|
Pygmies’ debut CD
Pygmies
from deep within Congo’s jungles launched their debut compact disc
last week, singing of the hardships — and attractions — of forest
life. The disc, produced with funding from United Nations cultural body
UNESCO, includes 10 tracks by pygmy band Ndima from the Congo Republic,
one of a few countries in central Africa where tribes of pygmies cling
on to their traditional way of life. The group uses traditional
instruments such as animal horns, stretched jungle creepers, wooden hide
drums and pipes made from bamboo and tree trunks. They sing about the
difficulties of day-to-day life in the jungle, but also the pleasures of
hunting and fishing and their desire to preserve their ancient way of
life.
BBC’s largesse to
Netizens
Rare footage in the
archives of the BBC is to be opened to the public as part of the
broadcaster’s plan to make ‘the best TV library in the world’
available on the Internet. The project, called the BBC Creative Archive,
was outlined by its director general, Greg Dyke, at the MediaGuardian
Edinburgh International Television Festival, but details have yet to be
finalised. Up until now this huge resource has remained locked up,
inaccessible to the public because there hasn’t been an effective
mechanism for distribution. Dyke said the plan was to allow ‘parts’
of programmes - where the BBC owned the rights - to be downloaded along
with a licensing system. A BBC spokesman said there was no fixed date
for the launch of the archive.
007 licensed to host
James Bond actor Pierce
Brosnan has won a legal battle to claim the Internet Website bearing his
name, international arbitrators ruled. The Irish star brought the case
against a company that was a front for the now infamous cybersquatter
Jeff Burgar, who redirected piercebrosnan.com to a commercial Website.
Burgar has been involved in several other disputes over celebrity
Websites and has lost cases against singer Celine Dion, rock group Pearl
Jam and former Baywatch beauty Pamela Anderson. Burgar has 10 days to
appeal against the ruling, after which time the site will be transferred
back to Brosnan.
9 Indians for cyber
games
Nine cyber gamers from
India will be chosen from among the thousands of competitors to
participate in the third World Cyber Games to be held in Seoul, South
Korea, from October 12 to 18. More than 600 gamers from 56 countries
will vie for a total prize of $ 3,50,000 at the event, sponsored by
consumer electronics
major Samsung. The gamers at the Seoul competition will pit their skills
in six PC games and one console game while the qualification rounds in
India will be confined to five PC games alone, Vikram Godse, director of
gaming company Indiagames told a press conference. The finals will be
conducted at Mumbai on September 14.
|
