In an effort to recognize our writers and translators and be more transparent about our readership each month, we are continuing our Stats4Community series, where we share monthly updates about our most popular stories each month. We will also be highlighting the top Lingua posts for different languages to showcase the linguistic diversity across the GV community. This month's stories are from our Japanese, French, Arabic and Spanish Lingua sites.
Our English site saw over 329,000 viewers in September. All statistics here are drawn from Google Analytics and do not necessarily represent the total number of views due to adblockers and other privacy settings.
GV English top stories September 2023
Our Uzbekistan landing page saw an unusually high amount of traffic in August. This could be due to increased interest in the region, our piece about the much-underrated Karakalpakstan region, exploration of the game of kok-boru, or something else entirely. (13,112 views)
The Chinese 2023 map has nothing new. But why are China’s neighbours mad about it?
China's newly launched 2023 edition of the standard map strained relations in the region and escalated tensions which have been rising over the last two years. The map is consistent with China's previous editions, which have claimed jurisdiction over disputed areas along India and Russia's borders and in the South China Sea. However, paired with Beijing’s increased military exercizes in the South China Sea, the move paints an increasingly threatening picture for China’s neighbors in the region. (10,395 views)
A story from a Russian POW camp in Ukraine
In this first-person narrative, a Ukrainian journalist explores the conditions in a Russian POW camp in Ukraine and compares them to the reportedly abysmal conditions in POW camps in Russia. In this piece, he grapples with reconciling the humanity of the POWs with the atrocities many of them have committed. (2,173 views)
The president of Georgia may be facing impeachment, but she has no intention of leaving
Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili has pitted herself against the ruling Georgian Dream party by vocally challenging the ruling party’s undemocratic moves over the last year and supporting Georgia's bid for EU membership. She could be facing impeachment after proceeding with a European tour in support of the bid, even though she was banned from doing so by the Georgian Dream. (1,999 views)
Spanish
D Billions, grupo de Kirguirstán que causa furor en YouTube, inicia su gira mundial (Kyrgyzstan's YouTube sensation, D Billions, kicks off its global concert tour)
This story talks about D Billions, a Kyrgyz music group that makes educational songs for children. The group has gathered millions of views on YouTube with their catchy songs, including “Left, Right” and “Yummy, Yummy Fruits and Vegetables.” On June 9, they kicked off their global concert tour. (4,991 views)
Arabic
لغات: إنتاج أفلام ناطقة باللغات الأفريقيّة (Languages: Promoting Indigenous African Language Films)
This Rising Voices post from the GV archives from 2011 exploring Indigenous African language films garnered renewed attention in September on GV’s Arabic site. The author discussed how filmmakers were using the medium to revive and support endangered African languages. (696 views)
French
Mauritanie : une lycéenne au bord de la peine capitale pour blasphème (A Mauritanian high school student faces the death penalty over blasphemy)
A 19-year-old high school student in Mauritania could be facing the death penalty on blasphemy charges after political and religious leaders rallied against her for reportedly disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad in a written exam. (287 views )
Japanese
ブルガリアの伝統料理を訪ねて 第回：「忘れられたおばあちゃんの味」編 (Bulgarian culinary traditions as a way to restore cultural memory: Granny's forgotten dishes in the village of Antimovo)
This 2022 article on Bulgarian cooking traditions gained some attention in Japan in September. It’s worth noting that the piece is part of a larger three-part series connecting cooking, culture and tradition in Bulgaria. (342 views)
