Stories about History from July, 2020
COVID-19 has accelerated digitalization but will Tunisia log on?
COVID-19 accelerated digitalization in Tunisia like no previous government could achieve, gaining more digital momentum in a single month than it had in prior decades due to corruption and inaction.
Former prime minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, dies
"There is no economist working today in this region of the world who has not drawn on the wisdom, rigour and intellectual fearlessness of the [Right Honourable] Owen Seymour Arthur."
It's been 30 years since the attempted coup in Trinidad & Tobago
"Given that an unequivocal apology may never be obtained, we citizens must be the drivers of effecting our own reconciliation."
The 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre: Remembrance amid genocide denial
“... the glorification of war criminals inflict[s] tremendous suffering on the survivors and their families. Leaders in the region have publicly denied the genocide, even calling Srebrenica a hoax..."
Since George Floyd's murder, black Barbadians are becoming more vocal about racism
Through their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, young activists are challenging the status quo.
Cambodia continues to block memorial activities honoring murdered political analyst Kem Ley
Four years on, the government is still ignoring calls to set up an independent commission to investigate the murder.
Tanzanians debate the meaning of new ‘lower-middle-income’ World Bank status
The World Bank’s updated classification of Tanzania as a middle-income country has evoked a national debate about what development means and how it should be measured — as election season approaches.
Authorities in Republika Srpska accused of burying genocide memories in tourism bid
The Vilina Vlas hotel hosted unspeakable crimes during Bosnian War in the 1990s. But it is still being billed as a haven for family breaks.
The Uyghur Meshrep: A traditional community gathering censored in China
While Uyghurs have for centuries celebrated male bonding and cultural transmission in a ritual of music and conversations, China is now banning the original concept of the tradition.
Sudan uprising: Nertati sit-in, the new wave
On June 28, citizens in Nertati, Darfur, held an ongoing sit-in with several demands: An end to armed militia attacks on civilians, disarmament, the arrest of perpetrators and agricultural protection.
COVID-19 leads to closure of popular bookshops in Bangladesh
"There are so many second-hand books with probably no more copies in the world… many valuable documents of Bengali literary culture will be lost like this."
Milan Kundera's first Czech biography: Another public dressing-down in his homeland?
"An optimist can still hope there will be a time when the debate around Milan Kundera will overcome its long-lasting neurotic phase."
Remembering the heartbreaking words of Yugoslavia's war-struck ‘Lost Generation’
"Never in my life [did I imagine] I would shoot at someone or that someone would shoot at me. How can this be? It's not right."
