Stories about Arts & Culture from July, 2011
Japan: On Fake Glasses
Marxy at Neojaponisme gives an interesting insight [en] on the “lens-less frame” trend spreading in Japan.
Russia: Science Fiction Vocabulary
Yelena of Russian Blog addresses a few of the new Russian words adopted with the increasing popularity of science fiction in the 1990s.
South Korea: Controversies on the Return of Korean Royal Books
Koreans celebrated in May 2011 the return of a collection of Korean Royal books, looted by French troops in 1866. As it was later found out that the return was a de facto 'rent' of the treasure, many people have expressed resentment toward the French and Korean governments for failing to fulfill their long awaited wish.
Bangladesh: Indigenous or Not Indigenous, That Is The Question
In recent months many Bangladeshi indigenous people have taken the streets holding meetings, human chains and rallies, demanding constitutional recognition of their identity. Bloggers also voice their opinions on this issue.
Haiti: Revered Flag Maker Dies
Repeating Islands acknowledges the passing of “Silva Joseph, a highly regarded Vodou flag maker…in the tradition of BelAir’s famous flag artists, such as Tibout, Joseph Fortine and Luc Daniel Cedor.”
Poland: The State of Reading
A few weeks ago, a new social campaign - Reading in Poland - was launched by one of Poland's largest daily newspapers due to the fact that reading rates in Poland are very low: one reports states that 56 percent of the Poles don't read books at all - and are also incapable of reading texts longer than 3 pages. A huge debate has started on the reading culture in Poland and the reasons for the crisis it is facing.
Dominican Republic: Bohemian Nights
Dino Bonao writes about the Dominican bohemian nights [es].
Puerto Rico: PR Indie's LAMC Coverage
Redod, the editor of the alternative music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es], reflects on the amazing and intense coverage [es] they offered of the Latin American Music Conference (LAMC) in...
Africa: How Social Conservatives in Africa Use Anti-Globalization Struggle
Graham shows how social conservatives in Africa use the anti-globalization struggle: “They use the same arguments and language as the radicals, but they are not revolutionaries. Their language of liberation,...
Lebanon: Musician Arrested for Mocking President in Song
Lebanese musician Zeid Hamdan was detained briefly this week for allegedly defaming President Michel Suleiman in a song he released in 2010. Lebanese newspaper Assafir has since reported the Hamdan...
Myanmar: Traditional music instruments
htootayzar posts pictures of traditional music instruments from Myanmar.
Colombia: Dancing Police Welcome Soccer Players
In Medellin, Colombia, police officers welcomed England's U-20 soccer players at the airport with a dance, making a good impression on visitors but raising concerns on security for some locals.
Jamaica: An Anime Nation to be Reckoned With
Jamaipanese says that this year's Anime Nation was “bigger and better” than its inaugural event, calling it “an epic event for fans of anime, cosplay, video games and Japan as...
Jamaica: Unimpressed with Minaj
Active Voice publishes a guest post about singer Nicki Minaj's performance at Jamaica's recent Reggae Sumfest: “Minaj messed up when she displayed such flagrant disrespect to Jamaica by announcing that...
Angola: Bloggers Meet Rappers for a Socially Responsible Soccer Match
Dino Cross, from the blog Hip Hop Angola, announces [pt] a soccer match between Angolan bloggers and rappers that will take place on the 30th of July. All the attendees...
Trinidad & Tobago: Celebrating Emancipation
“Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the world to commemorate the abolition of slavery with a national observance, and since that time several other countries (mostly in the...
Jamaica: OCD Ghosts?
Could it be that “the world of the supernatural [is] ordered not by the rules of metaphysics, but the rules of mathematics”? Under the Saltire Flag considers the possibility by...
Slovakia: Big Money in the Tube
A few weeks ago, the Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights society (SOZA) - the country's music copyright organization - started billing web servers, typically for young music fans, which were embedding YouTube and Vimeo videos on their pages. Tibor Blazko reports on the Slovak netizens' reactions.
Brazil: “A Serbian Film” Banned from RioFan Festival
The controversial long feature “A Serbian Film” was banned [pt] from the RioFan film festival by its main sponsor, the Brazilian national bank Caixa Econômica Federal, as announced [pt] on...
Zimbabwe: Video: Zimbabwe's Alternative Hip Hop Scene
Bunmi shares a video about Zimbabwe's art scene: The Nomadic Wax crew that shot the mini documentary above about Zimbabwe's alternative hip hop scene talk at length about the capital's...
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival is Business
Outlish takes a look at some Carnival entrepreneurs.
