· January, 2012

Stories about Migration & Immigration from January, 2012

US, Russia: The Flying Balalaika Brothers Bridge Cultural Gaps in Texas

  30 January 2012

Like many of their compatriots, musicians Zhenya Kolykhanov and Sergey Vaschenko emigrated from Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and have since established themselves in Austin, Texas. Through their band, The Flying Balalaika Brothers, and a non-profit called Musical Connections, they work to bridge cultural gaps by exposing Texans to international art.

Myanmar (Burma): Betwixt and Between

  27 January 2012

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging further support from the international community in Myanmar. Such engagement will be particularly important for refugees and internally displaced people.

Puerto Rico: Fear or Loathing?

  25 January 2012

Blogger Ed Morales reacts to the column published in Huffington Post Latino titled “Fear and Loathing in the Island that Doesn't Exist,” by Mónica Gutiérrez, which has stirred controversy on how Puerto Rico is depicted, imagined, and constructed.  

North Korean Defectors and Their Shattered American Dream

  25 January 2012

Marmot's Hole blog wrote regarding a news report on the hardships North Korean defectors face in the United States. As of 2011, more than 400 North Korean defectors were living in the United States and there was a surge of defectors after 2004 when US passed the North Korean Human Rights...

Hong Kong Rethinks its Relationship with Mainland China

  24 January 2012

15 years after Hong Kong's return to mainland China, Hong Kongers have little mood for celebration. Tensions run deep between Hong Kongers and mainlanders. Bloggers and social critics explore recent conflicts from the social, cultural and economic perspectives.

Russia: Moscow Population Cuts

  17 January 2012

Kyle Keeton of Windows to Russia reports that the Moscow government is planning to reduce the number of people residing in over-crowded central Moscow, hoping for people moving to suburbs and surrounding cities.

Guyana: All Kinds of Cowards

  12 January 2012

“I’s afflicted with the kinda cringing-minging-tiptoeing timidity that people don’t take seriously”: Guyana-Gyal “decide[s] to embrace [her] Inner Coward.”

Libya: A Letter from a Woman in Benghazi

  10 January 2012

A Libyan woman from Benghazi is criticizing her countrymen for marrying non-Libyans after the revolution. She states that Libyan women are not getting rights equal to those granted to men in an open letter posted on Facebook. Mohamed ElGohary provides a translation from Arabic.

Cuba: Tradition of the Three Kings

  6 January 2012

“I know we've been exiled for 50 years now, but some traditions we still keep. Even if they are now mostly just as a nod to our heritage”: My big, fat, Cuban family and babalu celebrate Three Kings Day.

Jamaica: “Official” Languages

  6 January 2012

Under the Saltire Flag is proud of the job his uncle has done as Chairman of Jamaica’s electoral committee, following the country's recent general elections, noting that he “made one unfortunate comment leading up to the elections. He said that all electoral officers should speak ONLY in English”. The blogger...

Puerto Rico: Emigration Nation?

  5 January 2012

“Over a 6-year period, covering 2005 to 2010, more than 178,000 of My Brethren left Our Island, a reported 28,000 in 2010 alone”: Gil the Jenius wonders “what…this historic reversal of Our population dynamic mean[s].”