· January, 2011

Stories about History from January, 2011

Haiti: About “Baby Doc”

  19 January 2011

“Préval, who will complete his mandate which runs from 2006 to 2011, has betrayed the aspirations of the Haitian people. Now he organizes the return of a dictator who should be judged for his crimes”: The Haitian Blogger translates a French blog post that opines about the return of Duvalier...

Cuba, U.S.A.: Effects of Lifting Travel Limits

  19 January 2011

“President Barack Obama's decision to loosen limits on travel and remittances from the United States to Cuba is a gift the Castro dictatorship has not earned”: Uncommon Sense links to an article which makes him surmise that “as a result, Cubans will have to wait even longer for freedom.”

Sudan: Chronicles of Darfur

  18 January 2011

Lidwien reviews a new book by Jerome Tubiana, Chroniques du Darfour (Chronicles of Darfur): “This is a unique contribution to the growing field of Dar Fur studies, which brings to bear on the war in Dar Fur the unique strengths and achievements of its author.”

Haiti: Duvalier Visit Political Red Herring?

  17 January 2011

A little more than a year after a debilitating earthquake practically leveled the Haitian capital and destroyed innumerable surrounding towns, killing thousands and leaving survivors homeless (tent cities are still full, despite millions of dollars in relief aid pledged), exiled dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to his homeland. Many bloggers are still stunned at this latest political development and remain unclear as to the motive behind his visit.

Cuba: Where Do We Go From Here?

  17 January 2011

“In 2011, the sad thing isn’t that history is repeating itself, nor that they might recognize their mistakes after so much time in power…what is inconceivable is that they keep following the same policies that led them to failure”: Laritza's Laws wonders about Cuba's future.

Jamaica, Guadeloupe, T&T, U.S.A.: MLK Day

  17 January 2011

“Dr. King's importance lies in his challenge to expand our moral imagination”: Geoffrey Philp and other regional bloggers pay tribute to the late American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Bulgaria: Bloggers Discuss the Soviet Army Monument in Sofia

  17 January 2011

The Soviet Army Monument in Sofia was built in 1954, in honor of the victory over the Nazis in World War II. Today, this monument is the subject of dispute between left- and right-wing political groups. Recently, a group of right-wing activists started a discussion in the Bulgarian society whether the Monument should be demolished or not.

Africa: Can white people be Africans? – Part 1

  14 January 2011

Can white people be Africans? Sentletse Diakanyo, a South African blogger, does not think so. He says, “Historically, the term “African” never had any ambiguous meaning. To Africans today it still does not have any ambiguous meaning. Africans across the continent and in the diaspora have long understood its meaning to refer to them as black people.”

Cuba: Forbidden Programs

  14 January 2011

Generation Y blogs about the upsurge in sales of pirated DVDs and music, commenting: “Absent from the public catalogs are the documentaries — so often watched in Cuban homes — that approach our national history through a different lens from the official.”

Macedonia: “Napoleon Bonaparte in Skopje?!”

  14 January 2011

Razvigor :-) finds some incorrect information in Croatia Airlines’ in-flight magazine: “I got an impression that the author received a briefing from an overly enthusiastic source, someone with a burning desire to accentuate the city's importance over the centuries, with little interest for the truth.”

Estonia: KGB Museum at Tallinn's Hotel Viru

  14 January 2011

Kerry's Eastern Europe Travel Blog on About.com writes briefly about a new museum that opened in Tallinn earlier this month: located on the top floor of Hotel Viru, it “preserves the equipment and rooms the KGB used to eavesdrop and spy on individuals for the first 20 years of the...

El Salvador: A Decade Since the January 13 Earthquake

  13 January 2011

Hunnapuh [es] asks if El Salvador has learned “the lesson” 10 years after the January 13 earthquake. Blogger “Jjmar” answers the question reporting that construction companies still build homes in vulnerable places, and that people still purchase and live in these high-risk homes.

Haiti: One Year Ago…We Remember

  12 January 2011

Today marks one year since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti. Haitian bloggers are remembering and paying tribute to the survivors of the disaster, while acknowledging that there is still a lot of work to be done.