Stories from 8 March 2007
Haiti: Make Women's Day Matter
After reminiscing disillusioned early engagements with Haitian feminist groups and an instance where she was not allowed to commission her son's birth certificate without her husband's authorization, Nancy Chapoteau of Notedor.com concludes (Fr): “When will there be concrete and just actions in our country in women's favor? … Haitian women,...
Belize: A Mayan homeland
Godfrey Smith outlines some of the complexities underpinning the establishment of a Mayan homeland in Belize.
Bahamas: Not coming soon to a theatre near you
Nicolette Bethel speculates on why the film Amazing Grace, which touches upon the abolitionist movement, will probably not be shown in the Bahamas.
Barbados: Black and white at Royal Westmoreland
Barbados Free Press takes issue with a luxury resort's portrayal of racial dynamics in the country.
Africa: China vs US
The Varsjinskij Prophecies sees a possible collision between China and the United States in Africa, “The fact that Hu’s visit and the announcement of AFRICOM coincided was most likely a coincidence. The Pentagon has been planning AFRICOM for years, and China’s involvement in Africa is hardly new. That said, it’s...
Cuba, Cayman Islands: Civil disobedience
Ziva has high praise for the immigration officers in Grand Cayman who violated the Cayman Islands’ memorandum of understanding with Cuba and offered assistance to a group of refugees fleeing the latter by boat.
Jamaica: Debate on marital rape
A parliamentary committee debate on the Act that governs marital rape in Jamaica proves blogger Ria Bacon's point that “ratifying and adopting are easy; actually implementing change is more of a challenge.” Bacon recounts how a remark by a senior member of a leading women's NGO restores reason to the...
South Africa: will you come to lead the Boers?
A very controversial post about a controversial South African song, De la Rey: “Up goes the cheer, and then comes the song – an Afrikaans folk number about a Boer war general that has become a sensation in South Africa as an anthem for young whites who say they are...
Africa: women and smoking
Jackie Tumwine asks, “Does tobacco empower the African woman?”: “The low female smoking rates in Africa are due to the social and cultural taboo against women smoking and not due to health awareness. The tobacco industry, in order to maintain profits, is steadily breaking these cultural norms through its aggressive...
Nigeria: open for business
Blogging from TED conference, Ethan Zuckerman writes, “As a precursor to the sorts of African thinkers we’ll be seeing in Arusha at the TED Global conference, we’re honored to hear from former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She developed a fantastic reputation for change in Nigeria, stepping down as a...
Lebanon: How Much Will a Porcelain Hand Cost?
“I have a friend who had a wonderful idea: he wanted to have his right hand amputated. Very seriously. Went to see a surgeon, said, ‘How much does it cost, I'm ready to pay.’ He wanted to have a porcelain hand made to replace it,” writes US-based Lebanese blogger JiJ...
Lebanon: Egypt's First Lady
Lebanese blogger Asad Abukhalil gives us his two cents on what he thinks of Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak here. ‘She has such a natural and unaffected personality. She answered all the questions directly, intelligently, and informatively. In fact, watching the interviews make you realize more how annoying and artificial...
Lebanon: Saudi's Marriage Amusing
Lebanese blogger Asad Abu Khalil is amused that a 76-year-old Saudi has married a 15-year-old girl.
Armenia: The Best of YouTube
Joshua Kucera continues his user-submitted video tour of the Caucasus with the best of Armenia from YouTube.
Moldova: Martisor and Diaspora
Public Policy Watch writes about Martisor, “the celebration of beginning of spring, life and love in Moldova” by the Moldovan Diaspora in the United States.
Mongolia: Total Eclipse
Mongolia Matters notes that Mongolia will see a total eclipse of the sun in August, 2008, and says that travel companies are already offering tour to see the eclipse.
Latvia: Eurovision
All About Latvia writes about the country's Eurovision Song Contest entry this year.
The Balkans: Eurovision
“Get ready world the former Yugoslav republics are taking over Eurovision!” writes bganon in a comment to a comprehensive review of this year's entries from the region posted at Belgrade 2.0.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Coffee, Music, etc.
London Sevdah writes about the Bosnian way of drinking coffee and other traditions: “In Bosnia everything is fairly special and treated as such by most people – birth of a new baby, a game of football, coffee drinking, fishing and so on.”
Uzbekistan: School Reform
Registan.net says that plans to overhaul Uzbekistan's school system will lead to more corruption in education.
The Balkans: Yet Some More on ICJ Verdict
Bosnia Vault analyzes the ICJ verdict's “trends, consequences, and more.”
