RE: LeoThread 2024-11-12 01:30

I don't need TV when I gat threadcast on my devices 🤣🤣🤣..

thank you so much man, I didn't have enough RC to respond but now I think I do. Sorry for late reply

She fled her village after it was attacked by extremists, leaving her husband and her farm behind. Since then, she has been moving from place to place, struggling to pay rent and to buy enough food for her children, including a 2-year-old toddler.

But last month, she got to be a queen.

Every day for a week, together with dozens of other Burkinabe men and women who have been displaced by extremist violence, she swirled, danced and chanted for almost two hours in front of captivated audiences at Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, the country's capital.

“I was so happy about it," she said. "I don't even know how to explain how it felt.”

Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation of 23 million in Sahel, an arid strip of land south of the Sahara, used to be known for its bustling arts scene, including renowned film and theater festivals, and its sophisticated craftsmanship.

But in recent years, the country has become the symbol of the security crisis in the region. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups and the government forces fighting them, much of it spilling over the border with Mali, and by two ensuing military coups.

The military junta, which took power by force in 2022, failed to provide the stability it promised. Instead, the situation deteriorated: According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.

The country's leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, installed a system of de-facto censorship, where those critical of the regime disappear or get forcefully drafted into the army, and where even friends are afraid to discuss politics with each other.

But against all odds, last month the Bougsemtenga district in the capital turned into a festival grounds to host Recreatrales for the 13th time.

Bougsemtenga derives its name from “bougtenga,” which means “happiness district” in Moore, one of the local languages. True to its origins, this year its streets were transformed into a dreamy universe, resembling a crossover between a traditional village festival and “Alice in Wonderland." More than 150 African and European artists performed and over 4,500 theater lovers were able to escape the country's grim reality, if just for a little while.

Improvised theater stages were constructed inside people’s courtyards. The streets were decorated with colorful lights and abstract sculptures made by locals from plastic bottles and scraps of wax-printed fabrics. Residents put up hand decorated stands, selling beer and meat sticks to multinational crowds of theatergoers, ranging from Western diplomats to local mechanics. The ticket booth was a giant frog, its mouth wide open.

Aristide Tarnagda, the festival’s artistic director, said he was convinced that regardless of the insecurity engulfing the country, the festival had to take place as planned.

Theater is an affirmation of “the primacy of life over death,” Tarnagda said. He added that getting together to perform and watch theatrical productions is a form of resistance against adversity and violence. This is why this year's theme was "Turning the face to the sun.”

“Humans are capable of love and freedom, but sometimes they forget it,” he said. “The role of the theater is to remind them about it.”

Held every two years, the festival is the culmination of the yearlong work that the organizers do with residents of the Bougsemtenga district, which was home to two theaters and a theater association even before the first Recreatrales in 2002.

They run art workshops, including in writing, theater, dance and scenography, for young people from the district and from all of Africa, and organize mentoring sessions and business skills classes for local women. The goal is to get as many people as possible involved, said Odile Sankara, the festival's director.

“It’s a working class district," Sankara said. ”We want to encourage people to take an interest in art, to get a taste of it."

She added: “Art is a powerful weapon to fight for more light, more humanity and more love,” especially while her country and the whole Sahel region were going through a security and humanitarian crisis.

Claude Ilboudo, a 30-year-old from Bougsemtenga, has performed in the opening ceremonies of Recreatrales as a dancer since its first edition. He used to work as a glazier, and dancing was just his past time. But Ilboudo's life took a turn when five years ago he severely injured his right hand at work and could no longer do his job.

It was then that Ilboudo discovered a passion for theater and started working for the Recreatrales association. “Theater saved me,” he said. “It made me discover what I could do.”

This year, Ilboudo was part of the team that prepared the opening play with the internally displaced actors from scratch, including the concept, scenario and choreography. It was also the first time he personally interacted with people who had to flee their homes because of extremist violence.

For internally displaced people, theater is not just a tool for therapy, helping them to process trauma, said Sankara, the artistic director. It's a way for a group that has been marginalized and isolated in Burkinabe society to be seen by others.

During the play, Dabone, the displaced mother of three, stood at center stage with her toddler tied to her back and spit out a long, white paper strip. It symbolized all the haunting thoughts leaving her body, she said. But the question remains — for how long.

“Life is very difficult,” she said. “But when I am on the stage, I feel joy. It’s when I have to go back home that all these thoughts are coming back to my head."

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards
for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

news headline

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said his participation on the show is "extreme" but hopes it will "go some way in stretching people's ideas of what is possible for a person with disabilities".

He added: "I think there are low expectations of people with disabilities - sometimes you’ll come down a set of steps into a taxi and people say 'wow, how did you do that?'"

"I actually wanted to put the audience in the dark so it was a complete surprise for them to see me spinning Dianne when the lights came on."

"I said no to Strictly a few times because it was completely unknown in terms of standard and what the dances were because I couldn't even go and watch it."

Rita Ora has paid an emotional tribute to Liam Payne as she hosted this year's MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) in Manchester, almost a month after the One Direction star's death.

Ora collaborated with Payne on their 2018 hit single For You, and her voice faltered as she remembered him, calling him "one of the kindest people that I knew".

She delivered the tribute dressed in a dark suit in a poignant moment that was in contrast to the upbeat tone of the rest of the ceremony.

Let me check on them... It's all welcome 🤗🤗🤗🤗..

!DOOK

I couldn't log in, the link is buggy.

But I believe you can buy it here. I don't see any problem.

Gary Lineker, who will leave Match of the Day at the end of this season, BBC News understands, has been the steady hand who guided millions of fans through football's agonies and ecstasies.

As a former footballer of considerable pedigree - including England captain and striker, with 48 goals in 80 appearances - he famously never received a red or yellow card during his career.

His ability to keep his cool on the pitch stood him in good stead for a career in live broadcasting when he retired as a player in 1994.

The largest restoration of Rembrandt's masterpiece, The Night Watch, is under way at the Rijksmuseum, in Amsterdam.

Following five years of research using techniques such as digital imaging and artificial intelligence, eight restorers will begin "Operation Night Watch" by removing the varnish from the painting
.

The process follows years of scientific research, trials on other paintings, and tests on The Night Watch itself

Lets see how it goes 😉...

Greetings to you from my end....

You can bring them, but mostly you need to add the transcript to enable the leoai to be able to read them....