Stories about Arts & Culture from March, 2009
Indonesia: Traditional Javanese artists
The Aroengbinang posts pictures of old traditional Javanese artists based in Jakarta.
Singapore: Desecrating a National Icon
Miss Loi writes how the Merlion, Singapore's national icon, has been desecrated over the years.
Egypt: Google doodle by orphans
More than 160 Egyptian orphans took part in a Google doodle competition, held for the first time in Egypt and the Middle East. The winning design will be displayed on Egypt's Google homepage google.com.eg on April 3, which marks Orphan Day in Egypt. Eman AbdElRahman reviews the Egyptian blogosphere for reactions.
Africa: What is African drama?
“What is African drama?,” blogger Anne Manyara asks. “Is it any kind of drama, as long as the cast is African? A play written by an African? A play written...
Azerbaijan: Novruz in absentia
Scary Azeri in Suburbs recounts celebrating Novruz in London with her friends from Azerbaijan. The blog says that for a moment she felt as if she was in Baku and...
India: South Indian Food Blog
“Words are my food, food is my passion..” – this is the tag line of the food blog ‘The Chennai Foodie‘. The blogger posts reviews of different restaurants in Chennai,...
Myanmar: Hip Hop craze
According to blogger Fear from Freedom, Myanmar youth in Yangon is having a fever of Hip Hop fashion, songs and dance.
India, Bangladesh: Frail Relations
Vinod Joseph at Desicritics asks “Why aren't Indo-Bangla ties warmer?”
Armenia: The price of success
Blogian says that passengers on local transport in the Armenian capital, Yerevan were recently impressed by the vocal talents of his 6-year-old niece. However, the blog notes, while talent is...
Palestine: Art as Resistance
Abdelfattah Abusrour, director of Al-Rowwad Culture and Theatre Center in the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, crossposts an article he has written about the use of art as a means...
Trinidad & Tobago: Pompoms
“I thought for a second I was hallucinating. Like I think I’m hallucinating when I hear some wild rumour that Papa Patos wants to invoke the Terrorism Act during the...
Qatar: The Museum of Islamic Art
Bint battuta in bahrain visits the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha and offers her observations and photographs here. Dubai-based The Bohemians also visited the museum and posted this photograph.
China: Filming Confucius
Joel Martinsen from Danwei puts together discussions on the filming of Confucius. Apart from the news that Chow Yun Fat will be starring the film, the transformation of “Confucius” as...
Ukraine: Women
Alina Rudya's Kyiv Post piece on Ukrainian women has generated 133 comments so far – as well as a discussion at Natalia Antonova's blog.
Is Egypt on the verge of a cultural revolution?
Between Bahaa Taher's first Arabic Language Booker Prize, bloggers' books, Youssef Zidan's Azazeel's Booker prize, writing competitions on Facebook, the Sawiris Foundation Competitions, and new creative initiatives to nurture new blood, Egypt's literary scene has been revived over the past few years. Marwa Rakha digs up even more projects being discussed on the blogs.
Trinidad & Tobago: Meaningful Art
Trin (Surviving Life in Trinidad and Tobago) is of the opinion that “while Fay Anne and other Carnival artists deserve a prize for their contributions, that prize should not be...
St. Lucia: Visiting Gros Islet
Repeating Islands’ Blog visits St. Lucia and discovers that “the fishing village of Gros Islet – the principal setting for Derek Walcott’s Omeros – seems serenely frozen in time.”
Cambodia: Rice politics
Rice is more than a staple of the Cambodian diet. It also implicates land rights, trade and international relations. Some Cambodians are frustrated over land leases to neighboring Vietnam. They are concerned the leases will evolve into ownership changes, resulting in a reduction of Cambodian territory.
Egypt: Arab Youth on a Presidential Mission
Egypt's first online radio - Radio Horytna - invites youth to apply for the position of President for any Arab country of their choice. Egyptian bloggers comment on the initiative in this post.
Cambodia: Online music websites
Piseth suggests a few websites which offer free Cambodian music downloads.
Lao idioms
Bryan, A Laotian American writer, identifies some of the popular Lao idioms.
