Stories about Ethnicity & Race from July, 2011
Serbia: First Reactions to Acquittal of Sandor Kepiro
On Monday July 18, 2011, a court in Budapest acquitted 97-year-old Sandor Kepiro, a Second World War Hungarian police captain who served in occupied Serbia and, until recently, was “the most wanted Nazi.” He was charged with war crimes against Serbs, Jews and Roma during the Novi Sad Raid –...
Armenia: Impressions of Georgia
Ianyan posts photographs and its impressions of a recent visit to Georgia, Armenia's northern neighbor. Global Chaos, another Armenian blog, also does the same.
Azerbaijan: Culinary Competition
Scary Azeri comments on the tendency for her fellow Azerbaijanis living in England to outdo each other when it comes to preparing meals for get-togethers. The blog says that this inherent competition ultimately leads to less such meetings.
Turkey: Protest Against Kurdish Singer Prompts Strong Social Media Response
Aynur Doğan, a Kurdish-Turkish singer, was jeered by part of the audience during an open air concert in the Istanbul Jazz Festival because she sang a song in Kurdish. Part of the audience sang the Turkish National Anthem in protest, while others in the audience supported the singer.
Guinea: Mass Slaughter of Cattles After Ethnic Clashes
According to guineelibre.com [fr] “Over 1,200 cattle were slaughtered after ethnic clashes between Fulani and Malinke – the minority groups of Guinea – reported residents of the village of Thiakoro, in south-eastern Guinea.”
Russia: Clashes in Sagra
Kevin Rothrock of A Good Treaty discusses the recent “ethnic” clashes in the little south-Russian town of Sagra and how these are exploited by various political and nationalistic interests.
Bolivia: Fighting Cholitas in the Spotlight
Female wrestling in El Alto, Bolivia has captured the attention of locals and visitors for more than ten years. These women add a bit of tradition to this popular sport: where else would you see colorful skirts with petticoats, fringed shawls, thick braids and bowler hats battling it out in a ring?
Cuba: Race and Sex
“Racism in Cuba has several faces. And variations. But when it comes time to “play the tune”…skin color disappears as if by magic”: Iván García is concerned that “the race issue in Cuba is a real time bomb.”
Montenegro: Serbian not spoken here?
M. Bozinovich of Serbianna discusses a recent Montenegro census saying that 20% of Montenegrins no longer speak Serbian, and whether this is an actual result or caused by nationalism.
Estonia: Agonizing Over History
Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa reflects upon historical memory and guilt against the background of Estonian town Viljandi celebrating the 70th anniversary of Nazi occupation.
Russia: Popular Curse Temporarily Becomes a Worldwide Twitter Trend
#хуи [ru], Russian swearword for penis (plural), for a few hours became a global trend. Lenta.ru notes [ru] that the sudden appearance of this hashtag marks the launch of Cyrillic hashtag functionality.
Cuba: Roldán the Composer
AfriClassical profiles Amadeo Roldán (1900-1939), an Afro-Cuban composer, violinist, conductor and professor.
Videos: Tortillas, Chapatis, Bread and More Around the World
Most cultures accompany their meals with a grain based product; bread, flatbreads and steamed buns are part of people's meals in many places of the world. Today we visit artisans and cooks to see how they prepare and make the food that feeds them and their families.
Trinidad & Tobago: Tackling Transformation
“No one transforms for the greater good. No one transforms to save this place. All we have is Decepticons for leaders. And people who do not, cannot fly”: Attillah Springer notices unsettling parallels between the new Transformers movie and real life in Trinidad and Tobago.
Estonia: Celebration of Nazi occupation
Kloty of Gedanken über Estland draws attention to [GER] a celebration of the 70th anniversary of Nazi occupation of Estonian town of Viljandi, and discusses how locals considered it preferrable to Soviet occupation, turning a blind eye to atrocities committed against the town's Jewish population during World War II.
Ukraine: History of Little Tatary
Leoš Tomíček of Austere Insomniac makes an historical argument about the origins of South-East Ukraine – Little Tatary – as part of Ukrainian statehood.
Ukraine: Hutsul Photo Archive Online
The Uncataloged Museum writes about Hutsul Images, an online collection of photos from the Hutsul regions of Ukraine, created and maintained by Volodymyr Kitselyuk, “an ordinary enthusiast from Hutsul region, a doctor by profession and an ethnographer by vocation.”
Russia: Fewer Conscripts From North Caucasus?
On Jamestown Foundation Blog, Valery Dzutsev writes about what appears to be a decrease in North Caucasian draftees in the Russian army: “It thus seems that a separation of Russia and the North Caucasus is already underway, even though officially it is still a semi-taboo topic in the country.”
Russia: Orenburg Migrant Workers
On OpenDemocracy.net, Elena Strelnikova writes about Central Asian migrant workers of Orenburg, Russia.
Hungary: A Roundup on Politics
Belatedly, links to some of Hungarian Spectrum‘s posts: on the Hungarian “oligarch” and PM's ally Sándor Demján; on the opposition rally and gay pride parade that took place in mid-June; on Hillary Clinton's visit to Budapest; and on a lecture by Aladár Horváth, the chairman of the Roma Civil Rights...
Cuba: A Nation Divided?
“We have a long way to go. This will involve educating people in a different perception of society and its members, regardless of their orientation or preference”: Writing at Havana Times, Dariela Aquique responds to a comment about an article she wrote on gay pride in Cuba.
