Stories about History from July, 2006
Kenya: Mourning a father
“Next year will be 25 years since you were shot ruthlessly and left to die in some ditch,” writes Farmgirl to her much-missed father. “Oh just want to tell you that Raila and his cronies plotted the whole coup thing that led to your death…I wish he would say sorry...
Indonesia: Chinese Valentine's Day
Indonesian blogger Christine Susanna Tjhin, currently a student in China, talks about the traditional Chinese Valentine's Day. This year, the day falls on 31 July.
Latvia: Baltica Festival
Dykun posts footage from the Baltica Festival in Latvia: “More specifically, this is footage of two groups from Latgale. Latgale is a region of Latvia that has long fascinated me; it is considered by many to be the most rural part of Latvia, and it shares a long border to...
Czech Republic: Moravian Folklore
Bored in Brno posts a report from the 49th “annual celebration of local music and folklore in the town of Velka nad Velickou in South Moravia”: “Being a Czech festival, the beer flows liberally. Despite the higher elevation, the region can still sustain some grape cultivation and there is a...
Serbia: Yugoslav Film Archive
Belgrade Blog writes about the new storage space for the Yugoslav film archive.
Russia: Brian Grover & Matthias Rust
Copydude writes about two men who became (in)famous after they flew their light planes into Russia illegally: Brian Grover (1938) and Matthias Rust (1987).
China and South Korea: whose cultural heritage ?
Richardson in Korea Liberator blogs about the potential debate between China and South Korea concerning Mt Baedu (or Changbaishan in Chinese pronounciation) as China has decided to register Mt. Baekdu on the World Geopark list designated by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
China: Tangshan earthquake
Joel Martinsen in Danwei attemps to explain why the Chinese Government spent so much effort to commemorate the Tangshan earthquake. “To some extent, it is this determination, and not the tragedy itself, that is being commemorated today.”
DRC: Carefully Hopeful
Echoing the optimism of another US-Based DRC blogger, The Salon writes (Fr): “The elections have finally begun. Though there are justified worries about the election's transparency, this is a a historic experience on this vast land which is as large as Western Europe. As a Congolese, while keeping a sane...
DRC: Documentary Video
The Salon posts a french-speaking video-documentary covering the last 6 year's events including the 6-day war between Rwandan and Ugandan armies, the assasination of Laurent Kabila and the promise of elections.
Haiti: 1941's Port-au-Prince
From Port-au-Prince, Marcel Salnave posts (Fr) an article written by his journalist father of the same name in 1941: “our capital is embellishing under the welcome influence of urban planning. Gardens designed according to the demands of art have replaced almost everywhere our empty lots and where weeds once existed,...
Ukraine: Waiting for Yushchenko
Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine posts a brief update on Ukrainian politics and offers a few apolitical links.
Russia: Kaliningrad Travel Restrictions
Copydude writes about travel restrictions for Kaliningrad residents: “As fast the Berlin Wall came down, the EU has been building it back up. You can’t paint nice murals on the Fortress Schengen wall, but it’s just as effective at keeping people in.”
Bangladesh: Persecution of the Sufis
Sadiq Alam on why the Sufis were persecuted through history. “Because sufis often speak against injustice in the name of religion, they often speak against unjust rulers, they often speak against the unjust social practices.”
Russia, Ukraine: Stories About Words
Below is the translation of three stories about words: in the first one, they are being banned; in the second, they offend; in the third, there aren't enough of them. LJ user plushev, a Russian radio journalist, writes (RUS) about the government's attack on the name of the controversial National...
Bahamas: Goodbye, British Honours list?
Nassau Bahamas Vacation reports briefly on the plans afoot in the Bahamas to abolish the British Honours list: “Her Majesty will no doubt let her views be channeled through her own discreet diplomats at some stage.“
Croatia: Dubrovnik Now and Then
Edward Lucas, Central and East European correspondent of The Economist, writes about his two visits to Croatia's seaside town Dubrovnik: in 1985 and this year.
Russia: Amber Room
Copydude writes about Kaliningrad and the mystery of the Amber Room.
Middle East reaction: Petition
Aba Boy links to a petition called “Save the Lebanese Civilians”.
Thailand: Thai King's Biography
Bookish in Thailand rounds up what other bloggers are saying about a new biography on Thailand's king. Thailand usually bans books or movies that shows the monarchy in negative light. The blogger is looking forward to reading the book and says “As much as I respect the King and his...
Fiji: Introducing a Fiji Webresource
The Babasiga blog introduces a web resource on Fiji. The site run by Australia based anthropologist Rod Ewins features old drawings, maps and engravings about Fiji.
