Stories about Ethnicity & Race from May, 2009
Azerbaijan: Nationalism fatigue
Fighting windmills? Take a pill, a new English-language Azerbaijani blog, comments on last weekend's Eurovision Song Contest held in Moscow. The blog laments the nationalism and petty antics displayed by both Armenians and Azeris towards each other during the international music competition.
USA: National Ethnic Media Awards Winners 2009
New America Media in the United States announces the winners of the 2009 Ethnic Media Awards. Pro-migrant blog The Sanctuary takes best ethnic blogger award.
Sri Lanka: Bloggers react to the death of the LTTE leader
The government of Sril Lanka announced via state media and SMS today (Monday, May 18, 2009) afternoon that the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Vellupillai Prabhakaran, is dead. Obituaries of Prabhakaran note that he was a hero to some and a ruthless killer to others. Sri Lankan Bloggers lament on the legacy of this war lord and what his demise means for the future of the Tamil people and Sri Lanka.
Haiti, Dominican Republic: Repercussions
Wadner Pierre republishes an article from Haiti Liberte that examines the repercussions of the decapitation of a Haitian man by another from the Dominican Republic.
Europe: Alexander Rybak
Natalia Antonova writes on GlobalComment about Alexander Rybak, this year's winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Aruba, U.S.A.: Hubble Engineer
Repeating Islands profiles Dr. Edward Cheung, an Aruban of Chinese descent who is the Principal Engineer of the Hubble Space Telescope Service Project.
India: Remembering The 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots
Sidhusaaheb at I, Me, Myself remembers the Operation Blue Star and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, India. The riots were triggered by the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards (in retaliation for Operation Bluestar). The article in three parts...
Sri Lanka: Understanding The Tamil Conflict
G. Kuganesan at Voices In Exile sheds a light into the background of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka: “The Tamil conflict has deep roots, distant ties that date well beyond the mere formation of a violent LTTE (Tamil Tigers) movement, a history buried in discrimination, segregation, and specific ethnic...
Sri Lanka: Now is not the time for Eelam
Indi.ca from Sri Lanka comments: “This is not the time or the way to establish borders. Right now we need to preserve our common humanity. Then we need to learn to live together in a united Sri Lanka. The LTTE’s Eelam seems to involve sacrificing all the Tamils there. That’s...
Russia: Translation of Baymurat Story
Jost A Mon translates Roman Gruzov's Bolshoi Gorod text (RUS) about Baymurat, “an unlikely star” of the Russian internet, mentioned on GV back in April – here: “… a poorly dressed Tajik gastarbeiter who brilliantly performed the song ‘Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja’ from the Hindi film ‘Disco Dancer’ with such...
Haiti: Lamothe, Classical Composer
AfriClassical profiles Ludovic Lamothe, one of Haiti's most renowned classical composers.
Sri Lanka: Unbowed and Unafraid
ICT For Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) informs that a new Sri Lankan website named “Unbowed and Unafraid” – has been launched today, which “aims to continue the spirit of investigative journalism of the slain Editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge.”
Haiti, Dominican Republic: Enough
In the wake of an alleged reprisal killing in which a Haitian man was beheaded in Santo Domingo, blogger Wadner Pierre says: “Our government must use this case to put an end to the targeting of Haitians in the DR once and for all.”
China: Blogged down with swine flu
Kai Pan at CNReviews traces how China, despite having so far kept H1N1 from reaching the mainland, has still managed to end up at the center of a number of blog posts regarding the epidemic.
St. Lucia, Jamaica: Indian Arrival Day
Repeating Islands blogs about the celebration of Indian Arrival Day in St. Lucia & Jamaica.
Central & Eastern Europe: Swine Flu (aka “California 0409”)
Below are some of the Central and Eastern Europe bloggers' reactions to news reports on swine flu and measures taken by some of the governments to keep the disease from spreading to their countries.
Poland: Hitler and Abortion
Sylwia Presley reviews online reactions to neo-Nazi anti-abortion posters that appeared in several public places in Zielona Gora at the end of April.
Martinique, Guadeloupe: Emancipation Celebrations
The French overseas territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe will soon be commemorating the anniversary of the abolition of slavery, according to Repeating Islands.
China: Response to Yellow Peril talk
The anonymous China News Wrap blogger has translated People's Daily editorial, “Talk of a ‘Yellow Peril’ begins again in the West”.
China: Living Buddha stuck in court
More than a year since the March 14 riots in Lhasa, Joshua Rosenzweig at Siweiluozi gives an update on the case of Tibetan living Buddha Phurbu Tsering, charged in part with possession of a firearm, along with reasons why delivery of a verdict in his trial has been postponed.
Armenia: Shooting the messenger (reprise)
Security, in the Caucasus and beyond…. follows up its first commentary on the nationalist reaction to talk of a breakthrough in talks to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey. In its second post, the blogs examines recommendations made by the International Crisis Group (ICG).
