Post Title: National Focal Point for GYCA
Post Reference: EECA - NFP - 2009-2010
Number of Post(s) 1 post for each Country – EECA Region
Duty Location(s): All Countries ( Duty Station for each NFP will be the country he/she represent)
Closing Date 25th February 2009

Background
GYCA is a youth-led, UNAIDS and UNFPA supported global network of more than 5,000 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 150 countries world-wide. It was proposed by youth attendees of the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok 2004 and XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona 2002. GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst their peers.

GYCA operates on two tiers. The first, through information communication technology (ICT) with free capacity-building e-courses, discussion fora, and online resources; and the second, through local trainings and events.

Organizational setting:
GYCA is coordinated by a North Secretariat in New York and a South Secretariat in Accra, Ghana. The Secretariats act as catalysts for a decentralized network, operating through a Task Force of youth and adult allies including people living with HIV/AIDS, 12 Regional Focal Points, a growing number of National (Country) Focal Points worldwide. GYCA members represent an array of organizations, programmes, and networks focusing on youth and HIV/AIDS.

BENEFITS OF BEING AN NFP
• Opportunities to represent GYCA at local, regional, and international events and conferences
• Ability to share information on and promote relevant local HIV/AIDS work
• Networking opportunities for advocacy and fundraising with high level decision-makers (UN, Government and NGO)
• Opportunities to create and influence international and national policy and programs
• Credibility of being associated with a major international non-profit initiative
• Training, skills-building and career growth opportunities
APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTION:

Applicants are kindly requested to send the attached GYCA Application form and their CV along with a cover letter to their RFP Yama Enayat, yama@youthadiscoalition.org NOT latter then CoB 15th February 2009.

The countries included under (Eastern Europe and Central Asia) EECA region are listed below.

Please indicate in the subject line of your e-mail, the post reference clearly, otherwise your application may not be considered.

Applicants will be selected on the basis of their qualifications, HIV and AIDS related work experience and their experience of working with youth.

Rapport du JEDCOM 1 (Jeunesse, Eco citoyenneté et Développement Communautaire) du 04 au 13 Août 2008 à San Pedro(Région du Bas Sassandra en Côte d’Ivoire)


J’ai l’honneur de vous faire part de la mission de l’ONG des Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement - Côte d’Ivoire concernant la première phase de son programme d’éducation à l’Environnement dénommé « Jeunesse, Eco citoyenneté et Développement Communautaire » ayant pour thème : « Notre Planète en Danger, Agissons maintenant » dans la Région du Bas Sassandra en Côte d’Ivoire précisément à San Pedro du 04 au 13 Août 2008.

Jours 1-2-3 :Arrivée des délégations d’environ 6000 jeunes leaders communautaires et scouts de Togo, Burkina Faso, France, Canada et Côte d’Ivoire sur le site du Lycée Municipal de San Pedro.

Jour 4: L’on a procédé au lancement officiel des activités avec la participation effective des autorités régionales de San Pedro.Les différentes délégations ont procédé au défilé suivi par des sketchs pour sensibiliser les participants à la cohabitation pacifique.

Jour 5 : Le lancement des activités du village communautaire où les Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement - Côte d’Ivoire (JVE -Côte d’Ivoire) ont animé un stand avec pour thème : « Notre Planète en Danger, Agissons maintenant ». Nous avons reçu pour cette journée les leaders communautaires et scouts de la branche des éclaireurs et routiers. A cet effet le Président de JVE Côte d’Ivoire Mr BAIMEY Ange David et le Secrétaire Général Mr DIOMANDE Moussa ont présenté JVE Côte d’Ivoire à tous les visiteurs et répondu à toutes les questions relatives à l’association et à l’Environnement. Après ceci Mr BRIDA Bawa Franck, chargé de projets de JVE Côte d’Ivoire a renforcé la capacité des participants en écologie et conscience pour la préservation de l’Environnement et la sauvegarde des ressources naturelles.

Jour 6: Dans la matinée, Mr DIOMANDE Moussa, Secrétaire Général des Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement et Mlle SAKA Mariam Merry de la commission chargée des projets ont reçu tous les leaders communautaires et scouts au stand JVE Côte d’Ivoire. Dans leur allocution, ils ont sensibilisé les participants à un changement de comportement pour la protection de l’Environnement et la préservation des ressources naturelles. Par la même occasion, ils ont entretenu l’auditoire sur les questions de changements climatiques et la gestion des déchets en proposant le compost comme solution sur le site qui a accueilli toutes les délégations. Mrs
TOGBA Arsène et SIE Dimitri de la commission chargée des projets ont pour leur part renforcé la capacité des participants à travers le Programme d’Ecologie et Conscience en vue d’un changement de comportement favorable à la protection de l’Environnement et à la préservation des ressources naturelles.
L’après midi a été marqué par le stage de formation de 21 leaders communautaires et scouts sur les questions des énergies renouvelables : solution aux changements climatiques.
Après l’allocution de Bienvenue de Mrs BAIMEY Aubin de la commission chargée des projets de JVE Côte d’Ivoire et le représentant de l’ONG Produire Nos Moyens , L’expert de JVE Côte d’Ivoire en l’occurrence Mr BRIDA Ange, doctorant en sciences de l’Environnement à l’Université d’Abobo Adjamé a renforcé la capacité des participants sur le thème suivant: « Les énergies renouvelables : solution aux changements climatiques ».Après avoir étanché la soif de connaissance des participants sur les questions de changements climatiques, l’éminent expert a proposé les énergies renouvelables comme solutions aux changements climatiques.
Dans la soirée, JVE Côte d’Ivoire a diffusé le film de l’un de ses partenaires en l’occurrence les chercheurs suisse BOESCH du World Wild Chimpanzee Foundation ; film relatif à la vie des chimpanzés du parc national de Taï et aux différents problèmes auxquels ils sont confrontés notamment celui du braconnage qui constitue une menace pour la survie de la communauté des chimpanzés. Ce film a permis de sensibiliser sur la protection des chimpanzés qui sont en voie de disparition .A la fin du film, JVE Côte d’Ivoire est passé au jeu crack en posant des questions relatives au film diffusé et a offert des kits d’éducation à l’environnement dénommés « paroles de la forêt ».

Jour 7: JVE Côte d’Ivoire a procédé à l’ouverture de sa bibliothèque en mettant à la disposition des jeunes tous les manuels relatifs à l’Environnement. Mr BRIDA Bawa Franck et Mlle SAKA
Mariam Merry de la commission chargée des projets ont orienté les lecteurs vers la bibliothèque de JVE Côte d’Ivoire. A l’intérieur de ce temple du savoir, Mr TOGBA Doua Arsène de la commission chargée des projets et Mr DIOMANDE Moussa Secrétaire Général de JVE Côte d’Ivoire ont entretenu les lecteurs en leur expliquant les difficultés de compréhension auxquels ils étaient confrontés. Cette journée a été marquée surtout par la visite des tout-petits lecteurs âgés de 05 à 11 ans. Mr TOGBA Doua Arsène et Mr DIOMANDE Moussa ont renforcé la capacité de ce public cible âgé de 05 à 11 ans en dispensant un essai de définition sur l’Environnement. Mr DIOMANDE Moussa a raconté une histoire aux enfants dans laquelle il a mis en exergue les six éléments principaux de l’Environnement qui sont l’Eau, le Sol, l’Energie solaire, les Végétaux, les Animaux et l’Air.
Cette histoire a permis aux tout-petits de comprendre l’importance de l’Environnement puisque la morale était basée sur le fait qu’il faut prendre soin des cadeaux qui sont l’eau, sol, air, énergie solaire, les végétaux et animaux que Dieu nous a offerts au risque de voir sa colère s’abattre sur nous par les manifestations de changements climatiques et son corollaire.
Pour perpétuer la lecture hors de la bibliothèque, JVE Côte d’Ivoire a offert gratuitement des manuels d’éducation à l’Environnement à tous les enfants.
L’Après midi a été marqué par un stage de formation de 21 leaders communautaires et scouts sur le compost. L’Expert de JVE Côte d’Ivoire en l’occurrence Mr BRIDA Ange, doctorant en Sciences de l’Environnement à l’Université d’Abobo Adjamé a renforcé la capacité desdits leaders communautaires et scouts sur la confection d’une compostière.
Les activités du Jour 7 se sont terminées par la diffusion d’un film des chercheurs Suisse BOESCH de la World Wild Chimpanzee Foundation relatif aux chimpanzés du parc national de Taï et aussi à la projection d’un dessin animé intitulé « Simba le roi Lion » pour le plaisir et surtout l’éducation de nos tout-petits en vue de les inspirer et faire naître en eux un engouement pour l’Environnent.

Jour 8 : JVE Côte d’Ivoire et les 21 leaders communautaires et scouts ayant suivi le stage de formation de JVE Côte d’Ivoire sur « les énergies renouvelables : solution aux changements climatiques » et sur « le compost » se sont rendus sur le site d’installation de la délégation de Bondoukou (ville de Côte d’Ivoire) pour confectionner une compostière et expliquer le bien fondé du compostage dans la production d’engrais naturel. Ainsi les leaders communautaires et les scouts ont été appelés à suivre cet exemple en mettant en pratique les connaissances acquises lors des différents stages de formation.Les travaux ont été supervisés par Mr Anon Fidèle membre de JVE Côte d'Ivoire en ingenierie agronome à l'Institut National Polytechnique Houphouet Boigny de Yamoussoukro.
Après l’installation de la compostière sur le site, les Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement de Côte d’Ivoire (JVE-Côte d’Ivoire) ont reçu les branches des cheminots des scouts.
A cet effet, Mr BAIMEY Aubin de la commission chargée de projets de JVE Côte d’Ivoire a procédé à la présentation de JVE Côte d’Ivoire et a sensibilisé les jeunes scouts à un changement de comportement pour l’Environnement et surtout à prendre conscience que notre planète est en danger.A cet effet, les cheminots étant considérés comme les serviteurs des scouts ont été appelés à porter le message plein de vertus de protection de l’environnement partout dans le monde. Messieurs BRIDA Bawa Franck , SIE Dimitri ,TOGBA Doua Arsène et DIOMANDE Moussa de JVE Côte d’Ivoire ont bouclé la rencontre avec les cheminots des scouts en renforçant la capacité des participants en écologie et conscience pour leur permettre de prendre conscience que notre planète est en danger et que par conséquent il faut vivre en harmonie avec les éléments qui nous entourent en adoptant un comportement qui œuvre pour le développement durable et surtout pour la préservation de l’Environnement et la sauvegarde des ressources naturelles.

Jour 9: JVE Côte d’Ivoire a célébré la journée mondiale de la jeunesse 2008.
Nous avons inspiré la jeunesse toute entière à œuvrer pour un monde sain à travers le volontariat pour l’Environnement ; à prendre conscience du défi à relever pour ce qui concerne les changements climatiques.
A cet effet, JVE Côte d’Ivoire et l’ONG Produire Nos Moyens ont célébré l’excellence en décernant officiellement et publiquement 21 diplômes de participation aux leaders communautaires et scouts qui ont suivi avec assiduité les différents stages de formation théorique et pratique en énergies alternatives comme solutions aux changements climatiques et sur le compost. JVE Côte d’Ivoire a ainsi habilité les leaders à porter haut et loin le flambeau des actions relatives au volontariat pour l’Environnement.
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A la fin de la cérémonie commémorant la journée mondiale de la Jeunesse 2008, JVE Côte d’Ivoire et l’ONG Produire Nos Moyens ont procédé à la clôture officielle des activités de la première phase du Projet Jeunesse, Eco citoyenneté et Développement Communautaire.

Jour 1O : Départ des Délégations


Fait à San Pedro le 13 Août 2008

DIOMANDE Moussa
Secrétaire Général des Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement
Côte d’Ivoire

JVE Côte d’Ivoire a célébré la journée mondiale de la jeunesse 2008 le 12 Août 2008 à San Pedro( ville de Côte d'Ivoire).
Nous avons inspiré la jeunesse toute entière à œuvrer pour un monde sain à travers le volontariat pour l’Environnent ; à prendre conscience du défi à relever pour ce qui concerne les changements climatiques.
A cet effet, JVE Côte d’Ivoire et l’ONG Produire Nos Moyens ont célébré l’excellence en décernant officiellement et publiquement 21 diplômes de participation aux leaders communautaires et scouts qui ont suivi avec assiduité les différents stages de formation théorique et pratique en énergies alternatives comme solutions aux changements climatiques et sur le compost. JVE Côte d’Ivoire a ainsi habilité les leaders à porter haut et loin le flambeau des actions relatives au volontariat pour l’Environnent.
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A la fin de la cérémonie commémorant la journée mondiale de la Jeunesse 2008, JVE Côte d’Ivoire et l’ONG Produire Nos Moyens ont procédé à la clôture officielle des activités de la première phase du Projet Jeunesse, Eco citoyenneté et Développement Communautaire.

For me human right is to discover the core of human life--love or the lack thereof. Whether poor or rich, uneducated or highly educated, belonging to this or that religion or nationality, a person's loneliness, longing, separation, fulfillment, happiness or simply being able to be peacefully alone.

Please read one of Rumi's most famous poems about the reed-flute:

Song of the Reed Flute:
Mathnawi, or Rhymed Couplet
This recording is of the first four lines of Rumi’s Mathnawi. This prologue is sometimes called “The Song of the Reed Flute,” and describes the origin of the soul’s love — its innate desire to return to the unity of its homeland, its place of origin.
In the mathnawi form, each half-verse rhymes, and the rhyme changes with each new verse. Because of this flexibility in rhyme, the mathnawi form was often used for longer, epic works — and for teaching works.


Dari (Persian) Text

bishnu az nay chun hikayat mikunad
az juda’iha shikayat mikunad

kaz nayistan ta mara bubridah’and
dar nafiram mard u zan nalidah’and

sinah khwaham sharhah sharhah az firaq
ta biguyam sharh-i dard-i ishtiyaq

har kasi ku dur mand az asl-i khwish
baz juyad ruzgar-i wasl-i khwish


English Translation

Listen to the reed flute,
its song of separation:
Ever since I was cut from the reed-bed,
men and women have moaned from my sound.
I need a heart torn by separation,
so you may understand the pain of love’s desire.
Whoever’s been taken from his home
always wishes to return.

All separations have the same tale, and Rumi, who likens himself to a flute cut from its source (you can call it God, happiness, home, peace, nature or simply the Beloved), takes us on a journey of love, longing, union and joy. This short poem indeed opens a window to the entire metaphysics of spiritual life.

Elsewhere, Mevlana Jalal-u-ddin Mohammad Balkhi-Rumi suggests:

In this earth
In this soil
In this pure field
Let us not plant any seeds
Other than seeds of compassion and love.

On Saturday, April the 26 th, the NGO “Young Volunteers of Environment - Côte d’ Ivoire” with its partners YVE International, Association des scouts catholiques de Cote d Ivoire, PAIPS, WCF, Earth Day Network celebrated the international earth day 2008 with the following theme: “Our Planet in Danger, let us act now!” in national park of Banco in Abidjan (Côte d’ Ivoire). After some good advices on the preservation of all the components of the nature, the activities began at 08 o’clock UT by the park visit. This visit permitted us to discover the plants and the trees of the “ nature’s house”. The following step led us to the park museum where are shown vegetables and animals species. There, we proceeded to the explanation of the nature cycle with its components. The different visits with the aim of a better knowledge and comprehension of the nature in order to protect it finished with food at 1 o’clock pm UT.

At 2.30 o’clock pm UT, Mr DIOMANDE Moussa, General Secretary of the NGO “Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement –Côte d’Ivoire” (Young Volonteers for Environment-Côte d’Ivoire) began the activities of the afternoon by a speech of sensitizing, thanking for the presence in Earth day 2008 and a call to involvement for Environment. After his speech, Mr BRIDA Bawa Franck introduced the youth ecocitizenship and sustainable development program. The following step was a conference with the theme: “the protection of the Environment in Côte d’Ivoire: the role of youth “pronounced by the famous writer Mr CAMARA Nangala.Our Speaker sensitized the public on the dangers that our Environment is faced. All the same, our lecturer advised the scout youth and called them to involve themselves in Environment Preservation. We stopped the activities by some enquiries led by the NGO “Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement- Côte d’Ivoire” on the comprehension of the youth about Environment.

Le Samedi 26 Avril 2008, l’ ONG « Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement -Côte d’Ivoire » (JVE-Côte d’Ivoire) en partenariat avec JVE International, l’Association des scouts catholiques de Côte d’Ivoire, PAIPS, Earthday Network, a célébré la journée mondiale de la terre 2008 avec pour thème : « Notre planète en Danger, Agissons Maintenant ! » au parc national du Banco situé à Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) . Après de sages conseils sur la préservation de toutes les composantes de la nature, Les activités ont démarré à 08 heures TU par une visite guidée du parc. Cette visite guidée a permis de découvrir les essences végétales de la « maison de la nature ». La prochaine étape nous a conduit au musée du parc dans lequel sont exposées les essences végétales et les espèces animales. L’on a procédé à l’explication du cycle de la nature avec ses composantes.Les différentes visites avec l’objectif d’une meilleure connaissance et compréhension de la nature afin de la préserver ont été finalisées par la collation avec les participants à 13 heures TU.
A 14 h 30,Mr DIOMANDE Moussa ,Secrétaire Général de l’ONG « Jeunes Volontaires Pour l’Environnement-Côte d’Ivoire » (JVE – Côte d’Ivoire) a débuté les activités de l’après midi par une sensibilisation à l’engagement pour l’Environnement et félicité l’assemblée pour sa présence massive à la journée mondiale de la terre 2008.Après son intervention, Mr BRIDA Bawa Franck ,Secrétaire Permanent chargé des projets de l’ONG « Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement-Côte d’Ivoire »( JVE - Côte d’Ivoire) a procédé à la présentation du programme jeunes,éco citoyenneté et développement durable.Après le lancement desdites activités, l’éminent écrivain Mr Camara Nangala sur invitation de JVE –Côte d’Ivoire a tenu une conférence ayant pour thème : « la protection de l’Environnement en Côte d’Ivoire : le rôle des jeunes ».Notre interlocuteur a attiré l’attention de l’assemblée sur les dangers que courent notre Environnement et prodigué de sages conseils aux jeunes scouts présents tout en les appelant à s’engager dans la préservation de l’Environnement.Les activités ont pris fin par une série d’enquête menée par JVE-Côte d’Ivoire sur la perception des jeunes sur l’Environnement.

Here is an article published in the Guardian Newspaper today 10-10-07,it is about preserving the cultural land marks of the Igbos of South Eastern Nigeria. The Igbos are the Jews Living in West Africa,and they are concentrated heavily in what is today called South East Nigeria.

Group wants global attention to Igbo cultural landmarks
From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja
HIGHLIGHTING the need for national attention and international projection of the cultural landmarks in Igbo land a body named Mbido Igbo Association has called on the federal government to take a closer look at the area. They want government to facilitate the excavation of the over seven identified archaeological sites in the South East of Nigeria, as well as take note of its abundant tourism potentials in forms of festivities and unique environment.

The call came last Thursday, October 4, when representatives of the Mbido Igbo Association paid a courtesy visit on the Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, His Royal Majesty, Igwe (Dr.) Martin Nwafor Ezeh, the Idu II of Igbo-Ukwu and chairman, board of trustee, Mbido Igbo Association, who led the visit, emphasised that the Igbo race has a lot to offer the country in terms of culture and tourism. He noted that the tradition that gave life to the Igbo-Ukwu bronze civilisation that has been adjudged one of the best in the world and second to none in Africa is still existent.

"The technological height achieved by our great ancestors has not died. The bronze culture is still on in Igbo-Ukwu since 6th century BC."

Noting that great potentials abound in the region undeveloped, Igwe called on the Ministry to explore the 'seven wonders' of nature, which include Ogba Ukwu Wonderful Cave in Owerrezukala, Anambra State, Olokoro

Wooden Cave in Abia State, Amanchore Cave, Ebonyi State, Oguta Lake in Imo State as well Awhum Waterfall and Cave in Enugu States, among others, lying waste in their area.

While stressing that cultural festivals in the area, especially the New Yam Festival, have been invigorated, Igwe Nwafor prayed the minister to, among other things, appoint their subjects into the boards' of the ministry's parastatals. He asked government to put Igbo-Ukwu and the South East among the tourism zones of the country while also assisting in the funding of the New Yam Festival to rank among other national festivals like Osun Osogbo and the Argugun Fishing Festivals.

In his response, the Minister of State, who listened attentively to the six-man delegation, appreciated the body's recognition of the importance of culture, "not only as a tool for social development but that which also serves as a means of economic development and social integration."

While assuring them of the ministry's commitment to promoting culture and tourism, Hong expressed understanding of the pivotal role of the New Yam Festival in integrating the Igbo race. He informed that the issue, which has earlier been brought to the awareness of the ministry, is receiving due attention. He however charged his guests to call on the very entrepreneurial Igbo sons and daughters to invest in tourism as well as make the Igbo land tourism friendly so as to enable foreigners and investors to take advantage of the huge tourism potentials available in the region.

"I have no doubt in my mind about the importance of the New Yam Festival. It has been brought to our attention: its importance to the Igbo race and the need to make it become a national concern."

He however noted that the issue of making the New Yam Festival a national event compared to Osun Osogbo and others, lies strictly with the people of the area and their ability to market and project the festival by highlighting its potentials to the knowledge of the people.

"But let me quickly mention to you that Osun Osogbo and Argungun Fishing Festival, which you cite as example are the efforts of the states and private sector initiatives..."

"Our own is to give you a legitimate support like participating in it, providing technical expertise and also promoting the tourism content."

While pledging to identify with the Igbo people in all their cultural fiesta, the minister expressed regrets that he might not have the opportunity to participate in the oncoming Mbido Igbo Festival scheduled for November in Igbo Ukwu because of the Abuja Carnival holding at the same period.

Hi Every one,
The article below published in the Nigerian Guardian Newspaper of 8th October,2007 simply reveal the reality of the Nigerian Nation especially, which has allowed Crude Oil to be a curse rather than a blessing to it's people-high corruption level and whole sale looting of the proceeds of these resources have left the people poorer and more poorer by the day.


Technology widens rich-poor gap
By Philip Emeagwali
OIL has made us billions and fuelled our economic stability, but oil has also become the bane of our existence. For some, it is a curse that has caused poverty and corruption, but for others it is an essential source of untold wealth and power. But as the gap between rich and poor countries continues to expand, it is clear that intellectual capital and technology rule the world, and that natural resources such as oil, gold, and diamonds are no longer the primary determinants of wealth.

Surprisingly, nations with few natural resources demonstrate greater economic growth rates than OPEC countries. Japan's economic growth, driven by technological superiority, outpaces that of Saudi Arabia; South Korea is growing faster than oil-rich Nigeria; and Taiwan's economy has moved well beyond that of oil-rich Venezuela. The United States and Norway are also rich in oil, yet their staggering economic growth comes from intellectual capital.

In reality, it is not money but intellectual capital that drives prosperity. More important, perhaps, is the reality that poverty is driven and sustained by a lack of intellectual capital. The intimate relationship between intellectual capital and economic growth is as old as humanity itself, and is well illustrated by this parable from ancient Babylon (modern-day Iraq). A man asked his children:

"If you had a choice between the clay of wisdom or a bag of gold, which would you choose?"

"The bag of gold, the bag of gold" the na?ve children cried, not realising that wisdom had the potential to earn them many more bags of gold in the future.

Seven thousand years later, Iraq - the cradle of civilisation - has its own private bag of gold as it sits perched atop the world's third largest oil reserves.

Meanwhile, Israel, tucked away in the hostile terrain of a barren desert, has the clay of wisdom - the weightless wealth of intellectual capital embodied in the collective mind of its people. The striking economic gap that persists between rich and poor nations has increased sevenfold over the past century to what is now an all-time high. The accumulation of intellectual capital by rich nations has helped broaden this gap because it has enabled them to control technology and collect hidden taxes from less affluent nations. For instance, Nigeria pays a 40 per cent "royalty" tax on its petroleum revenues to foreign oil companies that are ripping out its family jewels - the huge store of wealth in its oilfields. These oilfields started forming when prehistoric, dog-sized humans - our common ancestor with the apes - walked African grasslands on four legs.

It's a shocking reality, but the deep oil reserves laid down by Mother Nature millions of years ago and nurtured through the millennia in Africa have been whittled away within decades. And, for the dubious privilege of surrendering its natural resources forever, Nigeria is required to pay half its petroleum revenue in the form of "royalties" to the rich kids on the global block, the United States and the Netherlands. That oilfield has been exchanged for a bowl of porridge, and the black gold that should serve the under-served in Nigeria is helping wealthy Westerners get wealthier.

Today, half the world's population - three billion people - live on an average of $500 a year. In contrast, Bill Gates earns $500 every second. By controlling technology and taxing computer users, Gates has become wealthier than each of the 70 poorest nations on earth and using his financial might has conquered more territory than Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great combined.

While Bill Gates is the new millennium's Prince of Technology, he is by no means the first to have taken on the huge potential offered by the realm of technology. The Romans used roads and military technology to expand their empire. And, for centuries, Britain ruled a quarter of the Earth due to its unparalleled ability to command maritime technology and conquer the Seven Seas. Britain undoubtedly established itself as the world's first superpower through its rapid and ruthless colonial expansion programme. The British raised the Union Jack over Canada and Australia, India and Hong Kong, Egypt and Kenya, and countless other countries - even the United States. The Union Jack cast its shadow in every global time zone, giving rise to the saying, "The sun never sets on the British Empire," a fact that was cold comfort to the colonised nations.

In the same way, the United States has embraced its technological supremacy, both offensively and defensively, to build its own global empire without a physical presence in any of its "colonies." The sole remaining superpower is at the forefront of every major technological advancement, which it has used to become deeply embedded in three-quarters of the globe. The U.S. has accomplished a virtual economic colonisation manifesting its presence throughout the globe by harnessing the power of technology and capitalising on its clay of wisdom.

Africa's inability to realise its potential and embrace technology has left it at the mercy of the West. The time has come for Africa to seize the day and resist the efforts of America and others to leave their imprint and plunder its natural resources. Numerous examples throughout history support the idea that technology can be used as a tool of oppression. And there's little doubt that America's technological advancement has allowed it to exploit natural resources around the world.

This is particularly evident in Africa, where the U.S. is exploiting oilfields beneath the pristine rainforest - and being rewarded with a 40-per cent tax at the expense of the African people. This lends credence to history's assertion that those who control technology oppress those who do not, eventually enslaving them and, finally, wielding power around the globe.


Emeagwali, winner of the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, the Nobel Prize of supercomputing, lives in the United States

Hi Every one,
Nigeria is a hidden tourist destination but the only problem we have is that our political leaders concentrated more on looting the crude oil money and think less of promoting and advertising our God -given tourism potentials. But in my own little way,i will continue to showcase these hidden tourists' haven. You are most welcome to Nigeria,just let me know when you are coming over here!! Enjoy this "Garden of Eden" Called Obudu Cattle Ranch!!


Encounter with heaven in Nigeria
By Ken Ugbechie
THE governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, likes to describe his state particularly its capital, Calabar, as the closest place that compares to heaven. Imoke's comparison derives strongly from the enchanting flora that signpost the landscape of the state. But much more, his claim is ossified by the allure of nature that assails you as you move towards the North-eastern part of the state. Destination: Obudu Cattle Ranch, the native home of the Becheve people whose strength and character are epitomised by their stocky frame, broad shoulder and hospitable spirit. The ranch is a piece of marvel and it lucidly depicts the majesty and glory of creation. Any visitor would wonder at the beauty of this special patch of earth that barbs the Cameroon Mountain. Surreal, serene and tranquil, it sits on a plateau that hangs at over 5000 feet above sea level and spread over rolling grassland and montane forests.

Last weekend, I had the rare opportunity of spending a night at the ranch. About two or more dozens of journalists were ferried into the ranch in cable cars over a distance of 11 kilometres from the foot of one of the many mountains that embroider the horizon. It was an adrenaline pumping exercise to find oneself and five others (each cable car takes only six persons and there are about 36 of such cars in the ranch) in the belly of a glass-walled cable car gliding slowly with the aid of a cable rolling over an 11-kilometre track propped up in the air by masts jutting out of the undulating terrain. Journalists are adventurers and die-hard risk-takers. But it was obvious that we met more than our match in the cable car experience which at a distance of 11 kilometres is reputed to be the longest in Africa.

Journalists can also be terrified. Save for James Akpandem, the editor of Daily Independent, who has explored this part of the country countless times, the rest of us were as scared as frightened rabbits in a warren. The Obudu episode dwarfs my experience at the Table Mountains in Cape Town, South Africa. The fright, however, ceases as soon as you berth on the surface of the plateau. It is another world, another planet. In fact, it is heaven's gate. The governor's media aide, Patrick Ugbe, had earlier described the ranch as the place where earth meets heaven. It may well be. First you are elevated to an altitude that makes the rest of humanity look like a community of ants. You are suspended in the ionosphere except that here there are exotic buildings housing hotels, restaurants, gyms and spars, shops and sporting facilities for your pleasure. There is also a Presidential resort complete with a Presidential suite tailored after the Camp David of the United States. Here again, you are not in want of peace. You are insulated from the banditry and savagery that beset those on the surface of the earth. The air is fresh and distilled.

Temperature is temperate hovering between four and 10 degrees Celcius between June and September and 26 to 32 degrees from November to January. Obudu is better than any part of Europe in winter and far exceeds the glory of the industrialised West in summer. It is where modernity and nature co-exist. Founded as a cattle ranch in 1949 by an expatriate rancher, its wide-ranging ranges have over the years guaranteed it as home to wild life. And you wonder why Nigerians still go to Europe for holiday. It is probably so because not many people are aware of the transformation that has taken place at the ranch. It was a tourism destination at a point especially during the Second Republic but it soon fell into the hands of the military. For the two or more decades that the military held sway, the ranch was badly managed.

Hope was rekindled in 1999 when Governor Donald Duke in partnership with the management of the resort decided to upgrade it to a world class status. The incumbent governor says he will consolidate the previous efforts to make Cross River State the preferred tourism destination. It is very possible and earnings from tourism may in the coming years outstrip the state's allocation from the Federation Account. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) has predicted a bright future for countries that develop their tourism potential. Aside creating jobs and contributing to tax revenues, tourism has become a major foreign exchange earner in global economy. In 2002 alone, 715 million tourists traveled round the world generating $472 billion in earnings. In 2020, WTO predicts 1.6 billion international tourists moving round the world and spending more than $2 trillion annually or $5 billion daily.

This is the future of tourism. It is a future of hope and harvest. It is heart-warming that the government of Cross River State is keying into this future by embarking and consolidating on ambitious projects namely the Tinapa Resort comprising 54 line shops, 243-room hotel, casino, eight cinema screens among others; the Calabar Marina Resort which boasts of the heart-rending slave museum and the various craft markets strewn across the state.

In the global tourism matrix, Nigeria's Cross River State looks well primed to slice off a good chunk of the spoils. Imoke says he is already thinking along that line. He wants to achieve this by providing the people with the relevant amenities that would empower them to tap into the tourism potential of the state. The Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation (POWER), a Millennium Development Goal initiative founded and supervised by his wife, Obioma, also seeks to empower the women to take advantage of the economies of scale created by the tourism industry.

Truly, Cross River State is a fitting and reassuring epigraph to the vision of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to diversify and deepen the revenue base of the nation while growing the economy to make Nigeria one of the global top 20 economies in the world by 2020.

But more importantly, those who zoom off to Europe to spend foreign exchange in the name of holiday should think Cross River State . From Calabar, the first capital city of Nigeria replete with historic and ancient landmarks to Obudu where as a colleague said, the Garden of Eden still exits, there is something to cheer and to celebrate about Nigeria.

Top this with the legendary hospitality of the Calabar woman, the seductive dance of the Leboku maiden and the serenading songs of the cultural troupes then you would realise why Imoke likens his state to heaven and why you should 'spoil' yourself a little in this magical state.

The bellow sentences are so motivative for me! it may inspire you too. just read it!!!

Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.
It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trails to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to bring you joy.
Always put yourself in another's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't get on well in life until you let go of past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.


Regards,

A model displays an Afghan dress designed by Gabriella Ghidoni and Zolaykha Sherzad during Afghanistan's first fashion show in years, held at a luxury hotel in the capital Kabul on July 8, 2006. Picture taken July 8, 2006.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan was one of the first stops for Indo-Aryan tribes on their way to India and Persia. It is the area where the original Vedic and Avestan hymns were developed and from whence most of the great Persian poets hail including Molana Jalalladin Rumi. Afghanistan was on the path of Buddhism which found it's way to Central Asia and China with Bamyan as a major Buddhist center with it's huge statue of the Buddha carved in a cave which was recently destroyed because is was considered a pagan a graven image.
Afghanistan is a land of three main ethnic groups: the Pashtuns who inhabit the southern half, the Tajiks who are said to be the former inhabitants of the area and the Asiatic people of the north (mainly Uzbek), and Turkoman in the northwest. The southwest is inhabited by a minority group known as Baluchi who spread over from Iran and into Pakistan. The western border area of Afghanistan, Herat province, is inhabited by people similar to those living on the other side of the border in Iranian Khorasan. Music in Afghanistan seems to be divisible along these ethnic lines: Pashtun, Herati, Uzbek and the less predominant Baluchi and Turkoman styles. Logar province, south of Kabul is known for it's musicians and dancers and has a special style of it's own. In recent decades, Indian classical music has influenced the Kabul area.

AFGHAN DANCE

Afghan dance styles can be classified according to ethnic and geographic divisions. The Pashtuns of the south have wild and virile dances; the Uzbeks of the north represent Turkic dance forms similar to those of other Turkic peoples yet different than the court dance tradition which has developed into the styles of Uzbekistan. The Heratis seem to have developed their own form possibly representative of past eras when Herat was the cultural center of the Islamic world and influential because of philosopher sufi saint Khwaja Abdulla Ansari. Traditionally, it was a disgrace for a woman to dance in public except at family gatherings where everyone danced for fun, privately or in the company of other women. The concept of a woman as a professional dancer or entertainer was completely unacceptable in traditional Afghan society. So, women who entered the performing arts were often considered of ill repute. However, the courts of former rulers, especially Moghul emperors, were resplendent with ladies who were masters of refined graceful dance forms similar to Indian nautch, which reportedly came from Persia.Women's dance of more recent decades in Kabul reflects influence from India.
The traditional style of Logar, an area south of Kabul famous for it's skilled performers, is characterized by surprise stops in the music during which the dancer(s) must freeze, holding a pose until the music suddenly jumps into action again. Usually Kabuli, Logari and Pashtu dance is done to a 7/8 rhythm pattern known as tal-e Moghuli counted 3 + 4 with accents on the 1st and 4th beat and pickup accents on the 3rd, 6th and 7th. The Pashtu word gada collectively refers to various types of folk dances which are performed on festive occasions, national celebrations such as jeshn and also religious celebrations. The most popular of these folk dances are: atan, ashla and natsa. The atan is performed by groups of men or women to the accompaniment of the large dhol played with sticks. In Herat there are three different atan, not three different dances, but rather three variations 1. urban; 2. village; 3. distant suburban or kuchi (nomadic). The Pashtu word atan actually means dance.

ATAN

Atan, a 7/8 meter circle dance, is considered the national dance of Afghanistan. It is performed by groups of up to ten or more to the accompaniment of the large dhol usually played with sticks and sometimes the sorna (double reed pipe). The 7/8 beat is divided in two measure increments with the main accents falling on 1, 4, 6, 8 and pickup accents on 3, 13 and 14. The atan begins with an announcement by the drum, the dancers then move slowly in a circle around the drummer(s). Speed builds gradually until accelerated to wild movement and rhythm. The dancers go through various attitudes and figures, sometimes singing, sometimes shouting or at other times clapping or snapping their fingers. The dancers often carry handkerchiefs in their hands. Quick spinning and whirling movements of the body are prominent; although in some areas movement of the head and flying hair is more important. In villages the men may carry swords and guns while dancing the atan and the dance can go on for hours, sometimes until dawn. Although the dance is usually a men's dance, on rare ocasions it is performed by men and women together known as ghberg atan. In this case the men sing love songs, answered by the women, and the dialogue continues along with the dance. Advanced moves done with scarves in each hand are characterized by rhythmic snappy head tosses which follow the spins. The Atan can also be done by a group of all women.

HERATI ATAN

The first type, the Herat urban style of atan, begins with a greeting called mauzun qadam (elegant rhythmic step) also referred to as razm o gozasht, which starts with men in a row. When the leader raises his hand, others in the line follow suit and begin walking in procession. The dancers move forward in a single line stepping slowly to the rhythm with heads turned to the side as if respectfully facing viewing dignitaries or the audience in a military manner. At first the raised hand twists inward back and forth in time to the music then both hands are raised by the leader, followed by the group. Then the group claps with hands above the head. Music for this would be played on dutar and doira or even dhol and sorna in 4/4 pattern. After the mauzun qadam which ends in a brief halt, comes the official national 7/8 beat atan which is a circle dance referred to as dauregi in Herat. This begins with a slow stepping to the beat and progresses with dancers making 1/4 and then 1/2 turns, stamping the foot and clapping hands (chak) once, twice or three times, at the appropriate places in the music. Small hand scarves can be used in the village rendition of the dance and can be in the colors of red and green or sometimes white, carried either by the leader or by all of the dancers. The leader gives the command to clap twice by saying "du" meaning two, or "se" meaning three. The dancers move together and apart in a circle like a flower opening and closing. The traditional atan tune, known as Shah Mast, speeds to a frenzy before the leader might call out to the musicians "bezan aushari!" meaning play aushari.

SHALANGI

There is a form of aushari done by men. Each sits on the floor at opposite sides of the room waiting in the spirit of competitors. When the music begins, they both rise and stand and begin dancing. Facing each other, they approach in friendly challenge using typical Herati motifs, sometimes these movements portray monkeys or serpents. The melody played for aushari also accompanies a Herati dance known as shalangi or sharangi from the word shalang or sharang which denotes the sound of bells. This is primarily a women's dance done by two women who start in opposite corners of a room. They slowly approach each other until they meet while clapping on the first and third beat with arms stretched to the right, above the head, to the left and back or right, up, left and downward. As the dance progresses, the claps can augment to two in each position then three, always on the first and third beat. The feet shuffle, shifting weight from one foot to the other. Dancers hop lightly on one foot while the other is raised in front. In the past, some ladies would raise the foot until the heel is near the knee of the other leg. One clap would be accompanied by one hop, two claps by two hops on the same foot and three claps by three hops on the same foot. The dancers face each other and usually mirror each other's movements but they might decide to clap in the opposite direction, as if in a game to confuse one another. The dancers may add other dance techniques such as those characteristic of ghamza (flirtatious glances), eshwa (coquetry), naz (coyness), movements of the eyes, eyebrows. Aushari, a mispronunciation of abshari from abshar meaning waterfall, serves to describe the dance form. In regards to the music, one should not confuse aushari with the Persian dastgah (mode), afshari where the modal scale is not the same. Another name for this melody in Herati dialect is Wokh Balokh-a Panja Meri which in standard Dari Persian would be pronounced way ba nokh-a panja meri or "Oh, you walk on the tips of the toes." The words to the song start out:

Wokh balokh-a panja meri
Chal sala dukhtar asti
Memorom az gham-a tu
Cha kheyal-a dilbar asti

Translation:

Oh how you walk on the tips of the toes,
It is forty years you have been a maiden;
I die from sorrow over you
What kind of sweetheart are you?

Shalangi can also be performed in a line of about 20 persons. The first person in the line turns toward the second and the third person towards the fourth and so on down the line until each set of two dancers face each other. Then they clap to the right, above the head to the left and forward mirroring each other, first one clap then two and finally three. This version can be done at the end of the national atan in which those who are not tired out dance down to the last person. This variation may be done by men or women, though probably not mixed.

NATSA & ISHALA

The natsa is a dance reserved for happy occasions and is often performed for the amusement of others. At times individual dancers perform artistic choreography following the music of the rebab, drum and possibly other instruments with movements of the head and legs usually with bells worn on the feet. The ishala resembles the natsa, but is a solo performed only by women at weddings and some other occasions. The performer carefully and delicately follows the musical accompaniment with graceful movements. When danced at a party, the dancer will sit down when another woman enters the room so the newcomer may also have an opportunity to dance. On certain occasions, comic stories are told with the performer starting the story while sitting before rising to dance. In certain areas, both ishala and natsa are performed before large audiences in the open air. Basic characteristics of Afghan women's dance are graceful hand movements, fingers together, eyes watching the hands wherever they move, framing the face, hands over the head flowing back and forth, hands tumbling over each other, hands twisting together to the right then to the left, neck slides, expressive facial movements, alternating single eyebrow movements, shuffling from side to side with the right foot nearly flat and the left foot half raised and the toes following the heel of the right, fast spins, hand and arm patterns while kneeling and swaying. These movements are not known to be codified as in Indian and other types of dance, and do not necessarily interpret a story. Women's dances done in private often provide an outlet for the women's frustrations in that they mock some of the problems they are faced with, not unlike women in most societies. The women also sing songs often teasing noted people in the family or community to help them to deal with things, or face things for which the society does not provide an outlet.

HERATI SOLO - GHAMZEGI or QANDEGI, etc.

Herati women's solo dance known as ghamzagi or qandegi in which all naz or eshwa that a dancer knows is drawn upon to be presented in a free format. Naz is the Persian equivalent of coyness, it is the use of femininity to it's utmost and is a very important feature of the female psyche in the East. Movements can describe aspects of daily activities such as facial beautification, combing the hair, sewing, sowing, picking fruit or flowers etc. Famous Herati dancer, Sitara, noted that on the video she recorded in Herat in the 1970's, she represented beautification, combing hair, sewing and other such activities in her dance solo. There is even a variety of women's solo called chaqubazi or knife play, in which the dancer feigns cutting or stabbing herself sometimes to a degree of credibility that shocks the audience. Herati's are also familiar with the Oriental tea cup dance in which saucers with cups of water are held in each hand as the dancer does various moves including kneeling and bending backwards until the head touches the floor without spilling the contents of the cups held in the palms. Another interesting mime like dance done in Herat is a kite dance called khaghazbadbazi in which this popular Afghan sport is described in dance. Facial movements include side-glances, gentle yet sharp neckslides, and an occasional subtle sweet innocent smile.

CHOP BAZI

Another Herati variation on the atan is a stick dance called chopbazi or stick playing, which is similar to the Iranian stick dance of Torbat-e Jam near the Afghan border. Each dancer holds a stick in each hand, first hits his sticks together then the first dancer turns to face the second and so forth, so each dancer can strike his sticks against those of his neighbor. The dancers can also turn towards a neighbor to strike one stick then turn to the other neighbor and do the same turning back and forth as the circle moves forward. Two of the more advanced dancers go to the center of the circle and squat down striking their sticks on the ground then against each other's. A final variation and highlight involves one dancer who would quickly travel around inside the circle striking the sticks of each of the other dancers in rapid succession.

LOGARI

The traditional style of Logar, an area south of Kabul famous for it's skilled performers, is characterized by tricky stops in the music during which the dancer(s) must freeze, not moving until the music suddenly jumps into action again. The musicians often try to trick the dancer(s) with abrupt unexpected stops and may leave the dancer(s) fozen in unconfortable positions for a minute or so to see if they can hold their pose(s). Logari dance is generally accompanied by rebab, tambur, dilruba and dhol, also by the harmonium which is an unfortunate result of Western influence in India. Logari "stop dance" as it is called by westerners, is done by men or women, each doing the same sort of movements with the male version more masculine. Logari dance can be a sort of competition between dancers or dancer(s) and musicians.

TRADITIONAL DANCE ATTIRE

Mens costuming for atan and most any dance is everyday clothing and would include a long, knee length shirt, kemis; billowy pants, tumban; brocade vest and sash around the waist. Men wear various styles of turbans or wrapped fabrics over a brocade or beaded cap. For the wilder version of atan, long flying hair is appropriate for men. Women's costume for most of the dances is very similar. A black dress, red pants, green veil, jewelry and often ankle bells has been considered national dress for dance. Sometimes dresses of different colors will be worn, but the above mentioned colors are most common. The dress is often adorned with shiny metal discs or palettes near the sleeve and skirt hem. The veil, called rusari, is a sheer rectangular chiffon fabric which is not completely sheer and usually a vivid enough color to be very transparent. In the street, women usually wear the chadri, abeautifully pleated shiny silken cloak which serves to protect from dangerous dust and as protection for the women in the presence of males outside the immediate family. The women often, almost always, use surmei to blacken the outline of the eye. The Kabuli dancer might wear a modern version of the typical Afghani dress since it is a more westernized town. It would be a more satiny fabric, tied at the waist, could be floor length and would include the traditional decorated bodice. The dancer could wear a jewelry headpiece or a lightweight veil pinned to the hair. An alternate costume could be a modern or a traditional embroidered blouse and billowy pants with a velvet embroidered vest. An example of the type of clothing worn for Ozbaki folk style dance is the traditional Afghan pant with overblouse, often the same color. A chapan which is a wide, long, longsleeved coat, would be worn atop the other garments and could be of the favored silk ikat fabric of northern Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Ikat is known throughout the world in different styles and is known as a unique method of dying fabric producing an irregular yet very colorful striped effect. The female dancer would wear a small cap, called araqchin, with a veil called rusari attached. This rusari would not be sheer but could be a solid or a striped rayon blend fabric, or a lightweight fabric. Typically the dance could be done in barefeet or in little brocaded slippers. Jewelry would be large old silver pieces and could include ornamentation on the cap as well as necklaces, bracelets etc.

NORTHERN DANCE & MUSIC

The Ozbaki (Uzbek) ethnic minority of Northern Afghanistan is racially related to the Uzbek people of Uzbekistan in the Soviet Union. Uzbeks, Hazaras, Turkomens, Aimaks and Kirghiz or Turko-Mongol are peoples that have migrated south over a period onward from the 7th century. The Uzbeks are dominant around Mazar-i Sharif as well as around Kunduz and Faizabad. Uzbeks and Turkomans are of Mongol-Tartar origin and speak a Turkic dialect. Many Afghan Uzbeks are refugees from former Soviet domination. Although the ancient Bukhara maqam system of six modes (shash maqam) has undercurrents among the Ozbaki population of Afghanistan, most of their music seems to take on the aspects of often catchy 4/4 tunes played on the dambura (fretless two string lute), qaichak (bowed two string instrument) and zerbaghali (hourglass drum). According to examples offered by Afghan informant Mahera Harouny, Ozbaki dancing is characterized by the basic footwork which is a springy stepping and shifting of weight from left to right etc. Basically, the footwork consists of a type of running pas de basque, sometimes crossing over quite far and at other times stepping with feet almost together. So, with the pas de basque as the basis, we can alternate variations as the music describes: fast, slow, large or small, with a lot of spring or a little lilting spring. The movement can take the dancer in any direction on the floor; side to side, forward and back or in a circle etc. The pas de basque can be repeated several times on the same foot or alternated. Another variation is the same large running pas de basque but circling rather than simply stepping straight forward. A final variation is running in place to the music with tiny quick steps. In the Ozbaki folk style dancing there is not as much specific hand gesturing as in Persian or even Afghan dancing, unlike the Soviet style Uzbek dance in which we find elegant, structured hand positions. Hands can be at the waist or held out to the sides holding the rusari (veil) with one or both hands. Men use sharp gestures which resemble finger snapping or snatching objects from the air. The torso is bent forward or sidewards a little and the head can look in the direction the dancer is traveling. But video and live examples of Ozbaki dancing boy (bacha) techniques demonstrates active arm and hand gestures and more movement. Dancing boys have always been seriously frowned upon by decent Afghan society, but they maintain dance information which can be useful.

GILGIT & HUNZA

South of the Afghan Wakhan in the northern area of Kashmir, Gilgit and Hunza Valley, is said to have been inhabited by members of Alexander The Great’s army. Situated high in the mountains under the vigilance of mount Rakaposhi, queen of the Himalayas, on the "rooftop of the world", this area has been at the crossroads of cultural influence from India, Persia, Afghanistan and China. The inaccessibility of the area, however, has tended to protect it from heavy outside influence especially from the West. (Gilgitis and Hunzakuts are predominantly Ismaili Shia followers of the Agha Khan.) Wild hopping, stomping and twirls characterize one example of men’s dance which is done at parties following a polo match in Gilgit. The footwork for one sequence consists of mincing semi-hopping along with one foot behind the other, similar to Afghan footwork. A variation is two hops on each foot then one behind the other shuffling sideways. The left arm can be held forward and the right arm is held to the square or visa versa. The arms can also be held out for birdlike fluttering. For whirling twirls, both arms are held upward. A common dance pattern may begin with everyone following a leader loosely imitating his movements then breaking into a wild free-for-all ending in a salute. Menswear in the Gilgit and Hunza area is a long shirt worn over billowy pantaloons much like the Afghan kemiz and tumban. A felt coat, dark or light brown, with embroidery of the same color on the lapels and back, tied with an embroidered belt, is common as is the rolled up wool cap called gharmi, typical of Afghani and Pakistani Pashtuns. Women also wear the long shirt and billowy pantaloons topped off by a tall pillbox cap, sometimes adorned with embroidery, to which a scarf is attached, falling over the shoulders much like Afghan traditional women's wear. Light complexion and green or blue eyes and reddish hair is not unusual in Gilgit and Hunza. The main instruments for festive music of the area is the shrill folk oboe called surna, sometimes several of them played in unison with drone accompaniment, the barrel drum which can be struck with a stick on the low pitched side and the open hand on the high pitched side and sometimes a pair of small bowl shaped drums called naqarat, played with sticks. For the polo matches, pep bands of several surna shriek out wild repetitive patterns accompanied by hard hitting 4/4, 3/4, 6/8 or 7/8 meters accompaniment by several of the percussion instruments. Simple bowed instruments, a string instrument like the Afghan dutar and flute are also used in the area.

AFGHAN MUSIC AND INSTRUMENTS

Afghan music is played in the modal scales of India and Persia, many of which are similar in nature. It is postulated that, since Afghanistan was a cultural center of the Islamic world during past eras, the music of that area may be representative of an older parental form of North Indian music and may also represent an older tradition of some Persian modal sequences. The tea house or samowar has been the local gathering place where music is performed and enjoyed. The atmosphere is informal like a jam session in jazz clubs of the Western world where performers would drop by and join in for a few tunes. Due to some negative associations indicated by Islam, especially on public performances of music, Afghan instrumentalists usually insist that they only perform as a hobby and are known as shauqi and are not professional entertainers or kespi which would place them in a very low stratum of society. Therefore, playing as shauqi in a samowar does not interfere as much with religious interdiction.
Afghan music is both modal and melodic, performed in free-rhythm or rhythmic sequences in 4/4, 6/8 or more commonly 7/8. Chaharbaiti, meaning four is a Herat style and is played and sung in free-rhythm, while introductory improvisations called shakal are common in other areas of the country. Pashtu, Logari and Kabuli music is sometimes performed in patterns of alternating passages of fast rhythmic and medium or free-rhythm sequences. The Herati musical form termed chaharbaiti is a poetic format of two couplets in the Hazaj meter rhymed A A B A. This free-form vocalizing of quatrains has become a free-rhythm musical improvisational style played on the two or three stringed dutar. Chaharbaiti improvisations emphasize a pentachord in the Shur scale concentrating on the notes 5 6p 7b 8 9 p = semi-flat). The Homayun-Isfahan Persian modal scale which has the third flat and 6th semi-flat, is also common for chaharbaiti. Free-rhythm interpretations stressing the 8th and 9th of this scale are interchanged with rhythmic sections which resemble the galloping of horses. Herati dutar master, Izatullah (aka Aziz Herawi), notes that there are several styles of chaharbaiti which are as follows: Herati, Maldari, Kuchibaghi, Jawandi from the city of Jawand, Chishti from the sufi city of Chishte, Hazaragi from the Asiatic Hazara people of central Afghanistan and Saradi from the border area near Iran. To these might be added Khaufi and Torbati from the Iranian border towns of Khauf and Torbat-e Jam. The traditional tune Shaikh Ahmad Jan is a dutar melody which is played in a chaharbaiti style as are a few other Herati tunes. In Herat, when women play the daira (frame drum), other than the standard way of holding the instrument, it can be rested on the tops of the instep of both feet, leaning on the shins, in a seated position. One rhythm typical of the kuchi (nomads) is called duchakegi, which is a 6/8 meter scanned; dum taka dum taka.

INSTRUMENTS

The rebab, the native instrument of Afghanistan is a plucked instrument with a long deep soundbox hollowed out of mulberry wood and covered with skin. Four melody strings are complimented by several sympathetic strings which are tuned to the notes of the modal scale selected and which vibrate in sympathy with the corresponding melodic notes creating an echo effect. An archaeological find in Nangahar area of Afghanistan demonstrates that the rebab has been in existence at least 2,000 years. It was the rebab from which the Indian sarod was developed. The tambur is a long-necked stringed instrument with four melody strings, the top two are tuned in unison, and 12 sympathetic strings are tuned to the particular scale chosen. The highest sympathetic string is used as a reference string strummed during breaks in the melody or along with the melody. The melody is mostly played on one set of high-pitched strings and ornamentation is achieved by squeezing the strings across the string frets which are wound around the neck and tied in a special knot. Formerly, the placing of the frets availed the player of certain quarter tones, but due to the influence of the harmonium, which found it's way from India where it remains as a relic of Christian missionary days, the frets are now tuned to render approximately the Western chromatic scale. Anciently, such instruments had silk strings and were played with the fingernail(s), now a wire plectrum called nakhonak is worn on the index finger of the right hand. The zerbaghali is a single-headed, baked clay drum played horizontally on the lap using the hands and fingers. Playing techniques are similar to those used in Persia, Central Asia and India. Sometimes wood is used for the body of the drum. The dhol is a horizontally held, two-headed wooden barrel drum with the high pitched head ringing a tonic note and the low pitched head intermittently pressed to raise the pitch. It can be played with the hand or sticks in the case of the large dhol. The dhol is used for festive events, the national dance, atan and formerly for battle. The dhol is said to be one of the oldest instruments in Afghanistan.

Your presence is a present to the world.
You are unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take the days just one at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles.
You will make it through whatever comes along.
Within you are so many answers.
Understand, have courage, be strong.

Do not put limits on yourself.
So many dreams are waiting to be realized.
Decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal and you prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer one carries a problem the heavier it gets.
Do not take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot … goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment.
Life’s treasure are people together.

Realize that it is never too late.
Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
Have hearth and hope and happiness.
Take the time to wish upon a start.

AND DO NOT EVER FORGET ….
FOR EVEN A DAY
HOW VERY SPECIAL YOU ARE !

Les Brown, a noted inspirational speaker, tells the story of one of his friends, a salesman, who was in financial trouble because sales were down. Les asked him, "How many phone calls are you making a day?" His friend answered, "Twenty five."

Les didn't hesitate with his advice. "Double them," he said. "Make fifty. Or seventy-five. Or one hundred."

The salesman answered, "Aw, man. that's too much."

"Too much!" replied Les. "You tell me that you are behind on your bills and then you say it's too much. You know, one way to get back on your feet real quick is to miss two car payments. How can you say anything is too much when you have everything at stake?"

The advice Les Brown gave his friend needs to be heard by people everywhere. It's amazing what we can do when we're "hungry" for success. Most people who say "I've tried," haven't scratched the surface of their potential.

Today, why not make a commitment to achieve your personal best?

Hi Every one,
Remember the cultural festival i told u about in my profile here?? It is called the ikeji Festival. It is a rich cultural festival showcased every April, just about a week after the Easter celebrations.Remember also that i said that i am ready to host anyone who is interested in attending to have a first hand account and experience of the festival.
I found this Article about the festival in the Guardian newspapers here this morning and decided to share it with you all. below is the article,hope u enjoy it!!

Ikeji: Festival of unity across Nigeria
By Uduma Kalu
IT was like confronting terror. Somebody in the crowd described it as a festival of masquerades. But it was fun. And he was right. All over the towns and villages of Arondizuogu, located in Imo State, a horde of exotically dressed masquerades, welding whips and ugly looking masks on their heads, roamed. The masquerades were mostly in silk, woollen and cotton cloths. Some of the cloths were nets. And these masquerades could talk. They whipped people whom they chose to whip. Immediately that person was identified, he stood still for the bunch of canes to descend on him. It was no wonder that the crowd was mostly in jeans trousers and other thick clothes to absorb the pain of the canes.

The people would run asunder, immediately a masquerade appeared, with his half clad and rough looking youthful male companions singing their masculine songs. Others had pots stuffed with fires that smoked. Various types of musical instruments accompanied them: slit wooden gongs, (ekwe), ogele (metal gong), and drums, among others. Along the roads and traders and household people decorated their surroundings and shops with palm leaves to mark the limits the masquerades could trespass. If a person ran into that encircled space, he was safe.

And they were many-the crowd and the masquerades. But the masquerades dictated the course the crowd followed. Perhaps, that was before Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) came in, with its noise and gifts, dances, songs, music and drama. At this time, the masquerades, perhaps, felt threatened. And they revolted. Perhaps, they too wanted the gifts from the telecom company. They began to break through the palm leaves into the open MTN arena. Some of them succeeded in getting their gifts, though.

The MTN rigs (open platforms) and canopies were, perhaps, a challenge to the masquerades. A new attraction, like spice, had been added to the Ikeji Festival. Some of the town-folks that heard about it returned home from Lagos, Europe and America. News had gone out, through radio and television jingles, newspapers and words of mouth, that MTN was in town to celebrate Ikeji with the Arondizuogu, as the festival's official sponsor. The telecommunication company had actually contacted the town's authorities and got their permission to sponsor it.

So, it was indeed, between the MTN music and dance band, and the masquerades. While the masquerades came with their canes, the MTN crew came with gifts to give out through raffle draw: generators, t-shirts, umbrellas, pens. And people were winning. Soon, the crowd thickened at the Nkwo Achi central square of the town where the company held forte. Somewhere, cannons boomed, round after round.

MTN came for the Ikeji Festival prepared. It stamped its presence by mounting at every strategic position-junctions, royal palaces, even during officials right behind the ezes- MTN posters and yellow and black t shirts. Groups of people in the town or roads were made to wear the shirts. The posters announced various products of the company. They had pictures of certain cultural dances in Igboland. This way, those mounting tolls along the road were branded, as well as the masquerade troupes. Before long the yellow and blue colours of the Telecommunication Company enveloped every part of the town. It was what Crown Prince Dike later described as aggressive marketing, and wished that MTN would always be at the Ikeji.

, The MTN group was represented by Mr Ikechukwu Kalu, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Mr. Oforkansi Oti, in charge its South East and South South divisions, and Kazeem, in charge of its regional representative.

That Friday morning, the music and dance troupe blasted the town with the songs of Pericomo. A deeply rooted and synchronising sound, his song is narrative, interspersed by the narrator who ends it with a chorus. Soon, the whole town was turned into a music hall, with the voice of Ichie Mezuo Nwankwo Okoye (Pericomo) trailing the ridges, hills and plains of Arondizuogu. He popularised the Ikeji festival with his music, which is an Ikeji brand. Youths and oldies danced and greeted visitors. The town-folks wore a happy smile. Some of them were drunk, or were just drinking. Pericomo's music was irresistible to them.

Along the road, some folks struggled with their goats. The goats were for sacrifice to mother earth and the ancestors. Others were carrying dead animals such as antelopes and grass cutters (nchi) bought from hunters.

Whatever negative image cast on the Ikeji festival disappeared at the people's show of happiness and hospitality. Perhaps, that was the reason why the telecommunication company was involved in the first place-to help dispel the false notion held about the over 400 year-old event.

A brochure by First Input Ltd FI-I, an event company, working with MTN at the Ikeji, said the festival is recognised as a formidable cultural event that has become a unifying factor for all Nigerians.

"Ikeji Festival is much more than the parochial definition of narrow minded people." These people, the brochure said, "try to associate the festival with fetishism and other morbid thoughts."

For the group, through its chairman, Mr. Chris Agu, those are the people that are ignorant and suffer from brain wash as a result of foreign cultural hegemony.

Ikeji, he went on, is a tradition passed down to the present generation from their ancestors. It is a combination of thanksgiving, prayers, libation, feasting, indoctrination and the carnival like masquerade extravaganza (all in original grand African style, he pointed out.

"Ikeji is about letting go of all your worries, all your pain, and just be yourself as you join with friends and family to celebrate. Ikeji Festival is a cleansing of the land. It ushers in the new yam season," somebody in the crowd quipped in.

"Today, we pour libation, kill goats and offer prayers" he elaborated.

The event was actually a complete four days of fun, food, party and "and a little bit of temporary insanity," a moment to relax and enjoy the fun of a rural community. The adverts had enabled people to return home this year more than it used to be," he explained.

For the telecommunication company, as part of its drive to dispel some of the negative bad rap about Ikeji, "we are leaving no stone unturned to bring this gift of our ancestors to the realities and relevance of the 21st century bordeless world"

However, MTN's participated in the festival as part of its Direct Community Connect, previously known as Direct Consumer Contact. It started last year. In September, October, November, and December, the company had its pilot projects. The idea was to make contact with its customers. During the process the company realised that it was bringing communities together; it was enabling communities to connect with its customers. It therefore had to change the name to reflect the real essence of the initiative.

The idea is also to use such to get to a community, make everything available to its customers there. They can ask questions, and get them resolved. In a way therefore, it was bringing MTN service centre to the community.

"We have a dedicated line that they can call to our call centre and get any issue that they cannot resolve on ground to be resolved immediately so that the customer does not leave here without getting an answer to whatever he wanted.

"And again, the team consists of people who can speak the local dialect, so that you are able to talk to even the illiterate customer about MTN. So for us, the MTN Community Connect is about bringing MTN to the Grassroots, because we cannot open an office in every local government, or every community. But with MTN's Community Connect we can get to every community and make impact in every community. So for me this is a fantastic programme, and I am not surprised that others are beginning to do similar things. But you see as a leader in this market, we will always continue to spearhead new things, innovative ideas," Ikechukwu Kalu of the MTN said.

The four-day Ikeji activities began on April 23-25. It was the homecoming, which also began the telecommunication's activities. April 26 was the Eke Odu Ikeji Initiation. April 27 was Orie Egbugbu, for thanksgiving and libation feasting.

While the community observed all these, MTN marked the activities with different programmes. On that April 27th, it converged at Nkwo Achi and visited the Crown Prince of Ndi Awa, whose father, Eze Dike, died last year. They later went to see Eze Ndubuisi Kanu of Ndiheme. The next day, they were at the palace of Eze Aro Umuduru-Ikpakwu Autonomous Community. The gifts for Pericomo were handed over to him through his delegate at Ndi Iheme.

At the palace of the late Eze J. A. Dike 111 of Ndi Awa, his son, Prince Dike, who performed the traditional kola nut offering of the Igbo narrated the history of the town, adding that his village is the head of all the Izuogu villages. The feast, he said, is to ask God and their ancestors to continue to guide them in the planting season.

"Ikeji is the interregnum between planting and harvesting. And we ask our fathers to protect us in the season. Today is Orie Egbugbu, the day for sacrifice. We ask our gods for their benevolence towards our children. The most significant aspect is the sacrifice we do. Ikeji is a cultural festival. It is the time of homecoming, a reunion when people return home to see their kiths and kin," he said.

While noting the company's "aggressive marketing", the crown prince said that the company has succeed in becoming the nation's number one mobile telecom company.

At Ndi Iheme and Umuduru Ikpakwu, the chief priests performed the sacrificial nature of the feast. A goat each was sacrificed and libation poured in each of these villages. And everything ended with humour and laughter, as the libation was poured amidst jokes on the ancestors too. And all through the visits, the MTN repeated their pledge to support the ceremony.

Along the road, some folks struggled with their goats. The goats were for sacrifice to mother earth and the ancestors. But the visit on that day was symbolic as it was the Egbu day of the festival.

In their remarks at the palaces, the MTN chiefs told the royal fathers whom they presented with Nokia phones, MTN sim cards and umbrellas that they would build more booster stations in the town to boost coverage. Through Oti, the team said they would always be at the Ikeji. The fathers were happy when told by Kalu of the efforts by the company to bring the festival to world attention.

"We want to move our people from Arondizuogu ahead. We want to move them in their cultural heritage, in their cultural experience, and you know it matters to them. It is about helping them to enjoy those things that matter to them, helping them to celebrate their life, their culture, which is why we are here. We are at Arondizuogu also, and a month ago we were at Ilesabi and we made it great. We came here and we are going to make the Ikeji festival greater than it used to be. And we will see that at the end of this festival, the people of Arondizuogu we say, "Wao!" Kalu said.

He said the value derived from participating in such festivals to company is immeasurable.

"The value goes beyond what you can quantified. And for us it is about that connectivity with your customers; you take them beyond just being your customers to being your advocate. Anyone who gets that kind of fantastic event that we are bringing here is more likely to tell more people about the experience. And that will continue to boost our subscribers' base and the usage of our packaging because you feel we care for you, and you will always want to stay with the brand you feel that cares for you care for that cares for you. And MTN cares for you in so many ways; we care about your culture, the value you get and in facilitating them."

Part of the reasons for the visitation to rulers, Kalu said, was to rub mind with them, "on how we can partner with them in other fronts. So for me it is a continuous thing. We are here to celebrate with them, and that celebration they will get in large measure," he said.