Stories about Arts & Culture from July, 2012
Guyana: Olympic Dreams
Guyana-Gyal explains how the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London “remind[ed] [her] to stay true to [her] dreams, no matter how mad they might sound to them people here.”
St. Lucia: The Power of Words
David Cave writes a tribute to his mentor, the Saint Lucia poet Kendel Hippolyte: “Indeed, Kendel showed me first hand that there is real power in words. Words evoke emotions, conjure images, analyse, interrogate, bring back memories, experiences and transport and even return a student to his mentor and friend.”
Cambodia: Primer on Preah Vihear
Cambodia publishes a primer of Preah Vihear Temple which was listed as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 2008. The location of the temple became controversial in recent years because it's being claimed by Thailand.
Africa: Contemporary African Artistry Online
Usanii Afrika is a blog that showcases contemporary African artistry: “Usanii Afrika (meaning Artistry Africa in Swahili) is a blog born out of passion. Innately creative herself, blogger, Kirsty Macdonald has had a life long love affair with the arts and self expression.”
Africa: Speaking My Language
Read Ngugi wa Thiong’o's address at the 2012 Sunday Times Literary Awards in South Africa: “One of the basic, most fundamental means of individual and communal self realization is language. That’s why the right to language is a human right, like all the other rights, enshrined in the constitution. It’s...
South/North Korean Flag Mix Up – Biggest Blunder in Olympic History?
"It is hard to host the event perfectly without making any single mistake. But this case of displaying the South Korean flag in a North Korean game...It is more than a mistake. I call it lack of preparedness." - South Korean on Twitter.
Philippines: Horse Fights
Heritage interpreter, tour guide, and blogger Ka Bino Guerrero writes and posts pictures about horse fights in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental in the Philippines.
Video: Let's go to Markets Around the World
Markets are full of colors, sounds and life, no matter where in the world they are. Join us as we visit - through images and videos - markets in El Salvador, Mexico, India, Indonesia and Thailand.
North Korea Reveals Its First Lady
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is married to former pop singer Ri Sol Ju, reported North Korean state media. Blogger Reaganite Republican wrote a thorough post on the hermit kingdom's first lady with an embedded video clip of her.
South Korea : Tourists Flock to Get Plastic Surgery
South Korea is infamous for its obsession with plastic surgery, but it has contributed to a significant rises in tourist arrivals. One famous Singaporean blogger recently visited Seoul to get plastic surgery and plans to post updates on her experience, while other bloggers, such as Fidel Hart, wrote an in-depth post about the...
Puerto Rico: It's a Bird… It's a Plane… It's Aslan!
Aslan is one of Puerto Rico's most innovative street artists. Using an iPhone and the photo application Instagram, his series of airplane photographs, #parriba (upwards), is perhaps his most ambitious & engaging project yet.
Venezuela: Filmmakers Explore Urban Realities
On Caracas' 445th birthday, Laura Vidal shares the work of three filmmakers who give netizens inside and outside Venezuela a different perspective of the Venezuelan capital.
Egypt: Egyptian Woman faces Sexual Harassment, in Washington DC
Nancy M is an Egyptian woman who moved from Cairo to Washington DC last month, thinking she has left sexual harassment behind her.”I was still a woman, walking the streets of a city by myself, always open to the possibility that there was a man out there who felt entitled...
Argentina: A Tour Through Rosario and its Architecture
The city of Rosario, located 300 km from the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina, offers lovers of architecture a tour of history through its buildings, which mark the era of opulence that characterized the city. On the Internet, those who visited or are living in Rosario share photos and information on this iconic architecture.
St. Lucia: New Direction for Carnival?
The Choiseul Powerhouse reviews Saint Lucia's 2012 Power Soca Monarch competition: “Suppose I told you before that St. Lucians were fed up with the Trinidadian-invented ‘Rag and Flag’ syndrome which has over the years supersaturated our Soca shows, would I have been vindicated by the outcomes of our just concluded...
Mexico: Tijuana's Unexpected Cinema Movement
Mexican border city Tijuana has an international reputation as both a dangerous town and a temptingly thrilling spring break destination. However, it is now in the international spotlight for a whole different reason: its local cinema movement.
United States: Weaving Poetry on the Streets of New York
The most recent edition of the multimedia poetry series "El Tejedor" [The Weaver] features the work of Latin American and Caribbean poets in New York City.
Palestine: Remembering Political Cartoonist Naji Al Ali
On the 25th anniversary of his assassination, we take a look back at the Palestinian political cartoonist Naji Al Ali, who was famous for criticising Arab autocratic regimes and Israel in his work.
Wales: The State of Welsh Language Blogging
In the 1990s, William Owen Roberts, a Welsh author and playwright, remarked that writing in Welsh is akin to "writing on the edge of catastrophe". If that is the case, a Welsh language blogger might be half way off the edge already.
Bangladesh: Dhaka Becomes Capital of Islamic Culture
The Bangladesh capital Dhaka has been declared as the capital of Islamic culture along with two other cities by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO). Dhaka is termed as the city of mosques, but many of the centuries old mosques are in dilapidated state.
Turkmenistan's Homegrown Hip-Hop
Khan on NewEurasia.net writes about Turkmenistan's homegrown hip-hop. Although the country's two most popular rappers spend more time in Turkey than at home, they have many fans in Turkmenistan.
