Stories about History from January, 2014
China's Propaganda-Heavy New Year's Gala Fails to Impress Viewers
Known as Chunwan, the variety show regularly draws tens of millions of viewers every year and has become an essential part of Spring Festival celebrations. But its popularity is dwindling.
Old Video of Official Slapping Chinese Tennis Star Li Na Goes Viral
China's sports system is notorious for its abuse of athletes.
Everyday Ukrainian Life in 1942 Depicted Through Fifty Color Photos
As anti-government protests that started on November 21, 2013, burden Ukrainian life today, a vintage photo blog takes a look back on another harsh period of the country's history – through 52 amazing color photographs [photo] of everyday life in Ukraine in 1942. In 1942, like many other European countries,...
Lebanon: New Stamp to Commemorate Armenian Genocide
Lebanon will have a new national stamp released to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. The announcement was made by Minister of Telecommunications Nicolas Sehnaoui on Twitter.
So Long to Russia's Only Independent TV Station?
The only opposition television station operating today in Russia is now threatened with losing access to cable broadcasting, after a scandalous poll about the WWII Siege of Leningrad.
Qaraqalpaqstan, the ‘Forgotten Stan’ of Central Asia
Qaraqalpaqstan (or Karakalpakstan) is one of the least-known “stans” of Central Asia. Part of Uzbekistan, this region is a true gem for a curious traveler. On the Caravanistan blog, Steven writes about this “forgotten stan”: …Living under the shadow cast by the desiccation of the Aral Sea, this little-known stan has gotten...
Teaching Art During Vietnam War
The British Library blog features several art works made during the Vietnam War era. It also quotes Nguyễn Toan Thi, a guerilla artist during the war: Art classes were held outside in the forest until our schools were bombed: classes were then held underground. Art teachers and students shared the...
Indonesia Apology Urged Over Massacre of a Million Citizens in 1965
Human rights groups Tapol and East Timor and Indonesia Action Network have launched a campaign called ‘Say Sorry for '65’ addressed to the Indonesian government in relation to the reported killing of a million citizens during the anti-communist campaign of the government in the 1960s: In 1965/66, up to a...
Goodbye Alexandros Petersen, Prodigious Guide to China in Central Asia
On January 17, a Taliban suicide bomb attack killed sixteen people at a Kabul restaurant. Among them was Alexandros Petersen, an enlightening commentator on Eurasian affairs and a riveting storyteller.
China Arrests Ilham Tohti, Peaceful Advocate for Uyghur Minority
Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times accused university professor Ilham Tohti of being a separatist. His supporters maintain he opposes violence and independence for the Uyghur people.
Traditional Puerto Rican Saint Sebastian Street Festival Fills Every Corner of Old San Juan
The festival has lost much of its religious character, and has transformed more into a city festivity that attracts more than 300,000 people annually.
Rare Roma Holocaust Documentation Center to Open in Hungary
A Roma Holocaust center is planned to be opened in the southern Hungarian city of Pecs by the end of 2014. The documentation center is the joint effort of the local municipality of Pecs and the Hungarian Roma minority, and will also collaborate with the Pecs University in teaching students...
Despite Controversial Past, Indian PM Candidate Narendra Modi's Star on the Rise
Chief Minister of India's western state Gujarat Narendra Modi is a polemic figure for his hotly debated role in the deadly 2002 riots in the state between Hindus and Muslims.
South Korea Accused of Rewriting History in High School Textbook
The South Korean government is blamed for favoring textbooks that support their political views and grant them excuses for their past flaws.
Jamaica: MLK Recognises the Role of Garvey
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp uses the occasion of Martin Luther King Day to agitate for the exoneration of the late Jamaican Pan-Africanist, Marcus Garvey.
Remembering Congolese Leader Patrice Lumumba's Struggle Against Colonialism
Iconic freedom fighter Patrice Émery Lumumba was the first democratically elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was executed 53 years ago.
Hong Kong: Seeing Kitsch in Art
kitsch presents us with a fantasy, and feelings and emotions that we may wish to have but are not central to our actual experience of self. It trades in models and stereotypes, that at best we may aspire to or wish to believe, but nevertheless tell us nothing about ourselves.
History of the Translation of the Bible into Malay Language
Robert Hunt's paper on the history of the translation of the bible into Malay could provide more background into the current controversy in Malaysia where hundreds of bibles were recently confiscated for containing the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God. Non-Muslims are prohibited by law in Malaysia to use ‘Allah’...
The Faces of Those Affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Japanese researchers have published a digital archive of the recovery process of one of the areas hardest hit 2004 tsunami, the Indonesian province of Aceh.
Happy New Year from Philadelphia's “Drunk Racist Clown Parade”
The United States' longest-running folk festival is a dizzying array of bright colors, sequins, feathers—and racist stereotypes.
#ShamelesslyHaitian on Haiti's Independence Day
Haitians celebrate their culture with a creative hashtag on Haiti's independence day. Here's an interview with Bertin Louis who started the hashtag.
