Stories about Ethnicity & Race from April, 2009
Australians divided by Durban II boycott
The decision by the Rudd government of Australia to boycott the United Nations Conference on Racism in Durban was a controversial one. GV author Kevin Rennie gathers reactions of Australian bloggers.
MENA: Reflections on Durban II
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, and the way European Union representatives reacted to it at the United Nations Conference on Racism in Geneva (Durban II), has stirred debates among bloggers across the Middle East. Eman AbdElRahman sums up reactions in this post.
Rwanda: The unresolved FDLR issue
Last January the conflict in North Kivu shifted once again with the arrest of CNDP rebel group leader Laurent Nkunda in Rwanda and the entry of the Rwandan national army (RDF) into the DR Congo to root out the FDLR rebel group in joint operations with the national Congolese army (FARDC). As Rebecca Feeley of the Enough Said blog explains, the Congolese Minister of Defense, Charles Mwando Nsimba, even went so far as to say that the FDLR threat had been “neutralized.”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Genocide Prevention Month Commemorations
Srebrenica Genocide Blog writes about the Genocide Prevention Month commemorations in Sarajevo – here and here.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Re-Naming of Towns
Amila Bosnae writes about re-naming of towns in Bosnia & Herzegovina's Republika Srpska.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Intermarriage
Gray Falcon writes about intermarriage in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1,000 More Srebrenica Victims To Be Buried July 11
1,000 new funerals of victims of the Srebrenica massacre have been scheduled for July 11, 2009, Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports.
Israel: Reflections on the Holocaust Memorial Day and Durban II
Yesterday was the national holocaust memorial day in Israel. Coincidentally, it was also the opening day of the highly contested UN Durban II conference on racism in Geneva. Gilad Lotan updates us with reactions from Israeli bloggers, who link both occasions.
Sri Lanka: Winning Back The Tamil Diaspora
The Whackstar's Lair opines that the Sri Lankan people should stop considering the Tamil diaspora as the enemy. Because: “EELAM is right here, but it’s called Sri Lanka, and people of different races live here together. ‘Come home’ is what the government and all of us need to say to...
Jackie Chan: Chinese need control
“I'm mot sure if it's good to have freedom or not, I'm really confused now. If there is too much freedom, like the way Hong Kong is today, it is very chaotic; Taiwan is also chaotic. I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled.” – Jackie...
Taiwan: Promoting language diversity
Taiwan is home to a range of Austronesian and Chinese languages. Taiwanese Identity discusses ways to promote Taiwan's languages.
Martinique: Homage to Aimé Césaire
Today, Martinique celebrates its greatest personality, the self-entitled “Nègre Fondamental”: the late author and politican, Aimé Césaire. Montray Kréyol [Fr] publishes three posts about his life, accomplishments and homages paid to him.
Israel: Palestinian Photographer's Death Still Unresolved
The death of 23-year old Palestinian photographer Fadel Shana at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces remains unresolved one year later, Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem reports. The case is currently under investigation by the United Nations.
Macedonia: Alexander the Great as Media Bait
For several years now, the Macedonian traditional media have have been involved in relentless promotion of all and any claims related to Alexander the Great deemed "positive" in terms of generating public approval and more readers/viewers. Such coverage tends to grow more bizarre, as shown by recent events.
China: A hoax related with gender and race
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translates and explains in detail an Internet hoax that a Zhejiang University Girl rebuking her professor's comment by saying that she likes dating foreigners. The hoax touches upon sensitive issues concern with gender and race and results in hot debate.
Israel: Responding to Upswing of World Antisemitism
“It’s no secret that antisemitism around the world is on an upswing,” writes Occidental Israeli, who suggests possibilities for its mitigation.
Peru: Mass Sterilizations During Fujimori Term
After the sentencing of Peruvian ex-president Alberto Fujimori for crimes against humanity, Silvio Rendón of Gran Combo Club [es] summarizes the events behind the mass sterilizations of indigenous women without their consent during Fujimori's term.
Azerbaijan: Operatic Sheki
Sheki, Azerbaijan says that while the government has started to publicize the history and culture of her country abroad, there is still much to discover. For example, she reports, the first female opera composer in the Orient was not only Azeri, but also came from her home town.
Armenia: Obama, Turkey and… Unzipped
Unzipped comments on recent reports that Armenia and Turkey might be close to finalizing the first stage of a deal to normalize relations. In particular, the blog gives its own opinion on how the long-running dispute over the massacre and deportation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians from the...
Fiji: The calm after the storm?
Last week Fiji's President nullified the constitution, fired the entire judiciary and appointment himself head of state and the armed forces. He then re-appointed the military-backed government of Frank Bainimarama. Bloggers of all stripes are now sifting through the debris of a completely changed political landscape – one that will see the Bainimarama government remain in power until at least 2014.
Sri Lanka: On Allegations By The Diaspora
The Blacklight Arrow comments: “the diaspora, organized and spurred by LTTE front organizations, chants its mantra of concentration camps and Sri Lankan government genocide of the Tamils, ignoring the fact that it is the LTTE, and not the government, that is holding the Wanni Tamils in these inhuman conditions.”
