Stories from Quick Reads from April, 2012
Pakistan: Time is up, Mr Gilani
The contempt of court proceedings against Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is taking new twists and he may lose his premiership. Aamir Saeed has more on the story.
Botswana: Review: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Nana reviews The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, an interesting detective story set in Botswana: “It is unique, in that it brings both the old and the new together. It is not superfluous with its description of Africa as a tomb for the death and the dying and only inhabited...
Armenia: Art, Genocide, Westernization and Identity
Writing on Hyperallergic, Hrag Vartanian explains how he marked the 97th anniversary of the massacre and deportation of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The writer and art critic/curator took his mother to an exhibition of Armenian art exploring art, westernization and ethnic identity in the post-Genocide world.
Malawi: Time to Rebuild Brand Malawi
Austin explains why Malawi needs to rebuild brand Malawi: “Over the past year or so Malawi has not been projected internationally in very positive light. The warm heart has been mired in problems, shortages and intolerance of varying kinds and magnitudes.”
Kenya: Lilian Ikal Angelei Wins Environmental Goldman Prize 2012
Collins congratulates Lilian Ikal Angelei for wining the 2012 Goldman Environmental Prize:”Lilian Ikal Angelei is probably little known in her backyard Kenya however for the people of Turkana she is an acclaimed recusant fighting for the rights and the voice of the voiceless community against formidable financial institutions and Governments…”
Kenya: Chronicles of a Kenyan Farmer Nominated for Award
Chronicles of a Kenyan Farmer has been nominated for the Agriculture Category has been nominated in this years BAKE Blogger Awards: “BAKE(Bloggers Associaton of Bloggers) is a body that promotes content creation on the web in Kenya…”
Guinea-Bissau: International Reactions to the Military Coup
Following the military coup in Guinea-Bissau, on April 12, Angolan Foreign Policy Professor Belarmino Van-Dúnem wrote an analysis [pt] on the roles of the Armed Forces and the international community. ECOWAS talks to restore civilian rule during the weekend resulted on the decision to impose sanctions on the military junta....
Greece: Google Doodle for Filmmaker Theodoros Angelopoulos
Google paid tribute to the 77th birthday of the late Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer Theodoros Angelopoulos by releasing a doodle on April 27, 2012, depicting him behind a camera. Angelopoulos died in January, when he was hit by a motorcycle at Drapetsona (Port Piraeus, Greece) during the shooting...
Argentina: The ‘Mothers of Plaza de Mayo’ Turn 35
Lillie Langtry from the blog Memory in Latin America writes about the 35th anniversary of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina: “On Thursday, 30 April 1977, a small group of women met in the Plaza de Mayo with the aim of handing over a letter to then-president Jorge...
Haiti: Raoul Peck & the 2012 Cannes Festival
The award-winning Haitian movie director and once Haitian Minister of Culture, Raoul Peck [Fr], has been chosen to be a member of the jury of the world-famous Cannes International Film Festival, according to hpnhaiti [Fr].
Barbados: Racial Slurs for Winning Goal
Joel Ward, an Afro-Canadian ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals, who is of Barbadian parentage, was subjected to racial slurs on Twitter after he scored the winning goal in overtime of the decisive seventh game against the defending champion Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League playoffs.
Martinique: Where has Creole gone?
On Martinican collective blog Montray Kreyol, a recent post [Fr/Fr Cr] wonders why Martinique 1ère [Fr], which is the local relay of the French National Broadcast Network, Fance Television [En], has almost no Creole language spoken on air.
China: Kim Jong-Un Photoshop meme
Michael Ardaiolo from Shanghaiist has collected a set of photoshop meme circulated via Weibo in China on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Brazil: The sale of America's smallest city and thoughts of buying the Amazon
Janio, from Brazil, has written in his blog (“Made in Blog” [pt]) about the auctioning off of the smallest city in America, Buford (Wyoming), which has but one inhabitant. He draws a parallel “with a time when some activists from the developed world threatened to buy the Amazon, in order to...
China: A Hiker's Guide to Xinjiang
Josh from Xinjiang – Far West China blogs about his hiking experience in Xinjiang. He also gives very useful tips for hikers.
China: Populist Politics in China
Mary Ann O'Donnell from Shenzhen Noted blogs about her conversation with a friend about Chongqing former mayor Bo Xilai's populist politics which might have undermined the one-party political system.
India: Five Legal Points The Bloggers Should Know
Apar Gupta discusses about the legal concerns of a blogger and five legal points one should know while blogging in India.
The State And The Religion In South Asia
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the 5th President of Sri Lanka, posts in Groundviews an analysis on the state and the religion in South Asian countries.
Pakistan: Imran Khan's Popularity Is Visible
“When people start putting up your face and logo on their mud guards, it’s a sign that you are here to stay,” comments Tazeen on the growing popularity of Pakistani celebrity sportsman turned politician Imran Khan.
Africa: African Photography Blog
Visit Kilele, an African photography blog: “Firstly, it’s a personal blog so the majority of photos appeal to me in some way. Otherwise the blog has enabled me to discover emerging African photographers as well as see different images of Africa.”
Iran: Cockroaches and New Hijab Crackdown
Iranian bloggers protested against security forces who launched new hijab(veil) crackdown in Tehran. A Balatarin user published a photo of two agents and write they are like cockroaches when the weather becomes hot, they reappear.