Stories about History from May, 2007
Malawians on the world stage: academic honors, music, science and technology
There is one discernible theme running through the Malawian blogosphere in the month of May. This round-up focuses mostly on what these bloggers have written in this month, now approaching its end. One Malawian has received international honors for his contributions to world scholarship, while two female Malawian musicians have launched their latest music albums outside Malawi. One Malawian scientist calls for the Malawi government to put in place mechanisms to prepare for the looming disaster that might possibly be triggered by global warming, and two Malawians have made their mark in the world of technology. It has been a month of Malawians showcasing their mettle on the world stage, and here with it all.
New Book Examines Causes of the D.R. of Congo's Political Instability
Congopage offers a brief review of a new book by Gilbert Dzassabi, a lieutenant-colonel of the Congolese Air Force (Congo-Brazzaville) who studied in Russia and later in France, where he earned a Ph.D in political science. Dzassabi tries to explain why his country's troubled neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the...
Estonia: Part of Nordic Community
Itching for Eestimaa writes about Estonia's relations with its Nordic neighbors: “Estonia is too small and too far for serious investment when dollars and pounds can flow into larger, closer markets like Poland, Hungary, or the Czech Republic. For the Finns, Swedes, and to a lesser extent the Danes and...
Romania: Pilgrimage to Csiksomlyo
About half a million Catholics from Hungary and Romania make an annual pilgrimage to see Our Lady of Csiksomlyo, Csikszereda Musings reports.
India: Jesus and his missing years
varnam on the speculation surrounding Jesus's missing years. “The Jesus in India theory comes from author Holger Kersten who wrote a book about the same. Though without proof the idea comes from the observation that the teachings of Jesus are similar to Buddha who lived in India, 500 years before...
Cuba: Welcome The Beatles
“It’s taken the best part of 40 years but The Beatles have finally arrived in the part of Cuba where I grew up. Officially, that is,” writes Child of the Revolution, who thinks that the opening of a replica of the tavern where the Fab Four first found fame is...
Bahamas: Race Matters
“Race matters. And we need to talk about it in order to make it matter less.” Nicolette Bethel starts the discussion on race relations in the Bahamas.
Japan: Listen to the voices of the Tokyo fire bombing victims
112 people, including the victims and their families of the 1945 Tokyo fire bombing, are suing the Japanese goverment for an official apology and 1.2 billion yen compensation. On March 24, a trial hearing was held at the Tokyo District Court and blogger tokyodo-2005 urges that more attention should be...
Ukraine, Serbia: Investigating Political Murders
Taras Kuzio writes about political assassinations and pursuit of justice, and compares Ukraine to Serbia: “Ukraine’s fragile democracy is closer to Serbia’s democratising state than to Russia’s autocracy.”
Morocco: Restoring Fez
Moroccan blogger Samir updates us about the latest restoration projects in Fez. “While many people are busy restoring old houses in the Fez Medina, there are other projects going on that are making an important contribution to the life of the people in the Medina,” he explains.
Human Sacrifice & the Politics of Death
At Babilown, French-Beninian author Blaise Aplognan describes the religious and political function of human sacrifice (Fr) in ancient societies: “…its goal was to channel violence toward a (sacrificed) individual, toward the sacred realm, institutionalizing violence by supervising it and practicing it according to very precise rules and rituals.”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Mostar
Wu Wei visits Mostar (among other things, the unofficial capital of Herzegovina) and learns what Bosnia & Herzegovina has in common with Trinidad & Tobago: “At our meeting in Mostar, we were gently chided for talking about Bosnia. ‘Here in Herzegovina, we feel like Tobago must feel, when everyone talks...
Belarus: Priest Fined for Blogging
TOL's Belarus writes about Belarusian church, politics, the history of WWII – and a priest fined for blogging.
Bulgaria: '80s Hair Metal Bands
Petya explains “the Bulgarian enthusiasm for '80s hair metal bands.”
Latvia: Karlis Ulmanis
Peteris Cedrins of Marginalia writes about Karlis Ulmanis and his legacy: the man who, “seventy-three years ago, slightly over six years before Stalin destroyed [Latvian] Republic, […] destroyed [Latvian] democracy.”
Latvia: Interview with Aleksejs Tapins
Peteris Cedrins of Marginalia interviews Aleksejs Tapins of All About Latvia: Why do you blog? – […] At one point, it's become a search for my own identity. Who am I? Am I Russian/Latvian/American? I tried answering my own questions in hopes to show what some Russian-speaking people in Latvia...
Bangladesh: Indian Army and Liberation
The 3rd World View on the controversies regarding the Indian Army's role in liberating Bangladesh - “Now there are certain quarters in Bangladesh who try to ignore India's contributions and some think that it was India's game plan to divide Pakistan, their arch rivals. And interestingly there are some quarters...
Ukraine, Hungary: Sziget
Two bands from Ukraine – and Gogol Bordello – will play at Sziget music festival in Budapest August 8-15, uaMuzik reports.
Trinidad & Tobago: Journalistic Responsibility
Attending a conference on Haiti gets Trinidadian blogger Jonathan Ali thinking about stereotyping and the role of the media.
Anguilla: Homosexuality and Constitutional Reform
“We cannot allow ourselves to get side tracked when it comes to our Constitution. We have to be ready with our arguments when the British team arrives in Anguilla in July”: As one of Britain's last remaining colonies readies itself for constitutional reform, Corruption-free Anguilla examines the current legislation regarding...
Singapore: Museum's Online Repository
Noelbynature feels that the launch of an online repository of the collections from museums in Singapore a “great step forward in making the material cultures featured in the museums more accessible to the public”. The blogger further encourages the repository creators to “provide more details about the exhibits in their...
