Add source Login
Rope in the fun! - Thousands take part in world's largest tug-of-war contest in Okinawa

Rope in the fun! - Thousands take part in world's largest tug-of-war contest in Okinawa

"More than 300,000 people gathered on Sunday for this years' annual Naha Tug-of-War Festival in Okinawa, a 500-year-old tradition which is recognised as the world's largest tug-of-war event. Footage from the festival shows two sides, Team East and Team West, preparing as crowds cheer them on. Participants can also be seen working together to manoeuvre the massive rope into place with a heavy wooden log, known as the kanachibo. The giant rope measuring 200 metres in length and weighing about 40 tonnes was recognised by Guinness World Records in 1995 as the longest ever used in a tug-of-war competition. This year's contest brought together around 15,000 participants on each side of the rope and lasted for about 30 minutes, as spectators filled Naha's main highway to watch the struggle unfold. Rooted in Okinawa's warrior culture, the festival is now celebrated as a symbol of peace and unity. Interrupted during the Second World War, the 'Naha Tug of War' was held again in 1971 to remember the occasion of the destruction of the city of Naha in US air raids and as a symbol of hope for peace."

Children of the revolution - Gen Z protests and how the Global North 'broke their trust' *FULL FOCUS*

Children of the revolution - Gen Z protests and how the Global North 'broke their trust' *FULL FOCUS*

"Gen Z are on the march. Uprisings by teens and twentysomethings are a growing phenomenon across the globe - fueled by the generation's love of social media - with their 'One Piece' or 'pirate' flag seen across the Global South in Indonesia, Nepal, Morocco, the Philippines and Madagascar, as well as in Western cities too. In this full focus package, we'll explore who they are, where they came from and what exactly it is that they want, with exclusive footage following one band of Gen Z activists from Madagascar along with archive from around the world too. "We are watching this new wave of connected uprisings where we have these young men and women with local grievances about jobs, about corruption, about censorship, about climate change, about persecution of minorities and vulnerable communities," explained Raqib Naik, Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate. "These grievances, local grievances, are surfacing simultaneously around different parts of the world. But they are kind of, you know, linked by this shared moral vocabulary. And this shared grievance," Naik added. Gen Z are seen as the first completely 'digital' generation - born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s- growing up with the internet, smartphones and social media. "These are the young people who are glued to their cell phones," Naik continued. "The last two years, they have seen genocide unfold in Gaza. They have seen their leaders pay lip service. Leaders of the global majority, the global North, who claim to uphold a rules-based international order they have seen nothing work to stop this human suffering." "They are disenchanted, and they have grievances. They do not see a world where suffering or genocide is normalised," he added. "They see all of it, and they have raised these grievances in their own language for many years in digital spaces…And right now, what we are seeing on the streets is the translation of that online anger into offline action and offline movement." Footage shows the activists from Madagascar making their One Piece flags - with the famous skull and straw hat inspired by the popular Japanese manga. "We are part of Generation Z, and we already know about One Piece — it’s a symbol of revolution! There have been many revolutions recently — in Morocco, Nepal, starting from Asia — and this represents our rejection of what’s happening in our country, our opposition to the system," said one activist, named Emile Zola. Footage also shows the group marching on the streets and dramatic showdowns with local law enforcements, including drone footage. "They’re still firing tear gas, and we’re trying to move away, but it continues. There’s more coming from behind too — both here and back there!" Zola is heard saying. "We only came here to talk, to express our demands as young people — but look, we have nothing, and yet the gendarmes are shooting at people," added another, Kanto. The most recent developments in that particulary country - which saw the president call for calm and claim a coup was underway - have shown just quite how impactful these demonstrations can be. According to media reports President Andry Rajoelina 'fled the country' on a French military plane after the elite army unit Capsat called on soldiers to back the protesters. While the specific aims might be unique to each region, the struggles appear universal - and in power might do well to listen, as they continue to spread right around the globe."