Cities vs. Suburbs: Does there have to be a war?
image via psu.edu
Just last week, we highlighted the efforts of Jim Leach, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and his national tour to restore civility to the national discourse. Implicit in his year-long tour is the understanding that transformations like these take time. Indeed, peacebuilding is not a task to be checked off a to-do list but a worldview, a paradigm shift toward dealing with conflict productively.
An article in Grist last week touches on one such issue that has recently resurfaced: the urban-suburban divide. Author Sarah Goodyear (Grist’s Cities Editor) approaches the well-worn topic through the lens of environmental impact and climate change, citing scholars on both the urban and suburban sides of the debate. I found myself surprised by the oft-incendiary language used by the quoted experts. As Ms. Goodyear herself points out, the word “war” is used a lot, with defenders of suburbia claiming that the Obama administration is “pushing an agenda” that “reflects a radical new vision of American life” of “forced densification [that] could auger in a kind of new feudalism.” On the other side, supporters of urban spaces accuse Republican party leaders—suburbanites are irrevocably linked to a particular political affiliation—of “using xenophobia, racism, and fear of change to block environmental, climate, transportation, and energy action.”
If you’re like me, reading that necessitates a big step back—perhaps even a coffee break. read more…
As the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia has a key role to play in promoting religious understanding and respect. Earlier this month, Search for Common Ground hosted a national youth debate competition in Jakarta focused on Islam and tolerance. In this video, each of the participants talk about the importance of this topic, but one in particular sums it up perfectly, saying that really, it comes down to your “belief in someone,” and your ability to choose who that is.
Playing for Peace: Does Everybody Win?
image via kenyafootball.com
The Common Ground Awards are coming up (Thursday, November 11). If you want to come, get your tickets now!
During the World Cup last June, we highlighted five different organizations that use sports—particularly soccer/football—as a means to achieving development goals and sustainable peace.
One of the amazing things about the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA)—one of our 2010 Common Ground Awardees—is the fact that when it was started in 1987, there was virtually no recognition from international donor organizations that sports was a legitimate way to involve youth. MYSA proved that by using sports as a starting point, organizations could address a whole host of issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention, inter-ethnic understanding and solidarity, drug and alcohol abuse, and community beautification.
However, as Bob Munro describes in his report “Sport for Development: Policies, Perils, and Partnerships,” funding was not the only challenge faced by MYSA. read more…
Sports for Peace: Common Ground Awards 2010
image via mysa.bjornborg.com
The Common Ground Awards are coming up (November 11). If you’d like to come, get your tickets now!
This week we are highlighting the powerful role sports can play in bridging differences and building long-term peace, both through longstanding organizations like the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and courageous players like the South African Springbok Rugby Team of 1995—both will be honored in our 2010 Awards.
Tanya in her DRC stage debut
By Tanya Castle
Art is an expression of culture: never have I realized this more acutely than in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Where I’m from, children are privileged to be largely spared from exposure to everyday, real-life violence, and we try to protect them from stylized violence as well as evidenced by content ratings for television shows, movies, video games, and the like.
In the DRC, a country that is just now recovering from a drawn-out war, there is no such shield guarding children from viewing and absorbing violence, both real and imagined. Indeed, it is often youth themselves who are participating in such violence, not only in art but in real life.
Bukavu was once the theater capital of the DCR, thriving as a cultural centre during colonial times and in the years that followed. However, the onset of the war in 1998 changed things, with concerns for survival overshadowing the need for creative expression.
Now, almost ten years after the war officially ended, Bukavu is reclaiming its position as a cultural hub—at least if a talented and dedicated group of young people have their way. The 32-member troupe Ma Destinée (My Destiny) is busy writing and staging original plays, and performing traditional songs and dances across the city. read more…
There’s a new site you might want to check out and even contribute to:
Pictures of Muslims Wearing Things.
Created in response to Juan Williams’ expressed fear of people in “Muslim garb,” the site challenges the idea that all Muslims look or dress a certain way.
The site features shots like these:
Davi Barker: Yet another Muslim in traditional Muslim garb
Check it out. What do you think?
