Stories about Arts & Culture from June, 2011
Russia: New Initiative to Enforce TV Morality
An initiative to create a Public Oversight Board for media control in Russia may seem like a passage from Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four but it is a reality in the country, which still struggles to accept the concept of democracy and free speech.
Philippines: Old Manila photos
The Old Manila Nostalgia Flickr group is a rich source of old Manila photos from the Philippines.
North Korea: Photos of Secret Spots
UK-based photographer Charlie Crane took photos of the sterile landscape of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Abby Wilcox from the Live Fast site posted the photos with explanation.
China: History of Red Song
David Bandurski from China Media Project translates in partial an article from Southern Weekend about the background of the recent revival of red song culture in China.
Kenya: The Death of Cinema
Njeri discusses the death of cinema in Kenya: “Rising Cost of Living: I would attribute this as one of the main causes of the Cinema's demise. With the price of bread at Ksh. 40, Maize meal at almost Ksh.100, most consumables have become a luxury. Thus we cannot even start...
Colombia: Cali’s Salsa Circus
Vicki Kellaway writes about Cali's salsa circus in her blog Banana Skin Flip Flops: “there are the clowns, the devils and the daring trapeze artists. Then there are the tiny sequin dresses, the winning smiles and the principal dancers whose feet move so quickly they almost cease to exist. Throw...
Puerto Rico: Review of “Esquina Periferia”
Blogger Miguel Adrover Lausell reviews [es] the artistic performance “Esquina Periferia” for the music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es].
Panama: Boxing Commentator's Presidential Aspirations
In Panama, despite the next elections being two years away, the media has already started speculating about potential candidates and winners. One potential nomination for president which caused the most commotion in the Panamanian cyberspace was that of the celebrity sports commentator Juan Carlos Tapia.
Cuba: In Support of Artistic Expression
“Although I don’t share all of his opinions or agree with the places where he chose to publish them, I am a fervent defender of the freedom of speech”: Lazaro Gonzalez stands with artist Pedro Pablo Oliva.
Eating dog in China
Dan from China Law Blog discusses the debate regarding eating dog in China.
Macedonia: Alleged Killing of Young Man by Policeman Sparks Protests
A sizable crowd gathered in the center of Skopje to protest the death of a young man who was allegedly beaten to death on the sidelines of the celebration of election victory by the ruling political party.
Colombia: No to Cell Phones With Blood
Cell phone theft and its subsequent illegal commercialization have represented a problem of public order for Colombia, so much that this year the national government has decided to confront it. But as expected, the measure has generated various opinions.
Colombia: The ‘Bride of Barranquilla’ Dies
Singer and composer Esther Forero [es] passed away on June 3 after being admitted to the hospital on May 11 [es]. She was known as the “bride of Barranquilla” because of her contribution to the city's carnival. Twitter users quickly reacted to the news and shared their condolences with the hashtags #Esthercita and #esthercitaforero.
Cuba: New Podcast About Movies
Rafa of the blog El Microwave [es] announces the launching [es] of the podcast Cinefilia [es], in which he will explore the world of cinema with fellow blogger Javier [es].
Georgia: Sharon Stone Seducing the Nation
The most popular topic for discussion on social networks, as well as by the online and traditional media, this weekend was the premiere of Renny Harlin's movie about the 2008 Georgia-Russia war. However, the most important guest invited for the premiere was Hollywood actress Sharon Stone.
Caribbean: Artistic Images
ARC posts some “inspiring” images and videos from Caribbean artists.
Puerto Rico: The Hipster-ricans in NYC
The New York City-based blog El Punto Es [es] posts the video of the interview of a group of some cool and young Puerto Ricans [es] living in the city, called Hipster-ricans.
Puerto Rico: Teatro Breve Online
The acclaimed group of artists and comedians “Teatro Breve” has gone digital: twice a week they are live through their new online radio program RadioBreve [es].
France : Two Moroccan Actresses Turned Away
Two Moroccan actresses, invited to the Cannes Film Festival for Leila Kilani's movie “Sur la planche” [On a Plank]” were turned away at Nice airport on Thursday, May 19. They were authorized to return afterwards. In Morocco, blogger kechmania commented [fr] : “In a perfect world, official apologies would have...
Russia: Civic Activists Launch ‘Anti-Seliger,’ Open Air Civil Society Forum
Alexey Navalny and Yevgenia Chirikova, famous civic (and digital) activists published [ru] a video-invitation to Anti-Seliger (reference to the annual event organized at Lake Seliger by pro-Kremlin youth movement “Nashi”). Anti-Seliger website [ru] describes itself as a festival of artists, bloggers, environmentalists, human rights defenders and promises 4 days of...
