Category: Media Around The World

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Denmark Europe Media Around The World

Media Around The World: Denmark

Background on Denmark: The unified Kingdom of Denmark and conception of the Danish people came about around the eighth century AD. From around the 8th to 10th century, this was the Viking era, and they were a maritime people who sailed as far as Iceland, Greenland, and Canada. In 1397, Denmark merged with Sweden and Norway, which lasted until Sweden seceded in 1523. The Scandinavian territories had a series of wars in the 17th century that eventually caused Denmark to lose some of their territory to Sweden. They adopted a constitution and gave up absolute monarchy in 1849, then got to work industrializing and creating their modern welfare state. They were officially neutral in WW2 but they did endure German occupation for most of the war.

My visit: I studied abroad in Denmark! Outside of my home country of the US and a few short visits into Canada, it was the first big travel experience I ever had. I lived and studied in Copenhagen for four months, and during that time, I have also traveled quite a bit throughout the country, including Odense, Århus, Esbjerg, and the island of Fanø.

Fiction: The Complete Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

Denmark is one of the countries where I have a proper grounding of the media landscape without having to do much research for this specific project. Because I studied abroad there, I have taken a couple different university-level classes that are related to Danish literature. I would argue their two biggest contributions to literary culture are Scandinavian crime fiction and Hans Christian Andersen, who is a national symbol. We will get into the crime fiction later, in the rest of Scandinavia, but I want my official pick for Denmark to be uniquely Danish. If you are interested in a Danish crime fiction series, I would recommend Jussi Adler Olsen’s Department Q series.

Hans Christian Andersen has had a huge impact on culture, both in Denmark and across the world. He is perhaps best known for The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen and The Little Mermaid, but he was a prolific writer and had countless stories that have continued to be adapted or referenced up to the modern day. You can still visit his birthplace in Odense, and there are statues of his work across the city of Odense and Denmark more broadly.

Nonfiction: Out of Africa & Shadows on the Grass by Karen Blixen

This is, perhaps, an odd choice for a nonfiction book about Denmark. But the other options that seemed to come up were all about “what is hygge,” and frankly, I know what it is and I don’t need to be taught how to make my house more cozy. So I instead went with one of the most famous Danish writers and her most famous book, which I hadn’t read until this project.

Karen Blixen is a very good writer. Her descriptions of the landscape of Kenya are absolutely beautiful, and really transport you to the place. That said, the events of Out of Africa take place from 1914 to 1931 and the book was published in 1937, so do note that not everything has aged particularly well when Blixen talks about the native populations in the areas where she was living. But because of that, I think the book does capture the European perspective of colonization quite well. When she describes the native people living in Kenya as squatters on her land, it is telling. As much as my Belgian choice about their colonization of the DRC was an indictment on the worst version of colonization, the kind that even other colonizers balked at, this one is more of a look at what the average European would have been thinking about the way that their countries divvied up land in Africa.

Movie: The Hunt (2012)

I wanted to pick a film directed by Thomas Vinterberg, who was the first Danish filmmaker nominated for an Oscar in the Best Director category. That nomination was for Another Round, but my favorite of his is actually The Hunt. Both movies star Mads Mikkelsen, who is probably the most famous current Danish actor. The Hunt follows Mikkelsen as a kindergarten teacher who faces ostracization from his community after being falsely accused of sexually assaulting a child in his class. False accusations are a hard topic to handle well, and I found it really compelling. The acting, especially Mikkelsen’s, was so strong, and it created complex characters with such interesting relationships. In my Scandinavian crime fiction class, we spoke about particular tenets of this subgenre, and one of the key components was tapping into the collectivist sense of Danish society. The Hunt does this really well, focusing on the pain of being cut off from that community and the deep impact that has on our main character.

I would be remiss not to also mention my favorite Danish TV show, Rita. There are a lot of great Danish crime TV shows as well, but Rita offers more of a slice of life. It focuses on the life of a teacher and the relationships with her family, coworkers, and friends. There’s not much else to the premise but similarly, the acting and characters are just so good!

Reflections: Outside of the US, there is perhaps no country where I have spent more time thinking, studying, and talking about their media than Denmark. When I spent my semester in Copenhagen, I didn’t have to take any particular classes, so I ended up taking three literature classes in addition to one on criminology and one on Danish language and culture. Denmark has a lot of great options for books and movies and I would be happy to talk more about these with anyone!

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Asia Cambodia Media Around The World

Media Around The World: Cambodia

Background on Cambodia: Their earliest history starts around 800 AD, when the various communities were consolidated into the Khmer Empire. This lasted for many centuries, spreading Hinduism and Buddhism in Southeast Asia and this is the period where Angkor Wat was built. In 1863, Cambodia became a French protectorate, and declared independence from France 90 years later in 1953. During the Vietnam War, Cambodia had civil unrest that culminated in a US-backed coup, and the communist group the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975. They perpetuated a brutal genocide that killed about 2 million people, or a quarter of the country, between 1975-1979. They were ousted in 1979 when Vietnam invaded and there was conflict in the region until a peace accord was signed in 1991. Since then, they’ve slowly been trying to recover.

My visit: I visited Cambodia for six days on a solo trip. I started in Siem Reap, primarily exploring the Angkor temple complex, and then headed Phnom Penh, where I took a tour to some of the genocide sites and spent the rest of my time exploring the city. I loved the hotels I stayed in and was very impressed with their hospitality! The temple sites are amazing, and it’s a fascinating place to visit overall.

Fiction: In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

This one is a semi-autobiographical novel based on the author’s experiences living through the Cambodian genocide. The writing is very beautiful and it’s a moving story. Still, I would say of these three stories from Cambodia, I would recommend the other two over this one – what sets this story apart is the royalty aspect. That part made it less compelling to me. For me, the more interesting stories to come out of war are the ones about normal people, since it does make you consider what you would try to do to survive. Their level of privilege before the genocide begins makes it less relatable. It’s still a good read but the nonfiction pick was stronger, in my opinion.

Nonfiction: First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung

This is probably the most well-known memoir from the Cambodian genocide, even before Angelina Jolie directed and produced a film adaptation in 2017. It’s a powerful read. The author experienced a lot of horrors during the Khmer Rouge regime. After her parents were killed, she was trained as a child soldier, and it was a long time before she was able to reunite with her siblings. It’s a heavy read, but definitely worthwhile.

Movie: The Killing Fields (1984)

This movie is excellent. It’s based on a true story. It starts as the embassies are being evacuated in Phnom Penh as the Khmer Rouge takes over, and it focuses on two journalists, an American and a Cambodian. The American is able to escape, but the Cambodian journalist is trapped at the beginning of the regime. The movie splits its focus on the experience of the Cambodian journalist living through the regime, and his American colleague who is trying to find him and get him out.

It is also notable as one of only two movies where a non-professional actor won an Academy Award for acting! Haing S. Ngor, who plays the Cambodian journalist, was a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. He was discovered while attending a wedding in LA and went on to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Reflections: It’s not surprising that most of the media that is available about Cambodia is about the genocide. 50 years ago, Cambodia lost a quarter of their population, and the experience of that was brutal. It has left lasting scars on the country. The books and movies I found for Cambodia are heavy, but necessary to properly understand what they experienced in the 1970s. Even studying up in advance, it was still tough to go on the tour of the S-21 Prison site and the Killing Fields and learn about the details from locals. But I do see a place that is starting to heal, that has a lot of hope for the future. If you have a chance to visit, and experience their hospitality, and see the Angkor temple complex for yourself, I would highly recommend it.

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Belgium Europe Media Around The World

Media Around The World: Belgium

Background on Belgium: Its location surrounded by larger powers has led to Belgium being called “the Battlefield of Europe.” At various points, it was part of the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Hapsburg Spain, the Austrian Hapsburgs, and Revolutionary France. It has been independent since 1830 and was the first country in continental Europe to become industrialized. After it industrialized, it became a brutal colonizer of what is now Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Once those colonies became independent, it seems that Belgium turned that desire for conflict inward and its recent history is marked primarily by tension between its northern Dutch-speaking region, called Flanders, and its southern French-speaking region, called Wallonia. Most notably, after their 2010 federal election, they had a record 589 days without a government formation.

My visit: I’ve been twice. Once with Alan, where we based ourselves in Antwerp and focused more on the northern Flemish region, and a second time with Sam on a day trip to Namur from Luxembourg. It was important to me to see both the Flemish and Walloon regions of the country. I find their tension between these regions to be fascinating. The north is more economically developed than the south, which is clear at almost every point. If it gives you any indication, my first train trip in the Walloon region was an hour delayed. I’m not the biggest fan of Brussels, but I really liked Antwerp, Ghent, and Namur, and would definitely be open to returning to Belgium to explore more of their towns.

Fiction: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

This was originally published in 1995, but it’s been having a moment again after being republished in 2022 and it went viral on TikTok. People give BookTok a lot of shit for promoting books that aren’t good, but this one really is deserving of a second wind. It’s a bleak dystopian novel with feminist themes in the same vein as The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake. I didn’t realize it was from the 90s when I read it; it still feels fresh and as relevant now as it was then. I would definitely recommend it.

Nonfiction: King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild

I thought about saving this book for the Democratic Republic of Congo, but ultimately I couldn’t find anything else that interested me for Belgium and I found a different nonfiction book about the exploitation of the DRC for resources to read when I get there. And really, at least some of my reads about Europe should grapple with colonialism. Plus, as the author frequently reminds us, most of the sources he has are the voices of Europeans and not Africans due to the difficulty of getting local Congolese records given what was happening to them at that time.

This was such an excellent nonfiction book. It’s a heavy read, obviously, but meticulously researched and documented. I knew some of the details of what happened in the Belgian Congo, but King Leopold’s reign there was absolutely horrific. When all the other European colonial powers are looking on in shock, you know you’ve really gone beyond the pale. If you are at all interested in this period of history or European colonialism in Africa more broadly, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Movie: Man Bites Dog (1992)

I’ve only seen 2 movies rated NC-17, and this is one of them. The other was the director’s cut of Infinity Pool that I saw at Sundance 2023. Man Bites Dog is described as a black comedy crime mockumentary. The premise is essentially that the crew of filmmakers are making a documentary about a serial killer, and as the film progresses, they end up as accomplices to his various murders. It is violent and it vacillates brilliantly between funny and disturbing. I’ve never seen anything else even remotely like it. It’s definitely not for everyone but I am glad I stumbled upon it.

If you are instead interested in a movie that shows Belgium off well, even if it is not actually a Belgian movie… may I recommend In Bruges (2008), where two hitmen have to lay low after they accidentally kill an alter boy. It shows off the city of Bruges beautifully, and I think it is part of why that has become so popular as a tourist destination.

Reflection: All my picks for Belgium are extremely dark! Which is a bit surprising for the country whose biggest contribution to popular culture is probably Tintin, and who is well-known for chocolate, waffles, and frites. They were also a brutal colonizer, which explains the nonfiction, but I have no explanation for the others. To any Belgians reading: are you guys okay?

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Armenia Asia Media Around The World

Media Around The World: Armenia

For years, I’ve been interested in reading a book from every country and watching a movie from every country, as one of those stretch goals to expand my media consumption. But it will be easier to complete with some degree of accountability, so I’m going to start posting about it here! I’m starting with Armenia. For each country, I will choose a novel, a nonfiction book, and a movie.

Background on Armenia: It was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion back in 301 AD. Its location put it at the crossroads of many empires, including the Byzantine, Ottoman, Persian, and Russian empires over the various centuries. It suffered from a genocide during WW1 and about 1.5 million Armenians were killed. Armenia briefly declared independence in 1918 and then was pulled into the Soviet Union in 1920, only gaining true independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. It has ongoing border disputes with its neighbor, Azerbaijan, as well as with Türkiye for their refusal to acknowledge the Armenian genocide.

My visit: My friend Alan and I spent four busy days in Armenia, including a trip all the way to Tatev Monastery in the southern part of the country. They have beautiful landscapes, a lot of monasteries, and a unique winemaking culture that is only found in the Caucasus region. We based ourselves in Yerevan, the capital, and visited the genocide museum, the Mother Armenia statue, and the Cascades, as well as a couple truly haunted Soviet-looking theme parks. The food is an interesting mix of Middle Eastern and Eastern European cuisine, and they put pomegranate in everything. I really enjoyed my visit overall and felt like I saw a lot of the country.

Fiction: The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

This focuses on an American nurse who volunteers with the Friends of Armenia to provide aid to the refugees of the Armenian genocide, and ends up falling in love with one of the men she meets. Then there is a second storyline set in the present day, which follows the granddaughter of the main character discovering her family history. It touches a lot on the Armenian diaspora experience, which I liked, and I also liked the main character’s perspective of trying to give aid even as the local government resists their help.

Nonfiction: The Hundred-Year Walk: An Armenian Odyssey by Dawn Anahid MacKeen

This was a five star read for me. It alternates between the author’s grandfather’s journals, meticulously translated and fact checked wherever possible, and the author’s own journey to follow his steps in what is now modern day Türkiye and Syria. I read this before I traveled to Armenia and it gave me a much better understanding of their history.

Movie: The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

I first learned about The Color of Pomegranates while I was researching my trip to Armenia. One of the places you can go in Yerevan is the house of the director, Sergei Parajanov, which was turned into a museum shortly after his death. We put it on the itinerary and said “if we have time,” and then we ran out of time. Still, I found myself interested in tracking down the movie, which is considered a landmark in film history. The movie itself is meant to capture the life of Sayat-Nova, an 18th-century Armenian poet. The experience of watching it is something of a fever dream. I’m not sure if I would say I…. understand the film, but it was certainly an interesting watch. It’s got some beautiful color grading and cinematography.

Reflections: A lot of the book options in Armenia are focused on the genocide. It’s been about 110 years, and the country is still reconciling with what they went through. What I like about this particular set of the fiction and nonfiction books is that they focus on different elements, so it gives a more holistic picture of the events that occurred during this time frame. I also found it interesting that most of the book options I found in my research were from the Armenian diaspora, instead of people currently living in Armenia. I suppose that the genocide and conflict in the early 20th century led to a lot of refugees.

Overall, a strong start for this project! Next up is Belgium.