Stories from 29 November 2021
Making Turkish music in Hungary: Can this be a ‘Nasip Kısmet’ moment?
How fortunate is it to be able to play Turkish folk songs in Hungary, despite the anti-immigrant, Christian-values agenda of the prime minister, Victor Orbán.
In Azerbaijan, bullying in schools is still a problem
Ali Malikov, a high school senior, is boycotting his school after lack of action by the school administration and the Ministry of Education to address bullying and harassment.
Barbados forges a digital path by becoming the first country to establish an embassy in the metaverse
While operational specifics are still unclear, Michael J. Casey, Chief Content Officer at CoinDesk, which broke the story, says the Barbados government's move has the potential to be "quite disruptive."
Afghan women: Finally a book that speaks from inside its society
A female Afghan writer has just released "The Mountains Have Witnessed: The Story of a Girl Who Dared for More", a book that tells the story of Afghan women.
In Turkey women faced rubber bullets, tear gas from police as they marched to end gender-based violence
The protestors' main demand was for Turkey to rejoin the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty pledging to eliminate domestic violence and promote gender equality, which Turkey withdrew from this year.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan tighten the screws on media freedom
The Uzbek government banned entry to a foreign journalist, while in Kazakhstan journalists and activists were targeted by state security services.
Jamaica officially recognises the life and legacy of iconic wartime nurse, Mary Seacole
"[Especially during the] COVID-19 outbreak, when healthcare professionals have been similarly challenged by a pandemic, it is an appropriate time to mark her birth, life, legacy and example.”
An interview with media scholar Rose Luqiu about WeChat and techno-nationalism
"A major factor is censorship or 'coerced loyalty.' As other communication tools like Facebook and Twitter are unavailable in China. WeChat has a very special [monopoly] status in China."
‘In my country, I feared the war. But here I feared the Home Office': Asylum seekers speak on the UK refugee process
While the UK has some of the highest living standards in the world, financial resources and legal guarantees are scarce for the most vulnerable people.