Stories about Arts & Culture from November, 2009
Qatar: Cartoon of maid abusing child raises ire
A cartoon published in a local paper in Qatar depicting a crazed maid abusing a child has raised the ire of Doha bloggers, many of whom are condemning the possible satire for being racist and in poor taste. Shabina S. Khatri has more on the debate.
Video: Open Video Contest for Trip to SXSW Interactive Festival
The Open Video Alliance is putting out a call out for one minute videos that make a case for Open Video for an opportunity to win a trip to South by South West Interactive 2010 festival. The contest is open to anyone regardless of nationality.
Philippines: TV Ads of Presidential Candidates
Election season has started in the Philippines. Check out the TV ads of presidential candidates which have been uploaded on YouTube.
Zimbabwe: Oliver Mtukudzi honoured
Zimbabwe's biggest music stars Oliver Mtukudzi was last week honoured with a 2009 Cultural Ambassador Award in San Diego in the United States.
Azerbaijan: New Year
Azerbaijan might still be a predominantly Muslim country, but Scary Azeri in Suburbs says that many of the trappings of Christmas in the West can be observed in its New Year festivities. The blog details how the holiday is spent in much of the former Soviet world.
Russia: Social Network Graffiti Gains Popularity
English Russia writes about the phenomenon of “social network graffiti” [ENG] that became very popular among the users of the leading Russian social network Vkontakte.ru.
Egypt and Algeria: Much More Than a Football Match
Who would have believed that a football match could cause such tension between two nations? The trouble between Egypt and Algeria has now reached an unexpected level and many bloggers believe that the World Cup qualifying match has nothing to do with the troubles on the street. Tarek Amr has the story.
Morocco: Marrakesh Film Festival to Focus on Korea
The View from Fez reports that the Marrakesh Film Festival plans to screen a record 44 films from South Korea this year.
Sri Lanka: Learning To Let Go
Roshanthi Lucas at Random Thoughts tells why it is important to learn “to let go of things that are not necessary”.
Indonesia: Youth, Art, and Nationalism
Many young Indonesians are expressing their nationalism through art.
Indonesia: Some groups want to ban ‘2012’ movie
Several regional branches of the Indonesian Ulema Council want to ban the movie ‘2012’ claiming the film's content is “unsuitable to be viewed by Muslims because only Allah knew when the world would end, not heathens like the Mayans.”
Burmese Songs to be Used as Ring Tones in Thailand
A company in Thailand bought more than 100 popular Burmese songs to be sold as ring tones for mobile phones in Thailand.
Japan: British teenager becomes a YouTube star
She is British, blond, slim and cute. Her name is Beckii Cruel [ja] and, at age 14, has become an idol on the Japanese web. Beckii Cruel started to gain popularity at the end of this year thanks to some videos posted on YouTube where she appears dancing in her...
Uruguay: Film About Robots Invading Montevideo
The locally produced short film called Panic Attack! created by Fede Alvarez shows the science fiction story of robots invading the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo. The blog El Bachural [es] enjoyed the short because it showed his city in a different light.
Guatemala: The Streets of the Capital City
The look of the streets of Guatemala City has changed over the past 20 years. The blog Guate en los 80s [es] takes a look at the culture of that decade, and includes this video of a drive through the city and notes the differences to how it appears now.
Guatemala: The Illustrations of Roberto Galvez
The Guatemalan blog Colectiva [es] writes and features modern art around the world, but it also provides special focus on local artists, including Roberto Galvez, whose illustrations were recently featured at the Arte La Fabrica gallery in Guatemala City.
Trinidad & Tobago: On Stage?
“One can live in hope that a Carnival Stage is looming somewhere in the future right?”: Trinidad Carnival Diary is “a bit skeptical to believe…that work is expected to start on the National Carnival and Entertainment Centre in March.”
Japan: Artist and morality
Neojaponisme has a blog post about the protocol for Japanese record labels to pull their artists’ CDs from stores when they are arrested on drug charges or for any other anti-social acts.
Taiwan: Introducing Best English Blogs
David on Formosa publishes a series of posts introducing some of the best Taiwan blogs in English(bridge bloggers).
Japan: Deer wrangling and antler-cutting in Nara
Nestled in the heart of the Kansai region of Japan, Nara City exudes a subdued atmosphere unique from its neighboring Osaka and Kyoto. If there is a particular symbol of Nara recognized nationwide, it is either the Buddha of Todai-ji (東大寺) or the deer of Nara Park. Over the long...
Suriname: Welcome to the Jungle
For Paramaribo SPAN, Christopher Cozier visits artist Daniel Djojoatmo, whose work “discuss[es] the predicament of certain narratives of development which are, at their inception, ill-fated and at the disposal of the jungle.”
