Stories about Ethnicity & Race from January, 2012
Jamaica: Bleached
Annie Paul posts an article she wrote about Vybz Kartel and the skin bleaching phenomenon.
South Africa: Student Anti-Racism Poster Causes a Stir
South Africa's Democratic Alliance Students Organisation recently released a controversial poster as part of their anti-racism campaign, which shows a naked mixed-race couple embracing. The poster has caused a huge stir on Facebook, Twitter and blogs and even generated viral spoof posters.
Jamaica: Types of Racism
“Racists in Jamaica come in at least two varieties: upfront and down-low”: Jamaica Woman Tongue explains.
UK: #TwitterKurds Organize First Social Media Gathering in London
A group of Kurdish Internet activists that have been organizing around the #TwitterKurds hashtag on Twitter have come together for the first Kurdish Social Media Gathering earlier this month in London. The event was live streamed and joined in via Skype and YouTube by those who could not be there physically, although there were participants who had traveled from as far as Australia to participate.
South Sudan: Urgent Steps Needed to Counter Inter-Communal Violence
Urgent steps are needed to counter inter-communal violence in South Sudan: “Inter-communal violence in Jonglei and throughout South Sudan, while traditionally cyclical in nature, is not inevitable. The causes of...
Pakistan: Hate Campaign Against Ahmadis In Rawalpindi
Naeem Shamim reports that “Banners and posters containing hate content and threats against Ahmadi Muslims are being displayed at many significant places” in Rawalpindi city near the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
Slovakia: Roma “Apartheid” – and New Housing?
According to this report [en], a US-based Hindu group was shocked by the “maltreatment” of the Roma in Slovakia, calling “to end Roma apartheid.” At the same time, the Slovak...
Jamaica: Gully versus Gaza
Jamaica Salt considers “how Jamaican music superstars, Vybz Kartel and Mavado have taken their different paths”, suggesting: “Kartel [is] more real in a way but when it comes to survival...
Brazil: Indigenous Leader Criticizes “Developmentism” Policies
Brazilian blogger Julio Carignano, from the blog Sítio Coletivo, interviewed [pt] a former indigenous Guarani chief, Teodoro Tupã, who criticizes the policies of progress and “developmentism” towards indigenous peoples –...
Azerbaijan: Eurovision as an Opportunity for Change in the Caucasus
Commonspace comments on news that Armenia will participate in this year's Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Despite a still unresolved conflict between the two countries, the...
Myanmar (Burma): Betwixt and Between
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging further support from the international community in Myanmar. Such engagement will be particularly important for refugees and internally displaced people.
Video Highlights: Music, Indigenous Initiatives, Indignation and Wonder
A selection of Global Voices' recent and interesting stories including video from Latin America, East Asia, Middle East and North Africa and Eastern and Central Europe, selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.
China: Kashgar’s City
Josh from Xinjiang far west China blogs about the future transformation of Kashgar city in Xinjiang. The old city's traditional mud home would be turned into modern buildings according to...
Video: Online Media by and for Indigenous People
Intercontinental Cry has a list of 12 recommended films on indigenous issues, some made by indigenous people from Brazil, Australia, Panama, USA, Northern Kenya, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of...
Trinidad & Tobago: Indigenous Portrayal in History
Review of the Indigenous Caribbean republishes a paper on “the dominant, almost doctrinal assertions made about the history of Trinidad and Tobago–with some attention paid to the ways historiographers diminished...
Serbia: The Media War Against Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie was concerned about the reception of her director's debut movie, 'In the Land of Blood and Honey', in Bosnia and Serbia, and some of her fears turned out to be justified. Sasa Milosevic reports on the virtual battle that Jolie's film has caused.
Haiti: Haitians at Tuskegee
The Haitian Blogger republishes a story about the Haitian Tuskegee airmen.
China: Tibet Burns, But Where Are the Chinese Public Intellectuals?
Since 2009, there have been at least 17 Tibetan self-immolation incidents in China. The public discussion about Tibetan protests is dominated by state controlled media, while those who usually speak out against injustice online often remain silent.
France, Turkey: Retaliations Expected for Controversial Law on Armenian Genocide
The Huffington post, in the launch issue of its Francophone version, publishes a column [fr] listing “Five retaliations Turkey could take on France” as the French Senate is preparing to vote the...
China and Hong Kong: Train Scuffle Ignites Cross-Border Fury
A passenger scuffle over mainland Chinese tourists eating food on a train in Hong Kong, is the latest of a series of cross-border controversies between China and Hong Kong, amidst mounting resent over Beijing's influence in Hong Kong.
Turkey: Post-Murder Trial, Thousands Remember Hrant Dink
Thousands have marched in Turkey to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and Agos newspaper editor Hrant Dink.