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
