Pakistan Unveiled: Malala Yusufzai and Poetry of the Taliban
"I can’t bring myself to read the Taliban’s poetry with an open heart. I may be a writer, but I’m a human being first and a woman second, and no art takes precedence over human life." -Bina Shah (Pakistan)
Ethiopiques: Dead Until Proven Alive
"In the absence of definitive evidence, no single piece of information is strong enough to stand against any kind of speculation, including the possibility of death."- Mesfin Negash (Ethiopia)
Ethiopiques: Letter to Kaliti Prison
"Dear Kaliti prison, I hope that addressing you as a legal person is not a crime in this age of ‘criminalization of life’ in our country..."- Mesfin Negash (Ethiopia)
Blind Chess: Clever as the Devil!
"The Yan’an Talks laid the foundations of 'thought reform...'”- Tienchi Martin-Laio (China)
Ethiopiques: Journalists as Political Citizens: Throwing Shoes and Words
"Should professionals suppress their political views whenever they’re wearing their professional cap, no matter the situation? "- Mesfin Negash (Ethiopia)
Pakistan Unveiled: It's not Honor Killing, It's Murder
"Forced marriage is a cultural tradition in Pakistan that needs to be stopped, not indulged or encouraged by any misplaced sensitivity to multiculturalism."- Bina Shah (Pakistan)
Night Watch: The Innocents' Club
"Like almost all Masters of Ceremonies of Stalinist totalitarianism, Münzenberg became a victim of his own conspiratorial machinery after completing his mission: Creating the values of the Left for the Soviet State."- Israel Centeno (Venezuela)
Corkscrew: Virgilio Piñera
"His work openly addressed the cruelty residing in the human heart, a cruelty that’s sometimes hidden from view but is always poised to attack a fellow human being."- Horacio Castellanos-Moya (El Salvador)
Blind Chess: The Empire Strikes Back (Tienchi Martin-Liao)
"If the wand of the Communist Party is pointed at you, the spell of any random crime will fall on you."- Tienchi Martin-Liao (China)
From Egypt: The Belly Dance
"...the corrupt politician, who is fighting to maintain power, seeks help from the belly dancer and her signature dance to triumph over the religious politician, who is fighting for complete political control of the country." -Hamdy El-Gazzar (Egypt)
The Revolution Evening Post: The One Thousand and 959 Deaths of Fidel Castro
"After being the man who held absolute power over a country for the longest period in world history, this death seems the most far-fetched precisely because it is the only one that is real."- Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo (Cuba)
Tea House: Zaganar, a Comedian who Works for Freedom of Expression
"Zaganar is credited with reviving the Burmese traditional performance Anyeint, a form of entertainment that combines dance, instrumental music, songs, and comedy routines."-Khet Mar (Burma)
Tea House: Htein Lin, The Master of Prison Art
" He painted in prison, using the white cotton uniforms as canvas. In the absence of brushes, he used his fingers, cigarette lighters, syringes, carved soap, and dinner plates to make his marks."- Khet Mar (Burma)
Ethiopiques: Is it Worth the Risk?
"Every time a journalist or activist is assassinated by drug cartels on the streets in Latin America, more passionate and courageous fellows join the profession before their fallen comrades are buried."- Mesfin Negash (Ethiopia)
Pakistan Unveiled: Afghanistan’s Anna Karenina
"...what is true is that a woman is dead because two men had complete control over her life."- Bina Shah (Pakistan)
This past year featured many thought provoking insights from our columnists who contribute to Fearless Ink. They covered various topics from dictators like the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, to marginalized artists like Virgilio Piñera, to current events like the anniversary of China’s Yan’an Talks.
The above slideshow features the 15 most read columns of 2012. Click on an image to see the original column.
