Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from April, 2012
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.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Attitudes to Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution
Caucasus Conflict Voices posts early data from a 2011 household survey by the Caucasus Resource Research Centers revealing attitudes to the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
Video: Mothers Around the World Share Their Different Experiences
In the International Museum of Women, the current online exhibit is all about mothers. MAMA: Motherhood around the globe explores the different aspects of motherhood through video interviews to women in Nigeria, Kenya, Afghanistan, USA, Colombia, Hungary, China and Norway.
Armenia: Does the world need to recognize the Armenian Genocide?
Following this week's 97th anniversary of the 1915 massacre and deportation of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire, vgratian asks its readers “Does the world need to recognize the Armenian Genocide?”
Turkey: Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Istanbul
April 24 marks the 97th anniversary of the massacre and deportation of around 1.5 million Armenians living in the then Ottoman Empire. An emotive issue for many Armenians and Turks, the anniversary was also commemorated in Istanbul.
Kazakhstan: Borat credited with tourism increase
RFE/RL's Transmission blog says that despite once protesting how ‘Borat’ depicted the country, Kazakhstan is now crediting the 2006 film with increasing ten-fold the number of tourists visiting the country.
Georgia: Concerns over Lazika development
Writing on The PIK.TV blog, the channel's English-language editor, Tbilisi-based Nicholas Alan Clayton, comments on plans to construct a new city in Georgia. With little transparency in planning the Lazika development, recently referred to as an ‘instant city in a swamp’ by the New York Times, the blog says that...
Armenia: A Tale of Two Nations
Security, in the Caucasus and beyond…. comments on the 97th anniversary of the massacre and deportation of 1.5 million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Considered an act of genocide by many historians and countries, the blog explains why the events are still very much politically relevant to both...
Armenia: Human Rights Organizations Concerned by Film Festival Obstruction
After threats, intimidation and incitement to violence led to the cancellation of a film festival to be held in Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri, nationalists have attacked a human rights organization for the same, prompting concerns about freedom of expression.
Russia: Writer Yuri Dombrovsky's Biography
The Faculty Of Useless Knowledge writes about Yuri Dombrovsky, “one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.”
Iran: Turning a Page on Racism Against Afghans
Rumors that Afghans living in Isfahan, Iran had been banned from picnicking in a park during Iranian New Year celebrations, caused an uproar online with Iranians expressing solidarity with Afghans against racism.
Armenia: The mob rules
Unzipped again comments on last week's cancelled festival of Azerbaijani films in Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri. The blog concludes that the campaign and demonstration against local peace activist Georgi Vanyan illustrated that the ‘mob rules’ and “state structures in Armenia failed to protect constitutional rights and freedom of...
Azerbaijan: Emin Milli speaks at Amnesty International conference
Emin Milli, one of the two ‘donkey bloggers’ detained in July 2009 and later conditionally released in November 2010, posts the transcript of his speech delivered yesterday at Amnesty International UK's National Conference.
Azerbaijan: Free Bakhtiyar Hajiyev
NetProphet comments on the case of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, a young activist in Azerbaijan who was sentenced to two years in prison on what international human rights groups consider politically motivated charges, and a new campaign to have him freed.
Armenia: Support for Georgi Vanyan
Following the cancellation last week of a festival of Azerbaijani films in Armenia amid threats of violence, alternative voices online comment on the campaign targeting the organizer, peace activist Georgi Vanyan.
Kazakhstan: Hockey Star's Wife Leaves Her Mark on the Kaznet
Stacy Dallman, wife of former NHL hockey player Kevin Dallman, is likely to be remembered in Kazakhstan for a long time to come. Chris Rickleton explains why.
Armenia: Nationalist Threats Against Local Activist
Just weeks after one example of censorship in Armenia comes another with local peace activist Georgi Vanyan receiving abuse and death threats from nationalists opposed to screening Azerbaijani films in the country.
Tajikistan: Where Size Matters
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon knows the political capital to be made out of large, ostentatious public works projects. Yet Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and one of the least able to afford such lavish displays of architectural excess. Chris Rickleton reports.
One Day on Earth: Worldwide Collaborative Music Video Released
A new music video has been released in preparation for the worldwide screening of the Global Collaborative film One Day on Earth, which will take place in locations all around the planet on Earth Day (22 April, 2012). The video features musicians, poets and dancers captured on film all during the same 24 hour period in 10 October, 2012, artfully recut and remixed by Cut Chemist.
Azerbaijan: Anti-virus software and machine translation
NetProphet comments on the release of Azerbaijan's first domestically produced anti-virus software, named after the country's capital, B.A.K.U. Launched at an expensive hotel, the event was not without its glitches, however, and most notably with invitations plagued by grammatical errors from what appeared to be machine translation. Amused, social network...
Armenia: Straight to the village
With a GDP per capita estimated at just $5,400 in 2011, Armenia is one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union. The situation is particularly noticeable in the villages of the landlocked country, but one foreign diplomat hopes to change all that.
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