arts-culture
Teaching Public Speaking to Children: Benefits, Effective ways
Public speaking is an art that is not easy to attain. Most people have stage fear and it gives them anxiety and creates a panic situation for them. However, in this competitive and ever-growing world, everybody needs to possess outlandish values. Among all the critical life skills, public speaking is a crucial one for kids. Effective public speaking can keep the listeners spellbound. If you want to teach your child this valuable skill, check out some efficient ways of learning public speaking.
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Importance of building public speaking skill for children
- Makes them feel confident when communicating with others
- Helps them to overcome the fear and anxiety that are related to voicing their opinions
- Encourage them to improve their reading and listening skills
- Improves their academic performance and overall knowledge
- Progress in vocabulary and pronunciation
- Enhances leadership and management skills
- Teaches planning, discipline, and time management
- Promotes logical and analytical thinking
- Makes them feel confident to influence others
- Prepares them for a better future
- Teaches them the art of persuasion
- Helps kids to express themselves spontaneously
- Grows kid's critical analysis and thinking
- Creates more job opportunities
- Helps children to increase their social Connections.
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10th 'Liberation DocFest' underway at LWM
The 10th edition of 'Liberation DocFest', a documentary festival on liberation and human rights, organized by the Liberation War Museum (LWM), began on Friday.
The inaugural ceremony of the festival was held at the LWM auditorium, where Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud was present as the chief guest.
The five-day festival, previously known as the International Festival of Docufilms on Liberation and Human Rights, has generated much interest among film lovers at home and abroad.
The 10th edition of Liberation DocFest features two different sections: the National Competition Section and the International Competition Section.
Over 2,100 films from 196 countries were submitted to the organizers, out of which 140 documentaries from 40 countries are scheduled to be screened at the festival.
Ukraine: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are places of natural beauty and historical significance that are chosen by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for their outstanding universal value. Currently, there are 1,054 World Heritage Sites in 167 countries, and more are being added all the time. Among those 1,054 sites, 897 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 mixed properties. Let's get to know details about world heritage sites in Ukraine.
What are the Seven UNESCO World Heritage sites in Ukraine?
Ukraine has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are treasures of world culture and history and include ancient monasteries, fortresses, and natural wonders.
Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Constructed in the 11th century, St. Sophia Cathedral is a superlative example of Byzantine architecture and one of Ukraine's most recognized landmarks. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 for being an outstanding architectural masterpiece that profoundly marked the history and culture not only of Kyiv but substantially transformed Ukraine. The cathedral is located in the midst of a complex of monastic buildings constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries in Ukrainian Baroque style.
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The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a world-renowned monastic ensemble that has been in operation since the 11th century. Throughout its history, the lavra has undergone many changes and continued to grow in size and stature. Today, it is a major tourist attraction in Kyiv and remains an important spiritual center for Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Church of the Saviour at Berestove, adjacent to the Lavra, was added to the site in 2005 as part of an effort to restore and preserve cultural heritage sites.
Lviv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre
Lviv, one of the most beautiful and historically significant cities in Europe, is located in western Ukraine. Lviv's architecture and urban planning are based on a unique mixture of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. The Historic Centre of Lviv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Europe.
Gulshan 'Boi Mela-2' kicks off
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the great Language Movement, a two-day long community book fair in the city's Gulshan kicked off on Friday.
The second edition of the Boi Mela, consisting of 25 stalls with renowned publishers and booksellers, was arranged by Gulshan Society at Gulshan Lake Park.
Shukla Sarwat Siraj, convener of the organizing committee said that the book fair was organized in 2019 for the first time. But, it was not possible to organize the last two-year due to the Covid pandemic, she added. “We are impressed and satisfied to see the crowd on the first day of the two-day fair".
'Adapt' bags top award at 8th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival
Iranian filmmaker Kamal Kachooeian- directed film ‘Adapt’ bagged the ‘Best Film’ award at the 8th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival concluded on Tuesday at Star Cineplex, Shimanto Shambhar, Dhanmondi in the capital.
Turkish film ‘Scent’ by Sezgin Yuzay won the CinemaScope Best Film Award while Bangladeshi film ‘The Ghost’ by Fahim Shiyam won the ULAB Young Filmmaker Award.
A total of 153 films were submitted from 31 countries worldwide at the 8th edition of this flagship festival from the Department of Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ), University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).
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The closing ceremony was joined by internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki as the chief guest. ULAB Vice-Chancellor Professor Imran Rahman was present as the special guest.
"As the current generation of filmmakers, you are far ahead of us. The beauty of shooting films using a mobile phone is that you have the same privileges as a filmmaker while sitting overseas that we did not have in our day. Among you, I see a lot of promising faces who will take over the industry in a few years with quality content," Farooki said at the event.
Benefits of Reading Habit for Mind and Body
According to American novelist and short-story writer George R.R. Martin, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one." But, in this day and age, it seems like more people are spending their time glued to their screens rather than reading books. Whether they are watching TV, scrolling through social media, or playing video games, It is hard to find someone who is not constantly plugged in. What a lot of people don't realize is that this can be really bad for them. Not only does it lead to obesity and other health problems, but it also has negative effects on our mental health. One of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health is develop the habit of reading books.
10 Benefits of Reading books for Physical and Mental Health
There are many positive sides of reading habits. Reading has been shown to improve physical health, mental health, and creativity. It can also help you learn new things and stay informed about current events. Let’s find out why someone should read every single day!
Reduce stress levels
Reading can be a great way to relieve stress and tension. When we read, our minds are engaged in the story or information being presented, which can help to distract us from any stressful thoughts or situations we may be facing. In fact, one study found that reading every day was able to reduce stress levels by 68%.
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Improve cognitive function
Reading has been shown to improve cognitive function and memory, especially in older adults. This is likely due to the fact that reading requires focus and concentration, which helps to keep our minds active and sharp. Reading provides stimulation for the brain, which can help keep it active and healthy. Additionally, reading can help enhance vocabulary as well as skills in reading comprehension. Reading also helps to improve problem-solving skills and creativity.
Helping you sleep better
Most people know that reading is a good way to pass the time, but many don't know that reading can also help you sleep better. Reading before bed can be a great way to help you fall asleep and get a good night's sleep. The calming and relaxing effects of reading can help to calm the mind and body, leading to a more restful sleep.
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According to the sleep council, 39% of the people who regularly read before going to sleep tend to sleep very well. The study also found that reading helped participants achieve a deeper sleep. So if you're having trouble sleeping, try picking up a book before bed.
Prevent Alzheimer's disease
Studies have shown that reading can help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. This is likely due to the fact that reading helps to keep our minds active and engaged, which can help to protect against cognitive decline as we age. Moreover, reading provides the brain with the necessary nutrients and oxygen to keep the brain healthy.
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Makes you happier
Reading can be a great way to boost your mood and happiness levels. According to one study, reading for just six minutes was able to increase happiness among the readers. This is likely because reading can help distract us from negative thoughts and emotions and promote feelings of relaxation and contentment.
Enhance creativity
Reading can also help to boost our creativity levels. This is likely because reading exposes us to new and interesting ideas, which can help inspire us and stimulate our creativity. It allows us to think of new ideas and create new concepts. However, it does not come naturally to us, and we need to read a lot to increase our creativity level.
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Increasing focus and concentration
Reading can also help to improve our focus and concentration. This is likely due to the fact that reading requires us to pay attention to the words on the page and not be distracted by outside stimuli. To increase focus and concentration, we need to make sure that we are not having the same thoughts over and over again. We need to change our thoughts so that we can concentrate on a specific topic for a longer period of time. And reading can train your brain to focus on something for a long time.
Improve your communication skills
One of the best ways to improve your communication skills is by reading. Reading various types of texts can help you develop your ability to interpret, analyze, discuss and write about what you read. The more you read in the form of fiction, nonfiction, and literary texts, the more practice and ideas you will have. Reading literature that is well written may give you a better foundation for thinking critically about language in your own work as well.
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Improve physical health
Reading can also have a number of positive effects on our physical health. For example, reading can help to improve our heart health, increase our energy levels, and boost our immune system. Reading improves physical health by providing exercise for the brain. The act of study involves selective attention, which makes it easier to focus on one task. This is because the action of reading forces our minds to work in order to multi-task and improve focus.
Providing a sense of community
Finally, reading can also help to build a sense of community and connectedness. It is because reading encourages us to connect with others through shared interests and discussion. Readers can learn about different perspectives on their interests and find like-minded individuals that they may have never known existed before. In those ways, reading is truly an incredible tool for social development.
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Final Words
The habit of reading books is beneficial for the people of all ages. Whether you are looking to relieve stress, improve cognitive function, sleep better, prevent Alzheimer's disease, or simply boost your happiness levels, reading can be a great way to achieve these goals. Also, to become a successful person, you will need to read a lot to gain knowledge. For example, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, all of them are voracious readers. So, what are you waiting for? Pick up a book today.
8th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival begins
With the slogan "New Generation, New tools, New Communication," the 8th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF) raised its curtain in the capital Saturday.
This marks the return of the festival in front of live audiences after 2020, as the seventh edition was held in a hybrid format in 2021 due to Covid-19.
Md Nizamul Kabir, director general of Bangladesh Film Archive, joined the inauguration ceremony of the four-day festival as the chief guest and Sara Afreen, jury chair of this year's DIMFF independent category, as special guest.
Nizamul Kabir said: "From having over a thousand cinema halls in the 90s to less than a hundred in the entire country now, the cinema industry of Bangladesh is in dire straits. The industry needs the brilliance of young filmmakers, and this event is such a wonderful occasion to make young minds passionate about filmmaking."
"Cinema can be a potential medium for underprivileged sections of the society to narrate their stories. The purpose of DIMFF is to encourage mobile phones-based movie productions to facilitate the storytelling process beyond the traditional norms," Mohammed Shazzad Hossain, assistant professor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh's (ULAB) media studies and journalism department and advisor of DIMFF, said.
"Despite many challenging circumstances, we have successfully managed to organise this year's DIMFF and sincerely hope our audience will like this collective effort," DIMFF's first female festival director Zerin Tasnim Tahsin said.
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After the inaugural session, eight films were screened today. Some filmmakers joined the ceremony virtually from different countries.
Filmmakers whose work was screened are Beraat Gokkus from France, Marcelo Lagreze from Chile, Chris Overton and Dimple Devadas from the UK, Zeke Farrow from the US, Kamal Kachooeian from Iran; Maria Lívia Goes, Mateus Castilha, Natalia Belasalma from Brazil, and Mohamed El Sammad from Egypt.
"The Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival is an amazing platform for featuring stories that otherwise would not have seen the light of day," Dr Jude William Genilo, head of ULAB's media studies and journalism department, had said before the event ended.
The inauguration ceremony of DIMFF concluded with the vote of thanks by Abdul Kabil Khan, assistant professor ULAB's media studies and journalism department and advisor of DIMFF.
On February 27 and 28, the festival will take place at the Shimanto Shambar branch of Star Cineplex, Dhanmondi.
A masterclass on documentary filmmaking with East London-based digital creator, documentary filmmaker and YouTuber Andy Burgess will be held Monday at 4pm.
The festival is showcasing 26 films – selected from 153 entries – from 31 countries, under three categories.
Noted artists celebrate Spring at ‘The Passion of Drawing’ by Gallery Cosmos
Celebrating the scenic beauty of colourful Spring in the glorious month of International Mother Language Day, Gallery Cosmos organized an exclusive daylong art event titled ’The Passion of Drawing’ on Friday at the Garden Gallery, Baridhara in the capital.
Seven leading and promising artists of the country including Biren Shome, Kuhu, Fareha Zeba, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Afrozaa Jamil Konka, Jibrael Ali Chowdhury and Sourav Chowdhury participated in this daylong event, showcasing their brilliant brushstrokes through their drawing sketches.
The artists participated in life drawing sessions by putting the beauty of the live model on their respective canvases and interacted with prominent enthusiastic art admirers who joined the event to celebrate the essence of art and nature at the beautiful, picturesque venue.
8th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival begins Saturday
The eighth edition of the Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF) is going to open its door to film enthusiasts Saturday.
The four-day festival will showcase 26 films – selected from 153 entries – from 31 countries, under three categories.
The Inauguration ceremony will be held at the university at 11am the day after tomorrow and the closing ceremony on March 1 at Star Cineplex, Dhanmondi.
DIMFF 2022 called for submission in three categories – "independent" without any duration or a time limit, "competition" for the university students under the time limit of 10 minutes and "1-minute" for the young filmmakers from grades one to 12.
The jury members of the independent category are Sara Afreen, Zahidur Rahim Anjan and Jai Sharma (India).
Mahde Hasan, Sally-Ann Dunn (UK) and Elizabeth D Costa are the jury members of the competition and 1-minute categories.
The festival will present the "DIMFF Best Film Award" under the independent category, and the "Cinemascope Best Film Award" under the competition category.
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Also, the "ULAB Young Film Maker Award" will be presented to student filmmakers.
As per tradition, DIMFF is arranging a masterclass this year by collaborating with East London-based digital creator, documentary filmmaker and YouTuber Andy Burgess, known for hosting the YouTube show "Red Bull Origins."
This master class will be held on February 28 via Zoom at 4pm to discuss "Documentary Storytelling for Online Platforms."
Festival director Zerin Tasnim Tahsin Probha, coordinator Md Sambitul Islam, supervisor Hasmi Jahan Shetu and public relations and media manager Shamsul Islam Shuvo briefed the journalists about the festival Thursday.
DIMFF advisor Abdul Kabil Khan, associate professor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh's (ULAB) media studies and journalism department, was also present.
The film submission period for DIMFF opened on April 3 last year and concluded on October 28.
With the tradition of focusing on a particular cultural heritage element as its festival theme, DIMFF has chosen "Nokshi Pakha" as this year's theme.
A flagship event of ULAB's media studies and journalism department, the festival earned the university 28th position in the entrepreneurial spirit category in the World's Universities with Real Impact Ranking 2021.
Also, DIMFF has collaborated with Initiative für Neue Bildung as a "partner for change" and provides an online mobile filmmaking course to the ten participants from Barishal's Nook, a self-designed learning centre that enables marginalised community members to pursue their own education.
Recently, it arranged the 'Community Digital Story Telling" filmmaking training for the Munda community in Koyra upazila of Khulna and Shyamnagar upazila of Shatkhira.
Gallery Cosmos to host ‘The Passion of Drawing’ on Friday
Gallery Cosmos is going to organize a daylong exclusive art event titled ’The Passion of Drawing’ on Friday at the Garden Gallery, Baridhara in the capital.
The event is intended to celebrate the universal and jovial artistic pleasure of drawing, according to Gallery Cosmos Executive Artistic Manager Sourav Chowdhury.
“As one of the introductory activities of human beings across the world, drawing accompanies an artist forever. To celebrate the essence of drawing in this mesmerizing Spring, Gallery Cosmos is hosting this exclusive art event titled ‘The Passion of Drawing’ with a celebratory vision to explore the innate and everlasting connection between humans and nature,” Sourav Chowdhury told UNB.
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Seven leading and promising artists of the country will participate in this exclusive event. The list of stalwart artists participating in the event included Biren Shome, Kuhu, Fareha Zeba, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Afrozaa Jamil Konka, Jibrael Ali Chowdhury and Sourav Chowdhury.
These prominent artists will participate in life drawing sessions and interact with audiences over their respective works.
The drawings will also be put on display simultaneously for the audiences.
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