Tag Archives: environmental portrait Papua New Guinea is a remote and rugged country that was untouched by foreign influences for a very long time. Its jungle-clad mountains and wild river valleys are home to one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse populations in the world. For a long time, outsiders thought the Highlands region was unpopulated, and international […]  With about 1400 individuals living across three villages, the Kara are the smallest discrete ethnic group in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. They are closely related to the Benna-Bashada-Hamar group and share many linguistic features and cultural practices with these tribes. For example, their young men take part in the Bula, or Pilla, or Bull-jumping ceremony: jumping […]  Candlelight is a powerful symbol in many spiritual practices around the world. In Christianity, the candle stands for light and the spirit of truth in the darkness of life; in Hinduism, light is a strong symbol of hope and prosperity; in Buddhism, burning candles evoke the state of impermanence and change, and represent the enlightenment […]  You could be nowhere else… The songs of Imams on the hot, heavily scented air, are calling you to prayer. The hawkers and beggars lining the streets are noisily entreating you into the bustling markets. The tourist boats rafted on the river are enjoining you to travel back to colonial times … A Nile riverboat, […]  “Respect all religions. Practice your own.” So said a Swami visiting Australia many years ago in interview when asked if he wished to attract people to his Hindu faith. Proselytisation is an alien concept in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Sectarianism violence has played – and still plays – a central […] |
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