Stories about Arts & Culture from February, 2016
Ukraine's Eurovision 2016 Entry Is About Stalin’s Repressions. Russia Isn't Thrilled.
Ukraine’s entry for the Eurovision 2016 music contest is a song about the deportation of the Crimean Tatars by the Stalin regime. So why are Russian officials upset?
Desperate for Safer Roads, Russians Are Literally Filling Potholes with Money
In the past five weeks, there’s been a new slew of pothole-related scandals. Depending on your attitude about lousy public services and motorways, these stories will either entertain or disconcert.
Animator Chronicles His Family's Experience Emigrating With the Caribbean's ‘Windrush Generation’
"While many of the Windrush Generation experienced similar circumstances arriving in Britain, not much is actually documented. Animation can help to bridge generational gaps when the story is relevant."
Egyptian Writer Ahmed Naji Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for His ‘Sexually Explicit’ Novel
Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji has been sentenced to two years in prison for publishing a chapter of his "sexually explicit" novel in a magazine.
Homophobia Mars a Chechen Model’s Dream
Many models dream of scoring a photoshoot for Dolce & Gabbana. 17-year-old Ilona Bisultanova's dream came true last month, but what followed online wasn't entirely beautiful.
Dear Karachi City Officials, ‘Fix It’. (Or Else.)
Alamgir Khan's #fixit campaign has rallied young Karachiites into action has taken up the responsibility of fixing some of the city's most detrimental issues.
China Won't Broadcast the Hong Kong Film Awards Because of Dystopian Nominee ‘Ten Years’
"What is so fearful about this film? The film has portrayed different thoughts and perspectives; this can be a starting point for communication and understanding."
Swasthani Vrata Katha in Photos: Nepal’s Month-Long Festival of Fasting and Praying for Spouses’ Well-Being
The ritual is said to have started after King Himalaya’s daughter Parvati, the Hindu goddess of love, fertility and devotion, spent a month fasting and praying to the goddess Swasthani.
Russians Find the Stories Hidden in Photos of Decay
There's a community on the Russian social network Vkontakte that takes photos of rust, peeling paint, and decay, and reimagines them as “abstract stories.”
What Masqueraders’ Selfie-Snapping Says About Trinidad & Tobago Carnival
"I noticed a proliferation of masqueraders — in the melee on stage, in the stands and on the sides — on their phones. I thought, wow, this could be interesting."
Online Documentary Preserves Oral History Surrounding 1950s Yugoslav Anti-Veil Law
The law was adopted "... to achieve the goal of removing the century-old sign of subjugation and backwardness of of Muslim women..."
How Lima Lost the Booksellers of Quilca Street
The many booksellers that occupied the busy Quilca street have been evicted and uncertainty looms over the future of not only the traders but also the greater area.
Blogging Is Making a Comeback in Russia, Thanks to the Man Who Helped Kill It
A funny thing is happening in the chaos of today’s Russian Internet use: people are starting to feel overwhelmed on social media.
China's Media Wants You to Love the State as Much as You Love Your Family
"...you can't cut your connection with your father for the emperor's sake. The expression of 'showing filial piety to the state' is absolutely ridiculous."
The Racist Portrayal of the Philippines in Historical Cartoons as US Troops Invaded
The cartoons portrayed Filipinos as uncivilized people who needed to be educated by the invading United States army.
Stranger Than Fiction? Two Puppeteers Charged With ‘Glorifying Terrorism’ in Spain
"Following this legal reasoning, Francis Ford Coppola could be charged for the crimes that happen in The Godfather."
Three Important Hashtags Muslim Women Used to Battle Islamophobia and Sexism
Increasingly, Muslim women are turning to Twitter to take on people who use them as pawns to justify misogyny, racism, imperialism, and militarism.
‘An Unapologetic Independent Thinker': A Conversation With St. Lucian Poet Vladimir Lucien
"Caribbean literature nowadays is very much a mixed bag [...] I think it is several Caribbeans that we are seeing."
From Madagascar, Four Poems on Impossible Love for Valentine's Day
"My whole heart has been driven wild as well, and refuses to forget. Silence remains around the one whom I love, but I continue to believe."
The Daughters of Violence Fight Back Against Street Harassment in Mexico with Art
Three Mexican girls are fighting back against street sexual harassment that victimises women, with wit and punk rock.
Salvadoran Women Respond to Violence with Community Service, Music, and Individual Efforts
Communal work initiatives created by women for women, musical education in female juvenile prisons, and individual actions have been some of the ways in which Salvadoran women have combated violence.
