Daily Archives: March 2, 2016

Nationality + Migration

Armenia News | Syrian Refugees

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A Spice of Home in Yerevan

Despite facing economic and cultural difficulties in integrating into their new home, Syrian refugees in Yerevan have injected new life to the culinary scene of the Armenian capital. Many are ethnically Armenian but have drifted linguistically and culturally from the Armenians of the Caucasus, providing a cultural silver-lining to the tragedy-driven reunion. EurasiaNet reports on refugees’ efforts to acclimate and the unique economic opportunities Yerevan’s restaurant scene offers.

Read more:
“Syrian Refugees’ Cuisine Helps Spice Up Armenia” (EurasiaNet)

Additional reading:
“Syrians in Armenia: Not just another refugee story” (Al Jazeera)
“Aleppo Market: Syrian Armenians bring ‘new flavor’ to Yerevan trade” (ArmeniaNow)

(Image Credit: Emma Grigoryan/EurasiaNet)

Religion + Belief

Russia News | Atheists

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Russian man faces possible year in jail after denying the existence of God online
  • Viktor Krasnov was charged in response to an online exchange in which he described the Bible as a “collection of Jewish fairy tales” and said “there is no God.”
  • Following the jailing of punk rock group Pussy Riots in 2012, lawmakers passed legislation that criminalized “insult[ing] the religious convictions or feelings of citizens.”
  • Despite Russia’s constitutional status as a secular state, President Vladimir Putin has led a campaign to promote traditional religious values to consolidate Russian national identity, long tied to the Russian Orthodox Church prior to the rise of the Soviet Union.

Read more:
“Russian Man Could Be Jailed For Saying God Doesn’t Exist” (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
“Russian Faces Up to Year in Prison for Denying Existence of God” (NBC News)
“Russian man in court for ‘no God’ Internet exchange” (AFP, via GlobalPost)

(Image Credit: via Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

South Africa Feature | Cape Malay

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Bo-Kaap and Post-Apartheid Gentrification

A once exclusively and now predominantly Cape Malay neighborhood in Cape Town, Bo-Kaap has become an attractive site for South Africans and foreigners of all backgrounds looking for cheaper residential alternatives in Cape Town’s revitalized downtown. While the neighborhood survived the apartheid-era banishment of non-white South Africans from the city, it now faces an identity crisis as gentrification encroaches upon the cultural integrity of the area, including religious life and property ownership. The New York Times reports on the history of the neighborhood and residents’ attitudes towards changes over the last two decades.

Read more:
“Muslim Enclave Forged in Apartheid Now Faces Gentrification” (The New York Times)

Race + Color + Ethnicity

South Africa Feature | Race

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The Festering Racial Wounds of South Africa

As university protests and social media rows have continued to erupt across the South African landscape, the legacy of colonialism and apartheid has continued to create sharp tensions among black and white South Africans. Black South Africans continue to trail their white counterparts significantly across several key indicators—including employment, executive representation, and living standards—while white South Africans have lashed out over being held accountable for previous generations’ atrocities. The New York Times examines some of the recent clashes.

Read more:
“Raw Tensions Over Race Fester in South Africa” (The New York Times)