Stories about Arts & Culture from June, 2013
Composer's Ode to Turkish Protesters
German musician Davide Martello performed live during the protests in Istanbul's Taksim Square. This track is dedicated to the Soldiers of Light, the victims of this insane violence by the...
PHOTOS: Budapest's Unique Brand of Urban Art
The capital city of Hungary, already famous for its history, art and architecture, seems to be breeding its own brand of urban art these days. Photos and commentary under hashtags such as #streetart related to Budapest are popping up daily on social networks like Twitter and Instagram, in particular as the summer tourism season gets rolling.
Peru Celebrates the Festival of the Sun
As every June 24, the Festival of the Sun -the Inti Raymi- was held at Saksaywaman archaeological park, about 15 minutes from the city of Cusco.
Yemen, Beyond the Headlines
Yemen is a country rich in culture, heritage, and history, as well as extremely friendly and hospitable. But that doesn't make the news, and Yemen is often reduced to Al-Qaeda, poverty, and wars in Western media coverage. But through film, photography, blogging, and social media, some Yemenis are trying to change that.
Palestinian Assaf Wins Arab Idol Singing Contest
Palestinian Mohammed Assaf won the title of this year's Arab Idol, the Arabic version of American Idol. Because there are contestants from different Arab countries, the citizens of each country consider the win a national trophy. Assaf's win sent thousands to the streets celebrating, chanting and dancing.
Brazil: Protest Posters Turned into Song
“I turned Facebook off / to show how to be tough / There is so much stuff / that one poster is not enough”. This is the translation of the chorus of...
Uzbek Photography's ‘Orientalist Flavour’
Alex Ulko on NewEurasia.net explains where the “Orientalist flavour discernible in the works of many [Uzbek] artists” comes from. His well-informed comments about contemporary Uzbek photography are accompanied by beautiful...
Colombia: Learning from Vallenato
Amongst Colombian Twitter users, the trend of publishing phrases from Vallenato songs -under the tag #Elvallenatomeenseñó (Vallenato taught me)- has emerged, with the intention of highlighting famous lyrics immortalised in songs that reflect different life lessons.
Open Letter to Germany's Cultural Foundation
Safia Dickersbach (@ArtsSafia) challenges a new programme dedicated to foster “German-African cultural relations”: 3. The Kulturstiftung claims to support the new African initiatives in the area of contemporary and innovative...
PHOTOS: 26 Reasons to Love Bangladesh
Jenny Gustafsson, a Swedish political scientist and independent journalist based in Beirut, thinks that Bangladesh is a great & a special place. She lists reasons why and what to love...
Japan's WordPress Communities Celebrate 10 Years
WordPress communities in Japan celebrated the 10th anniversary of the open source blogging platform. Events were held in Sapporo, Kagawa, Tokyo, Chiba and Osaka. There are 40 local WordBench [ja] groups, Japan's WordPress...
Julian Assange, Calle 13, and Twitter Users Write a Song Together
René Pérez, from the musical group Calle 13, and Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, gathered ideas and suggestions from Twitter users to write a song together that will go on Calle 13's next album.
Free Bus Fare Protest Posters in Brazil
The publishing and design studio Meli-Melo decided to help out in the protests against rise in bus fares in São Paulo, offering their equipment to print out posters free of charge....
Experts and Citizens Discuss ‘Free Culture’ in Quito, Ecuador
The Second International Congress on Free Culture was held in Quito, Ecuador, focusing on universal access to knowledge, artistic and cultural creation, the administration of culture, collective production, open access to scientific works, the use of alternative licenses, new teaching models, and the benefits for the people.
A Puerto Rican Musician Follows His Muse to Instagram
Fernando Samalot is, among other things, a gifted musician from Puerto Rico's independent music scene, known for his participation in the experimental group tachdé. Through his Instagram profile, Fernando began exploring his passion for photography while sharing the results -a collection of genuinely inspiring photos, filled with adventure, spirituality, and plenty of heart- with the rest of the world.
Rupert's divorce creates buzz in China
The media mogul Rupert Murdoch has filed for divorce from his Chinese-born wife Wendi Deng. Deng is his third wife and they have two daughters. The divorce has prompted a...
René Pérez of Calle 13 Writes Song with Julian Assange
Puerto Rican hip hop star René Pérez (@Calle13Oficial) of the band Calle 13 announced today [es] through Twitter that he is with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in...
Jamaica: Children as Artists
The National Gallery of Jamaica Blog is excited about an upcoming exhibition of children's art, which will highlight “the children’s unique responses to questions about their curiosities and the diverse...
Situation of Cartoonists in the Philippines
Art professor Neil Doloricon laments the exodus of cartoonists in the Philippines: Cartoonists in the Philippines are rare breed, they are on the brink of extinction so to speak. Most...
