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Are There Prospects for Peace and Stability in South Sudan? · Global Voices
Ayo Awokoya

Some 1,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been moved to new, cleaner – and drier – accommodations in South Sudan. Photo by Flickr user UNMISS. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The political situation within South Sudan is becoming increasingly unstable.
In early July, clashes between government forces and soldiers loyal to Riek Machar, the former vice president, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and the displacement of thousands from the capital Juba. Allegations as to the cause of the fighting pointed to a failed coup orchestrated by Machar to oust President Salva Kiir from power, and in the wake of the recent violence and confusion, the political intrigue that had festered in the corridors of power fully manifested.
Machar fled the capital and refused to return to Juba unless a third-party military force was stationed in Juba to defuse tensions between the rival factions. While the United Nations and  Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) conversed on the deployment of such a military force, President Kiir made his move. He proposed an ultimatum to Machar, stating should he not return to the capital within 48 hours there would be consequences. Machar missed the deadline and true to his promise, President Kiir replaced Machar with the former mining minister, Taban Deng Gai.
The development echoed the initial spark that led to the civil war in 2013. That year, the world’s youngest nation was plunged into civil war when Kiir removed First Vice President Riek Machar on December 15, after accusing him of planning a coup. The conflict has been marred by ethnic undertones, as both leaders enjoyed the support of their respective tribes. President Salva Kiir is a Dinka, while Riek Machar is an ethnic Nuer. (Dinka is the largest ethnic group in South Sudan, and the Nuer tribe is the second.)
South Sudan's former Vice President Riek Machar. Public Domain photo by Voice of America.
In February 2016, Kiir re-appointed Machar as his first vice president. By July 7, however, fighting erupted in the capital city, where forces loyal to Kiir fought with troops pledged to Machar. The clashes marked the first violence since the signing of last year's peace deal.
Machar, fearing for his life, fled Juba and sought refuge in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, and then in Sudan where he was receiving ‘emergency medical treatment’ in Khartoum. Some observers speculate that Machar is seeking to amass allies who will support him in his cause to return to the capital and restore his position of vice president.
But the deteriorating state of the country’s affairs has placed doubt as to whether Machar will be able to return to his post. After much resistance, the government has allowed for the deployment of an additional 4,000 UN peacekeeping troops to be stationed in the capital with certain stipulations. Minister of Information Michael Makuei Lueth argued in a press statement that “4,000 is the ceiling, but we are not duty-bound. We can even agree on 10.”
He also said his government gave “consent” but did not “accept” the deployment of the force. The challenge to the agreement reflects the South Sudanese continued resistance to foreign intervention.
In addition, President Kiir has claimed that Machar’s return to politics would not bring about peace and he should refrain from entering politics. This sentiment has been expressed by the US, the superpower which helped South Sudan achieve independence from Sudan in 2011, which has been deeply involved in trying to salvage the peace settlement since the July clashes. Like President Kiir, the US special envoy to South Sudan, Donald Booth, expressed that Machar should not seek to reinstall himself to his former position. He said, “Given all that has happened, we do not believe it would be wise for Machar to return to his previous position in Juba.”
In response, many netizens have claimed that the US has been naïve in their evaluation of Machar’s negative influence in the implementation of the peace settlement:
One commenter, jubaone, in response to an article by Sudan Tribune, said:
Booth’s remarks are irresponsible, unfortunate and malicious back-stabbing on the IGAD as a regional institution that tirelessly mediated the peace. Dr. Riak commands a following and there is no short-circuited solutions without him. Booth’s statements are inflammatory and can only fuel the conflict further.
Another commenter calling himself Mr Point shared similar sentiments:
[US] Ambassador [to the United Nations] Samantha Power follows Representative Chris Smith and Ambassador Donald Booth in the long line of American diplomats who have been misled by Kiir’s lies that he has no plan to purge any potential rival politician .
The weak, naive and ignorant Donald Booth has warned Kiir against a power monopoly. Kiir will pursue his power monopoly irrespective of warnings from weak, naive Americans.
Akook pointed out the consequences of Machat’s continued absence from Juba:
It is clear to everybody that Kiir’s faction picked on Machar attacked and dislodged him out of Juba simply because they want to replace him which is against peace agreement. Juba can bribe few American officials to change course overnight but situation on the ground remains the same. There is nothing they can do about. If Machar stays out, there countless Generals more than ready to fight Juba.
So where does this mean for Machar?
Though there are supporters within the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLM-IO), the main opposition armed group, who wish for Machar’s return, there are those who oppose his reinstallation, pointing out the ineffectiveness of his leadership and the human right violations his troops committed during the civil war in 2011 and in the recent clashes that took place in Juba.
Gatkuoth Gatjiek remarked on Facebook on Machar’s incompetence both as a leader and military commander:
If Kiir is a lame duck, the same might be said – albeit to a lesser extent – of Riek Machar. The first vice-president never seemed to control his troops and never had as much military gravitas as his peers in the so-called SPLM-In-Opposition (IO). Furthermore, he has made the grave mistake of dismissing IO’s most experienced generals in the past year.
But in some people's eyes, President Kirr isn't any better.
The former deputy governor of South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, John Ivo Mounto, defected from the government to the SPLA-IO citing that the government’s corruption and incompetence has led the country to ruin.
Others within the SPLA-IO have called for President Kiir to resign, paving a direct challenge to government’s authority.
Tavia Network, an online news network, called for the resignation of both Machar and President Kiir, citing both as responsible for South Sudan’s instability:
It is time for both #SouthSudan president Salva Kiir and former VP Riek Machar who have ruined their country to both step down
— TaviaNetwork (@TaviaNetwork) September 8, 2016
However, there is room to doubt whether resistance to either of the men will be great enough to mount enough momentum to sway the centre of power in South Sudan.
Meanwhile, as politicians fight for power, the situation has very real consequences for South Sudanese people. The conflict has displaced over 1 million people internally, and 751,000 people have escaped into neighboring countries. Hunger and disease related to the conflict have inflicted suffering on many. It has also been reported that recruitment of child soldiers is rising. This year alone, more than 650 children having been recruited by armed groups.
Peace in South Sudan is sorely needed, but seems to remain out of reach.

author: Ayo Awokoya


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He Supported Bombing Syria a Little Too Eagerly, Now RuNet Pioneer Faces Prison · Global Voices
Isaac Webb

Anton Nossik. Source: Valerij Ledenev, Flickr, CC 2.0
On Monday, a Russian state prosecutor called for prominent blogger and oppositionist Anton Nossik to be sentenced to two years in a penal colony for publishing “extremist statements” online. Nossik, one of the “founding fathers” of the Russian internet, was charged in February for publishing a blog post on his Live Journal account entitled “Wipe Syria from the Face of the Earth.”
Prosecutors allege that Nossik violated Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code, “Incitement of Hatred or Enmity, as well as Abasement of Human Dignity,” which carries with it a maximum penalty of 4 years in prison.
The offending post, which was published on October 1, 2015, just weeks before Russia launched its bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, remains active on Nossik's Live Journal account. The blogger, it appears, ran afoul of the Kremlin by expressing open and vehement opposition to the Assad regime. In the post, Nossik, an Israeli citizen, calls for the bombing of territory controlled by the Syrian government, which he previously compared to Nazi Germany:
За последние 70 лет Ближний Восток не видел от Сирии ничего, кроме агрессии, войн, людоедства, разрухи и горя. До 2011 года они весь этот ужас экспортировали в сопредельные государства, с 2011 года сами жнут ими же посеянную бурю. Так им и надо, и ни разу не жалко. Осталось только все выходы заминировать, чтобы не экспортировали джихад в Европу.
For the last 70 years the Near East hasn't seen anything from Syria except aggression, war, cannibalism, ruin, and grief. Up until 2011, they exported all this horror to neighboring countries, but in 2011 they began to reap the seeds they sowed. It serves them right and I'm not sorry. All that's left is to destroy them, so that Jihad isn't exported to Europe.
Nossik maintains that he is innocent, but said on Monday he is prepared to serve a sentence in the hopes that his case will draw attention to the Russian government's practice of “convicting people for their thoughts.” Nossik posted about the prosecution's request on Facebook on Monday but did not offer any additional commentary.
Nossik seems to have gone too far in expressing his beliefs on Echo of Moscow, Russia's leading liberal radio station, on the same day he published his blog. He said his colleagues at Echo of Moscow told him that he had erred by “confusing the Internet with radio,” suggesting that restrictions on the freedom of speech are more stringent for radio than for the Internet.  Nossik defended himself by noting that he had joined the station's “Special Opinion” show, which, he argued, is intended for people with different points of view to “cross the line.”
The Chief Rabbi of Russia and a professor from Moscow State University spoke on Nossik's behalf at his trial.  Expert linguists from the Federal Security Service's (FSB) Institute of Criminology, meanwhile, testified that Nossik's post contained “extremist statements.”
Nossik is a member of Russia's opposition and has frequently spoken out about the Kremlin's crackdown on Internet freedom. One of Russia's first popular bloggers, he launched Gazeta.ru and Lenta.ru, at one time two of the country's most popular websites.
Nossik's verdict is set to be announced on October 3.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Isaac Webb


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There’s a Premier Dinosaur Museum in Japan’s Oft-Overlooked Fukui Prefecture · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Fossilized horseshoe crab, Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
Fukui, Japan's least-known prefecture to international tourists, is home to one of the most impressive dinosaur museums in Japan, if not the world.
With a collection of about 40 different species of dinosaur, the museum features a massive variety of displays that make for fantastic Twitter and Instagram posts.
福井県立恐竜博物館に来た。
A photo posted by Fujio Kojima (@fujiwo) on
We have arrived at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama, Fukui, is built into a hillside, and is designed to look like a dinosaur egg. The whole mountain features dinosaur exhibits and dinosaur-themed activities.
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, in Katsuyama, Fukui. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
The museum was opened in Katsuyama, a rural township about 600 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, in 2000. The museum features realistic displays that were designed with input from the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada.
Visitors to the museum are greeted by Fukuiraptor, a theropod dinosaur native to Fukui that was described and classified in part by Philip J. Currie of the Tyrrell Museum.
A photo posted by shinichi_okuno (@oku_sin) on
Fukuiraptor was discovered in the Kitadani geological formation just north of Katsuyama. The mountains of Fukui Prefectures are one of the few places where dinosaur remains can be found in Japan.
Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis #dinosaur
A photo posted by Sayuri Yamamoto (@s.yamamoto1127) on
Besides local specimens, the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum features complete recreations of many different dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex.
恐竜大好きです
A photo posted by Sigeo Noda (@sakakiaoi06) on
I love dinosaurs.
Old Men. Older Bones. #sonya6000
A photo posted by Shun Nakamura (@shunnak) on
There are also stunning recreations of dinosaurs, such as this Allosaurus, that visitors can view up close.
ぎゃー、がおーー #0914 #0915 #0916 #福井県立恐竜博物館  #PRONTOILBAR #4年生  #北陸 #女子旅 #卒業旅行
A photo posted by はやしさおり。 (@saoriii_a7) on
Agh! Scary! #fukuidinosaurmuseum #hokuriku #4thyearuni #womens #graduationtrip
A photo posted by Sayuri Yamamoto (@s.yamamoto1127) on
The hillside outside the museum is also dotted with realistic dinosaur displays, such as this Deinonychus attacking an Iguanodon.
A photo posted by Tatielli Nakagawa (@tatiellinakagawa) on
And the hilltop above the museum is giant park with other not-so-realistic displays that make for great social media posts.
吾輩は人である？（笑） #福井県立恐竜博物館
A photo posted by 草 (@kusa93) on
I am a cat human?
Fukui Prefecture is hard to reach by tourists, and is still waiting to be linked with high-speed rail service to Tokyo. The rural and picturesque prefecture is generally passed over by tourists traveling to the old castle town of Kanazawa to the north. The prefecture has branded itself as Japan's dinosaur ground-zero in order to appeal to tourists, and persuade them to consider stopping in Fukui.
The Fukui train station has itself transformed into a dino hot spot:
Dinosaurs at Fukui Station. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
If you want to explore more of Fukui's dinosaurs, follow the hashtag #福井県立恐竜博物館 on Twitter and Instagram.

author: Nevin Thompson


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Could an Ousted Crime Show Host Be a Symptom of a Bigger Problem in Trinidad & Tobago? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A screen grab of the opening segment of a ‘Crime Watch’ episode posted on YouTube, hosted by Ian Alleyne.
Crime is a hot topic in Trinidad and Tobago, and Ian Alleyne, self-appointed champion of the people as the star of ‘Crime Watch’ — one of the country's most watched “crimefighting” shows — is arguably even hotter. His popularity has not waned, despite controversies like his decision to broadcast footage that showed the rape of a minor or his arrest earlier this year on the grounds of obscene language and resisting arrest (albeit at the hands of a police inspector, Roger Alexander, who hosts a rival crime show, ‘Beyond the Tape’).
At the start of September 2016, CNC 3, the network that aired ‘Crime Watch’ and which had run a news story about Alleyne's arrest (conveniently editing out the expletives he had used against the police officer in question), announced that it was dropping the show. This was not the first time for Alleyne; his contracts with two other networks had also been terminated.
The blogger Mr. Live Wire at snarky news site Wired868 was immediately on the ball, explaining that the media house decided to part ways with Alleyne after he did “a so-called exclusive investigative report on construction work at the Brian Lara Stadium”, which prompted legal action — against both the show and CNC3 — from state developer Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT), which worked on the stadium's construction.
The post feigned surprise at Alleyne's “irresponsible claims against the government”, reminding readers that the TV host had previously contested an electoral seat for one of the parties that is now in opposition. (Prior to that, in 2002, Alleyne had unsuccessfully run for the Chaguanas seat for the party that is now in government.)
Although the cancellation of the show on CNC3 has netizens talking more than ever about its controversial host, the discussion has also begun to encompass wider issues — including the country's rising crime rate, the socio-economic gap between those with means and the dispossessed, the lack of public trust in the police and the judiciary, and the media's culpability in sesnsationalising violent crime — all of which have created a climate for this type of programme to thrive.
Meanwhile, Alleyne himself was busy extending olive branches and doing damage control on his Facebook page, posting a video announcing that he was building his own studio and asking fans to support the show by sending in monetary donations. The post's comments thread was filled with messages of admiration and support; fans were clearly looking forward to the return of the show, although Alleyne did not specify on which platform it would be available for viewing.
Facebook user Eric Ribeiro, however, said of the whole debacle:
Like all talk shows Crime Watch serviced a select group of people who found Alleyne to be interesting, amusing and effective. No one can be faulted for their taste in entertainment or otherwise. Where Alleyne went wrong is in miscalculating the value of his support and as we say here in Trinidad, taking basket from social media animals whose only worth to him is stoking the fire against his employers, a battle he was bound to lose. After being fired three times will he learn? Not if he keeps doing the same thing and expects different results. I genuinely wish him well.
Another netizen, Crystal Lowe, was of the opinion that Alleyne's wavering political loyalties finally caught up with him, but what caught the attention of many others was the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago's (MATT) statement about the discontinuation of the show on the CNC3 network:
While some viewed Crime Watch as sensational reality TV, the show also served a significant public interest. Many viewers relied on it as a window into communities that are relentlessly besieged by inadequate social services and a wide range of crimes, most of which are ignored by the traditional media. The programme on one hand bordered on exploitation of vulnerabilities while on the other hand it offered visibility and voice to citizens who were otherwise unable to access formal and timely redress through law enforcement and the judiciary. […]
MATT hopes that should there be a fourth incarnation of Crime Watch, its best elements that serve the public interest could be reinforced and its weaknesses addressed by consistent and meaningful investment in journalistic best practice.
MATT also rejected accusations that its statement was in any way compromised because its president works at CNC3 on a freelance basis.
While the wildly popular satirical website The Late O'Clock News poked fun, activist Brendon O'Brien, at his Activized blog, made the argument that although he detests the show, its cancellation may actually be compounding an already bad situation:
In a Facebook post Ian Alleyne posted days ago (which, conspicuously, can’t be found), he asked supporters of his show to come to the offices of CNC3 to support him in his fight against what he seems to consider censorship. According to him, the station intends to ask him to sign a contract demanding him to no longer critique the present government. This comes after him insinuating that the wives of two Government ministers benefited from multi-million-dollar contracts at the Brian Lara Stadium […] Since then, government minister Colm Imbert has done more than deny Alleyne’s statements.
Now, his show has probably been a political advertisement pretending to be superhero talk show for a while. That’s not the scariest part for me. The scariest part is that he’s played the ‘free speech champion’ before, and rallied people to his cause.
He continued:
Ian Alleyne represents a collection of unfortunate truths about Trinidad and Tobago; we don’t trust our justice system, nor do we trust our government officials, but have all-too-much faith in those who pander to us (extra points for obnoxiousness). It doesn’t hurt him in the slightest that media houses are eager to betray their own ethics for a chance at the ratings that he brings…assuming our local media houses have ethics to begin with. […]
It is in these moments – when he is off the air – that Ian Alleyne truly shows his strength as a personality. He’ll rally the people, and strike the fear of the Almighty Dollar into one media executive or another. He’ll likely end back up on the air, at some other TV station if not CNC3. Not because it’s the responsible thing to do, but because enough of his fanatics will throw themselves in the street for him if he demands it, and because every second he’s not on the air a TV advertising spot devalues.
But this says even more about us than it does about Ian. CrimeWatch has been on the air since 2010. In just those 6 years, he’s shown graphic images like the corpse of an infant and the rape of a minor […] and we never once realized that this is not the sort of person we need parading our nation, pretending to be our hero.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Emojis Created for and by Indigenous Peoples in Latin America · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Emojis depicting Mapuche culture. Republished with permission.
Across Latin America, indigenous language digital activists are taking the lead by creating culturally diverse emojis available for use in electronic communication as a way to promote their native culture and language.
In the last couple years, tech companies such as Apple and Twitter have responded to calls for more emoji diversity, giving users the option of selecting different skin tones. Despite some negative applications of these new emojis, the additions have been applauded and have opened up requests for the inclusion of other cultures and regions, such as a petition to add a hijab option.
Indigenous groups are among those who would like to see their cultures reflected in emojis. Instead of waiting for companies to finally include them, some internet users have taken it upon themselves to create their own emoji sets.
Luis Padhum Flores, who is from the state of San Luís Potosí, México, is a digital activist promoting his native Huastec (also known as Tének) language. One of his current projects include creating a set of emojis depicting faces in typical headdresses and hats, which he shared on his Facebook account.
Emojis depicting Huastec culture. Republished with permission.
And Mapuche schoolteacher Victor Carilaf has teamed up with Chilean artist Fiestoforo to launch Kimeltuwe, which promotes the Mapudungun language spoken by the Mapuche people in Chile and Argentina. As part of the project, they've created illustrations depicting Mapuche culture with an emphasis on transmitting the local language. Some of their illustrations include emojis of faces and people in traditional dress, which they encourage their 112,000 Facebook fans to use in their communication.
Emojis depicting Mapuche culture. Republished with permission.
With both projects, the creators are still searching for ways to fully integrate the emojis into different messaging platforms. For now, they have been using them as images or stickers that can be downloaded, edited and shared as jpegs or other image formats in comments or messaging.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Lies, Damned Lies and the Health of Central Asian Presidents · Global Voices
Akhal-Tech Collective

Atambayev being loaded into an ambulance from Istanbul's Ataturk airport. Screenshot from Turkey's TDA news agency.
On September 19, Kyrgyzstan's President Almazbek Atambayev was reportedly taken ill with chest pains while en route to the 71st UN General Assembly in New York and transported to a hospital for medical checks. Few in the ex-Soviet country are taking this news at face value, however.
This, after all, is Central Asia, an authoritarian region where rumours reign in the absence of reliable information and conspiracies that might sound far-fetched somewhere else soon take on a compelling logic.
So, officially, Atambayev is ill, and even video evidence from a Turkish news agency appears to testify to this.
Unofficially, the wily president that just celebrated his 60th birthday almost five years after coming to power is up to no flaming good.
Atambayev's apparent and unexpected heart problems come in the same month that neighbouring Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov was buried following a fatal stroke aged 78.
https://t.co/xy4QRUyNmB – чет и @kyrgyzpresident Атамбаев приболел. Сразу за Каримовым… Совпадение? Не думаю(с)
— Alex Tanin (@alex_tanin) September 20, 2016
Atambayev falls ill. Straight after Karimov….Coincidence? I don't think so.
The Uzbek government's August 28 admission that Karimov had been hospitalized was its first reference to the veteran leader's ill health during his 27-year-reign, and led many to believe that the end was nigh.
And it was, except the government delayed the announcement of Karimov's death for as long as possible.
It came after Fergana News, a Moscow-based website with a web of contacts in the Central Asian state, reported him dead on August 29. It came after Reuters, citing diplomatic sources, reported him dead four days later. It came after Turkey, the first state to recognize Uzbekistan's independence on September 1, 1991, became the first state to send condolences in connection with the passing of its leader on September 2, 2016.
Only after all of these things happened did the Uzbek government take a cue and pronounce Karimov dead, releasing him from a previously announced “critical condition”.
Karimov knocks on the pearly gates.
St Peter: “Sorry, I can't let you in until we get the official confirmation.”
via @Sergey_Elkin
— Jack Farchy (@jfarchy) August 30, 2016
Even prior to this officially confirmed death Karimov had been reported as falling into comas and suffering from heart attacks multiple times over the years.
Many of these brushes with the  afterlife were seemingly no more than the inventions of exiled opposition groups, but given the extent to which information is controlled in the country of 32 million people, it was always impossible to know for sure until he reappeared in public.
Whereas with Karimov the suspicion was always that he was dead or somehow incapacitated, even when he wasn't, with Atambayev, especially among his political opponents, the suspicion is that he isn't really ill at all:
A civic activist and former candidate for Ombudsman Rita Karasartova summed up one line of thinking, as an increasingly bitter battle between Atambayev's supporters and opponents over proposed changes to the constitution continues to rage in his absence:
Мысли вслух. Может быть такое что это заранее подготовленный План. Наш Президент никогда и не собирался ехать в Нью Йорк. Он должен лежать чуть ли не смертельно больным в Стамбуле, пока здесь будут проводиться аресты. Так он получает право сказать, что ничего не знал. В случае если что то пойдет не так, то можно переиграть и списать на исполнителя.
Thinking out loud. Maybe it is a prearranged plan. Our President was never going to go to New York. He should lie almost terminally ill in Istanbul, while arrests take place here. So he then gets the right to say that he knew nothing. In the event that something goes wrong he can blame his underlings.
Another line of thinking is that Atambayev has feigned illness in Turkey to get an audience with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after the two countries appeared to fall out in the wake of the bloody July coup Ankara blames on US-based Islamic theoretician Fethullah Gulen.
Yet another is that he did not want to be at the UN General Assembly, because he did not want to be asked awkward questions there about the dubious constitutional changes that he and his allies have been pushing so hard.
As one Facebooker noted, amid a storm of online conspiracies, “our poor president isn't allowed to be ill like a human.”
Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev. Russian government image, licensed for reuse.
Ironically, while Atambayev's hospitalization took place just as he was scheduled to appear at the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, Turkmenistan's all-powerful President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was subject to health scare speculation on his way back from the 70th Session this time last year.
As Eurasianet reported at the time:
Exiled Turkmen activists have noted a strange detour during President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s return from New York this week, prompting speculation that he might be unwell.
The Chronicles of Turkmenistan website said a keen-eyed reader scouring planespotter resource FlightRadar24 noted that Berdymukhamedov’s plane had stopped off in Munich, Germany, on September 26 instead of heading straight to Ashgabat.
That was enough to prompt opposition site Gundogar.org to speculate that the president had stopped off for medical consultations precipitated by a health scare.
According to his official schedule, Berdymukhamedov was due to travel on September 24-27 to take part in the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
As it happens, Berdymukhamedov’s speech before the General Assembly included a passage on health and on the need to promote healthy lifestyles.
The report continued:
That Berdymukhamedov is in poor health is always possible, although state media tirelessly rams home the message that the president is a superior sporting specimen.
The Munich connection is an intriguing one, however.
Former President Saparmurat Niyazov, who is said to have lived sybaritically before succumbing to heart failure in late 2006, was especially fond of Munich doctors. As his then-health minister, Berdymukhamedov would likely have had direct communication with the clinicians.
Central Asian leaders and health rumours: a match made in an information vacuum.

author: Akhal-Tech Collective


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Makeshift ‘Curfew Schools’ Help Kashmiri Students Continue Their Studies Despite Conflict · Global Voices
VideoVolunteers

The youth of Kashmir has stepped in to educate the children of Kashmir in ‘Curfew Schools’ for free. Screenshot from YouTube Video
This post originally appeared at Video Volunteers, an award-winning international community media organization based in India. An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement.
The local community of Srinagar, Kashmir, in northern India is supporting its children’s education despite the continuous conflict of the last couple of months.
The valley’s millions of students have been unable to attend school regularly due to the constant state of unrest there since the July killing of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, a commander of the Kashmiri separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen. The heavy presence of paramilitary forces and curfews have shut down schools, business establishments, and other government offices in the valley.
Among those who suffer worst are the children, who have been confined to their homes and denied their right to education.
In these testing times, young people have stepped in to educate the children of Kashmir in ‘Curfew Schools’ for free. These community schools were started in August, and the teachers are young volunteers from across the state from all kinds of professional backgrounds.
“Since the schools are shut, I’ve joined this centre to study so that I am prepared for my exams,” Aabid Hussain told Video Volunteers community correspondent Shafat Mir Hussein in Srinagar, Kashmir. Aabid is one of hundreds of other Kashmiri children being tutored at these makeshift schools run from individual homes, mosques, community halls, creating a safe haven for children to continue their education.
Despite broad international law which mandates that parties of armed conflicts spare civilians as much as possible, the lack of explicit standards or norms protecting schools and universities from use in support of the military effort means that fighting forces often make use of such education institutions for various purposes.
Even as the state’s Education Minister Naeem Akhtar directed the Kashmir State Board of School Education to prepare for school-leaving exams, reports surfaced of military forces occupying school properties in Srinagar.
As countries celebrated the 50th International Literacy Day on September 8, promising a good education and future for their children, millions of children across the world continue to suffer due to conflict. The recent clashes between Kashmiris demanding independence and the paramilitary forces have left 82 dead and more than 1,000 injured in the state.
According to UNESCO’s new Global Education Monitoring report, India is expected to achieve universal primary education in 2050, universal lower secondary education in 2060 and universal upper secondary education in 2085. As India looks to become a global leader, it is impossible to make progress in reducing inequality, encouraging responsible consumption, or ensuring everyone lives healthy lives if people are not able to educate themselves.

author: VideoVolunteers


text:
The UAE Has Avoided an ‘Arab Spring’ by Systematically Repressing Critical Speech · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

Behind the UAE's glitzy skycrapers, lies a dark reality of human rights violations. Photo by L Constantino via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Three years ago, the UAE government prosecuted en masse 94 government critics and activists who called for reform in the Emirates.
Since this time, there has been no Arab Spring-like uprising. No anti-government protests that have come close to shaking the ruling regime. Yet the state-sponsored repression of human rights advocates and journalists continues unabated.
Arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, unfair trials, deportations, and revocation of citizenships are among the tactics the UAE authorities regularly deploy to silence dissident voices and make sure that no such uprising takes place within its borders.
This week, 33-year-old Amina Abdouli is scheduled to appear before the Supreme Federal Court on charges related to her activities on Twitter. According to Amnesty International, she stands accused of:
…creating and running two Twitter accounts and publishing information with the aims of inciting hatred against the State and disturbing public order; mocking and damaging the reputation of State institutions; publishing false information about Saudi Arabia and making derogatory remarks about an Egyptian official with the aim of endangering the State’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt…
These practices have come in tandem with changes to the law that allow for broad, unchecked persecution of state critics in the online realm. The UAE government amended the country's 2006 cybercrime law in 2012 introducing harsh punishments for legitimate acts of free expression. The law prescribes imprisonment and fines for those who publish online news, cartoons and pictures that “may endanger the national security and the higher interests of the State or afflicts its public order” (article 28), and content deemed “damaging” to the “the reputation, prestige or stature of the State or any of its institutions or its president, vice-president, any of the rulers of the Emirates, their crown princes, or the deputy rulers of the Emirates, the State flag, the national peace, its logo, national anthem or any of its symbols” (article 29).
Those making calls to “overthrow, change the ruling system of the State, or seize it or to disrupt the provisions of the constitution or the laws applicable in the country or to oppose the basic principles which constitutes the foundations of the ruling system of the state” risk life imprisonment under article 30 of the law.
The use of VPNs to bypass government restrictions and engage in activities not allowed under the country's cybercrime law, is a crime punishable by imprisonment and up to $545,000.
Vague laws r used 2 stifle political dissent,harass journalists,arbitrarily block internet sites & target activists pic.twitter.com/MZHsktFjHM
— Emirates Centre 4HR (@ECHRIGHTS) September 10, 2016
These policies come alongside a variety of regulatory reforms affecting private online companies whose services include messaging and posting of unique content, making it easier for officials to prosecute individuals for their online activities, and to limit residents’ abilities to use these platforms in a private fashion.
The #UAE94
On 2 July 2013, the State Security Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi convicted 69 of the defendants and sentenced them to between seven and 15 years in jail. Verdicts issued by the State Security Chamber cannot be appealed under UAE law.
The International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE explains the trial in the video below:
The International Commission of Jurists and other human rights groups slammed the trial for failing “to meet internationally recognised standards of fairness.”
Some of the most striking effects of this crackdown have played out among families. Relatives of government critics routinely suffer the consequences of their family members’ online activities.
Amina Abdouli is not the only person in her family going on trial this week. Her brother Mosaab Abdouli will also stand trial for allegedly joining the armed rebel group Ahrar al-Sham in Syria, a charge he previously denied. The father of Amina and Mosaab, Mohammed al-ABdouli, was the head of the banned Emirati Umma Party and was arrested in 2005 and remained in prison for two years without trial.
In 2013, he died fighting with the Ahrar al-Sham armed group in Syria. On 30 May 2016, their 18-year-old sister Moza ‘Abdouli, was acquitted from the charges of “insulting the UAE, its leaders, and its institutions” over tweets she posted in March 2015, when she was still 15 and mourning the death of her father.
The case of al-Abdouli family is not uncommon. Last year, three sisters were forcibly disappeared by the authorities, and spent three months in secret detention for campaigning on Twitter in support of their jailed brother, a prisoner of conscience convicted in the UAE94 trial.
Osama al-Najjar is currently serving a three-year jail term for tweeting about the ill-treatment of his jailed father, also convicted in the UAE94 mass trial. According to Amnesty International, al-Najjar was convicted of a number of charges including “instigating hatred against” the state, “designing and running a website [with] satirical and defaming ideas and information” deemed harmful to UAE institutions. His conviction, which was handed down by the State Security Chamber at the Federal Supreme Court in November 2014, cannot be appealed.
Relying heavily on a foreign labor force to maintain and drive its economic growth, the UAE population is made up of 81% foreigners. Members of this large expat community, which is dominated by workers from South East-Asia but also includes European, Australian, American, and Arab nationalities, often fall foul of the country's repressive policies and laws.
Jordanian journalist Tayseer al-Najjar has been detained for nine months without trial. According to Human Rights Watch, authorities questioned him about a July 2014 Facebook message that he posted before he moved to the UAE to work as a culture reporter for the local newspaper Dar. In the post, al-Najjar reportedly criticized Israeli actions in the Palestinian region of Gaza, and Egyptian authorities’ destruction of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
And it is not only activists and government critics who need to worry about what they post and say on the internet, as the mere acts of sharing a link or swearing on WhatsApp could land users into legal trouble. On 28 July, authorities in Dubai arrested Scott Richards, a British-Australian national, for sharing a link on Facebook to a charity raising money for refugees in Afghanistan. He risks a year in jail and a fine of 100,000 Emirati dirhams (USD $18,000), under local laws that prohibit fundraising and donating to foreign charities without the authorities’ prior written approval. Last year, an Australian woman was fined and deported for posting on Facebook a photo showing a car parked across two parking spots for disabled drivers outside her flat.
These incidents prompted the UK to update its travel guidance recently, warning its nationals not to post materials critical of individuals, companies and the government, while in the UAE.
#UK gvt encourages oppression of #freespeech in #UAE by advising travelers not to post criticism on social media pic.twitter.com/a7nFId0P9k
— ICFUAE (@ICFUAE) September 13, 2016
UAE leaders often boast about the high living standards their citizens and expat residents enjoy. The country ranks 30th worldwide in the 2015 prosperity index, which ranks countries in terms of prosperity based on income and well-being. The government even has a minister for happiness, and according to a 2016 poll, young people in the Arab region chose the UAE as the “best country” to live and work in for its safety, stability and the economic opportunities it offers. For the time being, however, activists and government critics do not seem to enjoy the happiness, well-being and safety the Emirates offer.

author: Afef Abrougui


text:
There’s a Teacher Roaming Rural Colombia Atop Two Donkeys, Bringing a Mobile Library to Children · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Biblioburros, a mobile library in Colombia. Image: Acción Visual / Diana Arias / Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).
What would the world be without the wit and inventiveness of all those who see what goes on and wonder what can they do to improve it? What would the world be without teachers?
Luis Soriano, a Colombian elementary school teacher born in Nueva Granada, understands the value of education. He was raised in a community in the municipality of La Gloria, in the department of Cesar. Soriano graduated with a diploma in Spanish literature, thanks to a professor who visited his village twice a month.
Personally aware of reading's importance, Soriano is doing what he can to make sure books reach children where they might not otherwise. “Biblioburros” (literally “Donkey Library”) is a mobile library that distributes books around Northern Colombia on the back of two donkeys named Alfa and Beto, whose names together form the word alfabeto, or “alphabet” in Spanish. And one more thing: they are the “wisest donkeys in the world,” according to blog Narrative Journalism in Latin America:
En 1997 [Soriano] tuvo una idea que para muchos fue maravillosa, pero para otros constituyó una verdadera locura: por su propia cuenta decidió cargar en el lomo de dos burros 70 libros de matemáticas, literatura geografía e historia. ¿Su objetivo? Llevarlos a diferentes niños sin recursos ubicados en apartadas zonas de su municipio.
In 1997, [Soriano] had an idea that many considered wonderful, but for others was simply crazy: he decided on his own to load the back of two donkeys with 70 math, literature, geography, and history books. His goal? Take them to several poor children located in remote areas of his township.
Luis Soriano has enjoyed reading since childhood—a passion he says he owes to his aunt, with whom he discovered a memorable poem by the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío:
Sin duda Soriano es un quijote colombiano, que enloqueció como el Caballero de la Triste Figura con los libros. Cuando su tía le leyó “Margarita está linda la mar”, no pudo dormir en ocho días. Tenía cuatro años y si no lo adivinaba entonces, al menos intuía que su vida estaría íntimamente ligada con la literatura.
No doubt about it, Soriano is a Colombian Quixote who went crazy, just as the Knight of the Sad Figure, with books. When his aunt read him “Margarita how sad the sea is,” he couldn't sleep for eight days. He was four years old and if he couldn't foresee it by then, at least he intuited his life would be intimately linked to literature.
Soriano recently spoke to CCN.com, listing some of the motivations for his Biblioburros project. According to the website:
In [rural] regions, a child must walk or ride a donkey for up to 40 minutes to reach the closest schools. […] The children have very few opportunities to go to secondary school. […] There are [few] teachers that would like to teach in the countryside.
His wish to spread reading isn't limited to the Spanish language either: Soriano also shares his few English-language books with his young readers:
While crusading against illiteracy in a war-weary hinterland, Soriano is keen to expand his meager English-language book collection. Understanding the importance of bilingualism in a country that increasingly is connected to the outside world through digital and print, he feels passionately that rural children should have greater access to words written in the world’s most widely-spoken language.
The video below shows Luis Soriano in action, highlighting the difficulties of obtaining books in some areas. That, of course, is where he and his donkeys come in.
Tengo 3,480 libros guardados en cajas, metidos en anaqueles, en burriquetes, en cajas, cajitas. En donde mis amigos tengo también porque no habría espacio para mí ni para los libros. […]
Alfa es la que prácticamente lleva toda la biblioteca, 120 títulos cargamos en esta biblioteca para el goce y el disfrute de los niños del campo. Tenemos recorridos de 3, 4, 5, hasta de 11 horas. Son 8 horas montado en burro.
Este es mi compromiso de vida. Sentirme útil a la sociedad a la que pertenezco.
I have 3,480 books stored in boxes, stuck in shelves, in boxes, and in small boxes. I also have them at my friends’ places, otherwise there wouldn't be any space for me, or for the books. […] Alfa is actually the one carrying all the library, we have 120 titles in these bookshelves for rural areas for children to enjoy. We do tours of 3, 4, 5, even 11 hours. That's 8 hours riding a donkey.
This is lifetime commitment—to feel useful to the society to which I belong.
In an article that appeared on the news website Quartz, Biblioburros was listed as one of eight libraries every book lover must visit. Quartz sparked enthusiasm among English-speaking Twitter users, as well.
#biblioburros yes. https://t.co/SiSXU3o1AK
— Amber Ankerholz (@AAnkerholz) 7 de septiembre de 2016
From Biblioburros to Walmart … take your pick of exotic libraries: https://t.co/zoLkBenhF3
— Jessica White (@ladyredjess) 7 de septiembre de 2016
I love the Biblioburros the most I think. https://t.co/sFutfDzmDF
— Katie Dyer (@katiedyer2014) 7 de septiembre de 2016
As a result of his efforts, Luis Soriano has even been immortalized in a book for children by Jeanette Winter!
Celebrate #NationalLibrariesDay with Jeanette Winter's “Biblioburro” pic.twitter.com/Rt7zHo6mYL
— TAA_Editor (@TAA_Editor) February 7, 2015
El maestro Luis un día decide cargar sus dos burros, Alfa y Beto, con libros, para llevarlos a los niños que, por vivir en alejadas zonas rurales, no tienen acceso a ellos. Desde entonces, recorre el país con su biblioteca ambulante.
One day, the teacher Luis decides to load his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto, with books and takes them to remote areas for children who can't access them otherwise. Since then, he's gone through the country with his mobile library.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


text:
A Totem Pole Unites Indigenous Resistance to Fossil Fuel Across North America · Global Voices
350.org

Photo posted on Facebook by Jewell James.
This article is based on a piece written by Clayton Thomas-Muller and Attiya Jaffar for 350.org, an organisation building a global climate movement, and is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
On August 23, a 22-foot totem pole left the Pacific Coast of the US state of Washington on a 5,000 mile journey to Canada. This marked the fourth year that the Lummi Nation, a Native American tribe, had organized a “totem pole journey” — a mission to “strengthen and expand” alliances between Indigenous peoples active in the resistance against the fossil fuel industry.
Earlier this year, the Lummi Nation celebrated a huge victory when it successfully blocked the largest coal port ever proposed in North America. Now, by sending this totem pole as a gift to the Treaty 1 people in Winnipeg, Canada, the nation is standing up in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples leading the fight against the Energy East tar sands pipeline, the largest proposed oil pipeline on the continent.
Once raised in Winnipeg, the totem pole is meant to “bear witness to the need for all peoples to work together in the name of our common humanity and our covenant with Mother Earth,” according to the totem pole journey website.
(Editor's note: 350.org alongside the Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition set up an art space in Winnipeg to train activists in the production of visual materials  in support of the journey.)
Jewell James, master carver at the House of Tears Carvers Studio and the man who led the crafting of the totem pole, made it clear that it would stand as a symbol of resistance, and that it would unite this community with other Indigenous-led fossil fuel fights across Turtle Island (as some Indigenous groups call the continent of North America):
We need to let them know they cannot in the name of profits do this to the people, the water, the land, and to the future generations. We will never give up.
The final masterpiece features a bald eagle with wings spread on top and a Medicine Wheel on its chest, and below that are a bear, wolf, and coyote. Closer to the base, an Indigenous chief has been carved facing a medicine woman. According to James, “The medicine woman shows a connection to the Great Spirit; the eagle symbolizes wisdom and vision; the wolf is a scout or guide; and the bear provides strength.”
The totem pole journey began with an intimate blessing ceremony in Bellingham, Washington. Soon afterward, it made a stop in Seattle before it set off eastward. Meanwhile, in Canada, community members in Winnipeg who are active in the struggle against the Energy East pipeline prepared to receive the gift. Watch Clayton Thomas-Muller from Winnipeg, Canada, speak on Facebook about the community’s plans for receiving this enormous gift.
En route to Winnipeg, as an expression of solidarity, the totem pole journey ceremoniously stopped at numerous hot spots of Indigenous resistance to oil, coal and gas. This included a visit near Vancouver, Canada, to the T’Sleil Waututh Nation — another community fighting tar sands expansion—and a blessing stop in Missoula, Montana.
Douglas James, Lummi elder sings at Missoula #totempolejourney stop. #StandingRock @350Canada @350 @missoulian pic.twitter.com/8qWBRq0zKf
— 350 Montana (@350Montana) 1 de septiembre de 2016
Most notably, the journey made a stop at the Sacred Stone Camp to show solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe which has been leading the iconic battle against the Dakota Access pipeline. “They’re exercising their religious freedom, freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly — the right to speak out,” James said.
Jay Julius and the #LummiNation Totem Pole arrive @sacredstonecamp #totempolejourney #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/S6TAaTYcK6
— Mystical Mayhem (@AsenaGray) 31 de agosto de 2016
In video on Facebook, members of the Lummi Nation speak on showing solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
As the totem pole headed north towards Canada, hundreds of people in Winnipeg spent the weekend creating art in support of the climate movement. Many of the designs for the banners and the flags were produced Isaac Murdoch.
Come make movement art with us at the #350 #MEJC #TotemPoleJourney Art Build!! 415 Mulvey ST E. Winnipeg #Treaty1 Territory! Loading ramp  on side of CJ Storage (blue bldg) #keepitintheground #WaterisSacred #OgichiTibakonigaywin
A video posted by Clayton Thomas Muller (@clayton_thomas_muller) on
At last, it reached its destination on September 5. Thousands of people were there to receive the totem pole with the utmost respect and enthusiasm.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs along with friends of the community hosted a large public event in Winnipeg that day to honor the arrival of the totem pole journey. The celebration focused on the growth of the alliances among nations and the shared goal to work towards a clean energy future.
Photography by Greg Gallinger
Photography by Greg Gallinger
Together, Jewell James and the people of the Lummi Nation marched with the people of the Treaty 1 territories, brandishing messages for environmental justice, respect for Indigenous sovereignty, and the sacredness of water.
Under the guidance of elders and ceremony, the fourth totem pole made its way down Main Street in Winnipeg.
Photography by Greg Gallinger
Photography by Greg Gallinger
Along the way, the marchers stopped for a round dance at Canada’s most iconic intersection — Portage and Main.
Photo credit: 350.org
The following day, on September 6, the totem pole was raised on the sacred lands at the Turtle Lodge in Treaty One Territory. Drumming, dancing and ceremony accompanied this majestic moment. You can see video of the moment on Facebook.
At last, this gift from the Lummi Nation’s House of Tears Carvers Society stood as a symbol of Indigenous resistance in the path of the largest pipeline ever proposed in North America — the Energy East project.
The Lummi Nation #TotemPoleJourney has been placed symbolically in the path of the #EnergyEast
A photo posted by Clayton Thomas Muller (@clayton_thomas_muller) on


text:
Expelled by Assad’s Forces, Daraya Residents Receive a Hero’s Welcome in Rebel-Held Syria · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Children of Daraya in the refugee camps of Idlib – Monday 29 August (Source: Enab Biladi)
After four years of a brutal government siege, the last remaining citizens of rebel-held Daraya, a suburb of Damascus that boasted over 200,000 residents until 2011, agreed to leave their home on August 25, 2016, and make way to Idlib and other rebel-held areas in Northern Syria.
As Enab Baladi, the independent women-run newspaper founded in Daraya, reported:
The agreement, reached by a committee representing Daraya’s military and civil activities and a delegation from the Syrian regime, led to the departure of the civilians and military personnel from Daraya to the Damascus countryside and Idlib. This agreement ended harsh times for the besieged people of Daraya. However, despite the difficultly and danger of the city, dozens of those settled in the refugee camps miss Daraya greatly.
The news of Daraya’s fall to the Assad regime came as a shock to many Syrian activists and supporters. Syrian activist Lina Sergie Attar said that after four years of Assad’s infamous ‘kneel or starve’ policy, kneel had finally won.
Since we Syrians exist only to record history, today was one of our saddest. Today, after 4 years, kneel finally won over starve. #Daraya
— Lina Sergie Attar (@AmalHanano) 26 August 2016
Attar was referring to the ‘kneel or starve’ (الجوع أو الركوع) slogan sprayed by regime forces on the walls of besieged rebel-held areas, celebrating the Assad regime’s notorious starvation-as-tactic-of-war policy.
The Documentation Department from the now-exiled Local Council of Daraya City (المجلس المحلي لمدينة داريا) released this infographic, also available in Arabic, detailing their violent final month in Daraya:
Infographic released by the Local Council of Daraya City. Source: Facebook Page.
Whereas Daraya’s suffering under siege did not always make the headlines, images of residents of the city of Madaya to the north eating leaves to survive earlier in 2016 brought the regime’s starvation policy into the spotlight, albeit temporarily. Recent reports have included Assad’s targeting of hospitals as part of that policy. As Dr. Zaher Sahloul, founder of the American Relief Coalition for Syria and senior adviser and former president of the Syrian American Medical Society, recently told Global Voices in an exclusive interview:
When the Russian government or the Syrian regime bomb these hospitals they do so with the intent of destroying the hospitals. They want to drive the doctors out so people can follow them. Because when there’s no doctors in town, when there’s no hospitals in town, people don’t stay.”
Abo Jamal, the leader of Shuhada Al-Islam, one of the two rebel factions that were in Daraya under the command of the local council, was quoted by the news website Middle East Eye on September 1 as saying that the revolution will continue until “Aleppo, the coast [Latakia], and Idlib have united to liberate Damascus”.
Daraya held a special place for the Syrian revolutionary movement, which first challenged President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power five years ago. It was the home of both Ghiath Matar, nicknamed Little Gandhi, and Yahya Sherbaji, both advocates of non-violent resistance. They were both arrested by the regime in the early days of the revolution on September 6, 2011. While Sherbaji’s current situation isn’t known, the body of Ghiyath Matar, a tailor with a fondness for flowers, was returned to his family just three days later, with clear evidence of torture.
Widely shared image of Ghiath Matar (left) and Yahya Sherbaj (right) at a protest in 2011. Source: Ghiath Mattar Foundation.
Palestinian writer and activist Budour Hassan remembered Ghiath Matar and reminded us of how ‘unusual’ it was for his body to be returned in the first place:
Can you imagine living under a regime where having a known grave & proper funeral is a luxury? Where even mourning is prohibited?
— Budour Hassan (@Budour48) 12 September 2016
Even before 2011, Daraya had already secured its revolutionary reputation. Its residents had protested against the 2003 American invasion of Iraq as well as against Israel’s oppression against Palestinians during the Second Intifada, the name of a Palestinian uprising against Israeli authorities in the early 2000s.
As British-Syrian writer Robin Yassin-Kassab explains, part of Daraya activists’ inspiration was religious:
This legacy of civic engagement owes a great deal to the Daraya-based religious scholar Abd al-Akram al-Saqqa, who introduced his students to the work of ‘liberal Islamist’ and apostle of non-violence Jawdat Said, and was twice arrested as a result. Jawdat Said emphasised, amongst other things, rights for women, the importance of pluralism, and the need to defend minority groups.
A camp in Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria called Atmeh received many of Daraya's refugees on September 3, 2016. Global Voices received the following two interviews conducted by Ahmad Al Sheikh with the help of Xili Duran in Atmeh of refugees speaking about what the siege was like. The subtitles were added by Nour Hajjar.
The first person, Itidal, recalled the time when death came dangerously close to her and her children:
We were going down the stairs, my children and I. With no lights or anything. Then, the plane appeared. We rushed to go down. The plane hit us while we were rushing down. We ducked all together, my children and I. We were stacked on top of each other. I said it was impossible for us to stay alive that day. Thank God we were saved. I was asking them “are you okay? are you hurt?” The dust was covering us. But we were unharmed that day, thank God. God was looking after us.
When asked how she felt about leaving Daraya, she said:
We were crying, we couldn’t see anything because of how much we were crying. I have a picture of me leaving the country, just crying and crying all the way on the road. My country is different. Even if I celebrated like that, even if I saw your country and how you are doing, Daraya is different. It is our mother, our family, our world, all of these are Daraya. Even if saw all the world, all the countries, Daraya is different.
Here is the interview:
Izdihar, mother of seven, who lost two of her children as well as her husband, recalled what life under siege was like:
We'd been under siege for five years. No food. No water. There was no clean water to drink. When we drank it, it felt like our intestines are going to explode. We were besieged from all sides. Nothing was allowed in. Barrel bombs, ‘Elephant’ rockets, incendiary weapons… Our homes were destroyed. We built them ‘with blood, sweat and tears’ and he demolished them. He left us no houses. And he killed our young ones. Despite the destruction and the siege, we endured. In the end, he told us to leave.
As for what she felt when she left Daraya, she echoed Itidal's words:
I cried. I felt as if I had nothing. Nothing. Without a homeland, a human being is nothing.
Here is the interview:
The videos testify to what independent women-run newspaper Enab Baladi claimed when it reported that the people of Daraya were given a hero’s welcome in Idlib.
Mohammad Abou Faris, one of Daraya's refugees in Idlib, recalled how one man told him:
You’re from Daraya, sir. You have everything. You’re our teachers.
Enab Baladi also reported on some of their observations of Daraya's children in Idlib on September 5, 2016:
Samer Janah, 8 years old, is sad to leave his city behind. He has not been able to adjust to the children, nor has he been able to play with them. Every half an hour, he asks his father to return to Daraya.
Judy, a six-year-old girl, says that she will return to Daraya, but not until the shelling ceases and the cookies are plentiful.
Most of the Daraya children in the Atama refugee camp leave at sunrise to play, and do not return unless forced to after dinner.
One family reported feeling happy to see the people of Idlib so welcoming:
We were not expecting everyone here to be so welcoming. The leaders and members of the free army squadrons come and ask us how we were living… What is the secret to this determination and how did your squadrons manage to resist the army?

author: Elia J. Ayoub


text:
Life in Russia After Porn · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Adult film star Riley Reid reimagined as the ghost of pornography past. Image: Pixabay. Edited by Kevin Rothrock.
A week after Russian censors banned two of the most popular pornography sites on the Internet, ordinary Web users are firing back with an online flashmob that mixes satire and protest. Started by a group of journalists and media managers, Russians are filming themselves watching adult videos on PornHub and YouPorn, narrating what they see. The short movies, uploaded to social media, are both serious and absurd, with both men and women joining in.
Daniil Trabun, Russian Esquire’s digital director and a former chief editor at the magazine Afisha, is the one who launched the flashmob, known as “#rospornobzor” (translating roughly to “Russian State Porn Review Board”). In his video, he regaled his Facebook audience with a retelling of a PornHub short film titled “Step Brother Catches His Sister With a Big Dildo and Then Screws Her.”
With nearly 12,000 views, Natalia Isomina's retelling of a pornographic parody of the mobile game Pokemon Go is one of the most popular “#rospornobzor” installments. Even if you don't speak Russian, you'll likely be more than entertained by her reactions:
The act of narrating pornography makes for a ridiculous spectacle, but Trabun is quite serious about the social significance of the flashmob:
На государственном уровне насаждается ханжеская стерильная и консервативная позиция, которая при этом никак не объясняется — дискуссии нет. Эта нездоровая двойственность выражается и в отсутствии нейтрального лексикона, которым мы про секс можем говорить.
A hypocritical, sterile, and conservative approach is spreading on a state level, and there’s no effort made to justify it—there’s no discussion. This unhealthy ambivalence manifests itself in the absence of a neutral vocabulary for discussing sex.
Not everyone approves of the flashmob, however. For instance, Tatyana Nikonova, a popular feminist writer and blogger, refuses to classify pornography as sex, denouncing “#rospornobzor” as an inappropriate attempt to create a “neutral vocabulary.”
The Russian government’s move against PornHub and YouPorn has prompted some subtly amusing behavior by Vkontakte, the country’s biggest online social network, which suddenly granted PornHub an official community page, even changing the color of PornHub’s “verified” badge to match the porn website’s orange-and-black logo. Vkontakte then went a step further and made PornHub’s colors the default when users upload adult video content to the site.

author: Kevin Rothrock


text:
One Australian Nurse’s Stirring Response to the Refugee Crisis · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Helen Zahos with lifejackets on Lesbos. Courtesy Aussie Volunteers Helping Refugees in Greece (Facebook page)
Helen Zahos’s humanitarian work as a volunteer with refugees is a powerful example of how individuals can make a difference. She is an emergency nurse and paramedic born in 1977 in Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. She grew up on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, where her Greek migrant parents worked for the island’s mining company.
She completed high school, a bachelor's in nursing and paramedical studies in Darwin. Helen has been a registered nurse since 1999 and a paramedic since 2000. She has a passion for indigenous health and worked in the remote aboriginal communities of the APY Lands from 2006 to 2009.
Helen has extensive experience as a volunteer. In November 2013 she was deployed to the Philippines as part of the disaster response following Typhoon Haiyan. The year 2014 saw Helen's focus shift to refugee health and advocacy as she was employed on Christmas Island at Australia's asylum seeker detention centre. Whilst on vacation Helen volunteered in Greece during the financial crisis with the organization Medecine du Monde Grece, assisting pensioners and the underprivileged with medical care. She also worked at the Nauru detention centre.
In April 2015 Helen volunteered on disaster response to the Nepal earthquake with the Non-Nepalese Residence Association, reaching remote areas in Ghorka and Ahrket. In August 2015 as images of refugees flooded social media, Helen campaigned to raise money for medical supplies, leaving in September to volunteer in Greece with Medecine Du Monde Grece on Lesbos Island. There she saw thousands of refugees fleeing Syria and surrounding countries and assisted with their medical care. Australia’s Neos Kosmos newspaper covered Helen’s activities in October 2015:
Greek Australian volunteer nurse Helen Zahos reports on Lesvos’ migrant crisis: https://t.co/AE9HTUmdCf pic.twitter.com/P8aXRelYzY
— NEOS KOSMOS (@NeosKosmos) October 21, 2015
Later Helen moved her efforts to the border of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece where she was present for the first border closure and the subsequent riots that occurred soon after.
Since returning to Australia, Helen has raised money to ship emergency equipment to Lesbos, donated by Ambulance Victoria. She is currently working as an emergency nurse at a Gold Coast hospital in Queensland.
After a wide-ranging video conversation, Helen kindly answered some written questions about her experiences.
Kevin Rennie (KR): Tell us about growing up in the Northern Territory. How did your formative years, especially those on Groote Island, help to prepare you for your work as a humanitarian volunteer?
Helen Zahos (HZ): Groote Eylandt in the late 70’s and 80’s was a great place to grow up as a child. It was a small community that had a warm community spirit and I grew up being a part of that community focus. Organizations such as the Lions club and Girl Guides were very active on the island and there was always a fundraiser of some sort that I was involved with. The Groote Eylandt mining company was the main source of work on the island, which attracted many workers from diverse backgrounds from the local indigenous people to migrants from all over the world. This meant that my classmates at Alyangula Area School were all from different backgrounds and cultures.
KR: In one of your video interviews, you said, “refugees are human beings… like you and me”. Please share some of your encounters that illustrate this.
HZ: There were so many encounters that I had where I thought that could be me, or that could be my mother or father.
I spoke with teachers that fled at gunpoint and hoped to resettle in Germany and one day teach gymnastics again. I had a professor from a university who helped me one day in the tent/clinic where we saw hundreds of people. As our interpreter was sick that day, he helped interpret and was mortified and embarrassed that he had been wearing the same clothes and had not changed his socks for 3 weeks.
I spoke with a mother who was a teacher, her husband a lawyer, and she was pregnant and had a 4-year-old boy with her. She had left her husband behind.
I helped a lady who had brought her own chemotherapy, having had dad go through chemotherapy before he died. I couldn’t believe we were setting this up in a dirty, dusty tent with no machinery or monitoring equipment, no blankets or cups of tea to help this woman’s therapy be more comfortable. How cruel… everyone had a story and everyone you could relate to.
KR: You have referred to the sense of betrayal among some Greek people who see your work with refugees as a threat. What ways might help to bridge this gulf?
HZ: There are many reasons why some local Greek people see refugees as a threat and I guess fear is the biggest precipitator of this. I have had many people make comments like ‘why is she helping them (the refugees) and not the Greek people that are suffering from the financial crisis?’ Often people that make this comment don’t realize that I have volunteered specifically for the local Greek people in a polyclinic where pensioners and the underprivileged could access healthcare and medication. I have sent equipment and supported local first aid organizations that support Greek people.
I think the situation at the moment is dire in that refugees trapped in Greece by the border closures do not want to be in Greece. They were aiming to go to other countries in Europe with better job and education prospects than Greece can provide and unite with family members. Many local Greek people do not want the refugees in Greece as they fear loss of jobs, increase in crime and the government having to handout money for housing, food and medical services, in a country already struggling with its own financial pressures.
Until there are more definitive answers on what is going to happen with the 80 thousand plus refugees stuck in Greece, then the local people’s views will not change. Many Greek people remember the war where it was the Greeks that were arriving on boats in the thousands, it is for this reason that many older Greek people are tolerant and understanding of the situation and are empathetic with the Syrian refugees.
KR: To what ways did your time at the Christmas Island and Nauru asylum seeker detention centres influence your decision to volunteer?
HZ: My time working at Christmas Island and Nauru allowed for me to speak with refugees and asylum seekers, hear their stories and gain an understanding of what they were fleeing from. Had I not spent this time at the detention centres, I don’t think I would have fully understood the impact of what was happening. I gained insight and knowledge of the resources and processes involved on Christmas Island especially when one small boat arrived with asylum seekers. Seeing images of thousands arriving on the Greek islands in a mass exodus, I knew that help in the form of manpower was needed urgently.
KR: How did you find the French NGO Médecins du Monde and why did you choose to work with them? What is special about their community?
HZ: When I was working on Christmas Island in 2014 and I was headed to Greece for a holiday, I felt the need to use my skills as there were reports of Greek people suffering (particularly pensioners) in the Greek financial crisis. My conscience did not sit well with going to Greece and holidaying when its people were suffering so I simply looked up volunteer organizations that needed nurses. I contacted them via email and it was as simple as that. I went through their extensive application process.
KR: What have you learnt about yourself, and about others, during these challenges?
HZ: I have learnt that not everyone is as caring; that the term ‘refugee’ is a dirty label that strips people of their identity. I have learnt that when a natural disaster happens the whole world turns up to help in full force, such as the Nepal earthquake or the Philippines after typhoon Hyan, but when the disaster is a result of war, no one turns up except civilian volunteers and non government organizations.
I learnt about the spontaneous volunteers and how they impacted negatively on the efforts of the teams on the ground, as they were well meaning but uncoordinated.
I have learnt that the refugee crisis is political and that the Australian public is so far removed from the situation. I have learnt that Australia is such a large country and yet they cannot accommodate 1000 or so refugees that are stuck in offshore detention centres and are using these people as a political pawn in a game that these innocent people have no control over.
I have suddenly become an advocate. As a nurse we are taught to be a patient advocate, suddenly I was in a situation where these people needed support and the public needed to be made aware of what was happening.
I have learnt to look at the one person in front of me that I am caring for and not the 5 or 10 thousand as it can be overwhelming. I have also learnt that a lot of people chose not care and chose not to take notice.
I now look back and remember that moment when I lay there in bed looking at those images on social media and thinking ‘ I can do something, I can go and volunteer’. Now that I have returned I am realizing the impact of the situation on me, and that you can come up with an idea and follow through and have a positive impact on people. That you don’t have to be special or skilled. You just need to be passionate and care and things just fall into place and you just have to hang on for the ride.
KR: What advice do you have for those who want to change the way the world is treating refugees seeking a better, safer life?
HZ: For those people supporting refugees and wanting to help them have a better life like they deserve, I say stay strong and stay true to yourself. There are so many hate stories and politicians filling people with fear. It is easy to be hurt by words that are said or disheartened, but then there will be a story or you will meet someone with an amazing story of courage and it reminds you of why you feel so passionately about helping refugees.
You can find out more about Helen’s volunteer work in a number of videos. Antony Shows posted the following interview in April 2016. It also has a Greek language clip.
Web-based Meraki TV also spoke with Helen in August 2016. Her interview starts at 16.45.
Recently Helen caught up with cafe owners in Darwin who had raised money and supported her when she left for Greece. They wanted to get back to fundraising again with the result being that she will fly over and spend the money in the camps where needed.
She has also established a Facebook page for those wishing to help: Aussie Volunteers helping Refugees in Greece.
Thanks to Global Voices’ Asteris Masouras from Thessaloniki, Greece, for getting us together.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Queer Tango: A Twist on Tradition in Favor of Diversity and Inclusion · Global Voices
Yessika Gonzalez

“Russian Drama” Screenshot of the promo video for the 2016 Queer Tango Festival in Moscow.
With the internationalization of the tango, its slum origins were forgotten and a strictly codified dance was exported with clearly defined roles between man and woman. In the traditional milongas—the spaces in Argentina where people go to dance the tango—women generally sit on one side of the dance floor to show their potential dance partners that they were available. The man invites the woman to dance with a head motion and the women accepts or rejects the proposal. So begins a dance in which the man leads and the woman follows the marked steps, embellishing the dance with various adornments.
Nonetheless, in recent years people have begun to champion the so-called Queer Tango, with queer literally meaning “strange”, “different”, or even “eccentric”. The word “queer” was traditionally used pejoratively against people on particular gender and sexuality grounds, but was eventually appropriated by the LGBTQ community and studies exploring their struggles. The Queer Tango therefore does not aim only to create spaces for the gay community to express itself through the tango, but allows all people, regardless of their sexuality, to explore themselves and go beyond social gender norms. As the Buenos Aires Queer Tango blog explains:
[El Tango Queer] es un espacio de tango abierto a todas las personas. Un lugar de encuentro, sociabilización, aprendizaje y práctica en el que se busca explorar distintas formas de comunicación entre quienes bailan. El tango queer no presupone la orientación sexual de los bailarines ni su gusto por ocupar un rol u otro a la hora de bailar.
[The Queer Tango] is a space for tango open to everyone. A space for meeting, socializing, learning, and practice that seeks to explore different forms of communication between those who dance. The queer tango does not presuppose the sexual orientation of its dancers nor their taste for occupying one role or another when dancing.
Although at its inception only men danced the tango, in the traditional milongas of today, same-sex partners have been victims of discrimination and even expulsion from the dance floor. In fact, the birth of many “queer” milongas came as a response to these attacks.
In the video below, shared on YouTube by Edgardo Tucu, you can watch two men interchanging the traditional roles of dance at the 2015 Buenos Aires International Queer Tango Festival:
For many, the tango is a macho dance that relegates women to a passive role. Nevertheless, in recent years with the emergence of this new style of tango, the role of women has become more participatory. In fact, many women enjoy exercising the role of leading the dance. In the Queer Tango, women can lead or be led when dancing with a man or another woman.
In the video below, shared on YouTube by Tango Queer, one woman leads while another follows the outlined steps:
Mariana Docampo, one of the pioneers of the Queer Tango in Buenos Aires, explains on her blog that the main point of the dance movement is not exactly the subversion of roles, since ultimately this is part of the tango's structure. The problem lies in its “fixation and identity with the sex of the dancers” and can even crystallize the deepest of social stereotypes:
El tango es una danza popular, y como cualquier otra, funciona como espejo de la sociedad de la cual surge y en la cual se desarrolla. En este caso, la sociedad porteña. Pero el tango también es una danza de fuerte connotación sensual. Y de ahí que lo que este “espejo” refleja no es sino la forma en que nuestra sociedad concibe el erotismo entre sus integrantes: en primer lugar, hombre-mujer. Luego, podríamos decir, activo-pasiva.
The tango is a popular dance and, just like any other, it functions as a mirror of the society from which it springs and in which it develops. In this case, it is the society in Buenos Aires. But the tango is also a dance with a strong sensuous connotation. And so this “mirror” reflects more than one way our society sees eroticism among its members: first, man-woman. Then, we could say, active-passive.
She goes on to say:
Este binomio simplifica notablemente la compleja red erótica que existe entre los individuos. Y que si bien representa a una mayoría identificable en la sociedad, instituye una forma de sentir “admitida”, condiciona y censura formas de sentir diferentes. Se fija como modelo. Y afuera de este modelo quedan tod@s aquell@s cuyo sentir es distinto.
This pairing notably simplifies the complex erotic web that exists between individuals. And if it represents an identifiable majority in society well, it institutes a way of feeling “admitted”, while conditioning and censoring ways of feeling different. It is set as a model. And outside of this model remains everyone whose feeling is different.
Queer Tango has had to find its own niche outside the traditional milongas. In the specific case of Buenos Aires, there are different “queer” or “gay” milongas where the LGBTQ community can dance without being victims of discrimination. Queer Tango spaces are inclusive and open to everyone. In the video below, shared by Narkotango, we see a pair that explores and changes their roles throughout their dance in one of the queer milongas in the Argentinian capital:

author: Yessika Gonzalez


text:
The Role of Hashtags in a Country Searching for Peace · Global Voices
Autor Invitado

In the image: “No more kidnappings”, “no more terrorism”, “no more deaths”. Photo by Camilo Rueda López. Published under the Creative Commons License.
This article was written and published by Colombian reporter Renata Cabrales on Medium, and an edited version is republished on Global Voices with the author's permission.
Cabrales analyzes some of the particular social aspects regarding a peace agreement currently being worked out to end the internal conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) and Colombia's current government, which has kept the country at war for more than 50 years.
The negotiations have divided popular opinion between those Colombians who view the process towards peace as the government surrendering to the FARC and those who want to take it as another step towards national unity, despite the difficulties. The author of this article clearly expresses her support for the process towards peace, but analyzes how both sides have used social media to express themselves and how disagreements have been played out online.
If there were a prize given for the most cliché word of the last few years within Colombia, “peace” would win. It hurts me to say so, but this is simply the case. It has been used this way and that, and I myself have used it to show my own stance on the historic moment that we are living through here in Colombia: an agreement to end the armed conflict with FARC that most of us, erroneously, call “peace.”
Amid all the threats, insults, opportunism, criticism, and pacifism, I have tried to analyze Colombians’ robust use of hashtags, whether in open defense or disagreement with the peace process currently taking place with FARC. From this rough analysis, based on daily experiences and conversations with friends and colleagues like Rosa Cristina Parra, Carlos García, Perla Toro, and others, I have created the following list of things that are key when communicating via Twitter in times of peace.
It is easy to create hashtags, given that all you have to do is write a word and put the pound symbol # before it. The key lies in having good composition. And it is here where we have gone wrong.
#NoMeResistoALaPaz ( #IDon'tResistPeace, a hashtag for those who support the peace agreement) was created to counter #ResistenciaCivil (#CivilResistance, a hashtag for those against the peace agreement). #NoMeResistoALaPaz has two negative words that are confusing: “No” + “Me Resisto” (in English, “I Don't” + “Resist”).
Thus, my first recommendation is this: keep your hashtag simple and direct. Of course, if a hashtag is poorly written or misspelled, as was the case with #ResisteciaCivil (which is missing the “n” in Resistencia), there is nothing to be done about it.
As citizens – and not as institutions, such as @EquipoPazGob (@TeamPeaceGov) –  it is best to come together under inoffensive hashtags. A good example is #ResistenciaCivil (#CivilResistance), under which opponents of the peace agreement have united.
And to what end? They have united in order to insert positive content, to refute, to demonstrate, to demystify, and to counteract, as Rosa has done @RosaCris. (The Sí or “Yes” refers to the upcoming referendum in which Colombians will vote to accept (“Yes”) or reject (“No”) the peace agreements.)
Se vale explicar lo que SI significa #resistenciacivil pic.twitter.com/W3qknXgCfG
— rosacris (@rosacris) May 10, 2016
Tweet: It would be nice if someone would explain what YES means #CivilResistance
Image: “There is no road towards peace; peace is the road.” -Gandhi
There is no guarantee that the audience (either individually or in a group) will interpret the information exactly as the Twitter user intended. In the case of the peace agreement's adversaries, the vacuum left in the wake of peace for significant and historical terms such as “Civil Resistance” should be used to redirect the interpretation process. One must remember that we live in an era of superimposed, interactive realities.
Opponents of the peace agreement tend to use a hashtag as if they were competing in a stage of the famous Tour of Italy cycling race: they strategically start at a specific hour and then pick up speed whenever the rough mountain of “pro-peace” Twitter users appear, pedaling hard to produce the vast number of tweets needed to maintain their velocity.
It would be in our best interest to use this same type of organization while defending the peace agreement. This method also ensures that our content is relevant, novel, original, and wins more followers in less time, thereby allowing us to better position ourselves.
When we talk about social metrics, the data can cloud our understanding and lead to misinterpretations. Numbers are functionally important due to their precision, depth, and context. But the context of the peace process makes it all quite special. This is why, within this context, we shouldn’t be upset by large quantities of content associated with a hashtag that becomes then a trend on Twitter. As José Luis Orihuela, an expert on social media, says, “The ‘trending topic’ is overrated.” This statement is even more pertinent in communications for peace.
If there is a tendency for Twitter to be, at times, like a sneeze – I'm quoting Orihuela again – it is up to citizens to take their cause from virtual hashtag to the physical realm. Peace is not taught through hashtags or sending messages to various groups on WhatsApp. Communicating the cause of peace transcends the merely virtual and goes hand in hand, according to the context, with rigorous, on-the-ground work, as Rosa Cristina Parra claims, making use of “real networks.”
There are as many positive facts and stories surrounding peace as there are Twitter users ready to listen to them if we actually succeed in connecting and conversing with people and not with ideological positions. We shouldn't wait for something to happen, such as the announcement of the younger generation leaving the war, to start a Tweet-A-Thon. In this, we have been wise. A good example, although once again preceded by a current event, is the following tweet:
¡Llegó la hora de la paz! Va ganando la cultura, la dignidad y la vida. Vamos ganando todos porque va #GanandoLaPaz pic.twitter.com/6nXA5ksLrL
— Juan Felipe Aulestia (@AulestiaObregon) May 12, 2016
It's finally time for peace! Culture, dignity, and life are now winning. We are all winning because now Colombia is #WinningThePeace
The fact that the war in Colombia also takes place on social media is an undeniable truth. Yet, paying money to gain an edge within a topic as delicate as the end of Colombian armed conflict should not even be considered.
Just a few days ago, journalist Ricardo Galán wrote on his blog about the rebellion of the “trolls” (who were, in his examples, people contracted to attack government authorities and political personalities on Twitter who are in favor of a vote for “Yes”). Sooner or later, the harm such a practice does to the health of a brand, initiative, or person, will be made clear.
La rebelión de los troles II https://t.co/2APkj0u3t1pic.twitter.com/3lfz3XEGmy
— Ricardo Galán (@RicardoGalanO) May 14, 2016
Tweet: The rebellion of the trolls II
Images: “These accounts were hired to write against Rodrigo Lara, Germán Vatgas, Roy Barreras and Enrique Peñalosa [who are politicians in favor of the peace process], but we didn't get paid.”

author: Autor Invitado


text:
Theatre Helps Heal Wounds After Ecuador’s Devastating Earthquake · Global Voices
Daniela Gallardo

The Loja Cultural Network thanks its audience for believing that theatre can be a path to helping those affected by the earthquake that shook Ecuador on April 16, 2016.  Photo from the official Facebook page of Red Cultural Loja (Loja Cultural Network).
There are tragedies that make us change the way we help. The deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Ecuador on April 16, 2016, shook not only the earth, but also the way citizens support each other. Since then, many people have cooperated with those affected — and distance hasn't been a hurdle.
Loja, which lies on the border with Peru, on the opposite side of the country from the area affected by the tremor, is an example of this. In this small city, on July 9 and 10, a group of 10 theatre companies came together to make the public laugh and forget about reality for a couple of hours. The objective of the initiative, called “7.8 Theatre for Life: Short Works, Big Sensations”, was to fund-raise for the victims of the earthquake.
Erika Erike, one of the theatre festival's promoters, discussed the details with Global Voices:
Aproximadamente 30 personas, entre actores y directores de diferentes colectivos, colaboraron generosamente con sus presentaciones. Tuvimos en los dos días del evento la asistencia de aproximadamente 450 personas, entre ellos niños, quienes tenían la entrada libre.
Approximately 30 people, including actors and directors from different collectives, collaborated generously with their presentations. Over the two-day festival we had about 450 attendees, among them children who were able to enter for free.
Erike continued:
Con mucha alegría recibimos a un gran grupo de niños de un orfanato de la ciudad, quienes por primera vez tuvieron la oportunidad de asistir al teatro. Así también pudimos contribuir a que estos niños accedan al teatro y disfruten el arte, haciéndolos parte y fin de este proyecto.
We were also very happy to host a large group of children from an orphanage in the city, who for the first time had the opportunity to watch a play. So, we were able to make it possible for these children to go to the theatre and enjoy art, involving them and making them the objective of this project.
Some of the plays that were part of the “7.8 Theatre for life: short works, big sensations” starred children. Both adults and kids enjoyed them. Photo taken from the official Facebook page of Loja Cultural Network.
Erike said the money raised from the festival and from some of the Loja Cultural Network‘s other activities was put towards a trip that the group made to Manabí province from September 8 to September 12 to organize artistic activities for earthquake victims to help them deal with their emotional distress. The program included music, painting, theatre, puppetry, and writing. They also planned to paint a mural to highlight the strength and hope of Manabí:
El dinero servirá para financiar el traslado de los voluntarios y los materiales necesarios para el desarrollo de lo planeado. Adicionalmente se está realizando una colecta de libros infantiles para donar a los niños de los sitios afectados.
The money will go towards financing the journey of volunteers with the necessary materials to carry out these activities. Also, a collection of children's books is being put together as a donation for the children in the affected areas.
Erika confessed that she loves theatre and that for her and other organizers, it was a very meaningful experience to witness the magic of the stage as a means of getting people involved in solidarity:
Todos los que asistieron a “7.8 Teatro por la vida: obras cortas, grandes sensaciones”, sintieron entre risas un momento agradable, y también entendieron la reflexión y compasión. Las personas se conmovieron y compartieron con nosotros los deseos de ayudar a quienes aún necesitan apoyo para empezar una vida luego del terremoto que les arrebató tanto.
Everyone who attended “7.8 Theatre For Life: Short Works, Big Sensations” enjoyed themselves, laughing, but they also understood the reflection and compassion. People were moved and shared their desire with us to help those who still need support to start their lives again after the earthquake took so much from them.
Ecuadorians have found a way to heal from the damage caused by the strongest earthquake in the country's history: art, laughter, and solidarity.

author: Daniela Gallardo


text:
A Toxic Mix of Illegal Logging and Corruption Is Devastating Europe’s Last Primeval Forests · Global Voices
Marko Angelov

A screen shot from ‘Clear Cut Crimes’ documentary by OCCRP and RISE Project.
Earlier this week, journalists from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and the RISE Project published a new documentary studying the effects of illegal logging in Romania and Ukraine. The film, titled “Clear Cut Crimes,” examines the collusion of illegal and legal businesses that are devastating the last of Europe's primeval forests.
Clear Cut Crimes is a 42-minute documentary film shot over a period of one year in the Carpathian Mountains. Our investigation follows the money to expose the crime of illegal deforestation, an activity that risks environmental disaster and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The major Austrian timber firm Holzindustrie Schweighofer is positioned as a main beneficiary of the practice, having built a wood-processing capacity in Romania that exceeds that country’s legal wood-harvesting quota.
Schweighofer feeds off a destructive system devised by criminal groups involved in illegal deforestation. These groups work in cahoots with corrupt politicians who assist the thugs in expanding their unlawful logging businesses. They use poor people as fronts for their companies and will run a bulldozer over anyone or anything standing in their way. In the meantime, law enforcement sits on the sidelines as the violence unfolds.
The film also documents the efforts of the Cossack Battalion, a paramilitary group that fights against the logging mafia at the border with Ukraine. The organized crime network that exports wood from that side of Carpathians into Romanian factories, the battalion argues, “is supported by corrupt officials in Kyiv.”
In Romania and elsewhere in Eastern and Central Europe, the deforestation has amplified the deadly effects of floods in recent years. Analyses of floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia have pointed out that the effects would had been far less severe if the nearby forests had not been cut down.
Besides feeding the construction and furniture industries, illegal logging is also directly connected to local poverty. In Macedonia, which lacks a gas supply network, many families use illegally cut and thus cheap wood for heating during the winter, as they cannot afford electricity or diesel fuel. Political corruption plays a major role at this small-scale level, too.
A video shot prior to the 2009 local elections in a village near Strumica shows the candidate nodding with approval when a local apparatchik tells the villagers that they would be free to cut wood in the nearby forest, if she were elected mayor. The candidate, Silvana Boneva, a long-term member of parliament, didn't win her race that year.
Leaked wiretaps show that Ms. Boneva's party exhorted businesses (in her town and with her knowledge) in subsequent elections on a massive scale. Currently, she is a member of the State Election Commission, in charge of ensuring the validity of upcoming general elections in December.

author: Marko Angelov