· May, 2014

Stories about Arts & Culture from May, 2014

Maldives’ Morality Police Target Youth

  12 May 2014

Maldives has one of the most youthful populations in the world with more than half of the population under the age of 25. But a lot of them are being increasingly harassed by moral policing by the society and the authorities, reports Dhivehi Sitee blog.

Serbia Mourns British-Serbian Legend Timothy John Byford

  11 May 2014

Author, actor, educator, television and film director Timothy John Byford died in Belgrade on May 5, 2014, after a long illness. Born in Salisbury, England, Byford spent most of his life in Belgrade, where he moved in 1971 and later became a naturalized citizen of Serbia. As news portal InSerbia...

Mothering Tech Savvy Children

  11 May 2014

Julia Cuéllar gets inspiration from the book Los bárbaros [The Barbarians; es], essays about mutation, by Alessandro Baricco, to reflect on Mujeres Construyendo [Building Women], about maternity in times of smartphones and social networks. I am a plant, I am the mother of zombie children, barbarians. My challenge is the...

South Korea: Stunning Sand Animation Video about Ferry Disaster

  6 May 2014

Various artists have joined in paying tribute to the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster which cost over 260 lives, most of them high school students. This stunning sand animation video commemorating the victims and their families uses nothing but sand on a flat surface and artist's fingers to arrange...

The Rise and Fall of Bengal’s Textile Empire

  5 May 2014

Bengal was once known as the richest province of the Indian subcontinent mainly due to its famous and varied agricultural and textiles products including the Muslin, world renowned finely-woven breathable fabric. M Ahmedullah posts in Alochonaa.com a two part series (Part 1, Part 2) discussing the history of the Bengal's...

Infographic: Who Are China’s Rural Migrant Workers?

  3 May 2014

“Rural migrant worker”, a unique term in China,refers to a class of citizens no longer employed in the agricultural sector who nevertheless retain their legal status as peasants. ChinaFile published an interesting infographic explaining their situations and the problems rural migrant workers are facing in today's society. 

Cuban Music Legend of “Los Van Van” Juan Formell Dies

  2 May 2014

The founder and director of the legendary Cuban ensemble Los Van Van, the bassist Juan Formell, died in Havana, Cuba, on May 1st. He was 71 years-old. For the last 45 years, Formell and Los Van Van have been inspiring people to dance with their Cuban rhythm. Los Van Van,...

The Bengali Tradition of Halkhata, New Accounts Ledger

  1 May 2014

The centuries old Bengali new years celebrations include an important tradition, opening the Halkhata, a new ledger book for the year for the businesses. Blog Amader Kotha explains what Halkhata is. The traditional red color ledger book signifies the marking of a new beginning and the festivities, rituals, hopes and...