Crude Reality in Nigeria: An International Cry for Help
12 July, 2010
As the world looks toward the Western hemisphere and its swirling despair in the Gulf of Mexico, Nigeria’s delta region blinks back in disbelief at the extent of its underexposure of the same plight. In fact, Nigeria has suffered oil spill disasters of a greater frequency, with magnitudes equal to Exxon-Valdez annually for half a century.
Child Soldiers in Somalia, Sanctioned by the U.S.?
28 June, 2010
Almost 20 years after the “Blackhawk Down” incident in Mogadishu, Somalia, the United States finds itself yet again tied to the failed state in an uncomfortable and internationally denounced arrangement. Somalia is a nation in East Africa that endures longstanding images of starvation and human suffering alongside more recent ones of pirates and desperate, rebellious youth. It is a country whose own government admits that it cannot control the armed groups, some closely tied to Al-Qaeda, roving the remote areas, picking off neglected children to train as hardened mini-forces.
On Multicultural Beauty: Brides and Beyond
07 June, 2010
Around this time of year, scores of magazines, tabloids, and talk shows focus on the traditional spring and summer rites of the West, specifically brides and their wedding preparations. As if following nature’s mandate with a flair for the dramatic, women consume every scrap of information, ideology, or tradition based on their personal history and influences, or many times, what the current trends are where they live.
Wearing white, an old symbol of purity and virginity, is still the norm for many women on their wedding day, although one might wonder if the concept of after or even before the wedding enters into the conversation. How do we reconcile our modern-day sexual politics and contradictory media messages with the idea of being less pure, less than “white”? The veil serves a dual purpose, concealing a precious gift until the “right” moment wherein the husband can enjoy himself, or reveal to the world the mate by his side as his own, transformed from her formerly single status. The veil can be a sartorial baptism of sorts, a transition before the clergy and families that symbolizes a new physical and spiritual bond. Visual versus other aspects of a “beautiful wife” include virtues like dutifulness, modesty, loyalty, and fertility.
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