vibe fare aimed at dopamine-addicted consumers who could be swayed either way.
The adherence to sensation rather than substance may seem sensible if you’re assuming that the electorate cannot be relied on to make decisions based on detail and scrutiny – and if you believe the safest denominator that binds voters in a divided nation is to present them with a politics that neither draws on their material realities nor articulates a clear vision of a better future, but rather taps into their status as consumers of rousing spectacle. It seems like a high-risk strategy in a high-stakes election, one in which the Democrats may come to find out that the voter is unpredictable, capricious, and unswayed by party lines or political convention. Or in a word, “brat”.
Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist
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In his first National Day Rally speech as prime minister, Lawrence Wong announced that a sacred cow of Singapore’s school system, the gifted education programme (GEP), would cease to exist in its current form.
Instead, high-ability programmes would be offered in all schools to more students who could also be selected for these initiatives at multiple junctures between Primary 4 and Primary 6, the education ministry said on Monday.
Pedagogy experts This Week in Asia spoke to said while the move was in line with the ministry’s bid to make “every school a good school”, more policy revamps and cultural shifts would be needed to make education more equitable and less stressful on students. This would be challenging since some policies have competing objectives, they added.
Introduced in 1984, GEP tested Primary 3 students, typically nine years old, to see if they were cognitively “gifted”. Currently, the top 1 per cent of students get into the programme which is only available at nine schools, meaning that some students who qualify have to switch schools.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivers his National Day Rally address on August 18. Photo: EPA-EFE / Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information
Wong acknowledged during last week’s rally that not everyone was convinced by the slogan that “every school is a good school”. Referring to the schools in his neighbourhood that he attended, he said: “And I think I turned out OK.”
Experts note that in recent years, the education ministry has tried to make the system fairer and less stressful for students, in line with the government’s approach to redefining meritocracy and success.
In 2021, the aggregate score for the Primary School Leaving Examination was replaced with wider scoring bands to enable students to get good scores regardless of their peers’ performances.
Midyear examinations for all primary and secondary school levels were scrapped in 2023 and this year, streaming students according to their overall score was replaced with subject-based banding.
“The system is diversifying. The whole definition of what is good, what is success, what is achievement, that has to be redefined and parents will have to define it for their children as well,” said Ho Boon Tiong, principal consultant of Classpoint Consulting, an educational training and consulting firm.
Jason Tan, an associate professor at the National Institute of Education, noted that when the slogan “every school is a good school” was first used in 2011, the government was paying attention to the issue of social equity in response to criticisms that the education system was too elitist.
A little-known fact was that the criteria set out by the government then for what defined a “good school” paid little attention to academic performance or outcomes and instead focused on having committed teachers and parents who were involved in their children’s education, among other things, Tan said.
Such criteria “means the government will ensure all schools in Singapore are well-resourced and have trained and motivated teachers and education officers”, said Edmund Lin, principal consultant at Singapore Education Consulting Group.
The former school principal added: “It doesn’t mean all schools are similar in terms of academic performance. If you take this definition of ‘all schools are good schools’, then I would say they are.”
Children walk home with their guardians after school in Singapore in May 2021. Photo: AFP
Terence Ho, an associate professor in practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said while all national schools followed the “good schools” definition, “brand name schools are still more popular and sought after by parents compared with ‘neighbourhood’ schools”.
“Anecdotally, one reason is the variation in student profile across schools, with some parents concerned about the influence of classmates and friends on their children. So it remains an uphill task to persuade parents that all schools are good schools,” Ho said.
“There is now greater emphasis on creativity and exploration, and cultivating a love of learning. However, it will take time for the mindsets of students and parents to shift away from the current focus on examinations and grades.”
While noting that the GEP revamp would “dispel the notion that one can only get a high-quality education in a few schools”, Tan argued there would still be a need to sort students based on their different needs and meet competing policy objectives in Singapore’s education system.
“This is the tricky thing; they want a system that caters or tries to cater to diverse learning needs instead of a one-size-fits-all programme. They want diversity but that also means that you end up with unequal offerings and unequal outcomes, and not all these offerings and outcomes are equally prestigious or desirable to parents,” Tan said.
“There’s still this prejudice against vocational education and this valorisation of students who can succeed academically.”
On further policy changes to create a more equitable education system, Classpoint Consulting’s Ho, who was a GEP specialist with the education ministry, said more safety nets were needed. “Some students are slow developers, so if you miss catching them at certain points, they may not follow along in the system.”
Primary school students on their way to school in Singapore in June 2020. Photo: Xinhua
Meanwhile, Tan pointed out that the Primary 1 registration exercise gave priority, for instance, to children living close to a school and whether parents were alumni or had volunteered at the school.
“If they are serious about rethinking meritocracy and trying to make things as equitable as possible for all children and trying to remove barriers to individual success, then you would have to question any practices, policies or structures that would appear to counter what you want to strive towards,” he said.
Tan noted that even if schools tried to ease the pressure off students, private tuition centres would fill the void by offering parents more mock exams, or co-curricular activities depending on policy changes.
“Many parents unfortunately still view education as a competitive race and still valorise all these high prestige offerings,” Tan said.
“It’s tough for a government to intervene in parental decisions. They can provide the incentives, they can change the policies and the way schools are structured, but they cannot tell parents not to spend thousands every month on private tutoring.”
Jonathan Sim, assistant director of pedagogy at the National University of Singapore’s AI Centre for Educational Technologies, agreed with calls for changing the culture of education rather than just the system.
“For example, we’ve reduced the number of examinations, but it’s not working so well because the culture is against it … Telling people that there will be second chances is a good first step. Now we need to show people that academic grades are not the only way to success,” Sim said.
Michigan, US, 24th August 2024,ZEX PR WIRE, Climate change is becoming a real threat on the global agriculture industry. According to Sanaka Samarasinha, a veteran international development specialist, climate change has led to increased food insecurity, land degradation, water shortage, lower crop yields, higher poverty rates, and unsustainable migration.
Continuing on this idea, Sanaka Samarasinha notes that extreme weather conditions such as droughts, floods, and changes to rainfall patterns are affecting food production and distribution systems. This is affecting communities’ access to adequate, safe, and healthy foods.
The stated effects, Sanaka Samarasinha says, are worse felt in third-world countries where farming is more of a subsistence activity. For this reason, he says, climate change is putting more people at risk of hunger and malnutrition, which is undermining the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Land Dilapidation and Water Shortages
As part of the adverse impact of climate change, land degradation and water scarcity are among the major problems encountered. Currently, soil erosion, loss of fertility, and desertification have reduced agricultural lands, Sanaka Samarasinha explains. He notes these are some of the changes that are challenging farmers, preventing them from sustainably producing food and making agriculture a sustainable source of income.
Changes in rainfall patterns and higher evaporation rates, Sanaka Samarasinha adds, are also making it hard for farmers to find enough water for their activities. He notes that many regions are suffering from severe drought spells that have reduced water availability for irrigation and drinking. While it has a major impact on crop and livestock farming, Sanaka Samarasinha emphasizes, it also poses a great danger to the people’s health and the existence of communities.
Reduced Output and Higher Poverty Levels.
Sanaka Samarasinha adds that farmers are experiencing a decline in crop and livestock yields and quality. That’s because of heat stress, modified growing cycles, and rising pests and diseases. This, he says, is lowering income sources for farming communities and leading many into abject poverty.
He further explains that the most affected are the vulnerable groups, which progressively include smallholder farmers. These communities, Sanaka Samarasinha, says, remain trapped in the cycle of poverty and food insecurity in the absence of proper support and related adaptation undertakings.
Unsustainable Immigration
Lastly, Sanaka Samarasinha says, climate change’s negative impact on agriculture has increased unsustainable migration. Globally, people are moving in search of food and better income opportunities, Sanaka Samarasinha explains. This migration, he notes, puts a lot of strain on the host communities, most of which are not prepared for the influx of people.
The reaction is that there are unsustainable demands on resources, infrastructure, and social services. Sanaka Samarasinha says this results in tensions and conflict that compound climate vulnerability in exposed regions.
A Call to Action
Sanaka Samarasinha emphasizes immediate and collective action to handle the complex changes in climate on agriculture. As such, he calls for greater spending on climate shock-proof agriculture, improving the water regime, and backing sustainable land uses. The social protection systems, he says, should also be reinforced. He adds that technical support should be given to the affected vulnerable e adds.
Sanaka Samarasinha also emphasizes the need for international cooperation on sound agricultural policies to address these issues. Intertwining international and local cooperation, Sanaka Samarasinha notes, is crucial in exchanging information, equipment, and experience. In his view, it is high time agricultural systems were adapted and made less sensitive to climate change’s impact, especially in the developing world.
Sanaka Samarasinha’s experience, based on the leadership of the Pacific and Belarus, proves his desire to promote sustainable development and climate change. His advocacy emphasizes the importance of faster action to protect global food security and secure income sources for millions of people.
About Sanaka Samarasinha
Sanaka Samarasinha has more than 25 years of experience in sustainable development. His professional background includes work with the United Nations, where he has implemented campaigns in 11 countries. This proves his proficiency in strategic communication and public relations, mediation, advocacy for the SDGs, governance and human rights, crisis communication, climate change, and media relations.
Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
A participant of a cross-Strait journalism camp takes photos at the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.
The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
It is much easier to interact with individuals from diverse cultures today due to the presence of the internet and other forms of digital communication.
Because of these instruments, our modes of communication have experienced a revolution; they knock down social walls, thus enabling us to educate ourselves mutually and vice versa.
How the Internet Brings Us Closer
The internet has turned the world into a small community where information can be shared instantly, no matter where you are. Social media, messaging apps, and video calls make it easy to stay in touch with friends and family across the globe.
But more than that, platforms like instacams have opened up new opportunities for people to learn about other cultures, practice speaking a foreign language, and share experiences.
Understanding Different Cultures
Understanding different cultures is greatly enhanced by online communication. Through social media such as Facebook, Instagram or twitter, individuals can be able to pass their daily experiences, customs and way of thinking to every corner across the world.
Sharing of this information educates individuals on other cultures, thus promoting compassion and tolerance.
During holidays or cultural events, for instance, individuals typically make posts concerning their customs – portraying some elements of their lives to others. By doing this, it becomes easier to overcome any form of cultural biases and bring people together.
Overcoming Language Barriers
Although language remains a significant barrier to cross-cultural communication, technology is proving otherwise. There are many tools such as Google Translate and translation options on messaging applications, which enable individuals to interact without having a common language.
Even though these instruments are not entirely accurate, their effectiveness is continually improving and promoting global interaction.
Social Medias Influence on Culture
Social media has a significant role in spreading cultural trends globally. Memes, viral videos, and music can cross cultural boundaries, creating shared experiences.
Platforms like TikTok, for example, have given rise to global challenges and trends that people from all backgrounds participate in, helping to create a sense of global community.
However, this isnt always positive.
Sometimes, cultural appropriation or misunderstanding can happen when cultural trends are shared without proper context. Its essential to approach these interactions with respect, recognizing the importance of the cultures we engage with.
The Challenges and Benefits of Online Cross-Cultural Communication
As much as it facilitates interaction among people from different cultural backgrounds, social media has its downside.
Cross-cultural miscommunication is possible, particularly among individuals who do not share similar cultural practices. An act considered as respectful within one society could appear to be an offense in another one.
Additionally, written messages may be misinterpreted due to the absence of non-verbal cues like gestures.
In spite of the difficulties involved, online cross-cultural communication has great advantages.
These platforms provide amazing chances of learning together which could not be thought about some time back. It is evident that the ability to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds is highly relevant today, whether in virtual classrooms or as part of global business alliances.
The Future of Cross-Cultural Communication
The advancements in technology will lead to more ways of cultural connections development.
Immersion is becoming a possibility through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) enabling individuals to have what seems like natural interactions with people from various backgrounds.
Such developments may have an impact on the way in which we educate ourselves about different societies and also interact with them, so that communication among people of different cultures becomes richer and more meaningful than ever before.
Church service abruptly ended at the United Methodist Church in the Durumi area of the Federal Capital Territory as congregants engaged in a serious fight. The fight, which went on for hours, resulted in damage to some of the church’s property and required intervention from FCT command operatives to bring it under control…..CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
Our correspondent gathered that frantic efforts initially made by the police to stop the fight proved abortive until tear gas was released.
It was further gathered that the police locked the church, dismissed the members, and took some of the elders to the station for interrogation.
A church member, speaking anonymously to our correspondent, expressed displeasure over the conflict, saying that there had been a rift among the church elders concerning the decision to separate from their headquarters in the United States.
The member added that the conflict arose from the church headquarters legalizing practices that are foreign to Nigeria’s culture.
The member said, “Our headquarters is in America and they have legalised some practices that are not part of our culture. Some elders were of the view that we should pull out, and give the church another name. But another set of elders kicked against the move. This created a faction in the church. At a point, they wanted to go to court, but I cannot say why they did not end up going.
“Today, while addressing the church during the service, our pastor announced that they would be heading to the court and expressed his wish that the church remain with the headquarters. That was what instigated the fight. I have never seen such a thing before in my life. The fight was so serious that when the police came they did not stop until they fired teargas. Some of the church elders were taken to the station for interrogation after the whole thing. “
When contacted, the FCT command police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident.
She added that the Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, had invited the church elders to his office on Monday.
Adeh said, “The CP has invited all the church elders to come to the command by 10 am tomorrow.“
It is much easier to interact with individuals from diverse cultures today due to the presence of the internet and other forms of digital communication.