Stories from 19 July 2011
Malawi: Arab Spring Spreading South of the Sahara?
It's winter in Africa, south of the Equator, but the temperature in Malawi feels more like Spring - particularly that of the recent Arab pedigree. The Malawian air is rife with tension and anxiety over what is expected to be a clash between civil society and the Malawi government on Wednesday July 20.
Brazil: Improvising Recycled Electronic Art by Gambiologia
Gambiologia is a collective of artists from Belo Horizonte inspired by the “Science of Gambiarra” – a Brazilian “trend” of adapting, improvising and finding simple and creative solutions to all kinds of everyday problems – in the context of electronic art.
Russia: Women ‘Rip For Putin’ As Election Campaign War Begins
Russian 2012 presidential candidate Vladimir Putin is quickly catching up with his supposed rival Dmitry Medvedev in engaging guerrilla marketing techniques and new media to boost his campaign.
Ukraine: Revenge of the Oligarchs
LevKo of Foreign Notes discusses the trials against Ukraine's former Prime Minister, Yulia Timoshenko, and Interior Minister, Yuri Lutsenko, portrayed by Frankfurter Allgemeine as revenge by the business oligarchs of current President Viktor Yanukovich.
Ukraine: Odesa Film Festival
Leigh Turner, British Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about the Odesa Film Festival, set against the background of many famous films, not least Eisenstein's “Battleship Potemkin.”
Iran: Rage Against Pre-Islamic Statues
It seems that even statues are not safe in Iran. Religious motives appear to be behind the recent theft and destruction of several bronze statues of Iranian national heroes from public places.
Turkey: Protest Against Kurdish Singer Prompts Strong Social Media Response
Aynur Doğan, a Kurdish-Turkish singer, was jeered by part of the audience during an open air concert in the Istanbul Jazz Festival because she sang a song in Kurdish. Part of the audience sang the Turkish National Anthem in protest, while others in the audience supported the singer.
Bhutan: Tribute to the King
I Am Drukpa pays tribute to the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (the Fourth Druk Gyalpo) on the occasion of the third anniversary of the enactment of the constitution.
Lets Clean Bangladesh
The Dhaka Project (TDP) has launched a campaign called “Let's Clean Bangladesh”. On the 17th of July 2011 the TDP school team cleaned several streets in Dhaka to teach the community people to keep the society clean.
