Stories about Music from August, 2008
Guyana: No More Tunes
Living Guyana is in full support of the ban on loud music in mini-buses and thinks it should also be extended to private vehicles, while GT…Keep it Real says: “How boring will it be to take public transportation now, some people looked forward to get updates on the latest tunes,...
China: Flawless Girl at the Olympic Opening?
China Digital Times translated an interview with Chen Qigang, the General Music Designer of the Opening Ceremony, who revealed that the that the voice everyone heard singing at the Opening Ceremony was actually a pre-recording of another child.
Egypt: Did an Egyptian tycoon order the murder of a pop star?
Raed, from the blog Babylon & Beyond, discusses rumours surrounding the involvement of an Egyptian businessman with the murder of Lebanese singer Susan Tamim in Dubai, UAE. Another blogger, Zeinobiya sheds more information on the murder here.
Ukraine: Elton John + Leonid Kuchma = True?
uaMuzik quotes various sources claiming that the British singer Sir Elton John performed in Yalta last Saturday for the 70th birthday of Leonid Kuchma, former president of Ukraine.
Honduras: Concert by Guillermo Anderson
Sandra Erika Gómez of Oye Cómo Vamos [es] recently attended a concert by Guillermo Anderson at the La Fragua Theater in El Progreso, Honduras. His songs promote education, equality between men and women, as well as environmental conservation.
Guatemala: Indigenous Expressions of Art
On International Day of the World's Indigenous People, there is a celebration of indigenous peoples and how they express themsevles through the visual arts, theater and clothing. These are only some of the examples of artistic creative expressions in Guatemala.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Stupid is as Stupid Does
“It’s the glorification of ignorance, the association of dimness with your degree of blackness that troubles me”: Jamaican Marlon James is troubled by the pressure put on black people to “dumb things down”.
Jamaica: Independence Day
Jamaica just celebrated its 46th year of Independence from Britain and several bloggers marked the occasion with posts that ranged from thoughtful critiques to excited celebration...
Haiti: Black Chopin
AfriClassical profiles Ludovic Lamothe, “one of Haiti's most renowned classical composers”, whose méringue Nibo won a municipal contest in Port-au-Prince and celebrated the coming end of the U.S. Occupation in 1934.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Dubioza Kolektiv Censored
YakimaGulagLitteraryGazett reports that the Bosnian hip-hop band Dubioza Kolektiv has been censored from the Goražde Festival because of a song in which they criticize local politicians such as the Mayor of Sarajevo.
India: Music from South Asia
Why isn't South Asian music more popular in the West? More at Sepia Mutiny.
Russia: Kaliningrad Jazz Festival
Copydude comments on the Kaliningrad jazz festival, named after the local chain of pizzerias – Don Chento.