10 gifts to Promote Cultural Awareness

lainad — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:13:47 -0600

As our world is rapidly becoming more culturally diverse, the holiday season is a great opportunity to promote cultural awareness. Since 9/11 cultural intolerance has risen and the need for education is at an all-time high. The upcoming season is a time where knowledge and education can be shared in a relatively non-invasive way - through books, jewelry and food – things that we all share in common, but might not be aware of all the variances. The holiday season is also a great time to support business by purchasing items that are a specialty to a particular cultural community.

First things first. Why don’t you have a Multicultural Holiday Party? This brief article gives you some ideas about how to open your door to your neighbors.

Below are some great Christmas gift ideas that promote cultural diversity:

1. Canadian Inuit are an indigenous people living primarily in northern Canada. They are known for creating some of the most interesting art in the world for over 4,000 years. Known for their stone carvings, which are not pre-planned with drawings or sketchings; they create their art instinctively, working directly on their materials. Art for the Inuit people is a primary source of their income and many organizations have been created, selling the rare art in order to create art and educational programs. Inuit Art is a foundation in Canada who offers wallhangings, sculptures, ceramics and drawings for sale. Check out their Prints and Drawings which range from $40.0 - $850.00.

2. Afrospear Freedom Technology Christmas: Afrospear, a coalition of black bloggers from forty states and 5 countries, are encouraging bloggers to promote a “Freedom Technology Christmas,” which encourages the black community to donate or purchase computers, digicams, broadband and open source software for black youth. They also want bloggers to share the world about the numerous free applications and software that is available on the ‘Net. Stressing the importance that the black community, regardless of economic status has access to technology, Afrospear, which was responsible for the online organizing of the Jena 6 March feels that if more people have access to new technology, the more citizen journalists will arise from the black community.

3. Christmas Piñatas are a great way to blend the traditional festivities of the holiday celebration with a Latin flavor. The history of the Piñata is varied. One of the most popular versions is that is was derived from an Aztec ritual, in which clay pots were originally used, filled with water instead of the now-popular candy and / or fruit. By striking the pot, it represented a forecast of thunder and the resulting strikes, in which water would trickle down, forecasting when rain was expected. Obviously the Piñata has become a commercialized product, but this will bring a bit of flavour to your household.This Reindeer Pinata is a steal at $12.99.

4. Calabash Music is an online music store, specializing in global and indigenous music. The online company practices a fair trade policy which, among other things, musicians will receive half of the money from each sale, avoiding manufacturing and marketing costs. You will have to create an account to purchase gift certificates, which you can use towards the purchase of CD’s or MP3 downloads.

5. Personalized Braille Pendant from Icelebratediversity.com ranges from $59-75.00. the online store is primarily geared towards children, with products ranging from clothing to books, with the emphasis on promoting multiculturalism and diversity.

6. Beauty products from Hapa Culture. “Hapa” refers to people who are part Hawaiian, part Asian, but the online store has extended the term to include any mix of cultures. The company donates half of their proceeds to a non-profit organization. Beauty products start from $5-20.00.

7. Multicultural Refrigerator Magnets from Designs for Better Giving. Looking for stuffing stockers? Try these magnets that highlight the work of several independent minority artists.

8. Multicultural Christmas Ornaments from Sarafina Gallery,$20.00. This is another online store that celebrates a diverse set of artists.

9. The Multicultural Cookbook for Students – which despite the title, can be used by anyone - is a great find. The book has 337 recipes from 122 countries, including the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. It is also sectioned by geographical location and has an introduction and a map on the regions and countries. $38.00.

10. Subscribe to a magazine celebrating cultural diversity:
Colorlines $24.00 – per year (bimonthly)
Diversity Inc. Magazine$ 39.99 – 2 years
Desert Diamonds Magazine $14.95 per year

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10 gifts to Promote Cultural Awareness