Blogs
“The Dancing Boys Of Afghanistan” - Examining Sexual Abuse
February 2, 2012 by Marcia G. Yerman
The prevalence of Bachi Bazi in Afghanistan is not well known. The term’s literal translation is “playing with boys.” Male children, in the phase preceding puberty, are sought out for a specific purpose. To be dressed in women’s clothing; taught to dance and sing; to be called upon to perform sexual acts.
"Chimes of Freedom" Celebrates the Power of Music and Activism
January 24, 2012 by cultureID
On January 24, 2012, in the United States and Canada (February 4 globally), Amnesty International is releasing Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International, a four-CD album set. It will be available digitally and in stores. Over 80 recording artists are part of the endeavor.
ETTA JAMES Winter’s Daughter
January 21, 2012 by Patricia Spears...
Johnny Otis, the great bandleader, producer and dj whom many thought was Black heard a 15 year old girl singing in his hotel bathroom (she was too bashful to sing directly in front of him) while her girlfriends sang backup. When she finished, he asked her age—she lied and the rest is American cultural history. Etta James is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because of her voice and musicianship. Her deep contralto gave voice to ideas of courtship, sexuality, sensuality, erotic yearning, conjugal bliss and romantic loss—in songs ranging from rhythm and blues classics such as “Roll with me Henry” “Tell Mama” and “Stop the Wedding” to standards such as “At Last” and “A Sunday Kind of Love”.
Angelina Jolie in a Live online Q&A
January 10, 2012 by cultureID
In the Land of Blood and Honey has been nominated for a Golden Globe® for Best Foreign Language Film. Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s, the film tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (pronounced Ayla) (Zana Marjanovic), two Bosnians from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a Bosnian Serb police officer, and Ajla, a Bosnian Muslim artist, are together before the war, but their relationship is changed as violence engulfs the country. Months later, Danijel is serving under his father, General Nebojsa Vukojevich (Rade Serbedzija), as an officer in the Bosnian Serb Army.