· February, 2006

Stories about Ethnicity & Race from February, 2006

A Look at the Syrian Blogsphere

  26 February 2006

After a tense month of anti-violence campaigns, the Syrian blogsphere seemed to be quite calm this week… Discussions revolved about the new step from the US to give a $5 million to promote democratic governance and reform in Syria. While Joshua Landis of SyriaComment.com sees this step as a good...

This Week in Palestinian Blogs: Refugees Reloaded

  24 February 2006

News of the blogosphere… PSM (Palestine Solidarity Movement) Fifth Annual Divestment Conferece has taken place from February 17-19 in Washington DC, US attracting more than six hundred student and community activists from ninety different university and organization from across the US as mentioned in a report by The Hatchet. Witnesses...

Ukraine: Two Babushkas

  24 February 2006

Stefan of Dykun continues with his Ukrainian grandmother‘s story: how the languages and dialects Baba Omaha can speak – Ukrainian Poltava and Ukrainian Galician, Polish, Czech, Russian, German and Belarusian – reflect her life experiences. The Ranger of NVASHAG tells of his Ukrainian mother-in-law: Babushka Maria is turning 70 next...

Rwanda: problems with reconciliation

  24 February 2006

Rwandan Survivors publishes “An account of massacre & Problems with reconciliation“……..”There are still people with such bestial hearts; people who killed. You can tell they would do it again. Reconciliation is not the problem. The problem is that those who killed, ate our cattle and took our things run away...

Diaspora: Racism

  24 February 2006

African Immigrants reporting from Australia writes that the Australian government is demanding the new immigrants accept Aussie values.….”He has bluntly warned the radical Muslims and other migrants to respect the laws and liberties of the Australian nation or lose their right to citizenship.”

Cartoons & the history of race relations in the West

  22 February 2006

Gukira takes a new approach towards Western cartoons and puts the whole thing in an historical context.…”To trace a history of cartoons in Euro-America is to trace a history of race relations.” The conversation develops from there to a journey into ““black critical memory” – a place we all need...

South Africa – far right pt politics

  21 February 2006

Moral Fibre reports on the African Christian Democratic Party – the party that refused to accept the SA constitution in 1995 – “Like the Nazi Party abusing the democratic system in early 20th century Germany, the ACDP abuses the organs of our judiciary which it itself has explicitly rejected in...

African women blogging this week

  20 February 2006

As per usual, African women have blogged about a variety of issues over the last week. Incidences of violence are rising in Uganda as the country prepares to hold general elections next week. Black Looks writes about the volatile situation in the country and highlights the violations of human rights...

Barbados: Hair history

  16 February 2006

“It never ceases to amaze me how so many people (i.e causian folks) don't have a clue regarding black hair,” says Campfyah, who traces the trajectory of her hair and its various hairstyles in recent times.

World Chechnya Day 2006

  16 February 2006

David McDuff at A Step At A Time alerts his readers to the upcoming World Chechnya Day, to be marked on Feb. 23, 2006, in order to recognize “the suffering and genocide of the Chechen people as a human catastrophe of historic significance” and to show respect for “all victims...

Costa Rica vibrates with the Central American Music Festival

  14 February 2006

Feet are fiddling and fingers are drumming as many Costa Ricans wait for the PapayaFest, Papaya Music's tribute to San José as the 2006 Latin American Culture Capital, to begin on February 16th. Papaya Music is a Central American effort to unite musicians, researchers and producers who wish to bring traditional and popular composers into greater visibility and younger generation's attention.

Barbados: Coral reefs & racism

  14 February 2006

Titlayo reports that a yacht owned by US billionaire J. Paul Getty III has destroyed a portion of the coral reef off the west coast of Barbados, but she's even more dismayed at this comment: “Well, man, he got a lot o’ money. He could afford to build back that...

Racial diversity in London

  14 February 2006

Soul on Ice discusses racial diversity in London……….”Pakistanis hate Indians for some obscure reason. Jamaicans dislike Nigerians who have nothing good to say about them. People of Jewish extraction are always looked upon with some senseless suspicion. But still we cross-pollinate and a run to my local market in Deptford...

Caribbean: Racism in cricket?

  14 February 2006

Trinidadian journalist Vaneisa Baksh joins the debate on racism in cricket going on at the Cricinfo – Wicket to Wicket blog with a susbstantial article which concludes that, while racism certainly exists in the Caribbean, it rarely manifests itself these days in the context of West Indies cricket.

Ethiopia: Message to the youth

  14 February 2006

Ethiopian Politics writes a message to Ethiopian youth asking them not to make the same mistakes as older generations…..”These are the pitfalls my generation has fallen prey to, but you the hope of our new Ethiopia, must avoid at all cost: · Ethnocentric jingoism, Intolerance for political dissent, Cultural insensitivity