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Issue 03 | December 2013
The
Global Spirit SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ISSUE What does it mean to be Jordaian? Hear it from the people page 7
Japan celebrates Christmas page 8
Local life in India page 2
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The Global Spirit | December 2013
special photographic issue
Welcome to this of The Global Spirit. It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words, so feast your eyes on these photographs taken by our writers overseas. I'm especially excited to bring you an in-depth study into New Guinea from a writer who has spent time there traveling and researching this lesserknown region of the world. It is a place which encapsulates many of the environmental and ecological issues encountered in the world today, and is going through transitions we can all learn from. Photographs from India, Pakistan and the people of Jordan feature heavily in this issue, so spend a little time looking over them, and see if you can imagine yourself there. Don't forget the back page, with the low-down on Japanese Christmas traditions and a report on the death of an influential musician in Israel. Thanks also to Aleksandra (Ola) Manikowska for her hard work as copyeditor of The Global Spirit. Merry Christmas! Andrew Thomson (Editor) global.spirit.editor@gmail.com INDIA: (left) A child stands by his screen-printed bedsheets – a popular product of the screen-printing factory in Sanganer, Jaipur. Their parents work at the factory, and so the children are also expected to help and follow in their parents’ trade. These products are exported around the local area and around India for sale. The brightly coloured pattern is unique to Rajasthan and is well-liked across the world.
INDIA: (below) Men washing fabric, Sanganer, Jaipur. Fabric is washed by hand which is strenuous work. The workers spend all day in the fabric pools, washing the freshly dyed fabrics.
INDIA: (right)A potter in Sanganer, Jaipur. These ceramics are made by hand; the skill needed to reproduce multiple pots of the same shape and size is considerable. Pottery has been this man’s family craft for generations. After the pots have been fired, they are painted with traditional Rajasthani patterns and then sold in the local shops.
The Global Spirit | December 2013
3 INDIA: (left) Abhaneri is a village in Rajasthan situated ninety-five kilometres away from Jaipur. It is home to the ancient Harshat Mata Temple which dates back to the 10th Century. Harshat Mata is considered the goddess of happiness and joy and this temple dedicated to her presents architecture and styles of Ancient India. Although the surroundings of the temple are mostly in ruins, each rock tablet positioned around the surviving centre boasts astounded precision of design and perfection of skill.
INDIA: (above)Famous Rajasthani puppet dolls that are found dangling from the hands of sellers on the streets of the bazaars in the Old City. The classic method of persuasion these vendors utilise is to violently hit the heads of these dolls either against each other or against a wall, in the hope that the customer will hear the strength of the wood and purchase. The dolls come as a pair, complete with a lady wearing a traditional Rajasthani saari, and a man playing the Pungi instrument.
INDIA: (above) Detail of Harshat Mata Temple (top)
INDIA: (above) Close-ups of the intricately decorated walls that encase Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The mausoleum took a total of 16 years to reach completion. Each coloured flower piece in the marble walls and each piece of Arabic text were skilfully carved and slotted
into place. Small contours edge out of parts of the marble casing, in the form of flower buds. Local legend has it that Shah Jahan ordered for all worker’s hands be cut off after completion so that no other being would ever be able to create a monument of such beauty. The elaborate
All photographs on page 2 by Priyanka Mehra, all photos on page 3 and Taj Mahal on front page by Amaphal Khuttan
handwork continues throughout the buildings surrounding the Taj, including this impeccable symmetrical ceiling.
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The Global Spirit | December 2013
Extracting juice from a Sago palm
Image: Jonathan Booth
Unique and New Guinea
Jonathan Booth
Papua New Guinea The world’s largest tropical island offers more than turquoise waters and palmfringed shores. Located just below the equator, New Guinea is bathed by the waters of the Indo-Pacific, which support some of the richest seas on earth. Roughly three times the size of Britain, tectonic actions have contorted New Guinea’s landmass, resulting in a central spine of snow-capped mountains that have been carved by rivers, leading to the formation of deep valleys. Such geographical variety is complimented by the region’s ecological wealth. More species of orchid are found in New Guinea than in any other area, there are almost as many bird varieties as there are in all of North America, and it is thought that one in every twenty species of insect can be found on the island. The deep valleys that gouge the flanks of
Guinea is being increasingly targeted by foreign companies who wish to exploit the abundant natural resources. This not only affects the environment, but also the human societies that depend on the land. A predominantly Christian and Animist island, New Guinea is politically divided: the eastern half is Papua New Guinea, which has been independent since 1975; the west, however, was controversially integrated with Indonesia in 1969, and the indigenous Papuan people of this region – who have almost no cultural or historical association with Indonesia – want independence. How such social, political, economic and environmental interests in New Guinea will unfold are not yet known, but the biological and anthropological costs could be significant to us all.
New Guinea is being increasingly targeted by foreign companies who wish to exploit the abundant natural resources Logging in New Guinea
Image: Jonathan Booth
New Guinea’s Highlands also influenced the human communities that settled in the region, resulting in distinct societies that rarely interacted and enabling cultures to develop in relative isolation. Culturally, New Guineans range from the Kaningara, whose male initiation ceremony involves scarring the chests and backs of adolescent boys so that their bodies resemble crocodile hides, to the Korowai, who build and live in tree houses high in the forest canopy. Today, over 1000 living languages and dialects are spoken across the island’s 7.5mln population, and ethnographers often describe the island as the most diverse region on the planet. Yet such diversity comes with a cost. With productive seas and forests, and high mineral and petroleum wealth, New
Unique Geography
From a quick glance of a map, it would appear that New Guinea forms the eastern-most major landmass of the greater Indonesian archipelago. However, New Guinea has no geological connection with its Asian neighbour. During the last Ice Age, New Guinea was connected to Australia, while the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo were joined to mainland South East Asia by exposed land-bridges. As the ice retreated some 18,000 years ago, sea levels rose, isolating the islands of Indonesia and New Guinea from their respective continents and forming the modern archipelago. Originating from different continents not only resulted in contrasting geology; there are
also differences between indigenous Indonesian and New Guinean fauna. Monkeys and other primates are common occupants of the forest canopy in Sumatra and Borneo, while no monkeys are found in New Guinea; rather tree kangaroos, wallabies, the possum-like cuscus, and egg-laying echidnas (spiny anteaters) are found in New Guinea, demonstrating biological associations with Australia. New Guinea is famed for its birdlife, the largest of which is the flightless and highly territorial cassowary, which is notorious for slashing at human intruders with powerful legs and long talons. Bowerbirds can be found close to the forest floor, the males of which construct elaborate bower-structures from twigs, leaves, flowers, insect wings and colourful plastic objects to entice females to mate. Such nuptial exhibitions and courtship flair is most noticeably displayed by the birds-of-paradise. Thirty-nine of the forty-one bird-of-paradise species live on New Guinea, the males usually possessing colourful tail quills and other plumage, accompanied by choreographed dances and songs to impress females.
Distinct Societies
The varied tropical geography of New Guinea is a key reason for its ecological richness. Situated within the equatorial belt and with ecological zones encompassing coasts, jungles, swamps, rivers, valleys, grasslands and mountains, New Guinea provides varied conditions that have influenced the adaption of species. Such a setting can also help explain the variety of human communities. It is believed the first human settlers arrived in New Guinea around 10,000 years ago, as part of a wider people migration, which also colonised the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji (this region of Oceania is known as Melanesia due to the dark skin pigmentations of the Melanesian people). In New Guinea, early human communities began establishing complex agricultural societies. Yams, bananas and sugarcane were all first domesticated in the region, which some archaeologists believe could be the first site of agriculture, originating around 7,000 years ago. The rugged geography of the region led to the development of societies that sustainably managed their environment and relied on gardening for cultivating food; thus, there was little need for interaction between neighbouring villages except
Highland village and grassland
Image: Jonathan Bo
to steal land or people. This not only led to intertribal wars and conflict, but also to the diversity of arts, religions, and languages. Until the 1970s, most tribes lived as their ancestors had done for centuries, and even today, the revering of spirits and natural forms, the use of shell-money for trade, the paying of lavish dowries, impressive weddings and funerals, initiation ceremonies from adolescence to adulthood, and tribal scarification and body adornments are but a few of the customs and traditions that continue to be practiced among rural communities. When the first Europeans began exploring New Guinea, visitors noted the extreme curiosity of the local inhabitants. There are reports of New Guinean men examining the undersides of aeroplanes to try and identify their gender. Some local men also built replica airstrips (to entice more planes) and imitation offices, in which pieces of paper were passed around to copy European behaviour to try and generate wealth. Yet the New Guineans were not the only curious humans. Often deterred by the thick jungle and aggressive inhabitants, Europeans did not show much interest in New Guinea until the later years of the 1800s, making it one of the last large landmass to be explored – even today, parts of the island are unknown to science. Once established, European settlers soon observed the region’s potential. Accordingly, the Dutch annexed Irian Jaya, the western half of the island, and incorporated it with the Dutch East Indies, now known as Indonesia. Germany took the north-eastern area of the island and the adjacent islands,
The Global Spirit | December 2013
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P A C I F I C
Map of New Guinea
O C E A N
Papua New Guinea and Papua (Indonesia) Jayapura
diverse: a in depth
ooth
which was called German New Guinea, and the British took the south-eastern portion, which became British Papua. During World War II, the region became a battleground between Japan and Australia, and many inhabitants in eastern New Guinea became involved in a conflict they had little understanding of. Following the retreat and defeat of Japan, the German and British colonies were combined to form Papua and New Guinea, and Britain gave this new territory to Australia. In 1975, the nation now known as Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia, almost a decade after the resourcerich western-half of the island became Indonesia’s largest, least populated and least developed province.
Divided Island – Growing Resentment
In the Indonesian province now known as Papua, resentment of Indonesian rule and exploitation among the local Papuan population has resulted in anger, protests and violence. Such tension has been fuelled by a desire for Papua to secede from Indonesia. Papua, along with other peripheral regions of Indonesia, such as northern Sumatra and central Sulawesi, have sought for change – often violently – for decades. In 1999, Timor-Leste fought a bloody war to become a new, independent nation in the subsequent years. Unlike TimorLeste, however, which has few natural resources, Papua (which has been fighting for independence since the 1960s) is rich in oil, gas, minerals, timber and fish, which are important for Indonesia’s
EA EW GUIN PA P U A N
Papua Province
IND
High
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land
s
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Arafura Sea
Gulf of Papua
Port Moresby
PHILLIPINES
economy. Despite this, some Papuans, if these NEW GUINEA Papua remains unde- New Guinea’s size and requests are dismissed SOLOMON veloped and has limited or rejected, the outcome INDONESIA ISLANDS socio-economic opporcould be civil war. Due wealth, however, are a tunities for the local to such concerns, there populace. Deforestation is already an exodus of AUSTRALIA blessing and a curse: Papuans illegally crossin the region is also rampant, which is often ing the border to neighillegal and impacts huge potential; easy bouring Papua New many communities who Guinea; in 2010, 13,500 Indonesian incorporation, has become a depend of the forest for Papuan refugees were prized possession in the nation’s periphexploitation. their livelihoods. Papuan living in exile. ery. Papuan persistence is as strong resentment of the newly as ever; thus, it is not known whether settled Indonesians, who today repreIndonesia can maintain control of its sent around half of Papua’s population Uncertain Future most remote territory, especially in this The variety of New Guinea’s land- era of national and regional change and (due to the Indonesian government-implemented trans-migration schemes scapes and ecosystems allowed for the quests for freedom. (to help develop Papua and reduce adaption of specialised and unique New Guinea is one of the most biothe population in overcrowded Java)), flora and fauna and the diversity of the logically and culturally rich regions of led to the founding of the Free Papua Papuan people and their cultures. A vast the planet, and yet it is also one of the Movement, known locally as Organisasi and colourful land, New Guinea has great least explored areas. The dramatic and Papua Merdeka (OPM). Established potential as an ecotourism destination, varied geography that defines the region in the early 1960s, the OPM is one of and many indigenous plants and marine has allowed for the establishment of an many independence movements in the organisms may harbour biochemical abundance of species and human sociearchipelago, indicating the bitterness properties that could help with the treat- ties, which have continued for millennia that many outer Indonesian islanders ment of diseases. New Guinea’s size and by successfully managing their environfeel towards a nation under Jakarta’s wealth, however, are a blessing and a ments in a sustainable manner. Today, curse: huge potential; easy exploitation. however, the world’s second largest control. The OPM aims to use violence to over- Deforestation and habitat destruction island and the cultural and anthropothrow Indonesian rule in Papua; over the is becoming widespread on the island. logical treasure trove is supports are past 50 years, there has been low-level Malaysia and Singapore are starting to under threat from exploitation. Whether fighting across the region. Indonesians, clear large swathes of virgin rainforest the geopolitical division that now severs who often dismiss Papuans as uncivilised in Papua New Guinea, often illegally, the region will remain is uncertain. Yet and backwards, call the OPM a terrorist and in doing so they are destroying the mounting pressures on this region are organization, while Papuans accuse livelihoods of indigenous tribes, who sure to influence the people of New Indonesia of human rights abuse. With subsequently migrate to urban areas Guinea and damage their surroundfiery temperaments, knowledge of their and often resort to crime. Moreover, the ings; a region that should be protected jungle surroundings and a keen desire region is politically divided; such natu- for future generations to appreciate for change, the OPM are an intimidating ral diversity puts an alluring price-tag and understand rather than one that is group. Although fragmented and poorly on the province or Papua, which after divided and destroyed. armed, with many combatants wielding bows-and-arrows crafted from forest A hunting party near Tari Image: Jonathan Booth materials, the OPM wants change and justice, and are willing to fight to preserve their ancestral lands, threatened languages, and unique cultural heritage. The main motto of the organization is: We do not want modern life. It is illegal to discuss the OPM in Indonesia – a prison sentence for treason can be issued for those that do. In Jayapura, the Papuan provincial capital, the influx of Javans is furthering frictions between local Papuans and Indonesians. Lately, strikes and more protests erupted in the region – in Jayapura, protests organised by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), which wants a referendum for an independent Papuan state, resulted in at least one death and alleged beatings of Papuans by the Indonesian police). There are alleged talks of an independence movement set for the forthcoming year. According to
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The Global Spirit | December 2013
PAKISTAN: (above) At a truck stop near Kallar Kahar, Punjab: traditional Pakistani trucks decorated with what is termed as ‘truck-art’. The art takes two forms: murals and painted scenes or ‘decoration pieces’. Patterns on the trucks consist of designs, such as birds, flowers, and fish or calligraphy of poetic verses and murals creatively depicting heroes. Trucks are usually embellished according to the particular tastes of their drivers.
PAKISTAN: (above) An embellished truck with four bird ‘decoration’ pieces clearly visible at the front. Pieces are covered in reflective stickers and highlighted with mirrors and studs. The trucks are used to carry goods from one city to another.
Above photographs by Myra Ejaz, in Pakistan. Photographs from India on this page by Sara Boccacci. INDIA: (right) The Pushkar camel fair is one of the world's largest camel's and livestock's festivals. Held every year in the state of Rajasthan, this 5 days fair attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists as well as traders and nomads looking for the best deals. Apart from camels, also horses, buffaloes and goats are sold and exchanged.
INDIA: (above) Dhabas are typical roadside simple restaurants in which to find cheap, sometimes too oily but delicious and hearty local freshly prepared food. This photo was taken in Pushkar.
INDIA: (above) Sometimes hated, sometimes loved, but without a doubt one of the most essential figures to compose the urban Indian landscape. Autowalas will take you up and down the winding roads of Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai on their yellow and black rickshaws.
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The people of Amman The Global Spirit writers Kai Kamei and Raeesah Akhtar set out to interview a range of Jordanian citizens. They focused on the current political, economic and social realities in order to gauge an insight into life in Amman. As the number of Syrian refugeses in Jordan continues to grow, rising social tension, economic hardship and political pressures are increasingly apparent. The interviewees reflect the diverse nature of Jordanian identity and concerns.
The Global Spirit asked: 1) Why does Jordan enjoy relative political stability in comparison to its neighbours? 2) How have the changes in the economic climate affected you? Ashraf Arafat Ashraf is a 33-year-old Jordanian who was brought up in Saudi Arabia until the age of 16. He then moved to Jordan, studying IT Programming at university before moving to Aleppo, Syria, for over a decade. Ashraf moved to Jordan in 2012 to escape the conflict and is currently unemployed. 1) “I think it is from other governments, like the American and British support, which makes Jordan stable- because Jordan is a small country and economically weak.” 2) “Jordan is an expensive country in comparison to Syria, and because I don’t have a job now, things are very difficult… because a lot of Syrian refugees have come to Jordan it is very hard to find a job as Jordan is a very small country.” 3) “I am proud to be Jordanian, but I am still looking for more benefits from this country, but the best thing here is that we are safe.”
Bushra Ababneh Bushra is a 20-year-old Jordanian who was born and brought up in Germany. She and her family returned to Jordan three years ago, where Bushra is now studying German and English at the University of Jordan. 1) “I think our King, Abdullah II, is very caring, kind and respects his people and country. This is the main aspect as to why our country is safe- our King is very fair and cares about his country.” 2) “There is so much unemployment because of all the people that came at once [from Syria], but our King helps with this and tries to help them live as Jordanians. Jordan is a small country and there are so many people coming here, but we try to love all people and help them- we are looking for a better country and to help these people build new lives.” 3) “As I was born in Germany, Jordan was at first such a change. With time, I felt very comfortable; the people are very loving and caring and I feel proud to be Jordanian.”
3) What does it mean to be Jordanian?
Hussam Hassouneh Hussam is a 22-year-old Jordanian, studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Jordan. Though both his parents are originally Palestinian, he has lived in Jordan all his life. 1) “If you want to compare Jordan to countries like Syria, the difference is that Jordan does not have many factions, like Sunni or Shia, which is why I think we don’t have much political tension in Jordan. The second difference is that our King gives us freedom of expression- we are much more democratic than Syria. Additionally, Jordanians are more openminded in comparison to those in Yemen or in the Gulf, their mentalities are different.” 2) “Ten years ago we had much lower prices in Jordan, oil and fuel were a lot cheaper. Now we have huge increases in prices, the average salary in Jordan is about 400JD per month, the government recently put the poverty line at 600JD per month. In Jordan we used to have three sectors- the rich, middle and poor. If these prices keep increasing like this, it is my opinion that we will have just two sectors, like Egypt- the very rich and the very poor.” 3) “This is a good question. I am originally from Hebron, Palestine, but I am Jordanian and have Jordanian nationality. If I go anywhere else I will not feel at home, all my family and friends are here in Jordan, not Palestine. If someone offered me any other nationality in exchange for my Jordanian nationality, I would say no.”
Dr Amal Nusair Dr Amal Nusair is a 43 year-old Jordanian who gained her bachelor’s degree in Arabic Literature from Yarmouk University in the North of Jordan, where she later went on to teach for many years. She completed her PhD at the University of Jordan. Dr Nusair is now the Dean at the University of Jordan’s Language Center, where she also teaches some SOAS students that are currently completing their year abroad. 1) “I think the main reason for this is our King and his family, because in comparison to Syria and the rest of Arab World, the Hashemite Kingdom is very kind to their people.” 2) “It is very important to know that more than a million Syrian refugees have affected Jordan very much. We are poor in water as a country and now we need more and more water. Unemployment has increased as the Syrians are taking jobs for a cheaper wage, so there are fewer jobs available for the average Jordanian. The price of food and rent in particular has risen, increasing tensions between Jordanians and Syrians.” 3) “It is very important for me to be Jordanian; I like my Kingdom, my King and the stability here in Jordan. Even though after the Arab Spring there are increased tensions, Jordan does not have much crime or violence, and is a safe and stable country.”
Nammar Arabiya Nammar is a 24 year-old Jordanian who has a diploma in Aeronautical Engineering from a military college in Amman and later served in the Army. He now works and trains at the Desert Force Academy, a mixed martial arts academy in Amman. 1) “I think our alliance with the US and Britain helps Jordan have such political stability.” 2) “The economic climate has not affected me that much.” 3) “Being Jordanian means nothing but peace for me.”
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The Global Spirit | December 2013
Kentucky fried Christmas Anton Bridge and Lucy Tasker Tokyo, Japan
The Christmas season in Japan is not to be messed with. Despite Japan’s religious basis being Buddhist and Shinto, and a large number of people admitting that they aren’t even particularly religious, this time of year is taken very seriously. Nearly every street in every city is emblazoned with Christmas illuminations, and the blindingly bright shops blare out Christmas tunes for everyone to hear. However, when you think of Christmas in Japan, you don’t think of a family get-together and a roast turkey - you think romance and KFC. The illuminations (based on familiar western Christmas lights displays) spread an atmosphere of romanticism throughout the streets. Varying from city to city, the illumination period starts from late November to early December and as soon as they are on, couples swarm in to see the them – the Roppongi Hills and Shinjuku displays are especially popular. The romance reaches its peak on Christmas Eve, the ultimate
Christmas-lights-viewing time for couples. On the 25th, however, life goes back to normal, people return to work, and all the while the shops remain open.
the Christmas period could be compared to Valentine’s Day stretched over five weeks
In this sense, the Christmas period could be compared to Valentine’s Day stretched over five weeks. Whilst all this is extremely enchanting for happy couples, it is somewhat a lonesome time for singletons. One Japanese girl told me that it was imperative that she find a boyfriend before Christmas, whereas another told me that she dreaded the coming of Christmas every single year because it made her feel lonely. The most important time for Japanese families to get together is in fact during New
Year. All family members gather and eat traditional New Year’s food, which includes dried sardines, lotus roots, and rice cake soup (a rather healthier prospect than the inordinate volume of treats generally consumed over the Christmas period in the UK). Each of these ingredients represents certain things, such as good health, prosperity, good harvest and so on. For those not on a romantic date, a perhaps more perplexing custom is the huge popularity of fried chicken- particularly Kentucky Fried Chicken- as the traditional Christmas meal. The Christmas chicken dinner (including cake and champagne) sells for roughly £25, with many pre-ordering months in advance to avoid the queues (which can stretch to two hours on Christmas Eve). This is in large part thanks to a hugely successful 1974 marketing campaign “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!). Supposedly conceived after a representative of a Christian mission school noted the dearth of turkey on Christmas day, a smart company employee saw
At a Santa Run in Osaka
Jerusalem, Israel The basic meaning of the root H-N-K in Hebrew is somewhat equivalent to that of the English "to understand", with its original meaning of "to stand" being demonstrated through the Holiday of Hanukah, the festival of inauguration or dedication, while its other meaning, that of "Hinuk", "education", is bound up with a sense of culture and experience. It is with great sadness, then, that Israel bid farewell this week to one of the most important figures in modern Israeli culture, the singer, actor, comedian and sportsman Arik Einstein. It is also, with irony, that on this holiday that commemorates Jewish cultural independence from Hellenistic Europe, one of the greatest promulgators of Western Popular music trends in Israel
Image: Lucy Tasker
this as a prime commercial opportunity. KFC launched its first Christmas meal that year, and has dominated the market ever since. KFC records its highest sales volumes each year on Christmas Eve, and even gets office staff (including executives) to help out on the production line. The sales for December 23rd, 24th, and 25th are equal to half normal monthly sales. The popularity of the phenomenon is hard to pinpoint, but the combination of a simple, non-religious message with the spread of television advertising in the mid-1970s caused it to stick. At this time, Japan was rapidly absorbing appealing aspects of Western culture and cuisine- and Japan now has a long record
Israel mourns musical icon
Bin-Nun
has passed as well. The tragedy of Arik means moderns would consider less Einstein's life being that the same than revolutionary, turning for inspiwave of westernization that he himself ration to Western forms of music, marked the crest of became too much and particularly the Anglo-American for the entertainer himself, leading him Rock of the time. His 1970 album with to close his doors on performances and Shalom Hinuk, "Snail", demonstrates record contracts still at the height of particularly the strong influence of the his powers. Beatles, for example the tonal shift on Arik Einstein was born to a family of "Why Take it to Heart", so similar in Polish origin. His father Ya'akov, hav- form to those demonstrated on Abbey ing left Poland 10 years before Arik's Road, released the preceding year. His birth, became an important and rec- talent as a storyteller in his next album, ognized actor and singer; despite this, "At Avigdor's Grass", bares similarities Arik was educated in a to Lou Reed, whose socialist school named Arik always steered more "Transformer" was after the famous com- towards sentimentality than released the following munist and mystic year. But Arik always A.D. Gordon. Joining rebellion, and never lost the steered more towards the theatre scene in air of nostalgia that even sentimentality than 1959, following the rebellion, and never release of his first then had begun to become lost the air of nosalbum in 1960, Arik talgia that even then prominent in Israel. quickly shot to fame, had begun to become particularly following prominent in Israel. the establishment of his group, "the It is telling that the two most popular high windows". What Arik did well was songs played since the announcement to integrate growing trends in Western of his death have been "Mr Choco", a pop into an increasingly insulated and children's song, and "Fly Away, Little solipsistic Israeli music scene built Bird", a parental hymn chiding their around utilitarian Zionist anthems children to keep their noses clean. His and homogenized local music, like the most literary, and, arguably, his best, classical music favoured by the elites album came from a collaboration with and the burgeoning Middle-Eastern the poet Avraham Halfi, of which the music scene brought with the mass song "Your Forehead Is Crowned with arrival of Jews from the Arab world. Black Gold" is the most notable examIt is not an overstatement to say Arik ple of his particular talent for soothing created not just the Israeli music scene, vocal story-telling. Though never of the but the entire Israeli music-buying same league as American singer-popublic. Admittedly, Arik did this by ets like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan or
of adapting foreign concepts and products to better suit Japanese tastes. The alternative is that it’s because Colonel Sanders in a Santa suit bears a passing resemblance to Father Christmas… As is to be expected from a non-Christian country, Christmas in Japan is a very different affair. As a foreign student here, it is still hard to come to terms with the fact that my university won’t even close for Christmas Day, leaving me slogging through lectures while all of Britain is celebrating with the family. And while I understand the need for cultural integration when studying abroad, there is no chance I’ll be having KFC for Christmas dinner!
Lou Reed, his music has an infectious charm about it; this is only strengthened by his presence in movies such as "Peeping Toms"- about the misadventures of two teenagers desperate for sex in Tel Aviv. The Zeitgeist at the time celebrated the perceived liberty and simplicity of the first generation of statehood in films like "Eskimo Lemon", and Arik Einstein fit well into this role. But by the time of the 1980s, the increasing complexity of an economically and militarily dominant Israel and the loss of certainty that came with the Lebanon war and then the First Intifada, changed the entire Zeitgeist in Israel. Arik's last album would be, fittingly, a children's album. Following this, Arik began to release only intermittently, mainly works intended for children, be they movies, videos or poems, and though appearing on a few collaborative albums, his time had clearly come to an end. The last years of Arik’s life were marked by an aversion to the media in general, and it is quite clear he viewed his contribution to Israel as completed. Perhaps one role remained for him: that of an educator of Israel's youth. Perhaps he hoped that through dedicating himself, in the truest sense of embodying, to the morals of the past for the youth, he could recreate those morals in them against the increasing cultural sway of the West in Israel. In any case, Arik’s death on Hanukah will, undoubtedly, inaugurate, for better or worse, a new era in Israeli culture.