Stories about History from August, 2009
Mauritania: A New Era?
Following a coup d'état a year ago, the election of the coup's leader, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, to the presidency, and the country's first-ever suicide bombing in early August, Mauritania continues to experience massive changes.
Russia, Ukraine: Medvedev's Letter
Leopolis analyzes president Medvedev's letter to president Yushchenko.
Russia: Xenia Larina on RFE/RL
Anatoly Karlin of Sublime Oblivion translates LJ user xlarina‘s post (RUS) about “her husband’s unpleasant experiences” with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Dominican Republic: Treasure Trove
Repeating Islands blogs about “the discovery of a ‘treasure trove’ of stone tools and the bones of several now-extinct Caribbean animals in a prehistoric water-filled cave in the Dominican Republic”, which may “give insights into the earliest inhabitants of the Greater Antilles.”
Barbados, Jamaica: Eye of the Tiger
Barbadian diaspora blogger Jdid has a message for the mainstream sports media: “I'm sorry Sports Illustrated and ESPN but the biggest story this weekend was Bolt's 9.58 seconds not Tiger losing some golf tournament.”
India, Pakistan: Reopening The Wounds
V. Krishna Ananth at Permanent Revolution discusses about the media hype on the recent book by former Indian foreign minister Jaswant Sing. In this book he challenged the theory that it was Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who insisted on a separate homeland for Muslims that forced the...
Poland, Ukraine: Łemkowszczyzna/Lemkivshchyna
Raf Uzar writes about “Lemko Land, better known as Łemkowszczyzna or Lemkivshchyna” and its people.
Hungary: Rudapithecus Hungaricus
Hungarian Spectrum leaves politics behind and turns to paleontology, writing about a fossil hominoid found in Rudabánya in Northern Hungary and known as Rudapithecus hungaricus.
Jamaica: Garvey's Birthday
Repeating Islands notes that “today marks the anniversary of the birth of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr…the first person to be declared a national hero of an independent Jamaica.”
Mexico: Anniversary of Fall of Aztec Empire
On August 13, Jesús Chairez commemorates the 488th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec empire in Mexico by visiting Tlatelolco, also known as the Plaza of Three Cultures, which is the site where Emperor Cuauhtémoc was defeated by the Spainards.
Egypt: The Nile Basin Treaties
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia discusses the Nile basin treaties between Egypt and its African neighbours in this post, which sheds light on the current crisis on the great river.
Pakistan: Independence Day Celebrations
This year, Pakistani bloggers had launched their special campaigns to celebrate the 62nd Independence Day of Pakistan on the 14th of August. Using blog posts and Twitter messages they reflect their thoughts on this special day.
Haiti: The U.N. & Elections
Dying in Haiti publishes an article by Bob Corbett which speculates as to “why the United Nations could keep so silent about the fraud during Haiti's April Senatorial elections and the June runoffs”, adding: “It's time to make some significant changes; now.”
Cuba: The Maleconazo
August 5th marked the 15 year anniversary of the largest uprising of discontent the revolutionary government of Castro faced since the early years of the triumph of the revolution: The Maleconazo.
Pakistan: What Is There To Celebrate?
Today is the 62nd Independence Day of Pakistan. Raza Rumi at Jahane Rumi posts his reflections on celebrating the day.
Haiti: The Revolution & Human Rights
Repeating Islands reports that an international colloquium, scheduled to take place in Port-au-Prince, will examine “the universalization of the social, economic, political, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of human rights in the context of the legacies of the Haitian Revolution.”
Palestine: Gaza War Cemetery
In Gaza, Canadian activist Eva Bartlett writes about a visit to the Gaza war cemetery, where over 3,600 soldiers of different countries are buried.
Cuba: Concert for Peace?
The Cuban Institute of Music has announced that popular Colombian singer Juanes is scheduled to perform at a "concert for peace" in Havana come September 20th. Cuban bloggers are divided on whether the event is a good idea.
China: Conversations with an Old Comrade on the Eve of the 60th Anniversary of the PRC
C. Custer from ChinaGeek translated a widely circulated blog post called “Conversations with an Old Comrade on the Eve of the 60th Anniversary of the PRC“. Chinese netizens believe that the post was written by senior Party official Wan Li. Part One and Part Two.
Suriname: Questions Seeking Answers
Artist and curator Christopher Cozier, blogging at Paramaibo SPAN, seeks to “generate a fertile exchange…towards transforming predicaments into mutually shared sovereign understandings.”
China: An “old comrade” urges re-evaluation of the CCP
Qian Gang gave some backgrounds of an article, “Conversations with an Old Comrade on the Eve of the 60th Anniversary of the PRC”, which has been circulated widely on the Internet, calling for reflections on the Chinese Communist Party's rule at the eve of 60th anniversary of the establishment of...
