Stories about Arts & Culture from September, 2012
Syria: The Revolution through the Designs of Wissam Al Jazairy
Wissam Al Jazairy is a young Syrian graphic designer. The suffering of his people is evident in art work he published online as part of his contribution to the Syrian revolution. Here is a selection of some of Wissam's designs.
Bringing the Venezuelan Literature Boom to English Speakers
In the first part of a two-part interview, blogger Guillermo Parra shares his experience with Venezuelan literature, social media, and the encouragement he has received from Venezuelan readers to publish some of his translations of the work of poet Jose Antonio Ramos Sucre into English.
South Korea: Golden Lion Winner ‘Pieta’ Reveals Society's Dark Side
The Golden Lion award-winning Korean film 'Pieta', which is also South Korea's submission for the 2012 Academy Awards (in the foreign-language film category) has sparked social media buzz and ignited various public discussions in the Korean blogosphere this week.
Greece: Poster Response to Unemployment Crisis
In blog post entitled ‘Cirque de Grece’ (Greek Circus), Kostas Kallergis shares an Athens poster mocking the Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, which is inspired by a poster for Cirque de Soleil's ‘Alegria‘ show.
Iran: Street Stage Play
Tehran Live has published photos from a street stage play in front of Iranshahr Theater in Tehran.
Pakistan Reacts to Anti-Islam Movie
Pakistan has reacted to the anti-Islamic movie which prompted protests in Libya that left the US Ambassador and others dead. Diplomatic agencies across the country have tightened security, but so far protests have been angry yet peaceful.
Japan: Radio Airs Story of Fukushima Province Evacuee
Multilingual community radio station FMYY in Kobe has aired a radio drama titled “Under Invisible Clouds” [ja], the story of Yasuko Sasaki, one evacuee from the town of Namie in Fukushima Prefecture. This story was produced by volunteers in Hiroshima as a part of the 100 Stories Project [ja] about...
The Netherlands: Balkan Snapshots Festival 2012
Balkan Buro, a Dutch non-profit “dedicated to providing a platform for artistic and cultural encounters between Western and Southeastern Europe,” announces the Balkan Snapshots Festival 2012, which will take place in Amsterdam on Sept. 21-23: “three nights of music, creativity, movies and inspiring debates!”
Japan: Kansai Queer Film Festival Kicks Off
Japan's 7th Kansai Queer Film Festival kicks off in Osaka this weekend September 15-17, and will be held in Kyoto on October 12-14. It celebrates and shows various films that focus on diverse gender and sexuality issues around the world.
Tajikistan: Singer Praising Putin Draws Anger
Since the beginning of the year, Tajik singer Tolibjon Kurbonkhonov has recorded three songs that extol the virtues of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The songs have become hits on YouTube and made the singer famous in Russia. Back in Tajikistan, however, the songs anger Kurbonkhonov's compatriots who accuse him of "sycophancy" and "disgracing the country".
China: Hulunbuir Grassland Destroyed by Coal Mining Activities
Hulunbuir Grassland, one of the most beautiful landscapes in inner Mongolia, is eroding as a result of coal mining near the surface of the ground. A Chinese blogger has pointed out that the mining activities are not only a destruction of the natural environment, but also a cultural invasion.
Hollister Models Clown Koreans Via Twitter, Offending Asians
It is not the first time clothing brand Hollister went under fire for its racial gaffes. Recently, its male models tweeted several racial messages making fun of South Koreans, including photos of model posing with “Asian squinty eyes”. Korea Bang quoted a comment that read : People talk about how Hollister’s...
Maldives: Independence Day Celebrations In Male
Buggee posts photos of the recently held official Independence Day celebrations of Maldives in the Galolhu Grounds of the capital Male.
Nepal: Crowning Of Miss UK Nepal 2012
Lex Limbu comments on the Miss UK Nepal 2012 crowning ceremony: What a show : Miss UK Nepal 2012. Management and organisation was very poor. The show was quite a bore, too many performances, hosts getting the names wrong. Too many speeches.
Iran: “Soldiers of Islam” Hack Cartoonist's Facebook Page
The Facebook page of a leading Iranian leading cartoonist, Mana Nayestani, was hacked on Tuesday, 11 September 2012, by pro-regime hackers who call themselves “Soldiers of Islam”.
Kosovo: Prizren Comic Book & Cartoon Festival
Macedonian artist Vesna Nichevska-Saravinova blogged about her participation in the Prizren Comics Festival, organized by the Kosovo Comic Book Artist Association, Xhennet Comics [sq]. Four out of 15 featured artists at the festival were from Macedonia, Eddie Rebel reports [mk], alongside colleagues from Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, France, Kosovo, Bulgaria, and...
Brazil: Youth Documentary on Pacification in Rio's Favelas
The Project 5X Favela (5 Times Slum), which aims to give a voice to young filmmakers living in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, is now addressing the pacification process in Rio's slums. Their new documentary, 5X Pacification, intends to portray the impact of police units presence in the daily...
Russia: Online Poetry's Vehement, Apolitical Politics
It's no surprise that a result of Russians' widespread interest in poetry is that there are plenty of online communities dedicated to its production and consumption. Stihi.ru, with a user base of almost half a million people, is the largest by far.
Kosovo: “Cinematic Darkness Knows No Nation”
At Kosovo 2.0 blog, Belgrade-based journalist Dušan Komarčević writes – here and here – about his July 2012 trip to Prizren, Kosovo, to attend the DOKUFEST International Documentary and Short Film Festival: […] The cinemas were filled with movie lovers from Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia,...
