Stories about Arts & Culture from October, 2012
Portugal: Global Noise Cultural Protest in Images
In Portugal, October 13's Global Noise pot-banging protests took the form of performing arts and cultural demonstrations in 14 cities, under the motto "Screw the troika! We want our lives". In this post we gather a selection of photos and videos from the protests.
India: Online Video Archive for Performing Arts
Shabda is an unique online archive of videos presenting lecture demonstrations on various Indian art forms. Inspired by the TED talk format, Shabda's creators invite experts in music, dance or theatre to give a lecture on the topic of their choice for twenty minutes.
It's Blog Action Day! Celebrate the “Power Of We”
Every year, bloggers around the world join forces and write about one topic, on one day, to reach a collective audience of millions. It's Blog Action Day today, and we're tracking entries by Global Voices bloggers everywhere.
Angola: Elinga Theatre, from Glory to Oblivion
For 24 years the Elinga Theatre kept its doors open to promote and develop theatre and the imagination in Angola. Like other historical buildings in Luanda, the Elinga is also under threat of demolition to give way to modernisation, which has given rise to negative reactions on the Internet.
Blogger's Visit to Tokyo's Rare Korean Book Center
North Korea Tech blogger posted about his visit to a small and rare book center in Japan archiving documents and contents related to North Korea.
India: Lending Voice to Social Campaigns Through Street Plays
Aatish is a Delhi-based independent, youth-led theatre group that aims to lend a voice to issues that are often marginalized, using street plays and workshops.
Sri Lanka: The Future In The Hand Of Young Leaders
Sri Lanka Unites (SLU) is a youth reconciliation movement led by a team of young professionals drawn from different ethnicities and religions in Sri Lanka who are working towards reconciliation, peace, change and are kindling hope. It is organizing workshops, leadership conferences and school tours across the country.
Ukraine: “The Babushkas of Chernobyl” Documentary Project
On Kickstarter.com, only a few hours are left to pledge funding for The Babushkas of Chernobyl, a documentary project by Holly Morris and Anne Bogart, which tells stories of “an extraordinary group of women who live in Chernobyl’s post-nuclear disaster ‘Zone of Alienation’ or ‘Dead Zone'”: Time really is of...
Chinese Hold Breath for Nobel Literature Prize
This year, Chinese writer Mo Yan and Japanese Haruki Murakami are top bets to win the Nobel literature prize. While excitement for the potential win for China is great, some regret that Mo has never dared to protest literary censorship.
Peru: Poet Antonio Cisneros Dies
Antonio Cisneros, one of the greats of Peruvian poetry, died on October 6 at age 69. Here we honor his memory and include videos of his poems.
Barbados: Supporting Growth in Culture
The Concerned Creative Citizens Group expressed its concerns with a new bill in Barbados which is supposed to provide “incentives to encourage sustainable growth in the cultural sector” but may be more of a “revenue earner for the government,” and received a response from a Barbados Underground “family member”.
France, Africa: Black Fashion Week Marred by Visa Problems
Two renowned African fashion designers and several models have been denied entry to France for Black Fashion Week October 2012. This event was created by Senegalese fashion designer Adama Paris to show the world the diversity and influence of African creativity on contemporary fashion and has been held in Dakar, Senegal for the past ten years. The first show outside Dakar took place in Prague in November 2011, since then, it has travelled from place to place. The designers made public statements on their struggle to obtain short stay visas.
Swaziland: The Princess show-stopper ‘virginity dance’
Welcome DLAMINI writes about ‘virginity dance’ in a post published on swazilive.com: Her Royal Highness Princess Sikhanyiso performed her show-stopper ‘virginity dance’ under floodlights yesterday as the 2012 Reed Dance Ceremony progressed into the twilight
Kenya: Money Can Buy Us Declare ‘Campus Divas for Rich Men’
‘Campus Divas For Rich Men’ is a Facebook page dedicated to hooking up female Kenyan university students under the age of 26 with rich men of any age. This bold move in a predominantly conservative society has prompted significant online public debate.
Blog Action Day 2012 Celebrates ‘The Power of We’
So far, bloggers from 95 countries are ready to type with fast and fit fingers. For one day they will blog about one common theme creating a colorful collection of stories and reflections that will reach a collective audience of millions. On October 15, 2012 - it's Blog Action Day!
China: Netizens Believe Chinese Writer Mo Yan Doesn't Deserve Nobel Prize
This year, two hot candidates for the Nobel Literature Prize is Chinese writer Mo Yan and Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. Alia from Off-beat China tracked the discussion online and found out that Chinese netizens have voted against Mo Yan.
Taiwan: Indigenous Amis Musical Performed at National Theater
Indigenous culture has become more and more important in the Taiwanese performing arts scene. The recent Amis musical, “La Michael”, has entered the National Theater, a primary national performing arts venue in Taiwan and a landmark at the center of the Taipei city.
Venezuela: A Country in Suspense
The blog Tráfico Visual, dedicated to the expansion of the contemporary art movement in Venezuela, published the reflections of Roldán Esteva-Grillet in the text that accompanies the exhibition ‘Country in suspense’. Esteva-Grillet developed several ideas that seek to contribute to the political understanding of contemporary Venezuelan art.
Bhutan: Bad Hair Days
Existence of barbers or professional hair cutters does not feature in any history of Bhutan.
China Updating North Korean Television News
North Korea Tech blog has revealed what had suddenly changed the archaic look of North Korean Television news. A government-run Chinese broadcaster has allegedly donated around US$ 800,000 to North Korea’s Korea Central Television to help improve the look of its news broadcast.
The Breakthrough of Films in Local Languages in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nicole Gillet, General Delegate of the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, now in its 27th edition, was interviewed by Falila Gbadamassi [fr] on afrik.com: In the past, Senegalese films were in French. Since then, things have changed. They want to produce films with local actors, in their own languages,...