Stories about History from June, 2011
D.R. of Congo: Reflections on Congolese Independence
Jason remembers the sword thief while reflecting on Congolese independence: “Instead of remembering Patrice Lumumba, Pierre Mulele or Simon Kimbangu, I'll choose Ambroise Boimbo this time. His claim to fame?...
Bermuda: The Attitude/Economics Equation
Politics.bm says that 30 years after tourism's heyday, “Bermudians are wondering where all the tourists went” and fears that the same thing will happen to the country's stake in international...
China: Major Websites Go Red for Communist Party’s 90th Anniversary
Steven Millward from Penn Olson notices that major Chinese websites and portals are “going red” for celebrating the Communist Party's 90th Anniversary.
Honduras: Zelaya Supporters March on Two-Year Anniversary of Coup
June 28, 2011 marked the two year anniversary of the coup that removed Manuel Zelaya from office in Honduras. Adrienne Pine participated with “a group of about 500 people” in...
Filipinos Commemorate Jose Rizal's 150th birthday
Jose Rizal is the Philippines' national hero and one of the first Asian leaders and intellectuals who advocated freedom from colonial rule through peaceful means in late 19th century. His 150th birth anniversary this month was a huge celebration in the country. Netizens actively discussed his rich legacy and continuing relevance.
Angola: The City Evolves and the “Icons” Vanish
“Some people claim that the city should evolve, others say that Luanda should not keep the traces of colonialism”, writes Menina de Angola, while regretting the demolition of “one more...
Libya: Photographs from Rich, Vibrant and Historic Times
British-Libyan surgeon and humanitarian who writes under the pen name Amal Al-Leebi went nostalgic and published some old pictures from previous visits to Libya on his Twitter account, @libyansrevolt to show the Libya he remembers.
Video: Celebrating the Solstice
The celebrations for Summer and Winter Solstices were full of lanterns, dances, flowers and bonfires. Lets tour around the world to check out the different celebrations: Solstice at Stonehenge, Feast of Saint John's bonfires in Spain, Inti Raymi in Peru, we tripantu in Chile and Kupala Day in Russia or Midsummer's night in Poland.
Haiti: BBBC Benefits in Question
An interesting post on Bill Clinton's housing initiative, Building Back Better Communities (BBBC), which “seeks to construct housing projects across the nation of Haiti”, but upon closer examination, “seems as...
South Africa: On Being White and Feeling Ashamed
On being white and feeling ashamed in South Africa: “Should white people in South Africa feel ashamed about being white and about the fact that we benefited in the past...
Indonesia's 24 world records
Truly Indonesia lists 24 world records held by Indonesia. For example, it has 3 of the 6 largest island in the world and it is currently the largest Muslim country...
China: The politics of hydroelectricity
Sinologistical Violoncellist has a guest post by Kristiana Henderson of Pacific Lutheran University which addresses the politics of hydroelectricity projects in Tibet by looking into the history of conflicts between...
Paraguay: Photo Essay: The Ovecha Rague Festival
Yluux posts a photo essay [es] of the Ovecha Rague (‘sheep fur’ in guaraní) festival in San Miguel, Paraguay. The festival includes artistic performances, craft fairs, an exposition of products...
Europe: “Greek Drama Doesn't Transcend Hellenic Borders”
Luboš Motl of The Reference Frame writes about the current economic situation in Greece and how it affects (or doesn't affect) other countries: “All the hysteria is man-made and unjustifiable...
Russia: Rodric Braithwaite's “Afgantsy”
In Moscow's Shadows writes about Rodric Braithwaite's Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-89, a “new study of the Soviet war on Afghanistan.” OpenDemocracy.net published exclusive excerpts from the book in...
Balkans: Ratko Mladic and Justice
Posts on the capture of Ratko Mladic and justice being done (or not) – by Katharine Engelhart and Ozren Jungic at OpenDemocracy.net, by Blogging Balkanistan/The Daily Seyahatname, and by Marko...
Croatia: EU Membership Approval
On June 10, 2011, Croatia was cleared to become the newest member state of the European Union. There is still a long road before Croatians are officially a part of the EU, and the timing at the moment is, at best, precarious, creating many skeptics. Miquel Hudin reports.
Russia: Yelena Bonner, Andrei Sakharov's Widow, Dies
Vladimir Kara-Murza of World Affairs‘ Spotlight on Russia and Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Association‘s Russia blog write about Andrei Sakharov's widow Yelena Bonner, who died in the United States...
Zambia: Chiluba Funeral Donation Call Raises Eyebrows
Zambian netizens have received an appeal by their government to donate money towards an estimated US$1 million of funeral costs for the late former president Frederick Chiluba with incredulity, considering that barely two and half years ago there was massive abusive of resources for the funeral of the then incumbent president Levy Mwanawasa.
Egypt: A Decade of Street Activism Discussed at Tweet Nadwa
In what is set to become a weekly event, Egyptian Twitter users gathered once again for a second round of their twitter-simulating discussions known as Tweet Nadwa [ar] (forum) to discuss a decade of street activism leading up to the Egyptian revolution.
Trinidad & Tobago: Markets & Monasteries
From “soots” to Benedictine monasteries, Chookooloonks photoblogs about a lovely day spent during her time in Trinidad.
