Stories about English from November, 2018
Dissident novelist’s close call casts a shadow on Hong Kong's once-vibrant cultural scene
Since the 1950s, Hong Kong has had a proud tradition of exile literature and art. Recent events suggest they're under threat.
Guyana's transgender community celebrates the overturning of an archaic cross-dressing law
Activists called the ruling “a clarion call to engage state actors on how the law engenders social and economic exclusion of disadvantaged groups”.
How do non-native residents of the Netherlands view Zwarte Piet, St. Nicholas’ blackface servant?
“I understand Dutch affection for Zwarte Piet is born out of a warm, and well-meaning Christmas tradition. But I cannot excuse it.”
From prime minister to escaped convict: Macedonia's ex-leader Nikola Gruevski flees to Hungary
"While Gruevski's escape was unprecedented in Macedonian history, his choice of destination wasn’t too surprising."
Bangladesh's now-postponed repatriation would have turned the plight of Rohingya refugees from bad to worse
"How can repatriation still be an objective, when all the evidence shows that these cyclical influxes into Bangladesh are rooted in Myanmar's persecution and denial of citizenship to Rohingya?"
Meet the people saving a 12,000 year-old forest from being turned into a coal mine
The Hambach Forest has existed since the ice age. Since 2012 activists have been occupying what's left of the forest, determined to save it and end coal mining in Germany.
Jamaican dancehall artist hits a nerve by ‘bleaching’ her skin — did fans get the message?
"I wanted to create awareness of 'Colorism' and it was ... done intentionally to create shock value so that I could ... deliver the message in my music," Spice said.
The Caribbean Court of Justice loses again — this time with voter apathy and distrust
"People do not trust the power institutions, the hierarchies in the region — and that's not going to change for a long time to come."
Lebanese health practitioners condemn anti-LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy”
The group's HINAD campaign follows multiple reports of gay people being subjected to various forms of conversion therapy, and a urologist's 2017 call for electroshock therapy to be used.
Activists in Macedonia win fight for clean water despite years of dismissal by former government
"Clear drinking water without arsenic is a present for the people of Gevgelija on 7th of November"
A conversation with Gyani Maiya Sen, one of the last speakers of a dying Nepali language
"...her commanding tone was the evidence of the aura she might have carried around when she was young -- powerful like a ‘queen of the jungle'."
The Litani River, Lebanon's main artery, is facing an environmental crisis
"A study has shown that the water extracted from the Litani for irrigation during the drier summer months is basically sewage."
Pakistani right-wing political party meets online backlash after sowing violence in Asia Bibi case
After countrywide violent protests by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, petitions and campaigns are launched against the religious political party.
Is Jair Bolsonaro another Rodrigo Duterte? It's more complicated than you think
As Brazilians prepare for a Bolsonaro presidency, they’d do well to look at the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte’s two and a half years in office.
Russia’s most progressive media outlet finds itself on the wrong side of #MeToo
Kolpakov is the first-ever man to publicly resign over sexual assault accusations in Russia. And he's a #metoo supporter.
Western Saharan media activist Bashir Khadda suspends 45-day hunger strike in Moroccan prison
Khadda is among 25 activists prosecuted and jailed by Moroccan authorities for their roles in the 2010 Gdeim Izik protest movement.
Life after Manus: Talking to Iranian cartoonist Eaten Fish about life in and out of Australia's detention camps
"I had to steal papers from workers and it took me more than two years to send my drawings out. It is the only reason why I am still alive."
Africa uncovered: an interview with Aida Muluneh
"[...] being African is really more complex as well and it’s not just one thing. There are different definitions and different interpretations and I just happen to be one of those."
A conversation with Nicky Nodjoumi on the power and politics of his art
"Choosing power as one of the main topics of my work is rooted in the desire to drag it down to the ground and make fun of it."
Stories of Sri Lankans who are “Taking a Stand” for democracy
“Though I’m 92 years old, I feel I must make a stand for democracy.”
Political cartoonist Badiucao abruptly cancelled his Hong Kong exhibition — and then went silent
The event was seen by many as a test of the limits of free speech in Hong Kong.