Stories about Arts & Culture from April, 2012
Colombia: Award Winning Journalism Video Making Rounds on the Web
The award winning video [es] of 2011 that tries to explain why Colombians are poor despite the natural wealth of the nation has strongly made its rounds on the web, getting close to a million views.
Video: Community in Spain Gives up Easter Processions to Help Three Families
A religious community in Malaga, Spain have decided to forego the Easter Week processions and celebrations so they could donate the money destined for flowers and music to three families in need, saving two of them from homelessness as shown on this video by 20minutos.tv [es].
Laos: Creative Minds Come Together to Produce Children's Programming
Through a workshop on Innovative Communication for Early Childhood Development, creative minds in Lao People’s Democratic Republic came together with UNICEF to generate quality media for children, as can be seen on video in Young People's Media Network's post.
Armenia: Straight to the village
With a GDP per capita estimated at just $5,400 in 2011, Armenia is one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union. The situation is particularly noticeable in the villages of the landlocked country, but one foreign diplomat hopes to change all that.
Video: Nonprofits Show Their Work Through Award Winning Videos
Winners for the 6th Annual doGooder Non Profit Video Awards were announced on 5 April, 2012. Following, the winning videos for the 4 different categories: small, medium and large organizations and best storytelling, and the 4 winning films in the fearless category.
Video: Firefox Flicks Video Contest
The Firefox Flicks worldwide contest will give awards for short films teaching web browser consumers about online issues such as privacy, choice, interoperability and opportunity, and how the non-profit Firefox brand helps people to face these issues.
South Korea: Illegal Surveillance of Citizens and Entertainers
South Korea's presidential administration has come under fire over its illegal monitoring of civilians. Entertainers who often hosted anti-government protests have revealed that they have been followed and monitored by government intelligence agence officials.
China: Dissident Artist Ai Weiwei Puts Himself Under Web Surveillance
Prominent Chinese artist Ai Weiwei had installed four live webcams at his home in Beijing as a symbolic protest against the police's 24-hour surveillance of him. However, the Chinese authorities ordered Ai to turn off his webcams yesterday.
Armenia: Young Author Faces Military Censorship
Hovhannes Ishkhanyan, a 24-year-old former conscript in the Armenian military, has found himself in hot water in the former Soviet republic after penning a literary work detailing life in the country's army.
Haiti: Women & the Spoken Word (Part 2)
Haitian-American spoken-word artist Melissa Beauvery talks to Global Voices about the inspiration for her first project, the importance of oral tradition and the close-knit community that is the Haitian diaspora.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Remembering Wayne Brown
“Writers are easily thought of as selfish people. But the writers I know—and Wayne Brown in particular—practice what I find to be a particularly beautiful form of generosity: a commitment to telling the truth”: Rachel Kadish reflects on her friendship and correspondence with the late Trinidadian writer Wayne Brown.
Haiti: Women & the Spoken Word (Part 1)
Francesca Andre is a Haitian photographer who has directed a new video about spoken-word Haitian-American artist Melissa Beauvery. Andre talks to Global Voices about her work, how this video fits in to the bigger picture of amplifying the voices of Haitian women and the significance of Haitian art and culture.
Uruguay: Photos of the Autumn Parade in Malvín
Julio F. posts a photo essay of the Autumn candombe parade in Malvín, a neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Nigeria: Ify Omalicha's Last Dance
Nigeria's arts community recently lost a theater artist and poet: Ify Agwu Omalicha. She died in an auto crash on her way to Abuja. Ayodele Olofintuade laments that Ify death is a consequence of years of neglect and corruption that leaders of Nigeria “have perpetuated over and again”. As such denying...
Azerbaijan: Amnesty International Running Scared Eurovision action
Ahead of next month's Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan, Amnesty International has posted a web feature using the spotlight on the international song contest to demand greater human rights protection and freedom of expression in the oil-rich former Soviet republic. In particular, the international human rights group is using the...
Video Highlights: Culture, Human Rights, Online Activism and Crowdfunding
A selection of Global Voices' most recent and interesting stories on video advocacy including a focus on indigenous rights and online activism, selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.