Stories about Arts & Culture from June, 2011
Puerto Rico: Interview of Le Butcherettes
Music blogger @redod interviews Terri Gender Bender (born Teresa Suárez) [es], leader singer of the Mexican garage-punk band Le Butcherettes.
Puerto Rico: Surviving the Puerto Rican Parade
Actor and writer Mikephillippe Oliveros shares his reflections on attending the famous Puerto Rican Parade [es] in New York City: “It was evident that the relationship they have with the island is totally different from mine, either because they have spent too much time away, or I have spent too much time living in Puerto Rico.”
Thailand: Pub Peab and Planking Craze
First there was planking or the lying down game which became an instant hit in Thailand. But cultural authorities are not happy with it. Then the Pub Peab craze which involves sitting in a kneeling position seems to be more popular now among Thai netizens.
Bolivia: The ‘Gran Poder’ Festival in Photos
Pablo Andrés Rivero writes [es] about the ‘Gran Poder‘ festival in La Paz. Pablo describes the music, dances and colorful clothing worn during the parades. He also links to his set of photos of the event on Flickr under a Creative Commons license.
Vietnam: Poetry Bordello event in Hanoi
Andy Engelson blogs about a Poetry Bordello event in Hanoi, Vietnam which was held to promote the value of poetry and to support the work of the Center for Women and Development’s Peace House, the only shelter for victims of domestic violence in Hanoi.
China: Chinese Culture and Kungfu Panda
Sascha from Chengdu Living picks up the discussion in the Chinese online world on their view on the movie Kungfu Panda and its representation of Chinese culture.
Puerto Rico: New Online Fashion Magazine
There is a new online magazine dedicated to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle in Puerto Rico: Fashion Vitrine [es]. There will also be updates, headlines, and more shared through @fashionvitrine.
Ghana: 1975 Work Song From Ghana postal workers
Listen to a unique 1975 song from Ghana: “The song in question which is accompanied by melodic whistling is simply called “the work song”. It was created by postal workers at the University of Ghana in 1975.”
South Korea: Actress-Activist Spearheads Protests with Social Media
In South Korea, entertainers are changing the political landscape by spearheading protests in social media. Among several influential comedians and actors, actress-activist Kim Yeo-jin, has been the most controversial figures for several weeks now for her active on and offline political engagement.
“Russia For All” Exhibition Sparks Off Discussions On Russian Identity
Bloggers actively discuss [ru] “Russia For All” [ru, .pdf] exhibition. Viktor Bondarenko and Dmitri Gutov, the authors, aim to combat the nationalist slogan “Russia for Russians.” Each painting contains a name of a well-known historical person and his/her ethnic origin. In the numerous discussions around the blogosphere, netizens ask a question,...
Bulgaria: Soviet Army Monument “Keeps Pace With Time”
Bulgarian blogger Peio Popov posted photos [bg] of the Soviet Army monument in Sofia, parts of which have been “updated” by unknown street artists to resemble heroes of American comic books, as well as Santa Claus and Ronald McDonald. Bulgarian newspaper Sega (“Now”) reports [bg] that Sofia city authorities are...
E Day: Discovering Celebrities’ Favorite Words
What do singer Shakira, actor Gael Garcia Bernal, chef Ferran Adria and writer Mario Vargas Llosa have in common? They are all part of the group of 30 celebrities who have shared through video their favorite word in Spanish as part of the celebrations for E Day by the Cervantes Institute.
Trinidad and Tobago: Cruz de Mayo
Guanaguanare blogs about this year's Cruz de Mayo celebrations in Trinidad.
Colombia: Dissatisfaction With TEDx Event in Medellín
Juan David Escobar [es] writes about his experience [es] with TEDx Medellín, which he could not enter because, according to what he narrates, he was not part of any of the companies sponsoring the event –but he did have a ticket. He links to an article in GeekPlanet [es] which...
Pakistan: Remembering The Golden Era Of Pop Music
Spring Of Autumn reminisces about the golden era of Pakistan pop music, which was the late 80's and the early 90's.
Africa: Bloggers Remember the International Day of the African Child
June 16 marks the International Day of the African Child. The day was initiated by the Organisation of African Unity on June 16, 1991. The day honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day and raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of quality of life for African children. Bloggers remember...
Taiwan: Looking forward to “Seediq Bale”
The long awaited movie “Seediq Bale”-a movie depicting the controversy and conflict between Japan colonial force and Seedip people in 1930-released its first theatrical trailer on Youtube.
China: Leftover women, do not get married!
Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu translates an article on feminist debate about a Beijing erotica artist set of painting on “Leftover women, do not get married! Let’s enjoy ruining men!”
Lebanon: Lady Gaga's Latest Album Sparks A Rumor
Lady Gaga's latest album, Born This Way, stirred a small storm on Lebanese social networks. An article published by the Sun on June 4th, 2011, and commented by one of the Los Angeles Time blogs , stated that Lebanese authorities had banned the album. Lebanese fans immediately mobilized against this decision forcing the Sûrete Générale in Lebanon to deny the ban.
Lebanon: Raving about Goran Bregovic's concert
Famous Serbo-Croatian musician and composer Goran Bregovic performed in Lebanon on June 12 during the Beirut Music & Art Festival – BMAF. His performance is hailed by his Lebanese fans as “unbelievable” and “amazing”.
Cuba: Actress Recognized
Havana Times reports that “Cuba’s coveted National Cinema Award for 2011 was received by actress Eslinda Nuñez.”