· February, 2011

Stories about Arts & Culture from February, 2011

Somalia: Welcome to Poet Nation

  21 February 2011

Poet Nation is a multimedia brand dedicated to Somali art and culture that combines a mix of original and user generated content. The Poet Nation features poets, musicians, writers, storytellers and other artists.

Armenia: Blind nationalist hatred

  19 February 2011

Unzipped comments on what appears to be an orchestrated black PR campaign against a local musician in Armenia. One of four finalists in the running to compose the country's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest, reports in the local media attack Vahram Petrosyan for considering that Armenian and Azerbaijani...

Venezuela: Views of Caracas from the Local Blogosphere

  18 February 2011

A huge number of texts, descriptions, stories and articles have been written about Caracas; the blogosphere also plays an important role in describing the Venezuelan capital. Laura Vidal gathers bloggers who devote themselves to recounting the latest developments in the lives of the Caraqueños, some out of a desire for a better city and a love for its culture, and others from a feeling of nostalgia for the noble Caracas of times past.

Equatorial Guinea: Writer on Hunger Strike

  18 February 2011

The writer and poet from Equatorial Guinea, Juan Tomás Avila Laurel [es], has gone on a hunger strike [es] in protest against the dictatorship of Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Obiang and his family have ruled the ex Spanish colony since 1979.

Caucasus: The Vagina Monologues

  16 February 2011

Georgia On My Mind provides its readers with a comprehensive review of The Vagina Monologues held earlier this week in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. Controversial as it was bound to be in a region more renowned for its patriarchal values, the event, which included performances from women from Armenia, Azerbaijan,...

Azerbaijan: The Sinner and The Saint

  16 February 2011

As irreverent as ever, Scary Azeri comments on Azerbaijan's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Contrasting the angelic look of the male singer with the seductive maturer attributes of the female, the blog sarcastically concludes that Eldar and Nigar might be absurd enough a duo to stand a good...

Trinidad & Tobago: “Arima” in Kiddies Carnival

  16 February 2011

“Arima — which means both ‘place of the beginning’ and ‘water’ — is an indigenous Amerindian place name for what is now a large town in eastern Trinidad”: Alice Yard blogs about its children’s Carnival masquerade band, which “attempts to bring these two definitions together”.

Guyana: Mashramani Festival

  16 February 2011

“On February 23, people from the ten regions of Guyana converge on the country’s capital to participate in the grand, massive carnival-like event, with costumed bands and a float parade”: Repeating Islands blogs about the Mashramani festival.

Trinidad & Tobago: Songs of Our Youth

  15 February 2011

“There’s no soca like the soca of your youth”: Lisa Allen-Agostini says that's “the reason soca gets ‘worse’ every year. It’s not the music, darling. It’s you.”

Pakistan: Love Or Hate Valentine's Day

  14 February 2011

In Pakistan there is a growing opposition against Valentine's Day celebrations on religious and cultural grounds. But Pakistani blogger Adil Najam asks: “since when is mohabbat (love) not part of our saqafat (culture)?”

Ghana: The Witches of Gambaga premiers in Accra

  14 February 2011

The Witches of Gambaga premiers in Accra, Ghana: “Tomorrow the 15th of February at 10 am Yaba Badoe‘s documentary film premiers at the British Council in downtown Accra. The film, the Witches of Gambaga, shows us the destiny of women arriving at the notorious camp for witches that has been...