Stories about History from August, 2006
Jamaica: White martyrs, Black savages
Having watched the trailer for a newly released film set in Uganda, Jamaican novelist Marlon James announces that he's sick and tired of “stories of a white man trapped in black (and sometimes yellow) hell where in the midst of all this inhumanity he discovers what it means to be...
Serbia: Collective Guilt
Srdjan Cvijic of The TransAtlantic Assembly a translates an article by a renowned Serbian political analyst on Kosovo, the West and the feeling of collective guilt.
Russia: End of War Anniversary
David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates an article on the tenth anniversary of the end of the First Chechen War.
Russia: Deportation of Volga Germans
J. Otto Pohl translates a decree that ordered deportation of the Volga Germans to Kazakhstan and Siberia in 1941.
Kyrgyzstan: Chess
Go Kyrgyz! writes about how chess came to Kyrgyzstan and the enthusiasm for the game today.
Serbia: Criticism of the Flag and Anthem
Dictionary of the Serbian Mess explains the coat of arms that appears on the Serbian flag and compares Serbian anthem to that of Slovenia.
Georgia: Gangster's Paradise
Carpetblogger reports on Batumi, the capital of the Georgian region of Ajaria, saying that autonomy was far from kind to the city.
Albania: Greater, or Natural, Albania
Our Man in Tirana writes about ‘Greater Albania’ or, as it was called in a recent interview by the political adviser to the Albanian Prime Minister, the ‘Natural Albania': “Citing the example of Montenegro which chose to split from Serbia, Danaj suggested that Albanians in Macedonia and Montenegro should also...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Karadzic Sightings
Balkan Ghost of Finding Karadzic visits Trebinje and Lastva in the Republika Srpska to investigate Radovan Karadzic sightings there: “While in the west we treat Karadzic sightings with alarm, they are commonplace around Trebinje. And even if the locals wanted to talk about it, the western press and local EUFOR...
Serbia: Tito's Mausoleum
Mat Savelli of Roma Roma writes about the highlight of his visit to Belgrade: Tito's Mausoleum at the House of Flowers.
Poland: Tukkers in Auschwitz
Jo and Ants The Tukkers of Tuk to the Road travel from Lviv to Krakow to Auschwitz – and arrive in Prague.
Russian-Language Blogs: Miscellanea (3)
Israeli blogger pilka writes (RUS) about a surreal experience of eating next to three clowns at a hospital in the wartime Haifa: […] I had breakfast with clowns today. I work at the children's department, okay? So strange, a clown on the right, a clown on the left, a vegetable...
Belize: Caye Caulker
Lee Vanderwalker posts some sepia-toned photos and a “technology timeline” of Caye Caulker, Belize.
Senegal: Commemorating the Senegalese Riflemen of WWII
While Senegal commemorated the Senegalese riflemen who assisted the French in WWII, Senegalese blogger Semett remembered (Fr) their forced labor, involuntary conscription and drew comparisons with the triangular slave trade. He seemed unconvinced with President Wade's sincerity in facing the realities of the riflemen but also that of the youth...
South Africa: Apartheid feet-washing apology dismissed
A notorious South African Apartheid-era security minister hit the headlines after he washed the feet of an anti-Apartheid campaigner in an act of contrition. South Africa Logue dismissed the gesture saying: “[Adriaan] Vlok’s act – which strikes Your Correspondent as deeply offensive to many a South African’s sense of justice...
Chile: The Day that Pinochet Dies
Publicist Roberto Arancibia is one of Chile's most popular bloggers. His affable tone and optimistic perspective are adept at parsing a variety of topics. Yet rarely does his blog, El Mundo Sigue Ahí (“The World's Still There”), delve into anything that would interest a political polemicist. Last Wednesday, a few...
Central Asia: Borders 3
Ben Paarmann posts the third part of his series on the determination of borders in Central Asia.
Ukraine: Maidan Now
Robert Mayer of Publius Pundit visits Kyiv's Maidan, takes pictures and talks to its current inhabitants, nearly two years after the Orange Revolution.
Russia, Ukraine: News Roundup
Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog summarizes the news: cathedral on fire; good citizen enriches himself by not robbing the state; Ukraine's former prime minister sentenced for money laundering in the United States; kids sexually abused at a Black Sea summer camp.
China: cultural history
Mary Ann O'donnell writes a brief introduction of xin'an county and nine streets museum to show the cultural historical link between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Philippines: Backpacking in Vietnam
Heritage blogger Ivan Henares remembers his trip to the city of Hoi An in Vietnam and he recalls how the visit introduced him to the joy of backpacking.