· March, 2008

Stories about History from March, 2008

Brazil: March for the end of the Gaza Strip

  31 March 2008

“It is said that each Palestinian expelled from their land – and not just since 1948, when it the state of Israel was created – keep a key which they always carry with them. This is not the key for their car, office or a shed lost somewhere between Jordan,...

Cuba: Can You Hear me Now?

  31 March 2008

News that Cubans will now be allowed to buy cell phones has been met with differing reactions by Cuban bloggers…El Cafe Cubano: “Cubans on average earn about $20 a month and cell phones in Cuba are selling for $260 and above. Do the math…”; Uncommon Sense: “I do not begrude...

Japan: Views on Yasukuni, the movie

  31 March 2008

A documentary film about the controversial Yasukuni shrine, shot by a Chinese filmmaker through funding by a Japanese government agency, has sparked debate and discussion after a group within the ruling LDP party convened a screening to assess its "neutrality". Bloggers offer differing views on the move and on the idea of their government subsidizing what some see as a "political" film.

Armenia: Sevan Museum

  30 March 2008

Robert Dietrich posts photographs of some of the treasures he recently discovered at a small museum outside of the capital. The Peace Corps Volunteer says he was overwhelmed by the amount of items dating back thousands of years and in urgent need of being displayed properly.

Belarus: Freedom Day Protest

  30 March 2008

On Tuesday, March 25, police broke up an opposition rally in the capital of Belarus, beating protesters with truncheons and detaining dozens of people. Veronica Khokhlova translates two bloggers' first-hand accounts and a foreign political analyst's view on the Belarusian opposition's strategy.

Trinidad & Tobago: Politics & Sport

  28 March 2008

Notes from Port of Spain makes his case for leaving politics out of the upcoming China Olympics: “Once you establish the principle that global sports meetings can be boycotted on political grounds, there's no end to it – no country on earth is 100 per cent virtuous.”

Hong Kong: Revitalizing Tai O

  28 March 2008

The Hong Kong government has organized a competition for revitalizing a traditional fishing village, Tai O. Diumanpark pointed out that the word “revitalizing” is a cover up of “commercialization”, which, eventually would destroy the local culture and character[zh].

Bangladesh: Remembering a genocide

  27 March 2008

The 3rd World View and Mash write about an online initiative called the Bangladesh Genocide Archive – an attempt to document various testimonies, memories and articles of the events of 1971.

China: Remembering Our Predecessors

  27 March 2008

A number of intellectuals, media and cultural workers have written a joint declaration [zh] to commemorate their predecessors, who died for seeking and speaking the truth, before Ching Ming Festival.

Taiwan: Religious buildings–a way to explore how cultures mix

  26 March 2008

The popular image of multi-culturalism as a mosaic, a salad bowl in which different cultures mix but keep their integrity, is misleading. Cultures are more like soups, flavored with many ingredients, some identifiable. –From the book ‘Cultures and societies in a changing world,’ written by Wendy Griswold. Taiwan has a...