(From left to right, Darwin Day posters in the Phillipines, Singapore and Malaysia)
Darwin Day, which celebrates Charles Darwin’s birthday and his scientific contributions, is experiencing growing popularity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Although the event originated in the West during the 1990s, awareness of Darwin’s importance of the growing threat of creationism in schools has awakened local scientific and freethought communities to protect and promote science education. In 2009, education authorities in Hong Kong rebuffed an attempt by creationists to insert creationism in schools. In 2012, in South Korea, an attempt to remove evolution from classrooms was stopped thanks to the efforts by Korean scientists.
This year, Darwin Day gatherings are being organised in the Phillipines, Malaysia and Singapore. These three countries are no stranger to creationism. Phillipines and Malaysia is home to a large, devoutly religious majority. Creation Ministries International also actively promotes creationism in Singapore.
Local freethought activists have taken the initiative to secure venues, attract participants and engage scientists to give public lectures. Hopefully, these efforts will start the ball rolling towards a better public understanding of science. For those who living in these countries and are interested to support these initiatives, the Darwin Day events in Phillipines, Malaysia and Singapore are as follows:
In Phillipines: Darwin Date 2013 (16 Feb)
In Singapore: Darwin Day 2013 (23 Feb)
https://www.facebook.com/events/407865449295833/?ref=ts&fref=ts
In Malaysia: Hari Darwin (23 Feb)
