Latest news with #culturalExchange
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Only Our Taxis Run Free - Frank McNally on a funny thing that happened on the way to the Goldsmith Festival
Collecting a rental car to drive to the Goldsmith Festival on Saturday, but running late, I had to get a taxi for a distance I would usually walk and found myself in the company of a very friendly driver from Bangladesh. He'd been in Ireland 19 years and, as I told him, his accent was now located halfway between Dhaka and Dublin. But he had an extraordinarily sunny disposition for a Dublin taximan, which was infectious. As always when meeting people from other parts of the world, I tried to remember all the things I knew about his country, which wasn't many, but enough that the driver seemed delighted about that too. In the back of my unworthy mind, of course, I suspected he was only being friendly in the hopes of a tip. Hence my surprise when we got to the rental car place and he turned the meter off waved away my offers to pay with a smiling 'no charge'. READ MORE Guessing the fare would have been only seven or eight euro, I now determined to throw him a €10 note as I got out. Except I only had a twenty. 'Here – give me a tenner back out of that,' I tried to insist. But still he refused. Humbled, I shook his hand and thanked him, remembering that the talk I had to give later would be under the theme – from The Deserted Village - 'Where wealth accumulates and men decay.' There was one man who was in no danger of decomposition, I thought, as the only Dublin taxi driver ever to give me a freebie drove off. *** On the bill before me in Ballymahon, Professor David O'Shaughnessy discussed 'The Benefits of Goldsmith'. This was a play on words, for while implying that Goldsmith is good for you, O'Shaughnessy's talk turned out to be on the fascinating subject of 18th century theatrical economics, and specifically the 'benefit nights' by which playwrights earned their share of the profits. In the case of his classic comedy, She Stoops to Conquer, those were good for Goldsmith. But the play succeeded against the odds, and even against the hostility of the Covent Garden Theatre manager, George Colman, who didn't want to stage it. With the author too nervous to attend opening night, meanwhile, his friends led by Samuel Johnson organised a counter conspiracy to ensure success. Central to their plot was a man who, according to Johnson's biographer James Boswell, 'was gifted by nature with the most sonorous, and at the same time the most contagious, laugh that ever echoed from the human lungs.' This two-legged hyena was also, however, somewhat deficient in wit, and would not by himself know which bits of the play were funny. So the plan was to wait for Johnson to laugh, whereupon Boswell would nudge the hyena – placed in a box where he would be seen and heard by the whole theatre - into action. It worked well for a while, until the laughing began to draw more attention than the play. Boswell urged his neighbour to tone it down, but it was too late. Having not recognised any jokes at the start, the hyena now found every line hilarious. 'These were dangerous moments, for the pit began to take umbrage,' recalled Boswell, 'but we carried our play through, and triumphed not only over Colman's judgment but our own.' *** I was too late for the Saturday morning tour of Goldsmith Country, which was to include the 'hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade/For talking age and whisp'ring lovers made'. So I'm not sure how confident the guide was – or could be – about whether it was the right bush. The same question arose 125 years ago when William Bulfin did the tour, as later recorded in his travelogue Rambles in Eirinn. Then, his guide was adamant:'Well, that's the hawthorn tree. Some people that doesn't know the differ will tell you that it is the bush there to the left, farther away; and some visitors believes them and marches off with sprigs from the wrong bush. Aren't you going over to get a sprig?' But Bulfin wasn't interested in sprigs because he thought the whole concept of Goldsmith Country existed only in Goldsmith's mind until later relocated to England. He was especially dismissive of the notion that 'Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain' was located anywhere in the Ireland of the Penal Laws. If it was, Bulfin argued, there is no way the villagers could ever have been as happy as Goldsmith remembered them, even before a greedy landlord ruined everything. *** Bulfin wrote some of his Irish dispatches for Arthur Griffith's newspaper Sinn Féin. Which reminds me, too late to mention it the taxi driver, of what must be the most extraordinary fact in the history of Irish-Bangladeshi relations. Namely that in 1930, inspired by events in Dublin 14 years earlier, Bengali rebels staged an uprising against British rule in Chittagong, now Bangladesh's second city. They called themselves the Indian Republican Army (IRA), took over buildings until overwhelmed by superior force, and timed it for Easter, symbolically, even though none of them were Christians. But maybe the taxi driver knew all this already and, by refusing to charge me, was doing his own bit to make Ireland free.
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Celebrating the Italian National Day in Muscat: A Night of Culture, Friendship, and Diplomacy
Muscat: The Embassy of Italy in the Sultanate of Oman hosted a grand reception this evening at the prestigious Grand Hyatt Muscat Hotel to celebrate the Festa della Repubblica – Italy's National Day. The event brought together distinguished guests from Omani government institutions, diplomatic corps, business and cultural communities, as well as Italian citizens residing in Oman. The reception was a tribute to the strong and growing bonds of friendship and cooperation between Italy and Oman. In his welcome address, the Ambassador of Italy to the Sultanate of Oman, H.E. Pierluigi D'Elia, emphasized the deep historical ties and shared values between the two nations. 'Italy and Oman enjoy a long-standing relationship rooted in mutual respect and a common vision for peace, cultural exchange, and sustainable development. This evening is not only a celebration of the Italian Republic but also of the enduring friendship between our peoples,' said the Ambassador. Italy's National Day celebration in Muscat marks a symbolic reaffirmation of Italy's commitment to its international partnerships, particularly with the Sultanate of Oman, to tackle common challenges and promote peace and stability. The Embassy of Italy extends its gratitude to all who contributed to the success of the celebration, including its partners - The Foreign Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman, Eurotec, Yenaier by Adante Realty, Scalinatella, Oman Air, Monte delle Vigne, Avicen, Renardet, I Veri Sapori Dell'Etna,Terre Di Shemir, CESI, Al Rofoof Hotel Supplies & Trading (Illy Café), Idea Hub,The Italian Trade Agency, and The Grand Hyatt Muscat Hotel — whose valuable support and collaboration contributed to the success of this year's celebration and to fostering Italy-Oman relations.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zulu children's choir performs across the West
A South African children's choir has been performing across the west of England as it takes part in a cultural exchange tour. Made up of 20 school children from the Madadeni Township in South Africa, the choir is visiting the UK as part of Project Zulu, an initiative by the University of the West of England (UWE). Raising funds for their schools back home, they have showcased their traditional Zulu song in a number of West Country locations, including a Bristol Bears game and in Bath and Bristol city centres. Project leader, Ben Knight, said their final performance would take place at the Bristol Beacon on 5 June. Project Zulu arranges for choirs from South African townships to tour the UK every two years. Mr Knight said UWE students studying professions such as teaching, engineering and occupational therapy were sent out to the township in South Africa annually to "spend a few weeks making valuable contributions to the educational life of schools in the township". Then every two years a choir, made up of children from two partnership schools, are brought over to Bristol to spend three weeks performing and sharing their talent and culture. "They've been busking, they've put on concerts," he said. Mr Knight explained the tour aimed to raise money for the two schools involved. "They are over here sharing their extraordinary talents and culture but also earning money to develop their educational opportunities back home," he said. He said this year, one school planned to use the money to develop solar energy and the other hoped to buy IT equipment. "Every penny that is made goes directly back to their schools," he said. "A little bit of your money goes a really long way in South Africa," he added. Mr Knight said "right at the heart of the project" was a "desire to bring people who live a long way apart, and lead very different lives, together". Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Volunteer families sought to host Zulu choir Zulu children's choir performance delights crowds Choir earns £970 in 90-minute busk Project Zulu
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zulu children's choir performs across the West
A South African children's choir has been performing across the west of England as it takes part in a cultural exchange tour. Made up of 20 school children from the Madadeni Township in South Africa, the choir is visiting the UK as part of Project Zulu, an initiative by the University of the West of England (UWE). Raising funds for their schools back home, they have showcased their traditional Zulu song in a number of West Country locations, including a Bristol Bears game and in Bath and Bristol city centres. Project leader, Ben Knight, said their final performance would take place at the Bristol Beacon on 5 June. Project Zulu arranges for choirs from South African townships to tour the UK every two years. Mr Knight said UWE students studying professions such as teaching, engineering and occupational therapy were sent out to the township in South Africa annually to "spend a few weeks making valuable contributions to the educational life of schools in the township". Then every two years a choir, made up of children from two partnership schools, are brought over to Bristol to spend three weeks performing and sharing their talent and culture. "They've been busking, they've put on concerts," he said. Mr Knight explained the tour aimed to raise money for the two schools involved. "They are over here sharing their extraordinary talents and culture but also earning money to develop their educational opportunities back home," he said. He said this year, one school planned to use the money to develop solar energy and the other hoped to buy IT equipment. "Every penny that is made goes directly back to their schools," he said. "A little bit of your money goes a really long way in South Africa," he added. Mr Knight said "right at the heart of the project" was a "desire to bring people who live a long way apart, and lead very different lives, together". Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Volunteer families sought to host Zulu choir Zulu children's choir performance delights crowds Choir earns £970 in 90-minute busk Project Zulu
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Zulu children's choir showcases music and culture across the West
A South African children's choir has been performing across the west of England as it takes part in a cultural exchange up of 20 school children from the Madadeni Township in South Africa, the choir is visiting the UK as part of Project Zulu, an initiative by the University of the West of England (UWE).Raising funds for their schools back home, they have showcased their traditional Zulu song in a number of West Country locations, including a Bristol Bears game and in Bath and Bristol city leader, Ben Knight, said their final performance would take place at the Bristol Beacon on 5 June. Project Zulu arranges for choirs from South African townships to tour the UK every two Knight said UWE students studying professions such as teaching, engineering and occupational therapy were sent out to the township in South Africa annually to "spend a few weeks making valuable contributions to the educational life of schools in the township".Then every two years a choir, made up of children from two partnership schools, are brought over to Bristol to spend three weeks performing and sharing their talent and culture. "They've been busking, they've put on concerts," he said. Mr Knight explained the tour aimed to raise money for the two schools involved."They are over here sharing their extraordinary talents and culture but also earning money to develop their educational opportunities back home," he said. He said this year, one school planned to use the money to develop solar energy and the other hoped to buy IT equipment."Every penny that is made goes directly back to their schools," he said."A little bit of your money goes a really long way in South Africa," he Knight said "right at the heart of the project" was a "desire to bring people who live a long way apart, and lead very different lives, together".
