Stories about History from December, 2019
A journey through Uzbek national identity on the Tashkent metro
In the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, the metro is much more than just a means of transportation — it's an open history textbook.
A look at the 2020 Taiwan presidential election through an online poster design challenge
As the election nears, netizens are election posters through the hashtag #GraphicDesignForDemocracy.
From Kenya to Ethiopia, these men received divine dream ‘maps’ to carve caves
Throughout history, many have questioned the veracity of divine intervention through dreams, but prophets from Islam, Judaism and Christianity have all testified to messages from God through dreams for millennia.
8 West African countries rename currency in historic break from France — but colonial-era debts persist
Changing the CFA franc to "Eco" does not change the fact that many West African countries are still locked in a legacy of debt to France in its colonial-era deposit system.
Protests, internet shutdowns and biryani: 2019 in South Asia
Overall, our coverage in the past 12 months highlighted stories of protests and internet shutdowns from across the region.
Family members preserve the memory of a worker killed during Brazil's dictatorship
In 1979, Santo was handing out pamphlets outside a São Paulo factory during a protest when he was killed by being shot in the back by police.
New documentary charts the RuNet's unlikely rise — and its fall
Twenty-five years on, Andrey Loshak's documentary series examines the ups and downs of Russia's internet, from its apparently idyllic beginnings to its uncertain future.
After costume controversy at Miss Universe, Jamaicans celebrate Miss World win
The furore surrounding a Miss Universe national costume that played up the horrors of slavery is assuaged by the #BlackGirlMagic of Toni-Ann Singh copping the 2019 Miss World title for...
Masterminds behind Ampatuan massacre convicted but campaign against impunity continues in the Philippines
"The past ten years have galvanized us, fortified our ranks. After the massacre, killings of journalists continued. Fifteen of our colleagues have been gunned down under this administration."
In the frenzy over the new $100 bill, Trinidad & Tobago's banking sector reveals its disrespect for an age-old practice
As Trinidad and Tobago makes the changeover to a new $100 bill, the country's Banking Association president declares the age-old cultural practice of "sou-sou" to be illegitimate, provoking an outcry.
Risk rooted in colonial era weighs on Bahamas’ efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Dorian
"The different ways in which Abaco and Grand Bahama were affected by the same event is an example of how disaster impacts are rooted in the historical development of society."
The intertwined origins of ‘kawaii’ and Japanese queer culture
"A major part of Rune's work that's rarely discussed is the work he did for the magazine Barazoku [...],the first mass-market magazine that catered to same-sex attracted men in Japan.
A new Pacific nation? Bougainville votes for independence from Papua New Guinea
"I lost 2 brothers during the crisis, and like countless others, reflect on the legacy of the conflict everyday. May we have a lasting peace."
‘Burning books and burying scholars': Book burning causes uproar on Chinese social media
"How come young people just talked about the environmental impact of burning books? Are they not aware of the historical symbolism of “book burning and scholar burying”?"
A 1990s Macedonian film set in 2019 foreshadows a xenophobic future
Like other sci-fi before it, it imagined the present year as a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Encounters with devils, angels and saints on the streets of the Czech Republic
On the evening of December 5, streets and squares of the Czech Republic fill with unusual characters: devils, angels and saints wearing tall hats.
Parody song remembers Eastern European fighters in WWII's Battle of Britain
Historians say that, without the help of Eastern European soldiers, Britain would not have beaten Nazi Germany.
Tears with truth: The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission
President Barrow’s triumph at the polls set the stage for "righting the wrongs" of the past. For Gambians, this interim leadership provided a reset button for transitional justice, following years of brutality.
On Twitter, this Brazilian writer illuminates stories from black history
Ale Santos became a Brazilian internet sensation by chronicling little-known historical events and characters on Twitter threads.
