Stories about LANGUAGES from March, 2018
From Sydney Biennale Installations to Film Screenings, Ai Weiwei Highlights Treatment of Global Refugees
"How do we go from a darkness where we have dehumanized refugees and militarized responses, to one where we reclaim a shared human identity?"
A Respected Ceramicist and a Skilled Novelist: Jamaica Loses Two Much-Loved Creatives in Two Days
"Jamaica, we mourn the passing of sculptor Gene Pearson and writer Garfield Ellis. But we will celebrate them always."
Ghouta's Youth Become War Reporters to Shine a Light on Suffering Civilians
"I want to be a journalist to convey the innocents' suffering or study chemistry to make medicine to the people." - Noor, 12 years old, Eastern Ghouta
Despite Resignation of Slovakian Prime Minister, Thousands of Protesters Continue to Demand Justice for Murdered Journalist
An estimated 65,000 protesters demanding early elections gathered in the capital city of Bratislava while thousands more rallied in the streets of other cities.
When Indigenous Girls are Raped and Assaulted in Bangladesh, a Queen Rises Up in Solidarity
From 2013 to 2017, violence was committed against 364 indigenous women and girls. In January 2018, 10 women and girls were raped and three of them were killed after rape.
What Japan's 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Mascots Say About Attitudes Toward Disability
On a careful reading of its character description you will notice that unlike its Olympic counterpart, the Paralympic mascot is not explicitly described as “athletic”.
Women Reporters Accuse a Prominent Russian Lawmaker of Sexual Harassment, but His Colleagues Stand by Him
At least three Russian women reporters have accused Leonid Slutsky, a populist parliament member, of sexual harassment. Most of his politician colleagues, even women, are rallying behind him.
How a Viral Eye Roll Broke the Silence on China's Heavily Censored Web
"The rolling eyes are like a bolt of lightening that destroys tens of thousands expressions of praise and outshines speeches made by hundreds of thousands of brain-dead people."
Guyanese Literary Giant Sir Wilson Harris Leaves Behind a ‘Literacy of the Imagination’
"The indigenous people of the Caribbean, the landscape [...] and native myth were [...] given new meaning because of him. He changed the way Caribbean literature is written and read."
City Councillor and Leading Rights Activist Shot Dead in Downtown Rio de Janeiro
Marielle Franco was the fifth most voted councilor for Rio's City Chamber. She was murdered after denouncing police violence in favelas. The crime is being investigated as an execution.
Is Censorship Coming Back to Tunisia? Court Order Bans ‘Blue Whale’ Online Game
The implications of this decision, if upheld on appeal, would set a new precedent for internet censorship in Tunisia.
‘Aesthetics Japan’ Tweets the Beauty of Japan, From Neon Lights to Misty Mountaintops
“It was traditional Edo architecture and nature that attracted me to it. Then as I grew older, the neon lights of Tokyo made me love it all over again.”
From Graffiti to Politics, Anti-Semitic and Neo-Nazi Speech Is Becoming More Visible in Eastern Europe
Activists in the region have been sounding the alarm about increasingly emboldened hate speech against Jewish people and apology for perpetrators of the Holocaust.
Prominent Chinese Feminist Social Media Account Shuttered on International Women’s Day
"...[T]he Chinese government does not understand feminism, does not understand what feminists are doing, and does not understand what they are advocating."
Aurat March (Woman March) Marks Resistance Against Misogyny in Pakistan
"There is a lot of anger that is finally releasing and this march was a way to direct that anger somewhere for something powerful and beautiful."
For Jordanian Women, a Year of Hard-Won Progress and Continuing Challenges
Despite a successful campaign to repeal a legal loophole allowing rapists to marry their victims, there is plenty left to do in the struggle to achieve gender equality in Jordan.
Law, Entertainment and Politics in Korea Feel the Wrath of #MeToo
Koreans witnessed the power of the people with the ousting of the president last March. Now they're seeing it again in the form of #MeToo and #WithYou.
What Bitcoin, Tulip Mania and the Nigerian Stock Market Have in Common
"Though tulips had no practical use and lacked fragrance and medicinal value, at the height of tulip mania investors sold their homes to purchase a single bulb. Sound familiar?"
Pastor's Reduced Sentence for ‘Sex With Minors’ Casts Cloud Over International Women's Day in Jamaica
"Disgraced Moravian pastor Rupert Clarke got a slap on the wrist...He egregiously breached the trust and confidence of the people who look to him as a man of the clergy..."
How Greek Anti-Nationalist Satire Was Misunderstood as Hate Speech in Macedonian Media
"...the problem is we are so alienated from each other as peoples and as individuals that we are prepared to expect the worst in each other..."
Women March in Indonesia for Equality and Justice Amid Legislative Attacks on Rights and Freedoms
Marchers used the hashtag #LawanBersama (#FightTogether) to call for the protection of women's rights.