Stories about History from April, 2006
Japan: Yasukuni shrine visits
The Japundit links to a story in which recently-elected leader of Japan's Democratic Party Ichiro Ozawa suggests “that visits to Yasukuni shrine are the main cause of problems with Japan's neighbors,” a view which Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi rejected. Next up is a review of writer Hillary Raphael's first...
China: Tiananmen revisited
Richard from The Peking Duck updates on PBS’ upcoming documentary on the man who on June 5, 1989 stood in the way of a line of China's People's Liberation Army tanks pushing into Tiananmen square, and links to a website PBS has which focuses on that man. “I've just spent...
China: Qing Ming festival
An astute observation in a post at The Useless Tree regarding China's Qing Ming festival—which took place last week—in which people go and sweep the graves of their relatives: “If you go to a graveyard to sweep the tomb of your parents, and if you speak out about how they...
Dominican Republic: Deportees and film premiere
Daily Dominican Republic News reports that the US Immigration and Naturalization Service has deported 942 Dominican ex-convicts so far this year, and that the premiere of the film “The Feast of the Goat”, based on Mario Vargas Llosa's novel about Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, took place in Santo Domingo.
DRC: Is Tshisekedi an Extremist?
Over at Le Blog du Congolais, Ben-Clet analyzes (FR) the “180 degree turn” in the international image of UDPS leader Etienne Tshisekedi from sympathetic Mobutu opponent in the 90s to modern-day extremist. Among factors, Ben-Clet cites the fall of the Berlin wall, the fact that Congolese national interests often clash...
Ukraine: Promoting Books in Ukrainian
A group of Ukrainian LJ users concerned about the sorry state of Ukrainian-language book publishing had a lively discussion on how the situation could be improved. One blogger even drew a parallel with the Aymara language of faraway Bolivia. Below are just a few snippets of this conversation (UKR): swalllage-kits:...
Early European trader in Bali
Nick at baliblog writes about a Danish trader in the 1800s who helped put Bali on the trading map.
Caribbean: On mangoes
“I'm standing under the cool dark shade of my julie mango tree looking for my breakfast,” writes Attillah at The Pan Collective in her paean to one of the Caribbean's favourite non-indigenous fruit.
China: Tiananmen update
Writing from her blog T-Salon, Andrea mentions an upcoming television program which will look at the identity of ‘the Tank Man'—known to many as the Tiananmen square protestor who stood his ground against a line of incoming China's People's Liberation Army tanks on June 5, 1989. “I remember it was...
DRC: Resolutions from Belgian UDPS’ Last Meeting
Under pressure from UDPS sympathizers, UDPS will organize a conference on May 1st to answer questions and make available documentation on several questioned actions of the party and its leader Etienne Tshisekedi in the 1990s, writes (FR) UDPS Liege. The blog also announced that the party's next priority is to...
Ethiopia: Battle of Adwa
Ethiopundit remembers the Battle of Adwa which was a victory against colonialism for Ethiopia..“For the victors it was decisive; for the vanquished, catastrophic. The Italian colonialist soldiers were crushed. Their casualty figure was 70%; all their artillery pieces were captured, one out of four of their generals was taken prisoner...
Hong Kong: Remains of the war
BigWhiteGuy Randall posts on the unearthing this week of “a massive stockpile” of leftover World War Two explosives from just three feet below an inner-Hong Kong street. “From what I understand, the hills around the old West Brigade headquarters at the Wong Nai Chung Gap are still loaded with munitions,”...
Russia: Gorbachev's Intentions
Bob Granico of Publius Pundit points out how the Western media misinterpret Mikhail Gorbachev's intentions: “Gorbachev, in reality, worked hard during his time in power to preserve the Soviet Union, and he never intended for the captive republics to gain independence.”
Armenia: Cultural Destruction
Onnik Krikorian notes that Armenian cultural and religious monuments are not just being destroyed in neighboring countries but also in Armenia by Armenians.
DRC: Etienne Kabila on Brother Joseph Kabila
Le Renouveau Congolais posts (FR) an interview with Etienne Kabila, son of assasinated former president Laurent Kabila and brother of current president Joseph Kabila a.k.a. Hyppolite Kanambe. Mr. Kabila who is himself the head of a political party (MNPR) accuses the president of having brought a coup against their father...
The Balkans: Karadzic Picture
Balkan Ghost of Finding Karadzic post a picture of a man who could be Radovan Karadzic: “If true, it would be the only known picture of Karadzic in the last 10 years.”
Conversation between prisoners
James Wong Wing On of Freedom in Solidarity has an excerpt from the memoirs of Sybil Kartigasu, a member of the resistance movement during the WW II Japanese occupation. The excerpt is a prison conversation between Kartigasu and another resistance fighter, Toh Lung San, who was tortured and later beheaded...
Uzbekistan: Tamerlane's Curse
Olesya of neweurasia writes about a Russian television program about the legend of Tamerlane's curse.
China: Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai's death thirty years ago this year gave rise to the April 5th movement. Or was it May 4th? The Useless Tree gives us a refresher, and more. “There are no official commemorations of the 1976 demonstrations in the PRC today. The official party line is that the April...
Russia: How Russians View Stalin
W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes on how today's Russians perceive Stalin: “The attitude I have witnessed seems to be: ‘Yep, Stalin was bad, but that was a long time ago and what can you do about it? Things are different now … and you, as an American should...
Kenya: impact of colonialism on African women
Afrikan Eye writes on the affect of colonialism on African Women....”Firstly, women were affected by the alienation of land experienced by most Africans. However, women appear to have been more personally affected by this land alienation.”
