Stories about Music from February, 2008
Carnival: Videos from around the world
One way to know about a culture, is to see how they celebrate and why. Many countries share a common festival, the carnival, and each country gives a distinctive flavour to the celebration. Carnival usually takes place during the weeks prior to Lent in Catholic countries, and it's usually a time to revel, enjoy and feast before the 40 days of fasting and prayer in preparation of Easter begin. Citizen videos show us how carnival season was spent this year in Bolivia, French Guyana, Goa, India and Croatia.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, USA: Sparrow Backs Obama
“The Mighty Sparrow is comparable as a lyricist only to Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff in the Caribbean,” writes Abeng News Magazine – and proceeds to post a song by the Calypso King of the World endorsing Barack Obama for the US Presidency.
Peru: National Treasures – Pisco Sours, Ceviche and Cumbia
Peru is often known for its archaeological treasures such as Machu Picchu. Others point to its natural and ecological treasures of the Amazon or Andes Mountains. Some bloggers have taken a different course, and pick national treasures that appeal mainly to the 5 senses.
Brazil: And the samba school winner is…
Beija Flor is the winner of this year's title of best samba school of Rio de Janeiro's carnival, reports Thiago Velloso [pt]. “The audience was shouting ‘twice champion’ even before the school started the parade”. There is a plugin in this blog for those who want to hear this year's...
Jamaica: Marley's Birthday
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp realised early on that “good writing, like a good life, cannot be built solely on negation” – and credits that awareness to Bob Marley's “ability to transform through word-power the consciousness of a generation and to show how life-affirming values could be transmitted in poetry through rhythm...
Nigeria: 2Face Idbla attacked
Last week, Nigerian superstar, 2Face, was attacked and robbed, Bella Naija reports: “Nigeria superstar, 2Face Idibia was attacked by armed robbers AGAIN! On Thursday last week, armed robbers attacked Tuface Idibia around 11PM in Anthony Village, Lagos State. The robbers allegedly got away with Tuface’s new Range Rover SUV.”
Kenya: Music for peace
Kenyan musicians make a music video for peace: “Musicians from around Kenya join to create a music video and song to help stem the violence in Kenya.”
Russia: “Medvedev, Liberal?”
Streetwise Professor insists that Dmitri Medvedev isn't liberal.
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Results
Caribbean Beat Blog posts a comprehensive roundup of results from Trinidad and Tobago's major Carnival competitions.
English Blogs From Cameroon
The historical legacy of colonial rule in Cameroon is reflected in the linguistic division of the country. It is divided between the French-speaking North and the English-speaking South. Although English speakers are the minority, the Cameroonian English blogosphere is very active.
Senegal: Akon makes no sense
Leo Africanus writes about Senegale-American musician: “Akon, the Senegalese-American musician, who styles himself as a ‘global’ political force of sorts, makes no sense in an interview in the March issue of the hip hop music and culture magazine, The Source”
China: Traditional Tibetan Song
Michael blogs his experience as a voluntary teacher in Jinyuan. He also posts a video with his students singing traditional Tibetan song.
