Commlink #41
Weekly Review
Evolving engagement continues to be a staple at the Community DAO and is a key to our longevity in the Web3 space. Protocols come and go, people move through, engage for a time, some stay, some pass on to other projects and collaborations. The trick for our consistent curators over the past year has been to maintain fresh activity by shuffling opportunities, experimenting in new areas, and keeping a broad scope at the heart of the Community mission’s trajectory. By focusing on maintaining a type of “Protocol Generator,” as we consistently describe it, we are able to surf through various sticking points in a volatile era where markets are uncertain and trends are brief, and emerge from each phase stronger than before.
So far, so good! The way I personally operate as a leader at C0MM/DAO is to constantly ask myself how the organization could be simplified and developed in such a way that each of us is ultimately free to work on multiple pet projects while simultaneously supporting the greater goal of building a strong group presence as an example of a world community. I have many creative projects that I would like to spend time doing, and so I ask myself, how can I gear the organization's efforts to facilitate that. The answer is always to try to build it so that everyone else can do that, too. My instinct is that if the organization is facilitating my own creative development, then it will facilitate yours, as well, since we both want to be able to work on what we are good at doing the most. We all must reconcile competing claims for our time between the personal and the communal, whether that community be our family, friends, business associates or the greater culture at large. We can’t JUST do our own thing. We have to help each other some, too.
The fact is that Comm/DAO is busier than ever!!! The biggest news for us is the successful initial establishment of the C0MM/DAO Corral Collection currently up at the Ravenist: https://www.ravenist.com/collections/c0mm-dao-corral
This is huge! We have 27 NFT assets that have been posted up there from a half dozen creators so far. And they are selling!!!
We will continue to focus on bolstering the Community’s ability to field its own NFTs through the contest process we have been honing now for 8 months. Week 41’s prompt was “Refine Focus.”
Watch the tracking document grow here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UF9WnUthJe6xYJF4lZ99qgkrXtq__pJ9SfIpUSM0JaE/edit
In addition, I noticed that lots of women, especially, were experimenting with AI programs suddenly, over on Facebook, as a result of a Lensa Ad campaign. And so I initiated a bid for designs to be entered with signatures for consideration in the Corral Collection, to be minted and sold as C0MM/DAO NFTs. Already, we have had successful entries and sales for Khloe Kempton out of Franklin, North Carolina. This could be a big booster area for more engagement. We will be offering some recruiting bounties for good marketers in this direction soon.
On other fronts, especially in backroom DMs, we continue to develop further complexity in our governance model with the possibility of manifesting a “Backboard” algorithm which would solve some issues with mistrust surrounding voting machines and methods. DAOs must confront these issues and begin to offer more realistic ways to compete and overtake legacy voting systems:
Finally, we are seriously developing an active team for the Metaverse, which will culminate in the full operation of the Commtower in Sky City. If you would like to be a part of this effort, try to make it to some of Humble Miner’s Ravenmas spaces over the next 12 days:
Other than that, let’s step back and let the Community speak. Editor Alina Okun has once again deftly selected several colorful choice segments, reports, and essays sourced from our African marketing team. Take a glimpse into another culture. It may be far away from where you are currently, but I think you will agree that we are all more similar than you might have thought. Have a great week!
Best,
Dow Harris
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My Memories of Christmas
My soft, bright pink blanket kept me warm and comfortable. My eyes sprung open as I began to stretch. It was early Christmas Day! What on earth did I do in bed? My eight-year-old self leaped out of bed, put on my large furry slippers, and grabbed Raspberry, my most cherished stuffed animal, a large pink rabbit. The aroma of Afang soup and hot fufu filled the room as I opened the door.
The massive mound of gifts that Santa had left the previous evening was there when I rushed to the living room. I thought when I noticed all the gifts, I’d shout, "Boy, I must have been good." But I did not. Personally, I consider tradition when I think of Christmas, splurging on appetizers the night before, sleeping late on Christmas morning, eating goat meat, reading the Christmas story, only receiving one gift on Christmas Eve, attending church, and singing Christmas carols. Most importantly, enjoying the miracle of the holidays and recognizing Christ as present in every happy moment.
However, Christmas is not just a holiday to me because it triggers memories of how much I cherish my family. It serves as a reminder of how fortunate I am to have a situation that allows me to enjoy the holidays with lavish food and gifts. Everything wonderful in the world is a reminder of who Christ is and what He wants for our life, and how that good reflects on who He is. Genesis 1:31, reads: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” God's intentions are excellent. Yes, He is the reason for the season.
The Outdoor Experience
Holidays should be recorded as the best time of the year, and I've had several interesting memories during holidays. Last Easter, I gathered other ladies from the Pearl prayer network at the unity park playground, Uyo. It was all so much fun. We spoke and had several discussions, shared stories and experiences, ideas, and a lot on relationships and real-life circumstances.
I got to meet several other interesting, determined, and focused young ladies who were willing to share their stories. We had an opportunity to dine together, have snacks and drinks, and dance. I had an opportunity to climb the robe ladder, although I didn't get to the top because I was so scared of the height, but I watched others get to the top. The experience was so exciting, and I had so much fun. I hope to continue with the fun, as the body definitely needs it.
My Christmas Memory
Hello, my name is Happiness Eshiet, and I am from the eastern part of the African continent, Nigeria. I want to share a memory of the Christmas holiday and some interesting facts about Christmas in my own culture.
To start with, Christmas is a celebration performed by the Christian all over the world, celebrating the birth of our dear Lord and Saviour, who was born in a manger. Apart from family visitations, different ethnic groups celebrate it in different fashions, portraying the heritage, though some may look barbaric but it is not evil. The youths carry masquerades of different types just to celebrate on Christmas day, and it's always fun getting close to those masquerades when you realize that they're human beings with veils.
My Origin and Its Taboos
My origin has one of the weirdest practices and taboos I have seen in life. It is admissible that other origins I do not know may even have worse taboos than mine, but mine has not been good at all. I will discuss the taboos in light of my childhood days. The effect of these practices on the community will also be highlighted in the course of this writing.
The Taboos
A taboo is something that is forbidden among a group of people or community, and it is sometimes embedded in the culture of the locality. The various taboos that exist in Ekim Enen, Village in Uruan Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State are:
Ibed Ikot (prohibiting people from going to the farm on a certain day of the week)
Ibed Ayara (prohibiting men who are not initiated into the “ayara club” from viewing masquerades during its operation in the village.)
Various Masquerade Operational in my Origin
Ayara is the highest rank of masquerade in my village. This masquerade is very deadly. It is synonymous with the father of all masquerades.
Eka Ekpo (Mother of all Masquerades) is the feminine representation of masquerades. It is believed that the “Eka Ekpo” begat all other masquerades. This is only seen during the masquerade festival celebration. It is a very long masquerade that is often supported by many people. It is believed that if it mistakenly falls during the procession, then the village is in trouble.
Atop Ntong Ekpo(Charcoal Dust carrier). This particular masquerade is for fun but with some sort of wickedness. This masquerade goes around with raffia bags full of charcoal dust, throwing them randomly, especially in places where people gather. This masquerade is very dirty. It wears rags or dirty and worn-out raffia bags with stones and pebbles. If the dust misses its target, it throws the pebble at its victim and runs away.
Ekpo Ntok Eyen (Masquerade for the young). This masquerade has no business with the elders, and it is strictly for young girls. It does not attack boys but girls, excluding single mothers. This masquerade operates between 1st to 3rd week of January.
To be free from the attack of this masquerade, a single mother is expected to give a bottle of hot drink with some money after putting to birth to be exempted from the wipe of the masquerade.
Ekong Ekpo (Beautiful Masquerade). This is the only harmless masquerade in the village. It shows up once in a while, and children gather around it to play, tease, and cheer the masquerade while adults offer money to appreciate its beautiful costume. It goes around with the flute and beagle, announcing its presence to the villages that show excitement about its presence.
Inim Ekpo( Nightingale). This is the single masquerade or the Gossip. This masquerade gossips a lot. Everything that happens in the community is carried and transmitted by this masquerade to the hearing of everyone at night. People fear making mistakes during the masquerade season because of this particular masquerade. Any mistake you make, your name will resound in the whole village. This masquerade operates only at night, and no one has ever seen what it looks like.
General Masquerade. This masquerade is for both young and old. Everyone is expected to adhere to the tenets of this masquerade when it is operating. It usually operates between October to December of every year. This masquerade goes around with a very long stick, long enough to wipe its victim at a semi far distance.
When this masquerade operates, one needs to be cautious and try everything possible to avoid fighting during this period because if they fight, they will be penalized with a fine of one big goat.
I was not born and bred in my village. Where I grew up, we never had experiences of masquerades as they were not there. When I returned to my origin and had an encounter with these masquerades, it just did not seem right to me at some point.
People who were already used to the village life and all the dos and don’ts when these masquerades were in operation had to school me on it to help me stay out of trouble.
One day, I went to buy something from the nearby store unknown to me that there was a masquerade outside. I had already stepped out of the compound before noticing. At that point, I needed divine intervention to be saved from the wipes of the long masquerade cane. Suddenly, someone intervened from somewhere, and unfortunately, it was a young man who had no immunity from the masquerade. At that point, I was in double trouble.
I was safe but confused when the group held the young man and brought him to our compound. They told my father that he would be responsible for the initiation of the boy. He was asked to provide all they demanded for the young to be free and have immunity because he tried to save me. My father quickly obliged because he did not want to get himself involved in any trouble. After that day, he became my personal bodyguard during the masquerade period as he would accompany me to every errand to save me from the masquerade.
Ibed Ikot (prohibiting people from going to farm on a certain day of the week)
This is one of the greatest taboos in my origin. On every first day of the week, Mondays, nobody in the community is expected to go to the farm and harvest cassava, corn or any other farm produce, no matter how hungry they are. If anyone tries it, the person will be lost on the farm until certain things are done before he will be able to find his or her way home.
Mondays happen to be our big market day, and everyone seems to be busy in the market. This taboo is used to checkmate the stealing of people’s farm produce by unscrupulous persons who would want to capitalize on the market day to steal from others.
Ibed Ayara (prohibiting men who are not initiated into the “ayara club” from viewing it during its operation in the village.)
This is the highest male masquerade. It is very destructive in nature and always dreaded by males and females alike. This masquerade takes a whole day to operate, and everyone is expected to be indoors.
At 15, we relocated to the village, and since I was not familiar with the order of things, it became a problem. The first year after we relocated to the village, I had an experience that generated a witty memory.
So on the first day that we had the “ayara” operating. I felt like I would be swallowed by the troop.
The troop was made up of members of the ayara cult, with different instruments to play while saying different words of incantation to spur it into action. I cried from morning till the time it went into extinction for the day. My parents could not console me. I was so scared but since everyone had to be indoors with doors tightly closed, they didn’t bother to stop me again after several attempts had proved abortive. After that day, I promised to see what that masquerade looks like in its next outing. When I did that, I was cut, not by the troop but by one of the members of the cult who gave me the information that took fear off me. He said, ''The ayara is only disturbing men because we are looking for people to come and be initiated so we can have what to eat.” Since then I never dreaded Ayara anymore.
I hated staying and having to spend the concluding part of my formative years in my village because of the unnecessary happenings and taboos present there. This has also made the neighboring villages dread our community, and people seldom visit us during masquerade season, except for strangers who are not aware of the mode of operation of the masquerades at all.
School Life and I
School life is a wonderful period of our life. Apart from getting an education, students learn a lot of things from the school environment, including patience, sincerity, loyalty, friendship, and discipline. The school is really an unforgettable account of our experiences.
Memories are part and parcel of everyone’s life. A man always remembers the good days he has passed. There are some good memories and some bad memories in life.
Good memories are the good experiences one gets in one’s life. The good memories include school life memories in primary, high school, college, and university. The memories during the school life period are definitely the treasure to cherish for the rest of your life. The school continuously plays an effective role in our later life period.
School life is the best life. A man, who has been a student, knows what school life is like. School life is the golden time period of learning. It truly impacts the lives of students. The importance of school life can never be negated. School life is important for children as well as for grown-up students alike.
The school represents an important learning experience that teaches us self-confidence, motivation, and the will to always give our best. In addition, school blesses us with friends, many of whom remain with us for the rest of our life. School days really are the best days of our lives, and I have only good memories of my school days. For me, these days are like an invaluable treasure.
I clearly remember my first day at school and the memories of this day are still vivid. I can feel how warmly I was welcomed at the school. Such a warm welcome can truly define a child’s school experience in the best possible way.
As a schoolgirl, I learned to cooperate and got motivated and shaped in the company of my best friends. I still remember the first-year wishes we received from my teachers, and I always regard my primary school life memories as a treasure.
My time in secondary school was an equally valuable learning experience, and I met some of the best friends I have today in secondary school. Admittedly, I made a lot of blunders and mistakes during my secondary school years. But thanks to my sincere friends and honest teachers, I was always rescued from too much trouble. This is how secondary school taught me the true meaning of cooperation and love.
Looking back, I realize how ignorant I was during my school days and how many shortcomings I had. However, my time in secondary school showed me how important school life is, and I would not have the great friends, good knowledge, good experiences, and good memories I have today if it was not for my high school years.
Despite the excitement with which the secondary school days and years are filled, we also become mature enough to understand the value of time. My secondary school life is a wonderful chapter in my memories because I learned dedication, hard work, motivation, and self-actualization.
My secondary school years were also the period in which I started working hard towards my goals. Thanks to that, I am happy with the career and the life I have today. One of my best school memory was the day when I won a prize in the annual inter-school literature competition. It was a moment of great pride for me, as well as for my parents and for my school. The Principal of our school gave me a shield which I still have and treasure to this day.
During my school days, I always had the habit of recording my experiences in a diary. During my free time, I would always open my diary and write. It helped me soothe my pain, and it fulfilled me with confidence and courage.
I still have a lot of pictures we took in my secondary school, which remind me of all the good memories we made. I remember the days we celebrated and the extracurricular activities we took part in. I remember how happy my parents were when I became the top achiever in my entire school.
Then, there came our secondary school exam, and I managed to be on the list of the top 10 students in my class. I had always been a good student academically. So this time, even after all the shenanigans that I indulged in, I managed to score good marks. But this was the last time that I got good marks. My grades started degrading after that, and this led to a lot of stress and anxiety. I lost interest in studies and indulged in gaming, watching movies, or reading novels.
Thankfully, I didn’t do anything bad, but this normal stuff made the situation worse as I could not concentrate on my studies. So, I went through counseling which I never thought I’d ever require. It was a difficult period for me, but eventually, I was able to get a decent score on my finals. My parents stood as my pillar of strength during this time. They encouraged me to study and motivated me to lead the right path. I cannot thank them enough for their guidance and support.
It is said that a person always remembers their first day at school and their last day at school. The first day a child remembers because they came there weeping. And the last day a student remembers because they leave school, weeping again. In my case, I remember clearly my first day at school and my last day at school. The joys of school life are surely countless. Indeed, school days are the best of our lives.
Ambassador Report
Our objective is to aim at the greatest achievement. The marketing team has shown its superiority in the making and sales of quality digital art minted as NFTs. This has really boosted our presence and activities on the Discord server, Twitter, and other social media platforms. To sum it up, most of the designs placed on sale have been sold, and the creators have received their rewards, as stated by the Development Team. We won't stop to do what is good for the growth of our dear project. Below is the summary of our week's Leaderboard for week 41.