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(02/09/11 11:43pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Breaking up is hard to do.But, let’s face it, at some point in our lives we are going have to deal with a nasty breakup or some other big change. It’s an inevitable reality that comes with life. As time goes on, we grow discontented with the constant and yearn for something new.However, the problem becomes how to effectively end what is known, move on and create a new identity almost simultaneously. It’s difficult to change yourself, but it’s even harder to communicate that change to others in a mature way. This process proves to be stressful and at times a bit frightening, but deep within, you know it’s necessary.On Jan. 25, the Egyptian people decided to formally break up with Hosni Mubarak and his corrupt administration. They did so through peaceful protests in the heart of Cairo.This mature breakup reflected the ideological shift in consciousness that occurred in the minds of Egyptians. Expressing these opinions has been stressful and frightening for them. They have had to throw out everything they know and basically try to start from scratch so their voices will be heard and respected.Prior to the actual riots, many Egyptian youths united on Facebook. They did what everyone ready to initiate a breakup does: confer with others. If you’ve ever broken up with someone, you know what I’m saying. You ask your friends what they think and get their opinions before taking action.In this case, they found out that their peers felt the same and this support system gave them the extra push they needed. They joined together and took to the streets to fight for personal freedom and drastic changes in their political systems.This united front has worked well so far. Yet, like most breakups, Egyptians are unsure of what comes next.It’s easy to say that something needs to end, but coming up with a solution to the problems that plagued you in the past is very difficult. It takes time and thought, but most of all it takes faith. Faith that the disorder caused by the breakup will indeed lead to something productive.Believing in positive change can also be difficult, especially when confronted with the current realities of uncertainty occurring in Tahrir Square. In this uncertain time, only one thing remains certain: Change will come to Egypt in one form or another.In times like these, things change. Revolutions are times when everything you think you know goes out the window. With this uncertainty, people realize what they need to preserve and what needs to be discontinued. Through this process, Egypt will experience social, political and economic changes that will affect the ways that it engages with its own citizens and the world.After a big breakup such as this, a shift in consciousness remains inevitable. The ways in which both parties respond to the breakup will define who they are and help them adjust to their present and future issues.We can learn a lot from the Egyptian demonstrations. Whether you’re considering breaking up with someone you know isn’t right for you or trying to forge a completely new political system for your country, the demonstrations remind us that change may make life difficult today, but it will allow you a chance for a better tomorrow. So take a chance and just break up with what you both know isn’t working.E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(02/03/11 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There has been a lot of buzz lately about South African artist Jax Panik.Recently, his marketing team covered South Africa in his infamous stickers. The stickers consist of the signature “I am Jax Panik” logo that he and his followers wear in his videos to mask their identity. Through their efforts, Jax Panik’s new single “Dinosaur” rose to number seven on South Africa’s 5FM Top-40 list. They showed the impact that simple marketing tools like stickers can have on new listeners.By creating an image and branding the idea of Jax Panik, they generate hype around the concept and simultaneously sell records. Panik also allows his listeners to help him develop his brand by having them submit their own “I am Jax Panik” stories and pictures. His blog features the best images of listeners with the logo covering their faces with captions saying, “Today I ...” This campaign showcases the diversity of Panik’s listener base and allows him to incorporate the listeners’ lives into his own. His unique approach gives him an interesting edge in today’s music scene and allows him to illustrate his diversity as an artist and to appeal to more people from across the world. Panik’s videos are also on the extreme side. Think of a male Ke$ha, only more lewd and over-the-top. Some have even hailed him as the South African version of Gorillaz due to his anonymous image and refusal to perform in concert. These choices illustrate his desire to be a symbol of a movement rather than an individual artist. Jax Panik represents everything we want out of music in this digital age. His music takes pop to the extreme. He is no longer simply Jacobus Johannes Van Heerden, your average South African teen who happens to make music.Rather, he has become much more, a larger symbol for the digital age of commercialism and everything else post-modern. With more than 46,000 friends on Facebook and more video views every day, Jax Panik represents the same form of escapism that Lil Wayne and Rihanna do. Their music allows us to journey away from our world of stress and solitude and feel as though we are part of something larger than ourselves. We become world travelers with a healthy love life and perfect hair. They allow us, if for only a few minutes, to feel as though our lives are as interesting as we wish they were. Defining what Jax Panik and his movement mean is like defining ourselves. Through music, we can become who we want to be and hide behind the mask of our iPods. We can own the “panik” in our lives and turn it into the dramatic sound track that motivates and engages us with the realities of being a “normal” member of society.
(01/27/11 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Musical expression and human rights go hand-in-hand in countries all across the globe. Often, we examine the formal structures of political participation when trying to understand the amount of freedom within a country. However, by listening to the local sounds of musicians and taking notice of what the people are actually listening to, we could gather a far more comprehensive vision of the social and political engagement in countries like Sudan. For southern Sudan, Jan. 9 marked the beginning of the end of an era. It was the day when the people of the region began their journey toward real change. People took to the ballots in a national referendum that would decide whether Sudan would remain one country or split into two separate countries. Though the official results of the vote have not yet been declared final, provincial results show that nearly 99 percent of southern Sudanese individuals desire a split from their northern counterparts. If all goes according to plan, southern Sudan will be an independent country sometime in July.This massive change resulted from the vocal nature of southern Sudanese musicians and radio stations.In a largely illiterate country like Sudan, it is often hard to spread the word about voting. Thus, the role of music in this referendum cannot be understated. Artists like Yaba Angelosi and Emmanuel Jal have motivated the everyday people of southern Sudan to go to the polls and cast their ballots.Angelosi’s anthem “Time to Vote” is currently one of south Sudan’s biggest hits. In the weeks before the polls closed, it was frequently played on the airways, and it motivated a whole community to voice their opinions at the ballot box. In the “Time to Vote” video, a group of Sudanese celebrities urges southern Sudan to vote and spread the word. The song’s message is clear: Vote now. It may be hard for us in the United States to see how instrumental political songs can be. But imagine if you were living in a rural area in southern Sudan and couldn’t read or write. A song played on an old FM radio could be your only connection to what is happening in the rest of your country.In this scenario, Angelosi’s song serves as both a public service announcement and uniting force for the country to rally behind in tremulous times.The result of public service announcements like “Time to Vote” and other tools of civil engagement resulted in more than 3.8 million southern Sudanese casting their ballots. This is a major triumph and truly illustrates the political power of music. Another example of this power is seen in Jal’s song “We Want Peace.” It serves as a more commercial example of the worldwide campaign for awareness about Sudan’s historical vote. He calls to the whole world asking for peace and mutual understanding. He teams up with some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities to spread the word about Sudan, and with more than 83,000 YouTube views, it seems that people all across the world are beginning to listen.It is the song of a Sudanese movement for change, yet it also closely aligns itself with the same motif of change people in America clung to in the 2008 election. Songs like these unite global listeners and bring pressing news stories not often covered by the western media to the forefront. So no matter where you are listening in the world, the message is the same.Think beyond yourself. There is a whole world out there just waiting for you to take a listen.
(01/27/11 12:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Decemberists’ new album, “The King is Dead,” journeys to the band’s folksy, Americana roots.As a whole, I can’t really fault the band for any particular stylistic choice, but I never really felt a connection with the album. It maintains the sounds we’ve grown to know and love but in a much milder manner.This album failed to draw me in the way “The Hazards of Love” and “The Crane Wife” did. The lack of a concept left me feeling disappointed. I wanted to like what I heard, but I just wasn’t dazzled beyond belief. Everything on the record merely sounds like the Decemberists without their unique edge of poignantly mixing sadness with joy. They have demonstrated in previous albums their great skill for singing about shape-shifting forest men in a way that seems strangely relatable and authentic. That authenticity is lost in this album. It’s a great CD for a long drive, but none of the songs are terribly memorable.“Don’t Carry It All” strives to begin the album with a bang, but it comes off a bit contrived. It further serves to introduce the central motifs of the album: coming home, looking back with nostalgia, community and getting in touch with the natural elements of life. Then comes “Rise to Me,” a song that urges you to stand your ground and go back to your roots. I’m not really a fan of these kinds of preachy, hometown values, and it ends up coming on a little too heavy at times. “Rox in the Box” picks up the pace a bit and sounds probably the most like the Decemberists’ previous albums.From start to finish, the album just seems to lack something. It’s sometimes unclear what that something is, but it’s evident that some of what made their old discs so good is now gone. I respect the Decemberists’ unique musical choices, and they make “The King Is Dead” worth at least one listen. However, if you find yourself disappointed by the fact that the album comes with a strong sense of down-home values and deeply entrenched nostalgic tendencies, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
(01/26/11 9:26pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tunisia has been a flurry of media coverage the past few weeks due to the recent overthrow of their former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.What grew from a Facebook movement among many disenfranchised Tunisia youth has transformed into a country’s call for change. They rejected the tyrannical 23-year rule of Ben Ali and fought to obtain basic human rights.Their fight against Tunisia’s corruption and high rates of unemployment mirror the overall attitudes of discontentment throughout the region. More and more people in North Africa are growing tired of having their voices and humanity stripped, and this overthrow signaled the first of many events to come in the rejection of their marginalized treatment.This movement and the resulting overthrow of the Tunisia government through the “Jasmin Revolt” showcase the power of people to fight for their right to democracy.In the aftermath of this revolution, there has been a lot of talk but little change in the way the world has reacted to the massive changes occurring in Tunisia. The lack of response from the United States, outside of a few brief comments, has made a clear statement that the United States doesn’t care about the everyday people of northern African and Arabic-speaking countries in general.Last week, Mark Levine wrote a great article for Al Jazeera entitled “Tunisia: How the US got it wrong.” The article argued, as the title suggests, that the U.S. government has ignored talking about and working with Tunisia in the past few weeks.I agree with Levine’s argument.He writes, “The flight of former President Ben Ali to Saudi Arabia is inspiring people across the Arab world to take to the streets and warn their own sclerotic and autocratic leaders that they could soon face a similar fate.”This rejection of capitalism and corrupt leaders has also spread to other Arab countries in the region, most notably in Egypt. Yet, when asked about the U.S. position on the events, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “We can’t take sides.” This statement clearly undermines the humanity that everyday people in Tunisia and other Arab nations were fighting for. But simply showing interest or sympathy for Tunisia’s struggle could have made huge changes in the way Arab nations viewed the United States and its agenda in the region.Clearly, Clinton and the Obama administration are aware of the Ben Ali regime and its history in Tunisia.In a recent cable leaked by WikiLeaks, the U.S. ambassador to Tunisia wrote, “The problem is clear: Tunisia has been ruled by the same president for 22 years ... he and his regime have lost touch with the Tunisian people. ... As a consequence, the risks to the regime’s long-term stability are increasing.”President Obama needs to vocally support the everyday people of Tunisia and other areas across the region. This vocal support will change the way young people view the United States and enable partnership instead of hatred between the nations.He should put the United States’ support behind this nation in this time of crisis. This support can be shown by not just participating in the same old song and dance of supporting “free and fair elections.“ These practices are fine and dandy but do virtually nothing. They are just more of the same promises of support that illustrate to citizens of a country that we really don’t care what happens there.We should care what happens in Tunisia because what happens there will affect our own national security and change the way we are seen in the world.By making a public statement to the people of Tunisia that we support them and will not stand for another leader like Ben Ali, we can start to change the way we are perceived. But these words are not enough, we must stand by our word and refuse to allow the new government to disempower the people in the same ways that the old regime did. We can work to give Ben Ali’s assets back to the people of Tunisia and help them in their brand-new start.By doing all these things with Tunisia, Obama’s administration can show other Arabic-speaking countries that they can rise above their current systems and retake their country. This would be the perfect way to help improve the United States’ image abroad and show the world that the United States really does care about the average people in other countries.They can cut their ties with imperialistic leaders and unite themselves with the masses of people who are tired of living under oppressive regimes.It is imperative that the United States responds in these ways. This is a defining moment in the Obama presidency, and he must act immediately. Our actions could be a key turning point in the U.S.-Arab countries’ relationship and can forever change U.S. and world history.E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(01/25/11 2:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The fact that anyone who has lived in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria since 1977 can’t give blood in America is utterly appalling.According to the Red Cross, “Currently only three out of every 100 people in America donate blood.” Yet, every year the Red Cross must turn down a whole host of people who are from or have lived in a country on the African continent because they don’t meet the FDA’s standards for “normal” blood donators.America is supposed to be a melting pot of people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Yet, this discrimination, along with many other discriminatory practices against Africans, clearly situates them as an “other” group that is outside the American “norm.”There is an overall lack of knowledge about Africa and its people among Americans. This results from the media’s inability to provide realistic information about this massive continent.When people think about Africa, they seem to think only of starving children and animals. Yet, the continent consists of 54 unique countries with thousands of different languages and ethnic groups, all of which have unique lives. In the same way that there is no universal American story, there is no one typical African life.It’s bad enough that the media is constructing harmful stereotypes about Africans, but the FDA’s blood donation restrictions further feed into these problematic perceptions about a largely misunderstood and understudied population as HIV-positive, dangerous and not “American” enough to give blood to their fellow Americans.Prior to Jan. 4, the United States maintained an HIV Entry Ban, which prohibited non-U.S. citizens from visiting or moving to America without a Department of Homeland Security waiver. Any immigrant would have to take and reveal the result of an HIV/AIDS test during the standard medical exam that tests for communicable diseases.I think this ban says a lot about America’s poor treatment of Africans and immigrants in general.We as a country only a few weeks ago removed the discriminatory practice of forcing people to share their personal HIV/AIDS test results and excluding people from our country based on those results.The ban further cements the U.S. discrimination against Africans. These immigrants had to undergo the scrutiny of being subject to HIV/AIDS testing prior to coming to the United States.If people have to be tested for HIV/AIDS prior to entering the country, it makes no sense to discriminate against those who have clearly demonstrated that they are not carriers of the disease. They should be treated like the rest of Americans in that they start out with a healthy, virtually blank slate in the United States and are eligible to give blood.Though giving blood isn’t the most important aspect of living in America, it allows people to give a little of themselves to help others with a medical need. By universally rejecting anyone who has lived in Africa along with any man who has had sex with a man, the FDA is further creating divisions within Americans.Instead of furthering these stereotypes of hate and fear of difference, the FDA and Red Cross should be encouraging people to get tested for HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. Giving blood could be an exercise that helps people not only help others, but also learn about their own health.Promoting the practice of safe sex and regularly getting tested creates an atmosphere of health and self-awareness rather than discrimination.E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(01/20/11 4:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Far away from Bloomington in a country named Angola, Kuduro music is playing. People are dancing the night away to some of the freshest beats on the African continent. If you think the songs you listen to while dancing at the bars are intense, you haven’t heard Kuduro music.If this is the first time you’ve heard of Kuduro, that needs to change ASAP. It is an amazing genre whose name literally means “stiff bottom” in Portuguese, which is used in Kimbundu language. This name comes from the provocative booty-shaking dance moves present in a Kuduro music video that often leads to a tight behind. Once you start listening to these kinds of songs, believe me, you will not be able to remain sitting. The beat begins to take over your body and dancing becomes compulsory. From these strong dancing urges come moves you didn’t even know you were capable of. You will become twice the dancer you thought you were and pick up some Portuguese along the way.It’s only fitting that the roots of the genre came in the 1980s. At this time, musicians in Angola’s capital city of Luanda began to mix beats, or “batida,” that sounded very much like hip-hop infused with electronic, with soca, rumba and even some punk thrown in every now and again. During the two decades of its existence, it has adapted to fit the needs of the people and has transformed into a movement that expresses away of life. Some artists like Os Lambas use their music to make political statements, while others like Cabo Snoop merely seek to make people dance. In this way, Kuduro resembles many Western genres. It has become kind of a catch-all for nearly anything danceable and produced in Angola. It is what you want it to be and is always changing.Since its humble beginnings in Luanda, Kuduro has also spread to a variety of other Lusophone countries and has become pretty popular in Lisbon. Bands like Buraka Som Sistema have helped spread the sounds of Kuduro all over the world.YouTube also presents Kuduro artists an entire world to share their “batida” with. Within Angola, new artists gain popularity by getting minibus drivers to play their music and increase their airplay. Then, Angolans decide for themselves what is good and bad Kuduro. Now, it’s your turn. For your listening pleasure, I made a list of my five favorite Kuduro songs, but this is just the beginning.A world of Kuduro awaits. 1. Batida’s “Alegria”Batida is a band that started as a Portuguese radio show featuring music from Angola and other Lusophone countries. After doing their radio show for a while, they started making their own Kuduro, eventually releasing an album called Dance Mwangole.This video, “Alegria,” features my favorite of their songs. “Alegria” means “joy,” and the video captures an epic celebration in Luanda, the capital of Angola. The video is trippy, smart, fun and edgy, and I can’t get enough.2. Os Lambas’ “Sobe”From wall climbing to other moves that you’ve never seen before but wish you had, the dancing in this video is sick. Os Lambas has been one of the biggest Kuduro groups in Angola for a few years now, and in this video, they do not disappoint. They use their video to showcase the everyday neighborhoods of the under-represented Angolans. 3. Cabo Snoop’s “Windeck”This video is over-the-top in all the right ways. The vibrant colors, choreographed dances and sassy attitude make this song a hit for Angolan audiences and beyond.4. Game Walla’s “Kassumuna”Dancing in the street representing Luanda, Game Walla consistently tests the boundaries and adapts the genre of Kuduro to suit his needs as an artist. 5. Buraka Som Sistema’s “Yah!”This is the biggest Kuduro band and its classic hit that spread Kuduro to the masses. It only makes sense to include probably the most well-known song of the genre.
(01/12/11 5:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a self-proclaimed world music fan, I often get asked something along the lines of, “What is world music, and how do you find it?”Where to begin? World music is such a broad genre that defining it is like defining the term music itself.It encompasses literally all music anywhere in the world. Generally, when people say “world music,” they are referring to music from exotic places like Mali and Chile. But world music is anywhere and everywhere you find music that you enjoy listening to and can relate to. For me, world music doesn’t have to be from a foreign place and sound a certain way. It is just music that sounds fun and has relatable lyrics. When you hear a song that reflects issues you’ve dealt with, regardless of its country of origin, you identify with it. It becomes part of your life and joins the other songs you have added to your life’s never-ending playlist. For me, exploring world music is very much like exploring the world. By listening to the type of music people in a particular place enjoy, you learn more about the political, economic and social characteristics of a given culture. All too often, people buy into the concept that world music has to have “traditional” sounds. Yet the idea of defining any culture’s music as traditional or modern is very problematic for both the critic and the artist. These quests for “authenticity” in music seem to be exercises in futility. All music that is made has its own time and purpose. It holds different meanings at various times and occasions based on one’s cultural background. Music is all about blending new and old sounds in different ways and incorporating them into our lives. In doing so, we gain a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Being a world music enthusiast is all about exploring new and old sounds in unique places. In a country where Justin Bieber and Katy Perry reign supreme in the music industry, I know that sometimes it seems like that is all there is. It’s hard to find music that isn’t cheesy pop, intense rap or corny country. That’s where sites like YouTube and the plethora of music blogs come in. The Internet has opened up a world of music to the masses. With a click of a button, people can journey from Austria to Zimbabwe in seconds collecting unique sounds that best meet their personal interests. From Senegal’s Baaba Maal to Angola’s Cabo Snoop, the sounds of the African continent and the rest of the world are far more accessible and similar than you would probably imagine. Worldwide musical genres mirror and feed off one another. Ghanaians listen to Lil Wayne, and Lady Gaga has plenty of “little monsters” in South Africa, so why can’t we try listening to amazing bands like Kenya’s Just a Band and Nigeria’s P-Square?Though hip-hop, country and pop songs change from country to country, they all resemble one another and capture universal emotions of happiness, sadness, love and loss.There are so many different sounds to be heard on blogs around the world. By exploring new sounds from around the continent we can help make this big world a little bit smaller and help bridge global cultures together through music.
(12/06/10 11:34pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The holiday season is a time for many things — eating copious amounts of food, reuniting with family and friends and, of course, receiving and giving gifts.For most of us, myself included, the entire gift giving and receiving process just adds more stress to the already busy holiday season. We are left constantly wondering: Is my gift good enough, is it too good, does the person really want this?The solution to this anguish about gift giving is to stop giving pointless gifts as most of us don’t need anything this Christmas. We have what we need, and another outfit or DVD really isn’t going to change our lives.But the money we are spending could have a huge effect on the lives of those trying to survive below the poverty line on less than a dollar a day. These people struggle to have access to goods to fulfill their basic needs of food, water, shelter and health.We could take note from people such as Bill Gates and his foundation by helping projects that improve education, health care and access to basic needs in developing nations around the globe.Gates’s giving has provided a lot of opportunities for individuals in developing nations. It was announced Saturday that the new meningitis vaccine his foundation has been working on is finally ready for release to the public. This vaccine will help save the lives of an estimated 150,000 people by 2015. Now that this new vaccine has been approved, it will begin being given to Africans in 25 different countries that are at high risk of contracting meningitis.Each dose costs less than 50 cents and will provide immunity to those who are most needy. Millions of dollars are still needed to ensure that this occurs, which is why organizations such as The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization are desperately trying to raise funds and make a world without meningitis possible.This is the first time in history that a vaccine was developed for the developing world. Gates sees this as revolutionary because it shows that vaccines can be developed without the demands of the rich and first being marketed at a very high price. This sets a precedent for other vaccines and future research about disease.But you don’t have to have money like Bill Gates to make a difference in the lives of others around the world.Organizations such as GlobalGiving and Kiva provide alternative gift giving options to those who have everything and want to give to someone in need.These organizations feature projects from all across the globe in fields ranging from education to sports.One such project is HeroRATS, which for only $36 a year, you can feed a Hero rat in Tanzania. These rats can detect landmines and TB by using their keen sense of smell. Their word and the donations of people around the world to fund the project have saved the lives of many Tanzanians.Other GlobalGiving projects include WomensTrust, a Ghanaian women empowerment organization that helps females living in the rural area of Pokuase by providing them much needed education, health care and loans. Oxfam America also released their holiday collection of charitable gifts, including everything from soap to an Alpaca.These gifts range in size and price, but all of them will make huge changes in the lives of those who receive them.Giving to those in need is a great thing for both the giver and the receiver, yet when giving it is important to be wary of organizations that profit off of the misfortune of others. That is where organizations such as www.givewell.org and www.charitywatch.org come in.These websites act as watchdog services that help global donors make decisions about whom to give money to by providing them with information about where their donations go.Giving during the holidays is great, especially to those in need. This holiday season, try not to think about all the unnecessary things you want and focus on the needs of others. Give from your heart, but remember that whether it’s a final paper or a charitable donation, it’s always best to do your research. E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(11/21/10 11:58pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Cotonou is underwater and no one seems to notice. The small West African country of Benin has been experiencing some of the most dramatic flooding the world has ever seen. This flooding is especially evident in its capital city of Cotonou. The city is experiencing the same sort of destruction New Orleans experienced in 2005.The flooding began as part of the yearly rain season West Africa is so familiar with, yet in September the rains became so intense and unceasing that the country became virtually under water. Benin is experiencing the worst flooding they have seen in 47 years. More than a quarter of the country is under water; 680,000 people have been affected and 128,000 hectares of crops have been decimated, and the rains keep coming, according to the Benin Emergency Humanitarian Action Plan and UNHCR. This flooding has not only destroyed people’s homes and access to food, but also has led to massive outbreaks of cholera due to contaminated water supplies and lack of a drainage system. Yet, no one seems to notice. Benin has received virtually no global news attention. But, Benin is not alone in terms of lack of media coverage or strange seasons. West Africa as a whole has been having very strange weather patterns this year. Niger experienced the worst of both worlds this summer. First, they experienced one of the worst famines in history due to the lack of rains. Then the problem became the opposite, flooding in Niger has become uncontrollable. It has destroyed their homes and crops, and made the people of Niger extremely desperate for any sort of assistance.The government of Niger said almost half of the population is at risk of daily hunger and nearly 17 percent of children younger than the age of five are malnourished.Niger has had a lot of problems with flooding in the past, most recently in 2005. However, this year’s flooding is the worst the country has experienced in 80 years. In a country as economically depressed as Niger, flooding only highlights a lack of resources like food, water and shelter.Even in the capital city of Niamey, every day is a battle to survive as people must wait in long lines and literally fight for their food. Outside the capital, many villages lack food. More than 3,500 acres of cassava, rice and sorghum crops have been destroyed, and these three crops are the main diet of the people of Niger. The flooding displaced close to 200,000 people in a matter of weeks, and things have only gotten worse from there.In the U.S., we use far more than we need to and waste so much without concern of its effect on our world. This wastefulness is hurting the environment around the world, especially in the already fragile climates of countries such as Benin, Niger and other West African nations.Our massive contributions toward climate change have been a major factor in the rapidly changing temperature and climate conditions in countries such as Benin, Niger and Pakistan. We might think that our actions don’t have consequences, but around the world people are suffering and none of the major contributing nations even seem to notice, let alone confiscate those who suffer due to our gross over usage of resources. Benin and Niger should be a warning to us. If we don’t stop overusing and refuse to address the climate change situation around the world, what is happening there will happen to us. E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(11/02/10 1:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As you journey to the polls today, consider the power you have as a voter.Sure, in America, voting isn’t at the top of many people’s priority list. But it should be.In the past few months, I heard time and time again from my peers, “Why would I vote? I don’t care about this election.” So many people seem to think that voting doesn’t matter and feel apathetically toward any sort of politics.I agree that this election is not the most exciting of elections. But I will be voting today because it is my right and duty as a United States citizen. These congressional races might not mean much to me, but the idea of learning about candidates and expressing one’s voice in the ballot box is very sacred.Maybe the reason I find voting to be my civil duty is because I have learned about the fights that those before me have waged to give me the right to vote. All around the world, people have fought and continue to fight for their right to cast a ballot.Take for example Côte d’Ivoire, also known as the Ivory Coast, a nation in West Africa that had its first presidential election in 10 years last Sunday, Oct. 30. Fourteen candidates were on the ballot. Many polls have showed incumbent Laurent Gbagbo ahead in the polls.Many fear the election will incite violence on one or both sides. There is a lot of tension, especially in the western areas of the country. This fear of violence has lead to six election delays in the past five years.Even if the initial election goes well, there is a fear that conflict will arise in a run-off ballot as it has in the neighboring nation of Guinea. Yet, the entire region of West Africa seems to be invested in Côte d’Ivoire’s successful election.Côte d’Ivoire is an example of a country whose citizens are desperately pleading for the right to vote in a safe and fair manner. All they want to do is express their opinions without fearing for their lives.Hopefully, Côte d’Ivoire will experience non-violent and fair elections similar to their fellow Francophone West African country, Togo.Last March, Togo held a peaceful presidential election where the people re-elected Faure Gnassingbé. Many feared the election would lead to the same kind of violence found in the 2005 presidential election, where almost 800 people died in post-election fighting.Yet, Togo proved everyone wrong and had a virtually free, fair and non-violent election.Countries such as Togo prove that African elections can be peaceful and represent the choices of the people. Elsewhere on the African continent, the East African nation of Tanzania had a presidential election Sunday.Tanzania is a relatively politically stable country that has historically had fair and free elections. The country’s citizens cast their ballots Sunday between their current President Jakaya Kikwete and Willibrod Slaa of Chadema party.Originally, Kikwete had a huge lead against Slaa. But recently Slaa has been gaining in the polls due to his engagement of the Tanzania’s youth population.His party has been using text messages and Facebook to get his message out. They have tried to engage the country’s youth population with the message of “change.”It’s great to see the youth populations in African nations so involved in politics. This kind of engagement is what we need to see again in America.So many of us have forgotten the passion we had in the 2008 election and how great a right it is for us to be able to cast our vote in an election.In so many countries around the world, people are fighting for their right to vote, and many have had this right taken away from them. Let’s honor their struggles by learning about candidates, registering and voting in our own elections.Voting is easy for us. We have access to all kinds of information regarding candidates simply by going online. We can register to vote on campus, and you can walk, bike or bus to your polling center.We don’t have to fear violence or unfair voting practices, yet we still don’t get out and vote.Americans need to stop being apathetic toward politics. Instead, we must engage with our politicians and make our voices heard by stepping into the ballot box and casting our vote.E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(10/19/10 12:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sudan is at a crossroads in their country’s history, and we cannot continue to apathetically stand by and watch.This January, the largest country on the African continent will decide whether or not to break into two separate countries through a countrywide referendum. They will also decide whether or not the oil rich region of Abyei will remain a part of Northern or Southern Sudan. This vote will forever change the way the world looks at and interacts with Sudan. But more importantly, it will change the domestic dynamics of Sudan.For decades, the predominantly Muslim Northern and Christian Southern parts of the country have been fighting. This fighting has led to the deaths of more than 2 million Sudanese and the displacement of millions more. It has also lead to the genocide occurring in the area of Darfur. The desire for oil revenues has been a key point of contestation about whether the country will split or not. Most of the southerners want to form a separate nation from the Northern part of the country. However, northerners have been opposed to this split because they want to continue receiving oil profits from the Abyei regions.This has led to negotiations between the regions, which seek to find a way to appease the North, while providing the autonomy the South so greatly desires. This will most likely involve sharing some portion of oil revenues.Regardless of the costs, the avoidance of more fighting should be the ultimate goal. Sudan has been ravaged by civil war for far too long. These acts can only lead to more destruction and violence.Though a lot of the major players in world politics are weary of getting involved in Sudan, it is imperative that President Obama and other key figures become active in these talks. China and the African Union must also stop enabling President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s actions and start asking for accountability and peace talks to occur. We must stop allowing people such as Bashir to control how we interact with Sudan. Bashir has been indicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in the Hague but refuses to turn himself in. Instead, we should forge new relationships outside of Khartoum (the capital city of Sudan) that will help Sudan’s interests, as well as actively work toward protecting our own.Sudan’s possession of oil reserves should not make it immune to discussion. Rather, we need to become more invested in the fate of Sudan for economic, political and social reasons.We must ensure that voting on the referendum in Sudan not only takes place in January, but that it is also free and fair. Preparations for voting thus far have been nearly non-existent. Voter registration has been postponed for months now, and there is still much to do in terms of preparing the staff and ballots. These shortcomings prior to the election speak to the necessity of planning and involvement of the global community. Non-partisan global figures must help negotiate between the two groups and make sure that all parties are heard.Though global participation is necessary in facilitating these important issues, these changes must reflect the wants and needs of the people of Sudan. The talks must not be centered, as they often are, on what the West thinks African countries and people need, but rather on what Sudan feels will work for them.You might think Sudan is just another country in Africa, and that its existence doesn’t affect you, but this is the wrong way to think about Sudan. For far too long, we have neglected to focus on Sudan and other African countries. This has been a huge misstep in our international relations policies.In neglecting Africa, we are missing out on so many markets and choosing to actively forget about the second most populated continent in the world. Though there are many reasons to care about Sudan, the top three are to make sure our investments in oil are safe, to broaden the scope of our relationships in Africa and to stop human rights atrocities occurring in Darfur.Our fate as a nation is inherently linked to the fate of other countries around the world. In helping secure peace in Sudan, we are also securing our own markets and helping make a better America. E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(10/05/10 12:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Gay marriage is legal in 10 countries, including South Africa, but still not in the United States. Yes, South Africa, the country that used to be ruled by apartheid, state-enforced segregation of racial groups. Even they have legalized gay marriage.Four years ago, on Nov. 30, 2006, South Africa became the first country in the Southern hemisphere to legalize same-sex marriages. Since then, many gay couples from all around the world have flocked to this exotic getaway to tie the knot.South Africa has a sense of intrigue for many Westerners. Many vacation there to spot wildlife, watch a World Cup match and even to have their same-sex wedding ceremony.In addition to legalizing same-sex marriage, South Africa also outlawed discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation and afforded homosexual and heterosexual individuals the same rights to adoption and military service. These critical changes occurred because of the diligence of organizations like The Gay Association of South Africa and the Rand Gay Organization during the 1970s.However, these changes have not come silently or without protest from many vocal heterosexual South Africans. Prior to South African’s new constitution in 1996, engaging in homosexual acts was illegal, as it still is in many other parts of AfricaSouth Africa has made great strides in the past decade toward curbing prejudices of any kind against others. Here is a country that has had probably one of the worst histories of equality, and yet now it is really living up to its human rights charter.In this post-apartheid era, they have vigilantly fought to end inequality based on race, creed, gender or sexual orientation. I applaud them for their efforts.Though these drastic changes in terms of laws are great steps in the right direction, by no means do I think the situation for the gay community in South Africa is perfect. Their struggle for equality has only just begun.More than 3,000 gay couples have had marriage ceremonies in South Africa, according to a recent article in the Cape Town Journal. Many of these marriages reflect relationships where foreigners were involved. This shows that though gay marriage is legal, being gay in South Africa, especially outside the big cities, is still considered pretty taboo.There are also many very vocal critics of the bill, most notably South Africa’s current president, Jacob Zuma. This also suggests that gay rights in practice have a long way to go.Though a law allowing gay marriage and providing for gay rights is wonderful, it is far more important that these words are implemented in the everyday lives of South African citizens around the country. South Africans still have much more to do, especially in rural spaces, but they have come so far already, and they are trying their best to change the mindsets of people.In the past few months, Americans have spent a great deal of time debating same-sex marriage. Many people are letting their religious views get in the way of what should be universal American views.This has caused many tragedies, most notably in recent weeks with the death of young gay individuals like Tyler Clementi from Rutgers University and Raymond Chase, a 19-year-old from Rhode Island. We cannot continue to allow bullying and marginalization of homosexual individuals to exist in this country.America was founded on the basis of equality. We, like South Africa, have made a lot of mistakes in our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for all Americans. But now is our chance to show what we are really made of as a country.We, the freedom fighters, must fight for equality for our own gay citizens here in the United States. We need to follow the example of South Africa. Maybe we should take a hint from South African Judge Edwin Cameron , who said the definition of marriage should be altered to read: “Marriage is the union of two persons to the exclusion of all others for life.” Whether you are in Johannesburg or Bloomington, you deserve the right to marry whomever you love. E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(09/20/10 11:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This past weekend, some of the best musicians from all over the world came to Bloomington for the annual Lotus World Music & Arts Festival. The results were invariably pleasant for all parties involved.I find Lotus to be one of the highlights of being in Bloomington due to the music, dancing and most importantly, the smiling faces of everyone involved.Lotus makes world music real. It’s one thing to listen to an artist on your iPod by yourself, but quite another thing entirely to be experiencing the music live while surrounded by people who appreciate music that isn’t Lady Gaga or Trey Songz.I’ve always been a strong believer in the power of music. Music brings people together and connects us all in a way nothing else can.I had a pretty packed schedule in terms of all the musicians I wanted to see this weekend. I was particularly interested in Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars and the Ugandan band Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa, but I was really excited to hear some new music and dance.During my two nights of Lotus, I heard music and stories from musicians from far off places like Mali and Colombia. However, the greatest part of listening to the music was hearing the stories of the other listeners. I listened to stories of places I had never even heard of before and each new story inspired me to try and see more of this world. It also helped me appreciate what a wonderful place Bloomington really is.Bloomington is an amazing melting pot. I know it sounds cliché and probably reminds you of a corny “Schoolhouse Rock” song, but it’s true. The world is literally at our fingertips and all we have to do is reach out and take someone’s hand to learn about something new.Lotus also provides an excellent forum for dancing, something not commonly practiced in the U.S. I’ve always been a big fan of dancing, but I never realized how amazing it was until I studied abroad in Ghana.Six months of living in West Africa taught me, if nothing else, how to dance and laugh at myself. I danced nearly every day that I lived in Ghana. Whether it be waiting for a tro-tro (a large van which serves as a form of public transportation), at the club, at church or just walking around, Ghanaians are always down to dance. It doesn’t matter how good of a dancer you are, dancing is just a way to express yourself and interact with other people. Dancing is an integral part of life in most places around the world, but sadly it is not in the United States. However, dancing at Lotus is not optional. The ethnic beats from all over the globe fill the souls of everyone at Lotus and dancing becomes compulsory.Lotus makes people happy. Something about all the dancing, singing and mixing of people from all over the globe seems to just make people smile unconditionally.All weekend, I delighted at the fact that everyone I encountered was smiling. Frowning just seems like the antithesis of the philosophy of Lotus.Bloomington should be a happy place. Just walking around IU, with all the gorgeous landscapes and architecture, always seems to cheer me up, but sometimes I feel like I’m the only one that feels that way.The campus is filled with people walking around with sad faces and ears clogged up with headphones. Everyone is so distant and in a hurry to get somewhere else. They forget to enjoy where they are and appreciate the journey. Whether you are walking or taking Bloomington Transit, you have the power to make your journey enjoyable or just plain unbearable.Open up yourself to the people and places around you and I can assure that you will have a far happier life. College is supposed to be a time to network and meet new people that challenge your preconceptions of the world. Stop closing yourself off to the world and try something new. IU is a diverse place full of interesting people, so take out your headphones and try talking to someone new, you might be pleasantly surprised at the consequences.Lotus might only occur one weekend a year, but we should keep on celebrating its greatest tenets all year.E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(09/06/10 9:14pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Typically when students study abroad, they go to the traditional European countries. Thus, when I first told my friends and family I would be studying abroad in the West African nation of Ghana for the spring semester of 2010, they looked at me stunned and asked either “Why?” or “What will you do there?” To which I replied that I would be a regular college student, taking classes and such. After my response, nearly everyone’s jaw would drop and they would question why I would want to go to Africa for school. Most Americans that choose to travel somewhere in Africa do so to see wildlife or work for charities. When we think of the African continent, it seems we choose to only focus and think of starving children, safaris and tribal groups. When, in fact, the reality is that each African country has a thriving and unique culture of its own. It’s important to remember that Africa is not in fact a country. I know this may come as a surprise to many, who — like Sarah Palin — seem to believe and conceptualize Africa as just a singular place.In actuality, Africa is the second largest and most heavily populated continent on earth. Also, a lot of the resources we use everyday such as the diamonds in your jewelry, the gold used in your computer and even the cocoa that makes your chocolate come from African nations. So why is it that no one seems to care about Africa and its 54 diverse countries?It is hard to pinpoint exactly why Africa is so far off the average Westerner’s radar. I think the two biggest reasons are the bias of the media and our overall lack of education and knowledge about the continent.For centuries, Europe has been under-developing Africa. Countries such as Portugal, the United Kingdom and France physically divided up the continent at the Berlin Conference of 1884. They drew up fake borders and decided what European country got which area of the continent. In doing so, they divided and merged different ethnic groups and caused a lot of the issues that currently plague the continent of Africa.The colonialism of Africa lasted until countries such as Ghana fought for their independence after World War II. On March 6, 1957, Ghana became the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence. This was only the beginning of the struggle for Africa and more than fifty years later the African continent still has a lot of problems to solve. AIDS, poverty, unclean drinking water and civil wars have wrought a lot of destruction upon the African continent. Yet, what a lot of people don’t know about Africa is that, for the most part, it is a lot like the rest of the world.Americans seem to only want to think about the African continent when they are talking about genocide, planning mission trips, donating money or referencing the “starving kids in Africa” when referring to their children’s waste of food, but no one really cares about the culture and problems of Africa. Maybe this is due to the media’s lack of overall coverage of the continent or choosing to only focus on the negative elements of African society. Or maybe it’s because our education system doesn’t focus enough on world history and geography. But we are in college now at a school that has one of the best African Studies programs in the country.I challenge you to learn something about just some of the 54 countries in Africa and watching the movie “Madagascar” or “District 9” doesn’t count. You could read a book or take a class, and I promise you that you will not be disappointed. The history, politics and culture of the African continent is both complex and intriguing. But most importantly, it is your duty as a human to learn about the cultures of other people that occupy our large planet. The populations and economies of the countries that occupy the African continent are constantly growing and play a major role in the world economy. The continent has been jaded by all of the Western world and instead of trying to “help” people in Africa we should become knowledgeable about each country’s distinct culture and even show genuine interest in what is happening there. Africa is a big continent, so refuse to ignore it any longer. Email: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(09/01/10 9:56pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The new album from Bon Iver drummer S. Carey, “All We Grow,” is exactly what fans of the group might hope for.When I first heard about the making of this album, I was a little skeptical. However, upon listening, I realized drummers can be mellow singers too.Though Bon Iver and Carey’s voices have different ranges and tones, both of the musicians capture the essence of casual introspective. It’s the perfect album to use to unwind, as Carey’s voice sounds marvelously warm and clear.“In the Dirt” is the standout track of the album and really holds its own against Bon Iver tracks such as “Skinny Love.” The other songs blend together well to form a cohesive album that is best listened to as a whole.S. Carey’s “All We Grow” begins where Bon Iver left off and takes listeners to a new depth of self reflection through music.
(08/27/10 4:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>New and returning IU students mixed and mingled at IU’s annual CultureFest on Thursday.CultureFest has long been an IU tradition that introduces incoming freshmen to all the culture IU has to offer. Through international food, live music and a motivational speaker, freshmen should be inspired to branch out a bit – and branch out they did.This year’s motivational speaker, Kevin Wanzer, spoke at the IU Auditorium about embracing cultural differences.“He incorporated a lot of humor into the message,” sophomore Sara Frey said after the event.Frey said her favorite part of the speech was listening to Wanzer talk about funny memories with hidden messages, which ranged from snipe hunting to a crazy McDonald’s drive-thru.Juniors Morta Lapkus and Lauren Sweeney came back to experience their third time at CultureFest, specifically to get a free caricature drawing. “It’s really one of the best parts of Welcome Week,” Sweeney said of the event. “It’s kind of like a miniature Taste of Chicago.”As great as the diversity speeches and lectures are for new students, the true heart of CultureFest lies in the exchanges between students during the festival. The conversions students had with one another outside the auditorium seemed to be just as important as Wanzer’s speech was inside.Students sporting their new IU garb — T-shirts, lanyards and more — gathered and exchanged their names, dorms, majors and hometown information to a backdrop of diverse sights, sounds and tastes.Robby Howard, David Stewart and John Glennon were three such freshmen. They said they met Wednesday during their move-in into Teter Quad and decided to come to CultureFest — under the premise of free grub.Though they said they enjoyed the food — pizza, Chinese dishes, Mexican cuisine and more — they also liked the variety of performances, such as break dancing, music from Bloomington-based New Old Cavalry and even swing dancing.“It’s not really my thing, but it’s really nice to see other people doing things that make them happy,” Howard said.He also said the event was all about exploring different cultures and choosing interests. Howard said CultureFest was about realizing that even though people are different, they are really all just the same, and his friends agreed.Though IU might seem overwhelming to freshmen, events such as CultureFest provide a forum for them to explore some of the many opportunities on campus and help to make this big new space feel a bit more like home.
(08/27/10 1:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>How would you feel if someone called your home a shack or said the area you lived in was a slum?I know I would personally be offended.A person’s home is sacred. A personal place where he or she can go to find solitude. Yet, every time you refer to a place as a slum, you are contributing to a huge problem that faces more than a billion people worldwide on a daily basis.According to the World Bank, by 2015 2.8 billion people will be getting by with less than $2 per day. It is estimated that one billion people live in “slums” world-wide, and by 2030, the figure is projected to rise to two billion. The fact that those living in extreme poverty, living on less than $2 a day, without access to education, clean water, electricity and other basic needs — while we in America and many other nations have so much — is utterly sickening.The term “slum” originated as a shortened version of the term “back slum,” meaning a back room or “back alley”. It comes from an Irish phrase meaning an “exposed vulnerable place.” This is exactly what a slum is; a place where people excluded from society are sent. They are extremely vulnerable, and they live their lives in constant fear that tomorrow might never come. A UN Expert Group said, a slum is a place with “inadequate access to safe water, inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure, poor structural quality of housing, overcrowding, and insecure residential status.” But regardless of what the official definition of a place might be, it is still someone’s home.The term “slum” really strikes me as an offensive term by which people of wealth attempt to demonstrate their power to name and look down upon people who have less than them. No one has the right to invade people’s homes and deem them as “slums” because they feel they do not meet a certain standard of living. This process of elite groups naming poor spaces has occurred all over the globe, especially in many African countries.The World Bank and UN-HABITAT have designed a “Cities Without Slums” initiative. It sounds too good to be true, and that’s because it is.You can’t just get rid of slums. They are a manifestation of many other societal problems like extreme poverty, inequality, corruption and lack of access to basic needs. Instead of constructing real ways to get rid of slums, these organizations simply take people out of their homes without providing them the aid that they so desperately need.Slums will not go away if we merely say there will be no more slums. Rather the communities must adopt economic, social and political empowerment programs that assist the poor who live in these areas instead of merely judging them for their poverty.Instead of passing judgement upon people and calling the neighborhoods in which they live slums, we should think about their daily struggle to fulfill the most basic of needs and reach out to help. E-mail: tmkennel@indiana.edu
(08/26/10 4:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Liars, tycoons and Wall Street, oh my!“The Wizard of Wall Street: The Life and Achievements of Financier/Railroad King Jay Gould” will premiere at 7:30 p.m. today at the Wells-Metz theatre. The musical, shown through the eyes of Jay Gould, the infamous 1800s railroad tycoon and ruthless businessman, puts a whole new spin on Wall Street and the man behind the evil facade. The IU Department of Theatre and Drama has teamed up with the Waterwell, a highly acclaimed New York theater company, to present this play for the Bloomington community.“We have some alumni that have put together this really exciting theater program,” said John Kinser, the director of audience development for the IU Department of Theatre and Drama. He said he finds the fusion between Waterwell, which was founded at IU, and current IU students unique and interesting. This union between past and present IU students is the result of musical’s director Tom Ridgely, who is also an IU alumnus.Debbie Izzo, a junior majoring in theatre and drama, said that she had been looking forward to the show for a while. “It’s really exciting to see professional actors like Jordan Gelber from Avenue Q and IU alumni like Nicole Parker from Mad TV performing on a college campus,” she said. “As a theater major, you really get a lot of inspiration from these professional actors and seeing them on an IU stage.”Spirits are high at the Wells-Metz as Ridgely and his cast packed full of past and present Hoosiers plan to bring the true Jay Gould alive through song and dance. “It’s professional actors, IU students on an IU stage performing a new musical,” Izzo said. “What could be better?”
(08/26/10 3:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington Playwrights Project and Bloomington Entertainment & Arts District are trying to establish Bloomington as a green community. They have teamed up with local non-profits to begin an annual AwareFest and to offer grants to community artists, who will exhibit their crafts during the month of October.The idea of AwareFest was conceived as a collaborative project that will incorporate the community into the arts scene and promote awareness of important issues, such as this year’s topic — sustainability. “BEAD is a department that is very concerned with ideas like sustainability,” said Miah Michealson, assistant economic development director for the arts for the City of Bloomington. “From a pragmatic standpoint, the idea of building an arts funding partnership is great not only for downtown, but for the community. It has a much larger feel to it.”AwareFest will take place during the first three weeks of October. From theme days to a festival of 10-minute plays, the events will provide a large amount of options for members of the Bloomington community to interact with various forms of art. BPP also offered grants to artists and non-profit organizations who wished to share their art with the Bloomington community. With the financial support of BEAD, $2,000 in grants will be given to artists. BPP is currently sorting through the applications.Chad Rabinobitz, BPP’s producing artist director, said hopefully within the week BPP will be able to choose the recipients of the AwareFest grants. “We need to act quickly because we want to make sure artists have enough time for their projects,” he said. BPP’s Managing Director Gabe Gloden said the grantees will be chosen based on their originality, ability to execute proposals, education value, connection to the theme, uniqueness to AwareFest, number of people the project can reach and cost of project.“Our main motivation is to show that art can have an impact on the community,” Rabinobitz said. “It’s a great thing for community because it allows us to collaborate with other Bloomington non-profits and businesses.”