Center for Social Entrepreneurship
Middlebury College has announced the launch of a Center For Social Entrepreneurship. The Center will incorporate three programs – grants, a lecture series and training workshops – all aimed at helping students lead action-based initiatives designed to address some of the challenges that our world is facing. College President Ronald D. Liebowitz was quoted as saying that the center “will aspire to be a world leader in social change…It will offer young people and their allies an opportunity to take on the world’s toughest 21st-century challenges and make a difference.”
The Center’s first symposium will be held at Middlebury this month, from January 25th through 27th. For more information on the symposium and other upcoming activities, programs, and grant opportunities, please visit the Middlebury College website.
“I believe that writers, and not politicians, can bring about ethnic reconciliation and lasting peace in Sri Lanka”
These are the words of Abdul Karim Razak, better known as Memon Kavi. He is a man of Muslim Pakstani descent who is making his mark as a Tamil poet and writer. In fact, he is the only Tamil litterateur in the world who is from the Memon community.
In spite of the potential difficuties of being an “outsider” to the Tamil literary community, Memon Kavi has earned great respect, praise, and even awards for his work.
You can read more about Memon Kavi in this article from Dawn.com.
Native American language achievements
This article from Indian Country Today Media Network highlights some of the 2011 Native American achievements of revitalization and preservation efforts. It is encouraging to see such success. Let’s hope 2012 brings even more reasons to celebrate and more support to those who are working hard to sustain and revitalize Native languages!
Pa’i ‘ai
Take a look at MACS student Sunny Fitzgerald’s excellent Cultural Survival article on the cultural and food safety issues around this important Hawaiian staple!
Day of Prayer for Prey Lang Forest Announced
The Prey Lang forest in Cambodia is the last large primary forest of its kind on the Indochina peninsula. It is home to seven distinct ecosystems and many sacred sites. The forest is surrounded by 339 villages made up mostly of indigenous Kuy people whose lives are physically and spiritually connected to it. But the forest is being threatened by development. In response to these threats, the Prey Lang Community Network has announced a day of prayer for Prey Lang, appropriately named “Pray Long for Prey Lang”. You need not be a spiritual person to appreciate the value of this unique resource. And you need not stand in prayer to show your support of the cause. Both the Prey Lang Community Network and non-profit Cultural Survival offer other ways to help.
Read more about Prey Lang and the Community Network here http://ourpreylang.wordpress.com/ and check out Cultural Survival’s Global Response campaign to help save Prey Lang forest here: http://www.culturalsurvival.org/take-action/cambodia
Check out these cultural sustainability initiatives in Indonesia!
I am traveling in Indonesia this week and have been happy to find issues of cultural sustainability making front page news in the Jakarta Post. In a country where indigenous people are the majority, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. But in a world where bad, bloody, and/or scandalous news often fills the front page, the following articles were a pleasant surprise.
On Monday, an article about the export potential of traditional foods appeared. The government has recognized that the promotion of traditional foods has the potential to boost the economy and create jobs while fostering a sense of cultural and national identity. Sounds like a great plan to me!
Today, the headline “Strictly Javanese at language congress” caught my eye. I assumed the article would be about disallowing dialects at the congress, effectively alienating those who speak indigenous languages. Instead, the article proved to be a celebration of language, stating that Javanese has been named the official language of the congress. The Surinamese Social Affairs Minister was quoted as expressing his appreciation of the declaration, saying, “We are happy that [we] can speak Javanese. It’s because we are preserving [the culture] of the 100,000 Javanese people of Suriname.” Another speaker at the congress echoed this sentiment, stating, “I am touched that I see a spirit to preserve Javanese here. I see this as a shared consciousness to block the impact of globalization that has caused many regional languages to become extinct.”
Language preservation and culinary cultural promotion in action in Indonesia!
MACS student Cherie Cloudt in the news
Cherie Cloudt’s heartfelt work with her community has attracted media attention in New Mexico. You can check out the Ruidoso News article and learn more about Cherie, her community, and her ponies. Great work, Cherie!
Have you seen other MACS students in the news? Do tell! Send stories and links to asfit001@mail.goucher.edu or post them in the comments below.
November is Native American Heritage Month!
November is Native American Heritage Month. How are you celebrating?
If you need some inspiration, you can check out the Native American Heritage Month website created and supported by The Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
A few ideas to get you started:
Plan a trip using the National Parks Service Travel Itineraries and visit an historic and culturally important site, such as the Indian Mounds of Mississippi.
Listen to Plains Indian Stories with storyteller Donna Couteau (Sac & Fox) every Thursday through December 16th, 2011 (10AM – 1PM, 2PM – 4PM at the at the American Indian Museum Heye Center, New York).
Catch one of the daily (12:30 & 3:30, except Wednesday) screenings of Silent Thunder – the story of Stanford Addison, an Arapaho elder, who has become a master “horse whisperer” – at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Plan a viewing of the documentary We Still Live Here – Âs Nutayuneân at your school, home, or community center, attend one of the public screenings in locations across the country, or watch the film on PBS Independent Lens on November 17, 2011 and share in the celebration of the inspirational story of the Wompanoag people, Jessie Little Doe, and their quest to revitalize their Native language.
If you aren’t able to get out and enjoy the events this month, there are some incredible teaching resources and online exhibits available for exploration, such as the Coso Rock Art exhibit.
Support a Native American Heritage project. Speak in your Native tongue. Share a Native tradition or meal. CELEBRATE!
If you are hosting or attending an events and want to share the info, please post in the comment section here or email the event information to Sunny at asfit001@mail.goucher.edu
Sustainability as a competitive advantage
“McCabe sees sustainability as a competitive advantage for Maori, particularly in the global market, because it fits with many cultural norms that Maori already have and they are less likely to pay it lip service.”
Check out this article that discusses sustainability as both a way of life to Maori people and an advantage to Maori businesses: Maori business enterprises in unique position
365 Ways to Sustain Culture
MACS student, Queen Nur, has a goal of compiling/posting a list of “365 Ways to Sustain Culture”. You can join the discussion, add your idea, and help a fellow MACSer by posting a comment on her blog, emailing her at kaabd001@goucher.edu, or posting to her Facebook page.
In our every day lives and in the work we do, we aim to find ways to sustain the culture and traditions that matter to us and our communities. Let’s share our ideas with each other and help Queen Nur reach her goal!
