Women around the world are integrating traditions and community into
their struggles for change in a way that challenges the very notion of Western models of development. They are showing their strength by subverting the very traditions that once silenced them so that they can give a voice to new aspirations. The three stories about a devout Muslim from Afghanistan, a harmonising group of lesbians from Croatia, and a taboo breaker in Liberia demonstrate that women can use their traditions and culture to navigate change in the face of repression…

Will globalisation lead inevitably to a collision of civilisations?

Today we are witnessing numerous ethnic and religious conflicts, nationalistic trends in policy and regional fundamentalist movements. The International Year for the Rapprochement (bringing together) of Cultures aims to demonstrate the beneficial effects of cultural diversity in order to stem this tide. UNESCO is playing a leading part in building “the defences of peace in the minds of men” through education, science, culture and communication. The official website emphasises tolerance in an era of globalisation as many influential politicians believe that globalisation will inevitably lead to more conflict.

The question of whether the Eurozone states
should shell out to help Greece has opened up critical new fault lines in Europe. Germany is taking a tough position by resisting giving help and even advocating that future bad debtors be kicked out of the single currency. How much of this is down to pure economics and how much is to do with cross-cultural differences?

Each year on April 7th, the world recognises World Health Day.
World Health Day marks the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) and is an opportunity to raise awareness of key global health issues and marks the importance of health for productive and happy lives. Every year there is a different theme to the day – this year’s focuses on urbanisation and health: with the campaign “1000 cities – 1000 lives”, events will be organized worldwide calling on cities to open up streets for health activities.

Member states of the UN have pledged to meet the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015 to deuce child mortality, improve maternal health and combat HIV?AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar.
It is the commemoration of Jesus’s death and his rising from the dead, also known as the resurrection. It comes at the end of Lent. The week leading up to it is called Holy Week. Christianity tells us that Jesus was crucified on the cross and died on Good Friday. He was rose from the dead on Sunday, known as Easter Day. But, as the West has become more secular, for some, Easter has become a time to celebrate with chocolate Easter Eggs and little religious ceremony. Bunnies (baby rabbits) are a symbol of Easter. Eggs and bunnies are symbols left over from pagan celbrations of Spring.

Magha is the third lunar month of the old Indian calendar.
It usually falls somewhere toward the end of February or end of March. Magha Puja Day is considered one of the most important Buddhist celebrations.  It commemorates the day on which Buddha recited the “Ovadha Patimokkha” (the Fundamental Teaching) to his disciples. The origins of this festival tell the story of a spontaneous gathering of 1250 fully enlightened monks, who came from separate parts of the countryside,. They had all quite independently decided to go and visit the Buddha and assembled on the full moon day of Magha in the Bamboo Grove at Rajagaha where the Buddha was living. All of these monks were disciples of the Buddha – having been ordained by him. It wa at this time that the Buddha declared that he would pass away in three months time.

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is one of the most important
festivals in the Jewish year. It is the occassion when Jewish people remember how they were led away from slavery and out of Egypt towards the Promised Land. Also, the Passover is one of the three national feasts of Israel that were commanded by God that Israel as a nation commemorate annually, and they are; Passover, Shavuot (the feast of weeks also know in the Christian world as Pentecost) and Succot (the feast of tabernacles). A special service called Seder (Order) takes place over a meal around a table in a home. 

Today I’d really like you to spend a few minutes to think about your use –
or most probably wastage – of water.  Annually, the United Nations designates this day as World Water Day as an opportunity for the world to think about the Environment and our impact upon the natural world. Interestingly for me, last year’s theme was water and culture which drew attention to the fact that “there are as many ways of viewing, using, and celebrating water as there are cultural traditions around the world.”  This year’s theme is “Clean Water for a Healthy World” – the overall goal is to raise the profile of water quality at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside those of water quantity. It is still a reality that an estimated 1.1 billion people rely on unsafe drinking-water sources.

So, today, instead of drinking your tea or coffee, raise a glass of water and celebrate how lucky we are to be able to drink good, clean and healthy water.

Naw-Rúz (New Day) is the traditional celebration
of the Iranian New Year and is celebrated throughout many countries of the Middle East and Central Asia: Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. For countries outside of the Middle East, the date has been fixed as 21st March, but traditionally it falls at the spring equinox. Originally it is one of the nine holy days of the Bahá’í Faith and is a work holiday.