Stories about Arts & Culture from November, 2011
Trinidad & Tobago: Impressed with Miss Miles
Dingolay reviews the new play about Gene Miles (a whistleblower for a political corruption scandal in the 1960s, who subsequently became a social outcast), admitting she was “a bit chilled by the fact that what happened to Gene Miles could happen again today, woman PM or no.”
Iran: Tehran Before the Revolution
Estekhdam has published several photos showing Tehran before Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Iran: TinTin in Tehran
Here is a satirical look at “Tin Tin in Tehran” published in several Iranian blogs.
Venezuela: World Meeting of Body Art Takes Over Caracas
This year, Caracas hosted The World Meeting of Body Art and some of its most striking expressions were shared through citizen media. Among these creations, indigenous peoples of Venezuela were given a special space to showcase their artistic expressions on the human skin.
Russia: Mount Athos Monastery Photo Exhibition
The State Historical Museum of Moscow is hosting an exhibition of 240 photographs from the Mount Athos Monastery of St Simon's collection, dated between 1848-1963. The inauguration of the photo exhibit took place on 8 November, 2011, and was attended by political and religious representatives, as well as artists from...
Japan: Coworking Magazine Launched
Cowarp [ja]: There's been a surge of interest around coworking spaces and its culture, and now there's a brand new online magazine for it.
Video: Plural+ 2011 Awards Young Filmmakers
Youth from around the globe were awarded in New York for their thought-provoking short films showing their proposals for making society more peaceful and multicultural by addressing the topics of diversity, migration and social inclusion.
Mozambique: Poetry on trees
The Mozambican literary collective Movimento Kuphaluxa has shared on Facebook and on its blog a series of poems exhibited on the city of Maputo's historic acacia trees. Some well-known writers like Mia Couto are featured (FB link), but most poems are from younger writers.
Trinidad & Tobago: Anya's Section Launch
The rumour turns out to be true: Trinidad Carnival Diary says that designer Anya Ayoung-Chee's section in the Carnival band TRIBE's 2012 offering launches tonight.
Caribbean: Giving Thanks
Regional bloggers are wishing all Americans a happy Thanksgiving Day.
Nigeria: Investigating Perceptions of Blackness, Gender and Place
Sokari blogs about the Nigerian artist Toyin Odutola: “The Nigerian-born, American-raised artist employs a painstakingly thorough creative process that uses rudimentary tools – ballpoint pens, ink and paper – to investigate perceptions of ‘blackness’, gender and place.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Anya's Designs for TRIBE?
Rumour has it, according to Trinidad Carnival Diary, that Project Runway winner Anya Ayoung-Chee will be designing a section for the band TRIBE's 2012 presentation: “The most important question may be exactly WHO will be in the section and how does one get in! Make it work.”
Cuba: Censoring “El Chupi”
Generation Y blogs about El Chupi Chupi, a hugely popular song in Cuba right now, which has been panned by the Cuban Music Institute, saying: “Controversy will arise, of course, and generate debate, but no public official will be able to erase it with the stroke of a pen, because...
Barbados: Applauding Anya
Skip to Malou* admits she's “a bit behind on the Project Runway hype”, but says of the winning designer from Trinidad and Tobago: “[She] seems like a down to earth island girl with a big personality and serious determination and we all love to see a West Indian do well...
Nigeria: Celebrating Nigerian Fashion in Abuja
Damilare Aiki shares photos from Mode Demarrage fashion show in Abuja, Nigeria: “The show truly lived up to its meaning ‘Fashion’s Start’ as it marks the beginning of a new age of fashion in Abuja.”
Global: 1 of 7 Billion Short Film Competition
The 1 of 7 Billion Short Film Competition is open to submissions for videos exploring one of the seven issues targeted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 7 Billion Actions initiative. Global Voices Online has been writing about the different actions that individuals and small organizations have been taking...
Mexico: Looking Beyond the Violent Portrait of Ciudad Juárez
Richard Boren in the blog Border Wars shows that there's a lot more to Ciudad Juárez than the violence portrayed in the media. “The city is becoming increasingly more isolated from the world. […] The collateral damage from Juarez's one-sided portrait in the media is enormous, and one of the...
Colombia: Bogota's Ignored Street Art
After participating in the ‘Bogotá Graffiti Tour‘, blogger Vicki Kellaway from the Banna Skin Flip Flops writes about the “other” street art in Bogotá, “the kind that’s moulding and rusting away as we speak. Yes, I’m talking about sculpture and, for that matter, statues. When was the last time you...
Chile: Citizens Fight to Save Valparaiso's Emblematic Elevators
Valparaíso’s 130-year-old elevators are teetering on the brink of extinction and locals are taking to the streets and social media to fight for them. The World Monuments Fund has named them one of the world’s 100 most endangered historical treasures.
The Netherlands: A Holiday Season of Festivities, Costumes… and Racism?
In recent years "Zwarte Piet" (Black Pete), the dark-skinned companion of Saint Nicholas during the winter holiday season in the The Netherlands, has become part of a recurring debate as some take offense at costumes including black painted faces.
Africa: Open Doors 2012: Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa
Open Doors 2012 focuses on Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: “Following on from India in 2011, the next edition of Open Doors, the Festival del film Locarno’s co-production lab, will be devoted to francophone Africa…Application forms for Open Doors 2012 are available on www.onopendoors.pardo.ch and are restricted to projects from francophone Sub-saharan...
