· February, 2011

Stories about Arts & Culture from February, 2011

Macedonia: Ruined Monuments

  28 February 2011

Partikopolis‘ photos document vandalism against monuments [MKD] in Strumica: “…if this was a multi-ethnic community, then the ‘others’ would be blamed. Since it is not – nobody cares…”

Armenia: Rapping the Revolution of Reform

  27 February 2011

Even if the use of social media ahead of an opposition rally scheduled to mark the 3rd anniversary of bloody post-presidential clashes which left 10 dead remains low, some activists are at least using the new online tools at their disposal. In particular, those behind a Facebook page to increase...

Trinidad & Tobago: What's After Carnival?

  24 February 2011

As controversy ensues over the behaviour of a “sore loser” at a Carnival music competition, Coffeewallah observes that the priorities of Trinbagonians may be skewed: “In two weeks this will all be over, the remnants of costumes swept up, the glitter packed away, the soca stars will go on to...

A declaration of love to the Portuguese language, in all its variations

  23 February 2011

On February 21 Global Voices in Portuguese commemorated International Mother Language Day with a tribute to the lusophony in all its linguistic and cultural diversity. Read the blogsphere's reflections on the first novel dedicated to the Portuguese language, Milagrário Pessoal - the most recent work by the Angolan author José Eduardo Agualusa.

Puerto Rico: Best Blogs 2010

  23 February 2011

The team of Esoez.com gave out the Esoez Awards to the best blogs [es] of Puerto Rico in 2010. The podcast En Profundo [es], the music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es], and the satire blog El ñame [es] are among the winners.

Puerto Rico: A Student's Life Broadcast Through Youtube

  23 February 2011

Christian Ortega published the first episode of his regular web series "La Cabeza de Christian" back in the summer of 2009. Through LCC, as it is known for short, Christian generally speaks his mind about Puerto Rican politics, headline news, and his life on the island for seven to nine minutes at a time each week. Alfredo Richner interviews Christian about his online success, Puerto Rico's blogosphere, and the student strike at the University of Puerto Rico, among other topics.

Africa: Online Radio for African Poets

  22 February 2011

Lauri comes across Badilisha Poetry Radio, which features African poets: “I've managed to lose an hour listening to poetry by African poets both here and abroad. I got captured by Karin Schmike's poem Shamshack about the two-faced, false concern of politicians.”

Azerbaijan: Assimilation Disorder

  22 February 2011

Known for its caustic humor and sarcastic insight, London-based Azerbaijani blogger Scary Azeri touches upon the sensitive issue of cultural (in)compatibility noting how a traditional mindset of her countrymen may seem out of place when living in a foreign country especially as they often find it hard, or refuse, to...

Video: Learning a New Language Through Online Video

  22 February 2011

February 21st is the International Mother Language Day and this year's theme is Linguistic Diversity and New Technologies. With that in mind, we bring you a series of examples of how people are helping others to learn their mother languages using videos and websites.

Bangladesh: Observing International Mother Language Day

  21 February 2011

For Bangladesh, 21st February - the International Mother Language Day has a different symbolization. It is a national day of Bangladesh to commemorate protests and sacrifices to protect Bangla (Bengali) as a national language during Bengali Language Movement of 1952.

Brazil: Learning culture and portuguese language

  21 February 2011

In the International Mother Language Day, take some time out to check the Portuguese Blog by Transparent Language and read about the Brazilian culture and its Portuguese language variant. Have fun learning how to use sarcastic expressions such as “para variar” and “depois“.

Venezuela: Brazilian Music in Venezuela's Web 2.0

  21 February 2011

The cultural relationship between Brazil and Venezuela is commonly seen in the way carnival is celebrated and in the high ratings Brazilian soap operas have enjoyed in Venezuela for many years. But today, through blogs, MySpace and YouTube, Venezuelan groups are sharing their arrangements and interpretations of Brazilian music.