Stories about Ethnicity & Race from June, 2009
Azerbaijan: Persepolis
Global Voices Online author Ali S. Novruzov is interviewed by the OL! Azerbaijani youth movement on the movie Persepolis and comments on the role of women in post-revolution Iranian society.
Azerbaijan: Rhetoric of Hate
Fighting windmills? Take a pill comments on the rhetoric of hate that often prevents Armenians and Azerbaijanis from being in contact with each other while the conflict between the two countries remains unresolved. The blogger says that she wants peace and cares about people rather than nationalities.
Russia: “I'm a Russophobe”
A popular Russian blogger known for his often provocative posts on the Russian economy, published this mock manifesto (RUS) on his blog on June 10, noting with irony that those who attempt a critical look at Russia's past and present are frequently labeled Russophobes by those who consider themselves patriots, while in fact the opposite may be said to be true in many cases.
Haiti: All Things Haitian
“Haitians are passionate, intelligent, dynamic. Artistic and creative”: The Haitian Queen explains why she chose her blogging moniker.
Bahrain: No Pride In Being An Arab?
Bahraini blogger Mohammed AlMaskati writes, “Forgive me, for I am an Arab“.
Indonesia: Wayang Kulit
The traditional wayang kulit is a famous shadow puppet play in Indonesia. lekhikaa blogs about a project to make the wayang accessible to foreigners.
Russia: “Repatriation of Compatriots”
Window on Eurasia reports: “After three years of effort, Moscow has succeeded in attracting the return of only 8800 of the more than 300,000 “compatriots” abroad whose resettlement in Russia it had counted on, an outcome that should not have surprised anyone familiar with Russian conditions or with poll results...
Hungary: “Gypsies (Roma): Past and Present”
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the history of Hungary's Gypsy population – here and here.
African photographers, writers and artists find their voice in blogs
As more Africans come to realize the power of blogging as a tool for expression on a global scale, the number of bloggers has increased and so has the themes in focus. In that number of growing blogs, a lot of African artists have also joined in with a huge increase noted in poetry blogs as well as emerging photography and visual arts blogs. We review some of them.
India: Treatment Of The Dalits
Amit Varma points to a picture by Ritesh Uttamchandani which brilliantly captures the treatment of people of the Dalit caste in India. The blogger comments: “I’d also bet that there are hazaar (thousands of) people out there who wouldn’t see anything odd in that boy sitting under the table. Such...
India: Ignorance About North Eastern India
Paritosh Chakma at Musings Of A Chakma writes: “what irritate me in Delhi most are two things: (1) Ignorance about my native state, Mizoram, and (2) ignorance and insensitivity towards my physical attributes.”
Ukraine: Crimean Tatar Protest
Window on Eurasia writes about the continuing protest and growing discontent of a group of Crimean Tatar activists in Kyiv.
Russia: A “So-Called ‘Wahhabi’ Village”
Tanya Lokshina on “the so-called ‘Wahhabi’ village of Gudben” in Dagestan – at OpenDemocracy.net.
Czech Republic, Canada: Roma Asylum Seekers
The Czech Daily Word writes about Czech Roma asylum seekers in Canada.
Afghanistan: Travelling around Balkh province
Onne Parl shares his travelogue notes and pictures about his trip from Kabul to the Balkh province of Afghanistan.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Savo Heleta's “Not My Turn to Die”
Greater Surbiton reviews Savo Heleta's “Not My Turn to Die: Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia.”
Israel/Palestine: Commemorating the Nakba and Debating Loyalty
May 15 is Nakba Day, when Palestinians commemorate the creation of Israel and subsequent Palestinian displacement and dispossession. Shortly after the day this year, a controversial piece of legislation was proposed in the Knesset banning commemoration of the Nakba. Two other bills were recently proposed, one introducing a pledge of allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state, and another criminalising public denial of Israel as a Jewish state. While the “loyalty law” has been rejected, and the Nakba bill has been amended, the fact that the bills were introduced at all has prompted debate and protest.
Ukraine: Eyewitness Accounts of Crimean Tatar Deportation
J. Otto Pohl links to the witness accounts of the Crimean Tatar deportations posted on the The International Committee for Crimea site.
Sri Lanka: A Suppressed Nation
Access to many Sri Lankan IDP camps are still limited to the international journalists and aid workers and the information are suppressed. So it is hard to hear the voices from these IDP camps. Regini David, a human rights, women and workers' rights activist, has been working with vulnerable people for the past 23 years. In her blog, ‘Unheard Voices‘, she has started writing about the very unheard voices from Sri Lanka, voices of the people she worked with.
Bolivia: Farewell to Aymara Hip Hop Artist Abraham Bojorquez
The sudden death of Bolivian hip-hop artist Abraham Bojorquez was especially hard on residents of El Alto, the city from which he hailed. A victim of a traffic accident, Bojorquez left behind many fans around the world, but also left behind a legacy of lyrics that reflected on the struggles and the hopes of a young city that has been through so much. Many Bolivian bloggers shared their condolences.
Azerbaijan: Youth
In Mutatione Fortitudo ponders the state of youth in Azerbaijan and says there have been changes amidst a backdrop of falling oil prices and the global economic crisis. However, the blog by Global Voices author Ali S. Novruz concludes, liberal-thinking youth are in short supply.
