Amrita Pritam’s 100th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates Amrita Pritam, one of history’s foremost female Punjabi writers, who “dared to live the life she imagines.” Born in Gujranwala, British India, 100 years ago today, Pritam published her first collection of verse at age 16. She is most remembered for “Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu,” her poem lamenting the traumatic 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. The work’s title translates as “I Call upon Varis Shah Today,” referring to the 18th-century Sufi poet Waris Shah.

Widely considered the greatest 20th-century Punjabi poet, Pritam also published 28 novels including Pinjar, a dramatic tale set during the time of partition which was adapted into a movie. Her autobiography Kala Gulab (Black Rose), referenced in the Doodle art, revealed many details of her personal life, allowing other women to speak more openly about their experiences with love and marriage.

Known for her mastery of the Punjabi language, Pritam lived in Pakistan after the partition, but also wrote many works in Hindi and Urdu, as her work was admired on both sides of the border. Pritam also worked for All-India Radio and edited the literary journal Nagmani. In 1986, she was nominated to Rajya Sabha, the Indian parliament.

Throughout a six-decade career, Pritam received many prestigious awards including the Bharatiya Jnanpith literary award in 1981 and one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Vibushan, in 2005. That same year a French translation of her novel, The Skeleton, was awarded the La Route des Indes Literary Prize. 

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Early concept sketches by artist Vrinda Zaveri

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Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar’s 97th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and work of the esteemed Colombian artist Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, widely considered one of the most notable sculptors of his country. Born in Pamplona on this day in 1922, Villamizar was the son of a jeweler who studied architecture before achieving worldwide acclaim for his paintings and sculptures.

Exposed to international modernism on trips to Paris and New York during the 1950s, he met with early success. One of his pieces, The Black and White Painting, was acquired by New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1956, and two years later he won a Guggenheim award.

Upon returning home, he became a pioneer of abstract art in Colombia. His 1952 solo exhibition at the National Library of Bogotá was one of the first shows of abstract painting, and his 1957 Composition in Ocres was the country’s first non-objective mural. The curved shapes of his large El Dorado relief created for Banco de Bogotá were covered in gold leaf, a nod to pre-Columbian figures and Latin American goldsmithing. In later sculptural works, he translated the distinctive shapes of pre-Columbian art into abstract planes.

Villamizar represented Colombia at the 1969 São Paulo Biennial, winning the second international prize. He created the monumental 1974 piece Sixteen Towers atop the Bogotá hills, and the Colombian government awarded him the prestigious Cruz de Boyacá. His legacy lives on at the Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar Museum of Modern Art in his hometown, where much of the artist’s work is housed in a grand colonial home in Pamplona’s central square.

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Independence Day of Republic of Moldova 2019

Today’s Doodle depicts the Blue, Yellow and Red Flag of Moldova, as the Balkan republic celebrates its Independence Day. Although Moldova has been a sovereign state for less than three decades, the history and culture of this land date back to Medieval times.

Once known as Bessarabia, the region between the Carpathian Mountains and the Dniester River was part of the Kievan Rus before becoming part of the Kingdom of Wallachia, and later the Ottoman Empire. After being ceded to Russia in the 19th century, like many Soviet Republics, Moldova’s independence movement arose in the late 1980s. Holding their first election in 1990, Moldovans created a parliament, which declared sovereignty in 1990 and independence the following year.

The Moldovan flag flies proudly over independence Day celebrations today in the capital city of Chișinău, which include a parade featuring citizens in traditional folk costumes, wreath-laying ceremonies at memorials to fallen heroes, and public concerts.

Fericită Ziua Independenței, Moldova!

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Cesária Évora’s 78th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates world-renowned Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora. Born in Mindelo, a port city on the island of São Vicente off the West African coast on this day in 1941, Cesária grew up in an orphanage and began singing in bars and cruise ships as a teenager. Her specialty was morna, the bluesy national music of Cape Verde, which she would bring to an international audience—earning many accolades, including a Grammy Award.

Évora’s poignant voice was perfectly suited to morna music, and her life experiences imbued her songs of love and loss with unmistakable feeling. Known for performing barefoot, she sang in Kriolu, a blend of Portugese and African dialects, accompanied by piano, guitar, or cavaquinho, a four-stringed Portuguese guitar. Although she was invited to sing on local radio, and two of these recordings were released in Europe, she could not support herself solely with her music career and retired from singing for many years.

In her mid-40s, Évora traveled to Portugal for a recording session, where she impressed Josè Da Silva, a French concert promoter of Cape Verdean descent. Da Silva invited her to Paris, and starting in the late 1980s, Évora recorded several albums for his label, starting with La Diva aux pieds nus (“The Barefoot Diva”), which brought her to a new audience.

Évora went on to tour the world and won a 2003 Grammy Award for her album Voz d’amor, as well as two Kora awards from the African music industry.

Never distracted by stardom, she worked hard even in declining health and used her fame to help others, serving as an ambassador for the UN’s World Food Program. The airport on her home island of São Vicente was named in her honor, with a statue and mural commemorating the beloved “Queen of Morna.”

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Special thanks to the family of Cesária Évora for their partnership on this project. Below, her granddaughter Janete Évora shares her thoughts on the singer’s legacy.
 

Courtesy of: N’KRUMAH LAWSON-DAKU, PARIS, July 2009

My grandmother, Cesária Évora, was a true force of nature. Her family called her Yaya, which means “Grandma” in many Africa tribes. But her nickname actually came from my older brother, who couldn't pronounce “Cesária” when he was little. "Yaya" was his best effort at an abbreviation.

Despite her lack of formal education, Yaya was one of the most intelligent women I have ever met. More than this, what stuck with me was her kindness and her willingness to help others. Nevertheless, she was blessed with a strong and inflexible personality, which also had a certain sarcastic streak.

Despite her serious gaze and that powerful voice known for singing so many melancholic songs, Cesária also had a wonderful sense of humor and loved sharing funny anecdotes.

She dedicated the song "Esperança irisada" to me. When she sung it, I danced to her voice. But apparently she was not as moved by my singing. In fact, she used to tell me I had a terrible voice and should stick to dancing instead.

"Yaya,” I once said to her, “give me 20 dollars, and I will sing." Her answer became one of my favorite anecdotes: “I will give you 50 dollars to keep your mouth shut,” she said.

Even though I didn’t inherit her vocal talents, I appreciated my grandmother’s sense of humor. She knew how to turn a bad voice into a good joke.
 

Courtesy of: N’KRUMAH LAWSON-DAKU, PARIS, July 2009

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Gladys Elphick’s 115th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates Australian Aboriginal community leader Gladys Elphick, known as “Aunty Glad,” who dedicated herself towards social justice in Australia.

Born on this day in 1904 a proud Kaurna and Ngadjuri woman, she became the founding president of the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia, bringing about important social reforms. Despite leaving school at age 12, she was a tireless advocate for Indigenous and non-Indigenous women alike, inspiring many to stand up for their rights.

After the death of her first husband, Aunty Glad moved to Adelaide in 1939, supporting her two children. During the 1940s, she joined the Aborigines Advancement League of South Australia, the country’s first group for Aboriginal women. In the mid-1960s, she served on the activities committee supporting important initiatives such as opening a community center for adult education, medical, and legal services. Her efforts led to the establishment of many other institutions, including the College of Aboriginal Education and the Aboriginal Medical Service.

In 1971, Aunty was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire and named South Australian of the Year in 1984. Since 2003, the Gladys Elphick Award has been awarded to recognize Aboriginal women working to advance the status of Indigenous people through a wide range of mediums.

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Uruguay Independence Day 2019

• Today’s Doodle depicts the flag of Uruguay, the South American nation that declared its independence from Brazil on this day in 1825.

  The blue, white, and yellow flag was designed by Joaquin Suárez, a leader in Uruguay’s struggle for independence, and was officially adopted in 1830. The nine stripes represent the original nine departments of the Uruguayan Republic. El sol de mayo (the Sun of May), the national emblem of both Uruguay and neighboring Argentina, appears in the flag’s upper left corner. 

  Independence Day celebrations center around Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city, particularly at the Plaza Independencia, which is located in the historic Ciudad Vieja district. A flag-raising ceremony marks the occasion, followed by tributes to national heroes and a grand parade. Many citizens take this day off from work and school to spend time with family and friends, enjoying concerts and fireworks, or strolling La Rambla, the world’s longest continuous sidewalk, which runs along Montevideo’s scenic beachfront overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
  
  ¡Feliz dia de la Independencia, Uruguay!

• This Doodle's Reach

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