· March, 2013

Stories about History from March, 2013

Digitizing the National Library of Vietnam

  12 March 2013

Since 2006, the the National Library of Vietnam has partnered with the Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation to digitally preserve the special collection of the library which features some 4000 ancient texts in Hán and Nôm, the former ideographic writing systems of Vietnam.

The State of Torture in the World in 2013

  10 March 2013

On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]: “A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to...

A Zimbabwean Salute to Hugo Chavez

  9 March 2013

Zimbabwean blogger Takura Zhangazha salutes the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez: “In mourning Chavez from Zimbabwe and from Africa it is key that we remember him for his principled global leadership example and his people centered policies and politics.”

Hissene Habre Victims’ Long Road to Justice

  9 March 2013

Jacqueline Moudeina writes on Pambazuka.org about the inauguration of a special tribunal in Senegal, to bring Hissene Habre, former dictator of Chad, before the courts [fr]: “Being a victim, is a condition in which we languish without the ability to recover, as long as justice has not been served. The...

Activists Worldwide Mourn French Author Stéphane Hessel

  6 March 2013

Writer, human rights advocate, and French resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel, whose bestselling manifesto on peaceful uprising inspired the disenchanted of Europe and the United States to organize into protest, died on the night of February 26, 2013. He was 95. A peaceful march is planned on March 7, 2013, the day of his funeral.

The Conflict in Mali: Who is Fighting Whom, and Why?

Since the bloody conflict in Mali began one year ago, the crisis has evolved in fits and starts, all the while immersed in a historical framework that the mainstream media too often oversimplifies. Here we will try to unpack the complexities of the conflict by putting into context the violent fighting currently engulfing the northern African country.

Violence Holding Youth Hostage in Guinea

  3 March 2013

Diallo Thierno Sadou [fr] analyzes the political situation in Guinea where violence erupted between police forces and the opposition since February, 27. The fightings has led to multiple casualties and lootings in the capital city Conakry. The current governor of the city, officer Sékou Resco Camara [fr], was charged in...