Capoeira: The silent language of gestures!

My son (16)  has been practising capoeira for almost one year and he loves it!

My son has a great capoeira's mestre called Fassasi. They have a roda every Sunday from 8:30 to 11:30.

The MESTRE or teacher called Fassasi opened a school of capoiera in Cotonou, Rep of Benin. 

Capoeira is an acrobatic, danced game done to distinctive vocal and instrumental music. Derive from African challenge dances and shaped by slavery in Brazil, Capoeira has become today a form of physical education and martial art around the world.

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance movements, acrobatics, fighting, music, history, and philosophy. After the abolition of slavery, Capoeira continues to develop as an instrument of resistance and freedom, serving as a political weapon against repression and a tool to retain African traditions and philosophies.

In a Capoeira JOGO, two players strive to outmaneuver, trip, or knock each other to the ground using a wide array of kicks, head butts, leg sweeps, and evasive maneuvers. 

My son has learned to balance aggression with a need to demonstrate dexterity, creativity, and artistic flair in response to changes in music provided by a small orchestra. 

My teenager has learned to play the berimbau. Since he knew how to play the guitar, it was not difficult for him to master the berimbau. The berimbau has an unusual timbre produced by striking a rod and a ring or coin on a metal string attached to a bow with a resonating dried gourd.

To learn capoeira, my son watched carefully experienced players, trying to copy techniques, rehearsing movements over and over again until he became very good at capoeira, and in turn, he is becoming a model for other novices. 

He tends to learn the art's movements and musical techniques by seeing and doing them rather than by talking about them. He learned through one-on-one instruction, observation, and self-guided practice with his Mestre Fassasi.

Imitative learning in capoeira is facilitated by what educational theorist Lev Vygotsky called "more capable peers." The more knowledgeable other serves as both model and instructor."

Through the art of capoeira, my son is able to see life's injustices and at the same time he can offer a strategy with which to confront them. 

Capoeira is a celebration of life in bodies that suffer from oppression, an expression of freedom which allows the poor to feel rich and the weak, strong! 

In Brazil, African slaves practiced the martial art in a clandestine fashion, as a form of cultural celebration and self-defense on plantations. 

Today, capoeira is open to people of all ages, genders, nationalities and ethnicities.

Democracy?

More democratic regimes would lead to less military aggression and international terrorism. But democracy requires a history of civic traditions that many authoritarians countries do not have! Some countries, after decades of oppressive autocratic rule, are not ready for democracy. 

Democracy is needed throughout the world. By helping to guarantee freedom and human rights, democracy can improve the lives of people regardless of their cultural background or religion.  

Democracy is universally applicable and must be actively promoted. People who have experienced authoritarian regimes are more receptive to a political process that protects their liberty.

"Chercher la Science, quand meme ce serait en Chine"

Phoenix, fabulous bird that periodically regenerated itself, used in literature as a symbol of death and resurrection.

According to the legend, the phoenix lived in Arabia; when it reached the end of its life (500 years), it burned itself on a pyre of flames, and from the ashes a new phoenix arose.

As a sacred symbol in Egyptian tradition, the phoenix represented the sun, which dies each night and rises again each morning. According to Herodotus, the bird was red and golden and resembled an eagle.

The phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. On some of the oldest and best pictures the bird resembles a heron. Ovid and Mela told that the phoenix bird built itself a nest of Incense and died in it.

According to Artemidor, the bird burned in its nest made by incense and myrrh, after which a new phoenix bird emerged from the ashes.

In 1850 Andersen published a short prose hymn called "The Phoenix Bird". 

In "The Phoenix Bird" the phoenix bird is connected with the garden of Paradise and with the fall of man:

"Beneath the tree of knowledge in the garden of paradise stood a rosebush. And here, in the first rose, a bird was born. His plumage was beautiful, his song glorious, and his flight was like the flashing of light. But when Eve plucked the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and she and Adam were driven from paradise, a spark fell from the flaming sword of the angel into the nest of the bird and set it afire. The bird perished in the flames, but from the red egg in the nest there flew a new bird, the only one of its kind, the one solitary phoenix bird. The legend tells us how he lives in Arabia and how every century he burns himself to death in his nest, but each time a new phoenix, the only one in the world, flies out from the red egg."

Petronella wrote, "Let the bird of loudest lay/ On the sole Arabian tree / Herald sad and trumpet be / To whose sound chaste wings obey."

Genetically Modified Food

Is it safe to interfere with the genes of plants? It could disturb the entire ecosystems and result in unintended environmental and health consequences.

Several studies indicate that when rats were fed a diet of genetically modified vegetables, they developed serious health problems! If we introduce genetically altered plant life into a stable ecosystem, it could alter the fragile biosphere in ways no one can accurately predict.

The first genetically altered plant was developed in 1983. Luis Herrera-Estrella, a Mexican scientist, used the Agrobacterium tumefaciens method to insert antibiotics into a tobacco plant's genetic structure.

Organic farmers who grow fruit and vegetables near fields of GM crops fear that their own crops could become "contaminated" by altered genes, effectively ruining their plants' organic status."

 Corn and wheat have been altered to enable them to resist the toxic effects of herbicides and to contain their own insecticide within their genetic structure. 

Do you think that food with genetically modified ingredients should be labeled?

Bob Marley "War"

BOB MARLEY - WAR

Bob Marley "The dream of lasting peace"

Until the philosophy which hold one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned -
Everywhere is war -
Me say war.

That until there no longer
 

First class and second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes -
Me say war.

That until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all,
Without regard to race -
Dis a war.

That until that day
The dream of lasting peace,
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,
But never attained -
Now everywhere is war - war.

And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
that hold our brothers in Angola,
In Mozambique,
South Africa
Sub-human bondage
Have been toppled,
Utterly destroyed -
Well, everywhere is war -
Me say war.

Good over evil -
War in the east,
War in the west,
War up north,
War down south -
War - war -
Rumours of war.
And until that day,
The African continent
Will not know peace,
We Africans will fight - we find it necessary -
And we know we shall win
As we are confident
In the victory

Martin Luther King, Jr.

                                  I Have a Dream Speech

 

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. 

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. 

We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."

We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. 

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, 

sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. 

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring! 

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

                Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

                Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
                Pennsylvania.

                Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

                Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

                But not only that:

                Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

                Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

                Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

The Quran does not encourage Terrorism!

I was sitting at recess time, drinking my cup of green tea, when a student approached me and said, " Mrs. Ferdjani, does the Qur'an encourages terrorism?" 

I wasn't surprised by this question at all! After the tragic 9/11 attack of al-Qaeda on America and the war in Afghanistan, many students associate Muslims with terrorists. 

I told my student and then later on, I repeated the same answer to the whole class: The Qur'an condemns terrorism! I told them that "Jihad" has several meanings: one of these, combative jihad, is justified only in self-defense and never as vengeance toward non-Muslims.

The Qur'an condemns religious extremism and calls on Muslims to be responsible citizens and co-exist peacefully with people of other faiths. 

Terrorists have never read the Qur'an themselves! They have only listened to an interpretation of the Qur'an!

I always tell my students that we live in an interdependent and interconnected world, where peaceful and interfaith and intra-faith dialogue, is imperative. 

Terrorism is a terrible injustice because it targets innocent people! Muslims are bound by the Qur'anic prohibitions of taking an innocent life (Qur'an: 5:32; 17:33), considered as one of the gravest sins in Islam. Furthermore, the Qur'an clearly demands that Muslims act justly and impartially, even when dealing with an enemy (4:135, 5:8). 

No verse in the Qur'an, when placed in its proper textual and historical context, permits fighting others on the basis of their faith, ethnicity, or nationality.

"Islam is not the problem," Reuven Firestone , a rabbi and scholar writes. "Terrorism is the problem, and terrorists have hijacked both Islam and God."

Benin Court Confirms President's Re-Election

After some chaotic polls, Yayi Boni, who came to office in 2006, has been confirmed by the Benin's constitutional court to be the Presient of Benin for five more years.The court has rejected the appeals of candidates Abdoulaye Bio Tchané and Adrien Houngbédji, who challenged the president's victory in the first round. They were persuaded that they were persistent cases of corruption during the organization of the elections.

Today (the 6th of April 2011), Yayi Boni's term will take effect at 12:00 am.

In 2006, Yayi Boni had pledged to crack down on corruptions but now he finds himself under fire over an alleged Ponzi scheme that left thousands of Beninese without their savings. Let us see what other surprises the people of Benin will discover during his second mandate!

The Court has also asked Boni to present a written declaration of all his assets to Benin's Court of Finances, both at the beginning and end of his presidential term.  

Yayi Boni will face a mulititude of challenges in his second term:  the Ponzi scheme which had exposed last year 2.5 million Beninese who lost their savings; floods which destroyed 55, 000 homes, killed tens of thousands of livestock and affected some 680, 000 people...

Yayi Boni will have to regain credibility of the public. He will need to move forward with infrastructure and development projects to help rebuild our country Benin.

Bonne Chance Dr. Yayi Boni!

Unrest in Syria

Syrians want the security services to stop oppressing them. They want the emergency law lifted. They want their property rights respected. They want freedom of speech. They want..... 

Throughout the forty years since the Ba'th Party seized power in Syria in March 8, 1963, Hafez's rule has looked unshakable. Syrians have always seen him as a committed, albeit cautious, reformer. But how do they see him today?

Opposition parties are banned in Syria and scores of political prisoners languish behind bars! Even though a few thousand protesters in the towns of Daraa and Latakia are not a proxy for a country of millions, it is the beginning of a new hope. 

President Bashar Assad, during the early days of the Tunisia revolt, was quick to say that such people power would never occur in his country because "Syria is stable." 

He told The Wall Street Journal, "If you have stagnant water, you will have pollution and microbes." -- "You cannot reform your society or institution without opening your mind" 

 Assad says he will not reform as a result of what happened in Tunisia and Egypt because "it is going to be a reaction, not an action; and as long as what you are doing is a reaction you are going to fail." Translation: "If protests were to spread to Aleppo or Damascus, there will be blood."

Well, Assad, an ophthalmologist by training, is talking about microbes and pollution!!! as if Syria were somehow immune to infection!