Ramadan explained simply

Cissé's post on Ramadan triggered this new blogpost in order to try and help you understand not only what Ramadan is but also what dear Cissé is going through.

I found many different sources, but most were too complex. I therefore chose to link you to the fantastic BBC website for schools here and rather than just reading, why don't you check your knowledge on this topic with this worksheet ? I'll be glad to correct it for you, but Cissé can be helpful, too ;)

There is also this video but, for copyright reasons, I'll only leave you the link and won't embed it - so, please, check it as it clearly explains Ramadan. 

Here you can listen to a chant and here to a short story.

While Cissé is undergoing this monthlong observance and strict restraints are placed on all youngsters, adult and healthy Muslims, I have been reading a great book called “The Thread” by Victoria Hislop (in Portuguese you can find it here and under the title "A Arca").

And why am I telling you this? Well, on the one hand, I loved the characters and the plot and, on the other hand, it’s another book that points out the physical and cultural scars left by a sequence of many dramatic events.  According to the author’s own words, “This story is about Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city. In 1917, the population comprised an even mixture of Christians, Muslims and Jews. Within three decades, only Christians remained…. The characters and many of the streets and places they inhabit are entirely fictional, but the historical events all took place.”

Religious persecutions, mass killings, anti-Semitism… have always taken a toll not only in those living in a place but, above all, on those forced to leave and all these unfair situations are to be found in the book  "The Thread". It’s therefore never too much to refer to these situations and to diversity and of the utmost importance to deal and live with difference around us.

Multicultural, multilingual and multiracial environments can only enrich and colour our lives. Understanding and tolerance are of vital importance for peace keeping and one is never too young or too old to learn about it.

This post is already getting too long but let me introduce you to a dub poet, Levi Tafari, and to an extract from a lovely poem about inclusion and diversity called "CELEBR8"
In what concerns religion he says...

People embrace religion

but still they fuss and fight

many believe in one God

so why on earth don’t they unite

there are many different faiths

we have lots of beliefs

so let’s celebr8 our differences

instead of crying out in grief.

And the repeated lines are...

WE SHOULD CELEBR8

NOT DISCRIMIN8

LEARN TO APPRECIATE

DON’T PLAYER HATE

BECAUSE THERE’S ROOM FOR YOU

AND THERE’S SPACE FOR ME

LIVING IN THIS WORLD OF DIVERSITY

LET’S CELEBR8 DIVERSITY