Stories about Arts & Culture from October, 2013
Young People Revel In Halloween Fun in Kyrgyzstan
While debates over the appropriateness of participating in Halloween fun rage in Tajikistan, young people in the neighboring Kyrgyzstan revel in Halloween festivities. The country's most popular blogging platform has published [ru] a map of all venues organizing Halloween festivities in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital. Dozens of people dressed up in zombie...
Halloween in Tajikistan: Devil Worship or Innocent Fun?
In Tajikistan where most people have not even heard about Halloween, even rare Halloween fun raises eyebrows.
Negahamburguer's Street Art Raises the Self-Esteem of Brazilian Women
Artist Negahamburguer works to spread messages of love in São Paulo for women that live in conflict with themselves because of their bodies.
Ballett Dortmund's Red Dream Ballet Censored in Hong Kong
Scenes and images related to the Cultural Revolution were removed abruptly before and after Ballett Dortmund's Red Dream opening performance in Hong Kong.
Documentary Explores 90s Rap Culture in Sao Paulo
Through interviews and archival footage, the documentary “Sabotage Nós” (We Sabotage), available to watch online, presents important moments of Sao Paulo's rap music in the 90s. The film tells the story of the release of the album “Rap é compromisso” (Rap Is Commitment), Sabotage's debut album. Sabotage was an important...
South Korea Wants to Regulate Online Gaming Like Drugs and Alcohol
Earlier this month, South Korean lawmakers proposed a bill that regulates online gaming in a similar fashion to drugs and alcohol because of its addictive elements.
From Fiji to Italy, Global Eco-Tourism Communities Blossom
TribeWanted has developed a model for self-sustainable eco-retreats that are co-funded by members and operated together with locals at a growing number of worldwide locations.
PHOTOS: Muralists ‘Paint Resistance’ in Toribío, Colombia
From October 19 to 26, a 'minga' - collective work done in favor of a community - united over 60 artists from Colombia and other parts of Latin America.
Legendary Indian Playback Singer Manna Dey Dies
Dey recorded more than 4,000 songs between 1942 and 2013, and was famous for his playback work recording songs for hundreds of movies for actors to lip sync to.
VIDEO: Angola's Kuduro as an Urban Phenomenon
A new film on Angola's frenetic music genre and dance, Kuduro (literally ‘hard ass’), follows the steps of some of the key figures that have helped this popular style turn into an urban cultural movement: Created in the discos and raves in downtown Luanda through a fusion between House and Techno beats...
VIDEO: “Myths and Murals” of East Timor
East Timorese and Australian artists have come together to reflect and create around Myths and Murals, “promoting a common sense of national identity through art and story and collaborative strategies for engagement”. The cross-cultural public art and literacy project, between artists from Melbourne and the East Timorese free art school Arte Moris, takes...
Central Asia's Presidents: Political Stalwarts and Musical Softies
Some presidents in Central Asian countries sing, dance, and play musical instruments. When they fail to impress their populations, however, people sing against them.
Future Places: Digital Media Tools for Citizenship
Future Places, a former digital media festival that is turning into a “media lab for citizenship” for its sixth edition, will take place in Porto, Portugal, from October 28 to November 2, 2013. “A festival without an audience, where everyone who is present participates and discovers in real time ways of collaborating”,...
USA: Elevating Young Asian Voices in Immigration Reform Debate
The Youth Leadership Council of the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center created an inspiring video to help young Asian voices heard in the immigration reform debate. Blogger Angry Asian Man briefly comments on this video featuring local youth's thought-provoking spoken word performances.
Kazakhstan's Soviet Mosaics: “Ghosts of an Epoch Gone By”
In a post titled “The Walls Are Crying”, a blogger reflects [ru] on Kazakhstan's slowly disappearing Soviet artistic mosaics that once adorned housing blocks and industrial facilities across the country: Many of these works of art died along with the buildings which they adorned. Some are being destroyed. But many mosaics...
16 Books on Latin American Street Art
In Latin America, street art is of major cultural relevance. The region’s traditions of social movements and revolution have allowed the form to give voice to otherwise unheard sectors of the population. Of course, not all street art is politically or socially-oriented in content, but it does often provide insight...
Gulf Cities: Cultural Capitals of the Arab World?
UAE commentator Sultan Al Qassemi argues that “some of the cities of the Gulf were transforming into cultural capitals of the Arab world as the traditional capitals of Baghdad, Cairo, Beirut and Damascus continue to suffer from civil strife.” He posts arguments in support and against this notion on his...
Three Lessons on Dating in China
Jocelyn Eikenburg from Speaking of China shared her experience in cross-cultural dating in China. The three lessons she had learned are: 1. Actions matter more than words; 2. Keep that past relationship in the past; and 3. It takes a lot longer to meet the parents.
Remembering and Reviving Vietnam's Ca Tru Singing
Đoan Trang interviews Pho Kim Duc, a famous ca tru (sung poetry) vocalist in Vietnam in the 1940s. Kim Duc said ca tru is a very noble form of art. “It’s is not just singing but also poetry. Whoever with a taste for poetry will love ca tru to find...
Artists Search for Eid in Syria's War
Syria’s rising talents and distinct voices share their views on Eid Al Adha - a festivity difficult to celebrate among the rubble and dead bodies.
Dandin.me: Encompassing the Emerging Talent in the Middle East
October 10 saw the official launch of Dandin.me, a novel independent platform whose founders are based in Egypt. Abdel-Rahman Hussein, one of the people behind Dandin.me, explains what it aims to achieve: The rationale behind it was our desire to create an audio platform that would manage to encompass a...