Evgenia Isaeva – Pike & Hurricane

Bookmobiles – Education on the Move

Evgenia Isaeva — Mon, 02 May 2016 13:16:09 +0000

Nowadays, obtaining a book or any other material to read is never seen as that big of a deal for many people. The emergence of the Internet has facilitated access to information and reduced the need for printed books significantly. One can simply go online and download almost everything from there. Printed books became mostly supplanted by online book catalogues that provide their users with an opportunity to access or download almost any book they want.

Public libraries that once used to be essential for the process of education of many individuals do not play a significant role anymore. They seem to gradually become less frequently visited by people in this part of the world. Another type of library, namely mobile libraries, also known as bookmobiles have also become redundant in the developed world in the past few years. The initial purpose of these book-carrying vehicles was to bring literacy to the masses and to facilitate access to books for dwellers of remote areas. Nowadays, illiteracy is not an issue for people, and books can be freely accessed by other means.

However, this is not the case yet in many countries of the developing world, where people have no schools or other sources of education, where libraries, not to mention the internet, are still a rare sight for many inhabitants, and where the illiteracy rates are strikingly high. In those places, bookmobiles can make a huge difference by providing access to books and encouraging education among the locals.

The situation is especially bad in the remote areas of poor developing countries. Many people in those regions are deprived of educational opportunities, mostly as a result of poverty. Many children there are also forced to work in order to provide for themselves and their families, and cannot go to school for these reasons.

The right to education is one of the fundamental human rights that all people are entitled to and should enjoy freely. It is inconceivable to imagine that somebody cannot read or write in this part of the world today. Yet, illiteracy is still a reality even in the twenty-first century.

According to data provided by the CIA in 2015, the global literacy rate among people older than 15 years old was 86.1%. Literacy levels vary significantly from region to region. Worldwide, around 775 million adults lack minimum literacy skills. While Europe, North America, Australia, and some countries in East Asia score high in the literacy index with more than 99% of their population being literate, many individuals in the developing world still do not have access to education at all. More than three quarters of illiterate people live in countries that are located in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, where around 64% of the overall population is literate, and in South and West Asia, where there is a literacy rate of 70%. The worst situation can be observed in the country of Niger where, according to data provided by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in 2015, only about 19% of its adult inhabitants can read and write.

The lack of books is one of the major causes of illiteracy. That means that in order to combat illiteracy, access to books should be facilitated. A bookmobile could be a great tool for educating people and making books available. In several countries where a person cannot come to a library, the library could come to the person.

South Asia’s first bookmobile was launched in 1931. It became instrumental in educating the rural poor. Later, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, a new type of bookmobile that was equipped with a printer, a book binding machine and a satellite dish appeared on the streets of India. For only one dollar, a bookmobile like that can print out a book from its collection, making access to reading materials easier in the regions where no normal libraries are available.

A less advanced kind of a mobile library operates in Kenya. The access to books in this African country is provided by the Camel Library Service. In regions characterised by harsh climatic condition and poor transport infrastructure, camels carry books to children and adults who otherwise would not have access to any library. The project was launched by the Kenyan government in 1996. By 2006, these camel libraries were lending more than 7000 books in English, Swahili and Somali to people in the impoverished North East Province. For many kids in the remote areas of the country, where no television, computers and internet exist, camel libraries became the main source of education as well as entertainment.

Another example of bookmobiles making a change can be found in Zimbabwe. Due to the unstable political and economic situation in the country, many students there have to do without books and other educational facilities. When schools in the outlying corners of the country have no resources to educate people, donkey-drawn bookmobiles play a crucial part in promoting literacy and encouraging the reading culture among citizens.

In Pakistan, the initiative to spread education among children by means of a bookmobile was taken by one of its citizens, Saeed A. Malik, who used to work as an international civil servant with the United Nations for 25 years. He named his project Bright Star Mobile Library. The aim of the project is to provide children with books to evoke their curiosity, promote tolerance, and raise their awareness about the surrounding world. Due to his contacts, Malik managed to get support from the San Francisco Public Library that donated many books for his program that are now being used to educate people in Islamabad. Currently, Malik hopes to expand his program, but it requires more books and monetary donations that are not so easy to obtain.

As it can be seen, many examples of bookmobiles being used to battle illiteracy and encourage education can be found in several developing countries. Just like Kenya, Colombia uses donkeys to bring books to the country’s inhabitants. In Thailand, elephant-drawn libraries serve the same purpose.

To sum up, reading and writing are two fundamental skills for fighting illiteracy. Education is a powerful tool that is essential for the exercise of human rights. It can also help people lift themselves out of poverty. Facilitating access to books is the first significant step that can be used to stimulate education and increase literacy rates worldwide. Essentially, a bookmobile can be a powerful tool for promoting education and fighting illiteracy in the developing world, and especially in remote areas, where many people still do not have access to proper education and books. Although, bookmobiles alone might not be enough to battle illiteracy, they can be seen as a good first step to pave the way for a brighter future in the poor countries of the developing world where education is still not easy to obtain.

By Evgenia Isaeva

Image credit:

Picture 1: Ryan Welsh, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Picture 2: Acción Visual/Diana Arias, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

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Easter Rising Centenary, Northern Ireland and the British-Irish Relations

Evgenia Isaeva — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 11:10:33 +0000

The year of 2016 marks the centenary of the Easter Rising that took place in Dublin, Ireland. It was an uprising against the British rule and one of the decisive steps undertaken by Irish people in the struggle for independence of Ireland from the United Kingdom. After several days of fighting, the rebellion was suppressed by the British resulting in hundreds of causalities among civilians and the execution of sixteen Irish rebel leaders. However, the Irish never gave up, and only six years later, in 1922, they eventually won what they were fighting for as an outcome of the Irish War of Independence. Yet, they lost some part of the territory, namely six counties in the northeast of the island that today constitute Northern Ireland. That is how the partition of Ireland occurred and the island got divided into the Irish Free State, which became the Republic of Ireland in 1937, and Northern Ireland that opted to remain a part of the United Kingdom.

Peace Walls in Belfast, Northern Ireland

This year a series of events to commemorate those who fought a hundred years ago were held in the Irish capital of Dublin at the end of March. Although, the rebellion of 1916 took place between the 24^th and 29^th of April, the centenary was celebrated almost a month earlier due to the fact that the event itself is connected with Easter. As this holiday is a moveable feast, this year’s Easter Sunday and the climax of celebration fell on the 27^th of March.

Initially, the Irish government wanted to invite the British royals to Dublin to participate in the state commemorations, however, later it was announced that the event was a moment of national commemoration and no foreign representatives would be invited.

In general, the British royals are not frequent visitors to Ireland. In fact, the first official visit ever of the Queen of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Ireland only took place in 2011. Then, in 2015, Prince Charles also went to Ireland for the first time officially. During his time there he had a meeting with the leader of the republican political party Sinn Féin Gerry Adams. The two events signify a definite improvement of relations between these two neighbouring countries that share a long contradictory history of hostilities and wars. Nevertheless, during the last few years, Ireland and the United Kingdom have been getting more intertwined in various sectors. They now have close ties when it comes to politics and economy, which proves that the relations between the Irish and the British have become better. But what about the political situation in Northern Ireland now?

Throughout the 20^th century, especially after the 1960s, the territory of Northern Ireland was a rather troublesome place. The population of this country was divided into two large groups: the Catholic republicans, who supported unification of Ireland and therefore identified themselves as Irish, and the Protestant unionists, who preferred staying in the UK and considered themselves British. For more than 30 years, a period of time known as “The Troubles”, Northern Ireland was basically a warzone where these two groups were fighting against one another. For several decades, the notorious Irish Republican Army (IRA) was terrorising not only Northern Ireland but also other parts of the United Kingdom and continental Europe. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 helped improve the situation. Once it was signed, the Republic of Ireland stopped claiming Northern Ireland under its constitution, which decreased the violence in the country.

Even though, the conflict seems to be over now, there are still some things that serve as a reminder of those eerie past events. Among them are the political murals, which are propaganda paintings, and a series of barriers, called “Peace Walls” in Northern Ireland that were built in the cities of Belfast, Derry, Portadown, and elsewhere in the 1970s for the purpose of segregating Catholics and Protestants and minimising the violence between these two groups. Although, the walls were supposed to be temporary constructions, they are still standing today. In fact, they were even consolidated after the peaceful Good Friday Agreement in 1998. And nowadays, the walls as well as the political murals are among the hotspots for tourists who visit Belfast in order to get a grasp of the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

A couple of years ago, the future of the walls was determined. The government of Northern Ireland decided that by 2023, Peace Walls should be removed. However, not everyone is sure that tearing down the walls is a good idea. Many people in the country are concerned about it. In their opinion, taking down the walls could be a reckless decision since the residents themselves requested them to be erected before.

Even though the war is a relic of the past, the political situation in Northern Ireland is still rather fragile. News about clashes of the extremists with the police, or blast bombs being detonated around the country by the IRA members emerge occasionally. Therefore, people still prefer the walls to be there and separate Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods.

Since this year is quite important for the Republic of Ireland, many security concerns arise. The police are concerned about new waves of violence by extremist groups that might spill out to the country from its northern neighbour. Currently the police in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are on alert.

The ongoing debate on whether the UK should exit the EU also aggravates the political instability. The above mentioned party of Sinn Féin, whose primary goal is to bring about a united Ireland, appeals to the British government to hold a border call in the event of Brexit. The officials in the United Kingdom announced that they had no interest in keeping Northern Ireland within the Union. The question of whether Irelands should be unified is up to the people to decide. According to a poll held in 2014, a strong majority in Northern Ireland were in favour of the referendum, but still preferred staying in the UK.

However, since the situation in Northern Ireland is still quite unstable and people do not seem completely ready to let go of the past, it is difficult to predict what to expect in case Northern Ireland exists the UK. The risk of new murderous riots resuming in the country is quite high. Thus, for now it is probably better to maintain the status quo and not to undertake any assertive action.

By Evgenia Isaeva

Image Credit: Evgenia Isaeva

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The Biggest Delusion about Terrorism

Evgenia Isaeva — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 12:45:19 +0000

“Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims”. Most people have probably heard this expression at some point in their lives. But not many have acknowledged how wrong it could be. Unfortunately, this idea is quite often taken for granted. For some reason people assume that the majority of terrorist attacks are committed by Muslims. However, the real situation turns out to be completely different from what most people think – adherents of other religions as well as non-religious people commit terrorist attacks quite often, too. When it comes to thinking of terrorism, most people tend to imagine a person blowing himself up in a public place. But, in fact, it would be more correct to think of terrorism as a violent act intended to intimidate population and pursue political goals.

9/11 has altered many peoples’ perceptions.

So how come so many people have a wrong idea of terrorism? Why do they always associate terrorism only with Islam and almost never see Christian, Buddhist or Jewish criminals as terrorists? Perhaps, we should blame the media and the way it presents information and portrays Muslims. If a crime is committed by a Muslim, it will draw more attention and provoke heated debates. An incident will be discussed in the media over and over again. Most likely, it will be viewed as a ‘terrorist attack’ straight away. Whereas, when an act of terrorism committed by a person or people of a different religion occurs, less attention is paid to the discussion about religious views of the person, and it will take time to confirm that the incident was a terrorist attack. In fact, many events would not be covered by the media at all. For example, not many people have heard of Italian anarchist group FAI that had already been operating and posing threat to national security in Italy and some other countries in Europe for more than 10 years. Criminal activity of this non-religious terrorist organization is rarely covered in the news.

Investigation of the statistical data provided by FBI and Europol indicates that religion does not have much to do with terrorism. Indeed, religiously inspired terrorism is a rare phenomenon. According to a Europol report, less than 2% of total amount of terrorist attacks in Europe are based on religious beliefs. In the US, where Muslims are frequently portrayed as perpetrators, Islamic terrorist attacks make up only 6%, which is even less then the number of terrorist attacks committed by Jewish extremists. Most of the terrorist acts are committed by adherents of other religions or have nothing to do with religion at all. Still, mostly terrorists are believed to be Muslims. Incidents with involvement of terrorists that are not connected with Islam are hardly ever discussed. The reason for that might be the fact that terrorist attacks committed by Islamists usually take lives of many people at the same time, while terrorist attacks committed by other factions usually claim only a few people’s lives.

So what is and is not associated with terrorism?

On the 24th of March 2015, the world witnessed the airplane crash in the French Alps that claimed the lives of 150 people. A few days later it was reported that the plane was crashed deliberately by the depressed co-pilot Andreas Lubitz. This person was called a ‘mass-murderer’ for his actions, no one accused him of being a terrorist. If Andreas Lubitz was somehow connected with Islam, then, the stereotype about terrorist attacks would probably be applied to this case without any explicit consideration, and some lights on the incident would be shed on the incident in a different way. But he was not a Muslim, and his religious views are not mentioned anywhere in the news reports. Therefore following this logic, it is fair to assume that terrorism is mostly associated with Islam simply due to labelling by the media.

Commemorating the terorist attack on Utoya

Another example of people’s unwillingness to label a non-Muslim person as a terrorist can be found in examining Norway attacks in 2011. A Norwegian perpetrator inspired by right-wing extremist ideology, Anders Behring Breivik, first blew up a car in the centre of Oslo, and then opened fire at teenagers in a summer camp on the island of Utøya. The horrible events that took place there shocked the whole of Europe, and provoked a lot of discussions and debates about the personality, objectives, and mental health of the murderer. This case, though, was not discussed much in the media outside of Europe.

Even though that case is now considered as terrorism, it took quite a lot of time to define it as such. In fact, a year had passed after the incident when the Norwegian court came to the conclusion that what Breivik had done was a terrorist attack. Especially in the beginning people tried to somehow justify his actions. Mental disorders were one of the main arguments to explain Breivik’s behavior. It is also important to mention that in this case religious views of the perpetrator inspired his actions. However, not in the usual way. As the terrorist claimed, he was ‘a 100% Christian’ and the reason for his actions was islamophobia. Perhaps reasons for the extreme length of the investigation as well as the trial to determine his punishment where that Norway aims to bear an image of being a safe country free from such severe crimes as terrorism, and that Breivik’s religious views did not fit in with the stereotypical concept of a Muslim-terrorist. Although no Islamic implications as a driving force for this massacre were found in this case, it is still a terrorist attack.

Still, even after the Norwegian court announced their verdict and proclaimed Breivik a terrorist, not everyone agreed with the statement. Deborah Orr, a journalist who works for ‘the Guardian’, announced that “Anders Behring Breivik is not a terrorist, he is a mass-murderer”. But what exactly makes some people distinguish terrorism from mass-murder? In this case especially, the event had political implications – Breivik’s actions were directed at the Norwegian government and their immigration policies.

Getting back to the initial belief of Islam being tightly connected with terrorism, it is important to mention once again that this idea is completely wrong and is mostly imposed on people by the media. As statistics reveal, religious implications and Muslims in general are not associated with terrorist attacks as often as most people imagine. Adherents of other religions as well as non-religious people led by extremist ideologies constitute the majority of terrorists. Therefore, people should not think of terrorism as committed only by Muslims and see all believers of Islam as terror suspects. Not all Muslims are terrorists, and not all terrorists are Muslim.

By Evgenia Isaeva

Image credit:

Picture 1: Jason Powell, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Picture 2: Dmitry Valberg, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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One Step Closer to Gender Equality

Evgenia Isaeva — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 18:35:16 +0000

Malaysia, Israel, North Korea and Norway… What do these countries have in common? The answer is mandatory military conscription for women. Perhaps not many would expect to see Norway in this list. However, in almost one year all women on par with men will have to go through mandatory military service in this Scandinavian country.

Around a half a year ago, the Norwegian government passed a bill that aims to extend mandatory military conscription to females, and the overwhelming majority in a parliament voted in favour of the bill. Thus, starting from summer 2016, Norwegian females as well as males will be obliged to go through military service.

The phenomenon itself might make you question the main objective of this new law because unlike three other states with mandatory military conscription listed above, Norway is a member of NATO and does not really need to extend its military or have more conscripts. In fact, the main reason for this recent bill is an aspiration to eliminate any kind of discrimination and promote equality. Norway is already known as one of the most gender equal states in the modern world, and by means of the new law it will reach a new level of equality among its society. The main concept of the bill was voiced by the leader of the Norwegian Labour party Laila Gustavsen who said: “Rights and duties should be the same for everyone”. The main goal of the bill is promotion of gender equality.

At the moment military service is mandatory only for men but women can also serve on a voluntary basis in Norway. In general, women make up around 10% of military draftees now. However, with a new law Norwegian government aims to double the amount of females in the military by 2020.

Norwegian authorities think that this new law will help them attract better soldiers because it essentially doubles the number of individuals liable to military service and, therefore, provides a better selection of conscripts. Moreover, some female soldiers might turn out to be much more successful and have better skills in a number of disciplines. And who knows – perhaps, in several years women will make up a majority in the military in Norway.

So who exactly is going to be drafted? According to the new bill, all medically fit women between 19 and 44 years old will have to go through mandatory military service in armed forces for at least 19 months. It will apply to women born in Norway from 1997 onwards.

All female conscripts will live together with their male counterparts in unisex dormitories, but showers and toilets will be separated. As for the physical requirements, they will be the same for all the conscripts regardless their sex: women will be expected to held the same physical fitness standards as men, and will not be provided any kind of special treatment.

However, if Norway does not need so many conscripts in their army, and still aim to achieve gender equality, why would they not introduce any alternative for military service. As not every person is suitable for the military, and Norway, in fact, does not need everyone to serve, they could take an example from Germany and introduce civilian service instead. The alternative for the military service could be work in a healthcare sector, development sphere or, perhaps, in social services. Service like that could be applicable to both men and women, and at the same time, it would also solve the problem of discrimination caused by limited demand for people in the military. Due to the fact that new selection in the army will be based on the principle that only “the best of the best” regardless sex will be conscripted, many young people will probably feel discriminated as they will not be able to go through the service due to some minor health problems, especially, if they want to serve their country. The Norwegian government still has to solve this problem in order to combat inequity in this respect.

Nevertheless, mandatory military conscription for women, in general, is a positive development. Some people argue that women bring equality only when it is for their own benefit. This new law definitely makes Norwegian society equal and eliminates any kind of accusations of using gender equality only when women can take advantage of it. In fact, gender-neutral conscription seems to be the last thing left for completely even rights and obligations for men and women in Norway.

Some countries already want to follow Norway’s lead in order to achieve gender balance in the military. For example, officials in Switzerland have already started negotiations about extension of the military draft to women.

This new development towards gender equality is expected to be bring good results, and probably in a few years, we will witness military conscription becoming gender-equal in most countries around the world.

By Evgenia Isaeva

Image credit:

Image 1,2,3: Metziker licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

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Tourism in North Korea

Evgenia Isaeva — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 18:09:36 +0000

News of North Korea tends to constantly be on the agenda in media outlets worldwide. Mostly because of the country’s nuclear policy and constant threat to international security. However, lately there has been a slight change in the information presented by the media. Something that captures attention has happened – more and more information about North Korea aiming at attract direct foreign investment to the country in order to develop its tourism industry is now being reported on. This is an interesting phenomenon for such a secretive country that fears the spread of Western values among its society. Indeed, North Korea has already began developing its tourism by building tourist attractions. Nowadays it has become easier to get a visa to go there for leisurely and scenic purposes, as a tourist.

What made the North Korean government reconsider their policies regarding traveling to the country? And what might this mean? Most likely, it is economic benefit that has made the North Korean government rethink its policies. The country’s economy is weak and unstable so the government is trying to address the situation by attracting foreign currency throughout means of promoting tourism. This could result in tremendous changes in the relations between North Korea and the rest of the world. Or perhaps this change of heart in North Korean politicians had could lead to something greater and indeed a brighter future for the country. So far, it is difficult to judge and quite impossible to predict how things will unravel.

Whilst, it is becoming easier to go to North Korea some other questions arise. What would it be like to go on a holiday to the most isolated country in the world? What is to be expect behind its borders?

If you are interested in visiting this country, the only way to go to North Korea is with organised tours facilitated by travel agencies. Almost the entire tourism sphere for western tourists in DPRK is monopolized by two companies – Koryo Tours and Young Pioneers Tours, both based in Beijing. No limitations on who can enter the country exist – everyone can go no matter what your nationality is. Unfortunately, no exact data on the number of tourists visiting North Korea annually exists. The only statistics that we can refer to are provided by NK News (a website publishing news in North Korea). Around 6 000 western tourist per year are reported to visit North Korea and the number is increasing annually.

The majority of current tours focus on the capital of North Korea – Pyongyang. However, new locations are being developed for future tours. Several new tourist attractions have already appeared or are in development in North Korea. The most remarkable one is the Masik Pass Ski Resort in Wonsan, which opened a year ago. This resort is one of the most important facilities aimed at attracting foreigners to North Korea. There is also the Munsu Water Park, and a brand-new surf resort that is equipped with numerous tourist amenities.

Essentially, the government is trying its best to turn the country into a location which is attractive to tourist from all over the world. Nevertheless, many people question the moral implication of tourism to North Korea.

When it comes to making a decision on whether to go to North Korea, moral and ethical issues of visiting this secretive state gain relevance. The country that is notorious for numerous gross human right violations, and its development and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction would seems to be an unsuitable place for leisurely travel. Critics claim that tourism is a means of funding the government’s propaganda and their tyrannical regime, and therefore, should not be encouraged. As economic data is not provided by the government, it is unknown where the profits raised through the tourism industry will be directed. It is argued that foreign currency brought by the tourists might go on expansion of the North Korean nuclear sphere, supporting the potential for crimes against humanity.

Still it is very unlikely that the money that North Korean government gets from tourism might be used for tightening the situation in the country. The contribution of tourism to North Korea economically is insignificant, therefore it is incorrect to assume that the profit made on foreign travelers will be used to build more prisons and support human rights violations. On the contrary, if North Korea does gain in foreign currency, it will potentially be able to engage in financial transactions with other countries, and export goods. More importantly, frequent visits of Western people might breach informational blockades and show ordinary North Koreans fragments of western life, raise awareness of the reality beyond the border, change the way they see the rest of the world, and perhaps even plant an idea that they are able to create change in the country. Additionally, tourism might become a ground for better relations between North Korea and other states.

Even though abundant propaganda will always proliferate – the designated tour guides will only show visitors only what the government wants them to see and try their best to avoid any kind of tourist interaction with locals and harsh reality – tourism should not be discouraged. It is to be perceived as a tool to establish tighter connection between peoples and state.

Without a doubt, North Korea has been losing its reputation as one of the most out of reach places in the world to visit. More and more opportunities to travel there are emerging every day. This shift in the politics of a state that used to be of extremely anti-Western orientation could be a positive sign. It may take much time to see the change and improvement but as North Korea has already taken a step towards the world, the world should not turn its back on it.

By Evgenia Isaeva

Image credit:

Picture 1, 2: (stephan), licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Picture 3: Benjamin Jakabek, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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