Friday, May 02, 2008

Imagine

I blogged about Pangea Day previously, but now it’s about to happen. It’s scheduled for May 10th, from 12:00 – 4:00 pm Mountain time.

Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film.

Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.

. . . 24 short films have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from 100+ countries. They were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and help us see the world through another person's eyes.
While they don’t have the films posted (at least not yet, presumably they will), there are fifty films listed on the site (so I’m not sure which 24 have been selected). They do have an interesting section titled Anthems, where they have six films posted created by various filmmakers, with each film having citizens of one country singing the national anthem of another country. I thought this was a really interesting idea, one which creative educators could modify and take in dozens of different directions. You can view them on the Pangea site, or I’ve embedded the YouTube versions below.

Australia Sings for Lebanon





Kenya Sings for India






Japan Sings for Turkey






France Sings for the United States





The United States Sings for Mexico





The United Kingdom Sings for Argentina




12 comments:

  1. This post was very intriguing to read about. Hearing about Pangea Day seems like it has a great outlook on the world. The idea of this is very interesting and inspiring to all countries. I think this is a good way for countries to connect with another country around the world and to come together. It gives a different perspective of those who have not been to those places or experienced their cultures. The videos were very nice and unique to watch, I have never seen anything like it before. The world has many problems, but once in awhile, it can be amazing to be reminded that we all can be able to come together.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great Blog! Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This was a very interesting blog. But I definitely think this is a very good idea. We only have one world, so why are we fighting within it? People need to see how others live, walk a mile in their shoes. If no one was at war in this world, the world would be a totally different place. I think this will show how people how people in other countries live, who ever came up with this, I want to give a round of applause to. The world needs to be connected. We live on one earth, lets not be a million different things. This was a great blog!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mr. Fisch

    I have to agree with you on how you said the idea of Pangea day is really interesting. I watched almost all the videos and it really was moving. To me personally it showed how for one day it is possible to look beyond the borders that divide each country apart, to see and hear what the other citizens live and talk like. Pangea day can really inspire other countries to take notice of one another and not focus on the bad things and all come together. This global event shows how thoughtful many people are through out the world to sing other countries national anthems in their languages. It also shows how we can connect with others all around us using film, help keeping others updated with the widespread of technology. I really do like this Pangea day a lot and I think it can do a lot to our world.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mr.Fisch

    Pangea day sounds interesting and also it seems like even though countries are at war it unites us all together for a day. I really enjoy the idea of Pangea Day because it makes countries forget about past battles and arguments and it lets them appreciate each other and show it through film. On another note showing this day through film is a huge sign of how technology is spreading and spreading fast. Knowing that all of these countries have the technology to edit and form a film is astounding. Maybe the next Pangea day will be podcasted for everyone to see. I hope that Pangea Day continues and keeps united the world. If Pangea Day keeps being celebrated the world will realize how similar everyone is and how great it feels to get along.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I completely agree with the statements talked about in this blog. It is an excellent idea for our world to come together because it could solve many world issues. Countries, continents and cities coming together could bring people of different ethnicities and lifestyles to see each other in another perspective. If we stopped fighting in our world we could help each other get rid of bad things such as, communist leaders, and cruel rulings in such countries. Coming together could also help us learn more about everything in our world today. We could learn about so many different ways and techniques from other countries to further ourselves and our careers. Breaking down the barriers and not have the differences between us all serve as a blockade would be an outstanding experience.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mr. Fisch,
    Wow this post is great. Reading about what you said in this post was really interesting to think about. I found the idea of Pangea Day very interesting. It would be great to have a day where people could look beyond the outer layers of people from other countries and see what they go through and what their customs are. Being able to come together as a unit and as a world would be very cool to me. It would allow us to sort of get the feeling of "how the other half live" in a way. To be able to use film is such an inventive way to allow our world to come together is a very moving thing. I feel like this is a strong thing to focus on in our world today, we need to stop focusing on the bad and, in turn, take a step back and realize that we all have problems, but we can all help each other. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mr. Fisch
    This post was really interesting for me to read. Hearing about it really makes you realize that we are all seperated so much but can come together with all the common things that we ahve in this worls. It also showed how countries support other countries by singing their national anthem. The videos were very good and inspire very well. Great post

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Mr. Fisch,
    Like many of my fellow classmates have said, Wow! This really was a great blog to read about and was really interesting to see the videos. It is surprising to me that
    we can be so connected with the world at peace while in times of war and hate. Just imagine if we could do things together as a world that could settle out problems. It would make so many things so much easier! It can make us forget all the things we are angry about and bring all of our continents, countries, states into one whole peaceful continent, Pangea.

    This also reminded me about how in Ms. Smith's class we had created our own Public Service Announcements to solve problems in our own state. It was a fun experience using video as well to get people to take notice of what was going on around them.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great post. I wrote about Pangea Day, too, last week, and I'm looking forward to Saturday. Thanks for posting the anthem videos. Those are great.

    Eric Beato
    Following the Equator

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great way to introduce culture to my students utilizing a phrase they already know the meaning of. Pangea Day seems like such a great idea! I already have it on my calendar for next year and plan on sharing it in my classroom.

    By watching the videos, students from around the world will be able to see how children from other cultures live. The videos will be so much more powerful and meaningful than a textbook. It will give students a visual representation of how life is lived around the globe.

    In a world with such turmoil, students will be able to see that there are things out there that can connect us all—music, laughter, happiness, etc… Students will hopefully take away a new understanding of someone who is supposed to be so different from them and see that we are really not that different after all.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This blog was especially powerful to me. I make a great attempt in my classroom to show my students that there’s a whole big world out there. The school that I teach in is over 60% free and reduced lunch. Many of my students have never even been outside the county, let alone the state or the country. I take every opportunity to expose them to different cultures and ways of living.
    This blog introduced me to Pangea Day. Until then, I had never heard of it. The videos of national anthems being sung by different countries were amazing. Especially moving to me was the video of Kenya singing for India. I traveled to Ghana, West Africa, last July and the people and land reminded me of that trip. It also made me think about how connected we all are through technology. Even in Ghana, a place where the majority of it is “bush,” clean water is hard to come by, education is primitive, and so much of its infrastructure is in the baby stages, you could still find the Internet! I remember being at the market, seeing all kinds of things—bush meat (large rodents) hanging and bleeding out, kids running naked, people urinating almost anywhere, and then suddenly there’s a small stand with a computer and Internet hook-up! This blog just proves, we can all be connected, if we only choose to be.

    ReplyDelete