Stories about Arts & Culture from February, 2010
Czech Republic, Slovakia: Textile Folk Art
Czech and Slovak textile folk art – at CzechFolks.com.
Macedonia: Protest Against “Skopje 2014″ Plan
Mite Kuzevski (@kuzevski) posted a video clip [MKD] and photos directly from the scene of the protest against the Skopje 2014 Plan. The protest, sparked by the unveiling of the government's “vision” for a massive rebuilding, took place on the main square of Macedonia's capital on Feb. 6.
Russia: Turgenev and the Viardots
St Petersblurb writes about the relationship of Ivan Turgenev, Pauline Viardot, and her husband.
Macedonia: Online Rebellion Against “Skopje 2014″ Plan
After years of veiled announcements, media manipulation and bureaucratic dodging of requests for transparency, accountability and citizen participation, the government finally came out with a plan to litter the center of the Macedonian capital with a number of new monuments and buildings. Filip Stojanovski reviews the netizens' reactions.
Jamaica, Caribbean: Tributes to Rex Nettleford, 1933-2010
The late Rex Nettleford — scholar, dancer, choreographer — who died on 2 February, was a cultural icon in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Bloggers pay tribute to "a quintessential Caribbean man" and consider his intellectual legacy.
Jamaica: R.I.P. Huie
Repeating Islands acknowledges the passing of Jamaican painter Albert Huie.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Wisdom of Children
“I learned that children are naturally giving and spontaneous and if we are not willing to accept some of the ‘wild energy’ of our children and if we continue to treat our schools as warehouses, then we should be prepared to accept the death of their imagination”: Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey...
Digital library of Lao manuscripts
Digital library of Lao manuscripts features 86,000 texts from 800 monasteries in Laos. The web project aims to preserve historic Lao literary texts.
Ukraine: “The Perfect Pickle”
Irina Leonenko shares the story of “her mother's quest for the perfect pickle” at The Pickle Project.
Russia: “Most Influential Intellectual” Online Vote
At OpenDemocracy.net, Lyubov Borusyak writes that “a recent internet vote on the [Russia's] most influential intellectual saw instead postmodern ambiguity emerge victorious.”
Suriname: Tattoo You
At Paramaribo SPAN, Christopher Cozier considers the work of a tattoo artist “using skin as another canvas”, which “coincides with the painted decorations on Paramaribo minibuses, reaching out to a larger contemporary public and extending the dialogue about visual production.”
Dominica: On Censorship
Dominica Weekly puts forward its take on the issue of censorship, commenting: “Dominican authorities must pay close attention to other lyrics which glorify guns, drugs, violence or deviant behaviour. Calypso, as a art form [has] tremendous influence on the behaviour of youth…and governments have a responsibility to ensure that the...
Trinidad & Tobago: On Carnival
TriniGourmet.com “shine[s] a spotlight on Trinidad’s largest cultural festival, Carnival”, while gspottt publishes a list of Carnival safety tips.
Taiwan: Photoblogger Featured in Windows7 Theme
Photoblogger frogfree's 5 sets of photographs are officially recognized and featured in Windows 7 theme. He hopes it could encourage people around the world using Windows 7 to get to know the beauty of Taiwan(zh).
Indonesia: Wedding preparation
Simon Pitchforth learned a few tips on how to prepare for weddings in Indonesia when he attended the Jakarta Mega Wedding Festival 2010
Talking to Trinidadian journalist and blogger Andre Bagoo
An interview with Trinidadian journalist Andre Bagoo, who writes hard-hitting political coverage for the daily press, and innovative, wide-ranging cultural commentary on his blog PLEASURE.
Syria: A Stroll Around the Blogosphere
This week Yazan Badran takes a random walk around different blogs, and different topics in a maze that is little different than the random markets of Aleppo.
Egypt: We Are The Champions
The Egyptian football team beat Ghana in the African Cup of Nations' final match, and achieved its third consecutive championship. This is also Egypt's seventh championship since the launch of the tournament in the 50's. Bloggers join the rest of the country in celebrating the achievement.
Ukraine: Citizen Activists vs Illegal Construction
Citizen activists tore down a fence at yet another illegal construction site in downtown Kyiv: 25 photos, as well as earlier updates (UKR) – here and here – atDerybanu.net.
Jamaica: Last of the “Drumblairs”
Geoffrey Philp acknowledges the passing of Albert Huie, the last survivor of the “Drumblair” group of intellectuals and artists that drove the national movement for Jamaican Independence.
Spain: Indigenous Film Festival
Canal Solidario writes about the Indigenous Film Festival which will take place in Sevilla, Spain. During the screening, films from indigenous communities inside Nicaragua, Canada and Brazil will be shown and participants will also discuss the role of multimedia and internet tools in protecting cultural diversity.
