Stories about Ethnicity & Race from September, 2009
Serbia: The Death of a French Football Fan
Brice Taton, a 28-year-old French citizen and a fan of the Toulouse football team, was brutally beaten by fans of the Partizan football team in downtown Belgrade on Sept. 17, before the Partizan vs Toulouse game. He died in a Belgrade hospital on Sept. 29.
Georgia: An Azeri Wedding
Writing on my Frontline Club blog, I also post a video interview and photo report with regional blogger Arzu Geybullayeva on our recent visit to an ethnic Azeri village in the regions of the Republic of Georgia.
Russia: “Afro Plus”
Adventures in Wheelville expresses solidarity with Moscow's African residents: “While Obama is busy making buddy with Medvyedev, scores of black folks on Moscow streets are looking over their shoulder every two seconds in fear. It's horribly ironic.”
CEE: History, Nationalism and Identity
Marietta Le of Remainder of Budapest writes about issues of history, nationalism and identity in Hungary and other states of Central and Eastern Europe.
Suriname: Photographic Art
Paramaribo SPAN shines the spotlight on Dutch artist Risk Hazekamp, who shares her thoughts on thoughts “on one of the works inspired by her residency in Suriname in 2008.”
Israel: “Ajami” Reveals Nuanced Look at Israeli Society
The film "Ajami" was the big winner at last night's Ophir Prizes and will continue on to international audiences as Israel's foreign film nominee for the 2010 Academy Awards. Israeli bloggers comment on the film, which touches on coexistence between people of different religions.
Kyrgyzstan: Celebrations of Eid al Fitr
Aravanski tells his readers how Muslim holiday Eid al Fitr was celebrated in Kyrgyzstan (with photos).
Bermuda: national identity
“Who are we?” asks Tales from the Triangle's Tip. News of an upcoming visit to Bermuda by Queen Elizabeth II raises questions about national identity in the British Overseas Territory. “After 400 years, we are still defined by a queen, a crown.”
China: Xinjiang restaurant blown up
Beijing-based Twitter user Maggie Rauch had her camera ready when her local Xinjiang food restaurant exploded on Friday morning. “Could feel the explosion from my apartment,” she writes on her Twitpic of the blast. “Some of the guys who work there standing outside.” One week remains until the 60th anniversary...
Turkey: Next Country to Recognize Abkhazia?
Window on Eurasia reports that “there appears to be a chance that Turkey, despite denials by its officials, might break the embargo against recognition [of Abkhazia] because of Ankara’s desire to play a greater role in the Caucasus region, its own long-standing experience as the only country to recognize the...
Ukraine, Russia: “Operation Barbierossa”
Ukrainiana reviews “two fact-meets-fantasy scenarios [of the beginning of a Russo-Ukrainian war] outlined in a Russian television program.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: “good hair”
“If you are black, female from a post-colonial space you will have had this discussion at some point in your life.” Empath considers the ever-knotty question of what it means for black women to have “good hair”. “My locks … constitute a very important part of my identity and I...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: International Peace Day
Marking International Day of Peace, letzi83 notes that Armenia also celebrates its independence from the former Soviet Union on the same day and says her mind automatically makes a connection between the two events. unzippedblog also weighs in and says that despite sounding naive, maybe there's room for hope and...
Poland: Raphael Lemkin and the Katyń Massacre
Raf Uzar writes about Raphael Lemkin's life and work and the current discussion of the Katyń massacre in Poland.
Bermuda: race and income
A recent report on income disparities between black and white employees in Bermuda triggers some statistical analysis by 21 Square. “The sad reality … is that white Bermudians are more likely to hold a higher level of education and thus are more likely to earn more.”
Guyana: the colour of beauty
Signifyin’ Guyana reflects on the troubling ideas about beauty that she and other dark-skinned Caribbean women encountered when they were growing up. “It took me a while to learn to ignore the inconsistencies from others and arrive at a healthy view of my skin color and facial features.”
Morocco: Activists Break Fast in Public, Receive Punishment
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from dawn to sunset. A group of Moroccan activists was reprimanded for breaking the fast in public, an action that is punishable under the Moroccan criminal code. A divided blogoma reacts to the incident.
Brazil: Bloggers on why there is still racism in the country
Following the discussions on racism brought up a few weeks ago with the story of a black man accused of stealing his own luxury car, Diego Casaes highlights other cases and bloggers' takes on racial discrimination.
USA: 30 New York Mosques in 30 Days
Two young men in New York City, Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq, are nearing the end of their journey to document visits to "30 mosques in 30 days" on their blog of the same name.
USA: Latinos on the passing of Ted Kennedy
Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy’s passing on August 25, 2009 has stirred a flurry of blog posts among the Latino community in the United States, since the late Kennedy was a vocal ally on immigrant rights.
Uganda: Nine Dead in Kampala Riots
Riots in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, have led to the deaths of at least nine people (BBC) as members of the Baganda ethnic group clashed with police and military forces on Thursday and Friday.
