cannabisnews.com: Cultural Festival a First





Cultural Festival a First
Posted by FoM on March 27, 2000 at 13:54:34 PT
Marijuana will be a hot topic at Jubilee 2000 
Source: The Press Online
Marijuana will be a hot topic at the Jubilee 2000 Festival, being hosted by Villa Maria College this week. Pupils from 21 Catholic schools from Auckland through to Invercargill will converge on Christchurch for an extended weekend of non-stop debating, drama, music, and multicultural events. 
After a powhiri on Thursday morning, the festival will open with a debate on whether marijuana should be decriminalised. Villa Maria College Year 12 debater Helena Cook, 16, says the moot is not only topical, but also an important issue for school pupils. "A lot of the public are really misinformed -- especially teenagers." Helena says she's pleased to be able to pit her debating talents against students from throughout New Zealand -- a rare opportunity in a sports-dominated nation. "I don't want to generalise and say New Zealand is sport, but a lot of emphasis is placed on sport." Fellow debater Beth Lee, 17, agrees, saying: "It's interesting to see so many cultural kids coming together for just one big celebration of the cultural diversity of New Zealand." Festival organiser Christine O'Brien says about 500 students will participate in the festival. It is the first time the festival has been held, and Mrs O'Brien can't recall a bigger cultural event of its type. Catholic schools regularly hold cultural competitions within each diocese, but seldom have gatherings on such a large scale. "The idea was that for the millennium year, instead of doing our own initiative, why not all come together," she says. The jubilee will celebrate cultural activities on a dimension usually reserved for sport, says Mrs O'Brien. "It will raise the whole profile of these cultural things in the schools, as opposed to sport." She says the festival will offer a variety of entertainment for cultural enthusiasts. "I just think it will be a fantastic experience." New Zealand News from The Press - Tuesday, March 28, 2000Copyright © 1999 The Christchurch Press Company Ltd.Related Articles: Strong MP Support for Cannabis Law Changehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5154.shtmlGovt Review on Cannabis Likely Soonhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5092.shtmlAust Trip To Review Drug Lawshttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4415.shtmlCannabisNews Articles From New Zealand:http://www.google.com/search?num=10&q=cannabisnews+New+Zealand+site:www.cannabisnews.com
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: