Stories about History from July, 2011
Latvia: Arguing the Failed State Case
Juris Kaža of Failed State Latvia? argues why he thinks that Latvia is a failed state lite, and provides historical and socioeconomic reasons for his case.
Ukraine: Survival of the Stolovaya
The Pickle Project discusses a visit at one of the few remaining public stolovayas – soviet style lunch canteens – in Crimean city of Yalta.
Haiti: Revered Flag Maker Dies
Repeating Islands acknowledges the passing of “Silva Joseph, a highly regarded Vodou flag maker…in the tradition of BelAir’s famous flag artists, such as Tibout, Joseph Fortine and Luc Daniel Cedor.”
Puerto Rico: Libraries and Reading
Gil the Jenius puts forward a theory about why “there are no decent libraries on the island”, adding that with the current levels of Internet penetration, “We don't have any excuses anymore.”
The Balkans: Trials of Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić
At OpenDemocracy.net, Eric Gordy writes on what there is to expect from the upcoming ICTY trials of Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić.
Myanmar: Traditional music instruments
htootayzar posts pictures of traditional music instruments from Myanmar.
Cuba: Tired July 26 Celebrations?
Generation Y blogs about this year's celebration of Cuba’s revolutionary holiday.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: The March of Peace
Earlier this month, Sarah Correia of Café Turco took part in the March of Peace (Marš mira), walking some “100 kilometres alongside more than 6 thousand people in tribute to the victims of genocide in Bosnia.”
Chile: Mapuche Influence in Purén
In Don't Call Me Gringa Emily blogs about Purén, a town in the Araucanía Region, in an area “home to the country’s main indigenous population, the Mapuche”. Emily writes about the Mapuche history and influence in this town, illustrating her post with pictures of her trip.
Trinidad & Tobago: Celebrating Emancipation
“Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the world to commemorate the abolition of slavery with a national observance, and since that time several other countries (mostly in the Caribbean) have followed suit”: TriniGourmet.com has the lowdown on this year's Emancipation Day celebrations.
Mexico: The Knights Templar, Violence and Norway
Bloggings by boz points out that the criminal organization the ‘Knights Templar’ is present in Mexico and that “the killer in Norway's shocking massacre last week also considered himself a member of the Knights Templar”. He adds: “I doubt anyone thinks these two groups are linked. […] Yet, it raises...
Caribbean: Commonwealth Stories for Online Time Capsule
The Royal Commonwealth Society is creating the world's largest online time capsule in honour of HM Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and wants regional/Commonwealth bloggers to share their stories. Get involved, here.
St. Lucia: Jacques Compton Dies
Caribbean Book Blog, mourning the death of Saint Lucian author Jacques Compton, says: “The Caribbean has lost another literary and cultural icon.”
Colombia: 201 Years of Independence
As we announced in a recent post, Colombia commemorated its day of independence this past July 20. The Internet, as expected, was the scene of many opinions and events that varied from pride of having been born in said country to political criticism.
Haiti: Wikileaks & Fr. Jean-Juste
“Father Gerry Jean-Juste, a Haitian priest, was a friend of…mine. For those who follow Haitian politics, the rest of the Father Gerry story is known”: Now, Dying in Haiti republishes Wikileaks cables that “[reveal] how the Haitian Interim Government and the US Embassy were very involved with the fate of...
Cuba: “The Lion of the East” Passes On
Cuban bloggers mourn the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Pedro Meurice Estiu, who died in Miami at the age of 79. Uncommon Sense calls him “a Cuban patriot and a true man of God”, while Babalu remembers him as “a fierce and unrelenting critic of the Castro dictatorship”; Generation Y honours...
Ukraine: History of a Building
Leigh Turner, British Ambassador to Ukraine, sketches the history of the building in Kiev where the embassy is located.
Romania: Ceaucescu's Repressive Machinery
Nelson Duque at The View East discusses the repressive role of the security service, Securitate, in Ceaucescu's communist Romania.
Hungary: Acquittal of Accused War Criminal
Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum writes about the trial against and acquittal of Sándor Képíró, accused of the 1942 Novi Sad Massacre, in Serbia during World War II.
Cape Verde: Blog Tears Down Statements on Climate Change
“Droughts are a well known fatality in Cape Verde (…) long before CO2 started rising”, argues the blog EcoTretas (EcoBullshit), while tearing down alleged misinformed statements from Al Gore's The Climate Reality Project.
Grenada: Justice Isaac Dies in Canada
The Caribbean Camera acknowledges the passing of “the honorable Julius A. Isaac, Canada’s first black Chief Justice”, who “ironically…died on the eve of one of the festivals he helped formulate – Caribana.”
