The Panama’s sombrero pintao (painted hat) is worn during dances, parties and by farmers working in the fields to protect themselves from the sun. It is one of the most characteristic garments of the Panamanian folklore, and now it has become part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Although there is little documentation on the origin…
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The concept of Ubuntu is deeply rooted in Africa and refers to human reality. It means confidence, sharing, collaboration. Mandela summarised it thus: “Are you willing to give something to help the people around you and so improve your community?” And he defeated apartheid. In times marked by the terrorist menace and by divisive arguments…
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Highly valued in traditional medicine for treatment and management of a number of diseases and disorders. Funtumia elastic, commonly named ‘silk rubber’, is a medium-sized deciduous tree with distribution from Guinea to Cameroon and in the Congo basin, and along the Nile basin in Egypt, Sudan, and in east Africa, especially in Tanzania and Uganda.…
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The first haircut of a boy or a girl is a sacred act in the Quechua culture, therefore it is performed during a special ceremony. The role of the godfather. The uma rutuku (first haircut) is a significant event in the life of an Andean Quechua and Aymara child. The first hair cut is a…
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We are in Pikine, a Dakar suburb, Senegal. Father Armel Duteil, is the one telling the story. He is an 80-year-old Spiritan missionary. French by…
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Once there lived a hard-working farmer in a small village who had a water-buffalo. Every day, with his plough on his shoulder, he led his water-buffalo…
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For over nine years, violence and displacement have devastated opportunities for youth across the country. Here are nine of the most pressing challenges facing young people…
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