Stories about Ethnicity & Race from September, 2010
Guyana: Little Bit of Everything
Guyanese diaspora blogger The Bohemian State says that her mix of ethnicity always left her torn, but “because of all these different MEs, I can understand all the different YOUs.”
Europe: “Mapping Stereotypes”
Via Dr Sean's Diary, “a series of maps of Europe mapping the (supposed) prejudices of various nations […] and, for some reason, also of gay men” by “Bulgarian visual artist, graphic designer and illustrator Yanko Tsvetkov.” Also, “What European Tribes Think About One Another” – at eXile.ru; a similar map...
Trinidad & Tobago: Film on the Amerindians
Repeating Islands blogs about “one of the documentaries being screened at the 2010 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival…Tracy Assing’s new film The Amerindians.”
Hungary: “Roma Reports”
“Roma reports” at Pestiside.hu: a video about a “Roma fashion show” recently held in Budapest; and a Romanian Roma music video that “seems to have… borrowed quite a bit” from a Hungarian Roma music video.
China: Tibetan writer awaiting trial
An update in the case of imprisoned writer Tagyal and the latest hit single from hip-hop group Green Dragon are among the stories in Dechen Pamba's roundup of the Tibetan blogging scene at High Peaks Pure Earth.
The Invisible Border Between Ecuador and Colombia
The Colombia-Ecuador border is once again a contentious issue. Both countries have a border of 586 km and with it a long history of conflict, mutual accusations and reports of armed conflict and displacement.
Latvia: Translation of Rainis’ 1929 Article
All About Latvia translates an article on “the process of convergence” between ethnic Latvians and Latvia's Jews, Russians and Germans, written by Latvian poet and politician Rainis hours before his death on Sept. 12, 1929.
Africa: The Black Venus
Africa is a Country posts a 30-second trailer of the movie “Venus Noire” (Black Venus) about the life of Sara Baartman, the 18th century young Khoi woman publicly exhibited as a circus freak in Europe.
Australia: Muslim Dress Code Backlash
Residents of a Melbourne suburb in Australia were asked by the mayor to cover-up in a pool event to avoid offending Muslims. This order has sparked an online debate
Russia: A New Gang War?
In Moscow's Shadows writes about the possible consequences of the attack on the mafia boss known as Ded Khasan in Moscow.
Chile: Bloggers and Social Network Users Question Bicentennial Celebrations
On September 18 Chile commemorates 200 years of its Independence from Spain with a Bicentennial celebration. But the date has generated reactions from bloggers and Twitter users who are relating the celebrations to a prolonged hunger strike by the Mapuche indigenous group and other current issues of concern for the Chilean people.
Bolivia: The Discussion Around the Anti-racism Law
In Citizen of La Paz, Luis Ramos writes [es] about his opinion on the anti-racism law. Journalists are concerned about the law and have criticized it as an attack on freedom of speech, to which Luis responds, “is it that hard to leave racial insults aside?”
Azerbaijan: Back Home
AZ Cookbook has returned from its native Azerbaijan and posted photographs of the visit. Naturally, given the nature of the blog, it also takes readers on a culinary as well as cultural pictorial tour of the country.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Backseat musical musings… and ethnic conflict
With the broadcast media heavily controlled in both Armenia and Azerbaijan there are few avenues left for independent journalists. Bloggers in both countries, however, react to a video posted online.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Social Networking and Conflict Resolution
Global Chaos details the hacking of the personal Facebook page of one young ethnic Armenian by someone presumably in Azerbaijan. Although new and social media tools are increasingly being used in peace-building initiatives to resolve the long-running conflict between the two countries over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, the...
Japan, Korea: Traces Of Japan-Korea History Within The Zainichi Community
August 10th, 2010 will remain a historical date in the Japan-South Korea diplomatic relations as the Japanese Prime Minister apologized for past crimes during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Still, some bloggers found themselves wanting for a clearer apology and a mention of the Zainichi community, the largest Korean community in Japan.
Russia: Bloggers Discuss the Market Bombing in North Ossetia
A suicide car bombing outside a market in Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia-Alania, killed at least 18 people and wounded over 100 on Sept. 9. Below is a selection of blog posts that appeared after the attack.
Azerbaijan: Ramadan in Sheki
Sheki, Azerbaijan comments on observing Ramadan in Azerbaijan. The blog says that the holiday is a time for sharing and remembering relatives that have passed away as well as those also marking the tradition.
Bangladesh: Koran Burning Is Unchristian
Bangladeshi blogger Jerome D'Costa opines that Pastor Terry Jones and the Florida Church's Koran burning program is unchristian and immature and this will adversely affect the Christian minorities across the world.
Israel: Israeli scientists claim proof that Arabic is “hard for brain”
A recent study claims to have proved its hypothesis that reading Arabic is harder for the brain than reading Hebrew or English. Gabriel Nada brings us reactions from netizens.
Uzbekistan: Clashes on the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border
Marat Sartpaev reports on the series of incidents with detentions of officers and citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan by each side since late August, while ordinary citizens are becoming nervous about this.
