Stories about Arts & Culture from January, 2013
The ‘Vishwaroopam’ Ban: Attack on Freedom of Speech?
The screening of Kamal Haasan's big budget Bollywood movie Vishwaroopam was banned in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu after Islamic organizations protested the depiction of the Muslim community. Actor-Director Haasan is fighting the matter in court and many have condemned the ban as an attack on freedom of speech.
Pakistan’s Forgotten Hindu Heritage
Shiraz Hassan recently visited dilapidated temples and gurdwaras of Rawalpindi and appeals that these old heritage sites, which depict the secular past of the country, need to be preserved. There...
All Side by Side for the Future of São Tomé and Príncipe
Originally inspired by the style of the song “We Are the World“, renowned musicians from Sao Tome and Principe unite singing a theme by Kalú Mendes, titled “All Side by...
Bhutan: Security Taken For Granted
According to tourists Bhutan is a safe place. But ShyGuard at Writers Association Of Bhutan warns not to take it for granted. The blogger opines that Bhutanese should be more...
Homosexuals – The Invisible Minority of Bangladesh
The LGBT communities in Bangladesh remain underground as they face discrimination, verbal abuse, physical abuse, social and legal challenges everyday. This invisible minority uses the internet and social networking to communicate between themselves and learn about the psychology and politics of sexual orientation.
Museum of Ancient Greek Technology
Ever wondered how ancient temple gates would opened automatically after altar sacrifices?
Russian Parliament Confronts Next Threat to Kids: “Homosexual Propaganda”
The Russian parliament's effort to defend the nation's children continues. In the last year, Duma deputies have labored feverishly to shield Russia's youth from child pornography and online enticements to drug use and suicide, and—more recently—they passed a law to put an end to the scourge of American adoptions of Russian orphans. Law-makers have now zeroed in on the next heinous threat: "homosexual propaganda."
Parallels Between Religious and Copyright Wars
Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Pirate Party, reinterprets the wars of religion that devastated Western Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries in terms of the current struggle to control...
France: NGOs Condemn Privatisation of Public Domain
Seven European free culture associations issued a statement [fr] protesting against a public-private partnership between the French National Library BNF and Proquest database [fr], whose aim is to digitize a...
Guyana: Literary Controversy
Writer Ruel Johnson has expressed concern at what he considers to be possible case of nepotism at Caribbean Press, a publishing company owned by the government of Guyana: When I saw...
“La Movida” – Revival of Spanish Language Comics in Brazil?
A panorama of Latin American comics in two parts. This post explores the invisibility among neighbouring countries within the region. Are economic factors, digital tools and collaboration going to change the way art is disseminated in these emerging markets?
Decades-old Banned Song Inspires Many in Japan
The Annual New Year's Eve music show by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) intrigued many because of a performance by Akihiro Miwa. He sang Yoitomake no Uta (Song for the Yoitomake) which had been banned from broadcasting in Japan for decades.
Guyana: Modern Architecture and the State of The Nation
Now why would the toga wearing Vitruvius have anything relevant to say about modern day Guyana architecture …until one considers the proliferation in this far away land of Roman columns....
China's Resistance Art Beyond Ai Weiwei
Social resistance in the form of action art is getting popular in China. This post introduces readers to an action art group - Made-in-J Town - which staged several body performance in Shandong in 2008, the year of the Beijing Olympic and the year when dissent voices faced the harshest repression.
Cuban Filmmakers Take Over Digital Technologies
In Cuba, filmmakers and new directors have started to take over new technologies to keep down the costs of production of audiovisual effects, and to tell stories that would otherwise not have seen the light of day.
The Cultural Aspect of Wildlife Trade in China
Terroir from Beijing Cream criticizes professional photojournalist Patrick Brown's photographs series, Trading to Extinction for being over simplified in the explanation of wildlife trade in China as “naive” and “greed”:...
Google CEO's Trip to North Korea, From Schmidt's Daughter's Blog
Google CEO Eric Schmidt visited North Korea last month and his daughter shared in her blog what the delegation saw in the hermit kingdom. Some of highlights from the blog: [describing...
Traditional Hutsul Celebration of Epiphany in Ukraine
Photographer Maxim Balandyukh posted a photo report [uk] from the traditional Hutsul celebration of Epiphany (a religious holiday commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River; Vodokhreshcha in Ukrainian)...
China: Top 10 Independent Movies of 2012
Shelly Kraicer, a China-based writer and film curator offered a list of the best Chinese independent films made in 2012. ChinaFile has more details.
