Good News

BULLETIN 20 March

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Finland is once again the world’s happiest country. This is according to the latest World Happiness Report. The report draws on global survey data from people in more than 140 countries, with countries ranked on happiness based on their average life evaluations over the three preceding years, in this case, 2021 to last year. This is the seventh consecutive year that Finland has taken the number-one spot. Denmark is ranked second, followed by Iceland, Sweden and Israel. South Africa is ranked 83rd on the list.

# University of Fort Hare Human Movement Sciences Associate professor, Maya van Gent, recently honoured an invitation to speak at the International BRICS Council for Exercise and Sport Science Conference in India. This is where she presented her compelling research on non-communicable diseases among adolescents. Over 500 delegates from 35 countries attended the conference. Van Gent says getting the opportunity to present her research, which includes findings on high rates of obesity, on a global stage was amazing.

# The Tshwane University of Technology has partnered with the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism, Community Arts Network, and the Global Commons Alliance, for the inaugural Global Artivism Conference. The conference’s theme is Centering Cultural Activism for a Safe and Just World. TUT’s professor, Nalini Moodley, says the conference aims to explore the dynamic intersection of the arts and activism, highlighting the pivotal role of creative expression in advocating for societal and environmental issues. The event will take place in Pretoria from the fifth to the eighth of September.

# The charismatic cast of the Double Bills theatre production will showcase their artistic flare at the Joburg Theatre stage from today until Friday. This is in partnership with the City of Ekurhuleni. The metro says its partnership with the theatre creates a platform for budding thespians to showcase their talents on big stages after an extensive incubation programme, which started in 2019. The entrance fee for the production is 80-rand.

# And finally: The Ingcungcu Sunbird Restoration Project is helping an endemic bird species in Cape Town return to an old flight path, using fynbos gardens in schools across the Cape Flats. The disruption of bird migration and the destruction of their habitat have endangered many species endemic to the Cape Flats. Sunbirds cannot fly for more than a kilometre and a half without stopping to feed. The project’s, Ceinwen Smith, says establishing gardens at schools to act as filling stations for the little birds helps them to complete their natural migration.

Stay tuned for more news………….