Stories about Arts & Culture from June, 2012
Myanmar: Netizens Celebrate Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday
Myanmar netizens sent online birthday greetings to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who is in Europe for her first foreign trip after two decades. Netizens are wondering why state media networks didn't report the Nobel Peace Prize lecture which Suu Kyi recently delivered
Guyana: Stories in Photos
“These young photo enthusiasts now are capturing not only life and landscape but vibes, passions and feelings…in years to come, they will be reminded, as will generations to follow, of how life used to be when Guyana was yet to define her place in the world”: Imran Khan blogs about...
Armenia: Memories of Historic Yerevan Market
Ianyan takes its readers on a photographic tour of a closed market on one of the capital's main central streets. Taken over by a notorious oligarch, public reaction to demolish the ornate building in which the market is contained has been negative.
Latvia: Jackie Chan Blogs About Filming in Jelgava
Facebook page “If you like Latvia, Latvia likes you” highlights movie star Jackie Chan's April 2012 blog post, in which he shared his “impressions about 15 day long filming of movie stunts in Jelgava, Latvia, plus lots of photos. He tells about flying experience in Aerodium vertical wind tunnel, which...
Mozambique: Need a Ride? Take the Chapa
Lucas, a Brazilian journalist in Mozambique, on his blog A voz de África (Voice of Africa), wrote a story [pt] that describes peculiar and funny situations one may come across while travelling with the local transport called chapa. A photo report on Demotix illustrates these over-busy minibus taxis in the...
United States: “Shooting Blind” – Seeing With Different Eyes
Every Tuesday, a group of visually impaired photographers come together in Manhattan, New York City, grouped under the name Seeing with Photography Collective. We share some stunning images by the members of the collective.
Angola: Rhythms of Resistance, Past and Present
While international human rights organizations and bloggers are calling attention to the escalation of violence and repression against Angolan activists and musicians in the run up to this year's elections, in Lisbon, recently a tribute was paid to the Angolan music of resistance from the 1950s and 60s - N'Gola Ritmos. We invite you to time travel to the past of Anglola's rhythms of resistance and reflect on the country's political present.
United Arab Emirates: Anger at Risqué Madonna Concert
Madonna kicked off her MDNA Tour on June 1, performing her debut concert in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The concert prompted controversy for the sexual themes and Madonna's revealing costumes. Netizens slammed Madonna on Twitter.
Bangladesh: Is a Cartoon Teaching Kids to Speak Foreign Language and Lie?
A popular cartoon show aired on the Disney Channel India dubbed in Hindi has stirred a debate in Bangladesh. It is claimed that long exposure to the Japanese anime show Doraemon is prompting children to learn to speak Hindi and also tell lies.
Russia: Bloggers Honor Tupac Shakur
Highly intelligent and socially aware, Tupac Shakur embodied the plight of contemporary African Americans who struggle to overcome poverty and racism. RuNet bloggers have honored him by his story from beginning to end on the anniversary of his birth. (June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996)
Uzbekistan: Silk and Spice Festival Lost in Translation
Uzbek blogger posts photos from the International Silk & Spice Festival in Bukhara (which the organizers have erroneously advertised [ru] as ‘Silk & Space Festival’).
India: The Fact About Two Birthdays For One Person
A huge population in the Indian sub-continent celebrate their birthdays on two different days – one the official one, and one on the day they were actually born. Binayak Ghosh explains why.
Pakistan: RIP Ghazal Legend Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan Khan also famously known as the ‘King of Ghazal’ passed away on Wednesday, 13, June, 2012 after a protracted illness, in a local hospital in Karachi city of Pakistan. Netizens pay their tribute.
Egypt: Documentary on Female Journalist of the Revolution going on US Tour
Words of Witness, a documentary on a young female journalist reporting the Egyptian revolution is going on tour in the USA. First in film festivals in California and in New York, then through a crowd-funding initiative they hope to raise funds to go to even more university campuses to share the story of youth, revolution, gender roles and new media.
Zimbabwe: Netizens Use Facebook Against Compatriot
Zimbabwean followers of popular reality show Big Brother Africa Stargame have taken to Facebook to register their displeasure with one of their compatriot's behavior.
Afghanistan's First Computer-Animated Movie
Leaving the three decades of war and destruction behind, Afghans make use of modern technology and media to rebuild the country and raise new generations with a brighter vision for the future. ‘Buz-e-Chini‘ (Goat) is the country's first ever 3D computer-animated short film.
Puerto Rico: Inspiring Digital Storytelling
Esta Vida Boricua (This Puerto Rican Life) is an interactive digital project that aims “to engage the reader/viewer in an experience of resonance and connection” with “spoken histories,” “autotopographies” (life narratives), memoirs and personal essays that combine textual, visual and audio elements by Puerto Rican who live on the island and...
Latin American Graffiti and Urban Art: Online and in the Streets
Urban art and graffiti are present throughout Latin America. Here's a look at some recent posts by bloggers who share photos and videos of this vibrant urban art movement in different parts of the region.
Portugal: Cartoon Satirizes Merkel's Influence on Upcoming Greek Elections
A cartoon of German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the Uncle Sam of Europe, with her finger pointed saying “I respect your right to vote, as long as you vote right”, is the way Portuguese ‘guerrilla’ designer Gui Castro Felga [pt] addresses the upcoming Greek elections on June 17. She wonders...
China: Food and Love
YJ From Rectified Name wrote an article about the meaning of food share among Chinese people: “Food is life. But in China, it is so much more…it is love”.
Hong Kong, China: Condemning the Apparent Staged Suicide of Li Wangyang
Thousands of people in Hong Kong took to the street on June 10, to condemn the apparent staged suicide of political prisoner Li Wangyang, a martyr who lived his life for defending justice and truth.
