By Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands has the lowdown on this year's Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.

By Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands has the lowdown on this year's Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.

By Veronica Khokhlova

Belgraded writes about the planned revival of “the one big regional lottery” in the former Yugoslavia and does not “miss the opportunity to point out just how stupid nationalism is.”

By Ndesanjo Macha

A short lesson in Angolan music from Isacorreia: “Semba is a typical Angolan genre rooted in traditional carnival rhythms, such as kilapanga, rebita, kazukuta and kabetula…Kizomba is a new Afro style and semba is an old one.”

By John Kennedy

In the latest Karate Kid movie, does Will Smith's kid kick Chinese butt or is he actually the one getting bullied? That depends where you watch it, writes the Shandongxifu blogger.

By Portnoy Zheng

Karen Yu announces on okogreen blog that the “2010 Food and People Film Festival”(zht)-co-hosted by fair-trade coffee shops and environmental NGOs-will be showing 4 documentaries on each friday through out September. The 4 documentaries are We Feed The World, Sustainable Table, Bullshit, and Black Gold.

By Mong Palatino

The top bloggers in Indonesia are fashion and lifestyle bloggers who are mostly young ladies. Who are they and why are they popular?

Multibrand notes that blogs have increased in Indonesia and the most popular blogs deal with fashion

…since the blog was introduced in Indonesia in the early 2000, the number of bloggers has increased three times in 2009.

What's interesting is that according to Indonesia Matters, the only site that provide blog ranking, the chart toppers are fashion bloggers who are mostly young ladies

Maverick points to the shift in the themes chosen by young bloggers

There has been a shift on what’s popular among blogs though. In the early years the most popular blogs were IT-based blogs. Then came public affairs and socio-politics, together with personal journals about daily life.

In 2009, however, blogs dedicated to hobbies and lifestyles, particularly fashion, started to take off.

Diana Rikasari, the most popular fashion blogger in Indonesia, is also the #1 blogger in the ranking of Indonesia Matters.

From the blog of Diana Rikasari

Evita Nuh is another famous fashion blogger. She is only 11 years old.

me, moi! I'm a girl and just turn 11 this year, ( yes people not 10 or 9 again, I'm 11! ) :D I'm all about fashion and photography, well i still got long road to walk… wish me luck ok! :D

I have facination with fashion ( soo much! )
I dress for express
not impress
I base most of my fashion taste on

what doesn't itch

I know the difference between

the good and bad fabric very well
itchy come with the bad fabric
trust me, my skin dont lie

dandan pol explains the link of fashion and internet

In term of stuffs, you could get fashion stuffs cheaper and easier by buying it online in which leads us to the Internet phase. Regarding fashion and lifestyle Twitter accounts, Twitter accommodates us in term of easiness of sharing links with others. The phenomenon of fashion and lifestyle blogger also supported by magazines that keep putting young bloggers and online shops in their articles and in return, it creates buzz among the people.

Nena comments on the rise of fashion bloggers

…the rise of fashion bloggers reflect our society now – more attracted to something “light”, practical, and that fashion resonates more with them than other issues. Perhaps it’s also related to the rise of creative people in the Indonesian fashion scene as well?

colson highlights a good point: Indonesian girls rule!

Well, if this is true, it is a good omen. It shows blogging isn't dead, it is alive and kicking ( in Indonesia). And - perhaps even more important-Indonesian girls rule.

By Janine Mendes-Franco

Annie Paul wasn't at this year's Reggae Sumfest, but thanks to Twitter, she's able to share all the details, here and here.

By Amira Al Hussaini

The View from Fez introduces us to horse riding in Morocco.

By Juliana Rincón Parra

Presidential Island

Humorous political cartoons provide a steam valve for Colombians and Venezuelans who tune into the web for different perspectives on current events through animated online web shows.

In Colombia, Internautismo Crónico (Chronic Internautism) and Parodiario TV provide commentary on recent events and in Venezuela, Chigüire Bipolar has established itself with Presidential Island. While Internautism doesn't have a specific series to discuss political affairs but just puts the characters in different situations as they arise,  Parodiario.tv has made a name for itself with Little Tyrant, a webshow featuring two versions of tyranny, a Right wing and a left wing represented by a green and a left character.   Venezuela's Presidential Island takes a leaf from TV Series LOST and casts  Latin American presidents and the Spanish King as castaways all together in a deserted island. Following, a selection from the shows.

In this episode of Internautismo, the presidents of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador all go to a popular 90's Peruvian Talk Show, Laura in America, a Jerry-Springer like show where double crossing, unfaithfulness and mystery babies made a daily appearance.  The show is called “I can't get along with my neighbors and they want to kill me” and Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president tells Laura all about his problems with Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's President, who denies giving rocket launchers to Colombia's enemies (while admitting he has given them many other things) while later on Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa denies he's been sleeping around with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), even though there's a secret video. At the end, in typical Laura in America style, guests are given the traditional rewards in the show: a sandwich cart and computer classes.

Meanwhile Little Tyrant, the Parodiario's cartoon, entertains with its visions of how bad leadership does not come with a specific party color. The popularity of this cartoon (released under a Creative Commons License) has resulted in the sale and promotion in Colombian book and music stores of the DVD with both seasons of the show. In this episode of Little Tyrant, based on popular Colombian children's rhyme “Rin Rin Renacuajo” , lefty tyrant and righty tyrant discover how to be an informant and learn important lessons along the way, such as how getting paid in advance can make all the difference.

On Venezuela's side, the highly entertaining Presidential Island, brought to us by Chigüire Bipolar shows us a more complex relationship between the Latin American nations. On this two part episode, the presidents are cast away in an abandoned island after leaving the Presidential Summit. They build a raft and decide to leave the island: however not all of them can fit in it as President Chavez from Venezuela suggests, so a soccer match is played between the aligned countries and the non-aligned countries and the winner gets to leave the island. The game is narrated by Spain's king. Watch Part 1 and Part 2.

And as an extra clip, here is the Illustrated Venezuelan History by RetroTV of Barinas, Venezuela:

By Ayesha Saldanha

Yimchunger Naga woman at the morung of Kutur village. Image via Flickr user Retlaw Snellac. CC BY-SA

Nagaland is a state in Northeast India, bordering Burma. The population of Nagaland, almost two million people, is tribal and the majority is Christian. Some Nagas feel disconnected - “racially, historically, culturally, politically” - from India, and have been fighting to protect the “unique identity” of the Naga people from mainstream Indian influence. Nevertheless, a different culture has been making an impact in Nagaland in recent years - that of Korea.

The term “Korean Wave” refers to the popularity of Korean culture around the world, but particularly throughout Asia. It has become a noticeable phenomenon in other parts of Northeast India such as Manipur. At community media initiative IndiaUnheard, Renchano Humtsoe has produced a video report highlighting concerns about the growing influence of Korean culture in Nagaland. She writes:

Korean culture is flooding into Nagaland. New trade treaties between India and Korea facilitated the exchange of Korean goods and enabled them to enter Nagaland with greater ease. Additionally, Nagas have long felt neglected by the central Indian government. This is especially the case with Naga youth. Many believe this lack of identity with central India informs Nagas’ embrace of Korean culture. […] Naga youth have now started to adapt Korean culture. Korean television channels, programs, movies, and clothes are popular among Naga youth. Korean companies are looking into investing in Nagaland. The Nagaland State Government has even taken steps to embrace Korean culture: it hosts an annual Indian-Korean cultural festival. However, this wave of Korean culture threatens traditional Naga customs. […] Traditional Naga culture is unique. Nagaland is comprised of sixteen tribes. Each tribe uses a unique language and has its own rich cultural traditions of dance, song, festivals and other key features. Korean culture’s strong pull on young Nagas will make it more difficult to preserve Nagaland’s important tradition and identity.

Writing at GroundReport, Stella Paul, the Communications Director for Video Volunteers (the organisation which established IndiaUnheard) talks about Renchano's video:

The most watched TV channel in the state is the Korean channel Arirang TV, the DVD and CD shops are bursting with Korean films, the hottest hair-dos offered by salons are the ones flaunted by popular Korean actors and actresses, shops are selling street fashion that are currently in vogue in Korea, cultural events in the state has special ‘Korean songs’ contests, sport events now have categories like ‘Korean wrestling’.

Otojit Kshetrimayum, Assistant Professor in Sociology at Sikkim University, in collaboration with Ningombam Victoria Chanu, writes an in-depth analysis of the nature of the diffusion of Korean popular culture through Korean satellite channels, music and movies in neighbouring Manipur state:

The introduction of cable television network has played a significant role in the dissemination of culture to other societies. [..] The Korean satellite channel Arirang is the harbinger of Korean wave in Manipur. Its popularity began largely due to the ban on Hindi satellite channels, which used to be the favourite channels of the Manipuris. They started to look for an alternative channel, which could give them wholesome entertainment.

Otojit writes about the Hindi channel ban:

Hindi films and Hindi television channels, except national channel DDTV, which is under the state control, were banned by one of the underground revolutionary organizations of Manipur in the year 2000.

Another key factor is the cultural proximity theory, which suggests that media productions from culturally affiliated countries have greater reception than those from more culturally distanced countries. According to Otojit, North Indian tribes have many elements of culture in common with the Koreans.

At The Marmot's Hole, a blog about topics related to Korea, Robert Koehler has watched Renchano's report and writes:

Somehow, I don’t think [TV presenter] Lisa Kelley ever expected to show up on Youtube as the face of Korean cultural imperialism.

He adds:

Of course, when [the Naga] are ready to be truly Korean, they’ll ditch Arirang TV in favor of NCIS and CSI: Miami.

Commenting on the post, Pvrhye says:

Any time I see people talking about “maintaining” the culture of an area from the voluntary action of those within the culture, I looks to me like outsiders like their quaint little villagers to play dress-up for them. If these kids don’t want to dress like their grandmother dressed, that’s pretty well the reality everywhere. If you want to maintain your culture, think about what really defines it and find a way to modernize that. The alternative is getting overwhelmed by people who do.

Another commenter, abcdefg, looks at why Korean culture is popular:

Korea is like the bibimpop of pop culture. One discerns a little bit of Japanese here, some American there; some bits of suburban stuff here, some 90s rap stuff there; some Korean seasoning here, some East Asian zeitgeist stuff there. Lots of various genetic muses compose Korean pop, and at this point as an admixture it seems to have gained its own identity; its elements aren’t unique but altogether it has its own sort of flavor.

The reason Kpop culture is catchy among other Asians? Because, it’s basic. The social values Kpop espouses are materialistic, shallow, and sexual. When a product appeals to such basic things, it is fulfilling. One can also say that Kpop is popular because it is the most compatible with modern American culture and as such it is the most identifiable to those who have been encultured under America and its Hollywood.

So, is there a real reason for concern about Korean influence on Naga culture? Is such influence an inevitable part of “globalisation”? Or is this just the latest fad that will pass in time? What do you think?

By Janine Mendes-Franco

“It’s July and Reggae Sumfest is fast upon us”: The Phoenix in a Gas House reports.

By John Kennedy

Big news last week from Reuters—”China accepts WTO ruling on entertainment goods” ; “WTO: China cannot use censorship to justify trade barrier”—didn't get as much coverage as one would expect, and some media that did run the story ended up taking it down.

The Reuters story refers to a letter signed by ambassadors to the WTO from both China and the USA in which an agreement was struck that would see China remove all barriers on imports of books, music, films and other entertainment products by March next year.

While not immediately obvious, as the Reuters report suggests, where on the WTO website the letter in question was published, a document which closely resembles it can currently be found on the website for the WTO Center of the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research:

“…China and the United States have agreed that the reasonable period of time for China to implement the recommendations and rulings of the Dispute Settlement Body (”DSB”) in the dispute China – Measures Affecting Trading Rights and Distribution Services for Certain Publications and Audiovisual Entertainment Products (WT/DS363) shall be 14 months from the 19 January 2010 date…”

Lack of further information on what would otherwise be a quite noteworthy achievement has left some questioning the news.

Nonetheless, the story was quickly picked up and widely reported on by a number of Chinese media; below are some comments made on the news.

Huanqiu:

支持贸易自由，反对强买强卖。中国市场应该开放，但是不需要的东西可以不买啊！否则强买强卖能说是贸易自由吗？

I support free trade, and I oppose being told what I can or can't buy and sell. China's markets should be open, and the things we don't need, we don't have to buy! How can it be called free trade if we're told what we can or can't buy or sell?

中国缺的是技术，不是文化！

What China lacks is technology, not culture!

既然已经开放了，那就让全世界的文化产品全部进来

Since [the market] is open now, let cultural products from all over the world come in

。。。难道。。。WOW以后版本都能通过审核了？

Wait…does this mean…future versions of World of Warcraft will all get approved?

NetEase:

中国保留两家国有电影发行公司，也无须提高每年引进20部外国电影的限额。还保护了中国政府对外国电影进行一定程度审查的权利。那么美国及其它外国企业引进的电影完全可以用审查不合格或者超过发行限额了来驳回。是这样吗？

China will still have its two state-owned film distribution companies, and won't have to raise its current limit of 20 foreign films per year. The Chinese government will also reserve its right to censor foreign films. Thus, America or other foreign companies bringing in films will still be able to reject the deal with claims of unwarranted censorship or distribution quotas, wouldn't you say?

Sina Military forum:

我们真正应该进口的是高科技而不是这些垃圾

What we really need to be importing is technology, not this crap.

麻烦不断

The trouble just keeps coming.

中国要的是科技，科技。科技啊

What China needs is technology, technology, technology!

中国的文化不好吗？ 需要竞争吗？

What's so wrong with Chinese culture? Does it need to compete?

Solidot:

只要审查不立法，就可以想怎么审就怎么审。而我们都知道审查是不可能立法的。

As long as censorship is done outside the law, they can censor whatever they like. And we all know that censorship will never be made into law.

只谈我知道的，电影审查从来没有被什么法规定过，审查什么全凭只心见性，电影界呼吁了多少年，说给个条文出来也行啊，不给，为什么不给大家都明白。所以就这么一个WTO的裁决，顶多一个备忘录什么的，怎么可能限制电影审查呢。你指望什么华纳公司像google一样犯葛，也不大可能。

Only speaking from what I know, film censorship has never been written into any law, and censorship that is carried out depends completely on who's behind it. The film industry has made a fuss over this for years, calling for a rating system, anything, but nothing has been done and no reason has been given. Which is why a WTO ruling like this, at most, is just for the record. How could it possible curb film censorship? Do you think Warner Brothers or whoever will be able to pull off something like what Google did? Don't count on it.

QQ News:

没有评论？

No comments?

新闻没被删已经算是奇迹。。。

It's a miracle alone that this news hasn't been deleted already…

In related news, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy will be attending the Shanghai Expo this week for “WTO Honour Day”, at which he will give a speech.