Stories about Ethnicity & Race from August, 2010
Cuba: Youth in Prison
Iván's File Cabinet blogs about the majority of “common (non-political) prisoners in Cuba [being] black or mestizo”, saying: “The environment in which these youths grow up is fertile ground for delinquency. The worst part [is] that the Cuban State doesn’t have a solution for the problem of a society that...
France: Racism and Politics
Following a speech from French president Sarkozy that France ought to consider stripping delinquents of their citizenship and the planned expulsion of groups of Roma people back to Rumania and Bulgaria, the UN Comittee on the Elimination of Racial dDiscrimination (CERD) denounced a "recrudescence of racism and xenophobia" in France. Bloggers weigh in on the tense social scene in France.
Jamaica: Garvey's Birthday
Caribbean bloggers honour the memory of Marcus Garvey today, on the 123rd anniversary of his birth.
Caucasus: Observations on Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
Fearcuairt contrasts the three South Caucasus countries and says that Georgians consider themselves part of Europe, Azerbaijanis feel part of Asia, and Armenians view themselves as a mixture of both. Moreover, the blog notes, the rivalries between both Armenia and Georgia despite a shared religion is unfortunate given that both...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Dialogue through film
The free flow of information between Armenia and Azerbaijan since independence is obviously problematic given the still unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, but can new media move in to fill the gap?
Pakistan: Killings In Balochistan
Apart from the recent devastating floods Pakistan has other problems to tackle. Hamid Abbasi at Chowrangi points out to the recent brutal ethnic killings of Punjabis by members of a terrorist/liberation movement in Balochistan.
Sri Lanka: The Sri Lankan Malays
Frangipaniii at 1985 Mosquito Bites shares what it is like to be a Sri Lankan Malay: “the community of between 50,000 – 70,000 people in Sri Lanka currently share a language – a derivative of Malay spoken in South East Asia and a culture that is going through some rapid...
Macedonia: Political Parties Obsess Over Facebook ‘Likes,’ Myth-Making
Macedonian bloggers comment on the attempts of political parties to show off their ratings via social networks, while the communication they offer remains devoid of substance.
France: Expulsions of Roma people from Camp Sites Stir Feelings of Shame
As Roma people are expelled from campsites by security forces under the supervision of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs, Club de l'Europe blog [Fr] links to a video entitled “How many hens did we steal from you this year?“. “We shot these images in march 2003. Now the same people...
Pakistan: Under-reporting of Non-Muslims
Yasser Latif Hamdani at Pak Tea House says that under-reporting of Non-Muslims is a major problem as “it only paints Pakistan as an intolerant society”.
USA: Deconstructing Media Coverage of the “Ground Zero Mosque”
The building of an Islamic community center in New York City, near the site of "Ground Zero," has polarized opinions across the media spectrum. In this post, bloggers share their thoughts.
Hungary: Xenophobia, Homophobia, Crime
Hungarian Spectrum posts an update on the investigation into a series attacks on and murders of Gypsies that took place over a year ago, and writes about several recent murders and the discussion of homosexuality-related issues that they have generated online.
Hungary: The New President
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the inauguration of Hungary's new president, Pal Schmitt; about Albert Wass, a Transylvanian-Hungarian author whose work Schmitt quoted in his inaugural speech; and about Schmitt's first few days in office: “Since his inauguration the not too sympathetic Hungarian public has been watching Schmitt's every move.”
India: The Khairlanji verdict
V. Venkatesan at Law and Other Things comments on a recent verdict of the Mumbai High Court on a brutal murder case: “the Khairlanji case has shaken the conscience of all right-thinking people, as the Judges refused to see any caste prejudice to the killing of Dalits by upper caste...
African Thinkers on the Origin and Relevance of Ethnic Identity
In a year loaded with elections in Africa, ethnic identity has always been lurking in most political conversations. Still, many African thinkers argue that ethnicity was never a prominent issue until colonization began. They also argue the current and future relevance of ethnic identity on the continent.
Azerbaijan: Reputation
Scary Azeri recounts some personal stories of how people in Azerbaijan love to spread gossip. Also true for the other two countries making up the region, and especially Armenia, such an intrusion into the private lives of others is particularly relished when it comes to presumed relationships between men and...
Zimbabwe: Hard questions about xenophobia in Africa
Chris Kabwato of Zimbabwe in Pictures responds to five “hard questions” about xenophobia in Africa. “Every society has to deal with its neighbours…” Kabwato writes. “I am not justifying xenophobia. Just don’t try to make black South Africans feel guilty all the time and not raise legitimate issues around foreigners...
Georgia: Second anniversary of South Ossetia war
As Georgia marked the second anniversary of its August 2008 war with Russia over the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, online reaction has been mixed and largely polarized on geopolitical grounds.
Armenia: Being Queer in Yerevan
Bekhsoos, a queer Arab magazine, features a guest post by Canadian-Armenian Adrineh Macaan on life as a lesbian in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
Georgia: United Nations protest
To mark the second anniversary of the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, The Young Georgians posts photographs of a demonstration held by a few dozen Georgians outside the United Nations in New York.
China: Visa tales
With all the economic growth in China over the past few decades and a growing number of global travelers to match, have visa requirements for Chinese citizens been adapting in step? Well-heeled journalist Chen Zikun shares his experiences, see if or how any of them compare to yours.
