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Saudi Arabia: Kingdom’s First Female Olympic Athletes Called ‘Prostitutes’ · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
Saudi Arabia will be sending two female athletes to the 2012 London Olympics, which officially begin tomorrow (July 27). Wojdan Shaherkani (Judo) and Sarah Attar (athletics) will be the first two women to ever represent the kingdom, where conservative religious clerics forbid the participation of women in competitive sports.
On Twitter, their anticipated involvement in the games set off a flurry of reactions, including a hash tag which described them as the “Prostitutes of the Olympics.”
Saudi Arabia's earlier announcement that women would be excluded from London 2012 was faced with a call for banning the kingdom from the Olympics.
The two Saudi women taking part in the London Olympics. Photo from the official delegation page on www.london2012.com
The participation of women under the Saudi flag comes under conditions: that they would not compete in mixed games and that they would dress up conservatively, among others.
On Twitter, Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran shares the line up of athletes representing his country at the Olympics and quips:
@Ahmed: List of Saudi athletes who will compete in London Olympics. Interestingly, Sarah Attar appears without a headscarf http://www.london2012.com/athletes/country=saudi-arabia/index.htmx …
On his own blog, Al Omran further elaborates:
To appease the clerics, Saudi most senior sports official Prince Nawaf bin Faisal announced a set of rules for women’s participation at the Olympics. Athletes can only take part if they do so “wearing suitable clothing that complies with sharia” and “the athlete’s guardian agrees and attends with her,” he told local daily al-Jazirah. “There must also be no mixing with men during the Games,” he added.
On Twitter, a Saudi Twitter user allegedly called Sultan Al Hilali spread the hash tag #عاهرات_الاولمبياد which translates to The Prostitutes of the Olympics, reportedly in reference to the Saudi athletes taking part in the games. The hash tag got many angry responses, as well as a few in its support.
Aljohara responds:
Screenshot of the tweet which called Saudi female athletes prostitutes
Rasha Al Dowasi adds:
Many netizens also called for the prosecution of the Twitter user who came up with the hash tag. A screen shot of the tweet which calls the women taking part in the games as prostitutes is making the rounds online. The aim is to name and shame the person behind the hash tag.
Saudi blogger Eman Al Najfan shares her thoughts on Saudi women and the Olympics here and here. The two articles are also cross-posted in The Guardian.
Other countries sending female athletes to compete in the Olympics for the first time are neighbouring Qatar and Brunei.
This is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Saudi Arabia: Lone Protester Khaled Al Johani Temporarily Released · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

When a Day of Rage was called for in Saudi Arabia back on March 11, 2011, only a handful of protesters challenged the heavy police presence and protested. Khaled Al Johani was the only one of those on tape.
Al Johani spoke to a group of journalists who were brought by a Ministry of Culture and Information bus to the place where the protest was planned to happen and was arrested on the same day of the interview when he returned to his house. He was held until today, when Khaled's brother tweeted at 2.50pm [ar]:
Saudi journalist Turki Alabdullhai tweeted:
Khaled Al Johani immediately after his release today. Photograph shared by his brother @I98A on Twitter
Saudi medical doctor Waleed Al Majid tweeted:
@iNoor93 expressed her joy by tweeting:
And Saudi writer Mortada Al Atiya tweeted:
Saudi netizens have kept Al Johani's memory alive on Twitter.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Anas Soliman


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Saudi Arabia: The “Faceless” Experiment · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Rana Jarbou (@rjarbou) is a Saudi blogger who has decided to carry out an experiment. For a week she is wearing the niqab or face veil, to see how she feels, and to see if she is treated differently.
Rana, who is currently working on a book documenting graffiti in twelve Arab countries, lived in Saudi Arabia until she was a teenager, then lived in the US, Bahrain and Lebanon. These days she divides her time between Riyadh and Beirut.
On July 20 Rana introduced her experiment:
For the next week, starting today, I'm doing a little experiment. […] I'm going to wear the niqab whenever I'm out in the city of Riyadh.
Rana wearing niqab. Photo used with permission.
The first step was to buy a niqab:
When I went to purchase the new abaya, scarf and niqab, I had to tell the salesman a white lie. I told him it's for my sister because it would just seem odd for me to walk in with my ordinary look and walk out with a completely different look (whether on me or in a bag). […] I go to the nearest women's toilet in that mall, to do the swap. I walk out and start heading towards the gate where I was to be picked up by [the driver] Eric. So far, I can see perfectly fine. This niqab does not affect my vision. But I noticed something immediately. No one stares, let alone looks. It felt very, very liberating. I walked towards an escalator to which a man was also approaching. He stopped to let me go before him, and even waited a few moments after I got on to give me ‘space’. Until I made my way out, seriously, no one stared! Yes, I'm otherwise accustomed to staring pairs of eyes without my niqab. […] I failed to mention that on my way out, I stopped by a couple of stores to start testing out interacting with salesmen. They barely look into my eyes. That was not so cool.
Rana tweeted:
@rjarbou: Wearing a niqab in Riyadh is like wearing a tank top & mini skirt in NYC. NO one stares. #faceless
She compared it to her experience of Lebanon:
@rjarbou: I just got tired of Lebanese pretending to be ‘open-minded’ & all. #Fail… I'm still a walking sex object everywhere in Lebanon. Everywhere.
On the third day of the experiment she wrote:
This ‘experiment’ gets confusing at times. Because though the purpose of wearing the niqab is in the presence of men, I have noticed that I see niqab-wearing women in many ladies sections in public places, let alone all-women buildings. It only takes a few moments to put it on, so I can't imagine keeping it on is to avoid the hassle of putting it back on. This has puzzled me, but now what is more puzzling is what I'm supposed to do for the experiment. Should I be Rana, who would find no logic behind wearing the niqab in all-women’s rooms and buildings, or should I follow the niqab ‘norm'? What is the norm?
By the fifth day, however, Rana discovered that wearing niqab doesn't make a woman immune to stares and whispers from men.
Global Voices asked Rana more about her “Faceless” experiment.
Global Voices (GV): What do you normally wear when you're in Riyadh?
Rana Jarbou (RJ): I normally wear an abaya and have a scarf on loosely or not at all… It depends on where I go. Wearing the scarf is mainly due (if not for religious reasons) to culture, tradition, or fear – all of which I am capable of defying. But I did notice there is a difference even between having the scarf on loosely or not at all.
GV: What gave you the idea to do this experiment? You have mentioned “incidents in public places with my fellow niqab-wearing comrades” – can you tell us more?
RJ: I have been reflecting on how and where the scarf and veil are worn for a while. But I decided to do this experiment in order to fully grasp, live and feel life behind the niqab. I have been in many situations in which a lady wearing the niqab would cut in line in front of me or interrupt while I was talking to a salesman, teller, or whoever. I have also observed how some women wearing the niqab treat their domestic workers in public. It seemed as though the niqab was a license for them to behave as they wanted.
And then an incident happened last week. A man had parked his car with three wheels on the sidewalk in a cul-de-sac where cars drop off and pick up shoppers. I said something to him, and he responded, ‘This is none of your business so why don't you SHUT UP!’ The security guard was not doing anything. I went into the mall, and when I came out again shortly after, the car was still there. There was a woman – wearing the niqab – in the passenger seat with her children in the backseat. I decided that maybe, just maybe, woman to woman I could try to communicate what I had failed to earlier on (because her husband refused to listen).
I told her, ‘If we all did the same thing, the place would be so chaotic and everyone would get angry, and…’ before I could even finish my comment, she interrupted me and said, ‘It's none of your business!’ in English. I responded ‘I speak Arabic, and it sure is my business – this is my country and I'd like us to respect each other and the public space.’ She responded, ‘You call this your country and you look like that? No, this is not your country…’ and carried on attacking me. Our conversation was no longer about the car parked where pedestrians walk in and out of the mall; it turned into her insulting me for not wearing the niqab.
I am generally saddened by the fact that something like a piece of cloth – and how I wear it – can strip me of my humanness, or rights as a citizen.
GV: Some would argue that the real problem is the obsession in every society with how women dress (whether equating covering up with “decency” or bare skin with “liberation”) – the use of women’s bodies and appearance as an ideological battleground. By doing this experiment aren’t you playing into that obsession?
RJ: We need to face it. This is not about right-wing French politics. It is not about ideology or religion. It is about a culture with a growing and deepening sexual frustration. My face and hair have become victims of that frustration.
In addition, that obsession seems to have been contagious, making my fellow niqab-wearing citizens make a surface judgment about whether or not I'm ‘Saudi enough’.
I was around during the 80s, and have been told about the 70s. Throughout the years, as more and more malls are built, and as we advance in technology, we seem to have hit stagnation in this debate.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Syria: Weapons and Combat Tutorials Online · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
Syrian rebels are turning to the world wide web for combat training. This is the latest role being credited to social media, which has already won a standing ovation worldwide for the role it has played in spreading news and mobilizing citizens throughout this Arab Spring.
A YouTube channel under the name FSAHelp (Free Syrian Army Help) has posted over 80 videos aimed at helping the Syrian opposition to learn different skills – from hand-to-hand combat to making flame-throwers to the basics of assault rifles to creeping up on an enemy from a hidden position.
On his blog, the author of Gary's Reflections wrote:
I guess it was an inevitable. A “sign of the times” we live in. The Free Syria Army (FSA) has turned to YouTube and Facebook to train it;s recruits. The rebels are outgunned, out-manned and, for the most part, aren’t professional soldiers. So they’ve found a new, innovative way to turn citizens into warriors by turning to social media for tutorials in how to use their weapons.
Here's one of the videos which shows viewers how to assemble and clean a Belgian type of rifle:
Comments posted on the videos are mainly in support for the FSA, and their fight against the dictatorship in Syria, like this commenter [ar]:
Others gave them tips, correcting some of the information in the videos:
It also seems that many viewers from Libya and Yemen have some experience to add here. The same goes for those who play video games like Metal Gear.
While people are re-enacting wars in video games, Syrian children are directly impacted with what is going around them, and in the streets of Taftanaz, they play “FSA vs. Assad”, with wooden sticks as rifles, as shown in this video:
Is posting such videos legal?
Many are raising questions about the legality of such videos.
According to an article in Wired, those videos are probably filmed in the United States (or Canada), and then dubbed into Arabic.
In his blog, dedicated to firearms, Steve Johnson wondered about the legality of those videos according to the laws of the United States:
Is it legal for a US citizen to provide assistance to a foreign army or rebel group? I am unsure. Free speech, in practice, frequently ends at the border. It is perfectly legal to produce a firearm instructional video and upload it to Youtube for consumption inside the USA, but professional training video producers such as Magpul claim that their training videos are regulated by ITAR and require State Department permission to export outside the USA
Evakatrina compared such videos to the case of Bradley Manning, who is a US Army soldier, and he was arrested in May 2010 in Iraq on suspicion of having passed classified material to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
@evakatrina: So #Manning “aided the enemy” but they can't prove he did harm. But guerrilla training for general public is ok?
And what about YouTube Safety Conduct?
In their “Harmful and Dangerous Conduct“, YouTube has stated under the United States section there (Same message is put in the Canadian section of the page too):
[W]e draw the line at content that’s intended to incite violence, encourages or shows dangerous or illegal activities that have an inherent risk of serious physical harm or death. This means not posting videos on things like instructional bomb making, instructional drug use, sniper attacks, or tips on illegal street racing.
FSAHelp also has presence on both Facebook and Twitter; however their original Facebook page has been deleted, but another one was created later on [Ar]. The people behind the new page are suspecting that the new page, and may be even the YouTube channel, might get deleted any time. They note:
Finally, the question remains should rules be bent for the sake of supporting the Syrian rebels in their fight against an oppressive regime? Or should rules remain in place, given that there are worries the videos can still be used by any terrorist group anywhere in the world? Also, should German Intelligence reports about the presence of Al-Qaida in Syria increase those worries?
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

author: Tarek Amr


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Venezuela: Filmmakers Explore Urban Realities  · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

Caracas, in all its fascinating chaos, is an inspiration for several filmmakers. Through their work, these filmmakers underline the aesthetics of urban life in elements that for most people often mean confusion and disorder. Thus, three artists share their work using web 2.0 tools and give netizens inside and outside Venezuela a different perspective of Caracas.
Inspired by Jorgen Leth's short film “The Perfect Human”, “La ciudad perfecta” (The Perfect City) shows different parts and angles of Caracas. The film, created by Sven Methling, Ricardo Bombín, Claudio Cenedese, Ángel Antúnez, Alfredo Castillo and José Ignacio Benitez, was awarded in this year's Biennial of Cadiz.
Another short film, “Transgresiones” (Transgressions), shows how people's paths in the city make an ever-changing landscape. The film includes brief scenes from the daily life of families occupying abandoned private buildings, and underlines how these images become a part of the city's aesthetics.
Focusing on this same social phenomenon, Cylixe shares her work about David's tower, an abandoned building where an important number of people have constructed their homes. The story of this building has long been debated and reported. Cylixe describes the Tower as a “City Within a City”:
[…] When over 20 years ago the construction was interrupted for a skyscraper ion [Sic] Caracas, Venezuela, no one could have guessed, that this building would once become the tallest squat on earth.
An empiric, fractal view in to [Sic] the everyday life, the structure and the thoughts of the habitants [Sic] keeps in dialogue with the architecture of the tower, which once had been conceived as a financial center and now gives shelter to a parallel society.

author: Laura Vidal


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London Olympics: Ambush Marketers Be Warned! · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
Image courtesy of http://internationalbusinessblog.conversisglobal.com
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has taken stringent measures to try to ensure no ‘ambush marketing’ tactics are used during the London 2012 Olympics. A common feature at modern major sporting events, ambush marketers try to sneak in promotions of their brands and companies in front of the crowd and, most importantly, the TV cameras. Sports law bloggers and marketers posted their opinions on ambush marketing and the London Olympics which are discussed below.
Duane Morris of Sports Law Blog says:
For event planners and corporate entities investing as sponsors of sporting events, protection of this contracted association is one of the top intellectual property issues. The United Kingdom is taking legislative steps to bar ambush marketing.  The key focus for all in this space is being clear on the rights contracted including the obligations to proactively work against ambushers. In ambush marketing there are multiple ‘victims’. First the party that paid for the official relationship with the sporting event…
He goes on to say:
London 2012 is the latest to have to deal with this challenging issue. We cannot predict what ambush type activities will take place, but it is a safe bet that there will be activity in this unsanctioned Olympic sport. British legislative activity is seeking to regulate many of the past bad acts. The legislation might even be interpreted to bar clothing at venues that are seeking to deliver an advertising message.
A post on the Olymponomics blog says:
Organizers go to great lengths to prevent businesses who are not official sponsors from associating themselves with the event. The first example of protective legislation in the Olympic context was passed for Sydney 2000 (drawing upon legislation from the Australian Bicentennial celebrations in 1988 that had provided safeguards in relation to the commercial use of symbols, words and phrases).
The post continues:
This highlight first of all that eye-catching ambush marketing ‘stunts’ are not necessary for firms to benefit from the illusion of perceived association with major events. It is also suggestive of a cognitive tendency of (some) individuals to view events such as the Olympics as necessarily related to global brands and commercialization, inhibiting the effectiveness of specific marketing and advertising campaigns – as the public struggle to distinguish between (different) messages in the face of an abundant supply of advertising and marketing promotions.
David Atkinson, in a post on Space blog adds:
For Olympic sponsors, we’re approaching the moment where their investments are coming under the greatest scrutiny, and where observers are looking to question their legacy, and whether they will be able to look back on London 2012 with pride.[..]
Despite all the means at the disposal of sponsors, including threats of litigation, this could become a battle that just can’t be won. Personally I’d like to see brands stepping away from the barrier of protection and earning recognition on their own merits. After all success at the Games won’t be measured simply in terms of eyeballs, logo views or even Facebook ‘Likes’, but through Brand Love from sporting and Olympic fans that endorses their overall contribution to the event.
In a guest post for The Sports Bloc Stephen Lownsbrough says:
Welcome to the world of ambush marketing, otherwise known as guerilla marketing, a highly controversial but undeniably smart tactic that has been utilized by small traders and corporate giants alike in order to accrue big rewards at minimal cost from major sporting events [..]
The London 2012 Games are expected to draw millions of visitors and a global television audience in the billions. As such the rewards of official sponsorship could be immense, and companies have paid up to £ 80m to become official sponsors or partners of the Games. Equally, the forthcoming Games, like any other sporting event of this magnitude should – as least in theory – provide ample opportunity for guerilla marketing to boost the financial fortunes of savvy businesses taking advantage of the related publicity.
He concludes:
So in years to come who will remember that Adidas were the official sportswear partners, indeed, does anyone remember who they were in Beijing, Sydney or even Barcelona?[..] but for those fortunate to win a medal at London 2012 and the millions around the world watching or attending the Games will have the lasting image of the medals, what they ironically represented, remembering the goddess of strength, speed and victory – Nike who can sit back with a wry smile and say, ‘Image is Everything’!
SportsAgentBlog raises the concerns of the US Olympic team in the post as follows:
The Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics will take place this Friday, July 27, 2012 in London. While athletes are making their final mental and physical preparations in their eventual quest for gold, they and their representatives are also considering how they can capture marketing and brand growth opportunities throughout the Games. Unfortunately for those athletes and their reps, the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will prohibit Olympians from marketing themselves during the course of the London events. Unless, of course the athletes are marketing official Olympic sponsors.
The post continues:
The IOC prohibition is referred to as Rule 40, and as imagined, is less than popular among almost everyone other than official Olympic sponsors. The intention of the Rule is to attempt to alleviate sponsor concerns of ambush marketing, destroying the full value that official sponsors hope to gain from paying the large price for that status. Those sponsors, including Coca-Cola, Visa and McDonald’s pay millions of dollars to become a part of The Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme.
Anke’s Back-up Blog also satirises the 2012 Olympics mascots in an image on its website, saying depicting them is probably illegal.
In conclusion, it seems that though the IOC and LOCOG will be seeking to secure the interests of the official sponsors, there are concerns from participating athletes and national teams who are likely to miss out on the potential sponsorships. It also remains to be seen if there will be effective policing of ambush marketers who might plague the Games and related events.
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
This post was sub-edited by Jane Ellis.

author: Richard Wanjohi


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Bangladesh: Growing Internet Trends · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nazimuddaula Milon posts an unique insight into how users within Bangladesh and abroad use the internet.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: Revenue Collection – A Success Story  · Global Voices
Rezwan

J Rahman at Mukti depicts that the revenue growth of the Bangladesh government is on the rise due to the steps taken by the National Board of Revenue.


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Brazil: Deported Activist Returns to Denounce Mining Company Vale · Global Voices
Yohana de Andrade

Among the more than 45,000 people [pt] who participated in Rio+20, one Mozambican was in the spotlight after being deported from Brazil. Jeremias Vunjanhe was prevented from entering the country in order to participate as an observer in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which took place in Rio de Janeiro from the 19-22 of June 2012.
On Twitter Bettina Riffel [pt] summarised in a few characters what Jeremias intended to do at the Conference. According to her:
Jeremias Vunjanhe pretender expor a atuação da Vale em Téte (Moçambiq), onde explora uma das maiores minas de carvão a céu aberto do mundo.
Jeremias Vunjanhe. Photo from his Facebook profile.
Jeremias is a journalist and advisor to community organisations, as well as a member of the NGO Justiça Ambiental – Amigos da Terra Moçambique (Environmental Justice – Friends of the Earth Mozambique).
In this video [pt], recorded by Friends of the Earth in 2010, and in this interview [pt], from 2011, conducted by the Instituto Humanitas Unisinos (Humanitas Institute of the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos), he tells how coal extraction in Mozambique directly affects millions of families and causes environmental damage:
O projeto da Vale Moçambique consiste na pesquisa, prospecção e exploração mineira na bacia carbonífera de Moatize, uma das maiores reservas de carvão mineral não exploradas do mundo e de elevadíssima qualidade. (…) Há desrespeito dos mais elementares direitos humanos e liberdades básicas consagradas na Constituição da República de Moçambique e demais legislação em vigor.(…) Também há violação dos direitos à informação, à habitação adequada, ao trabalho e ao digno padrão de vida, às práticas e modos de vida tradicionais comunitários, bem como o acesso e preservação de patrimônios culturais materiais e imateriais.
On his Facebook profile [pt], Jeremias himself confirmed the deportation:
De facto fui deportado do aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo no passado dia 12 de Junho corrente quando eram as 1 horas e 30 minutos. Não me foi dada nenhuma explicação plausível e consistente sobre a decisão do Departamento da Policia.
The Comitê Popular da Copa (People's Cup Committee), which brings together civil society organisations and communities affected by infrastructure projects in the cities that will host the FIFA World Cup in 2014, asked [pt] on their Twitter profile:
@comitepopoa Por que Jeremias Vunjanhe entrou na lista do SINPI? Quais são os critérios para inclusão? Outros ativistas estão na lista?
Paulo Pavesi commented on the matter [pt] in the post “Jeremias Vunjanhe and Democracy”. He wrote:
O governo brasileiro tem praticado a democracia de uma forma bastante interessante. Expulsando, demonizando, impedindo, calando aqueles que são contrários às medidas políticas ou que expõem o governo de alguma forma.
Neither the Federal Police nor the National Database of Wanted and Banned Persons justified the action. However, after the mobilisation of more than 100 [pt] national and international movements and organisations, the journalist returned to Brazil on the 18 June, six days after being deported.
The Coletivo Catarse (Catarse Collective) [pt] filmed Jeremias Vunjanhe's arrival in Brazil. In the video [pt], Jeremias gives an interview and recounts what he has heard about Vale, the consequences for Mozambican families and the company's broken promises:
Finally in Rio de Janeiro, Jeremias was able to participate in planned events, such as the Anticorporation March, which generated the launch of the Report on the Unsustainability of Vale, and of the Third International Meeting of those Affected by Vale.
In addition to the NGO Justiça Ambiental, other organisations denounced Vale's activities during the Summit [pt], such as: Articulação Internacional dos Atingidos pela Vale (Interntional Articulation of those Affected by Vale), Via Campesina, Marcha Mundial das Mulheres (World March of Women), Comissão Pastoral da Terra (Pastoral Land Commission), the union United Steelworkers (USW), Movimento Xingu Vivo para Sempre (Xingu Alive Forever Movement, a movement against the Belo Monte dam project) and Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (Movement of those Affected by Dams).
In an interview with the Instituto Humanitas Unisinos after Rio+20, the journalist characterised the event's final proposals as “too theoretical” [pt].
After returning to Mozambique, Jeremias shared a thank you [pt] on Facebook to all those who helped during those weeks “of so much incredible turbulence, emotion and adrenaline”. On the 16 July, he denounced [pt] the relationship between the former president of Vale and the President of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza:
Roger Agnelli, antido presidente da Vale entre 2001 e 2011 acaba de confirmar aquilo alguns de nos ja sabiamos. Ele faz parte do Conselho do Presidente de Mocambique Armando Emilio Guebuza. Na verdadeRoger Agnelli tornou-se um super lobbista da Vale e do Governo brasileiro e depois de ter vencido a ofenciva capitalista em Mocambique com o Projecto de Mineracao de Moatize foi escolhido pelo tambem loobista Armando Guebuza para ser um dos seus conselheiros. Como dizia uma companheira ha pouco ele participa de todas as decisões estratégicas do país quanto a mineração e possivelmente a energia e produção agrícola…
Vale, which is present in 38 countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia, was voted the worst company in the world, by popular vote, in the Public Eye Awards at the beginning of 2012.

author: Yohana de Andrade


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Colombia: The Environmental Heritage of the Country is Threatened by Mining · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Through her Facebook profile, Carla Bajonero shares her concern regarding mining in Colombia [es]. In her opinion, mining only leaves behind “pollution and laughable earnings.” She then asks: “What happens to the environmental and cultural heritage of Colombia if mining continues in this boom?” Carla also writes about this issue in her personal blog [es].

author: Cati Restrepo


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Kazakhstan: Unusual Campaign Uses Sheep to Advertise Road Safety · Global Voices
Altynai Sydykova

On July 17, residents of Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, were amused to see new banners and billboards posted throughout the city with a stinging message: “People follow rules when crossing the road. Sheep [cross the road] wherever they wish”.
The banners and billboards aim at saving people's lives by educating them about the importance of following simple rules when crossing the road. They were produced and erected jointly by the Almaty Culture Department, a local advertising agency, and traffic police.
These billboards are part of a new social advertising program designed to change popular attitudes in areas ranging from the observance of traffic rules to preservation of natural resources. As Almaty Culture Department notes [ru]:
Что может повлиять на поведение людей, пробудить в них ответственность за себя и за других? Только социальная реклама с сильным эмоциональным посылом.
This billboard is part of a new social advertising campaign in Almaty. Image by Almaty Culture Department, used with permission.
The stinging message on the billboards has triggered discussion among the country's social media users. Commenting on the above image posted by the Almaty Culture Department (AlmatyMADENIET) on Facebook, Ruslan Kuvatov wrote [ru]:
Отличный постер. Надеюсь их много будет по городу. Еще надо сделать креатив на тему культурного вождения и уважения друг к другу на дроге. Короче говоря надо идентифицировать баранов за рулем :).
While most netizens appear to like the new ads, some people consider them offensive. Kazakh blogger Gizatm suggested [ru]:
Просто нельзя называть людей баранами за то, что они переходят дорогу в неположенном месте. В США и Канаде тоже так же переходят… Если машины за км нет, то почему бы и не перейти.
The authorities had to respond [ru] to such criticisms:
Мы никого конкретно не называли баранами. Это шуточный плакат с небольшой издевкой… Мы хотели максимально привлечь внимание аудитории.
Yet, many netizens liked the initiative and suggested alternative ways of saving people's lives on the road. Salken Balbayev wrote [on] on Facebook:
Хороший проект. Еще хотелось бы, чтобы сами пешеходные переходы освещались в темное время суток и знаки были видны издалека.
Overall, most netizens in Kazakhstan have been pleased to see that the authorities address a real issue in such a creative way. They've also been happy to notice that the officials responded to their suggestions and comments. Following the successful start of the social advertisement campaign, the Culture Department released [ru] a new message for ads aiming to discourage people from talking on the phone while driving: “This call can be the last one”.

author: Altynai Sydykova


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Kenya: Schoolgirl Skirts-How Short is Too Short? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

After a school uniform protest resulted in the suspension of 12 students at Rwathia secondary in Kenya, Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo came out in defense of the students, who were demanding the right to wear miniskirts to school. The minister said:
I am in total agreement with them [students]. Why do you dress a schoolgirl like a nun? These girls do not want to be nuns; they want to be modern like Mutula!
The position taken by the minister has sparked off a heated online and offline debate involving politicians, church leaders and ordinary citizens. Reacting to Kilonzo's statement, Rcenter writes:
When i was in High school, We used to get uniform skirts sooo long, you had to step on them while walking and sometimes even fall down…Recently, there has been a debate over Honorable Mutula's response regarding wearing of short skirts after a school goes on strike after their head teacher refused them to!! I think Most people in Kenya just don’t like change!!! They like to remain primitive and old fashioned, and for this reason, they are dragging the progress of other people who want to move forward. In my opinion, I think that the skirts should not be too long and not to short. Allow them to be at least in level with the knees…That’s not too bad is it???
Should Kenyan school girls wear miniskirt? Image courtesy of capitalfm.co.ke/
Kenya Idiot has a word of advice for the minister:
A word to the wise: to save oneself the embarrassment and blush of having to apologize or even worse backtrack don’t say anything at all, or if you do make statements be they public or private be prepared to stand by those words; mean what you say and say only what you mean knowing come whatever may you will never need to take your words back.
Several Kenyans have joined the miniskirt debate by adding their comments on Capita FM article under the title ‘Let schoolgirls wear miniskirts – Mutula’:
“The Minister has lost touch with reality,” says Nyambush:
The Minister has lost touch with reality. What kind of displine are we imparting on the youth if they are to wear miniskirts? By the time they finish high school, they will be in streets in bikinis and maybe swim-suits! These are young minds whose concentration ought to be in education not the attire less all distractions known to man.. Unless you want us to start throwing the school morals to the gallows, then spare our children this! A student is a student and should remain thus till they are in employment to join the working class. By then they will understand better the implications of what they wear when, where, for which occasion etc.
Thoughtsonly opines:
Sure. Let them wear mini skirts, sag pants, style their hair, make up, and all these other things that constitute a modern education.
Jonathanmutie asks, “What is the standard length of a miniskirt, Mr minister?”:
Mutula has been fearless, forthright and dead right most of the time, but what he said about schools girls and miniskirts barely conceals recklessness. What is the standard length of a miniskirt, Mr minister? And what value can this thing add to the learning process?
Perepepe advises the minister with a light touch:
I think bikinis will be more appropriate in areas that are sunny…I mean all students need to do is learn their subjects, isn't it Mutula? I mean what is the big fuss, if you don't like anything just threaten to strike and the Ministry of Education will form a task force to look into your grievances…even this issue of disciplining students is it really constitutional? I mean, why not talk and plead with students to comply with directives….in fact directives is a harsh word and might be against the bill of rights…let's rename “school rules and regulations” to “polite suggestions by teaching personnel”…boyfriends should be allowed visits under the provision of freedom of association and choice…
Kelly Chibueze reminds Kenyans that we are in the 21st century:
let them wear what they want to wear …we are in the 21st century for heaven sake …if end if the come out from school they are still going to wear them…look the street of Nairobi and other places they are all wearing short and stoking s .,…..
Following widespread public condemnation of his position, Kilonzo denied mentioning miniskirt in his statement. He also threatened to sue media houses that allegedly misquoted him.
Commenting on a YouTube video about his denial, TheTomahawks73 says:
Mutula Kilonzo never mentioned miniskirts, the media run and said Mini skirt for sensationalism. Sometimes behave like ostriches. Miniskirts exist in the work place and long skirts in schools have no place in our schools. Wake up and smell the coffee people!
Kenyambele does not trust the minister:
What a useless fellow…even if you don't mention the skirt by name, you were still talking about skirts when you said don't dress them like nuns! Why can't he stand by what he says! If he can turn and lie about what he said, he absolutely cant be trusted! I really dislike this fellow
Adding a new dimension to the debate, Water Minister Charity Ngilu argues that trousers be introduced to schoolgirls instead of miniskirts. She says that trousers are more appropriate for schoolgirls than miniskirts.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Mali: Athletes Go to London Olympics With Heads Held High · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

This post is part of our special coverage London Olympics 2012.
Mali has faced many challenges during the past months. The country has been caught up in a political crisis that threatens to split it in two, and has suffered a humanitarian disaster that has put millions of Malians at risk of malnutrition from drought and locust invasion.
Despite the struggle, Mali has made a point to send a strong delegation to the Olympic Games in London. The idea is for the athletes to represent Mali with dignity and show that there is another aspect to the Malian nation beside the ongoing crisis. The president of the CNOSM (the Malian National Olympic Committee) Habib Sissoko declared [fr]:
Beaucoup de gens pensaient que le Mali allait être absent à Londres à cause de la situation politique et sécuritaire qui prévaut dans notre pays depuis le début de l’ année. Nous serons bel et bien présents à Londres et notre objectif est de prouver au monde que malgré les difficultés, notre pays reste débout. Le gouvernement a consenti un énorme sacrifice financier pour permettre au Mali d’ être présent à ce prestigieux rendez-vous sportif et olympique. Ce sera une opportunité d’ acquérir surtout de l’ expérience dans leur carrière.
Poster celebrating Malian Olympic athlete Daba Modibo Kéita, Bamako. Photo from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Mali will send six athletes and 31 people in total to London for the Olympics. The website abamako.com lists the name of the selected athletes [fr]:
Six athlètes vont défendre les couleurs du Mali à Londres. Il s`agit de Daba Modibo Kéita (taekwondo), Oumar Koné (judo), Rahamatou Dramé et Moussa Camara (athlétisme), Mamadou A. Soumaré et Fatoumata Samassékou (natation). Et c`est Rahamatou Dramé qui sera le porte-drapeau de la délégation malienne lors de la cérémonie d` ouverture prévue vendredi prochain. Parmi les six représentants du Mali, Daba Modibo Kéita est sans doute le plus attendu par ses compatriotes. Contraint à l` abandon aux J.O. de Pékin (blessure) alors qu` il faisait figure d` intouchable, le double champion du monde des poids lourds (2007-2009) n` aura droit à aucune excuse en cas d`échec cette année.
The following video shows Daba Modibo Kéita, a.k.a. “the gladiator”, at a taekwondo tournament:
Daba Modibo Kéita was interviewed about the future of his sport in Mali and what he means for Mali:
Taekwondo is not well developed in Mali compared to Korea, Iran, Spain, the United States, and Mexico… But because I’m a two-time World Champion, people in my country have become more and more drawn to martial arts and they’re sticking with it. It’s humbling and reminds me always that the kids watch what I do and they may try to emulate me, so I have to be responsible as to not lead them down the wrong path. As a World Champion, I’m bringing an entire nation of people to Taekwondo, giving much the hope that they too can accomplish what I have accomplished. Today Taekwondo ranks third in my country in popularity, just behind soccer and basketball…and I’m extremely proud of that.
He adds about Mali:
Mali is a little poor country in Africa and so many children have talents but they don’t have that opportunity to be in better condition to rise up. […] I graciously ask every reader to pray for my country, Mali, and other African nations suffering civil unrest. May these nations rise above the violence and learn to eradicate power struggles. May Africa one day lead the globe in human rights and compassion for every citizen, regardless of tribe or ethnic affiliation.
Another challenge for Malian athletes is to decide whether to fast or not for Ramadan during the London Games. They are not alone in this predicament. There are about 3,000 to 3,500 athletes [fr] who are struggling with reconciling their religious practice and the demands of the competition.
The thumbnail image used with this post is a screen grab from this video uploaded by youtube user globovision88.
This post is part of our special coverage London Olympics 2012.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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North Korea Reveals Its First Lady · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is married to former pop singer Ri Sol Ju, reported North Korean state media. Blogger Reaganite Republican wrote a thorough post on the hermit kingdom's first lady with an embedded video clip of her.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Russia: The Killing of Krutov · Global Voices
Karl Soper

The June 29 murder of Svetloyarsk Raion administration head Nikolay Krutov was a blip on that day’s news. It was not unprecedented [ru]. But unraveling why the crime was committed (and what it means) is anything but straightforward.
Aslambek Vagapov walked into Krutov’s office on a Friday last month and fired five deadly shots at the chief of the large, sparsely populated region just south of Volgograd. The 63-year-old ethnic Chechen then proceeded to the local Investigative Committee and confessed.
Krutov was a 46-year-old former army helicopter pilot who switched over to the MVD in the mid-1990s. He was a police chief in Svetloyarsk in the mid-2000s. In 2008, he was elected administration head of Raigorod, and head of Svetloyarsk Raion the following year.
Vagapov told investigators Nikolay Krutov systematically extorted a large sum of money from him over three years. The Investigative Committee is handling [ru] the murder as the result of “unfriendly relations” and a dispute over the registration of Vagapov’s purchase of farm cooperative property.
Screenshot of the official memorial webpage for the slain Svetloyarsk Raion administration head, Nikolay Krutov (24 July 2012).
Vagapov’s son Muslim, the family’s de facto spokesman, claims Krutov demanded three million rubles (over 90,000 U.S. dollars) when his father bought out shareholders of the Svetloyarskiy Agricultural Production Cooperative. This spring, Krutov allegedly offered to intervene for 16 million rubles, when paperwork documenting Vagapov’s ownership stalled in the Federal Registration Committee.
Vagapov’s employees defend him [ru], describing how he came to the area with nothing 35 years ago. They claim that Krutov was sucking him dry.
Асламбека довели. Его в районе все знают. Он спокойный, уравновешенный человек, у него девятнадцать детей. Его вынудили взяться за оружие.
Krutov’s colleagues support him just as vigorously. One deputy called the extortion accusation absurd since land registration was not within his purview as a local administration head.
But maybe Krutov was corrupt
One Volgograd news and discussion site, Inter-Volgograd.ru, is most aggressive, though not alone, in considering the possibility Krutov was corrupt. It claims [ru] he was building an 8-million-ruble home, and had a village house and an apartment in the city. Several unidentified entrepreneurs said kickbacks to Krutov typically cost half the value of any deal. It also appears Krutov was, on behalf of the raion, collecting up former cooperative land that might be very valuable in the future. In other words, he and Vagapov might have been playing the same game.
Vagapov not exactly model citizen either
Several sites concentrate on Vagapov’s prior [ru] legal problems, including the alleged theft of municipal property, his possession of an automatic weapon, grenade launcher, and several grenades, and his involvement in illegal migration. Some writers are obliquely critical of Vagapov’s family of 19 children by four wives [ru], while others argue that he is not exactly “level-headed.” He was allegedly dismissed from conscript service after hitting his commander in the head with an axe, while others have noted that Vagapov was a victim of abuse [dedovshchina] while in the army.
A few media reports claim Vagapov admitted that he planned to kill other local officials besides Krutov, though he has only been charged with the one murder. It is also odd he would surrender immediately, if he intended to kill someone else.
Russians see a Chechen living by his own laws
Blogger gorojanin86 writes [ru]:
Убил главу местный предприниматель Асламбек Вагапов. За что? Это вопрос. Известно, что глава пытался заставить предпринимателя работать не так, как он хочет, а по закону. Вагапов даже телевидение привлекал для борьбы с главой района Крутовым, не помогло. Правда была на стороне Николая Владимировича Крутова. За правду он и погуиб.
LiveJournal user oldaleks thinks Vagapov is a Chechen mafia boss [ru] and land speculator, not a poor farmer or victim of Russian chauvinism. He claims many different nationalities lived peaceably in Svetloyarsk until Caucasians arrived bringing murder and rackets with them. (Though he does not mention or seem to be aware that Vagapov has lived in the community since the 1970s.)
Writing in Astrakhan.ru’s forum, user Europe suggests [ru] that Vagapov should have expected extortion on Russian land because the same thing would happen to a Russian who bought up property in Chechnya. He also intimates that Chechens cannot live according to their own law when it comes to wives, weapons, and violence, and then claim a murder is self-defense.
But user sirozha-molodets responds:
Чеченцев очень много, – мигрируют в больших количествах, именно работяги, а не уроды, которые рас3.14жживают федеральные средства на местах.Именно они (чеченцы) и тащат на себе сельское хозяйство области, – восстанавливают фермы, коммуникации, создают рабочие места, вытасскивая русских Ванюшек из пьянства и наркоты.
[Н]еудивительно, что глава, увидев, как поднялись приезжие, начал сосать с них деньги…
There are many Chechens, they migrate in large numbers, it’s a fact that they are hard workers, and not monsters who dilute federal resources in the localities. It’s a fact that they (Chechens) pull the oblast's agriculture, they are restoring farms, roads, creating jobs, [and] dragging Russian Vanyushkas out of drunkenness and drugs.
[I]t’s not surprising the chief, seeing how the newcomers raised themselves up, began to suck money out of them…
Most observers discount ethnic friction
Some media sources mention national hatred as a possible cause for conflict between Krutov and Vagapov. A former comrade described Krutov’s hatred for Chechens after serving in Chechnya in 1999. He claims Krutov wanted to clear the raion of “outsiders,” but Novaya Gazeta’s Irek Murtazin responds that it is the simplest thing to attribute [ru] this tragedy to “Caucasians run amuck.” A leader of the Chechen community in Volgograd also dismisses ethnic friction, saying Vagapov simply exploded [ru] when his patience for Krutov’s corruption ran out.
No surprise at violent reaction to corruption
Murtazin is not surprised that someone would reach for a gun [ru] when the police and courts are of no help.
Независимо от того, какая версия мотива преступления Вагапова будет изложена в приговоре убийце, стрельба в кабинете главы администрации Светлоярского района — это явный сигнал. За оружие берутся там, где нет надежды на судебно-правоохранительную систему, полностью деградировавшую и не вызывающую доверия. Когда самосуд кажется единственной защитой и справедливым наказанием. В общем, снова всплывает «Ворошиловский стрелок».
An Inter-Volgograd.ru editorial also concludes that some Russian netizens see Vagapov’s action as an inevitable response [ru] to corruption.
Уверены, что следствие разберется в сути этой трагедии. Настораживает другое: среди участников практически всех интернет-форумов находятся люди, которые одобряют поступок Вагапова, и считают, что самосуд – единственная мера воздействия на зарвавшихся представителей власти. А правоохранительные органы, которые борются с коррупцией законными методами, не в силах обуздать чиновников-беспредельщиков…
We may never know why
A senior Investigative Committee official believes it remains only to establish Vagapov’s motive [ru], but investigators do not really need a motive if they have a confession and some physical evidence. A motive, after all, would just mean more investigations into what really happened in Svetloyarsk.

author: Karl Soper


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South Korea : Tourists Flock to Get Plastic Surgery · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korea is infamous for its obsession with plastic surgery, but it has contributed to a significant rises in tourist arrivals. One famous Singaporean blogger recently visited Seoul to get plastic surgery and plans to post updates on her experience, while other bloggers, such as Fidel Hart, wrote an in-depth post about the issue.


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Global: A Marathon to Translate the Declaration of Internet Freedom · Global Voices
Paula Góes

The world may be glued to the TV to watch the start of the Olympic Games in London, but Global Voices Lingua translators are excited about another challenge: the Internet Freedom Translathon, a marathon to get the Declaration of Internet Freedom translated in as many languages and dialects as possible over the course of 24 hours on Friday August 3. Everyone can join: you don't have to be an Olympic athlete or professional translator to help!
Freedom!: Design by Juan Osborne using the word ‘freedom’ in about fifty languages. Publish under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
Lingua is partnering with New American Foundation and Free Press to provide official versions of the declaration in a number of languages. Since the Declaration was posted on Global Voices Advocacy last weekend, our translators have rendered the text into 20 languages. Global Voices’ content is currently translated into almost 30 languages by our volunteers, a big achievement but a small fraction of the 6,909 known living languages catalogued by Ethnologue.
This means that there is one language for every 862,000 people on Earth: Europe alone accounts for only 234 of them, whereas in Asia 2,322 languages are spoken on a daily basis. We hope to offer the declaration in as many of them as possible, even in artificial languages: from Solresol to Esperanto, there are 200 auxlangs in which the declaration would look great too! And with your help and luck, we can even hope to reach impromptu translators of those 46 languages that have just a single speaker.
The Internet Freedom Translathon is part of the Summer of Internet Freedom, a series of events taking place this August to encourage Internet users to continue the global conversation about the role of the Internet in our lives and how we can keep it free and open. It is also a way to engage with the Declaration and to show public support for Internet freedom. Anyone can host offline or online events, anywhere around the world.
Everyone can join forces in the Internet Freedom Translathon: you can offer your skills to translate or proofread the declaration in your language or dialect.  Or, if you don't speak any other languages, you can blog about the Translathon, republish translations, share this post, promote it on your social networks, join our event, or spread the word. Join Lingua in this marathon for freedom, libertà, liberté, libertad, llibertat, liberdade, свобода, özgürlük, szabadság, uhuru, свобода, Ελευθερία, Hettagol, Freiheit, wolność, Yɛrɛmahɔrɔnya, vrijheid,  آزادی,  স্বাধীনতা, 자유, आज़ादी, 自由, حرية.
Save the date – Internet Freedom Translathon
When: Starting at midnight GMT on Friday, August 3, for 24 hours
Link: http://bit.ly/Translathon (the translation form is closed and will be available just before midnight on August 3, 2012)
Connect: join the Translathon event page at the Summer of Internet Freedom website.
Please promote freely – in any language!

author: Paula Góes


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UK: Taiwan Flag Disappears from London Olympics Street Display · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
On July 24, 2012, just before the Olympic torch was about to relay across London, the national flag of Taiwan was removed from Regent Street  in the United Kingdom capital. All other national flags are still hanging to welcome representatives to this summer's Games from across the world.
Many Taiwanese feel disappointed about the sudden disappearance of the flag. Facebook user Yi-hao Liao complained [zh]:
哀… 原本還高興一下下的
London prepares to welcome the world for the start of the Olympics.
Reddit user lol_oopsie asked why the national flag was removed:
I'm curious to know whether this is London officials panicking, or whether Chinese authorities warned them to take it down. Either way, I think it deserves some attention. All of the Olympic coverage has totally ignored it.
Another reddit user mintytiny tried to give an answer:
Though didn't offer any explanation, yet according to Regent Street Association, they'll replace it with the Olympic flag used to represent Taiwan.
I have to say, this is really lame and any real explanation will be better.
Another Facebook user, Melissa Alexender, made a photo to protest against the removal of Taiwan's national flag:
Melissa Alexender's protest photo, via Facebook.
Underneath the photo, Melissa urges others to email the Regent Street management team, Anastasia, and ask them to put the Taiwan national flag back up. In response to Melissa's call, Kenneth Wong, wrote to the Regent Street Association and posted the reply below Melissa’s photo:
Dear Kenneth
Thank you for your email.
This matter has been raised and I can confirm that the Chinese Taipei Flag will be going up tomorrow evening.
I can ensure you that all competing nations flags will be displayed.
Kind regards
Lucy Turnbull
Regent Street Association Ltd
Melissa Alexender was disappointed by the reply:
We don't want the Chinese Taipei flag but our national flag! Regent Street is not covered by the Network of London Olympic Route neither part of Olympic Stadium, hence, there is no reason to refuse the placement of Taiwanese national flag!
Meanwhile, designer Tammy Lin wrote a light-hearted post making some creative suggestions to rectify the situation, such as smuggling the Taiwanese flag back onto the street, making the flag into a 3D advert or turning it into a QR code.
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

author: I-fan Lin


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Video: Let’s go to Markets Around the World · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Markets are full of colors, sounds and life, no matter where in the world they are. Join us as we visit – through images and videos –  markets in El Salvador, Mexico, India, Indonesia and Thailand.
After seeing the video posted by RocaCristo of the market of Santa Tecla in El Salvador, varistojamonbanua  had this to say about the similarities between this market and the markets back in his home:
…im from manila , i like your video, it looks like you are in the philippines wet market, the vegetables, the fruits , the sweet potatoes, and the little round fruits there we call it seneguelas here in the philippines we can see it during summer. i love this video
In Indonesia, bartering and selling takes place in the floating market of  Lok Ba Intan in South Borneo.
People from nearby villages arrive between 5 and 8am at the Lok Baintan river market, located close to the mining city of Martsapura in South Borneo, Indonesia. Photo by bayuwinata © Demotix (7/14/2012)
MVMTelevisionDigital visited the markets in Oaxaca, Mexico. This one minute clip shows us the colorful places where patrons can buy clothing, jewelry and food including regional delicacies such as grasshoppers and worms, or perhaps a nice warm cup of hot chocolate?
This market in Mumbai, India, is slightly different: instead of fruits and vegetables, you can find scavenged auto parts, antiques, refurbished refrigerators and televisions for a fraction of their cost. This 2007 video created by Parasher provides an educational tidbit as to the origin of the name: A tire salesman believes that the market was originally known as “Noisy” market (Shor) but through the English rule the name was corrupted into “thieves” bazaar (Chor). Another vendor chimes in that actually, since stolen goods used to be found readily in the Bazaar, Chor wasn't such a misnomer.
A train runs through the Maeklong market in Thailand 8 times a day, and vendors pull up their stalls and clear the tracks every time it passes by. While this may be commonplace for locals, it is unique enough that tourists visit this market just to see the people clear the path of the train.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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What’s Going On in the Mountains of Tajikistan? · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

The recent murder of a senior national security official in the mountainous Tajik region of Badakhshan has led to deadly clashes in the area between government troops and the supporters of a local strongman whom the authorities blame for the assassination. Christian Bleuer on Ghosts of Alexander offers an insightful analysis of what the conflict is about.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Argentina: Athletes Tweet Photos From #London2012 · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

This post is part of our special coverage for the London 2012 Olympics.
Just days before the start of the Olympic Games in London, Argentine athletes share images of their arrival via Twitter and Facebook.
Luciana Aymar, a field hockey player from Argentina and the country's current champion, was chosen seven times as the best women's field hockey player in the world.  On Twitter, Aymar (@aymarlucha) shares [es] a photo of the team's arrival to the Olympic Village:
Argentine Field Hockey team, The Lionesses. Photo uploaded by Twitter use @aymarlucha
Juan Martin del Potro, Argentine tennis player currently in ninth place at the ATP World Tour, posted a photo on his Facebook page that was taken of him for the Olympic Games’ book of athletes.
Photo uploaded by Juan Martín del Potro on his official Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the President of the Argentine Olympic Committee, Gerado Werthein (@gerardowerthein), tweeted a photo [es] of the Argentine crew team:
Argentine crew team in the Olympic Village in London. Photo uploaded by Twitter user @gerardowerthein
Also on Twitter, Argentine gymnast Federico Molinari (@FDMolinari), shared [es] a photo of the apartments in the Olympic Village:
The living room in the apartments in the Olympic Village in London.  Photo uploaded by Twitter user @FDMolinari
But what about the Argentine athletes that could not go to London? Such is the case for Juan Ignacio Chela (@JuanIChela), who wrote the following on his Twitter account:
@JuanIChela: Ya que no pude ir a Londres como tenista voy a preguntar si alguno me quiere llevar como su jabalina.
The Argentine football players could not go to London either because after winning gold medals in Athens 2004 and Shanghai 2008, the Argentine football team failed to qualify for the London 2012 games. The website 2012 Olympic Games [es] explains:
Estos recuerdos van quedando lejos con un presente no competitivo, en la que la selección Argentina quedó fuera de las olimpíadas. Lamentablemente para los argentinos que son tan fanáticos del fútbol y lamentarán el hecho de no participar en Londres 2012.
Las consecuencias de los conflictos políticos y económicos que envuelven al fútbol desde hace años tuvo como consecuencia el mal desempeño de la selección argentina, que dirigida por Walter Perazzo compitió por el Preolímpico sudamericano en Perú. Resultado: Argentina no logró clasificarse para Londres 2012.
These memories are getting fainter with a non-competitive present in which the Argentine national team ended up out of the Olympics Games. It is unfortunate for the Argentines that are such huge fans of football, they will regret not participating in London 2012 [es].
The consequences of the political and economic conflicts that have involved football for years resulted in the poor performance of the Argentine team, which, led by Water Perazzo, competed in the Olympic qualifiers in Perú. The result: Argentina [es] did not qualify for London 2012 [es].
This post is part of our special coverage for the London 2012 Olympics.

author: Laura Schneider


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Argentina: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Olympics  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Lillie Langtry from the blog Memory in Latin America explains that the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo are getting into the spirit of the Olympics by “asking various Argentine sportspeople to feature in their latest video campaign.” Langtry shares a video where Carlo Retegui, the coach of the women's field hockey team, tries to raise awareness about the disappeared children.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Bangladesh, Myanmar: Rohingya Repression in International Spotlight · Global Voices
Rezwan

This post is part of our special coverage Myanmar's Rohingya.
Six weeks after clashes between Rohingya and Rakhaine broke out in Western Myanmar, which resulted in another influx of refugees towards the Bangladesh border, Amnesty International is reporting that targeted attacks and other violations by security forces against minority Rohingyas and other Muslims have increased. More than 100 people have been killed since the violence began and more than 50,000 people are estimated to have been displaced. BBC published eyewitness accounts of the terror Rohingyas had to face. Meanwhile there are reports from the Burmese sites that Rohingya lynch mobs also escalated the attacks.
On 10th of June, 2012, the Myanmar government had declared a state of emergency in Rakhine State which still remains in effect in some areas. Amnesty International also reports:
Myanmar’s Border Security Force (nasaka), army, and police have conducted massive sweeps in areas that are heavily populated by Rohingyas. Hundreds of mostly men and boys have been detained, with nearly all held incommunicado, and some subjected to ill-treatment.
Restless Beings, which has a project in Myanmar, reports:
In the last two weeks, Burma has had restrained and limited pressure from the international community. With the Burmese economic opportunities being highlighted even more so and America in decisions of lifting the sanctions on Burma, 40 days and counting, the cry of the Rohingyas is still yet to be heard worldwide.
Our sources tell us how thousands of Rohingyas are being arrested in the Maungdaw township and being taken to the Buthidaung Jail where they suffer continuous tortures – 40 prisoners were taken out from the cells to be beaten severly morning and evening time.
This video shows raw footage of the repression against the Rohingyas [Warning: graphic images]:
Mohamed Mufiz, a son of a victim from Rakhine state reports:
Our Rohingyas community in Rakhine state is in the mouth of death ghost (Rakhine chauvinistic and organized hooligans) and we earnestly request international community to save us in time from the unsafe plan of both government of Myanmar and Rakhine people’ master plan to annihilate us from our ancestral land.
A coalition of 58 civil society groups – led by Refugees International, the Arakan Project, and the Equal Rights Trust – condemn the atrocities against the Rohingya community.
However, Reports say that some monks’ organisations have issued pamphlets telling people not to associate with the Rohingya community, and have blocked humanitarian assistance from reaching them.
Angry Asian Buddhist writes:
I believe in the rights of Rohingya Muslims in Burma just as I believe in the rights of Jumma Buddhists in Bangladesh. I condemn the violence against both groups, and I condemn the history of persecution and oppression which cannot simply be washed away overnight. I furthermore condemn the simplification of political and socio-economic conflicts into religious terms of “Buddhist” versus “Muslim.”
Meanwhile protests around the world are happening against Rohingya repression.
Rohingya Muslims in Thailand assemble in front of UN to call for help. Image by Anuchid Lermsum. Copyright Demotix (3/7/2012)
In an interview Dr Habib Siddiqui explained what was actually happening in Myanmar:
The heart of the problem goes back to 1982 Citizenship Law which says that Rohingyas are not citizens in Burma. They are outsiders. They have to prove their citizenship. And this law is absurd given the fact that the forefathers of Rohingyas had entered into Arakan thousands of years ago. As historians would tell you the Rakhine or the Buddhist people did not enter Arakan until possibly as late as the tenth century. Earlier dynasties were said to be Indians that ruled over people similar to Bengal.
A Rohingya child at the protest. Image by Anuchid Lermsum. Copyright Demotix (3/7/2012).
Zaw Lwin Oo shows that contrary to popular belief that the Muslims in Arakan are recent settlers, they have been living here for centuries. The blogger lists the name of Muslim Kings from the fifteenth century.
Nizam Ahmed at E-Bangladesh reports:
The number of these registered refugees in two camps at Kutupalang and Nayapara under Cox’s Bazar district swelled to more than 30,000 early this year as Myanmar did not take them back despite of repeated pledges and promises.
The Bangladesh foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni has requested the Myanmar Government for an immediate start of the repatriation of Myanmar refugees and undocumented Myanmar nationals from Bangladesh.
Here are some Twitter reactions:
@pirate_larry: RT @akrockefeller: Thein Sein: Burmese Gov’t Will Not Recognize 800,000 #Rohingya Citizens http://t.co/liz3vwFe #Myanmar #Burma
@aroushimee: RT @HAQnewsorg: “Extremist Buddhists in Rakhine state have raped at least one thousand Rohingya Muslim girls. Some three thousands corpses have been dumped.
@RestlessNadia: Can't imagine what the Rohingya of Arakan are breaking their fast with- no food/aid. Consequences of a racist state and years of oppression.
This post is part of our special coverage Myanmar's Rohingya.


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Bolivia: Athletes Not a Priority at London Olympics · Global Voices
Pablo Andrés Rivero

This post is part of our special coverage London Olympics 2012.
Days before the beginning of the XXX Olympic Games in London, the Bolivian delegation arrived with more managers and trainers than athletes. Only 5 athletes will compete for Bolivia.
The number is not a coincidence. No Bolivian athlete has ever won an Olympic medal.
The blogger and Bolivian Olympic athlete in Beijing 2008 Fadrique Iglesias, comments on his blog Clavo en el zapato (Nail in the shoe) [es]:
El Quijote, la obra máxima de Cervantes, satirizó a aquellas personas que al igual que el Ingenioso Hidalgo, persisten locamente en busca de sus sueños y luchando contra sus propios fantasmas con valentía. Así probablemente se identifiquen algunos de nuestros representantes olímpicos en América Latina, y más aún en Bolivia, donde ser deportista profesional es poco menos que una quimera y una irreverencia. El deportista, desde pequeño tiene que luchar contra un entorno familiar y educativo que prima horas de estudio o de trabajo, un entorno social que le tienta por la senda de los brebajes dipsómanos, un entorno profesional inestable y un reconocimiento social absolutamente limitado. Eso por no hablar de las restricciones de infraestructura y de las posibilidades de desarrollo de los entrenadores, quijotes también a su modo, que tienen que sobrevivir al paso de los años en la soledad de las canchas deportivas.
It's true. In Bolivia there is little incentive to play sports. Moreover the athletic and competitive culture has not been developed; the effort of becoming a professional athlete is not valued or appreciated socially or economically.
The media, the authorities and the public do not demand medals, nor would they have a reason to.
Nevertheless, days before the beginning of the Olympic competition a scandal has opened up on social networks that points directly to the Bolivian Olympic Committee (COB), and its president Edgar Claure in particular.
The digital portal Oxígeno Bolivia explains [es]:
Edgar Claure gozará de $us 250 diarios en viáticos, además de que estará alojado en un hotel de cinco estrellas, con vehículo propio y traductor; en su condición de presidente del Comité Olímpico Boliviano. En cambio, los cinco bolivianos que participarán de Londres 2012 defendiendo la tricolor, sólo recibirán $us 15 diarios y estarán alojados en la Villa Olímpica.
The delegation is small, the country is poor and the numbers impact public opinion. Nevertheless, there is essential information that is worrisome: the money that is received is not invested in sports.
The journalist Miroslava Fernández (@kiske_one) [es] summarizes on her Twitter account:
@kiske_one: Se destapa escándalo. Bolivia recibe cada año 800.000 dólares. Jugosos viáticos para los 11 dirigentes y escaso apoyo a 5 atletas #JJOO
Before the scandal, the Bolivian government was looking for the way to intervene [es] with the Bolivian Olympic Committee. Even though the sensible voices demand that focus remain on the sports themselves. In that way, Fadrique Iglesias, concludes with a post [es]:
Está más que comprobado que los atletas aparecen como resultado de iniciativas locales y de efectos encadenados. Hay que exigir medallas y resultados internacionales, pero primero hay que comenzar por lograr una cultura deportiva, llenar los parques de niños, educar a los espectadores e incluso patrocinar a gestores profesionales para que se dediquen a ello desde la iniciativa privada. Al fin y al cabo, si se quieren resultados, la cosa es poniendo.
This post is part of our special coverage London Olympics 2012.

author: Pablo Andrés Rivero


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Brazil: Ministry of Health forms Partnership with Facebook on Organ Donation · Global Voices
Diego Casaes

The Blog da Saúde [Health Blog] announced [pt] the Ministry of Health's partnership with Facebook to encourage organ donation by members of the largest social network in the world. “The Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, and the Vice President of Facebook for Latin America, Alexandre Hohagen, will launch, next Monday (30th), a new profile feature for Facebook users which aims to encourage organ donation in the country [pt].”

author: Diego Casaes


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Cuba: Rights Activists Beaten, Detained by Police at Payá Funeral · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

Rights activists and foreign media in Cuba reported on July 23 that Cuban state police detained nearly 50 individuals as they departed from funeral services for Oswaldo Payá, leader of the famed Varela Project and a winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for human rights and democracy.
Payá was a leading advocate for freedom of expression, freedom of association, and other fundamental rights on the island. He was known for his moderate, non-violent approach to seeking reform. Along with his colleague Harold Cepero, Payá was killed in a car accident in Bayamo on July 22. Two passengers, both politicians visiting from Europe, survived the crash.
Antonio Rodiles, in Havana. Photography by Tracey Eaton, posted with photographer's permission.
Activists including Guillermo Fariñas and Antonio Rodiles, who leads the independent “Estado de SATS” intellectual forum on policy reform in Cuba, were among those detained.
Shortly after his release from detention, Cuban-born, Barcelona-based writer and blogger Ernesto Hernández Busto interviewed Rodiles about the incident. Rodiles described how police appeared as mourners exited the church where services were held, in Havana's El Cerro neighborhood. He explained that many wanted to walk to the Colón cemetery, where Payá would be buried, but that police would not allow this.
Rodiles describes the confrontation that took place when he attempted to keep police from arresting a friend, Julio Aleago Pesant:
…[Oigo] un agente [que] le dice a otro: “Ahí va Aleaga Pesant, vamos a arrestarlo” […] [Me] volteo y voy tras ellos; le van arriba y yo los cuestiono y trato de impedir que lo agarren. Uno de ellos me grita, yo le respondo, y entonces siento que varios se me echan encima con violencia. Me defiendo y comienzo también a tirar golpes y patadas. Entre seis o siete me someten y me llevan hacia el carro de la policía…
The independent, Cuba-based news group Hablemos Press posted this video in which verbal confrontation between police and the crowd can be heard. In the following video from Euronews, viewers can see individuals being forced onto a bus by police and men in plain clothes.
Family members have questioned whether the accident may have occurred due to foul play. Mid-week, The Miami Herald cited an account from Payá's son who told reporters that the passengers who survived the accident had told officials in Spain and Sweden that a truck had hit their car and run them off the road. Blogger and US-Cuba policy expert Phil Peters has posted a useful compilation of press reports on the crash, which reflect a range of stories about what caused the accident.
At the conclusion of their interview, Hernández Busto asked Rodiles how this experience of “direct physical repression” might affect his work. Rodiles responded:
Desgraciadamente, estas barreras han pasado a ser parte de las pruebas a vencer en este sistema. Mi plan es seguir trabajando, ahora con una visión más clara de todo el esfuerzo que debemos ponerle a una transición pacífica a la democracia en nuestra tierra.

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle


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East Timor: Stunning Sunset Photos · Global Voices
João Miguel Lima

Currently based in Dili, Timor Leste, the Australian media and policy professional Ashlee Betteridge shares on her blog Betty loves blogging four stunning photos of Dili sunsets, which “more often than not, put on a good show.”

author: João Miguel Lima


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Greece: Photo ‘Road Trip’ Around Europe Debt Crisis · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

‘We Are The Pigs‘ – in reference to the derogatory PIGS acronym – is a crowdfunded photojournalism ‘road trip’ venture, to collect people's stories from European countries affected by the debt crisis. The project, started by two young Central European women journalists frustrated with the stereotypical hyperbole and abuse levelled in the media against Greece and other crisis-ridden countries, will hit the road in early August, starting in Thessaloniki, Greece.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Jamaica: Campaign to Exonerate Marcus Garvey – Part 1 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican political leader, writer and thinker whose philosophy supported the Back to Africa movement of the 1920s, which advocated that members of the African diaspora return to their ancestral lands.  He is considered a national hero in the land of his birth, remembered for his influence in Black Nationalism and Pan Africanism.  But in the United States, Garvey is down on record as a convicted felon.
In the first installment of this two-part post, Global Voices talks to one Jamaican diaspora blogger, Geoffrey Philp, who started an online campaign to clear Marcus Garvey's name.
Global Voices (GV):  For those who might not know about Marcus Garvey or understand the impact of his philosophy and life’s work, could you explain why he has had such an impact on you
and why he is so important to Jamaica? (And even beyond Jamaica to the African and
Caribbean Diaspora, African Americans, etc.)
Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp, who is petitioning for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey.
Geoffrey Philp (GP):  This is an interesting question that I've attempted to answer it in many ways, including a recent post: Exonerate Marcus Garvey: 5 Ways You Can Help.  Vanessa Byers at Blogging Black Miami was also intrigued about my commitment and I did a guest post for her:
Growing up in Jamaica with the music of Bob Marley and themes of freedom, equal rights, and justice as an integral part of his lyrics, four questions haunted me: Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I
going? How can I be a good man?
Not surprisingly, these questions about the creation of an authentic identity and the impediments have been central to my work as a writer and teacher. Added to this was the question of what W. E. DuBois called ‘the color line’ and the connection between race and class that C.L.R James wrote about in The Black Jacobins.
These questions could have remained abstractions. However, with the birth of my son, they became pressing concerns: How do I teach my son to be a good man and father? What does it mean to be a good man? A good father?
As a father, writer, and teacher who has spent the past thirty years living in Miami, Florida, where many of our children, especially our boys are in trouble, the challenge broadened: How can I teach our sons to be good men?
The importance of Marcus Garvey's work for Jamaica, African Americans, and to the African and Caribbean Diaspora, was best defined by Marcus Garvey's son, Dr. Julius Garvey:
‘A sense of identity, self-reliance, unity/nationhood, entrepreneurship, education in the physical and psychological sciences, and spirituality based on the Father/Motherhood of God and the brother/sisterhood of woman/man. The principles that Garvey outlined in was a philosophy, theology, psychology, and social action plan that could be applied by all people in any location.’
GV:  How did your campaign to exonerate Garvey begin and who else is involved in the effort (bloggers, regional groups, etc.)?
GP:  I started the petition out of my love and respect for Marcus Garvey. For ten years, I taught Marcus Garvey’s Life and Lessons as part of a course on heroes. The course also used texts and videos about Joseph Campbell, bell hooks, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, Audre Lourde, Frantz Fanon, Paulo Freire, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, and Toni Morrison.
They say we teach what we want to learn and during this time, I was also asking myself the question: How can I be happy? In order to answer that question, I realized that the first contradiction in my life—what the Buddhists call the root chakra (Muladhara)–would have to be resolved: the validation of my life experiences versus the multiple narratives from history, literature, and the media that denigrate anything/everything Black/African.
If I, as a ‘browning’ from middle class Mona Heights, educated at Jamaica College and a graduate of the University of Miami could be affected by this racial prejudice, then how did my darker brothers and sisters feel about themselves? And if they did not experience the ‘shame’ of blackness (Marcus Garvey called blackness ‘a glorious symbol of national greatness’) how did they heal themselves from that psychological wound?
All my readings and conversations pointed to Marcus Garvey. When I discovered that Garvey was railroaded by the Justice Department, I felt something had to be done to clear the name of a man who was the victim of injustice and whose only crime was standing up for the human rights of Africans and New World Africans.
Along the way, I met with others who felt as passionately…as I did and we agreed to form a coalition to pursue [his] exoneration. The principals are Dr. Claire Nelson of The Institute for Caribbean Studies; Jabulani Tafari, Priest Douglass Smith, and Dr. Michael Barnett of the Rootz Foundation; Ras Don Rico Ricketts and Professor Donald Jones of the Marcus Garvey Celebrations Committee; Mr. Yaw Davis of the UNIA; Mr. Donovan Parker, attorney at law, and Mr. Justin Hansford, Assistant Professor of Law at Saint Louis University.
But before we did anything, we decided to get the blessing of Marcus Garvey's son, Julius Garvey, who for many years has been a crusader for clearing his father's name. Jabulani Tafari of the Rootz Foundation, who is also a friend of Dr. Julius Garvey, reached out to Dr. Garvey and he gave his blessings.
Then, we crafted a press release by using an online service that allowed us to edit in real time. Next, we used our media contacts and emailed the press release to all of them. The final step was coordinating our efforts online and on the ground.
“Marcus Garvey Square” – image by Mark Gstohl, used under a Creative Commons license.
GV:  What are some of the activities (online and otherwise) that you have been doing to
get Garvey’s name cleared?
GP:  Jabulani Tafari of the Rootz Foundation has invited celebrated historian, Garvey
disciple, Dr. Runoko Rashidi, to deliver the feature presentation at the 2012 Rootz Extravaganza. The program, scheduled for 7.00 pm to midnight on Friday, August 17, has been designated ‘Marcus Garvey Appreciation Day’ in the City of Fort
Lauderdale.
Don Rico Ricketts of the Marcus Garvey Celebrations Committee has spearheaded a campaign in Miami Gardens that has several components, which we hope they will approve, including the naming of a section of 7th Avenue, in honor of Marcus Garvey and establishing a Sister City/Parish Program between Miami Gardens, (the largest predominantly African-American municipality in Florida, with a significant Caribbean population) and St. Ann (birthplace of Marcus Garvey) and its capital, St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica.  We have also planned activities commemorating and celebrating the 125th anniversary of Marcus Garvey's birthday, the 90th anniversary of his marriage to Amy [Ashwood], and the 50th anniversaries of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago's independence.
GV:  We're very interested in how the social media campaign has been organised. Can you tell us more about it? Do you think using social media to spread the message has given more weight to the campaign? If so, how?
GP:  We have been using social media to help spread the word, including You Tube, @babagarvey on Twitter, Facebook and this blog.
We've used social media because it is the most effective way of spreading the news about the campaign and the easiest ways to collect signatures!
Don't miss Part 2 of this interview with Geoffrey Philp, in which he shares how Garvey has had an impact on his work as a writer, why he thinks it is important that Garvey be exonerated by the first black President of the United States and what the response from the White House has been like thus far.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jordan: Thousands of Syrians Seek Refuge · Global Voices
Diana Aqra

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
The situation in Syria has led hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee the country, and many have gone to neighbouring Jordan. A Jordanian government source has said that officials are preparing for the possible arrival of up to one million Syrians.
The government has given the UN permission to establish up to 22 refugee camps in northern Jordan. Until now thousands of Syrians have been seeking refuge in Jordanian towns and cities, many depending on the support of charitable organisations and individuals.
American journalism students Matt Kauffman and Melissa Tabeek have written about the plight of Syrian refugees in Jordan:
Since March of last year, the number of Syrians seeking refuge in Jordan has increased at an exponential rate. What started as a trickle has turned into a flood; in the past two months the amount of “persons of concern” registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, has leapt from 13,933 to about 24,000 – an increase of about 70 percent. But the real number is closer to 120,000, experts say. While Jordan has long been a safe haven for refugees throughout the Arab world – some estimates say that there are already 2 million Palestinian, Iraqi and Libyan refugees in this country of 6.5 million Jordanians – the situation with Syrians is special. The influx from the north poses a dilemma. The Jordanian government has not officially recognized them as refugees, but rather “guests” of the country. Unlike neighboring Turkey – which is harboring Syrian refugees in traditional tented camps – Syrians in Jordan are finding safety in cities and villages scattered throughout the kingdom, stretching already limited resources in a country that depends on outside aid. Safety does not always spell decency though; Syrian families sometimes numbering in the double digits are confined to a few small rooms inside overrun apartments.
Fawaz Bilbeisi noted:
@fbilbeisi: #Jordan king announced that security along border w/ #Syria is tightened but Syrian refugees fleeing violence will still be allowed 2 enter
The UN Refugee Agency expressed its thanks:
@Refugees: In times like these, we really are grateful that #Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey maintain open borders & that #refugees are being welcomed. #Syria
Syrian Women's Association, Amman. Photo by EskewMe, used with permission.
Blogger EskewMe has visited the Syrian Women's Association in Amman:
Um Eysam, the director of the Syrian Women's Association, in Amman, Jordan says that they have registered around 4,000 refugees since the war began in Syria, and they are struggling to manage serving them with food, residences, water, and medical treatment as it is. They expect that the next wave of refugees coming from Damascus to be the largest and the funding for their stay in Jordan to be the most difficult. At least 100 to 350 refugees arrive at the Syrian Women's Association every night, and the number is increasing every day, another director of the organization said. […] In the building directly next door, a residence also funded by the Syrian Women's Association, another large group of injured Syrian refugees are awaiting medical treatment. Men speak of how they were attacked during anti-goverment protests months ago and why treatment for their injuries have still not been adequately cared for by the Jordanian services. One man is on a pair of crutches after being stabbed in the arm and stomach by government authorities in a village outside of Damascus more than three months ago. Another 16-year-old beside him tells why he has lost the use of his left arm completely, due to the failure to obtain proper treatment. Without much faith that they will receive any treatment in Jordan, they are on both on the waiting list for surgery in other countries, such as Germany and Egypt.
Syrian refugees in Amman. Photo by EskewMe, used with permission.
In this video produced by Melissa Tabeek (MelissaMary52), Syrian refugee children tell their stories:
http://youtu.be/YMFVNZtpjlY
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

author: Diana Aqra


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Nigeria: Rediscovering the ‘Osun-Oshogbo’ Sacred Groove · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Immanuel Afolabi is a Nigerian film producer, teacher, freelance journalist, writer and  musician. He has a passion for communicating developmental issues through text, sound, still and moving images. With funding from the French Research Institute (IFRA-Nigeria), Immanuel made a documentary – Osun Groove: Lost but Found?
The Oshogbo Sacred Groove is a UNESCO designated cultural heritage centre that sprawls a magnificent 74 hectares of land. Ironically, this historical site is the fruit of Susan Wenger's labor. Susan Wenger is the Austrian priestess, Iya Adunni (Mother Adunni), who first visited the groove in the 1950s and fell in love with the place. Wenger has come to personify “the spirit of the forest” an English translation of Oshogbo.
Nwachukwu Egbunike spoke to Immanuel Afolabi about his journey to the Osogbo Sacred Groove and the role of social media in reviving dying or invisible African religious practices.
Immanuel Afolabi
Nwachukwu Egbunike (NE): You just did a documentary of the Oshogbo Groove. What is it is all about?
Immanuel Afolabi (IA): Let me start with the genesis of the documentary. I was in the French Research Institute sometime last year and the director mentioned to me that there was an International conference on patrimony identity, culture, etc. He said would want me to explore an aspect of those concepts through a documentary film and he specifically suggested the Osun Sacred Groove. Its revolves around patrimony because it has been in existence for hundreds of years and some of the things in that sacred groove have not been distorted by westernisation and modernisation, in spite of the heavy influence of late Susan Wenger, an Austrian. What I did was to explore how Nigerians specifically the people of Oshogbo respond either positively or negatively, and even the neutral aspects of their responses to what has been bequeathed to them by their great ancestors. Because of the sacred nature of that groove and the influence of Christianity and Islam, I found out that most people of Oshogbo shy away from fraternizing with their sacred groove. There are different dimensions and intricacies to the groove which I explored in the documentary.
NE: Nigeria seems to be a religious fault line between Christianity and Islam. How then does one then situate the place of the Oshogbo Groove within this equation?
IA: Studies claim that 50% of Nigerians are Muslims, 40% Christians, 10% of us are traditionalists, if you permit me to use that word. That’s the big challenge to the survival of the Osun groove. But one of my interviewees who is an adherent of the Osun religion told me that most Nigerians may profess not to fraternise with the groove publicly but privately are their frequent guests. The problem is hypocrisy, that’s what I can deduce from the responses of that particular interviewee of mine. However, when we get to our closets, we do one or two things that celebrate traditional religion. But the challenge is still there; either we look at it from that openness, or the covert way with which people fraternise with traditional religion. The challenge is that what is obviously known to us is that Christianity and Islam are the two dominating religions in this country and they do not subscribe to traditional religion and most Nigerians who ‘profess’ to be either Christians or Muslims do not fraternise with our traditional religions, due to the tenets of these two religions: Christianity and Islam.
Goddess of Fertility, Oshogbo Groove, Nigeria (Photo Credit: Feathersproject.wordpress.com)
NE: What was your perception of the Osun Groove?
IA: I went to the groove as an observer-participant not as a participant-observer. For instance, when that priestess asked me to do one or two things, so as to become a participant in the Osun worship, I objected to that because I do not believe in the Osun deity. But that did not truncate my assignment because I went there with the eye of an artist: let me see what other people cannot see, let me be the eyes of the society. But when it came that point of my identifying as a worshiper of the deity, I had to excuse myself from doing so. It my interest you also that I worked in the midst of Muslims when making this documentary. I was even in one of their religious services, but they never forced me or even asked me to participate in any of their religious rites. I went there to observe what they did and to give reportage of what they did and I don’t see a conflict actually, between what I do and my religious affiliation.
NE: Apart from the documentary that you have already done, what do you think about the potential of social media to be able to amplify these voices to other places about the cultural patrimony of Nigeria. Is there hope, or is it just mere hype?
IA: It is no hype and there is hope. But, I think the developmental angle will be to train, the traditionalists so that they themselves can report to us directly rather than through intermediaries – the digital natives. I was limited to going in to some places because I was initiated into some cult. So, if the traditionalists were trained in the art of employing the social media in reporting their patrimony that revolves round their cultural heritage etc; then, they would the liberty to give it to us one hundred percent and how they want it to be disseminated to us. How I can respond concretely to that is in this way. As a professional, if I can have the opportunity to train the locals, in employing the social media in reporting their traditional practices. I think that would serve them better and that would help in employing the social media in conveying to us what they want to convey to us from their own traditional and cultural perspective.
NE: Will the social media be employed in promoting this documentary?
IA: I don’t think so since the aim is purely academic. However we intend to create some short clips that will be uploaded on YouTube. The primary motive is to have it screened in an international conference (Patrimony, Memory and Identity in West Africa) organised early this month in the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. Another objective is to further screen it in global films festivals. In summary, it will serve as an educational and teaching tool.
NE: Is there a website for this documentary?
IA: No there is no website for the documentary but I have a blog and the sponsors of the project – IFR – also have a website.
NE: Do you think there is a common meeting ground for oral based African religious practices and technology?
IA: I am not in the best position to answer this question. However, some scholars advocate that Yoruba traditional religions have technology embedded in them. For instance, some believe that the Ifa corpus – a medium, through which Ifa priests communicate with the gods, gets feedback from the gods and relay same to their clients – is technology in action. Others also are of the view that the ability to predict the future – divination – is already a technological advancement.
NE: Can social media revive dying or invisible African religious practices to an everlasting life (by digitalizing the African spiritual experience)?
IA: Yes it can be used to preserve and make them available to the outside world. Technology helps in documenting these various cultural practices – the religion, the art, etc. The social media can serve as a platform through which oral tradition/religion can be projected to the global community easily and at a faster pace. Facebook, Twitter will be a platform in integrating these religious practices – serving as media of communication among many traditional groups, religions and promoting indigenous practices.
NE: How about Facebook or Twitter in local Nigerian languages?
IA: It can help. But some of these people might still be deprived from using social media because of lack of education. Since the language of instruction is still English. If people are instructed in their indigenous languages, this will not only push development but will also drive the adaptation of these social media platforms. However, we are disadvantaged in Africa because following the old trajectory of development, ‘technology’ used to be the paradigm. Although this attitude to development has changed, however, the remnants still remain. Until the language of instruction morphs from English to the local languages, then development will still remain stunted and the overall penetration and acceptance of social media platforms, might remain largely elitist.
NE: Generally, what do you see as the present or the future, as the case may be, of social media platforms in Nigeria, within and outside the art?
IA: The first thing is that, we need to build our technology in Nigeria. The more advanced we are and the more accessible many Nigerians are, including the locals, to technology, the better for Nigerians. We need to create access for Nigerians too, using this technology. The future is bright, and the world is going gaga, in the sense that technology is driving the world. And we can’t cut ourselves away from this trend.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike