· February, 2006

Stories about Arts & Culture from February, 2006

Russia: Maslyanitsa

  27 February 2006

W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about Maslyanitsa, a part-pagan, part-Christian holiday, celebrating the arrival of spring and the approach of the pre-Easter fast, and how it is marked in Russia nowadays.

Hong Kong: Sexual hoopla

  27 February 2006

EastSouthWestNorth reports, with pictures, on the opening day of Hong Kong's Sexual Cultural Festival 2006, which featured a demurely dressed inflatable doll and an anatomically correct hoopla stall.

China: Blogger in church

  27 February 2006

Shanghai-based blogger and Microsoft employee Wang Jianshuo goes to church, and gets something out of the service despite not being a Christian.

Guyana: Mashramani

  25 February 2006

VSO/CIDA intern Michiyo experiences Mashramani, Guyana's Carnival, and posts a few photos with short captions (also rendered in Japanese). A sampling: “Everyone is full of glitters. By the time I finished watching the parade, I myself was covered with it.”

Pulse of the Saudi Blogosphere

  25 February 2006

Many different and interesting topics were discussed in the Saudi blogosphere this week, so let's start our roundup right away. What is the difference between democracy and American democracy? Hassan thinks he has the answer (Arabic). “In democracy, those who gain more votes should win. In American democracy, those who...

Jamaica: Say no to Brokeback

  24 February 2006

“Now before you gay advocates out there start posting hateful comments, understand that Jamaica is a very conservative country,” says Leon, in defense of the anti-Brokeback Mountain outcry in Jamaica.

Guyana: Sucking teeth

  24 February 2006

“With one long “stchuuuuup” and you eyes looking thin and mean, you can cut a big man down to li’l boy size,” writes Guyana-gyal in her treatise on the Caribbean art of sucking teeth.

Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival necessities & reenactments

  24 February 2006

Got your snake oil? Just in time for the official start of Trinidad & Tobago's Carnival on February 27, Attillah Springer makes a list of Carnival necessities. She also posts photos of old-time Carnival and the reenactment of the Canboulay Riots of the 1880s.

The web make to blog on Carnival day…

  24 February 2006

… to paraphrase the late Lord Kitchener, calypsonian extraordinaire. It's Carnival Friday here in Trinidad and Tobago, which means that after weeks of mounting anticipation (the Carnival season really gets started as soon as Christmastime festivities are over), the biggest event in the country's calendar is underway. This weekend will...

African women blogging this week

  20 February 2006

As per usual, African women have blogged about a variety of issues over the last week. Incidences of violence are rising in Uganda as the country prepares to hold general elections next week. Black Looks writes about the volatile situation in the country and highlights the violations of human rights...