The #art of Mughal manuscripts and miniature #painting was influenced by many different cultures and traditions, including Persia, #India, and Central #Asian.
The Mughal Empire was one of the most influential Islamic empires in #history, with a rich tradition of art & #culture.
The Mughal dynasty was among the richest and longest ruling in India,
also known for its impressive #architecture, including the Taj Mahal
NY Times:
Asked to Delete References to Racism From Her Book, an Author Refused
"It was the most personal story that Maggie Tokuda-Hall had ever written: the tale of how her grandparents met and fell in love at an incarceration camp in Idaho that held Japanese Americans during World War II."
Things you should know before you visit the #Philippines.
#KKK is everywhere. It is in our #history. It means “Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan” (in English: “Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation”).
The KKK is also known as #Katipunan. It was formed on July 7, 1892 as a revolutionary group against the colonial powers, in particular, the Spaniards.
KKK in the Philippines have absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with the American KKK. Do not use this to spread rumours that Filipinos are racists, like some Americans already did.
The word #negro simply means “black” or “dark”. It is NOT used the way it is used in North American and certain parts of Europe. It is used similarly the way Africans use it, black or dark.
We even have an island named “Negros” (it wasn't the original name), and the people born there are called in their local language as “Negrosanons”.
This is the most common stumbling block for many Americans, they assume—falsely—that Filipinos are racists for calling them ‘negro’. But, you see, there is no other meaning about this word other than black or dark. We even use it amongst ourselves.
We do not even differentiate between “white Americans” and “black Americans”. If you say you are from the US, you are an “American”, period. Even Filipinos born in America, to an extent Filipinos who acquired American citizenship, are also called “Americans”.
Related to #1 and #2, you can not and should never impose your foreign culture and sensibilities when in the Philippines. It will never work. You will be considered rude. And it will be interpreted as you, the foreigner, imposing your colonial/superior mentality on us once again like how and what your ancestors did to us. You will never experience the famous Filipino hospitality if you are like that here.
To borrow from the Romans: when in the Philippines, do as the Filipinos do.
Filipinos love to stare. Do NOT, and let me repeat that, do NOT interpret it as rude. When Filipinos stare, it is because they are curious about you, the foreigner.
If you talk to them, they'll usually ask the following questions:
a. Where you are from?
b. How do you like the Philippines so far?
c. Do you know Tagalog? (And they'll teach you some Tagalog words.)
d. How long are you staying here?
e. Are you a vlogger/YouTuber?
f. What are you doing here? (Vacation, business, etc.)
g. How is the weather here?
h. What is it like in your country and how do you compare it with the Philippines?
And many other related questions.
Don't get offended easily and be polite!
Our culture and sensibilities are very different from yours. Many of it doesn't translate well in English. What you might think as offensive is not locally. And what you might think is not, is offensive locally.
And be polite! It is an #Asian thing. Learn to use “po” and “opo”. ^_^
"#/BlackMastodon" is off-putting for the generally well-minded people, who are mostly white so far, or #Asian, but using their own language for a big part, so you will not reach many of them."
If "Black Mastodon" is offputting to a person who is not Black, then the simplest explanation is that they're a racist. Also, pretty inconsiderate to include the hashtag when it's meant for Black folks to find and affirm each other, not for your uninformed opinionating.
Just waiting to see if he responds or if he's muted me.
@blackmastodon
Might I share my Black experience of ending up on Mastodon?
I was with the queer disabled BIPOC art community on Twitter. They're more internet savvy than the average internet user. So groups within groups connected to groups of people.
Many were making comics online and selling at conventions since the days of Angelfire and Geocities. 1990s.
When sht began to hit the fans, folks had relied on twitter. Sure they had their own sites... but... #blackmastodon#blackfedi
...The generally well-minded people in the #Fediverse, who are mostly white so far, or #Asian, but using their own language for a big part, so you will not reach many of them.
Whenever I see negative feedback about the #fediverse, it is about:
being lonely
lacks discoverability
reach is poor
support for this and that is lacking
not welcoming for other people
All of the above, it has to do with what I've described in this quoted post, #ObservableFediverse. Meaning, one was only exposed to a very small part of the fediverse from that person's vantage point.
Let's take for example the #5 item. Is the fediverse not welcoming for certain groups of people, the minorities, the marginalised, those with disabilities, and often discriminated based on origin?
Have you seen those? More likely not. Why? “Observable fediverse.”
In #astronomy, an #ObservableUniverse is the part of the huge universe that we can observe from Earth. It is how far our current technology can reach.
It is the same in “observable fediverse”. What you see, what you are interacting with, is only what you currently have access to. Your “observable fediverse” relies on these factors:
The users in your instance.
The remote users and other servers your instance is aware of.
The people you are following (which include groups).
That is your “observable fediverse”.
Since you are not following a user who is following a Filipino, or is a member of an autistic group, there is very little chance you will see content from Filipinos and autistics.
Another reason of disappointment is misunderstanding what the “fediverse/global timeline” is. Here's the thing, it is just the public chatter.
Think of it as visiting a crowded public park. You'll hear all kinds of discussions. There are those that are offensive, and those that are not.
The “federated/global timeline” is also not the entirety of the fediverse. It is only what your instance/server is aware of. If what you most see are unwelcoming content, then don't look at it, or move to a new instance, or ask around. I'm sure your own instance will help you find like-minded individuals and groups.
That's your observable fediverse. The fediverse is not unwelcoming. My guesstimate is, no one account, no one server, have seen more than 1% of the entire fediverse. Just like how we haven't seen more than 1% of the entire universe.
Four [#native#languages spoken by #tribes in #Sarawak are now #extinct according to the national literary & cultural agency Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Sarawak director, Abang Haliman Abang Julai, said that according to #researchers the #Seru , #Pegu , #Bliun & #Lelak languages were now no longer in use.]
There's an expectation that if you're an #Asian#writer you should write stories with Asian characters, set in Asian places with Asian struggles.
I especially dislike reading/writing stories I dub "sad stories of Asians" that seemed so beloved in literary circles.
A writer friend with the same inclination was told by a prominent writer that "she should get to the root of why she doesn't want to write about your own culture."