Stories about Arts & Culture from March, 2012
Switzerland: Greetings from the “Greeks” of the French Cantons
An article from a Swiss German newspaper accusing the Swiss French of being the "Greeks of Switzerland" has driven French-speakers to reply in a humorous manner on social networks.
Iran: A Nowruz New Year Without Goldfish?
Goldfish have a special place in the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, celebrating the first day of Spring (March 20). But every year animal rights defenders and bloggers launch campaigns to encourage people not to buy them.
France: The Human Rights Film Festival Awards
Youphil [fr] published the full list of the recent 2012 Human Rights Film Festival awards in France [fr]. This year, the jury award went to an investigation documentary, Affaire Chebeya: un meurtre d'Etat? [fr] (The Chebeya case: murdered by the State?) by Belgium director Thierry Michel on the murder of human rights activist Floribert...
Lebanon: Picture An Arab Man
Rania Massoud repost on her personal blog [fr] her article published by Lebanese daily L'orient-Le jour about a photography project undertaken by Tamara Abdul Hadi. “Picture an Arab man” wishes to update the image of today's Arab men by photographing men from every Arab country in the nude.
A Documentary of the History of Black People in France
The blog Afro Europe reports on a new film about the black community in France: ” Noirs de France” (“Blacks of France”) is a new documentary of the history of black people in France. It's based on the book “La France Noir” of French historian Pascal Blanchard. The documentary is aired on...
Colombia: Barranquilla Short Film Festival Call for Entries
Friday March 17th is the last day to submit a 30 minute or less short film or documentary for the XII International Short Film Festival A la Calle in Barranquilla, Colombia. Awards will be given to the best local, national and international short film and documentary.
Armenia: Bridging the divide?
Global Chaos comments on the launch of a new web site by the Armenian Ministry of Diaspora. Charged with the task of bridging the divide between Armenians in Armenia and communities abroad, the blog explains why the site fails on so many levels.
Azerbaijan: Pyrrhic victory
Again writing on Facebook, journalist Khadija Ismayil, recently under pressure with an alleged threat of blackmail, provides five reasons why the Eurovision Song Contest to be staged this May in Baku might prove to be a Pyrrhic victory for Azerbaijan.
Armenia: Eurovision withdrawal a wasted opportunity
Cilicia.com comments on recent news that Armenia has withdrawn from the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, capital of neighboring Azerbaijan. Taking a pro-Armenian line on the matter, the blog says that Azerbaijan had no choice but to allow Armenia to participate, and to provide guarantees that Armenians could visit Azerbaijan...
Video: Plural+ 2012 Contest Call for Youth Entries
Three winners between the ages of 9 and 25 will get to travel to New York City to present their short films on Migration, Social Integration and Diversity in the 2012 Plural+ Contest organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the International Organization for Migration.
France: Why Celebrated Film ‘The Artist’ Isn't Such a Hit at Home
In February 2012, French and world cinema history was made after five Oscars were awarded to the film 'The Artist' and its leading actor Jean Dujardin. But despite winning Oscars, the film did not enjoy critical acclaim in France.
Greece: Folk Musician and Researcher, Domna Samiou, Dies at 84
Greeks all over the world express their sorrow for the death of Domna Samiou on March 11, the great singer of traditional Greek folk music, as well as their appreciation for her work and research.
Kuwait: Art Exhibition Shut Down for “Controversial” Content
Kuwaiti artist Shurooq Amin is in shock after her exhibition of paintings was shut down without an explanation. Reports say that men walked into the show, three hours after its opening, and took the paintings down, saying they had received a complaint over the content of the paintings. Netizens react to the censorship of art in this post by Mona Kareem.
Egypt: Mixed Reactions to Porn Ban Proposal
Only one month after the first session of the newly elected parliament in Egypt, much debate and controversy arose. The Egyptian blogosphere and twitterverse have been watching the new parliament and tweeting under the hashtag #EgyParliament expressing demands, concerns and sarcasm. A recent episode at the parliament stirred much discussion, but this time it was about pornography!
Ukraine: Eurovision, Gaitana, and Racism
Odessablog writes about the Ukrainian far right's reaction to this year's Eurovision nomination – Gaitana, a Ukrainian singer and songwriter of Ukrainian and Congolese descent: “It doesn’t matter that she was born in Kyiv, has lived there all her life, is a Ukrainian citizen, or that her mother is a...
A Global Voices Guide to SXSW
This week in Austin, Texas geeks, musicians, film-makers, creative types and ordinary party-goers will be mingling over cutting-edge ideas and free drinks. South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival and conference, now in its 25th year, begins on Friday, March 9, 2012.
Puerto Rico: Online Campaign to Stop Unnecessary C-Sections
Unnecessary Caesarean is the name of the campaign launched on the first week of March in Puerto Rico, aiming to curb the very high percentage of caesarean births in the country: many of them programmed C-sections that don't respond to medical needs.
Iran: Cartoonists Rage Against Khatami for Voting in Election
Mohammad Khatami, the former reformist president of Iran voted in parliamentary elections on Friday, March 2, 2012 going back on his word that he would refuse to vote until political prisoners were freed and the constitution was respected. His actions drew ire from reformists keen on boycotting elections.
Trinidad & Tobago: More Carnival Pics
“I suppose it is only the well trained observer who can see how much Carnival has changed over the years”: aka_lol shares his photos from Trinidad and Tobago's 2012 Carnival celebrations.
Armenia: Eurovision withdrawal after propaganda attempt backfires
Following a botched attempt to justify boycotting this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, Armenia today officially withdrew from the international music competition. “As expected, #Armenia Public TV withdraws from #Eurovision They could have announced it earlier with dignity. For now, they are #losers,” writes Unzipped on Twitter, also...
Guatemala: Empowering Communities Through Pedal Powered Machines
Maya Pedal is an organization in Guatemala that specializes in bringing progress through secondhand bicycles. Those that aren't usable as bicycles anymore get turned into pedal powered machines to help in daily work such as pumping water, grinding corn, blending, shelling nuts and making roof tiles.
