CONVERSATION
CONVERSATION
CONVERSATION
HUMAN TRACES:
ETHIOPIA
HUMAN TRACES:
ETHIOPIA
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
DESTINATIONS
DESTINATIONS
The Dreamtime, or the Dreaming, portrays the Aboriginal beliefs in spiritual existence. According to the tribes that first settled down in the continent, the Dreaming's roots date all the way back to the very begging of the creation of the world. The meaning and ideology of the term is generally not so well-understood by non-indigenous people as it is referred to as part of the culture of one of the early nations, which differs from modern perceptions.
The Spirits were the creators of everything. They made the land and the seas, the rocks and the plants, the sky and the earth. They were the higher power and the Australian Aborigines spent their lifetimes honoring this power, which guided their path and shaped their way of thinking. Not only creators of everything, which could be seen as well as felt, the Spirits also gave the Aborigines the Dreaming.
The time when everything started existing according to the initial Australians, was called the Dreaming. This is the foundation of the continent's culture. The origin of the Dreaming goes way back - 65 000 years back in time to be exact. The Ancestors of the nation shaped the land, forming some parts of it as sacred. The Aborigines were very careful and overprotective of those places, strongly believing in their significance.
The Australian Aborigines are known to have believed that the world didn't have any shape and was therefore empty. Darkness dominated, and life was simply asleep, but this changed when the creation began happening. After the Dreaming and the influence of the Spirits, objects began taking shapes and came to be. They created the four elements: water, earth, air and fire, as well as all the planets, the Sun and the Moon. The Dreaming therefore is a continuous process, which never ended. It is a small cosmos on its own, unifying the past, present and the future into one.
The Australian Aborigines' home riches so many vivid areas of the continent, including Fraser Island, Tasmania, Palm Island, Groote Eylandt and Mornington Island. The Aborigines had very strong believes in relation to the powers of the land, claiming that they never owned it - it rather owned them. The only reason they were able to call it their home is because they were looking after it and the land was taking care of the people in return.
Equally important to the Dreaming was the tribes' understandings of the disappearance of the Spirits. There came a time, when the creators of everything vanished from sight. Some of them were thought to have started living in sacred places, which is why the Aborigines perceived their homeland to be so sacred. The ancestors of today's Australians used to believe that the creators started living in rocks, in water holes and some went up to the sky to guide the people from above and keep them safe. Others transformed completely, taking the forms of the rain, the lightnings and the thunderstorms so they could be part of peoples' life.
Among the hundred's different Aboriginal languages, there isn't a word to describe 'time', because to them this simply doesn't exist. Dreaming and Dreamtime are used to replace it and summarize the ideologies of the Aborigines about everything they knew, everything they could see, feel and experience. This is why the Dreaming has such a vivid, and overwhelming meaning and has survived the obstacles of time. For the past couple thousand years, the Dreaming has built a rich cultural heritage that can identify a whole nation.
Read more about the Land, its connection to people and the way it has been perceived from different generations in the very first print issue of ORIGIN. The Land Issue covers varied topics, most of which remain related to cultural aspects of the land and its importance.
A lot of people travel to explore places and learn about them which is the message that ORIGIN wants to spread. With traveling, however, comes certain responsibilities that we should all be aware of. Elephants riding has become a popular way to explore locations by land. People have been doing this as part of their trips, mostly to places such as Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia and other parts of Asia. It is a common thing to see in certain places in Africa as well. We investigated the activity to explain why it is wrong and riding elephants should be banned everywhere.
Our first print issue studies culture and traveling represented through the land. We explored various location around the globe and learned what makes the land so valuable, which nations cherish it and how it helps us establish an identity. Traveling is important to us but traveling responsibly and making an impact is what we feel proud to stand behind. This is why riding elephants as a way of amusement should be reconsidered.
Let’s talk about the details. Elephants are very caring and extremely intelligent animals. It is a well-known fact that they never forget anything. When kept in captivity instead of spending their life in the wild, elephants die younger. Unlike in other species, this is common for the gentle giants and is often a result for stress.
Many African cultures respect elephants, believing they symbolize strength, loyalty and power. However, power can be a very tender concept. Elephant used as a tourism tool suffer from great pain daily. Elephants can be hurt very severely from the weight of carrying people and a trainer on their backs. The reason for this is the design of their spines. They have sharp protrusions, extending upwards from their spine instead of having round spinal disks. The protrusions and the tissue that serves to protect them can be harmed easily from weight pressure. Once a damage to their spine has been made, there is no going back and sometimes the harm can be irreversible. While this can’t be physically seen, the harm that the chairs can do to the elephants’ skin is. It is often the case that the chairs and the weight on their back can damage the animal’s skin and cause pain to their body. The chair, called Howdah, that gets attached to their backs, rubs on their skin and can cause blisters, which can sometimes get infected.
The training that elephants are required to go through when in captivity sometimes adopts a traditional Thai ‘phajaan’ or ‘crush’ technique. Explaining the technique would compare it to the animals’ spirits constantly and continuously being broken by the means of torture and social isolation. This is done in order to tame them. Elephants are wild animals, this is their nature as they are born in such conditions. Making them safe and obedient around people requires them to go through such training. As horrible as it sounds, in some places young elephants are taken away from their mothers to be abused with nails, bull hooks and bamboo sticks to make them obey rules, given by people. The animals often lack sleep and are starved to become submissive.
Actions from such nature are cruel and harmful as the technique is used to crash the animals’ spirit. Once wild and free, elephants become a source of tourism and entertainment. Nobody, who cared about sustainable tourism should ever ride an elephant.
In a sense, elephants have a human soul. They socialise and feel everything – pain, happiness, grief, sadness etc. They spend their life building families and finding friends. The largest land animals are a gift from nature and it is our responsibility to take special care of them and make sure they live according to their nature. Many animals, who are kept in captivity, are forced to live in isolation and carry heavy loads all day long, which is a wrong way to treat them. Their strength and power shouldn’t be abused but treated gently and celebrated by people. Elephants require minimal care to stay happy and healthy, which comes from giving them freedom to behave naturally and socialise. It is our responsibility to be culturally aware while traveling and make sure to spread awareness about the problem.
You can read the rest of the article as published in the LAND issue.
THE BLUE NILE IS TURNING RED
Illustration by Demira Padayachee
Massacres and other tremendous brutalities put Sudan in a humanitarian and political crisis. While the media blackout in the African country deprives many from using their voices, we urge readers to join the global conversation and to spread awareness. Our silence is lethal, but power lays in the voice of the people.
Words: Aleksandra Georgieva
24 June 2019
Sudan is under a major political and humanitarian crisis following a transition period after the ousting of Omar al-Bashir on 11 April. Not only did the Sudanese President rule with dictatorship for 30 years, but he also turned into one of the longest-ruling African leaders.
It could be said that tension in Sudan started building up back in December 2018. President Bashir's government issued emergency austerity measures. The limitations to necessities such as food and fuel provoked outrages over living standards and an economic collapse. Demonstrations demanded the army forced the removal of President Omar al-Bashir. On 6 April they gathered in front of the military’s headquarters and five days later the president was overthrown.
Diverse, well-organised and peaceful protest movement raised hopes of the locals. The organization is led by lawyers, health workers and doctors, who from the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA). Women are powerful representatives of the opposition. A video went viral on social media showing a woman, who inspires demonstrators to fight against the political dictatorship in Sudan. She was named Kandaka, meaning Nubian queen.
Protest organisers came together and formed the Alliance for Freedom and Change group to discuss the political crisis with ruling generals. Representatives addressed the issue of the country’s need for more inclusive rule and transition to civilian administration. On 15 May both parties reached an agreement on a new government with a cabinet, legislative body and a sovereign council. They also decided that civilian-led rule will take place after a three-year transition period, to allow time to dismantle Mr. Bashir's regime and have fair elections.
Yet, the old military regime continued to thrive. Negotiations collapsed on 3 June after security forces in the capital city Khartoum left at least 30 pro-democracy protesters dead. Shortly after that the army scheduled elections to be held within nine months instead of the initial three-years agreement.
Transitional Military Council (TMC) is a seven-member council of generals, led by Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan. The council took charge on 11 April stating it would ensure the country’s security. After the brutal attack on 3June, the military was internationally condemned. In response the TMC expressed "sorrow for the way events escalated".
After the violent killings, pro-democracy protestors initiated a general strike and put an end to all contact with the TMC. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed travelled to Sudan and after two weeks reached a new agreement between the two parties – protest leaders opened to negotiations and ended the strikes, while the military promised the release of political prisoners.
Illustration by Louna
Sudan’s Significance:
Sudan is located on one of the most geostrategic regions of the continent. History remembers the country as the bridge between North and sub-Saharan Africa. Sudan also has access to the Horn and to a long Red Sea coastline area.
Media Blackout:
The Internet access in Sudan was cut off nationwide in attempt to end the mass protests and to silence the people. The Sudanese Professionals Association makes official announcements to over 800,000 Facebook followers, but locals now have no access to the social media platform.
The peaceful sit-in protest outside the military headquarters on 3 June was answered by the security forces with a brutal crackdown. The massacre issued local outrage. Many children, women and men were injured, raped and killed. According to doctors 40 bodies were dumped into the River Nile.
In response, TMC shut down the internet access in the country, stating this was in the interests of "national security". Pro-democracy demonstrators not only struggle to communicate but also have no access to their trusted news sources. The campus of University of Khartoum alongside key locations where Sudan's revolutionaries used to gather are now in ashes.
After the crackdown, people in the are were desperate to contact their loved ones. According to local newspapers, apart from isolating the people of Sudan from the rest of the world, the shutdown of internet access costs businesses millions. This is problematic for the country, since Sudan had already faced an economic crisis at the end of last year when the government issued emergency austerity measures.
#BlueforSudan
In solidarity with the Sudanese people and against the ongoing violence social media users are turning their profile photos blue. On 3 June, 26-year-old engineer and activist Mohamed Mattar was part of the peaceful protest of the opposition in front of the military headquarters. During the crackdown he was fatally shot while reportedly trying to protect two women from the brutalities.
After Mattar’s murder his friends and family changed their profile pictures online in his favourite colour and soon enough other people followed. Amid the Sudan internet blackout, the hashtag #BlueforSudan gathered global significance and became trending across platforms including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Brutalities:
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500 + KILLED
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720 + INJURED
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54 + RAPED
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650 + ARRESTED
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1000 + MISSING
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118+ BODIES INTO THE RIVER NILE
Illustration by Noran Fikri
The Sudan humanitarian and political crisis has escalated, and the media blackout only makes the spreading of information more difficult on both national and global scale. People can only communicate with their families in the conflicted African country through telephone, which is nowhere near enough.
Human rights have been violated and many have been killed. The people of Sudan have been deprived of using their voices to spread awareness of the events. It is vital that those, who can use their voice to spread awareness, do not look away from the brutalities taking place in Sudan with a light heart. The country is bleeding, but we have the power to provoke change. Our silence is lethal, but our voices are the weapons that spark conversations and provoke change.
Speak up for those, who cannot. Use your voice and take part in an educated discussion. Don’t stand on the side lines, in silence, watching the blue Nile turn red.
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NOMADSofORIGIN is an independent annual publication with a focus on sustainable travelling and global cultural values. Each issue features interviews, engaging articles and photo guides, which take our nomadic readers through different destinations and introduce them to local people's perspectives.
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