ARTICLES

The fight is not over

It’s time for women. On the 8th of March, we celebrate International Women’s Day, but it’s not only about celebrating. It’s about remembering, it’s about realizing and it’s about taking action. Women have been fighting for their rights since more than 150 years ago, when the first wave powerfully arrived to the world and shocked the standards of stagnant society, along with other social and labour movements like the reducing of the working time, in general, and the progressive reduction and elimination of the child’s work.

Also, the date usually taken as the start of this first wave, when the first Women’s Rights Convention took place, occurred in the same year when the European Revolutions shook the political landscape around the Old Continent. This year is 1848.

And still, after all the way we went through, we need to talk about this. Still, we need to fight. The power of the #MeToo movement brought back women’s issues to the main picture and over the last years, we have witnessed incredible mobilizations and a true collective awareness to solve the problem once and forever.

Because of course today women have the right to vote, which was the main demand back during the first wave. Of course, women have reached the same rights as men in a lot of developed countries. But they aren’t done yet. Feminicides and violence against women are still a big scourge for our society. Women also face discrimination in their day-to-day, labour issues and social stigmas. Plus, there are many countries where women do have not the same rights as men. For example, Iran, where is very notorious the recent case of Masha Amini. This tragic case led to big protests in Iran and around the world against the conservative and oppressive Iranian government.

So we need to be proud for all the way we ran and all the rights and social advances achieved, but (there’s always a but) we really need to be aware of the fact that we haven’t completed the road, we (we all, because empowered women mean empowered men) still need to talk, discuss, take action and fight for an equal society, for an equal world. And it doesn’t make sense to be patient, there’s no need to wait until 2030. Let’s continue the fight now. The time is now.  Are you ready?

Mario Formisano Fernández 

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

On the 21st of February, we celebrate World Poetry Day. The slogan for 2024's Poetry Day intends to remark on the importance of the legacy of many great writers around the world and through time. Our giants. But first, let’s take a look at the history of this poetic day.

UNESCO adopted the 21st of March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, “with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard”.

Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, talks like this about poetry:

"Arranged in words, colored with images, struck with the right meter, the power of poetry has no match. As an intimate form of expression that opens doors to others, poetry enriches the dialogue that catalyzes all human progress, and is more necessary than ever in turbulent times."

UNESCO does several actions to promote poetry and literature in general like the designation of the World Book Capital every year to promote the power of books and the influence of literature in our society. Designated cities should create activities to spread willingness not only to write but to read. The program was established in 2001 and Madrid, the capital of Spain, was the first World Book Capital.

Coming back to the core of this article, the poetry itself, we need to mention what this literary art represents for top writers. Spanish late great Federico García Lorca said about poetry that “it is something that walks around the streets. Something that moves and passes next to us. Everything has a mystery and poetry is the mystery of everything”.

Uruguayan world-class author Mario Benedetti opines the following:

“Because the problem is that: that poetry bites. For being free, questioning, transgressive, questioning, subjective, fanciful, hermetic at times and communicative at others. That's why it bites. And that is why a good part of the public (I mean the one who reads, of course) prefers prose that often contains answers, obeys plans and structures, is usually objective, knows how to organize its fantasies and in general does not bite, especially when they put (or puts on) the muzzle. Even in times of censorship, and given that censors are not usually specialists in metaphors, poetry usually passes through customs with much more grace than prose”.

To finish this article and to give a most personal perspective on poetry, I would like to share with you these humble words:

Poetry is freedom,

poetry is justice,

poetry is love,

but poetry also can be disaffection,

punishment

and a cage of feelings, of ideas.

Poetry is the world in your hand,

your heart and your mind at once.

Enjoy poetry.

Mario Formisano Fernández

¡VIVA LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA!

¡Hola! On the 23rd of April we celebrate the Spanish Language Day. The importance of this language around the world is notorious, as by 2023, 6.2% of the global population was Spanish native speaker; and 7.5% was a potential user of the language.

Spanish comes from Latin, just like Portuguese, Galician, Catalan, Occitane, French, Italian, Romanian and others. It is, nowadays, the second language of the world by number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese, and the fourth language of the world by number of global users, after English, Mandarin Chinese and Hindi.

Spanish originated around the IXth century AD, coming mainly from the Castilian Romance dialect, one of the derivatives of Vulgar Latin, specifically the one developed in the medieval county of Castile. That is why the language was originally called Castilian (it was associated to the County of Castile and afterwards to the Kingdom of Castile) and why today it is still called Castilian Language, taught as a subject in the Spanish schools. Moreover, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), despite saying Spanish and Castilian are both valid to name the language, considers the term Spanish is more appropriate for the common language of almost 500 million people around the world as of 2023, relegating the term Castilian to identify the dialect of the language spoken in some regions of Spain.

RAE stands for “Real Academia Española”, which is the oldest language institution in the Hispanic world. There is a total of 23 academies regulating the use of Spanish language, all under the coordination of the Association of Academies of Spanish Language (ASALE, Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española).

As an official language, we find 21 countries around the world that gives Spanish this status, with Mexico being the most populated Spanish-speaking country as well as the country with more Spanish native speakers. Spain is only the third most populated, after Mexico and Colombia, and the fourth by native speakers’ number, after Mexico, Colombia and Argentina (as of 2023, Argentina had around 1 million of people less than Spain, but it had 6.7% more of native speakers).

23 countries have a Spanish language academy, starting with Spain, followed, from oldest to newest, by Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Philippines, Panama, Cuba, Paraguay, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Argentina, Uruguay, Honduras, Puerto Rico, United States of America and finally Equatorial Guinea.

21 countries hold Spanish as an official language. Here there are, sorted from the most populated to the least: Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Equatorial Guinea.

Tengan un buen día.

Hasta pronto,

Mario Formisano Fernández. 

MUSEUMS FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

There are plenty of international days, and of course, there had to be one for our museums around the world. Institutions that, as the theme for 2024 stands, aim to promote education and research among visitors and public opinion. In other words, this year “we acknowledge their contribution to research, providing a platform for exploration and the dissemination of new ideas. From art and history to science and technology, museums are vital spaces where education and research converge to shape our understanding of the world.”

International Museum Day (18th of May) has been organized by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) since 1977, to raise awareness about the fact that, "museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”. In 2023, more than 37,000 museums participated in this celebration in about 158 countries and territories.

Since 2020, International Museum Day has supported different goals from the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. In 2024, museums are focus on:

-Goal 4: Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

-Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.

18th of May is the official day, but during the week we can find different events and activities to celebrate this day, acknowledging the impact museums have on our society. One of these events is a common and very interesting one. Celebrated for the first time in 1997 in Berlin, the Long Night of Museums consists of a variety of museums opening until late the night, usually with free entrance to all of their exhibits, trying to reach new types of public. Apart from the commercial point of view, there is also a willingness to spread culture between people.

Since 2005, the Council of Europe, UNESCO and ICOM joined this initiative to transform it into a European Night of Museums during the third Saturday of May. In 2021, 1200 museums in 120 cities throughout Europe, as well as other nations including Argentina and the Philippines, welcomed nearly 2 million visitors to their collections during this special night.

But this goes from big to small all around the globe. That’s why also in Serres we, Praxis, will host an activity based on a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art “Konstantinos Xenakis” Gallery. We need to recognize the value of every single museum. An essential tool for culture, education, research and innovation. Moreover, a fantastic way to entertain yourself, to fill your spirit. Cause when you might think the art, the science, the culture contented in museums is superfluous, then is when it hits you the harder, changing your predefined ideas and giving you a new point of view. Therefore, you will probably redefine your time.

So take the time to visit a museum, it is worth it!

Mario Formisano Fernández 

ALONE IN YOUR DAY, EUROPE?

With Europe Day settled on the 5th and 9th of May since 1964 and 1985, respectively; the celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest's semifinals on the 7th and 9th of May, and the final on the 11th; plus, the upcoming elections for the European Parliament that will be held between the 6th and the 9th June; Europe as a whole was ahead of an exciting month full of opportunities. But where there's an opportunity there's a risk.

Let's start from the beginning. On one side, Europe Day is a commemoration of peace and unity between European countries after World War II, celebrated on 5 May by the Council of Europe since 1964. 

The Council of Europe (CoE), which describes itself as the guardian of human rights in Europe and the continent's leading human rights organization, was created in 1949 and 46 European countries are part of it, including the 27 members of the European Union. The mission of the Council is, as stated on its website, "to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law across Europe and beyond". In addition, its current top priority is, as we can also read on its website, "to support Ukraine against Russia's aggression and help ensure accountability and justice".

Just so you know, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), better known by people as the Strasbourg Court (because it is based in the city of Strasbourg, in France), is an institution part of the Council of Europe and one of the main tools to ensure the compliance of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), which center all the efforts made by the Council.

On the other side, Europe Day is also a commemoration of peace and unity between European countries after World War II, celebrated on 9 May by the European Union since 1985.

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic alliance consisting of 27 European countries, after the traumatic leave of the United Kingdom, and is what we usually refer to with the word "Europe". But repetition does not create truths, only makes things truth-looking. This alliance had its starting point in 1951 with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), but the Union as it is right now (with the political and economic implications that we know) was formally established in 1993.

The Council of Europe celebrates Europe Day on the 5th of May because this organization came into existence on 5 May 1949 by the Treaty of London. It makes sense, right? Well, the day chosen by the European Union also makes sense, but in a different way, and it's, maybe, more powerful because there is a sentimental factor. The Union celebrates this day on the 9th of May because on 9 May 1950 Robert Schuman (1886-1993), who Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, pronounced his famous "Schuman Declaration" proposing the creation of the ECSC, which was originally formed by France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg on 18 April 1951 by the Treaty of Paris.

Schuman settled the foundation of the European Union spirit and helped to create the first of several supranational institutions that ended up creating the European Union on 1 November 1993 by the Treaty of Maastricht. His most famous quotes from that declaration are the following:

- "World peace cannot be safeguarded without creative efforts comparable to the dangers that threaten it."

- "Europe will not be built at once or in a joint effort: it will be built thanks to concrete achievements, which create, first of all, de facto solidarity."

- "The pooling of coal and steel production (...) will change the destiny of those regions, which for so long have been dedicated to the manufacture of weapons, of which they themselves have been the first victims."

So the European Union did not choose the 18th of April, when its first ancestor was created, or the 1st of November when the Union itself was actually created. It chose the day that man made a historic and world-changing public statement. Pretty smart from my point of view. But to be honest, the EU was not that smart for everything. The main reason why we confuse Council and Union is that the EU decided in 1985 to start using the well-known European flag (you can see it below), so before the existence of the actual union, and abandoning its previous flag (you can also see it below). The European flag was originally designed in 1955 for the Council of Europe and it has been used by this organization since that year.

I need to admit that I like the ECSC flag, but at the same time, it gives me the vibe of the Confederate States of America's flag. So I have mixed feelings towards this symbol. Anyway, maybe we could use it again. At some point.

Apart from this, I would like to mention that actually, the pioneer organization in Europe is another one. I'm talking about the Benelux Union, or simply Benelux, a supranational organization to collaborate also politically and economically which treaty was signed on 5 September 1944 and was valid from 1 January 1948, making it, as I said before, the Pioneer of Europe. It is formed by Belgium (BE), the Netherlands (NE), and Luxembourg (LUX). It continues to exist nowadays but is overshadowed by the political and economic weight of the European Union, of which these three countries are also foundational members.

Coming back to the topic and assuming the 9th of May as the proper Europe Day for us (EU citizens), it's sad but at the same time necessary to admit that most people don't care about this day. This is the best possible scenario because a lot of people don't even know when is Europe Day or even they don't know about its existence. There's no real connection between Europe and its citizens, not at least when it comes to celebrating or commemorating, building a common set of feelings, ideas, and a common narrative. Is this a deadly threat to the Union? No, of course not. But it's a key factor to take into account when we talk about the maintenance and development of a European identity, the European values, and the possibility of the EU, its institutions and its country members reaching the faraway point of becoming the United States of Europe. And with this name of the United States I mean a political union that conforms to only one country, one single federal nation (I remember to everybody this is the ultimate goal of the European common project); not referring to any other characteristic of the United States of America.

My recommendation? To make it a bank holiday/national holiday in all 27 country members of the EU. It already has this status in Luxembourg, but it should be mandatory (strongly recommended at least) for all the members to upgrade this day to a similar status with its own national celebrations. Actually, it was already proposed in 2019 after Spanish deputy in the European Parliament Maite Pagazaurtundúa Ruiz led the 'report on the application of the Treaty provisions relating to citizenship of the Union' presented to the institution, which approved this and other recommendations and considerations for the country members and the European Commission. It didn't have any effect. Not a single country assumed the day as a national holiday.

Still, I believe we need to try again. To justify why I think it would be useful, I give the following example: referring to bank holidays in my country (Spain), everybody knows that the 6th of December is Constitution Day and the 8th of December is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Two national holidays in three days which conform a popular break for Spanish citizens before Christmas, with many people taking some days off and/or the weekend to sum them up to these days and going for some short holidays during this time.

It might sound stupid or simple, but it's the truth (as I see the situation). We need practical changes in our day-to-day to realize the importance of something. Therefore, Europe Day (9 May) should be a bank/national holiday all around the European Union. It must be. And why not us, the Spaniards, taking the lead? Pedro, make it happen. 

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE TROPICS

When we hear the word “tropical” what usually comes to our mind are things like ice creams, fruits, juices, cocktails and drinks in general. Nevertheless, other things like deforestation, logging, climate change, urbanization and demographic changes should pop into our mind, since these are challenges that the nations of the Tropics are currently facing.

But before continuing with the topic, we need to answer the following question: “What are the Tropics?”. According to the United Nations, “the Tropics are a region of the Earth, roughly defined as the area between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn”. We also know that “although topography and other factors contribute to climatic variation, tropical locations are typically warm and experience little seasonal change in day-to-day temperature”. Finally, it’s interesting to remark that “an important feature of the Tropics is the prevalence of rain in the moist inner regions near the equator, and that the seasonality of rainfall increases with the distance from the equator”.

If we want to clarify more about what is this region and what is a tropic, we might check the definition by the State of the Tropics (James Cook University). Here we’re told that “the Tropics is commonly defined as the region of the Earth surrounding the Equator within the latitudes of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn at +/– 23.5 degrees. With its origins in astronomy, these latitudes are the limit of where the Sun reaches a point directly overhead at least once during the solar year, and are used to define the Tropics in this paper.”

And now, what is the paper they’re talking about? It’s the State of the Tropics Report, released every year (in a focus and short version) since 2014 by different universities and research institutions to raise awareness about the situation and the issues this region faces, and also about its importance for the World’s sustainable development. A major report is published every 5 years. It’s self-defined as a report that “analyses a range of environmental, social and economic indicators to answer this question. The analysis shines a bright light on a variety of key issues and provides a foundation for policymakers, geopolitical analysts and other stakeholders to examine in greater detail the tropics and the major issues affecting it”.

Marking the anniversary of the first report’s release on 29 June 2014, in which 12 leading tropical research institutions collaborated, the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 2016 a resolution, “which declared that 29 June of each year is to be observed as the International Day of the Tropics”.

Some interesting factors about this region noted in the State of the Tropics Report 2022 (which was focused on the impact of COVID-19) are:

-          Major increases in plastic waste from discarded PPE and food containers have reversed many of the plastic recycling gains made in recent years.

-          Reductions in noise and air pollution during the pandemic have been linked with behavioral changes in some migratory birds. Increases in bird diversity and increased residence times were observed in India and Colombia.

-          There are concerns that the increased production and use of sanitizers and disinfectants are having impacts on the ecology and health of the soil and aquatic biota.

-          Wildlife trafficking and tropical deforestation increased in Brazil, Colombia and Cambodia during the pandemic.

-      CO2 emissions in the Tropics decreased by almost 6% over this period, with emissions in Central America decreasing by 17%. The decrease in CO2 emissions in the rest of the world was lower despite having higher overall emissions.

-          Globally, CO2 emissions decreased by almost 5% between 2019 and 2020 due to economic lockdowns and border closures. However, this reduction was only temporary, with emissions increasing back to pre-COVID levels by the end of 2021.

Also on a global scale, this report highlighted the fact that “the 2020 decreases in CO2 emissions were largely reversed in 2021 with a 4.9% increase (Adler, 2021). Increases in coal consumption by major CO2 emitters, including China, India, the USA and the European Union, were the major contributors to the rebound in emissions in 2021 (Adler, 2021). To achieve net zero by 2050, it is estimated that CO2 emissions need to be reduced by 1,400 million tonnes per year—equivalent to the decrease in emissions in 2020”.

From the previous report, published in 2021, we should mention some significant data such as:

-      The Tropics host nearly 95% of the world’s mangrove forests by area and 99% of mangrove species.

-      The Tropics have just over half of the world’s renewable water resources (54%), yet almost half their population is considered vulnerable to water stress.

-          Biodiversity is greater in the Tropics – however, loss of biodiversity is also greater in the Tropics than in the rest of the world.

In addition, the United Nations reminds us that “by 2050, the region will host most of the world's people and two-thirds of its children”.

With these and more points it is clear the key role of this region in the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, so by helping and taking care of the Tropics we are supporting the whole world and taking care of our common future, that is only possible through proper sustainable development, endorsed by values such as equality and social justice, and key factors like digital transformation and ecological transition.

Mario Formisano Fernández

To Leave No One Behind, Count Everyone.

It’s all about people! On the 11th of July, we celebrated World Population Day. This international day is observed on this date every year to raise awareness of global population issues. It was declared by the United Nations, concretely by the Government Council of the United Nations Development Programme, in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987, the approximate date the world's population reached five billion people. A stunning amount of people that nowadays looks almost ridiculous compared with the last milestone that we passed on the population’s growth. We reached 8 billion people on the 15th of November, 2022.

The theme for 2024 is “to leave no one behind, count everyone”. UN Secretary-General António Guterres gave his thoughts about it: “As the theme of this year’s World Population Day reminds us, investing in data collection is important to understanding problems, tailoring solutions, and driving progress. So is finance. I urge countries to make the most of the Summit of the Future this year to unleash affordable capital for sustainable development.”

*What is the Summit of the Future? The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future (UN). It will take place in September 2024.

From the UN Secretary-General word's we can understand that there should be a focus on the data as a tool to improve the world financial situation and, therefore, own the proper capital that allows us to continue the pursuit of sustainable development, to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, by 2030 (or someday). But it is also a claim about the fact that everybody deserves an opportunity, a place in our sustainable future. We need to count everyone because as a society, and as humans, we cannot tolerate leaving anyone behind. There’s one future and it has to be for the whole world or it will be for no one.

As we were saying, the United Nations remarks on the importance of data on the social and economic advancements over the last decades, assuming that data will be as important or even more than before. Some of the mentioned improvements “have significantly enhanced the delivery of health care globally, leading to substantial improvements in sexual and reproductive health and the ability to exercise rights and choices. Increasingly, new technologies are enabling more detailed and timely measurement of people's experiences than ever before.” All of this happened, according to the UN, because “societies around the world have made remarkable progress in improving population data gathering, analysis, and use. New population figures, disaggregated by age, ethnicity, gender, and other factors, now reflect the diversity of our societies more accurately.”

In conclusion, we have in our power an instrument to develop ourselves, our societies, just as we should. So celebrate people, count everyone. Gathering the data with a good purpose and the proper interpretation will help us on the way to the future through sustainable development.

FROM PERSONAL TO GLOBAL

Every year since 1991 we celebrate World Photography on the 19th of August to commemorate photography and also to share photos, something very useful to raise awareness about socio-economic challenges or just for the spreading of culture and ideas.

Photography seems nowadays like something very simple since almost everybody has a mobile phone with a camera. The truth is that it was a great revolution back in the days when photography appeared on the international scene during the 19th century. Precisely, the 19th of August of 1837 marks the date of the invention which is the reason why we celebrate this international day. Well, it was 2 years later, in 1839, when the invention was released to the general public by the French Academy of Sciences. Anyway, on this day we recognized the invention of the Daguerreotype by the French artist and photographer, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre.

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, better known as Louis Daguerre (Cormeilles-en-Parisis, November 18, 1787 - Bry-sur-Marne, July 10, 1851), was the first to popularize photography, after inventing the daguerreotype, and also worked as a painter and theater decorator. Referring to his invention, the daguerreotype was the first photographic process to be announced and disseminated. It was developed and perfected by the French artist, based on the unpublished previous experiments of Niépce (before 1826), and made known in Paris, at the French Academy of Sciences. Both, the apparatus used to obtain images by daguerreotype and each photograph obtained are known by the name of daguerreotype.

The concept of photography is something that goes from the personal aspect (when we take a photo in a place and/or with someone to have a memory) to the global spotlight, with photography exhibitions rivaling paintings and bringing to the world awareness and realism about death, wars, natural disasters and social problems but also life (including wildlife), natural wonders, beauty and human kindness.

The same process applies to the consecution of World Photography Day. From the personal idea of Indian photographer OP Sharma, in his words to Harmony – Celebrate Age magazine: “The idea came to me in 1988 when, over and over again, in various publications that documented the history of photography, I came across this date: 19 August 1839. It was recorded as the date on which the then French government announced the invention of the Daguerreotype process of photography as a free gift to the world”; to the global celebration that we make every year since Sharma stepped on for it: "I proposed the idea to several masters and photographers around the world, about 150 of them, including the RPS and the Photographic Society of America (PSA)… by the beginning of 1991, everyone took a unanimous decision and we started celebrating World Photography Day that year."

So it’s time to celebrate! Take a photo and share it. Here is mine.

See you soon! Read me again! 

Mario Formisano Fernández