· April, 2010

Stories about History from April, 2010

Benin: Iyanda's diary in Benin

  30 April 2010

Funmi's diary about her visit and filming experience in Benin: “After all the mystery and hushed tones l had experienced during the research about the holy Aruosa church, l had expected a much more impressive building but the church was pretty nondescript.”

China: The 42th anniversary of Lin Zhao's death

  29 April 2010

Lin Zhao (林昭), a Peking University student, was arrested in 1960 during the Anti-Rightist Campaign launched by Mao Zedong in 1957 and sentenced to death on 29 of April (today) in 1968, 42 years ago at the age of 35. She could have exchanged for her freedom and life by...

Cuba: On Elections

  27 April 2010

Repeating Islands focuses on the Cuban elections here and here, while Generation Y explains why she has adopted “abstention as a form of protest.”

French West Indies, Haiti: Immigration then & now

  27 April 2010

Indiscrétions tells the story [Fr] of a Haitian girl deported from Guadeloupe by the French customs authority, for allegedly presenting fake identity documents at the airport, while Gwakafwika announces [Fr Cr] a conference about Guadeloupean immigration in Haiti from the 1800s to the 1900s.

Ukraine: Chernobyl's 24th Anniversary

  27 April 2010

April 26 marked the 24th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Ukrainiana writes about a 1990 movie, “an irony-packed perestroika-era drama offers an X-ray of Soviet crisis mismanagement.” Chernobyl and Eastern Europe reviews three documentaries on the catastrophe. Michael Forster Rothbart‘s Chernobyl photography project is featured in zReportage online magazine...

Martinique, Guadeloupe: Celebrating two great women

  27 April 2010

Imaniyé pays homage [Fr] to Martinican-born actress, Jenny Alpha, who, at nearly 100 years of age, is the oldest French artist alive, while CaribCreoleNews announces [Fr] two events in memory of Guadeloupe's first female lawyer, communist and feminist activist, Gerty Archimede, who would have turned 101 this year.

India, Bangladesh: The Distinctiveness Between Two Bengals

  26 April 2010

Before 1956, Bengali cinema meant cinemas from West Bengal (India) but the trend become distinctive afterwards in both the Bengals. Fahmidul Haq at Communication and Culture of Bangladesh comments that “the distinctiveness between two Bengals is getting clearer as time passes.”

Russia, Poland: The Truth About Katyn

RuNet Echo  23 April 2010

Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about Andrzej Wajda’s 2007 film Katyń, which has been shown twice in Russia in the past few weeks (reactions from the Russian blogosphere are here) – and comments that the truth about the massacre is “only coming out now in the former Soviet Union...

Trinidad & Tobago: Parties Unite

  22 April 2010

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog continues to report on the lead-up to the country's general elections on May 24, saying: “History was created at Charlie King Junction in Fyzabad when before a mammoth cheering crowd, the nation’s Opposition parties signed a historic ‘Declaration of Political Unity’, last night.”

Haiti: Part of History

  22 April 2010

The Haitian Blogger republishes an article by Melanie Newton which suggests that what happens in Haiti post-earthquake “is a question of world historical significance.”

Pakistan: Karachi Music Scene

  21 April 2010

“This is about a Karachi from a very different time. A Karachi that moved to a very different beat,” – comments Adil Najam at All Things Paksitan while discussing about the Karachi music scene from the 1960s into the 1970s.

Korean Pop

  20 April 2010

Ask a Korean! introduces the history and development of Korean Pop song.

Myanmar: Yan Byae Island

  18 April 2010

Speaking Out Loud writes about Yan Byae Island located near the coast of Rakhine State in Myanmar. The island was listed by a website as one of the “top ten places you don't want to visit in the world.”

Japan: People live longer, so do TV shows

  18 April 2010

Japan may be known for the longevity of its people, but the TV programs have a rich and long history as its population. There are some series that have been on air for more than half a century. What's interesting is its variety: everything from talk shows, news, and sports...