UNESCO Courier articles from July 2000

UNESCO Courier archives from July 2000

THROUGH DOGON EYES.
July 1, 2000... Antonin Potovski [*] Long seen only through the lens of tourists, the Dogons have now started to photograph themselves. Seven young villagers record their own people's gentle daily lives In the Dogon villages at the foot of the...

DEMOCRACY IN THE LIGHT OF DICTATORSHIP.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Alain Touraine [*] I General Pinochet has frequently insisted that his actions can only be judged in Chile since they were carried out on a national scale. The existence of "Operation Condor," however, proves his claims are misguided. The...

THE WILDLIFE TRADE: POACHER OR GAMEKEEPER?
July 1, 2000... Rolf Hogan [*] The decision to strictly limit or outrightly ban trading in endangered species regularly puts governments and conservationists before a critical dilemma South Africa recently announced that it is ready to part with 1,500...

KENYA'S ELEPHANTS: NO HALF MEASURES.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Joan Simba [*] Even when strictly controlled, the ivory trade encourages elephant poaching and drives away tourists. Kenya's position on the trade prevailed at the most recent CITES meeting I Kenyan conservationists still shudder at...

CUBA DEFENDS THE TURTLESHELL TRADE.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Gerardo Tena [*] The protection of animal species is not necessarily incompatible with responsible commercial exploitation, says Cuba Every year, thousands of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricaza) are caught and killed despite the...

BRITAIN: SEX EDUCATION UNDER FIRE.
July 1, 2000... Jon Slater [*] The government's blueprint to improve knowledge of sexual and reproductive health matters and reduce teenage pregnancy has sparked a virulent debate With 65 conceptions per thousand women aged between 15 and 19 in 1998,...

THE DUTCH MODEL.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Guus Valk [*] With the highest use of contraception among young people worldwide, the Netherlands has attracted international attention How would you react if your boyfriend refused to use a condom? How do your friends feel about...

INVOLVE THE YOUNG!(International Planned Parenthood Federation)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... For Dr Pramilla Senanayake, assistant director-general of the International Planned Parenthood Federation [*], young people hold the keys to improving the record on reproductive health Pregnancy related problems are a leading cause of death...

Born in fire: a hip-hop odyssey.
July 1, 2000... Jeff Chang [*] From the Bronx to Los Angeles and beyond, a rough guide to the voice of a generation During the summer of 1975, the South Bronx was burning. New York City officials admitted that they couldn't battle all the fires, let...

Recording heavy weight.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Audio milestones 1865 English physicist James Maxwell (1831-1879) discovers the existence of electromagnetic waves. 1876 Scottish-born physicist Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) invents the microphone in the U.S. 1877 Thomas...

The body and soul of club culture.(music and dance clubs)
July 1, 2000... Hillegona C. Rietveld [*] Electronic dance music is constantly spawning new strands of music like tech no and acid house. Behind the thudding beats, communities of DJs and dancers try to stay one step ahead of entertainment...

Black is back.(hip-hop and rap music culture)
July 1, 2000... Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar [*] Vijay Prashad [*] Hip-hop's art of rebellion can trigger a battle against racism or raise the white flag to hyper-consumerism From Bogota to Beijing, hip-hop's apostles are spreading "the word", striking...

A Maori warrior claims new territory.(Dean Hapeta and New Zealand's hip-hop subculture)
July 1, 2000... Kerry Buchanan [*] Dean Hapeta launched New Zealand's political hip-hop scene by linking the force of Maori culture with the struggle of black nationalism to fuel consciousness and controversy "Nigger!" The biker's insult blindsided...

Algerian rappers sing the blues.
July 1, 2000... Bouziane Daoudi [*] Taking aim at the war, corruption and economic crisis, Algerian rappers have turned the kingdom of rai into the Arab world's most vibrant hip-hop scene "They're down there on Loubet / They've Hall got big houses /...

Mama Africa meets the kwaito generation.(interview with musicians Miriam Makeba and Thandiswa)
July 1, 2000... Maria McCloy [*] South Africa's legendary Miriam Makeba raps with a young upstart Miriam Makeba is a living legend, whose music inspired millions in the struggle against apartheid. Forced into exile for 30 years, Makeba performed for...

The rap cartel and other tales from Colombia.(subculture and hip-hop music)
July 1, 2000... Timothy Pratt [*] In Cali, hip-hop represents a search for identity among those who have no voice No sooner did I suggest a spot for taking photos of the 15 rappers and breakdancers we went to meet in Aguablanca (Colombia) than trouble...

Mapping the meanings of dance music.(youth subculture)
July 1, 2000... Caspar Melville [*] By adapting global music trends, are young people dancing on the graves of their cultures or building new hybrid identities? In the black townships around Johannesburg, South Africa, a new music culture is taking...

Growing pains in Byron Bay.(Australia's youth music culture)
July 1, 2000... Sebastian Chan [*] Environmental and techno groups unite in the Australian bush to mix alternative politics and artistic expression. Yet tourism may spoil the scene Two and a half hour's drive through Australia's dense bush north of...

Belgrade's free electrons.(youth subculture and music in Serbia)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Dragan Ambrozic [*] Young Serbs create a parallel universe with music, building on anarchist dreams of a free culture "Tune in and drop out!" The old slogan rings globally as teenagers, twenty-somethings and adolescent-thirties plug...

The club DJ: a brief history of a cultural icon.(starting in the discotheques of New York City)
July 1, 2000... Kai Fikentscher [*] The rise of the disc jockey from record-spinner to music producer begins in the historical world capital of disco, New York City Disc jockeys have been spinning records for decades. But when in the 30-year history...

Asian Overground.(Asian youth culture music)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... The contradictions of Europe's rage for ethnic exoticism take centre stage in an interview with Pandit G of Asian Dub Foundation, a UK band serving up a searing mix of jungle rhythms, rap and 'traditional' sounds steeped in social justice ...

Grannie doesn't skip a bhangra beat.(once the music of Punjabi peasants, bhangra has been transformed into popular music embraced by Indian youth)
July 1, 2000... Sudhanva Deshpande [*] A lighthearted look at how elite youth "dig" their roots through expatriate relations The hi-fl is playing Bruce Springsteen, who is belting out his "Born in the USA" number. Someone has turned the bass way up,...

Fear and loathing in Goa.(tourism and Goan society)
July 1, 2000... Arun Saldanha [*] 'Sex drugs and rock 'n' roll' is the traditional source of moral panic for parents and police. But in Goa, parents fear that their youth will be corrupted by cultural imperialism In a letter addressed to the then...

A convenient scapegoat.(hip hop music blamed for inciting violence)
July 1, 2000... Davey D [*] Who is to blame for the violence associated with hip-hop? Media sensationalism, money and stereotypical readings of this pop culture's complexity January 14, 2000, Oakland, California. It was with eager anticipation that...

Excess for all.(youth Internet culture - political and cultural activism springs from Internet use)
July 1, 2000... Micz Flor [*] Young rebels are not only attacking the music industry but also creating new circuits of solidarity via the Internet The Internet has provided a playground for young rebels to hit the music industry where it hurts:...

EMBARGO AGAINST IRAQ: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.(suffering of Iraqi citizens raise ethical questions about UN imposed embargo)
July 1, 2000... Sophie Boukhari [*] Concern is mounting about the suffering of the Iraqi people, and the ethics and legality of the international sanctions weighing on them are being hotly debated I Should the economic embargo imposed on Iraq a decade...

EMBARGO GENERATION.(children of Iraq suffer under embargo)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2000... Josette Tagher Roche [*] Children are the first victims of the international sanctions against Iraq. More and more of them are living on the street in a country that has reverted to under-development I Two small children are standing...

TOXINS AND THE TAJ.(pollution threatens the Taj Mahal)
July 1, 2000... T K Rajalakshmi [*] India's most celebrated monument continues to be threatened by pollution despite various court orders to close down harmful factories in Agra I "Pollution has managed to do what 350 years of wars, invasions and...

HISTORIC LIMA GETS A NEW HEART.(restoration and renewal of Lima, Peru)
July 1, 2000... Luis Jaime Cisneros [*] Although not a metropolis every urban planner would dream of, Lima no longer has the dubious title of one of Latin America's dirtiest and most polluted cities I Nobody who strolled through the centre of Lima in...

THE SOUTH GOES MOBILE.(mobile phone use in developing countries)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2000... Asbel Lopez [*] Throughout the developing world, mobile phones are dramatically extending access to communications, but if they are to benefit the poorest, bold government policies are still required I Groups of small farmers in remote...

"HELLO, I'M CALLING FROM PARULIA...".(Grameen Bank offers mobile phones to customers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Farid Ahmed [*] A micro-credit programme set up by Grameen Bank enables rural villagers to acquire cell phones. For many, it means a break with poverty and isolation Once, it was hard for Fatema Begum and her day-labourer husband to...

QUINO, ON THE FUNNY SIDE OF FREEDOM.(interview with Argentine cartoonist)(Brief Article)(Interview)
July 1, 2000... "I don't believe humour can alter anything, but sometimes it can be the little grain of sand that acts as a catalyst to change," says Argentine cartoonist Joaquin Salvador Lavado, better known as Quino, who has been hailed as "the greatest...

MAFALDA AND HER FRIENDS.(cartoon characters)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... In 1969, the Italian semiologist Umberto Eco presented Mafalda to Europe with these words: "Since our children are soon to become through our choice a multitude of Mafaldas, it would be rash not to treat Mafalda with the respect a real person...