Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Jesus condemned the rabbinical religionists of his day for adding to the Word of God, for heaping rules and regulations upon the people that the rabbis and priests could not keep:

And He said,Woe to you also, lawyers!For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers (Luke 11:46 NKJV).

Most Christians are familiar with the Jewish religion of the Old Testament. In fact, Christians believe that the Old Testament teaches the same truths of the New Testament. There is continuity and discontinuity, as Jesus came to fulfill the Law, but the Old Testament is not a different religion from the New Testament. However, oral traditions, commentaries, and sayings were added to the Word of God so that by the time of Jesus, one could hardly keep up with the extraordinary rabbinical additions to the Scriptures.

Few of us are acquainted with the Rabbinic Judaism that began about the time of Jesus. And yet, it is Rabbinic Judaism that is most often practiced today. In this sense, Christianity is older than Rabbinic Judaism if one considers that modern Judaism is built upon commentaries, oral tradition, and directions for living, as much as the Old Testament. Following the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the resulting diaspora of the Hebrew people, the rabbinical leadership sought to provide a sort of compendium of the Jewish faith.

The purpose of this extrabiblical literature was to carry on the traditions and to provide commentary on the Tanakh (an acronym using the first letters of the three main divisions of the Masoretic text of the Old Testament: the Torah,the five Books of Moses; the Nevim,the Prophets; and the Ketuvim,the Writings) based upon the parts of the Scripture: the law, the prophets, and the writings. The oral traditions, called the Mishna,were assembled and recorded around AD 200.

The written form became the Talmud. More properly, this first recording of oral tradition was known as the Jerusalem Talmud. As the Jewish people began to live in diaspora, some rabbis wanted to return to the old land. Those who gathered in Roman Palestine and the Middle East further recorded oral tradition commentary on the Old Testament, on how to live the Jewish life (Mishna) in diaspora. This is the second part of the Talmud: the Gemara. So, the Talmud, a document of 2,711 pages in its original form, is comprised of Mishna (oral tradition written down), and Gemara (commentary on the Mishna). A second significant event happened that further shaped the Talmud that we have today.

The Jerusalem Talmud first appeared after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. However, around AD 200, persecution led to a second major diaspora, this time to Babylon. While there, the Talmud assumed its most important and final edit. Rabbis Abaye and Rav, and Ravs 10 sons, used dialectical thought (a method of finding truth through affirmation and denial, yes and no, and arguments intended to lead to truth) to establish the final commentaries on the Mishna. Thus, the Babylonian Talmud was established by the fifth century and granted halachic Jewish canon law, or legal status by the people. The Babylonian Talmud remains the authoritative expression of Rabbinic Judaism today.

The Talmud and Christianity

The question, then, is can the Talmud be used to bring others to Christ? Is it an ally in the desire to see unbelievers from Jewish backgrounds come to Jesus as Lord and Savior? The answer may be in Acts 18, the Apostle Paul goes before the philosophers at the Areopagus:

Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, What does this babbler wish to say? Others said, He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: To the unknown god. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for In him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your own poets have said, For we are indeed his offspring (Acts 17:18-28 ESV).

The lessons from Paul, a rabbi of great training in debate, are many. Consider these:

The Talmud is the collection of oral traditions (Mishna) with commentary (Gamera). The Babylonian Talmud is the authoritative version that continues to guide and inform Jewish religious life today. While Christians do not recognize the Talmud as part of Gods inerrant and infallible Word, we should recognize that the Talmud is important to the Jewish people and religion. Thus, as we are called to testify the Lord Jesus Christ to all human beings, and in doing so, follow the Apostle Paul, who sought to both understand and respect the literature and religious inquiry of others. So, we respect the place of the Talmud in Jewish life. While we reject the characterization of our Lord as a sorcerer, we are thankful that we have His name in Jewish primary religious documents. We pray that as the Lord gives us opportunity, we, too, might present the Person of our Lord and Savior Jesus to everyone. For so we recall the passionate prayer of Paul:

Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved (Romans 10:1 NKJV).

Sources

Gustaf Dalman,Jesus Christ in the Talmud, Midrash, Zohar, and the Liturgy of the Synagogue( , 1973).

Jacob Neusner, The Idea of History in Rabbinic Judaism, vol. 12(Brill, 2004).

Jacob Weingreen, From Bible to Mishna: The Continuity of Tradition (Manchester University Press, 1976).

Jeffrey L. Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud (JHU Press, 2005).

Robert Travers Herford, Christianity in Talmud and Midrash(KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 2006).

iStock/Getty Images Plus/marekuliasz

MICHAEL A. MILTON(Ph.D., University of Wales; MPA, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; MDIV, Knox Theological Seminary; Cert. in Higher Education Teaching, Harvard University) serves as the Provost and James Ragsdale Chair of Missions and Evangelism at Erskine College and Seminary. A Presbyterian minister (PCA, ARP), Milton has penned more than thirty books, hundreds of articles in journals, magazines, opinion columns, and newspapers. As president of the D. James Kennedy Institute and Faith for Living, Milton has served as a public theologian. His work has been cited on numerous national media outlets as he provides historic Christian insights into faith and life in a changing world. Dr. Milton's record of ministry includes seminary chancellor, president of three seminaries, senior minister of one of America's historic churches, founder of three congregations, and a Christian academy. A composer and artist, Mike and Mae Milton reside in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Learn more at michaelmilton.org/about. [from a press release by McCain& Associates.]

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

The Jewish Neturei Karta raises the Palestinian flag in front of the Israeli flags

The anti-Zionist Neturei Karta group organized a stand with the Palestinian flag, in the face of the Israeli flags march, which started today in Jerusalem, and was described by Palestinian factions and international parties as provocative.

One of the photos was recorded by the Neturei Karta group, standing inside a checkpoint guarded by the Israeli police, while one of its members raises the Palestinian flag in front of the Zionist flags march in the Al-Masara area in Old Jerusalem.

The Neturei Karta group is a Haredi Jewish movement that rejects Zionism in all its forms and opposes the existence of the State of Israel. It has a population of approximately 5,000 and is present in Jerusalem, London and New York, and the literal meaning of their name is the city guards.

It is a Jewish religious group that was established in 1935. It opposes Zionism and calls for the dissolution or peaceful end of the Israeli entity, and the return of the land to the Palestinians.

Followers of this doctrine focus on rabbinic literature, which states that because of the sins of the Jews, they were expelled from the land of Israel, and they consider, based on the Babylonian Talmud, that any attempt to recover the land of Israel by force is a violation of the divine will, and Rabbi Moshe Hersh acknowledged that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat He is the legitimate and legal leader of the State of Palestine, which includes what is known as the State of Israel.

Most of the followers of this sect are of Hungarian descent who settled in the Old City of Jerusalem at the beginning of the nineteenth century, as well as from Lithuanian Jews who were students there.

This sect was contrary to the new policies emanating from Zionism, which aimed to achieve the sovereignty of the Jews over the land that was under Ottoman rule.

Among their arguments for opposing this idea were Talmudic discussions of passages in the Torah that relate to an agreement between their God, the Jewish people, and the nations of the world, which occurred when the Jews were exiled, and this agreement states that the Jews should not revolt against the non-Jewish peoples that gave them refuge and shelter. As in the case of the Ottoman Empire allowing them delegations, they should not make mass migrations to Palestine.

Their opposition to the state of Israel and Zionism continued under the leadership of their rabbi Amram Blue, and the matter came to this sect that they do not accept to touch any banknotes or cash bearing images and slogans of Zionism. Two members of this sect jointly prayed for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in France, and Rabbi Moshe Hirsch also participated in his funeral.

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Supports Young Learners in the Greek Diaspora With StaEllinikas New Mythology Course

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Americawill offer new Greek mythology courses to students in the United States thanks to Staellinika, an initiative of the General Secretariate for Public Diplomacy and Greeks Abroad (GSPDGA) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre For Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University (SFU) . The project was developed with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation(SNF).

The new Greek mythology courses are available in both Greek and Englishand are an addition to a suite of story-driven and game-based language courses designed to engage preschoolers, elementary students, and young adults in the Greek diaspora.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will continue to work alongside the GSPDGA and the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies in the coming months. The planned release of new content and modules will further enrich the courses with mythology, culture and additional language content as schools across North America diligently prepare for a new school year starting this fall.

Deputy Foreign Minister Konstantinos Vlasis stated that "The continuous enrichment and constant updates of the Staellinika platform contributes significantly to the success of our initiative by constantly attracting new users. We are particularly pleased that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and personally the Most Reverend Archbishop Mr. Elpidoforos have embraced our initiative and supported it in practice from the first moment. With its help, the important role it plays in the preservation and promotion of our cultural heritage is proven once again ".

Mr. Ioannis Chrysoulakis, Secretary General for Public Diplomacy and Greeks Abroad stated that Staellinika offers a bridge for young Greeks in the diaspora to reach the roots of their heritage. GSGAPD is proud to support this initiative and to work with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who will be instrumental in disseminating this cultural product to the diaspora.

Dr. Anastasios Koularmanis, Director of the Education Department of the Archdiocese of America, noted the role Greek mythology can play in helping children develop critical thinking skills and creativity. The stories we learn as children shape our minds by instilling values and morals, as well as helping us learn how to communicate with one another. Staellinikas mythology courses combine playfulness with an exceptional learning experience, appealing to both children and adults alike.

Director of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies, Dr. Dimitris Krallis, noted: Staellinika offers a fun and informative learning experience during a time of great anxiety, as our societies take steps into an emerging post-pandemic world. The next generation of the Greek diaspora will be provided with the necessary tools needed to keep Greek language, culture and its history, alive and thriving well into the future, as a result of the collaboration with our long-time partners at the Greek Government and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and with the support of the SNF.

StaEllinika has now reached over 30,000 learners across multiple platforms after being adopted last year as the official tool of the Hellenic Republic for teaching and learning the Greek language, mythology and elements of Greek culture in the Greek Diaspora.

Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06myIRR7AzE

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Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Supports Young Learners in the Greek Diaspora With StaEllinika's New Mythology Course - From the Archdiocese -...

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Indian diaspora in US divided over discrimination

Survey finds varied experiences of Indian-American community

The Gurdwara Sahib in San Jose is the biggest gurdwara in North America (Photo: Sarbjit Bahga)

One in two Indian-Americans reported being discriminated against in the United States this past year, especially on the basis of skin colour, says a survey, Social Realities of Indian Americans: Results from the 2020 Indian American Attitudes Survey Indian American Attitudes Survey (IAAS). The report was based on the answers of 1,200 Indian Americans (including citizens, Green card holders and NRIs) and gathered responses over 12 months, roughly around the last year of Donald Trumps presidency, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mehak Kaur, a 27-year-old PhD student from California, says that although she has not personally faced any serious instances of racism, her father and grandfather, who practice Sikh customs, have experienced racial prejudice in the past. Kaur puts this down to a stark change in attitudes over the last couple of decades.

Both my dad and grandpa were not chosen for certain jobs because of their turban. There were times when the interviewers said that they would give them the job as long they didnt wear the turban, Kaur tells Media India Group, adding, it was more serious for my grandpa because he moved here a just after (the terror attacks of) 9/11, so he had to face more difficulties as compared to anyone else in the family.

An interesting analysis in the report commented on the apparent discrepancies between Indians who migrated from India and those who were born in the US. Somewhat surprisingly, Indian-Americans born in the United States are much more likely to report being victims of discrimination than their foreign-born counterparts, says the report.

This disparity, however, does not seem that strange to some foreign-born Indians, for example those who have moved to the US for higher education.

I feel that Indians like me who come here for college or jobs already have an idea in their head that they are coming into a different culture or a different country and people might not understand our accent or way of doing things at first. But if you have grown up here, you obviously expect to be treated as an American because thats what you are, regardless of how you look, says Tanya Jain, who completed her undergraduate degree from New York, and now works as a data scientist.

This perception may also be why, as mentioned in the study, Only four in 10 respondents believe that Indian-American is the term that best captures their background. Aishwarya Sridhar, a second-generation Indian-American, is like the 6 pc represented in the survey who did not like the hyphenated Indian part of the term and would prefer to simply be called American.

I understand that my parents are Indian, and I obviously look Indian, but most of my Indian friends like me have only been there once or twice our whole lives. We consider America our home, so it seems unfair that we need to identified as Indian-American just because of our skin colour whereas if someone was Caucasian, they would never be questioned beyond just saying that they are American, says Sridhar.

Kaur thinks the term represents her background quite accurately, but like many Indian-Americans, she faces an identity crisis when confronted with the gap between the two cultures. Although she has lived most of her life in America, she has kept in touch with Indian culture because of her immigrant parents and through regular visits back home.

I think when you move to a different country, you have a hard time figuring out what your identity is. But even I personally have been struggling to define who I am. I feel like for Americans, I will never be American enough even though I am a citizen and for Indians, I will never be the same Indian anymore. So, its always nice to find people who are in the same boat and experience an identity crises just like I am, explains Kaur.

A Little India in the heart of New Jersey (Photo: Jim Henderson)

This is also a big reason why she believes many Indian-Americans look for tight-knit communities wherever they live. According to the study, Indian-Americans tend to socialise mainly with each other, and religion plays a bigger part in this than either region or caste. About 27 pc of the respondent said they attended religious services at least once a week, and three quarters said that religion played an essential role in their lives. Moreover, it also said that Indian-Americans exhibited high rates of marriage within their community, which could be an attempt to hold on to and pass on Indian culture and customs to future generations.

Los Angeles has a big Sikh community. There are about 3-4 gurdwaras where my grandparents like to go. I believe its really important to have a sense of community and belonging especially when you are away from your country of origin and culture. The community plays a huge role in my grandparents life because they are both very religious and they both do not speak fluent English. So having people that understand you makes a huge difference to them, says Kaur.

Along with the harmony and sense of belonging that comes with being a part of the Indian-American community, another important point that the report made was about the polarisation of political beliefs, saying to some extent, divisions in India are being reproduced within the Indian-American community. The report compares the division in American society between Democrats and Republicans to Congress versus BJP supporters in India, and concludes that the currents coursing their way through the Indian diaspora are perhaps reflective not only of broader developments in American society but alsoand perhaps even to a greater extentthe turbulence afflicting India.

Langar services inside a gurdwara in San Jose (Photo: FoodyVishal)

Although the two main Indian political parties are not as strongly juxtaposed as American political parties, Kaur believes that with Trumps presidential run, these issues have gained greater traction among the Indian American community. Although she disagrees that differences in religious or political beliefs cause serious conflicts within the community, she explains that citizens are definitely concerned about issues back home, especially if they are able to relate to them.

The general consensus in my immediate and extended relatives here is that we do not agree with Modis policies and we all believe that India has been consistently doing poorly ever since he came into power. The religious polarisation and oppression of the minorities has been one of the most concerning issues for all of us here. Sikhs are a minority in India so it hits home for us. We are concerned that India is moving backwards and we are losing our great democracy because of certain government policies, says Kaur.

This polarisation may have become more pronounced during the 2020 elections, as Trump became the first American president in almost three decades to lose re-election after serving only one term. The report added, While religious polarisation is less pronounced at an individual level, partisan polarisation linked to political preferences both in India and the United States is rife.

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Jamaicans at home and abroad are being encouraged to attend the upcoming virtual Jamaica Diaspora Sustainability Symposium.

The two-day symposium, which will take place on June 16 and 17, is being held under the theme, Jamaica and the Diaspora Stronger Together for a Sustainable Future. Key features of the symposium include health and wellness and education discussions, youth forum, Governor Generals Awards and Prime Ministerial town hall.

Participants can register free of cost at https://mfaft.iteneri.com.

This was announced by the State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Leslie Campbell, while speaking at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank held today (June 11) at the JIS Head Office, 58A Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston.

Senator Campbell encouraged all members of the diaspora to participate in the symposium.

Its for us. It is our way of trying to engage you and to make sure that Jamaica is successful in its attempt to broaden the engagement and to provide the basis upon which we can rebuild, he said.

He said that the Government is keen on engaging members of the diaspora with significant knowledge of what inputs can be made to assist in the education system

As much as we want to communicate with members of the diaspora, we want to pour back into them. Let them know what there is, in terms of investments, the climate is right, he said.

The Senator said there are also diaspora members with skills in agriculture, noting that there are opportunities in that area.

We are focusing very heavily on agriculture, and we certainly want to hear from members of the diaspora who have the kind of expertise that we would need to change the climate all together, he added.

Additionally, he mentioned urban planning and climate control as possible areas in which the diaspora can assist.

Where we have the deficit at home we would certainly want to draw on all of that, and so we want them to participate to tell us exactly where they see us as falling short and how they can give back to us, he said, adding that the diaspora has always been willing to give us of their knowledge.

The Symposium is being organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade with support from its Legacy partners.

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Jamaicans At Home And Abroad Encouraged To Attend The Diaspora Symposium On June 16 & 17 Jamaica Information Service - Government of Jamaica,...

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Atlanta, USA and Cape Town, South Africa Black Women Disrupt the Web (BWDW) and kweliTV, the on-demand and live video streaming network, have partnered for the July showcase of the BWDW web series competition. kweliTV is a network that offers high quality Black content, and this partnership will provide original content to its subscribers in multiple languages, representing the diversity of the African diaspora. Black Women Disrupt the Web and kweliTV are committed to sharing the stories of talented Black women writer-directors across the African diaspora.

Collaborating with Black Women Disrupt the Web further deepens our commitment to amplify talented, up and coming Black creatives globally. Im elated to be working alongside this amazing organization, said DeShuna Spencer, Founder & CEO of kweliTV.

This partnership is setting the example of how to unite and create synergies within our community to build networks of support across the diaspora. Black Women Disrupt the Webs theme Imagining Black Futures supports the mission of kweliTV to fill the void for Black audiences by showcasing Black content thats positive, educational and speaks to the culture and heritage. Through an accessible online showcase in several languages, kweliTV and Black Women Disrupt the Web will connect communities using their platforms to share stories, engage in dialogue and explore economic empowerment for Black women creatives.

Partnering with kweliTV is in direct alignment with the goals of Black Women Disrupt to Inspire one another, challenge what exists, co-create with sister disruptors innovators and entrepreneurs across borders and transform the societies in which we live. DeShuna and kweliTV are a disruptive force. We couldnt have asked for a better partner in this effort to shine a light on Black women writer-directors making web series in the African diaspora, said Zakiya Carr Johnson of BWDW.

The partnership provides the perfect platform for the world premiere of the 45-minute showcase of the five original BWDW web series by the semifinalists. Launched in 2017, kweliTV has over 43,000 registered users and offers over 500 films and shorts from independent Black creators, including dramas and documentaries. Viewing will be available for free, over three days, from Friday, July 9 to Sunday, July 11, from anywhere in the world.

KweliTV will also broadcast the announcement and a special presentation of the winner of the competition during a 90-minute live event on Saturday, July 10. All partners, sponsors, mentors, judges, special guests and select press will be invited to participate along with the BWDW team. Details on how to sign up for the 72-hour access to the showcase will be forthcoming.

We are proud to partner with kweliTV for the inaugural showcase of Black Women Disrupt the Web. Together, we are providing a multiplicity of Black and African narratives in the streaming platform sector, taking up digital space in an important move for Black women content creators. said Antoinette Engel of BWDW.

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Black Women Disrupt the Web partners with kweliTV on new web series - The Black Wall Street Times

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Last year, Madisons Mustapha Drammeh and friends set out on a campaign to feed over 300 families in three regions in The Gambia in just under just 90 days during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, they have started a campaign and a GoFundMe to revitalize the urban infrastructure and to transform Brikama Nema into a model city for development in the West Coast region of the Gambia by 2025.

Brikama Nema Diaspora (BRIND) is a group of residents from Brikama Nema living in the Diaspora who have the community at heart. Drammeh is a part of a hard-working team who is now working on their Road and Streetlight Campaign for Brikama Nema in The Gambia.

Brikama Nema Diaspora Group, we are a small group of residents from Bekama, which is located in the west coast region of The Gambia, said Drammeh. And our vision is to rebuild and revitalize the urban infrastructure in Bekama through the help of donors like ourselves, people in the diaspora, and the community as well. So we are like a grassroots movement, just trying to do something that has never been attempted before. We have been working on this for a few months and now we are at the stage where were trying to raise funds and awareness as well, in order to implement the program.

BRINDs vision is to transform and improve the quality of life in Nema in three to five years through partnerships with individuals, businesses, agencies, and international organizations across the world. Drammeh emphasized the fact that their work is a team effort and acknowledged the support on his team from members in The Gambia, the United Kingdom and throughout the United States.

The pandemic, as you know, has a global effect everywhere, said Drammeh. Not just The Gambia, but around the world. But prior to the pandemic, we had our own pandemic which is the massive exodus of youths from our community. So, we are trying to change that dynamic by providing them with resources that can help them develop new skills and give back to the community, therefore generate income for the younger generations to come. So, with the pandemic in place, we still feel like theres an opportunity for us to mobilize resources among ourselves and develop an agenda we all aspire to do for our homeland.

BRINDs current goal is to transform Brikama Nema into a model city for development in the West Coast region of the Gambia by 2025 while safeguarding the religious and cultural aesthetics of the community and natural habitat. The team is working on projects right now to help improve the livelihood of community members throughout The Gambia, specifically in Brikama Nema.

Right now, we have two projects, we have a short-term project and a long-term project, said Drammeh. In the short term, we are working on implementing 200 solar street lights within the community to benefit the beneficiaries, which will be about 14,000 residents or more within that area.

In addition to that, we are doing some road rehabilitation projects at a very small scale, he continues. What I mean by that is were just patching holes wherever we can ahead of the rainy season. Because once the rain hits, it adds up to some of the environmental concerns that we have and were trying to mitigate that ahead of the rainy season. So, whatever funds we get from the GoFundMe would be allocated towards streetlights and the cost of transportation to collect gravel from the Beachside into the community.

BRIND has created a GoFundMe for their project for donations from Madisonians and community members. The team is focused on community efforts to raise awareness about the poor infrastructure and roads in Brikama Nema.

So as far as raising awareness, we want to put the word out there, reaching out to the community around Madison and outside of Madison and philanthropists who are interested in advocating and helping people in The Gambia in particular, said Drammeh. Brikama is the administrative district of the west coast region and the west coast region is one of the largest regions throughout The Gambia and with the least access to good roads and infrastructure. Our infrastructure is in very poor shape. And we want to use this opportunity to inspire other communities around us to do more to help develop our own community.

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Group works to rebuild and revitalize urban infrastructure in Brikama Nema in The Gambia - madison365.com

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

Overton artist Nick Yamashita (right) and Las Vegas artist Gig Depio pose for a photo next to Soaring a mixed media work by Yamashita which is currently on exhibit at the Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery until July 15.

The work of a local artist is front-and-center in a special art exhibit in the Chamber Gallery at Las Vegas City Hall. A vibrantly-colored piece entitled Soaring was created by Overton resident Nicholas Yamashita. The work is a central part of a themed exhibit entitled Diaspora curated by Las Vegas artist Gig Depio.

Soaring is a mixed-media work. It began as a vibrant photograph of a Native American ceremonial dancer taken by Yamashita himself. Yamashita then added brilliant color to it using acrylic paint. The result is a stunning work brimming with vibrant movement and life.

How it was selected to appear in this months exhibit is an interesting story, Yamashita said. The work was previously shown at a small exhibit at the Lost City Museum. Also showing artwork at that exhibit was Depio.

Depio has another Moapa Valley connection. He is the creator of the local-heritage mural which is located on a large wall inside the meeting hall of the Overton Community Center.

Gig saw (Soaring) at that exhibit and he really liked it, Yamashita said. So when he was putting this show together at Las Vegas City Hall, he asked if it could be part of that show.

Diaspora brings together the work of nine different artists, each of Asian American/Pacific Island heritage. The common thread bringing all these widely varying cultures together is the American experience.

That is what puts Yamashitas work in a prominent central spot at the exhibit. Yamashita is the fourth generation since his Japanese ancestry immigrated to the U.S. In addition, Yamashita has a daughter who is a Navajo tribal member.

I think that Gig kind of saw this work as the American link bringing all of the various Asian/Pacific Island cultures together, Yamashita said.

Yamashita said that it was an honor to be a part of such an important show. On Thursday, June 3, a special reception was held where all nine participating artists could mingle with the public and answer questions. Yamashita said this was a novel experience for him.

Ive done exhibits before but nothing on this level with such high-caliber artworks and artists around me, he said. There were all these well-known artists dropping in, and college students and professors. It was a whole new experience and I got really good feedback from it.

Yamashita said that the experience may bring additional opportunities to show his artwork. I had some gallery owners and curators ask me for proposals to do other shows, Yamashita said. So who knows what may come of that?

Diaspora is on display now until July 15. The Las Vegas City Hall gallery is located at 495 S. Main St. in downtown Las Vegas.The gallery is open Monday thru Thursday 7 am to 5:30 pm. It is closed Friday Sunday. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

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Local Artist's Work Featured In LV City Hall Exhibit - mvprogress

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

In my age group people went abroad or to Dublin to come out. Most people went to London. Rakes of Irish lesbian and gay people, whod go back into the closet when they were going home for Christmas. Theyd settle over there then, and never come home, really.

But Collette ORegans story was different she went abroad for development work. And no way I was going to Nigeria in the 1990s to come out. I felt I just swapped the closet.

ORegans life, evocative of one gay emigrant experience, is one of many in a new exhibition looking at the Irish diaspora experience through the LGBTQ+ lens. What was hidden and painful in the past is now more out, and well worth examination. Emigration is part of the Irish story, and Out in the World: Irelands LGBTQ+ Diaspora aims to tell a more complete and inclusive story about emigration by documenting the extraordinary lengths people went to seeking love, recognition and security.

A collaboration between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Epic, The Irish Emigration Museum, its curated by Dr Maurice Casey, currently the DFAs historian-in-residence at Epic.

He set out to recognise and celebrate an LGBTQ+ history of the Irish emigration story, taking a thematic rather than a chronological approach, around six themes: exclusion, community, love, defiance, solidarity and return, to represent significant aspects of this diaspora experience.

I wanted to complicate an idea of historical linear progress, he says, pointing out that of course, there is still more work to be done in making Ireland a truly equal nation.

Those six themes are explored via personal stories, resulting in a hugely varied breadth of histories. Collette O Regans is one them. Hers is a global justice passion (I am more than my sexuality) and she has worked in development for years in Nigeria and Cambodia. As a teenager in Cork in the 1980s, she censored her life massively, she says. Unlike gay men, lesbians were not criminalised, but they might as well have been. The law had the same chilling effect.

With Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) its diverse recruitment contrasted with the Irish Agency for Personal Service Overseas then, she says she worked in development in Nigeria. While she shared her truth with VSO friends, who were supportive, it was later, back in Ireland, that she finally came out, first with Dundalk Outcomers LGBTQ+ group, and later to her family in Cork. That was her 30th birthday present to herself, to be the problem, to disappoint them, to be awkward.

Since Irelands marriage equality referendum, things have been so much better for her generation and their families, she says. It lifted the stigma and shame for our family members. It made it okay. Ireland is not judging any more.

Waiting on the referendum results, she was in a bar in Phnom Penh with friends from Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK), which she helped set up, was the first Cambodian LGBTQ+ organisation with official state recognition.

My Cambodian friends were amazed at the concept of referendum, that you could change the constitution of a country. And that people were doing it for LGBTQ rights was very inspiring. It gave hope across the world for us, for those who felt change will never happen here. It gave hope that religion and the state can separate.

While Buddhism has no doctrine on homosexuality, and theres no Cambodian law against it, cultural norms and taboos and religion overlap. Now working with LGBT Ireland, ORegan says that, for gay asylum seekers particularly, shes aware of where they coming from and is proud they feel freedom in Ireland.

Others profiled in Out in the World and emblematic of different threads of experience include the Brixton Faeries, a gay theatre troupe in the 1970s; American civil war soldier Peter Doyle, from Limerick, who became close to the poet Walt Whitman; and trans healthcare pioneer and Buddhist monk Michael Dillon, born in 1915 and the first known transmasculine person to have genital reconstruction surgery.

Poet, labour activist and suffragist Eve Gore-Booth (Constance Markieviczs sister) and her partner Esther Roper were ahead of their time on gender identity. Gavin Arthur, grandson of a US president, travelled to Civil War Ireland, living here for years. Theres Stonewall rebellion participant John OBrien (The Irish rebel spirit was in me); Bridget Coll, who left Ireland to become a nun and became a pioneer of Canadian immigration reform; and US Aids activist Robert Rygor, who visited Ireland but was disappointed to face the same stigma in his ancestral home.

The Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization in the US, which led campaigns challenging the exclusion of Irish LGBTQ+ people in the official New York St Patricks Day parades, also figures. Casey says: Emigration was hugely important for people to live openly abroad, and thats reflected in a lot of the stories, particularly those cities prominent in the exhibition. London, New York, Sydney were particularly important spaces for LGBT people to live openly.

Within this show there are so many incredible individuals whose acts of defiance have quite literally built this world that we now get to exist in, says Irish designer and multi-disciplinary artist Richard Malone, whose series of self-portraits for the exhibition assert my own understanding and identity as a queer Irish emigrant.

He says: It seems simple but it certainly isnt, and having the historical element of the show really places queerness at the centre of Irish culture and within all of the radical changes that are happening in modern Ireland.

Malone was interested in ideas or stereotypes attached to gender and queerness, which I sometimes find really abhorrent and archaic. But they also exist and are real in some peoples minds.

The stereotypes are often internalised in the contemporary queer community, with a hierarchy of values placed on traditional male archetypes it often feels deeply unradical and unprogressive. His portraits involve a certain amount of fabrication and theatre, from tights and frilled jerseys to silk organza, or abstract padded shapes.

The queer part of my identity, which is extremely important to me is often edited out or completely overlooked, Malone observes. Press are much more interested in fetishising working-class or rural Irish, like every artist or designer has a box that they mustnt stray out of. Its really important for us to prove that queer people get to be individuals and exceptional, and consistently so. Our understanding and existence in the world is nuanced and radical and brilliant, and can actually be full of love and support and emotional intelligence.

Caseys expertise is the history of Irish contributions to radical and progress movements abroad in the 20th century, and at Epic hes focusing on giving rightful prominence to historically marginalised communities in the story of the Irish diaspora. (His work also highlights Irish Travellers abroad, the African-American Irish community and Irish Jewish histories.)

He says Out in the World aims to start a conversation. It sits within the States Global Ireland strategy to celebrate diversity in the diaspora.

Emigrants inspired those at home by fighting for change abroad. Many returned home with models of community and activism that transformed the nation.

For Malone, it feels really vital to me to humanise the people who have tirelessly fought and worked for our rights to love and to exist, and to acknowledge and celebrate the place that Ireland is becoming.

Out in the World: Irelands LGBTQ+ Diaspora is at Epic, The Irish Emigration Museum, Custom House Quay, Dublin 1, June 8-Dec 1, Free admission this month, celebrating Pride; thereafter included in Epic ticket. The exhibition is also on display at Irish consulates and embassies worldwide.

outintheworld.ie; epicchq.com

The exhibition coincides with the National Library of Irelands year-long Living with Pride, exploring Irish LGBTI+ identity and experience, at the National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

nli.ie

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

AFRICA

This article briefly notes some of the challenges and opportunities wrought by this pandemic on higher education in Africa. The pandemic has spared virtually no institution in the world. However, the impact on low-income countries as in most countries in Africa, where precarious institutions are prevalent has been rather severe.

Economies have been massively battered and the revenue bases of governments have sharply shrunk, forcing the redistribution of meagre resources to more urgent needs and sectors, such as agriculture, food security and COVID-19-related healthcare and, in the process, postponing or even cancelling commitments, for instance, to capital development, research and innovation and hiring staff, among others.

Universities across the continent have set up institution-wide task forces to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

Some have participated in high-end research towards finding a cure for the virus. Many have attempted to shift to online teaching and learning through institutional, national, continental and international initiatives.

Access

African higher education has recorded a massive growth in the past decade though the enrolment rate still remains among the lowest in the world under 10% on average, but 5% for most.

Notwithstanding the high rate of graduate unemployment and under-employment and, despite the low enrolment and graduation rates, the pandemic seriously impacts the already meagre production of human resources which are the key to social and economic advancement.

African higher education is still largely the exclusive pasture of public providers. Despite the anticipated difficulties ahead, the public institutions will eventually survive even thrive.

And yet, private providers may probably not be that lucky at least not in a short period of time. These institutions have been particularly hard hit as their survival is contingent upon income generated from enrolments.

Currently, private institutions are estimated to enrol 15% to 20% of students in Africa and thus play a vital role in expanding access, catering to critical needs, and also producing skilled labour.

Thus, ensuring the survival of these institutions through favourable policies with active regulatory frameworks is imperative. This may be particularly relevant to some countries, such as Ethiopia, where further expansion on the public purse may be nearly impossible in such an economic climate, at least in the foreseeable future.

Research

Higher education in Africa has been known to be chronically dependent on foreign-generated resources, particularly in promoting research and doctoral studies.

A lot has been written on the impact of such massive dependency on external funders with all its manifestations. The immediate effect of this dependency may become more evident as resources may diminish from those benefactors, given their own economic woes.

This situation may help prompt African countries to raise research support to their institutions now that they have learned what it means to depend on external resources.

Many political and economic elites, who often relied on foreign medical services by way of medical tourism, have lived through a daunting sense of entrapment in the mediocre systems of their nations.

At the height of the pandemic, we witnessed a mob attack in Nigeria which dragged an official, in search of medical services overseas, out of an airport.

The pandemic, which triggered the closure of borders and restricted human travel to all, regardless of social, political or economic class, has brought about a new perspective in building robust institutions at home.

Thus, COVID-19, the great equaliser, may be a potent force to build stronger higher education institutions in Africa that will help confront current and future epidemics and pandemics. A bitter lesson has been learned as everyone stood for themselves in the face of the fatal assault of the pandemic.

Now, the critical role of such institutions in the life of a nation has been firmly established, beyond any doubt.

Mode of delivery

Numerous efforts have been under way in Africa to expand access to higher education through distance, online and virtual means, despite long-standing ambivalence attributed to quality, delivery and integrity.

On technical aspects, much of this effort has been hampered by poor telecommunications, unreliable power grids and high cost of equipment and data, among others.

We have, however, witnessed the scrambling of institutions to shift from contact to online learning following their closure due to the pandemic.

It should be noted that this transition has sparked controversy on the account of equity and exclusion where, in some countries such as South Africa, resistance against online education by students and staff has been recorded.

The growth of online delivery is such that it may become a more regular and more recognised practice in the post COVID-19 era. It may be that COVID-19 has contributed towards the normalisation of all non-physical, non face-to-face deliveries of higher education, to some extent.

Moreover, COVID-19 has triggered the need to build a robust communication and information infrastructure and promulgate policies both at institutional and country levels.

For instance, many African countries have successfully negotiated a zero-data scheme with phone and data service providers for educational institutions as they are now gearing up to a more robust electronic communication infrastructure.

Intellectual diaspora

The literature on academic mobility in the realm of brain drain has been exhaustive. Recently, however, the discourse in mobility is shifting from brain drain to brain circulation as advancements in information and communication technologies are making it significantly easier for migrants diasporas to engage more actively in matters in their home countries.

As distance and geographical spaces have become increasingly less relevant and institutions and countries are striving to primarily conduct academic affairs remotely, the intellectual diaspora are participating widely and proactively.

It is now commonplace to jointly organise conferences, seminars, workshops, publications, research, virtual viva voce and establish academic networks with intellectual diaspora on a wide range of academic, professional, and technical areas.

The role of the intellectual diaspora continues to grow precipitously as the conceptual architecture of the diaspora built on the concept of distance seems to be fizzling fast and their contributions are becoming increasingly prominent.

Public standing

Universities, especially those in Africa, have too often been maligned as ivory towers, indicating that they are aloof, unaccountable and disengaged from the interests of their communities.

African universities, especially, have been incessantly, unfairly and harshly attacked for not lifting the continent out of its cycle of poverty and economic deprivation as if they were the only players in the complex web of the development universe.

Following COVID-19, universities in many African countries have stepped up as frontline institutions in the fight against the pandemic in a more visible way.

They have been active in researching preventive and curative effort, advising the public and governments, producing consumables and preventive chemicals, designing and developing protective devices and kits, raising public awareness, serving as testing, quarantine and storage facilities, as well as organising philanthropic actions.

The surge in public relations capital, with robust implications for the perceptions of the general public and political leaders, is evident in the de-towerisation of African universities.

Damtew Teferra is a professor of higher education in the University of KwaZulu-Natals school of education, South Africa. He is the founding director of the International Network for Higher Education in Africa Durban and Boston, the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of African Higher Education, and a visiting fellow, Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, USA. He is also the general editor, CESA African Higher Education Series, and the co-coordinator of the CESA-Higher Education Cluster. CESA is the Continental Education Strategy for Africa.

This commentary was initially published in the International Association of Universities magazine IAU Horizons. It was part of the In Focus section of volume 25.2 in which higher education leaders from around the world were sharing their perspectives on the topic: Imagining higher education in a post-pandemic world.

The Association of African Universities will be hosting its 15th general conference themed The Future of African Education from 5-8 July. Higher education stakeholders can register for the Association of African Universities general conference until 15 June.

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