Stories about History from February, 2008
Trinidad & Tobago: Cultural Preservation
“Even as we fret about the loss of our historic architecture, we are losing the architects of our history”: Blogging from Trinidad & Tobago, The Liming House writes about the importance of preserving “our collective memory.”
Turkmenistan: Flag Day
Maciula describes the celebration of the Turkmen Flag Day and quotes Shokhrat Kadyrov who claims that the flag of Turkmenistan reflects the symbols of the Teke tribe rather than the whole Turkmen nation.
Trinidad & Tobago, Australia: de Boissiere Passes On
Blogging from Trinidad & Tobago, Antilles acknowledges the passing of author and centenarian Ralph de Boissiere: “one of the chief figures in the Beacon group, a circle of young, talented, ambitious writers that formed around the Trinidadian magazine of that name in the early 1930s.”
Russia: Volga Cars
History of Volga cars – at Windows to Russia!
Kosovo: “Western Protectorate” Tradition
“Kosova’s status as a Western protectorate, replete with a banal, EU-style flag, is therefore entirely in keeping with the tradition of earlier Balkan states that successfully achieved their independence under Great Power guidance,” writes Greater Surbiton.
Albania: Kosovo/Serbia Cartoon
Albanian Blogger posts an image “portraying Kosova’s declaration of independence from Serbia” – along with a “personal disclaimer.”
Kosovo: Views from the Russophone Blogosphere
According to the Yandex Blogs portal, over 3,700 posts on Kosovo independence have appeared in the Russian-language blogosphere in the past three days. Some of these posts have received dozens, if not hundreds, of comments. Below are a few snippets of this lively discussion, all translated from Russian.
African Intellectuals Critique Sarkozy's Dakar Address in New Book
Anandoo.net announces L'Afrique répond à Sarkozy [Fr], a collective critique of Nicolas Sarkozy's infamous Dakar speech by prominent African intellectuals, published in Paris this week.
Spanish reactions to Kosovo's independence
Two days after Kosovo's declaration of independence in spite of Serbia's opposition, the debate about the merits of recognising it as a state is still raging. Within the European Union, countries such as France, UK, Germany or Italy have recognized it, while others such as Slovakia and Spain have strongly opposed it as they consider that the declaration does not respect international law.
Caribbean: Castro – End of an Era?
The buzz in the regional blogosphere for the last 24 hours has undoubtedly been the retirement of Cuban leader Fidel Castro after nearly 50 years at the helm of the socialist republic. The announcement hardly came as a surprise, what with the last couple of years of anti-Castro bloggers closely following reports of the leader's deteriorating health and speculating as to whether or not he was even alive.
Serbia: Bloggers Discuss Kosovo Independence
Sinisa Boljanovic translates some more reactions from the Serbian blogosphere to the declaration of Kosovo independence.
Serbia: Anger, disbelief over proclamation of Kosovo independence
Ljubisa Bojic translates some reactions from the Serbian blogosphere to the declaration of Kosovo independence.
Ghana: Elections in Ghana
Ghana Elections 2008 blog's short history of elections in Ghana: “The leader of the then opposition NPP party John Kuffuor won year 2000 and 2004 elections. As per the constitution, John Kuffor can not stand for elections again in year 2008. Apart from the national elections for the post of...
Guyana: State of Insecurity
“It seems like only yesterday the Government said they had a plan, today 13 more souls lay cold as gunmen strike bold”: Guyana 360 experiences deja vu, saying: “This is the worst ever state of insecurity.”
Cuba: Castro Steps Down
Cuban bloggers are abuzz with news of Fidel Castro's retirement: Babalu Blog: “My emotions are in turmoil”; Child of the Revolution: “I know that when it comes to Castro, nothing ever is what it seems”; Review of Cuban-American Blogs: “Nothing has changed for him or Cuba”; 1Click2 Cuba: “Monarchs excepted,...
Syria: The Eighth Gate
Sasa, from Syria, writes about Damascus’ new eighth gate.. and you only thought there were seven.
India: History Carnival
varnam hosts the Indian History carnival – linking to posts across the blogosphere on various issues.
Soviet History: ‘Vdokhnovenie’ Chocolate
LaurenceJarvikOnline writes about the history of Vdokhnovenie chocolate.
Soviet History: Ban on Marrying Foreigners
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the 1947 ban on “marriages between citizens of the USSR and foreigners.”
The ‘historical reality’ of homosexuality in Africa
Blog politique au Senegal reposts an article about the “historical reality” [Fr] of homosexuality in Africa.
Ukraine, Russia: NATO Politics
Foreign Notes writes about Ukraine's NATO-related politics and the muted response to Putin's comment about re-targeting Russian missiles against Ukraine.
