Semana Santa de Sevilla, Catholic Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, is one of the most important traditional, cultural and spiritual events in Seville. The origins of the penitential Holy Week in Seville are to be found in the late Middle Ages. At the heart of Semana Santa are the brotherhoods (Hermandades y Cofradias de Penitencia). At the centre of each procession are the pasos, an image or set of images set atop a movable float of wood. When a brotherhood has three pasos, the first one would be a sculpted scene of the Passion or an allegorical scene, known as a misterio (mystery); the second an image of Christ and the third an image of the Virgin Mary known as a dolorosa. Many sculptures are of great antiquity and considered artistic masterpieces. A total of 60 penitential processions are organized by hermandades and cofradías, religious brotherhoods. Members precede the pasos dressed in penitential robes and hoods. Sometimes accompanied by brass bands. They take designated routes from home churches and chapels to the Cathedral and back again. Improvised flamenco songs "saetas" are sung to the processions from balconies. The marchers are often accompanied by brass bands, cappella choirs, or a drum and trumpet (historical traditions for a poorer neighborhood) Semana Santa Easter Holy Week Sevilla Seville Catholic christian hermandad brotherhood religion andalusia andalucia tourism primavera springtime cult passion jesus madonna virgin penitencia cofradias easter processions pasos flamenco traditions culture misterio dolarosa float manifestations

EVANGELISM AMERICAN STYLE. South East Asia. Battambang, Cambodia. A 'University of Nations' project, registered in Cambodia as a project of the international Christian Evangelical 'Youth With a Mission' (YWAM), run by 'Group Leader' Garth Gustafson. It is a fanatical Evangelist youth movement who use english and sports teachings as a vehicle, together with religious indocrination, to turn buddhist youth and even monks, towards the Christian Bible. Garth preaches quasi-religeous sermons about 'hot and cold' climate types, of Western moral superiority and stronger work ethics, American right obsessions with family and personal responsibility, versus "primitive people who use smiles to hide their lies". They preach they "want to see your (Cambodian) nation change to be a good nation, to glorify God" but YWAM is a cult-like organisation with right wing and facism roots. The YWAMers force themselves upon AIDS patients in local hospitals, looking for the very sick and dying, offering neither drugs nor food, but instead, prayers about Christian redemption, offer everlasting life, which when rejected by buddhists, they are accused of being "bitter" for declining them.

El Rocio Andalusia Spain. The pilgrim route of the Hermandade de Sanlucar de Barrameda from Sanlucar across the Parque Donana to El Rocio, Huelva Province, Andalusia, Spain...El Rocio follows on from Semana Santa - Easter week and the various spring ferias, of which Seville's Feria de Abril (April) is the biggest. The processions to the (Hermitage) Hermita de El Rocío, at Pentecost, is the most famous (Romeria) pilgrimage in the Andalusian region, attracting nearly a million people from across Andalusia, Spain and the world. The cult started off in the 13th century when a statue of the virgin Mary was apparently found in a tree trunk in the Donana Park. What was first a local devotion at Pentecost by local pilgrim brotherhoods "hermandades" became by the 19th century into dozens of fraternities developed from such as Cadiz, Selville and Huelva. Some walk for several days, others travel with oxen drawn wagons or on horseback, with traction engines and all terrain vehicles, camping along the trail they take. They wear Andalusian costumes, tight breeches, boots, short jackets and frilly flamenco skirts. Many festivities, flamenco dance, laments, songs and music are combined with religious prayers. Devout pilgrims walk as a penance, keeping vows of silence. An emblem of the immaculate conception (sin peche) is carried. On the Pentecost after the stroke of midnight on the whit Sunday the virgin Mary is carried from the church through the streets of El Rocio by each hermandade to visit each brotherhood's shrine.

Bhutan the country that prides itself on the development of 'Gross National Happiness' rather than GNP. This attitude pervades education, government, proclamations by royalty and politicians alike, and in the daily life of Bhutanese people. Strong adherence and respect for a royal family and Buddhism, mean the people generally follow what they are told and taught. There are of course contradictions between the modern and tradional world more often seen in urban rather than rural contexts. Phallic images of huge penises adorn the traditional homes, surrounded by animal spirits; Gross National Penis. Slow development, and fending off the modern world, television only introduced ten years ago, the lack of intrusive tourism, as tourists need to pay a daily minimum entry of $250, ecotourism for the rich, leaves a relatively unworldly populace, but with very high literacy, good health service and payments to peasants to not kill wild animals, or misuse forest, enables sustainable development and protects the country's natural heritage. Whilst various hydro-electric schemes, cash crops including apples, pull in import revenue, and Bhutan is helped with aid from the international community. Its population is only a meagre 700,000. Indian and Nepalese workers carry out the menial road and construction work.

Animist dancer and musicians during Husa voodoo ceremony.. Under the influence of drugs several Husa animists go into trance, speaking in tongues, guiding by their spiritual leader. After several hours they jump onto pumpkins exploding them, the pieces are made into stew which are concidered sacred. After their meeting with the gods they are considered embodied with their spirits and locals who paid for the ceremon will ask them questions about how to lead their life. Animist voodoo pagan ceremonies and traditions pre-date the arrival of Islam in Africa. The earliest Africans were animist, praying to the spirits of rocks and beasts. Animism and Islam have happily co-existed together until Sharia Islamic law was instated which outlaws animist ceremonies music and dancing. The implementation of Islamic Sharia Law across the twelve northern states of Nigeria, centres upon Kano, the largest Muslim Husa city, under the feudal, political and economic rule of the Emir of Kano. Kano State, Northern Nigeria, Africa

Hispah Sharia Police, a volunteer religious militia force, enforcing Sharia law. The bearded police volunteer is knicknamed Osama Bin Africa..The implementation of Islamic Sharia Law across the twelve northern states of Nigeria, centres upon Kano, the largest Muslim Husa city, under the feudal, political and economic rule of the Emir of Kano. Islamic Sharia Law is enforced by official state apparatus including military and police, Islamic schools and education, plus various volunteer Militia groups supported financially and politically by the Emir and other business and political bodies. Fanatical Islamic Sharia religious traditions are enforced by the Hispah Sharia police. Deliquancy is controlled by the Vigilantes volunteer Militia. Activities such as Animist Pagan Voodoo ceremonies, playing music, drinking and gambling, normally outlawed under Sharia law exist as many parts of the rural and urban areas are controlled by local Mafia, ghetto gangs and rural hunters. The fight for control is never ending between the Emir, government forces, the Mafia and independent militias and gangs. This is fueled by rising petrol costs, and that 70% of the population live below the poverty line. Kano, Kano State, Northern Nigeria, Africa