Stories about Migration & Immigration from January, 2009
Guyana: Dirty Laundry?
The new President of the United States is the Caribbean's darling, but the President of Guyana is having a tougher time of it. The latest controversy to plague him comes in the form of his ex-wife spilling the beans about their stormy personal relationship and Mr. Jagdeo's alleged failure to provide her with a divorce settlement. Bloggers, of course, are all over the story...
Cuba: Quelling the Rumours
Child of the Revolution confirms that recent rumours of Fidel Castro's demise have been just that – thanks to reports from Havana that the president of Argentina met with him on the last day of her visit to the island.
Armenia: Musings
Ara Balozian continues to ponder life, the universe and everything on his blog, Ara Home Page. In his two latest posts, the controversial independent writer and thinker considers what it is to be Armenian and contemplates the Armenian view of history.
Taiwan: Joyful Tibetan, finally
dino.utopia, a citizen journalist from Peopo, published a video clip of a party about how exile Tibetans in Taiwan use dances and musics to thank everyone who had helped them get official permit of residence and work. Before this positive outcome, they had a sit-in movement at the Liberty Square lasting for more than a month.(zh)
French Caribbean, Palestine, Israel: Economic Boycott?
French West Indians and Caribbeans have expressed their solidarity with the population in Gaza in many ways since the bombings began. Is an economic boycott one of them? Bloggers discuss the possibilities.
Caribbean: Obama's Day
Like the rest of the world, the eyes of the Caribbean were on Washington, DC yesterday, as Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Regional and diaspora bloggers - for the most part - could not contain their enthusiasm over this history-making moment.
Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Blogger Inauguration
For Trinidadian diaspora blogger Chookooloonks, a funny thing happened on the way to the inauguration – she was asked to host a Blogger Inauguration party! Check out the goings-on here.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: One Love?
Bob Marley's One Love was played at Barack Obama’s Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, prompting Abeng New Magazine to say, despite the ironies: “We are proud that the USA can borrow from us at a critical moment when the president-elect sells the idea that ‘anything is possible in...
Turkey: Hrant Dink Murder Unresolved
Journalist in Turkey comments on yesterday's anniversary of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and editor, Hrant Dink. The blog says that two years later there is no political will in Turkey to bring the masterminds of the killing to justice.
Turkey: Armenian “Martin Luther King Jr.” Commemorated
The second anniversary of a murdered journalist once again had the power to move mountains in strained relations between between Armenia and Turkey, two states separated by the biblical mount Ararat and an unholy history. Yesterday's commemoration might not have been on such a large scale, but newspaper articles, editorials, and reaction from bloggers show that the murder of a prominent member of Turkey’s dwindling Christian Armenian minority by a Turkish ultra-nationalist continues to shock the world.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Political Comparisons
As America gears up for the inauguration of President Barack Obama, diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp is reminded of “the euphoria that many Jamaicans experienced when Michael Manley was elected as Prime Minister in 1972.”
Czech Republic: Museum of Exile
CzechMateDiary writes about the Museum of Czech and Slovak Exile that has opened in Brno.
The Balkans: “Britić”; “Beyond Sarajevo”
Balkan Anarchist writes about Britić, a new British Serb quarterly magazine. Bosnia Blog is seeking “co-bloggers and writers for Beyond Sarajevo, a wannabe directory of many wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) things about Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.”
Serbia, UK: Stevo Jakšić, Rest in Peace
Alan Jakšić of Balkan Anarchist posts a moving tribute to his father, Stevo Jakšić, who passed away in June 2008.
Barbados, U.S.A.: Name Calling
“You going soon be inundated with children name D'Barack and Shabama and LaBama and such. Time to nip that in the bud”: Barbadian diaspora blogger Jdid wants Barack Obama to adjust his government's priorities.
Cuba: Watching the Numbers
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense links to statistics from”an unofficial Cuban human rights group”, which suggest that dissidents continue to be “jailed or prosecuted because of their political opposition to the regime.”
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Pre-Inauguration Poem
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp pens “a simple lyric, for Barack Obama”.
Cameroon: Interview with Côté Minou
Dulce Camer interviews Maryanne E. Mokoko and Stephanie T. Mouapi, the designers behind the fashion label “Côté Minou” launched in 2006. The interview includes several photos of their designs.
Azerbaijan: Civil Society, Opposition Groups Unite as Referendum Approaches
Better known for their bitter divisions and rivalries, civil society and opposition groups in Azerbaijan are slowly uniting as a national referendum aimed at removing the presidential two-term limit approaches. Perceived by many as a threat to democratization in the former Soviet republic and accompanied by a ban on foreign broadcasting in the country, blogs and social networking sites are being used to protest the impending vote.
Guyana: Speaking Up
“Last August during a Carifesta event, I witnessed what was akin to a public scolding of a young woman who dared to ask a panel of older Caribbean writers and educators why young people were not invited to be panelists for a discussion on the condition of the Caribbean. She...
Cuba, Chile: Official Visit
The Chilean President is scheduled to make a trip to Havana, during which she has declined to meet with a group of dissidents and former political prisoners. Child of the Revolution is disheartened by the news, saying: “Given Ms Bachelet’s experiences under the Pinochet dictatorship and her long-held commitment to...
