Showing posts with label arts and culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arts and culture. Show all posts

Sep 19, 2013


The annual Gandhi Peace Festival is here again. Its is a celebration of peace, tolerance and inclusiveness. All men and women of goodwill are welcome.

Gandhi Peace Festival

9/19/2013 09:00:00 PM , ,

Nov 24, 2011

I saw this movie by chance. I was recently on a transatlantic flight and it was one of the few movies available that sounded interesting. The title certainly caught my attention. “Exit through the Gift Shop” is a comedic documentary about the subversive underground world of graffiti artistes centred on the character of an eccentric French immigrant shopkeeper in the US who immerses himself in that world. It is a hilarious and somewhat irreverent insight into a shadowy dissident subculture of graffiti street art.

The movie was produced by Banksy, the enigmatic and faceless graffiti artiste who has gained a global reputation for his satirical street art and subversive epigrams done in a distinctive stenciling technique.

The movie which was nominated for an Academy award comes highly recommended. Some of Banky’s works certainly make you think about the power of Art as an agent of socio-political commentary.

Subversive Art: “Exit through the Gift Shop”

11/24/2011 10:36:00 PM ,

Nov 10, 2011


I do not consider myself a movie aficionado but every once in a while I delight in foreign movies to extricate myself from Hollywood’s stranglehold on our collective psyche. Old Iranian and Russian movies hold a particular fascination. But it is the 2001 French film “Amélie” that recently got me enthralled.

A romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, it is the story of a reticent and quirky Parisian waitress who, confronted by her conflicted life, sets out to change the lives of those around her for the better. In so doing, she manages to transform not just the lives of others but unwittingly her own life too.

The movie reminds me so much of the equally remarkable film by the Italian director Roberto Benigni, “Life is Beautiful” which tells the story of a Jewish Italian whose resilience and fertile imagination helps his family survive a Nazi concentration camp. Both films are must sees and come highly recommended.

Viewing of the Month: Amélie

11/10/2011 07:25:00 PM

Nov 9, 2011

I have always wondered what the real story is behind the ubiquitous “V for Vendetta” mask that has become synonymous with the Occupy Wall Street protests in the US and around the world. The mask has come to represent the anonymity of an amorphous and leaderless grassroots movement. Apparently there is a fascinating history behind the mask.

The mask is a representation of Guy Fawkes who was part of a group of provincial English Catholics that planned a failed assassination attempt against King James I in 1605. Guy Fawkes who was in charge of the gunpowder that had been stockpiled to blow up Westminster palace was eventually captured, tortured and committed suicide before he was due to be executed. For centuries, Fawkes has been reviled for treason in Protestant England and his effigy is often burned on a bonfire.

It is a fascinating story. I find it ironic that the image of a man despised for treason at home has become a universal symbol of people power in the twenty first century. The Guardian of London provides and interesting expose on this iconic image.

Guy Fawkes: The Face of Anonymity and Defiance

11/09/2011 08:37:00 PM , ,

Jul 10, 2011


Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of the musical Group “Playing for Change.” Playing for Change is an initiative that digitally brings together musicians from all over the word to create beautiful and empowering music aimed at bringing positive change to the world. Their videos have become a YouTube sensation.

Playing for Change just released its second album “PFC 2.” All the tracks are delightful. As I did with the first album, I am posting below my favorite tack in the new album. It is titled “Gimme Shelter,” an adaptation of the classic Rolling Stones track of the same title. I think of it as a theme song for peace and justice in our world. Enjoy!

Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away

War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away

Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'
Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost its way

War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away

The floods is threat'ning
My very life today
Gimme, gimme shelter
Or I'm gonna fade away

War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away

I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away

PFC2: A Theme Song for Peace and Justice

7/10/2011 06:10:00 PM , ,

Jul 10, 2010

“Telling African Stories” celebrates diversity

Thursday, February 11th 2010

By NATALIE TIMPERIO

THE SILHOUETTE

The month of February marks a significant occasion in our calendar. Black history month has been celebrated for years; however, it is more than just an annual celebratory event. It is an opportunity to commemorate the history of African Americans and a chance to discover their distinct ethos throughout the world.

In honour of this, the McMaster Alumni Association hosted an event at the Discovery Centre located in Hamilton Harbour last Wednesday evening. This event, Telling African Stories: Literature, History and the African Experience, featured a critical discussion presented by Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh, Associate Professor in the Department of History and Director of the Centre for Peace Studies here at McMaster University.

Dr. Ibhawoh guided listeners through the history of African literature. Within his lecture, he referred to four distinct periods in the African literary history: the oral traditions and use of symbols that began with the origins of humankind, the colonial traditions, the nationalist traditions and the written word now commonly used in contemporary times.

In relation to these time periods, Dr. Ibhawoh stressed that African literature isn’t something that is exclusive to African peoples alone. Rather, it is a universal phenomenon that prevails amongst all humankind, including Canadians. While African styles of literature are unique, particularly in contrast to European and Western styles of literature, Dr. Ibhawoh explained that “African-Canadian literatures are in many ways very similar to African literature…it’s also based on the oral tradition…so it’s important to understand that even when [it’s] written down the roots are [the same].”

The theme of universality was central to Ibhawoh’s lecture in which he emphasized that literature mustn’t be thought of solely in terms of printed language, as we so often confine our definition of literature to that which is written and intelligible only to us, the West. In order to recognize the universality of African literature, particularly as university students, Dr. Ibhawoh explained that we must do so “by seeking and learning more, by participating…because they are human beings…and [we are all] connected. If you are able to establish a connection the chances are that you will be more proactive in trying to learn about a society.”

It is within a university setting that we have nearly unlimited access to the available tools and resources that allow us to begin or further study of African culture as well as other cultures throughout the world. In fact, diversity amongst cultures is apparent when simply walking through campus. As Dr. Ibhawoh stated, “[McMaster] is becoming a very diverse campus…with not just students but professors from different parts of the world.” It is precisely within this type of environment that “makes us accepting of cultures and more tolerant, and that is something we need [as] Canada prides itself as a mosaic,” he added.

The traditional images associated with the U.S. and Canada are the cultural “melting pot” of the U.S. and Canada’s “tossed salad” of ethnicities. This belief in Canada as a harbinger of ethnic diversity and a cultural mosaic is a fundamental feature of Canadian identity and nationalistic distinctiveness. Often, much of the world views Canada in this same light.

Dr. Ibhawoh said that in Canada “you are encouraged to celebrate your diversity…I think that’s what makes Canada so special and unique. It’s a place that is welcoming of cultures and sees those cultures as not just being tolerated but part of what the Canadian experience is…you have no choice, you need to make an effort to be tolerant and understand.”

While the truth of Canada as ever-welcoming of diversity has been contested, Dr. Ibhawoh’s perspective suggests some progress from our colonial past.

Although the end of February concludes black history month, attribution and appreciation of cultural diversity may be continually exercised throughout the year, as members of a culturally distinct community, both within McMaster University and in Canada.

“Telling African Stories” celebrates diversity

7/10/2010 12:33:00 AM , , ,

Oct 22, 2009

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story

10/22/2009 09:26:00 AM , ,

Oct 20, 2009



Playing for Change is an interesting initiative that digitally brings musicians from all over the word together to create beautiful and empowering music aimed at bringing positive change to the world. Their videos have become a you-tube sensation garnering over 20 million views. This my favorite in the collection. It is titled Chanda Mama, an old Indian folk song about the moon in Telugu language, a language mainly spoken in southern India. It is performed here by artists from 4 continents who probably have never spoken Telugu. It brings a truly universal meaning to ideals of peace and positive social change. Enjoy!

Playing for Change

10/20/2009 12:03:00 PM , ,

Aug 3, 2009

Prisoner for 21 years
Activist for 67
Inspiration for 91 years



More videos from the concert
http://www.youtube.com/user/Mandeladay

Mandela Day: July 18

8/03/2009 12:48:00 AM , , ,

Jul 15, 2009

One of the attractions of attending a conference in New Orleans is the opportunity to enjoy great jazz music. No stay in New Orleans iS complete without a walk down Bourbon Street to enjoy the live music of the bars, restaurants and sidewalks - Mardi Gras or no Mardi Gras. For me, New Orleans represents both reality and escape from reality. The stark poverty and deprivation of fringe neighbourhoods juxtaposed with the quiet elegance and mellow opulence of the French Quarter... and then, there is always the musical symbolism that permeates everything New Orleans. This is why the pain and devastation of Hurricane Katrina was very poignant for me and I sure many others. My fondest memories of New Orleans are from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band - an itinerant group of jazz musicians dating back to the 1960s. Here they are performing one of my favourites... a live rendition of their classic “Hindustan.” It is one for the ages. Enjoy!

Summer Delight: The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

7/15/2009 09:02:00 PM

Jun 22, 2009

John Hodgman delivers one of the funniest roasts ever delivered. A classic example of how to be pleasantly funny without being offensive. Many of today’s shock jocks could use a lesson or two from Hodgeman. Enjoy!

The John Hodgman Raost

6/22/2009 11:36:00 PM , ,

Mar 26, 2009

"Race Culture and Society" A public talk marking Black History Month at McMaster University organized by the African Caribbean Students Association and the African Students Association.
Watch video of the talks

Race Culture and Society

3/26/2009 08:26:00 PM , , ,

Mar 16, 2009



This is a video I use often in my undergraduate class on “African Diaspora” to mixed reviews. Some students like it because it captures the pain and injustice of African American experience in the Jim Crow era. Others think the imagery of lynching is too strong and find it disturbing. I think it has a place in the classroom.

Legend has it that Billy Holiday who had a troubled life as an artiste and ultimately died of a drug overdose in 1959 often found it difficult to sing this song and resorted to taking hard drugs before performing the song. (Don’t quote me on this….just urban legend). It is also ironic that “Strange Fruit” was penned not by an African American but began as a poem written by a Jewish high-school teacher from the Bronx, New York about the lynching of two black men. This is a testament to the historic solidarity between Jewish Americans and African-Americans born out of a common experience of persecution and alienation (You can quote me on that).

Billy Holiday “Strange Fruit”

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Billy Holiday "Strange Fruit"

3/16/2009 12:01:00 AM , , , ,

Mar 15, 2009



I consider Thelonious Monk one of the most important jazz musicians and composers of all time. Yet, I am often surprised that many jazz enthusiasts know little about him. Born at the turn of the last century, his unique improvisational style brought new vigor to jazz piano in the 50s and 60s. His improvisation was not limited to his music. Even his style of playing the piano was unique. In this video, his piano playing defies everything I learned in my rudimentary piano class – hands and fingers crisscross awkwardly to hit keys. Note too that he sitting on a chair rather than the traditional pianist bench. The quintessential iconoclast! Yet, the music that emerges is timeless and one for the ages. It radiates peace and tranquility. This composition is called “Blue Monk.” Enjoy!

THELONIOUS MONK - Blue Monk

3/15/2009 11:35:00 PM

Feb 12, 2009

I participate in and contribute to several listserves and online discussion boards where, I am frankly dismayed by the language and tone of the discussion coming from scholars and activists who I would expect to be more civil, thoughtful and considerate in their discussions. The debates sometimes degenerate into banal name-calling and vulgar displays of “pseudo-erudition” -- some kind of intellectual power tussle that I find stifling of productive debate. I call this pseudo-erudition because I believe that sophisticated thinking is often subtle and tempered. I see these displays of “pseudo-erudition” even of listservs that are supposedly dedicated to promoting peace and human rights. That is not what I think a cyber-community of scholars and thinkers should be.

I share here, the now famous “RULES OF NETIQUETTE” that I have found very useful and which I think should guide all internet discussions.

THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
Excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea. Click on each
rule for elaboration.

* Introductionhttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/introduction.html
* Rule 1: Remember the Humanhttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule1.html
* Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real lifehttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule2.html
* Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspacehttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule3.html
* Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidthhttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule4.html
* Rule 5: Make yourself look good onlinehttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule5.html
* Rule 6: Share expert knowledgehttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule6.html
* Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under controlhttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule7.html
* Rule 8: Respect other people's privacyhttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule8.html
* Rule 9: Don't abuse your powerhttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule9.html
* Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakeshttp://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule10.html

Of pseudo-erudition and Netiquette

2/12/2009 09:22:00 AM , , ,

Feb 2, 2009


Witchcraft and Human Rights
It is sad to note that in the 21st century countless number of people around the world still suffer exclusion, social ostracism, violence and even death based on spurious allegations of witchcraft. The victims are often the weakest in these societies – women and children. The moral strength of any society can only be truly judged based on how well it treats the weakest of its members. It is however gratifying that the international human rights community is begining to pay serious attention to these human rights violations perpetuated in the name of witchcraft. The Policy Development and Evaluation Service has created a "Witchcraft and Human Rights Network". It is an informal network where information about new developments, research and news related to witchcraft can be shared.

This Article written in New Issues in Refugee Research by Jill Schnoebelen called "Witchcraft Allegations and Displacement". It addresses the growing and troubling issues from a human rights perspective
http://www.unhcr.org/research/RESEARCH/4981ca712.pdf

A recent movie by the producer Allison Berg also explores the issue. The Movie is titled “Witches in Exile.”
Witches in Exile
(79 minutes) Ghana/USADirector/Producer: Allison Berg
Description:In Ghana, women accused of witchcraft are torn from their families and banished to witch villages. Witches in Exile follows these accused women through their daily struggle to survive in the Kukuo Witches Camp. As government agencies attempt to abolish this age-old tradition, these women find themselves caught between their society's deeply-rooted beliefs and its drive toward modernization.
http://www.unaff.org/2004/f_witches.html

Witchcraft and Human Rights

2/02/2009 12:20:00 PM , , ,

Feb 1, 2009

Photos from the annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival organized by the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70652&l=73edf&id=673696944

Gandhi Peace Festival 2008

2/01/2009 11:10:00 PM , , ,

Dec 21, 2008

Oscar Peterson & the bassists - You Look Good To Me


Classic jazz piano from the great Oscar Peterson who I had the honour of seeing live in concert. This is what great music sounds like – placid, serene and engaging. Enjoy.

Oscar Peterson - You Look Good to Me

12/21/2008 12:01:00 AM

Dec 17, 2008

Obama's Quest for his African Roots

This is my favorite photo of Barack Obama. It was taken on his way to the village market in Kogelo, Kenya.

He tells in his autobiography “Dreams of my Father (a book I recommend to everyone), that he barely knew his Kenyan father and met him only once in his life. Yet, after graduating from Columbia University he went back to Kenya to visit his Kenyan family and spent several days in the village with his step grandmother, accompanying her to the village market, the farm and getting to know the extended family. He visited uncles and aunts, nephews and cousins, many of whom did not even know that their “brother” had fathered a son with a white woman while studying abroad. He visited the graves of his father and grandfather he never knew, where, overwhelmed with emotion he broke down and wept. Like a lost child he felt that he had finally connected with his ancestral roots. It is a story for the ages.

Columnist Joe Klein writing in Time magazine says that this book "may be the best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician." I agree.

Happy Holidays!

Obama's Quest for his African Roots

12/17/2008 10:22:00 PM , ,

Dec 16, 2008


Saudi Cleric Favours One-Eye Veil

A Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has called on women to wear a full veil, or niqab, that reveals only one eye. Sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan said showing both eyes encouraged women to use eye make-up to look seductive. The question of how much of her face a woman should cover is a controversial topic in many Muslim societies.

The niqab is more common in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, but women in much of the Muslim Middle East wear a headscarf which covers only their hair. Sheikh Habadan, an ultra-conservative cleric who is said to have wide influence among religious Saudis, was answering questions on the Muslim satellite channel al-Majd.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7651231.stm

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This is an interesting story that raises several human rights questions. I posed some of these questions before my Human Rights class and it generated extensive debates among students. The comments posted on the course discussion forum were as always engaging and insightful.

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Posted by BONNY IBHAWOH (HISTORY_3XX3_X_T1_08) on Friday, October 3, 2008 10:03pm
Subject: Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil

This is another example of the “Universalism vs. Cultural relativism” debate we have been having in class. A Saudi cleric wants women to wear veils that show only one of their eyes. Cultural/religious expression or human rights violation?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7651231.stm

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Posted by xxxxxxx on Saturday, October 4, 2008 10:25am
Subject: Re: Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil
After I read this article, I went to other related articles posted and only after reading more I have come to the decision that this "one-eye veil" is both a religious expression but at the same time a human rights violation.

The niqab is very normal for people in the Middle East, along with the hijab. I believe that it is a religious expression because it is told to them in the Koran. What I don't understand is why they are deciding to change things now? It is at this changing point that I think this whole issue is a human right violation due to the fact that the Koran hasn't changed therefore implementing the "one-eye veil" and deeming it a religious expression just doesn't make sense to me.

So that's what I think...for now. thoughts anyone??

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Posted by xxxxxxxxxx on Saturday, October 4, 2008 12:12pm
Subject: Re: Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil
I also read one of the related articles on the site and it gave a lot more background information. I think it's hard to say whether this is a human rights violation mostly because it is difficult to make myself completely unbiased by the fact that I have grown up in Canada and have no idea what it would be like to live in an Islamic nation. In putting my own views aside, the one eyed veil seems to be a srtict adherance to the Koran, but does that make it something that EVERYONE must follow? in the related article I read it stated that many women choose a more contemorary view on covering up, and feel that the full veil is an old cutsom.

I think that it should be the woman's choice whether or not she wants to commit to the full veil or not. for example, here in Canada it is now legal for a woman to go topless. This just gives a woman the freedom to choose whether or not she wants to wear a shirt in ublic or not. I know that both of these situations are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum, but they are related in a way that human rights should be about a person's right to choose.

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Posted by xxxxxxxx on Monday, October 13, 2008 8:11pm
Subject: Re: Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil
The issue is not that woman are choosing a specific form of attire. It is essentially a personal choice that harms no one. The only problem I have is that woman are being made to think that it is their religious obligation. Their decisions are not based on an understanding that whatever this cleric is representing is essentially his personal extreme interpretation of the Qur’an and Hadith, but rather its being portrayed as what Allah wants women to do. Whereas the reality is that women during the Prophet Mohammed’s time; peace be upon him, we doctors, warriors, teachers…etc. all roles that could have been impossible to be done with one eye! In fact, the prophets wife were recognized by their faces, so even the veil with both eyes showing is not seem as an obligation by the majority of the Muslim clerics.

The problem is not what women are choosing to wear; it is the fact that they are being misled. So, if a woman knows that it is not a divine order from God that asks her to wear the veil and still chooses to wear it, then I would not consider the veil a violation of human rights. However, if she wears the veil because she thinks she “has” to, then that is a violation of human rights. Because if she was not made to think that this is the will of God she would not be wearing it.

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Posted by xxxxxxxxxx on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 11:03am
Subject: Re: Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil
I think this issue is about the woman's right to choose how she is to be submissive to Allah - whether it be modest dress, an hijab, a burka, or a one-eyed veil - and the infrastructure and support to hold sacred that right to choose. Now there will always be complications, a husband's family that is more conservative or extreme than the woman's upbringing - which would put pressure on her to decide their way - this will always happen..

However, in a society that endorses the right to choose and not be legally beholden to a certain interpretation, seems a step in the right direction - or separation of religion and state, and the freedom to choose the particular sect of Islam that expresses it's submission to Allah in ways that aligns with one own's thinking. This would protect women from the wims and re-interpretations of various imams and provide more stability.

But even the right to choose and the separation of religion and state is not a universally upheld idea...though, as Dr. Ibhowah says, if these things align with texts and scriptures that, in this case, Islam holds as truth, then this can be pointed out to this particular sect of Islam - using their own revered and upheld truths against their interpretation.

And if that fails...it is up to the muslim community, in particular those who uphold the basic rights of women to choose, to put pressure on them. The pressure must come from the greater muslim community...

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Posted by xxxxxxxx on Saturday, October 18, 2008 12:48pm
Subject: Re: Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil
I think that the wearing of a one-eye veil, or whatever else a Muslim woman wishes to wear in order to promote her piety and religious faith, is a culturally relative option and decision that does not infringe on said woman's human rights. However, I think that it ought to be her analysis of the Quran and Islam that brings her to that decision. Rather, the response that she gets from her religious and societal community in regards to her decision is where a human rights violation is possible and unacceptable.

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Posted by xxxxxxxxxx on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 6:01pm
Subject: Re: Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil

I agree completely with xxxxxx... if a woman feels that she "has" to wear the veil (esp. a one eyed one), then it is a human rights violation because she is in a way, being coerced to wear such attire, which would be very restricting. Taking into account the historical background of where these veils and such came from, and looking at the issue during the Prophet's time, we see that the religious call for the one-eyed veil is extreme and not necessarily needed to fulfill the demands of modesty required for Islam. Therefore, under no circumstances should any woman be forced to wear this type of covering (by force or subtle manipulation). If she understands that she does not "have" to wear it, but chooses to wear it, in a completely free decision, then that is her choice and she has a right to that. The problem is... how can we assure that this choice is her own, and not influenced by others?

One-Eye Veil: Cultural/religious expression or human rights violation?

12/16/2008 09:11:00 PM , , , ,
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