Having spent a good deal of time in the Middle East—especially in Qatar—I’ve come to learn a lot of the good elements and bad elements of the culture here. There are many fascinating things, of which I hope this space will shed light upon many, but there are also some incredibly disturbing elements to the way people live here. Human rights violations are rampant, because people are not equal. I don’t bring these up to portray any Middle Eastern countries or cultures in a negative light, because most of what I’ve seen and heard are reflections of individuals and not the country or culture. But by shedding more light on them, I hope they can eventually be discovered and eliminated.

In most cases, the problems that exist are based on class and racial differences. The skyscrapers that you see here were all built by day laborers from India, Nepal and surrounding areas. The service industries, like hotels and restaurants, are being run on the backs of young men and women from Thailand and the Philippines. And the majority of children here are not raised by their own parents, but by nannies that are brought in from Southeast Asia specifically for that purpose. While this diversity is in and of itself a good thing, unfortunately these people are not accepted as anything more than the servants they are to the rich locals, and are treated as such.

With this prelude, stay tuned to this space for a series of stories of things that will hopefully not occur here for too much longer.

So you want to see the latest blockbuster. You’ve read the reviews, watched the previews, and stood in line early to get tickets to the opening show. Showtime as arrived, and you’re ready to go…but you better pay homage to the King, first!

That’s right. Before the film begins, there’s a video tribute to the Thai King, during which everyone in the audience is required to stand up and pay respects. I’ve seen this at sporting events before, well, national anthems anyway, but at recorded films? It was truly unique and interesting. The video itself features some “highlights” of the King spreading his good cheer, with a love song-style soundtrack in the background

Regardless of whether you’re a fan of Rama IX, however (and you better be, as making fun of the King can land you in prison), nobody can complain about the cost of moviegoing. A prime time show in a prime time theatre will only set you back about 4 USD. That leaves plenty for popcorn!

Life is Beautiful in Camden Town…

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the United States of America…seen in Newtown, Sydney.

IDsydney: I Have a Dream in Newtown

Apparently, we need to be on the lookout for horses on Sao Paulo’s bicycle superhighway!

One of the first things you realize while wandering the streets of any major Canadian city is that it is a diverse and tolerant nation. From the hordes of West Indians living in Toronto to the masses of Chinese around Vancouver, the country is full of influences from around the world. While there is a general Canadian identity, which rallies to support the national hockey team, for example, each ethnic group in the country generally tends to continue to carry on its cultural heritage as well, without objection.

Ironically, the least tolerant of Canadians are often those who stand out the most themselves—in this case I mean the Québécois. Quebec is the French province of Canada, which has long been considered different from the rest of Canada. While the rest of the country speaks English, for example, Quebec’s official language is French. And because of Quebec, food labels and signs throughout the entire country are listed in French as well as English.

Montreal, the largest city in Quebec, is an incredibly diverse city, with immigrants from the Middle East, Caribbean, Asia and beyond. While the cultural and racial tolerance Canada is known for is generally found here as well, there have been problems with traditional Québécois taking offense to fresh immigrants who fail to adopt the French language.

It’s really surprising to me that in a country founded on tolerance, the very people who were allowed to maintain their own “different” French language and culture while everyone around them spoke English and created a new culture are the ones who object to a new generation of immigrants doing the same.

That being said, most Québécois are still very open to outside influences, and walking around Montreal reveals that a diverse spirit is generally still alive and well.

Quebec flies its flags proudly…sometimes too much so!

A music festival that last the entire weekend? Check.

With musical acts from just about every continent on the globe, in every genre you can dream up? Check.

Where you can actually meet the artists? Check.

And even learn from them at workshops, where they’ll teach you some of their tricks and you can ask them questions? Check.

In a setting just steps from the sea at the edges of one of the world’s most beautiful tropical rainforests? Check.

You are probably thinking I’m making this up, but it really exists, in the form of the annual Rainforest World Music Festival. Taking place every summer (usually in July, although the 2013 edition will be the last weekend of June) at the Sarawak Cultural Village at the base of beautiful Mount Santubong, about 30 minutes from the city of Kuching, the festival has grown since its inception in 1997. While the first few years yielded audiences of around 400, the Sarawak Tourism Board has thrown its muscle behind it since then, and now the festival is attracting nearly 30,000 spectators from all around the world.

While the musical performances are scheduled for the evenings—Friday, Saturday and Sunday—the days are still packed. Just about every musical act takes part in a seminar, where they will demonstrate their craft in a more personal setting, including Q&A sessions and many opportunities for audience participation. The Sarawak Cultural Village is also teeming with interesting exhibits and vendors hawking souvenirs, tattoos, haircuts (featuring tribal shave patterns), food and drinks. Yes—despite Malaysia’s strict Muslim laws—the alcohol (most typically in the form of Heineken) flows freely here.

I had the good fortune to attend last year’s Rainforest World Music Festival, which featured artists from as far away as Scandinavia and Brazil. In the coming months in this space, I will be sharing several videos from the experience, both of the regular stage performances and behind the scenes with the artists, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy some of the images below, which may still not even do proper justice to the fun and excitement RWMF represents.

In case you are interested, the 2013 rendition will take place from June 28-30, with more information available here.

Huge crowds at last year’s Rainforest World Music Festival

Rocking with Cankisou from the Czech Republic

Sarawak’s own Zee Avi

Brazil’s Raiz de Cafezal on stage…

…and at a workshop

Another workshop, this time featuring the String Sisters from Scandinavia and the USA

A little rain didn’t stop the fun

It’s Inauguration Day in the United States…let’s hope it never comes to this!