Harkis - oubliés de l’histoire

Patriote pour certains, traître pour les autres, arabe extrémiste délinquant immigré pour Mr. tout le monde, un petit groupe francophile musulman désorganisé pour politiques en veille électorale.
Telle est la triste histoire actuelle du Harki - un apatride condamné et discriminé (exemple).

Qu’est-ce qu’un Harki ?
Quelle est la différence (physique, linguistique,…) entre un Harki et un Algérien ?

Aucune.

Tous deux viennent de la même contrée, ont des ancêtres en commun, sont musulmans, sont génétiquement les mêmes, ont leurs histoires inscrite sur cette terre d’Algérie. Comme vous le verrez plus bas, cette distinction est purement “politique” (pour plus d’infos, ici et ici).

1830, l’Algérie devient colonie française.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted on by tanguy
Filed under: FRANCAIS, expériences interculturelles, immigration, sociétés, populations, tendances | 4 Comments »

ABC - American Born Chinese

Cantonese lyrics / English subtitles (by “Jin” / “Learn Chinese”). Read the lyrics, and you’ll understand why I believe this song is of interest. Bear in mind it is a “rap” song.

An ABC is a person of Chinese ethnic descent, born in the US - second generation or later ones. They usually are the best integrated “ethnic chinese” within the USAmerican society (which sounds quite logic).

They do not especially live in Chinatowns (which is a bit of a cliché), but sometimes in more affluent suburbs (depending on the level of income and education).

It is interesting to note “Chinese” (as a visible identity) in Canada, mix the least with other ethnicities (numbers including CBC (Canadian Born Chinese)). The degree of integration depends as well on how populated and concentrated “Chinese” communities are (usually on the coast, groups are stronger than the ones in mainland US where they tend to blend more within the local USAmerican society).
So it goes with the Chinese language… ABC / CBC do not especially speak Chinese, sometimes they could express themselves within their (grand)parent’s local dialects, but could not read or write it. Please note that Jin sings in Cantonese which is a Guangzhou - Hong-Kong dialect.
official website, ABC-Jin

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Posted on by john
Filed under: America, Asia, ENGLISH, Languages, cross-cultural, ethnic, "race", multicultural, mixity, culture, literature, architecture, photography, art, society, demography, global trends, Zeitgeist | 3 Comments »

curtains. barriers. walls. fences. mind-closers.

« From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Varsovie, Berlin, Prague, Vienne, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucarest et Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow. » (Fulton’s speech). Iron Curtain

Iron curtain, Korea’s border, Israeli wall… just a shallow solution to much deeper problems, with anyway heavy consequences on the local population - usually depending on how long this separator has been settled… clearly creating cultural gaps at the end that can create huge sources of conflict. To my opinion, it might limit some insecurity problems, but just superficially and on the short term only. I believe indeed this can be the cause itself of deeper troubles on the longer term, rather than erasing them. A refusal to dialogue ?

Brandeburg Iron Curtain before 1989, pic from Crankyshooter1

The Iron Curtain, during the cold war, separated Europe in two different blocs, during 40 years in the wake of Nazi’s loss. Now that Europe is being “re”-unified, we realize that mentalities aside this former “border” are pretty much different ; mainly tainted by different economical experiences and lack of “political freedom”. One population had the possibility to travel, express itself. The other not. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted on by alban
Filed under: America, Asia, ENGLISH, Europe, Languages, cross-cultural, ethnic, "race", multicultural, mixity, society, demography, global trends, Zeitgeist, travel, war | 2 Comments »

Quiz 5 - Satellite spots you…

… but could you find out the locations hereunder (some are pretty tough, but I am sure you’ll grasp the main theme of this quiz) ?

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5

Any suggestions, please carry on… fairly abuse from the comment form :-)

Other international quizzes ?

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Posted on by john
Filed under: ENGLISH, Quiz, tests - are you from earth ?, religion(s), travel | 2 Comments »

Babel 2

Babel Tower imprinting

Other global babels

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Posted on by tanguy
Filed under: Global, Babel | 1 Comment »

Opening of the Arab Centre in Madrid

The new centre for research and dialogue between the West and the Muslim world, will seek to fight extremist-linked images of the Arab world. This is pretty much needed right now… don’t you think ?

Whatever our media strongly hammers us with (or “implies”) :

Moderate Muslims and moderate imams do exist.
Open-minded Muslims and open-minded imams do exist.
Muslim women not wearing chador do exist.
Muslims not praying 5 times a day do exist.
Muslims drinking alcohol and eating non-Hallal food do exist as well.
All Muslims respecting the Koran (drinking no alcohol, wearing the chador, respecting Ramadan rules…) are not especially brainwashed extremists ready to blast themselves on a petrol tanker.
Muslim husbands do not especially beat their wives, and do not especially hate jews or the western world.
Islam is not one united religion ; it does contain lots of smaller groups (a bit like Christians, Protestants, Orthodox,…) which contains lots of subgroups too.
“Arabs” does not constitute one united country.
Non-Muslims who are open-minded and respect Islam’s religion do exist.

(I can only agree with the message of this independent organisation (not related to the “Arab Centre”), which I have just discovered now & do not know much about)
Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted on by alban
Filed under: ENGLISH, Middle East, cross-cultural, ethnic, "race", multicultural, mixity, religion(s) | 3 Comments »

Les nations au temps des soviets

La région du Caucase, celle où l’on recense plus ou moins 80 langues différentes pour une population de 10 millions d’habitants (comme la Belgique) ; l’une des concentrations culturelles les plus riches de la planète, véritable carrefour entre l’Asie et l’Europe où communautés russophones, persanophones et turcophones se mêlent, et se divisent en une multitude de sous-groupes.

Derrière ce podcast de Radio Campus, la Radio de l’Université Libre de Bruxelles, on trouve une vision très bien documentée de cette région, ainsi qu’un indice de politiques nationales en Russie. L’invitée est Aude Merlin, Doctorante à l’IEP Paris, qui a défendu il y a peu sa thèse sur “les mobilisations identitaires et recompositions post-soviétiques : le cas du Caucase du Nord*”. Je vous invite à l’écouter. Ci-dessous, reprenant cette source, se retrouve une interprétation personnelle (et non un résumé fidèle de ce podcast) en rapport avec l’identité culturelle ; thème très cher à LocaLingo.com… “conclusions are yours”. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted on by alban
Filed under: FRANCAIS, expériences interculturelles, immigration, sociétés, populations, tendances | 1 Comment »

New version of the Pioneer plaque (proposition)

pioneer plaque message from mankind to extra-terrestrial

The added Colour range is from a past article about colours of mankind, to show about the diversity of the human race. No hair for the male, no more Kennedy haircut (more a “prison break” one), no more possibilities to determine his ethnic origin. Woman is now a woman, not a Barbie doll anymore (check). She waves her hand too (why should it be the man only?).

The second mission of this colour bar is to show as well one of the deepest traits of human beings : creativity and potential lack of logic in behaviour.

But well, how could we welcome extra-terrestrials if we don’t get along all together, and do not accept our cultural diversity ? Furthermore, why would these E.T. interprete this “wave of hand” as a sign of “open communication”, “we are in peace” ? Maybe in their own culture, they would consider such gesture as a rude one !

This other version below could be less hypocritical (do “we” really want them to come over and install themselves here on earth? Sounds like “xenophobia” …)
newly revamped pioneer plaque

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Posted on by tornado
Filed under: America, ENGLISH, Languages, cross-cultural, ethnic, "race", multicultural, mixity, humour, just for fun,... (really?), maps, society, demography, global trends, Zeitgeist, travel | No Comments »
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