Displaying items by tag: Culture

With an average age of 29, Morocco has a young population. But, as in neighbouring North African countries, their horizons are limited. Some 22% of young men and 38% of young women are unemployed (as at June 2013). Most of those who do work are engaged in the informal sector without the security of a contract, guaranteed work or income. In an environment which can fuel frustration and depression, a new series of SAT-7 podcasts has a clear message that God accepts us, offers change and sets us free. ‘WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD’ targets Moroccan and North African youth with messages of hope and wisdom, using a mixture of proverbs, comedy, rhymes and biblical values. Its presenter-producer, Hamid, says the short five-minute episodes aim to ‘change young people’s view of themselves and uncover deceptive views and ideas absorbed from culture and folk religion in a humorous way’.

Historian David Engels predicts that Europe faces the fate of the ancient Roman Republic - a civil war. Some are now saying, ‘Jihadists seem to be leading an assault against freedom and secular democracies.’ Mainstream media are asking if Europe fears Muslims more than the USA does. We can pray against fears occupying the collective imagination of Europeans. A survey of 10,000+ Europeans from ten different countries revealed increasing public opposition to Muslim immigration, with 55% agreeing that all further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped. Islamists take culture and history more seriously than Westerners. In Paris, an Egyptian terrorist attempted to deface artwork in the Louvre because ‘it is a powerful symbol of French culture’. We can pray for every aspect of Godly heritage rooted deep in European culture to be revived not reviled.

A national poll has found that while there is deep disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over whether Christianity is central to American identity, a majority of the population (seven out of ten) agrees that the country is losing its identity as a whole. Democrats, independents and Republicans agree that there is confusion as to what American identity actually is. Only one in ten Americans has a biblical worldview, and overall Christian religious beliefs were ranked near the bottom in terms of what is critical to the national identity, with only 40% saying a culture grounded in Christian religious beliefs is extremely important.

Jadine Louissaint is a second-generation Haitian born and raised in the USA. While growing up, she experienced the stigma associated with her culture and ancestry, and tried to escape from that social disadvantage through education and a good career. She trained as a nurse and did an MBA in healthcare, but in 2015 realised that something was missing from her life. She began to seek God through prayer and fasting. He showed her that His will and purpose for her life was not only to embrace her culture and heritage for herself, but to seek to empower young Haitian women and girls to effect positive change in their country - spiritually, socially, and culturally. In response, she founded TransforMe Ayiti (Transform Haiti), which seeks to provide the next generation of women leaders and innovators with tools for success. Jadine’s vision is to help Haiti become a self-sustained country, by investing in its most precious resource: the youth, specifically young women.