Reflections from the Village Bard
Everyone should visit Egypt because there is so much history written in stones. The civilization the Nile supported flourished here for thousands of years and left its imprint on the land and its people. There is so much to see and learn that it is definitely worth a visit. People are warm and friendly who…
Xenophobia is the baseless fear of other people who are not like you but it can be overcome with knowledge and understanding of others and their culture. Xenophobia is a crime against humanity. I had a very interesting experience in Sicily once when I walked into a campsite by mistake near Messina that was for…
All over the world the tribal people are under pressure to give up their tribal lands for the encroaching development or from other people so they are slowly changing their culture and losing all that defines them including art and crafts, clothes and even music. This is very sad. Some NGOs are now trying to…
What are we if we do not value our heritage? How can any nation go forward that does not know or value where it came from? The ancient kingdom of Sudan based in Meroe ruled over the entire land from Meroe to Alexandra but the sand of time has obscured its history, except a few…
People all over the world are protesting the cultural invasion from outsiders who denigrate the native culture and promote their own in the guise of civilizing the uncivilized. This notion of I am better than you so you must follow me is so outdated that it needs a thorough introspection. All cultures are beautiful in…
No matter where we live in the world, we all want to see the big wide world that we have only heard of or read about in books but our poverty and our limited knowledge of the world prevents us. Only a few fortunate ones can travel and see all the world has to offer…
The Amish people who live in the United States live in their own world of their making and by their own simple rules that determine every aspect of their life from birth to death. The outside world does not understand them and the reason why they shun the materialism that plagues the rest but…
It is sad that the so-called religious people who demand respect are the ones who abuse the children and women in need. There is a worldwide condemnation of the clergy , priests and nuns who have mistreated and continue to mistreat the poor, the young and the vulnerable in the name of helping them. This…
If you are a non white person then you may have been racially profiled in some places and treated unfairly. This throws some light on this issue that is like cancer slowly spreading through humanity. Almost every day we read or hear of police injustice done to common and innocent citizens going about their own…
We now live in the modern world that has shrunk due to the technology, ease of travel and instant communication that has made many countries culturally rich that have taken in new immigrants from other countries who are different. People migrate for various reasons and take up residence in other parts of the world…
The imitation of the Western model of development by the developing countries is based on the premise that the Western model is better than their own traditional way of building cities and villages. They also ignore the beauty of their own architecture and adopt the steel and glass tall buildings model that divides the…
The role of international aid in the development of other countries has increasingly come into debate and soul-searching. Often such aid is hampered by the corrupt politicians and mismanagement so it is important to be self-reliant and seek aid only when new methods and technologies are needed, This is a topic that evokes strong reactions…
The bushmen hunting in the Kalahari desert Some people call others primitive and treat them as subhuman who need to be shown what civilized people can offer them to improve their lives starting with a Bible. Such self-proclaimed people have brought misery to others who are not like them so they try to justify…
The itinerant entertainers are slowly fading away because the whole world is changing through development and globalization of trade and commerce that is impacting everyone including the itinerant entertainers. The changes coming are inevitable but it is hoped that the poor people are given time to adjust to the new world by learning…
The village people in rural Bengal, India are shown in graphic detail in the movie called Pather Panchali by Satyajit Ray. The focus is on poverty and the daily issues that poverty brings out in them that leaves many questions unanswered. This looks at the greater implications of a caste ridden society where people…
People have an inherent fear of others who are not like them and often fail to understand the beauty of other people, their culture and their language because of this fear. We see that immigrants of similar culture and background try to stick together in foreign countries where they find it difficult to assimilate into…
The intrepid travelers inspire us with their tales of travel to the unknown world and fascinate us with the description of people and the landscape of exotic lands.This looks at some of the most famous travelers, discoverers and explorers of their time who enriched our world with their knowledge. When I was in…
The whole world is under attack by a deadly Coronavirus that has claimed over 70000 lives and continues to kill daily and infect more. While some countries are doing a better job of containing the epidemic ,others are paying the price for not taking ample measures to fight it or are overwhelmed by…
The young generation is adapting to new technologies faster than the older people who did not have such technologies in their younger days so are at a loss to know how to adapt. This is where the clash of generations comes because people value different things and grow up differently aided by technology now.…
The conundrum of the diaspora all over the world is well known. They can not forget their mother country from where they immigrated to the new one and can not completely assimilate into their adopted country so they stick to their own culture, language, food and mannerism no matter where they live making them…