Stories about Arts & Culture from April, 2008
Ethiopian bloggers defend charged pop star
Ethiopian bloggers rushed to the defence of their country's top pop singer Teddy Afro, after he appeared in court charged with the hit-and-run killing of a youth in capital Addis Ababa. Many writers were convinced Afro was being framed by Ethiopian authorities who, they said, resented the singer's huge popularity and veiled anti-government lyrics.
PangeaDay: Videos to change the world on May 10th
On May 10th 2008 at 18:00 GMT, 24 films will be broadcast during a 4 hour event. What makes this different is that this event, PangeaDay will be broadcast from six locations worldwide in seven different languages worldwide to be viewed through internet, television or cellphones with one unique purpose: to make each other know about the lives of others and focus on what makes us similar, instead of what makes us different and let us work together towards peace.
Iran: A series of aerial photos of Iran
Homeyra has given a link to a series of aerial photos of Iran taken by George Steinmetz.
Russia: Computerization of the Russian North
Window on Eurasia reports: “Scholars in the Sakha Republic have developed computer scripts for the Linux operating system […], a breakthrough that […] promises to open the way for computerization across the Russian north.”
Lebanon: “Embarrassed Arabic Language”
“Arabic is an embarrassed language. Not embarrassing, but embarrassed,” comments Tantalus about how cryptic some Arabic writers become in order to avoid taboo words.
Lebanon: Cultural Renaissance
“There's a sort of Renaissance taking place in Lebanon – attributed partially to an massive influx of European tourists (and a marked absence of Gulfies) – art, culture, and creativity are becoming more the norm than the exception in public & semi-public spaces,” notes Finkployd with photos and video on...
Japan: Folding Arts
Ryoko from Pingmag wrote a feature on Japanese folding arts.
Venezuela: Kusturica's Visit Becomes Political
Acclaimed film director Emir Kusturica visited Caracas to close out the week of celebrations for the city with a concert by his No Smoking Orchestra. However, his visit and his concert became overly political when the Serbian filmmaker applauded the Venezuelan government's fight against imperialism during the free event, and at a local conference. Bloggers react to the disorganization of the concert and the political tone of the festivities.
Lithuania: “NOROUTINE”
Babel in Vilnius writes about “the first and only Lithuanian photo movie” – “NOROUTINE.”
Russia: Travel Photo Reports
Lots of Russia travel photo reports – by LJ user victorprofessor.
Pakistan: A street's name
All Things Pakistan on the delightful nomenclature of streets in Islamabad.
Jordanian Mona Lisa
From Jordan, Moey shares with us a portrait of a Jordanian Mona Lisa.
China: Tibetan Intellectuals Arrested
Woeser blogs the background of 6 Tibetan intellectuals who were arrested in Qing Hai in March 31 and April 1[zh]. They are teacher, singers, artist and writer.
U.K.: Macedonian Film Festival
The Macedonian Tendency shares the schedule of the Macedonian Film Festival that will take place in London next week.
Hungary: History
A lively discussion of Hungarian history – at Hungarian Spectrum.
Estonia: Dozor Night Game
AnTyx writes about playing the Dozor Night Game in Estonia, which “[grew] out of games that have been played for centuries; and certainly after the fall of the Soviet Union every young boy (and a surprising share of girls) all over its former territory went crawling around crumbling industrial parks....
India: A Goddess in Mumbai
A photo essay on Mumbai Magic – “In Mumbai, a small community from Andhra Pradesh worships the Goddess Mariamman every summer, seeking protection from smallpox, chickenpox and all forms of disease.”
Haiti, Martinique: Remembering
kiskeácity remembers two influential Caribbean icons.
Trinidad & Tobago: Official Graffiti?
“On an abandoned wall in Port of Spain, a graffiti artist declares the right for public art”: Thebookmann explains.
Japan: Love and Hate Story of the Mascot Character, “Sento-kun”
Creepy?! Ugly?! Sacrilegious?! Not many people are happy about the mascot character for the Commemorative Events of the 1300th Anniversary of the Nara-Heijyoko Capital to be held in 2010. The character was designed by a sculptor and professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, Satoshi Yabuuchi, who is one of...
Albania: “Albanosphere”
Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros posts a new installment on the “Greater Albania” – an extensive overview of the myths and facts about the “Albanosphere.”
