Stories about Arts & Culture from January, 2009
Best Blogs Brazil: Winners by jury, public and hacker votes
Who won the Best Blogs Brazil 2008? Specialists and the public went to the polls and the winners were announced at Campus Party last week. The competition, which did not offer a money prize just prestige, was taken very seriously by contenders, some even willing to cheat to win.
Iran: Nasir al-Mulk Mosque
In Hanif Doorbin you can see a photo of Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, a traditional mosque in Shiraz, Iran.
Japan: Saint Young Men, Jesus and Buddha on Earth
What if one day Jesus and Buddha descended to Earth to spend their holidays? And what if they lived together in a cheap apartment in Tachikawa, in western Tokyo? This is what Hikaru Nakamura, a young Japanese manga author, was thinking of when he came up with Saint Oniisan, a manga published in the monthly magazine Morning 2 in 2007 that become a hit in the last few months after the publication of the first two episodes as single volumes last year.
Japan: My darling wife, I love you!
Blogger at Prism Cafe [ja] comments on news about an event organized by Japan Aisaika Organization (日本愛妻家協会 lit. Japan Organization of Beloved Wives) yesterday, the 29th of January, when in the middle of Hibiya Park, in central Tokyo, hundreds of husbands took the microphone to shout their love to their...
French Caribbean: Carnival 2009 is launched
Carnival is a tradition, a part of every West Indian soul and the French Caribbean is no exception. Here is a review of blogs from Martinique, French Guiana, Haiti and Guadeloupe, which highlights the features of Carnival there.
Indonesia: Fatwa against smoking, yoga, vasectomies….
Indonesian bloggers are reacting to the Fatwa issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council which included, among others, a ban on yoga that contain Hindu elements, a ban on vote abstention, a ban on smoking in public places, and a ban on vasectomy.
Cambodia: Internet censorship targets artists
The Cambodian Ministry of Women's Affairs has threatened to block a Web site that contains artistic illustrations of bare-breasted Apsara dancers and a Khmer Rouge soldier. This censorship targets Cambodian artists who are more recognized not in offline exhibitions but through their presence on the world wide web.
Guadeloupe: Pépin questions national conscience
In the midst of the social unrest that has been shaking Guadeloupe for almost 11 days, Indiscrétions publishes writer Ernest Pépin's letter to his fellow Guadeloupeans.
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Slump?
With just three short weeks until the big event, Discover TnT Blog and Trinidad Carnival Diary report that the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival season has been slow.
Poland: Maanam
the POLSKI blog writes about Maanam, a Polish band that, in the early 1980s, was “the epitome of cool, largely thanks to their unique sound and the distinctive voice and fiery personality of their lead singer, Kora.”
Czech Republic: European Artists Strike Back (at Entropa)
CzechFolks.com writes about a few European artists who have reacted to Entropa by creating “caricatures of the Czech Republic through their eyes.”
Guadeloupe: A new social movement
Guadeloupe has been in a state of social unrest for about a week now as record numbers of trade unions, cultural and political associations have united around a motto: "Lyannaj kont pwofitasyon", Creole for “Let's gather up to fight against all sorts of abuses.”
Martinique, South Africa: Cultural Exchange
Africlassical reports that South Africa's Premier ballet company has been invited to dance in Martinique as part of a cultural collaboration.
Brazil: Obama present in Rio Carnival
“Drunken, sweaty Obamas will be running wild all over the city come February. Though I think this particular mask is kind of creepy, it's a Carnival tradition to wear masks of famous people and to dress up in costumes, just like Americans do on Halloween”, Rachel reports from Rio de...
Japan: Illustrator Junko Kawashima's blog
Check out the manga blog [ja] of the artist Junko Kawashima.
Bangladesh: Urban Life
Ashley Wheaton at The Dhaka Diaries portrays the urban life of Bangladesh through a series of photo essays.
Romania: Rural Life in the EU
Tessa Bunney, who photographed rural life in the Carpathians of Romania, wrote this about the implications of the EU accession for some of the subjects of her photos: “The Romanian government’s interpretation of EU policy has resulted in the banning of horse and carts and hand milking of cows. No...
Egypt: “Kleenex” Literature at the Cairo International Bookfair
With more than 15 new titles, Egyptian bloggers took the 2009 Cairo International Book Fair by storm. Conventional writers label bloggers' literature as “Kleenex” Literature. Marwa Rakha reviews reactions from the Egyptian blogosphere in this article.
Bahamas: A Better Way
“The Bahamas is so very rich in culture that we could all be benefitting from it. But we’re not”: Nicolette Bethel explains why.
Trinidad & Tobago: Pelham and Pan
From Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Free Radio publishes another podcast, this time focusing on “veteran producer and steel orchestra arranger, Pelham Goddard” as he discusses the evolution of steel pan music.
Hong Kong: Fortune Stick Reading
ESWN summarized local newspapers reports on fortune stick reading in Lunar new year. The unfavorable outcome stirred up a hot discussion about: who is the traitors inside home?
