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Culture News March 20 ‘07

A Random Collection of News and Notes on World Cultures

Expatriate blogger Ben Ross tries to explain American satire to his Chinese readers.

Somali Muslim cashiers at Target stores in Minneapolis are given the option of wearing gloves or being assigned to other duties after they refuse to touch pork products and some customers complained. Eating pork is forbidden in Islam, and some Muslims feel that selling or handling pork is also forbidden because it would make them complicit in the sins of others.

Manchu language in danger of extinction: There are only 18 living native speakers of the Manchu language, according to Chinese linguists and historians, as reported in the New York Times this weekend. Manchu was the language of the Qing dynasty, which ruled Chinese territory, Tibet, Mongolia, Xinjiang and Taiwan, from 1644 to 1911. After the dynasty’s fall, the Manchu became one of 50 ethnic minorities in China, which is dominated by the Han people, who represent 93% of the population. Experts predict that half of the world’s 6,800 languages will be lost by the end of the century.

Young Muslims in Cairo try to balance Islam and modern culture: inspired by preachers who broadcast on television wearing Western-style suits, young Muslims are presenting plays and making music videos that combine modern pop culture with “Islamically correct” sensibilities, according to the March 20 edition of the Wall Street Journal (subscribers only). Women who participate in the theatre troupe wear the veil. Music fans can watch slick videos from popular musicians such as Sami Yusuf, whose songs praise the Prophet Muhammad, on satellite television. Striving to reconcile Islam with modern living, these young Egyptians have generated debate among both liberal critics, who argue that the arts should not be compromised, and more devoutly religious critics, who object to the music used in some of the theatre performances.

French film music composer Greg Yu describes the inspiration he finds from being an expatriate living in Shanghai, with its diverse neighborhoods and cultures: “There so many sights and sounds here, it really is a creative place. Being a foreigner living here, I find music is a good way to transcribe the feelings I receive every day.” Yu, who says he is trying to create a “global, international sound,” grew up in France with a French mother and Chinese father, and only recently learned Mandarin, according to the Shanghai Post.

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