Society & Culture

Saturday, 12 June 2021 05:00

Parents’ role in keeping their kids safe on tech use

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

We are increasingly heading towards a more virtually-fueled world. We inevitably must cope with the 21st-century digital era. Although this is a revolutionary era aiming to make life easier, we cannot ignore its downsides, especially for our kids. How could we explain to them that this is how their future will look like? Recently, an idea has emerged from Silicon Valley informing that Facebook plans to launch a new version of Instagram for kids aside Messenger Kids – a popular…

Friday, 11 June 2021 05:00

What makes the Generation Z student population?

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Generation Z has emerged as a population that increasingly instills much attention because their life experience has been shaped by a different world compared to other generations. Born after 1996, Generation Z population differs from previous generations – Generation Y, also known as the Millennials and Generation X – in attitudes, tendencies, and outlook. Some statistics show that the global Gen Z population has already reached 2.56 billion people in 2020. Generation Z is expected to represent 80 million of…

Wednesday, 09 June 2021 05:00

Digital exercise community: a powerful motivator for exercisers

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

It is clear that what inspires people most in exercising is either to keep fit or to build a toned body based upon their body ideal perception. Some may simply want to stay healthy or feel better by practicing sport. However, it is not always easy to stay on track and stay motivated everytime. Therefore, engaging in a physical activity sometimes requires having a powerful motivator. These days, digital exercise has emerged as a trend among workout communities. Many sites…

Tuesday, 08 June 2021 05:00

UN World Oceans Day: to remind us how oceans are vital to human survival

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Life on earth is inextricably linked to the oceans. The oceans can affect our health in a variety of ways. That is why every year on June 8 – the day designated by the United Nations to celebrate World Oceans Day – we recall the importance of the ocean in humans’ life by calling for awareness towards its protection. The air we breathe comes largely from the ocean which produces over half of the world’s oxygen and stores 50 times…

Saturday, 05 June 2021 05:00

World Environment Day 2021: “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.”

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

The degradation of the Earth’s ecosystems stem from humans’ demanding actions on nature. For too long, we have exploited and damaged our planet home. The Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and modern humans have existed only for about 315,000 years. Yet, we, humans, are destroying our only safe refuge. According to WWF, more than a third of Earth’s natural resources have been destroyed in just thirty years. We consume and overuse planet Earth‘s natural resources to support…

Monday, 31 May 2021 05:34

World no Tobacco Day: Commit to quit!

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

The World No Tobacco Day was established by the member states of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1987 to highlight the tobacco epidemic and the preventable deaths and illnesses it causes. In 1987, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA 40.30 designating April 7, 1988 as World No Tobacco Day. In 1988, resolution WHA 42.19 was adopted, designating May 31 of each year as World No Tobacco Day. These celebrations are intended to inform the community about the dangers…

Friday, 28 May 2021 05:33

Mother’s Day: It was far from being a commercialized celebration.

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

The beautiful bond of love shared between children and mothers is honored and celebrated on Mother's Day. Celebrations date back to ancient times, when the Greeks and Romans held festivals in honor of mother goddesses. However, the origins of modern Mother's Day, as celebrated in the United States, date back to the 19th century. A woman named Anna Reeves Jarvis helped establish Mother's Day work clubs to teach local women how to properly care for children. In 1868, Jarvis organized…

Friday, 28 May 2021 05:00

Teens and self-esteem: How to help them build more confidence?

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Adolescence is a critical period for young people, since it is a transitional phase of growth demanding more awareness towards themselves and others. Maturity and great decisions are made throughout that stage of transition to adulthood. It is the period when adolescents start building their own world according to their perception and vision of life, background and surroundings. It is also the period of time when they create their best selves, learn to increase self-esteem and self-confidence so as to…

Tuesday, 25 May 2021 06:26

SELF-ACCEPTANCE: a must for a good mental health!

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

“Why can’t I be more like them?” “I can’t believe how stupid I am sometimes.” “I will never be good enough for that position.” “I don’t deserve my girlfriend/my boyfriend.” If one of those thoughts crosses your mind, you may need to pay attention. How to know if someone truly accepts themselves? When your self-worth goes up, things start to change for the better. A person who scores high on self-acceptance usually has a positive self-attitude. They are aware of…

Sunday, 23 May 2021 05:41

Pentecost and Whit Monday festivities: other family-centered celebrations

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Unlike other festive observances that have familiar narratives or other customs and symbols shared by several cultures and regions, Pentecost is a celebration that is somewhat difficult to relate as a story and to explain as holidays like Christmas and Easter, especially to children. However, like any festivity, Pentecost always instills people’s festive spirit to rejoice and to celebrate the day with family and relatives. Indeed, who does not like feasts? The story of Pentecost and its celebration Pentecost is…

Saturday, 22 May 2021 05:34

The “Put a finger down” video of TikTok: the teen version of the #MeToo movement

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Lockdown and school disruption due to the pandemic have resulted in highly increased reliance of people, especially adolescents, on online technologies to connect and to interact with one another. However, such an overreliance may expose them more at a serious risk of online violence and abuse, such as stalking, harassment and non-consensual exposure of intimacy. According to a 2018-survey data of Pew Research Center, 95 percent of teens own a smartphone and have access to it. 45 percent reported to…

Tuesday, 18 May 2021 05:30

Curly hair: Natural beauty awakens in Malagasy women.

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

Throughout Madagascar's history, like some other countries in the world, hair type has always been a subject of discrimination. It is quite a sensitive topic within the Malagasy community, and it is not often talked about. In central Madagascar where the dominant ethnic group is the Merina - originally from Malaysia and Indonesia, the dominant beauty standard remains straight hair; and people with curly or afro hair are often victims of stigmatizing remarks. Such discriminations rooted in the ancient history…

Thursday, 13 May 2021 06:21

Depression caused by a second lockdown-How to deal with it!

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

Here we go again for another form of lockdown, a new lifestyle that can be somewhat difficult to live with, depending on everyone and his or her living conditions. Of course, living in social isolation does not make life easier, but on the other hand, living together in crowded conditions or in small houses may generate tensions within the family as well. In fact, stopping or pausing one's social, professional, or other activities may lead to a loss of meaning,…

Wednesday, 12 May 2021 05:31

Fragment of history: The Academy and the Oscar

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

By the night of April 25, the 93rd annual Academy Awards also known as “Oscars” was held in Los Angeles, gathering Hollywood movie stars, actors and directors from America and other countries. During the ceremony, diversity and inclusion in the film industry have been highlighted since foreign movies have appeared to be awarded more prerogatives regarding the nominations. Diversity in the film industry has so long been the main concerns of many movie players and producers and has always created…

Monday, 10 May 2021 05:24

What you should know not to be affected by ransomware.

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

You log on to your computer just like you used to do everyday; but you only see your screen locked and your device unable to boot up. A message requesting money or bitcoins appears instead. It is important for every computer or mobile device user to address ransomware threats. What is a ransomware? Ransomware is a form of malicious software or malware which restricts access to your computer or mobile device or encrypts data until you pay a ransom in…

Thursday, 06 May 2021 06:17

How to beat procrastination?

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

Do you consider yourself a procrastinator? Do you ever find that despite a ton of work to do, you end up distracting yourself with unrelated conversations, random videos or maybe even chores? Maybe that is what you are doing right now. Procrastination is a very common behavior where people end up doing something at the very last minute, despite having plenty of time beforehand. Nevertheless, it might not be a sign of laziness or an inability to concentrate. Procrastination is…

Tuesday, 04 May 2021 05:11

Students’ life: How to stay motivated during the lockdown?

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

The current global COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way we live. Learning at university has changed as well. Recently, pursuing face-to-face lectures is no longer possible. Classes have moved completely online. Unfortunately, it is also easier to get distracted and feel unmotivated. Here are just some of the many ways you can rise to the challenge during these troubling times and stay motivated. Make a daily routine. At the university, in normal times, you have a specific routine to boost…

Monday, 03 May 2021 04:47

World Press Freedom Day: the fundamental principles of press freedom

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

We are currently living in a world where uncertainty has taken too much place. Due to the pandemic that hit all the nations worldwide, a variety of sectors have been touched so hard that many controversies have emerged around. One of these sectors is communication and media. Indeed, journalists and media workers have been found to increasingly struggle with freedom of expression and to not be able to fully enjoy their profession. This is why every year, on 3 May,…

Saturday, 01 May 2021 05:59

Where does International Labor Day on May 1st come from?

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

May Day is celebrated in 80 countries around the world as Labor Day. What about this strange idea: a day off in honor of work itself? In fact, that's what Labor Day is, celebrated in the U.S. and Canada on the first Monday of every September and on May 1st for the rest of the world. The first Labor Day’s History. On September 5th, 1882, the first Labor Day was celebrated in New York, when thousands of American workers and…

Thursday, 29 April 2021 20:38

Innate or learned: Is leadership meant for everyone?

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Have you ever thought about being a leader one day? But is leadership really meant for everyone? Some studies have concluded that leadership is one third-born and two-thirds made. Indeed, it may be possible to be a born-leader, but somehow, being a great leader requires many skills and personal qualities. To be so, you have to learn and train yourself because leading a group of people and being a role model for them are far from being childsplay. People who…

Sunday, 25 April 2021 05:19

What makes a good smartphone in 2021?

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

Every month, dozens of smartphones are launched to a point that it becomes complicated to find your way in an increasingly saturated market. How to choose the perfect smartphone on today then? Before buying your smartphone, these criteria need to be considered: • The design and the screen. Nowadays, smartphones tend to have larger screens, so you must be sure that the device you are going to buy fits well in your hand, fits well in your pocket and, above…

Saturday, 24 April 2021 05:35

Get whatever you want in life through these simple visualization exercises

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Visualization is a mental image created in the mind and is similar to a visual perception. Visualizing can be connected with success. When you visualize a situation, you imagine in advance what you would do, what you would let happen in the near future to succeed. Then, you will be able to know where to start and what to do until you reach this success. If you want to be successful in your work, you just need to imagine how…

Tuesday, 20 April 2021 05:00

World Earth Day 2021: let’s restore our beloved Earth together!

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Every April 22, we celebrate a very special day, that of our home-planet Earth. Earth Day is an occasion for people around the world to show support to the planet also known as “Mother Earth or Mother Nature” by engaging in an environmental protection-related cause. Each year on this date, a theme is designed to mark the day. The theme for this Earth Day 2021 is “Restore Our Earth” that aims to find other innovative ways to address climate change…

Friday, 16 April 2021 05:00

Does living one’s passion truly make for success?

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Living one’s passion to become successful is like paradise on earth. Is there anyone who does not dream of that? Would you be ready to give everything to live your passion while working and enjoy all the benefits? When you live your passion while working, you will increase self-confidence. You know that you love what you do, so you perfectly know how to deal with it. Everything will be alright for you as you know where to start and how…

Wednesday, 14 April 2021 05:00

Daily stress management: time to increase your emotional intelligence

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

“Stress” seems to be the most frequent word used when talking about daily life. People always try to find the best way to manage or to overcome it. For this time, would you try to increase your emotional intelligence? You will have a low stress level if you have a high emotional intelligence level. That will help you identify your feelings, those of others and finally to react accordingly. Here are three tips that may help you increase your emotional…

Sunday, 11 April 2021 06:07

How Twitter promotes sport business?

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

Nowadays, the role of social media in sports is quite common knowledge. Why does Twitter, in particular, matter in sport? If you deeply observe all the great games and matches happening these days, you will notice they have something in common, it is not about a swarm of fans or powerful athletes: it is Twitter! Admittedly, social media platforms like Twitter have become a must for fans and every game player. Aside from being a virtual bar for everyone, there…

Wednesday, 07 April 2021 05:50

Mistakes we do need to avoid in parenting!

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

All parents have their own and unique way of raising their kids. They do their best, but nobody is perfect. That is why, when they look back, they all want to fix some of the mistakes they made in the past. Here, Sean Grover—a psychotherapist and the author of the book When Kids Call the Shots—highlights the common mistakes these parents probably did, to help you avoid making them again. • Micromanaging. Micromanager parents are those who are dedicated and…

Tuesday, 06 April 2021 05:06

World Health Day 2021: “Building a Fairer, Healthier World”

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

World Health Day is observed worldwide every 7th of April. Every year, World Health Day is associated with a special theme that tackles and solves a special issue related to global health. As an international observation highlighting global health awareness, it is a special day that is really worth knowing and celebrating. The theme for 2021 World Health Day is “Building a Fairer, Healthier World”. It is no secret to all of us that Covid-19 has hit our world hard…

Saturday, 03 April 2021 05:46

Puppy love brings more harm than good!

Written by Iangotiana Rakotovao

Puppy love stands for a relationship in our teenage. “Love does not have age limit, once teenagers get mature physically, they can be in a relationship”, most people used to say. Certainly, physical maturity stays in need before being in a relationship, but it is not enough to maintain a good relationship. Psychological maturity is the most important asset before entering in that case! In other words, people need to be more serious and more responsible for their choice first.…

Friday, 02 April 2021 05:20

Do you believe in the messages behind mirror and reversed hours?

Written by Volahanta Raharimanana

Have you ever experienced strange phenomenon like when you raise your eyes to watch the clock and you notice the hour and the minutes reflect the same numbers or point to reversed hours? Furthermore, could that be a coincidence to repeatedly come across such similarity and synchronicity in time and number? There are people who believe that their guardian angels want to communicate with them and that they try to send them divine messages, whereas for some these are only…

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