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Kyrgyzstan: Videos Abound of ‘Patriotic’ Attacks on Migrant Women in Russia · Global Voices
Asel Tursunbekova

In recent months, the Kyrgyz Internet space has been awash with discussions about the plight of female labour migrants working abroad in Russia. In particular, the issue of ‘patriotic’ videos, whereby male Kyrgyz labour migrants interrogate and even beat their female compatriots for associating with nationals of other countries has sparked outrage across domestic and international networks. The catalysts for discussions on the subject have been a series of articles published via the Russian, Kyrgyz and English language services of the website Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Screenshot from a video showing a Kyrgyz woman being beaten by a male compatriot. From video ‘Moskvada kalgan yi’, uploaded May 28, 2012, by Youtube user AzattykUnalgysy.
In March 2012, a video clip appeared on the Kyrgyz video host Blive.kg, wherein a group of Kyrgyz men interrogated a girl of Kyrgyz ethnicity, accusing her of acting amorally by talking to young men of other national groups. Blive.kg subsequently removed the video. Between the months of March and June, RFE/RL's bloggers and journalists, in particular the Kyrgyz journalist Eleanora Beishenbek kyzy, covered the topic exhaustively. Their efforts culminated in an article titled ‘Kyrgyz Migrant Women Brutally Assaulted in ‘Patriotic’ Videos’, which was one of the site's most frequently read articles in May.
According to one RFE/RL blogger Amar Alibaev, other web sites contain numerous similar videos where men hiding their faces insult Kyrgyz women.
As Alibaev notes [ru]:
После волны бурных реакций со стороны общественности на этот видеоролик, я с неприятным удивлением обнаружил,что в интернете есть достаточно видеороликов,где молодые люди из Кыргызстана в агрессивной форме издеваются над нашими девушками-мигрантками в России в силу наличия у них отношений с мужчинами других национальностей
According to another article, one video sees [ru] a group of men force a girl to say her name out loud and inform viewers of her place of residence in both Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Others are more vicious still: girls are beaten up and threatened with knives and electric shockers.
Under the article ‘Nationalists Discuss Kyrgyz Girls”, one anonymous poster from Kyrgyzstan said [ru]:
Позор  этих ублюдков,как они воспитали своих отморозков!?Патриотизм заключается не в насилии людей,тем более женщин,девушек.Итак жизнь девушки искалечена,вдобавок еще одно.Таких “патриотов надо”жестоко наказывать.А что если на месте этой бедняги оказалась бы сестра этих “патриотов”? Почему наши девушки не имеют права на свободу выбора? Кто эти “патриоты”,чтобы совершать правосудие?Это просто напросто невоспитанные,отсталые и падшие люди!!!Позор и еще раз позор!Изверги.
The horrifying actions of the “patriots” have earned them attention abroad as well as at home. The article about this situation was posted on Radio Free Europe and many readers have posted their discontent about the actions of the “patriots”. George from the United States said:
If this was done to my sister or daughter, there would be blood spilt. This is the 21st century, time for the 13th century mentality to go. The actions of these men is criminal, and needs to be delt with as such. They have dishonored themselves and their country with their actions. Have proven themselves to be cowards.
While an anonymous commenter reflected:
“poor, insignificant, powerless fellows whose only purported illusion of power is humiliating a defenseless and helpless woman. Shame!”
In Kyrgyzstan, the term ‘patriot’ has broad connotations, being associated variously with someone who is prepared to promote the Kyrgyz language, fight to protect the country's ecology or defend national honour in some other way. Thus, while most Kyrgyz netizens agreed that the behaviour of the  ‘patriots’ was far from ‘patriotic’, others stepped in to defend their actions, claiming that the videotaped victims were purveyors of immoral lifestyles, often involving prostitution and thus constituted a ‘shame’ to the nation.
Reacting to Alibaev's blog, Shumkar said [ru]:
“Хочется отметить, что подержка этих джигитов диктуется вовсе не национализмом а пониманием мотивов действий этих людей. Давайте обратимся к истории древнего мира возмем древний Рим там упадок моральных принципов повлек за собой разрушение государства, Веками народы сохранялись храня целомудрие ограждая от растления своих единоплемеников так что те кто осуждает тех кто переживает и борется за моральное здоровье народа не думают о будушем народа и о мнении окружаюших народов которые видят позорные моменты создают мнение о кыргызах как о людях не имеюших стыда и чести”
After the first wave of shocking videos, the parliament began discussing a law banning girls under 22 years old from leaving the country alone. Nevertheless, many found such law unnecessarily prohibitive, and the initiative remains frozen. Meanwhile, many migrants living abroad in Russia support the patriots and think that this way of punishing Kyrgyz girls is a fair way of teaching them how to act appropriately.
One commenter, Nurbek (a Kyrgyz name) from Sahalin, Russia, wrote [ru]:
Я бы говорил, правильно делают эти парни! Дело в том, что виноваты наши девушки…далее… гуляет со всеми и делает вид, что она мусульманка! Не которые ищут работу и как обычно переспят хозяином и другими! А не котором вообще слов нет! Уважайте наших жигитов и они будут, уважат вас и за вами… я тоже поймал пару девушки наших! и подхожу этим парням (не киргиз) и допрашиваю, они говорят что мы предложили а она без отказ!!! После этого вы вините наших жигитов?! Да есть хорошие девушки который уважают своих кыргызов, но, этого мало и очень очень …
The Patriots exploit the fact that the young girls are unlikely to press charges against them, for fear their relatives find out about their predicament and are ashamed. While it is not known whether the movement, which is thought [ru] to have cells in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Novosibirsk and other Russian cities, enjoys political support inside Kyrgyzstan, ‘patriot’ politician Kamchibek Tashiev did not hesitate to criticize the male migrants fiercely when interviewed by RFE/RL's  Russian language service. Urging the Russian authorities to bring the perpetrators of the videoed attacks to justice, he said [ru]:
Никто не имеет права ограничивать свободу личности, запугивать и издеваться над кыргызскими девушками, что является не защитой чести, а позором. По этому поводу трудно что-то сказать об их действиях. Но в любом случае это является преступлением. К сожалению, среди мигрантов встречаются граждане, которые ведут неподобающий образ жизни. Но это не значит, что по отношению к ним можно проявлять насилие. Эту проблему можно разрешить объяснениями, поддержкой, а также путем защиты
Hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz leave their home country annually to work abroad, mainly in Russia. Between 30-40 percent of them are women. Screenshot from video ‘Moskvada kalgan yi’, uploaded May 28, 2012, by Youtube user AzattykUnalgysy.
Even if the “patriots” are caught and brought to justice, Kyrgyz women in Russia will remain a vulnerable group. According to one RFE/RL report, statistics show [ru] that between 30-40% of Kyrgyz migrants in Russia are women, compared to 16% of Uzbek migrants and 12% of Tajik migrants. Moreover, many of these women are young, unmarried and travel to the country alone. Of all the Central Asian migrant populations in Russia, the Kyrgyz migrant population has the youngest average age.

author: Asel Tursunbekova


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Saudi Arabia: The Repercussions of Nayef’s Death  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The death of Saudi Arabia's Crown prince and Minister of Interior Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 78, was announced today. Netizens react to the news.
Egyptian blogger Mahmoud Salem notes:
@Sandmonkey: Prince Nayef's death has way too many repercussions to the region than our elections. The power plays happening in saudi now are massive.
adding:
@Sandmonkey: Wow, saudi will now face transitional crisis, although am not really sure people will be sad over the idea that nayef won't rule them.
Mauritanian Naser Weddady comments:
@weddady: Crown prince Nayef embodied the Western paradox: tough on terrorists, that he created funded & loved, disastrous to human rights #Saudi
And Chatham House's Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Jane Kinninmont notes:
@janekinninmont: Prince Nayef was seen as a driving force behind Saudi policy to Bahrain & Yemen (so close they're seen as partly interior ministry business)
She adds:
@janekinninmont: Don't expect immediate shifts in Saudi policy; it's cautious, characterized by family consensus-building & still has many hardliners to please
UAE news commentator Sultan Al Qassemi reminds us:
@SultanAlQassemi: Nayef was the second Saudi crown prince to die in office following Prince Sultan who died in October 2011
And Amjad Saleem jokes:
@corporatesufi: looks like there are some occupational hazards in being crown prince in Saudi. Might he think twice after 2nd death?
Meanwhile Raza Aslan tweets:
@rezaaslan: Looks like God decided to spare #SaudiArabia of the possibility of a King Nayef. Ultra hardline Crown Prince died yesterday.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Serbia: “Internet (R)evolution” · Global Voices
Danica Radovanovic

Center for Internet Development in Serbia reports [sr] that Serbs use the Internet mostly for current news (63%) and educational purposes. The research was conducted in April 2012, with a sample of 1,239 respondents: 80% of them considered communication and info-exchange with government institutions via Internet very relevant, while 68% considered it equally important to access meaningful info to monitor public officials work. More info on Digital Agenda Serbia.

author: Danica Radovanovic


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South Korea: Fight Continues over Jeju Naval Base Construction  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

GangJeong, a small rural town in the Jeju island has made headlines for several months with intense conflict going on between the government forging ahead with its construction plan and environmentalists and rights groups struggling to protect the natural resources. A net user posted an English subtitle (not embedded) for a Youtube video [ko] explaining the conflict.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Spain: 15M Presents Legal Complaint Against Bankia · Global Voices
Lali Sandiumenge

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
[All links are in Spanish unless otherwise stated.]
Finally they've done it, and before it was expected. The [movement] 15M  has presented a legal complaint before the National Audience arguing accounting falsehood and commercial fraud by Bankia executives, among them its former President Rodrigo Rato, who is also a former Spanish Economy Minister and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The complaint, brought by 13 minor shareholders who lost their savings, asks for prison, disqualification and assets embargo for the administration council members of the bank at the time when it started trading at the stock exchange on July 2011.
Even though the complaint was presented as a particular action to “avoid a millionaire bail out” it also represents a “popular action against the banks, because thousands of people are participating on it,” explained a member of the judicial team. And there's no doubt it is a collective action as the 15MpaRato [15M for a long time or 15M vs Rato] initiative stated in a press conference. In Madrid, several groups of the 15M that support and promote the complaint were present, like los Iaioflautas, the Platform for Citizen Audit of Debt, Citizen Rescue Plan and X.net.
“I trusted my savings in Bankia and now I feel cheated. I can't find a word in the dictionary to describe my jaded state,” said one of the affected, a 62 year old women, in a press conference that was followed live on Bambuser by aproximately 2,500 people.
The presentation of the complaint was supported, followed and commented on Twitter under the hashtag #Ratoencerrado [trapped rat-o] a word game with the name of the former Bankia President and the expression “there's a trapped cat” (there is something hidden) that refers to the hope of having Rato behind bars and the entity's shady accounts and operations.
The hashtag was launched at 10 am and became Trending Topic in Spain and worldwide few minutes after.
These are some of the tweets sent on June 14th:
@fanetin:  Hoy un gran hito contra la impunidad de los banqueros; entregamos #QuerellaPaRato. Vamos a por el #RatoEncerrado
@fanetin: Today is a milestone against the impunity of the bankers; we presented #QuerellaPaRato [Complaint against Rato] let's go get #RatoEncerrado
@bufetalmeida: #RatoEncerrado TT global en 7 minutos :-)
@bufetalmeida: #RatoEncerrado Global TT in 7 minutes :-)
@tempestaddepvc: #RatoEncerrado ,y no solo un rato precisamente
@tempestaddepvc: #RatoEncerrado, and not precisely for a while [“rato” also means “while”]
@DoctoraLecter: #RatoEncerrado Y con él todos los culpables de la crisis. Hasta q no estén todos los políticos y banqueros entre rejas no estaremos seguros
@DoctoraLecter: #RatoEncerrado And with him all those who are guilty of the crisis. Until all the politicians and bankers are behind bars, we won't be save
@Howard_Klenex:  Tiene para #RatoEncerrado
@Howard_Klenex: It'll take a #RatoEncerrado
@juanenruta: #RatoEncerrado junto con los que nos han robado 20 años de futuro
@juanenruta: #RatoEncerrado along with those who have stolen us 20 years of future
@AdelardoVah:  Leer la lista de TT y que te salga la frase #SoyFelizCon #RatoEncerrado Qué curioso
@AdelardoVah: Read the TT list and the phrase #SoyFelizCon [I'm happy with] #RatoEncerrado. How intriguing
@ErFilos: Cada vez me gusta más lo que #15M hace para cambiar la sociedad, y el sistema. #RatoEncerrado ojalá salga algo positivo!
@ErFilos: I like more and more what #15M is doing to change the society and the system. #RatoEncerrado Hope something positive comes out of it!
@pedro_paramo_c: #Islandia, modelo silenciado y oculto: un ejemplo para el mundo (o el poder de las cacerolas) #RatoEncerrado
@pedro_paramo c: #Islandia [Iceland] silent and dark mode: an example to the world (or the power of pot banging)
@iaioflautas: De viaje de vuelta. De Madrid al cielo, querella pa'Rato, lo vamos a conseguir #RatoEncerrado #iaioflautasontheroute
@iaioflautas: On my way back. From Madrid to heaven, the complaint against Rato, we are going to make it #RatoEncerrado #iaioflautasontheroute
Social media have played a key role in the campaign. Like one of its member pointed out since the initiative was presented under the hashtag #15MpaRato last May 23, “success on the Internet has been permanent.”
All the hashtags that have been promoted have become trending topics in Spain in less than 15 minutes and some have even reached an international level. “This campaign cannot be conceived outside the web, because it has been its loud speaker and media, and it has demonstrated the maturity with which 15M is working on the across the net,” this person said.
This is the actions and hashtags timeline:
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Lali Sandiumenge


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Tajikistan: Language and Nation-Building · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Blogger Adash Istad ponders [tj] the importance of a common vernacular language in the process of nation-building in Tajikistan. The author writes: “We have a national spoken language [which all groups in the country should be able to speak]. Those who do not want to understand this simple truth will never become part of the nation”.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Understanding the Violence in Western Myanmar · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

This post is part of our special coverage Myanmar's Rohingya.
Myanmar is in the headlines these days because of two things: the historic European visit of Nobel Peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and the violence in Rakhine State located west of the country.
It’s difficult to blame a particular group for the riots, killings, and burning of houses that have taken place in the state in the past two weeks but the victims were clearly ordinary Arakanese, the ethnic majority in the state, and the Rohingyas who are asking for recognition in Myanmar.
According to a government report, a total of 2,528 houses have been burnt down since the clashes started. Of these, 1,192 belonged to Arakanese and 1,336 belonged to Rohingyas. The report also mentioned that 29 people had died in the fighting—13 Arakanese and 16 Rohingyas.
Thousands have been displaced because of the communal violence. There are a total of 37 refugee camps housing 31,884 victims so far.
The Rohingyas are often described in the mainstream press and academe as the ‘most persecuted minority group in Asia.’ But opinion in Myanmar is divided. In fact, the government doesn’t recognize the Rohingyas as among the country’s ethnic groups.
Aung Zaw, editor of the Irrawaddy, an alternative magazine, writes about the popular opinion against the Rohingyas
The consensus among Burmese, it seems, is that the Rohingya are illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh—a view that also treats this as an issue of sovereignty rather than religious animosity.
Indeed, many—especially ethnic Arakanese—have been resentful of the portrayal of this as a religious conflict, even though many have resorted to racial and religious slurs in their verbal attacks on the “Bengalis,” as they prefer to call the Rohingya.
…on the streets, popular opinion was more in favor of taking a hard line against the Rohingya.
Rohingyas are mostly Muslims which led many people outside Myanmar to ask if this is a case of religious persecution. But various religious organizations in Myanmar denied that it’s a religious issue. They issued this declaration a few days ago
1. The conflicts in Rakhine did not begin as a consequence of religious strife, but because of the acts of breaking the prescribed laws.
2. All religious organizations in the Union of Myanmar have been co-existed with each other in harmony and in amicable ways for ages, and are still maintaining this good tradition
4. We vow to do our best in preventing the spread of this violence to other parts of Myanmar.
May Thingyan Hein writes about the various conflicting perspectives regarding the riots in Rakhine
On the internet the unrests are viewed in different perspectives: one is that the government is playing a trick to disturb the people’s attention on them; the other one is that the government cooperated with Arakanese to eradicate Bengalis; and the last one is behind the sight the Rohingya are planning to cause uncertainty to the government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ask their own autonomy in the area.
Kyaw Zwa Moe blamed social media for fanning the flames of hate speech and racism
Why is it burning?
Media and social media, of course: Some internet users insensitively posted pictures of the initial slaughter on their Facebook accounts. These spread quickly and stirred other users to share emotional responses
Fortunately, there are moderate online voices which have been actively calling for peace and unity. Dave Gilbert and Violet Cho posted some of the Facebook photos promoting harmony in the country
Photo from New Mandala
The Burmese caption reads:
‘All of us love our country. Let’s prevent the problems that are happening. Don’t make disagreements out of different beliefs. Leave people who want to go back to an earlier era so we will move on.’
Photo from New Mandala
Peace Warriors are disturbed about the threat to harm Muslims in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar
“In papers distributed in Yangon for the past few days, people were urged to attack Muslims, their mosques, shops and houses. Muslim women were also singled out as targets. It has made Muslims and those of Indian descent afraid to go about their work, or to even go outside alone. Some Muslim families have closed their shops and Islamic Religious Schools and Universities closed two days ago”
State media New Light of Myanmar reported the visit of government officials in refugee camps
As riots occurred in Rakhine State, local battalions arrived at the scenes to restore peace and stability and prevalence of law and order of the region and safeguard the life of the local people as of 8 June. Beginning that evening, the local battalions are providing necessary assistance to the local people. Moreover, some naval vessels are discharging duties of patrol to protect Myanmar waters territory west of Maungtaw not to be infiltration of unscrupulous persons.
Violet Cho wants a more critical perspective in analyzing the situation in Rakhine
Poverty and state repression leads to intense frustration that does not have an easy outlet and can be seen as a common root cause of communal violence around the world.
If we dig below the surface, we can see that western Burma’s communal violence is rooted in wider and very complex historical, social, political, class and cultural processes. Perhaps we should start redefining outdated categories, such as race, and look through alternative lenses that can help lead to more productive analysis.
Human rights groups want Bangladesh and Myanmar to open their borders and accept Rohingyas who are fleeing from violence. Below is an appeal from the Asian Human Rights Commission
…in order to enable the provision of adequate food and health services to the affected populations, both of your governments are requested to cooperate with one another so as to provide complete, unimpeded, secure access to international agencies at the earliest possible opportunity, in order that these agencies can assess the situation and make arrangements for the necessary provision of emergency relief supplies.
To the surprise of many activists and media people outside Myanmar, veteran officials of the opposition 8888 Generation Student Leaders issued a statement which affirms the government line about the non-recognition of Rohingyas as citizens of Myanmar.
Ko Ko Gyi: Unless inevitable, we tried to avoid some issues patiently. Now it is time that we announce our view on Rohingya clearly. Rohingya is not one of the ethnic groups of Myanmar at all. We see that the riot happening currently in Buthedaung and Maungdaw of Arakan State is because of the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh called “Rohingya” and mischievous provocation of some international communities. Therefore, such interfering efforts by some powerful nations on this issue (Rohingya issue), without fully understanding the ethnic groups and other situations of Burma, will be viewed as offending the sovereignty of our nation.
Since no country wants to take them in, we feel sympathy for those people on the ground of humanity and refugee. Taking advantage of our kindness and deference, if the powerful countries forced us to take responsibility for this issue, we will never accept it.
Some activists are asking if Suu Kyi, who urged the application of rule of law in resolving the issue in Rakhine, shares a similar position with the 8888 Generation Student Leaders.
The Myanmar government claims the situation is now under control in Rakhine. But the suffering in the villages of the Rohingyas continues to worsen everyday.
This post is part of our special coverage Myanmar's Rohingya.

author: Mong Palatino


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Uzbekistan: Silk and Spice Festival Lost in Translation · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Uzbek blogger posts photos from the International Silk & Spice Festival in Bukhara (which the organizers have erroneously advertised [ru] as ‘Silk & Space Festival’).


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Yemen: Who Will Handle Yemen’s Portfolio After Prince Nayef’s Death? · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Death is always sad news, but that wasn't the overall reaction of many Yemenis upon hearing the news of the death of Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Prince Nayef was the person in charge of the “Yemen portfolio” after the death of Crown Prince Sultan and he is reported to have handled it with a powerful fist. He is alleged to have moved Al-Qaeda from Saudi Arabia to Yemen and has been quoted in Wikilieaks saying that Yemen is a failed state:
@wikileaks: #KSA Prince Nayef to US Embassy : “Yemen is a failed state that is very, very, extremely dangerous.” http://bit.ly/o3uM3O #Yemen
Genny Hill, associate Fellow at Chatham House who runs the Yemen Forum, pointed out:
@ginnyUK: I suspect that Crown Prince Nayef was Ali Mohsin's strongest backer in Riyadh #Yemen
Following are some of the reactions from Yemen.
Atiaf Alwazir tweeted:
@WomanfromYemen: #Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef died – this will have lots of implications in #Saudi & neighboring #Yemen & #Bahrain http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun…
Brooj Alamary added [ar]:
She added:
Amr Badr had a stronger reaction which he tweeted:
Mai Saleh sarcastically noted:
Sam Waddah tweeted:
@SamWaddah: I dun feel happy 4 Nayef's death!I never feel happy 4 ANYONE's death!However, I feel more sad 4 children who die in #Syria than I do 4 Nayef
Ghanem M tweeted:
And finally a parody account for former President Saleh sarcastically referring to the special committee tweeted:
Prince Nayef is reported to be succeeded by Prince Salman, who will be the new crown prince, and Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz will fill his role as minister of interior. Yemenis, however, wonder who will handle the Yemen portfolio and what implications will that have on the country.

author: Noon Arabia


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Bangladesh: Is a Cartoon Teaching Kids to Speak Foreign Language and Lie? · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

A cartoon show aired on the Disney Channel India has stirred debates in Bangladesh. The name of the Japanese anime (dubbed in Hindi) is Doraemon. It is claimed that this cartoon is forcing children to learn to speak the Hindi language of neighboring India and prompting them to tell lies. Many Bangladeshi children watch this cartoon, which is broadcast continuously and repeatedly.
If you read the story of a frustrated mother in The blog of a Mom [bn] you will understand how crazy are they for Doraemon:
My five year old son doesn't eat meals without watching Doraemon. He won't do homework or sleep timely if I don't let him watch.
Another mother sent a letter to the Daily Prothom Alo [bn]:
My eight year old son says he can't solve homeworks from school alone. He needs a robot like Doraemon who will accompany him and solve all his problems.
This cat robot is called Doraemon. Image from Wikimedia. CC BY-SA
‘Doraemon’ is a Japanese cartoon show derived from a popular Manga series which later became an anime series. The ear-less cat robot Doraemon travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a schoolboy, Nobita Nobi. The story starts from here.
Nobita is a very lazy boy and brings nothing but misfortune. Doraemon tries to help him using 22nd century gadgets. Nobita misuses the gadgets and gets into deeper trouble than before.
Doraemon stories are entertaining but it can be debated how much of them can be used for education purpose. Because many of the tips Doraemon gives to Nobita include cheating and telling lies.
Doraemon is broadcast in the region dubbed in Hindi via satellite. Due to prolonged exposure to this cartoon, many children have learnt to speak Hindi sentences. They even use Hindi when talking to their family members instead of their mother tongue Bangla. And this has created a long debate.
Many are claiming that these kids are learning to skip their study and cheat like the main character Nobita. This debate is spreading from mainstream media to individual living rooms. Many are demanding that the airing of Disney Channel should be stopped.
Kanak Barman [bn] at Somewhereinblog tells:
The biggest casualty of the Doraemon cartoon are the little kids, Who cannot even talk in Bangla fluently but are picking up Hindi nicely. This has threatened to that extent that if the airing of the channel is not stopped now then there will be more Hindi speakers than Bangla in this age group. So this channel should be blocked in Bangladesh as soon as possible.
On the other hand Shahriar Shafique [bn] at BlogBDNews24.com blames the lack of popular children program in Bangla language televisions for this situation:
There are more than 20 channels in Bangladesh but they don't have sufficient and quality childrens programs. As far I remember there are three good shows like Sisimpur, Meena, and Moner Kotha which are aired in BTV a few times a week. Desh TV also airs Meena cartoon and some other channels dubs Tom & Jerry cartoon shows. These few shows are popular but aired for shorter periods. The rest of the time of the day other programs like soap operas, news, talk shows, food shows and talent competitions are aired; which brings little value to the kids. Incomprehensible talk shows, kitechen matters or love-romance-tragedies do not attract the kids.
Blogger Fahmidul Haque [bn] does not think that Doraemon will threatened the Bangla language:
The Bangla language has an inherent force which protects itself from aggression of foreign language. When satellite TVs came in the early nineties people thought that the language and culture of this country will be ruined. But the local language and culture adjusted to the changes. Many Bangla language channels emerged. So we don't hear much about the most spoken term “alien culture” now. If Doraemon really is creating problems, the easiest solution is to buy the rights of the series and broadcast it after dubbing in Bangla.

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


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Lebanon: Beirut Most Expensive City in Middle East · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Blog Baladi shares this advice: “Beirut has become so expensive that even expats no longer can afford it. Maybe we should stop building 1000 square meters apartments for Arabs to rent/buy and start building reasonable flats with rational prices for Lebanese and the average tourist.”

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Protest to Re-Open Beirut’s City Park · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“Personally I do not understand how a park can be kept closed for the public, letting only the privileged few enter upon a permit,” wrote leelouz in a post about the protest held to raise awareness to the insignificant amount of public green space and to demand the re-opening of the city's park.


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Russia: Bloggers Honor Tupac Shakur  · Global Voices
Donna Welles

Although Tupac Shakur‘s sudden and violent death in 1996 at the age of 25 stunned his generation, his life continues to be celebrated around the world. A number of RuNet bloggers, including LJ user papyrus-net, have honored him by sharing his story [ru] from beginning to end on the anniversary of his birth.

author: Donna Welles


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Russia: Interview with Jesse Heath of The Russia Monitor · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Jesse Heath is an American lawyer based in Washington, D.C. His blog, The Russia Monitor, addresses developments in Russian law, economics, and politics. As an Anglophone blogger writing about Russia, Heath's work is distinct for its detailed focus on technical aspects of issues large and small. For example, he is one of few in the English-speaking ‘citizen media’ to have analyzed [en] reforms to Russia's strategic sectors laws, and his commentary on Vladimir Putin's pre-reelection political maneuvering garnered the attention [ru] of well-known Russian author and archivist Vladimir Pribylovsky [en].
On June 18, Global Voices’ RuNet Echo spoke with Heath by telephone, to learn more about his history as a blogger and his contributions to the RuNet.
Jesse Heath, creator of The Russia Monitor. Photograph by JH, used with permission.
Global Voices (GV): You're a lawyer by trade, and yet you have this blog, where you often write about sensitive issues involving corruption and various legal nuances. What drove you to begin blogging, given your profession?
Jesse Heath (JH): Actually, I created it in 2007, before I was technically in my profession, when I was still a law student. Ultimately, I obviously cover subjects that I'm not work on directly. Generally, I base my blogging on what's in the news, either in the U.S. or in Russia, and offer my own take on it. So, even though it's sometimes sensitive, it never relates to anything on which I'm directly working, and it doesn't pose any problems in that way. Most of what I write is based on my general understanding of corruption in Russia (often founded on my professional experience or research), but a lot of it is widely known in my practice area.
GV: Why, when you were in law school, did you decide to start a blog in the first place?
JH: My first job after Year One of law school was at the Supreme Court, which sounds very impressive, but didn't involve any writing. So I wanted to do something that would continue my writing and force me to keep up to date on what's going on in Russia, and this seemed like the logical step.
GV: And do you have contact now with other bloggers or people outside the mainstream media? Being a blogger, you're not quite a journalist — you're somehow not exactly ‘official.’ With whom do you find yourself in communication?
JH: The English-speaking community of bloggers who write about Russia is relatively small, so we kind of all know each other. I've met a lot of them — in fact, some of them are also lawyers. I haven't really met many ‘official’ journalists, though I certainly know who they are, and of course we see each other on Twitter, but I haven't personally gotten to know many of them.
GV: Do you find that your blogger persona is something of an alter ego? Or do you find that you interact with people in the ‘real world’ as the author of The Russia Monitor? Or is blogging something that you retreat to and write from in isolation?
JH: For me, it's not an alter ego. I've met people (for instance, at various conferences through work) who read the blog, but didn't know that I am the author.
GV: And what sense do you get about who is reading you, and how are they reading your blog?
JH: I think it's often other lawyers, given a lot of the legal issues that I've covered. For example, I wrote about the strategic sectors law, which regulates investment in the defense sector and elsewhere. Now, not a lot of people (as you can imagine) are blogging about this specific set of laws, and I know that there's a lot more traffic when I write such a post. It could be investors in Russia who want to try their best to keep up to date on regulations (in the minerals sector, for example); it could be other lawyers; and also there are government people. I don't have precise analytics now, since switching from Blogger to WordPress, but I used to track readers originating at the [U.S.] State Department and so on. It's basically this small community that is active in Russia professionally that goes and reads The Russia Monitor. I assume that I don't generate a lot of interest from people who aren't professionally involved in Russia.
GV: And is that because what you're usually dealing with is too dry for the ‘uninitiated’ and the ‘novices'?
JH: Well, I think it's just not as sensationalist as some other blogs or news sources. There's plenty to be sensationalist about in Russia, whether it's the protests or U.S.-Russia relations. I do cover these issues, but — as you say — usually from a ‘drier’ perspective.
GV: And if sensationalism is the prevailing focus and atmosphere of most writing about Russia, what are some of the issues about which readers don't know enough? Of the things that require more technical or professional expertise to understand, what could readers learn from a blog like The Russia Monitor that they don't already know from more typical blogs?
JH: Aside from my post about the strategic sectors law, I don't think my coverage is particularly unique. There are others covering the economy, for example. Now, it's easy to say of Russia, “Oh, they rely on oil,” and make that kind of ‘bumper sticker’ statement. But I do think I've spent a bit more time than most other bloggers picking apart that dependency, and showing what a truly negative influence it has on Russia's economy, as well as engaging the counter arguments about ‘consumption versus growth.’ The information, though, is out there, obviously. You can find it in World Bank sources or local/domestic Russian sources. There are other blogs, of course, for instance Streetwise Professor [en], who doesn't cover Russia exclusively, but once in a while, he'll write a post picking apart Russia's economy, and it's pretty good.
I'd add that I think the approach to corruption in Russia has gotten better because of folks like Aleksey Navalny and others, who are making it a top-level issue. But in the end, everyone wants to do the stories that repeat various rumors about Putin's involvement in corruption — some of which may be true, though we don't know for certain. We're dealing with rumors, after all. What they don't look at are the more pernicious and widespread forms of corruption that Americans and American companies have to face when they want to do business there, and that ordinary Russians have to face on a daily basis. Everyone wants the headline-grabbing story, which is only natural, but I think people could understand the role of corruption in a country like Russia (and how bad it really is) if they realize that it isn't just the President taking bribes. I'm talking about the low-level, day-to-day stuff ingrained in the culture.
GV: What's one example of this ‘low-level’ corruption that demonstrates something readers don't see in ‘headlining’ material?
JH: Well, consider the process of getting a building permit in Russia. It takes over a year just to get the permits to build something. If you visit the World Bank's website, you can see a list of each step that's required in this process, and each requires a different interaction with a different agency that has its own discretion about whether or not to issue its approval in the ultimate procedure of obtaining permission. What I mean by ‘discretion’ is that it's unspecified if an agency waits thirty days, for instance, before issuing its decision, or does it just review someone's plans and decide in only a few days? This applies to someone who's trying to build a dacha, as well as a company that wants to build a new store or a new factory. They basically have to go through a process where — if you want to be competitive and efficient — there is always an option to make small bribe payments and facilitate everything more quickly. If you wanted to do it the more ethical way, you're put at a disadvantage.
Now, this is rather boring stuff, right? After all, we're talking about building permits, but this is what ordinary Russians have to face on a day-to-day basis. I wish that there would be a little more exploration of this. When you look at the anger on the street, it's not because Putin has a resort or a palace on the Black Sea — it's really these day-to-day pressures on living one's life and obstacles to developing one's business or home. It's these limitations that drive the anger we're now seeing nationwide.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Saudi Arabia: The Death of a Crown Prince · Global Voices
Haifa Alrasheed

Saudi Arabia's 79-year-old Crown Prince was announced dead yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland. Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who was the minister of interior, was named Crown Prince following the death of his brother Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz eight months ago.
The funeral
The body of the crown prince arrived the Kingdom today. Funeral prayers were performed in Makkah, after the maghreb (sunset) prayers.
The death created a storm of reactions among Saudi and non Saudi netizens, in which some declared their grief and others their happiness. Below are some of these reactions.
May you rest in peace
The late Prince Nayef with Prince Salman. Photograph shared on Twitter by Haifaa Al Nasser @HaifaaALnasser
No, we are not praying for him!
Who will be the next Crown Prince?
On Twitter, netizens continued to guess who the next crown prince would be:

author: Haifa Alrasheed


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SEE: Social Media Use Study · Global Voices
Danica Radovanovic

Growth in social media activities has slowed down, indicates the research of Wave6 [sr; en], which surveyed active Internet users in 62 countries: Macedonia and Croatia are more involved in the social media than Serbia, where watching video clips is the most popular activity (91%). For the first time, there is a decrease in blogging, though social networking activities still prevail.


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Sri Lanka: Mobile Payment System Launched · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca informs that the Sri Lankan Central Bank has given permission to launch mobile payment systems in Sri Lanka for the first time.

author: Rezwan


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Tajikistan: Becoming a Popular Blogger in 11 Steps · Global Voices
Musharraf

In an ironic post, Blog Avestiyca explains [ru] how to become a popular blogger or social media user in Tajikistan. The author recommends an 11-step process which includes raising obvious issues, blaming everything on corrupt officials, using smart words, and criticizing those who dare to disagree with your opinion.

author: Musharraf


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Angola: Rhythms of Resistance, Past and Present · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

On 24 May, 2012, Amnesty International reported that as the August elections in Angola approached, intimidation and violence against freedom of speech was expected to escalate, including that against political musicians. The report called for a full and impartial investigation into a violent attack against a group of anti-government activists, which included rapper Hexplosivo Mental.
Two weeks later, on June 11, another artist, known for his open opposition to the government, Luaty Beirão, also known as Ikonoklasta or Brigadeiro Mata Frakuxz, was arrested [pt] at the airport of Lisbon, for allegedly carrying cocaine in his luggage. On social media, many people commented that the real reason behind #Ikonoklasta‘s detention was political. In recent times, the rapper's voice of dissent has become more and more visible, as he openly lent support to the frequent street protests in Luanda where dissidents have been holding demonstrations to voice discontent with the government of President José Eduardo dos Santos, who has been in power for 33 years now.
Previously, Luaty had been arrested in March 2011, in a preemptive maneuver by the government which resulted in the cancellation of the proposed large-scale, anti-government demonstrations scheduled for March 7,2011. One year later he was attacked [pt] by pro-regime militias in Cazenga.
Time travelling to other ‘rhythms’ of resistance
In a journey to another time of Angolan music of resistance, the historical group N'Gola Ritmos from the 50's and 60's, was honored by the non-profit association Centro Interculturacidade [pt] in Lisbon, in the beginning of June, 2012. Celebrating the presence of Amadeu Amorim, one of the members of N'Gola Ritmos, blog Interculturacidade paid [pt] a tribute to the group, which was described as:
Gathering with Amadeu Amorim, a tribute to N'gola Ritmos at Centro InterculturaCidade. Photo by Jorge Joe Martins, Lisbon, June 2012 (used with permission)
motor da ideia de independência de Angola, e por isso perseguido. desmantelado e com vários dos seus elementos presos. Amadeu esteve longo tempo no Tarrafal e mais tempo esteve o líder do conjunto, Carlos Liceu Vieira Dias.
In an interview published [pt] on the blog Nós Por Cá, by Silvia Milonga in 2002, Amadeu Amorim explained “what N’gola Ritmos stood for in the social and political context” back then:
No fundo, era uma rebelião pacífica, tentando despertar consciências adormecidas, que não acreditavam em mais nada, eram 500 anos de colonização. Não havia televisão, nem rádio para toda gente, os jornais não chegavam aos musseques nem ao interior do país e nós sabíamos que uma canção ficava presa no assobio, no cantar. Na LNA quando cantávamos em kimbundu, as pessoas viravam a cara meias envergonhadas, chamavam-nos os mussequeiros. Algumas pessoas no meio daquela malta que estavam acordadas, entediam porque cantávamos em kimbundu, mais tarde outros apareceram a dizer que falavam ou cantavam em kimbundu. Chegamos a rádio Esperança, uma rádio que transmitia de Brazaville, ouvida às escondidas. A nossa canção era a única que existia, as pessoas ouviam a rádio e o N’gola Ritmos, passando a mensagem de que não chegamos ao fim, vamos começar agora.
The following video of the song N'zagi illustrates life in Angola back in the 1960s-70s:
Pioneers of the musical genre Semba, N’gola Ritmos introduced in their popular songs, messages of “absolute claim”, which ended up leading the group to a “death before time”, as Amadeu said in the interview:
Tudo culmina com a prisão porque alguns de nós estávamos directamente metidos na luta política (…)
Depois de regressarmos da cadeia, eu e o Liceu tínhamos que nos apresentar de 15 em 15 dias à polícia e estávamos proibidos de fazer intervenções públicas; depois, veio a guerra e estivemos muitos anos com o recolher obrigatório, não se podia andar a noite.
It all culminated in the prison, because some of us were directly involved in the political struggle (…)
After we came out from the prison, me and Liceu had to present ourselves to the police every fortnight and we were forbidden to make public performances; afterwards, the war came and we were under curfew for several years; we couldn't go out at night.
Nowadays, despite the rhythms being different, there appear to be similarities with regard to the persecution of politically motivated artists in Angola.
Luaty Beirão. Public image by Omunga association shared on the blog of Central Angola 7311
Commenting on Luaty's detention, writer José Eduardo Agualusa wrote [pt] on his Facebook profile:
todos os que lutam pela democracia em Angola são neste momento alvos a abater – e, pelo que se vê, vale tudo.
The blog Central Angola 7311 published [pt] a note recalling that Luaty
não tem quaisquer antecedentes, sem ser os que têm acompanhado no último ano: Ativismo pacifista.
Como tantos outros em Luanda, tem sido perseguido física, social e politicamente, como têm testemunhado.
On the evening of June 12, 2012, Luaty was released from custody by the Portuguese police, reported Maka Angola, and added that “while the investigations continue, the rapper, who has dual citizenship, including the Portuguese, must report to the police, if he is to be absent from the country for more than five days”.

author: Sara Moreira


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Colombia: 72-year-old Man Demands A Decent Life · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Via Facebook, Arlovich Correa [es] shares the story of a 72-year-old Colombian man who decided to climb to the top of an antenna, putting his life in danger, to demand a pension and better quality of life. Correa expresses his indignation at the people who walked by and told the man to throw himself off the antenna. After five hours and a half, the man decided to safely go down.

author: Cati Restrepo


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Egypt: Final Round of the Presidential Elections in Photographs  · Global Voices
Ammoun AAY

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Elections 2011/2012.
On June 16, Egyptian were called to vote on the second round of the presidential elections amidst attempts by the Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (SCAF) to keep a tight rein on the political stage. With the Parliament dissolved, the New Constitutional Declaration giving almost all powers toSCAF, the choice between Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohamed Morsi and the regime's former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq gets even more painful.
Indeed, both candidates seem to be unwanted, as one of them symbolizes the remnants of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's era, and the second one is seen as a traitor to the revolution.
Following are some photographs of that historical day of elections posted by netizens on social networking sites:
Young Egyptians with signs reading "I am Christian and I won't vote for Shafik". Image by Khaled Mohammed (Facebook)
Young boy holding Shafik poster. Image by Jonathan Rashad (Flickr, under CC licence CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Egyptian citizens holding posters of the two final candidates Morsi and Shafik. Image by Jonathan Rashad (Flickr, under CC license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Old Egyptian man showing his inked finger after he voted. Image by Jonathan Rashad (Flickr, under CC licence CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Egyptian Twitter user @TheMiinz gathered pictures of nullified ballots with humourous messages:
Egyptian voter expresses the wish to vote for bellydancer Hayatem instead of the candidates proposed. Image by @Shaheeeer (Twitter)
An Egyptian chose to boycott and be romantic with an "I love you Sara" ballot. Image by @Qoutb (Twitter)
Voter chose to vote for Batman instead of Morsi or Shafik. Image by @Wessam_S (yfrog)
Some of the ballots carried more politically committed messages:
Voter nullified ballot with the mention "No offense, but the voice of conscience hurts". Image by @YoussraSelim (Twitter)
Conveying the general feeling of these elections, another voter nullified his vote by writing "I will not choose between a killer and a traitor. Down with military rule, glory to martyrs". Image by Mobteloon (Facebook)
A voter spoiled her vote with a sticker reading "Void". Image by @Amiralx (Twitpic)
Sarcastic, a ballot carries the comment "Both choices are so excellent, I couldn't choose from between them. Thank you, SCAF". Image by Mobteloon (Facebook)
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Elections 2011/2012.

author: Ammoun AAY


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Egypt: Ikhwan Twitter Account Hacked · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Zeinobia, at Egyptian Chronicles, discusses last month's hacking of the Muslim Brotherhood English website's Twitter account here.


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Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Presidential Candidate Announces Victory · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Elections 2011/2012.
Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi declared he had won the Egyptian presidential elections beating Hosni Mubarak's premier Ahmed Shafiq at a 4am Press conference Cairo time today. A Shafiq spokesman responded that Shafiq too won the presidency with 52 per cent of the votes. The two men went neck and neck, and the official results will be announced on Thursday. Netizens, unhappy with both candidates, turn to Twitter to express their views.
Rasha Abdulla notes:
@RashaAbdulla: I'm very happy that Shafiq lost. But too bad Morsi won!!:)
adding:
@RashaAbdulla: If Morsi won, it only means ppl hate Shafiq more than they hate Morsi. It's by no means a sign of popularity!Both were lousy choices!
Bassem Sabry agrees:
@Bassem_Sabry: The only thing spoiling my happiness with Shafiq's apparent loss is, well, Morsi's victory…
And Iyad El-Baghdadi clarifies:
@iyad_elbaghdadi: Non-Arabs lamenting an MB win – that's not what we're celebrating. We're celebrating Shafik losing, not Morsi winning
adding:
@iyad_elbaghdadi:  Someone even commented on Morsi's win by saying “welcome dark ages”. As if we were having a renaissance under military rule
Syrian Kareem Lailah jokes about the contradictory news on who the next Egyptian president is:
@KareemLailah: [Qatari] Aljazeera: Morsi is winning. – [Saudi] Alarabiya: Shafiq is winning. – [Syrian] AddouniaTV: Mubarak is back.
Journalist Sherine Tadros reports on the atmosphere outside Shafiq's headquarters:
@SherineT: Men fighting outside #shafik HQ, tempers flaring and tense as news filters of #MB declaring their win imminently
And Manus McManus draws parallels with Algeria. He tweets:
@ManusMacManus: The #Egyptian Military Junta has learned a lot from the Algerian experience. The art of delegitimising democratically elected institutions
UAE news junkie Sultan Al Qassemi comments:
@SultanAlQassemi: One good thing about Morsy's win is that he would be Egypt's first civilian leader in 60 years (though he is answerable to the MB) #Egypt
He also notes:
@SultanAlQassemi: Semi-Islamic Republic of Egypt
The worry of Islamists taking power is evident in Ganna's tweet:
@GGsaid: Let's all take a moment of silence for all the bars and clubs that will close in Egypt
Meanwhile, Farida Sultan sees no change. She tweets:
@FaridaSul: As long as the SCAF#EgyElections is still in power, the coming president will always be a puppet.
And Reem Abdellatif reminds us:
@Reem_Abdellatif: Court is still set to decide Tuesday on Muslim Brotherhood's legality as an NGO. #Ikhwan could be forced to dismantle. #Egypt #EgyPresElex
In conclusion, Bel Trew writes:
@Beltrew: I think the Twittersphere has finally realised that it doesn't matter who wins #EgyElections – the coming #EgyPresident has no power
For more reactions, check out the hash tags #EgyElections and #EgyPresElex.
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Elections 2011/2012.


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Egypt: The Inevitable Clash between State and Muslim Brotherhood · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“No matter what the outcome is, I am neither depressed nor demotivated. I have resolved, many months ago, that this revolution is continuing with or without me, and that the clash with the state and the MB [Muslim Brotherhood] is inevitable and coming,” writes Mahmoud Salem, aka The Sandmonkey.


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Iran: ‘Zuckerberg should take action against insulting Islam’ · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

The state-funded group, “The Islamic Revolution Council of IT and Digital Media Activists” have asked Mark Zuckerberg in an open letter to take action against those who ‘insult Islam’ in Facebook and prosecute them. They compared those who ‘insult Islam’ in Facebook to terrorist attacks in Iraq against Shia people and shrines.

author: Hadi Nili


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Latvia: Jackie Chan Blogs About Filming in Jelgava · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Facebook page “If you like Latvia, Latvia likes you” highlights movie star Jackie Chan's April 2012 blog post, in which he shared his “impressions about 15 day long filming of movie stunts in Jelgava, Latvia, plus lots of photos. He tells about flying experience in Aerodium vertical wind tunnel, which is also famous from Latvia’s pavilion in Expo 2010 Shanghai.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Mauritania: Security Forces Break Up March, Arrest Activists · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

Coordinators of the youth opposition organised a demonstration held after Friday prayers on May 18, which saw opposition protestors leave the Saudi Mosque in the capital Nouakchott in a march headed towards the Ministry of Interior.  The demonstration was however forcefully suppressed by security forces using tear gas, which caused breathing difficulties and injuries amongst the demonstrators. They also arrested a number of leading opposition organisers.
In protest against the arrests and repression, leading members of the opposition organised a demonstration outside the commissariat of Tevragh-Zeina in the capital, demanding the release of the activists arrested after Friday's demonstration.
Throughout this protest the leader of the Mauritanian opposition Ahmed Ould Daddah called for the immediate release of the arrested demonstrators and a stop to the repression of those requesting freedom and the end of military rule in Mauritania.  He said “the Mauritanian opposition is firmly committed to peaceful protest despite the brutal repression it faces” and also demanded the immediate release of those arrested during a peaceful march to the Ministry of Interior calling for the end of the current regime.
Suppression of the protests – image from the Facebook page of the 'youth bloc' – used with permission
The deputy leader of the Tawassoul party fainted – image from 'the other news' on Facebook – used with permission
Netizens shared the following video of the suppression of the demonstration:
The reporter Bloucat wrote this about the march:
مسيرة المنسقية انطلقت من المسجد السعودي في العاصمة منتهجة نهجا سلميا ومرددة شعارات تطالب برحيل النظام العسكري الفاسد وكان على رأس المسيرة نائب رئيس حزب التجمع الوطني للإصلاح والتنمية (تواصل) والأمين العام لنفس الحزب أحمد جدو ولد باهي .
إضافة الى رؤساء منسقية شباب المعارضة “مشعل “.
ولكن المسيرة لم تبتعد كثيرا حتى أتاها حاكم مقاطعة تفرغ زينة يرافقه مفوض في الشرطة وطالبا المتظاهرين بإلغاء تظاهرهم وعبر عن استعداده لترخيص أخرى جديدة في تعارض مع الدستور الموريتاني الذي يكفل الحرية ويقول بأنه على أي شخص أراد التظاهر أن يشعر السلطات وليس لها منعه وقد استخدم الحاكم التهديد باستخدام القوة إن لم يلغى النشاط.
ولكن المتظاهرين المتمسكين بحقهم الدستوري أبوا أن يتراجعوا حتى يرحل النظام وكانت المسيرة تحت عنوان “ضد التعذيب وضد القمع” وعندها انهالت مسيلات الدموع والقنابل الصوتية وحتى إنها استخدمت القنابل الحارقة وهاجمت بها سوق الهواتف المعروف شعبيا في موريتانيا بـ “نقطة ساخنة” لبث الفوضى واتهام المعارضة بالتخريب.
The Mauritanian reporter Ad-Dadah Ould Al-Sheikh Ibrahim wrote this about the suppression of the demonstration:
The coordinators of the youth opposition group “the torch” called for the demonstration on the front of their Facebook page saying:
The page of the “youth bloc” had this to say about the opposition demonstration:
This appeared on the Facebook page of “the other news“:

author: أحمد جدو


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Mozambique: Need a Ride? Take the Chapa · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Lucas, a Brazilian journalist in Mozambique, on his blog A voz de África (Voice of Africa), wrote a story [pt] that describes peculiar and funny situations one may come across while travelling with the local transport called chapa. A photo report on Demotix illustrates these over-busy minibus taxis in the crowded streets of Maputo.


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Nicaragua: The Continued Struggle to End Child Labor · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

It hasn't been easy to try and stop child labor in Nicaragua, and the following videos provide a look into the reasons why many children are still working despite the new laws. While some families are seeing value in getting their children educated and are responding to awareness campaigns, for others child labor is the way they keep their families afloat. While the law establishes that government, employers, syndicates and families all have the obligation to prevent child labor that could harm a child physically or emotionally and which keeps them from studying or developing, the hard economical situation in Nicaragua makes it very hard for families to resist either sending their children out to work or assigning domestic work for them to do at home.
Young fruit vendors in Ometepe Nicaragua, CCby Zach Klein
Journeyman pictures cover this in Hard Labour, where it shows children doing dangerous work, while authorities either deny their existence or declare themselves unable to turn a child away when they know the income is needed by their families:
A group of children smash stones into small pieces, risking blindness as chips of rock fly into the air. Officially, child labour is illegal in Nicaragua and the cooperative leader in one quarry is quick to deny that any children are working there. “It is prohibited for children to work as stone cutters. It's much too risky. Children should go to school, not work.” But Anibal, a ten-year-old labourer, tells a different story. He has already spent a year in hospital after he was injured working at the quarry. “A pile of dirt fell from up high. It fell on me and injured my leg.” Despite the objections of the Sandinista government, being one of the poorest countries in Latin America leaves families with little choice. Diana Espinoza, the local representative from Save the Children admits it is a very difficult situation: “there's a whole market with child labour at several levels”.
However, some changes have been made, particularly in the coffee industry. Farmers who wish for their coffee to be part of Fair Trade, need to guarantee the children in the farms are not picking coffee but instead going to school. The coffee-pickers were child laborers themselves, and while they are aware of the challenges for them to send their kids to school instead of having them adding income, one of the woman also mentions that it is a sacrifice that needs to be made in order to successfully raise her children.  However, getting a child back into school is not easy, as shown by the story of Fabiola and her son Jose, where even though she has wanted to enroll her child in school instead of having him working in the streets, she has faced obstacles all along the way, and even if Jose enrolls, he'll probably have to deal with the stigma of being a child worker.
Children pitch in with their opinions on child labor in Nicaragua in the next two videos.  Through video training by Xchange Perspectives, children in the Jinotega region of Nicaragua reported on the issue:
And from Abre Tus Ojos Nicaragua [es], teens also reported on the issue in Matagalpa, to the North of Nicaragua. Through interviews with child workers as well as authorities in organizations trying to prevent child labor, the reasons behind these kids working are much of the same. For example, sometimes their family group is only the child and the mother, so the extra income is needed to make ends meet, or through sickness, these children become the only ones able to bring in income to feed their family and have to become adults overnight.  Other times, parents have their children working so they learn about working and not lazying about doing nothing. Although they work all day and go home very tired, these children and teens take pride in the help they give their families, not considering it as “work” or something that denies them their rights.  Actions being taken are combining education in the morning and then allowing for the children to go and help their families while raising awareness among the children and teens so they are aware of their rights.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Poland, Ukraine: A Euro 2012 Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Notes and musings on issues related to the Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine: at Polandian – here, here, and here; at Memory at War – here; at Raf Uzar – here; at Politics, Economy, Society – here; at The Pipeline – here.


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Puerto Rico: Concerns About Wind Energy Proposal · Global Voices
Alfredo Richner

“Don Quijote felt he needed to defend himself from giants. I need to protect my family from these giants that are being installed in a densely populated area. Not only are they feet away from [our] homes but they are in fertile grounds used for agriculture,” wrote Puerto Rican blogger Raúl Colón on a post titled “Don Quijote, “Molinos”, Health Risks, & Santa Isabel” [es] this past May. A resident of Santa Isabel, a southern coastal municipality in Puerto Rico, Raúl is concerned about the health risks related to having 44 wind turbines installed near his home.
The project “Finca de Viento Santa Isabel” (Santa Isabel Wind Farm), of the San Francisco, California, company Pattern Energy, is one of several [es] multi-million dollar renewable-energy projects projected to begin production this year on the island – and once completed it will be the largest of its kind in the Caribbean. The company states on its website that it expects “to provide clean, safe and renewable energy equal to the annual power needs of about 25,000 homes.” However, as the first turbines were being raised during the last weeks of May, some of Santa Isabel's 21,000+ residents such as Raúl began having second thoughts about the project and its proximity to their homes.
Concerned activist groups such as the Frente de Rescate Agrícola (FRA) [es] (Agriculture Rescue Front) have raised awareness about Pattern Energy's Santa Isabel wind farm claiming [es] the project will have a adverse effects on the municipality's agricultural industry and its residents’ health – without the promised benefit of reduced energy costs. The Puerto Rico Farmers Association President Ramón González blasted the project, stating to the press: “What is happening in this case is troubling. They are sacrificing 3,000 acres of some of the island’s best farmland.” Several members of the FRA where arrested late last year while protesting at the site.
This is not the first time that Pattern Energy has encountered resistance from concerned citizens; a similar project in Ocotillo Wells in San Diego County, California has also met with opposition. Meanwhile, residents from Falmouth, Massachusetts have begun speaking out about how noisy turbines have affected their health, leading to the temporary shutdown of that project.
Back in Puerto Rico, residents of the municipality of Guayanilla recently reported suspicious smoke [es] emanating from the cracked soils at another wind farm development project. The troubled project [es], by Windmar Renewal Energy, has resulted in what many consider an ecological disaster [es].
Below, a humorous tour of Pattern Energy's Santa Isabel facility by Puerto Rican independent musician and artist Fernando Castro Álvarez. The video features the character of “El obrero Curet”, a worker more than happy to risk his life and well-being in the name of “progress,” and was produced as part of Fernando's audio-visual project, La Avanzada Y.

author: Alfredo Richner


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Russia: Twitter Hashtag Targeting Putin Trends Worldwide · Global Voices
Augis Barkov

For a short period of time last month, a Russian hashtag ranked among the top worldwide trends on Twitter. What makes this hashtag remarkable — aside from the fact that it is written in Cyrillic — is that it consists of 30 letters! “#путинтыктотакойдавайдосвидания” (#putintyktotakoidavaidosvidaniia) can be translated roughly as “Putin, who are you? C'mon, goodbye.”
Screenshot of the anti-Putin hashtag trending 3rd place worldwide. 29 May 2012.
The phrase has a curious sound in Russian, as well. Indeed, it originated among a group of Russian-speaking Azerbaijanis. Earlier this year, guests at a wedding in Azerbaijan decided to perform the traditional Meyhana musical competition (a kind of rap-battle). Because not everyone could speak fluent Azeri (some belonged to Talysh ethnic minority [en]), they chose to compete in (broken) Russian, instead, finishing each verse with the words, “Ты кто такой? Давай, до свидания!” (“Who are you? C'mon, goodbye!”)
The video of this ‘rap-battle’ went viral among Russian viewers online, giving birth to the meme, “Ty kto takoi? Davai, do svidaniia.” Very soon, the phrase became a common ‘weapon’ on Russian forums and blogs, used to disrespect and offend virtual opponents. It was Aleksei Filin, Coordinator of the Motorists Federation's Moscow Department, who first prominently politicized the meme, tweeting [ru]:
Завтра повешу на машину табличку: “Путин ты кто такой? Давай, до свидания”. Буду дарить людям улыбки!
The phrase was retweeted by the members of the infamous Russian art group, “Voina,” who helped popularize it on Twitter, leading to the hashtag, “#путинтыктотакойдавайдосвидания.”
Today, the hashtag is often used in discussions about Russian politics and the protest movement. For instance, here is one tweet from Iosif Levinson (@Osya_Levinson) that uses the meme to address how federal investigators recently (and controversially) searched the homes and businesses of several famous oppositionists:
путин потерял совесть и ищет теперь ее в квартирах оппозиционеров! #путинтыктотакойдавайдосвидания
Independent of headlining news, the hashtag has also become a popular means of expressing general antipathy toward President Putin. For example, user @slonomuh writes:
прощай путин… а кто с ним вообще здоровался?! #Путинтыктотакойдавайдосвидания
Putin, however, does not enjoy a monopoly on being “goodbye'd” by Russian netizens. A new iteration of the trend has emerged in the wake of Russia's elimination by Greece in the 2012 UEFA European Football [Soccer] Championship [en]. Before their defeat, many fans began wishing the Russian team victory on Twitter by using the hashtag #грециядавайдосвидания (“Greece, c'mon, goodbye”). Unfortunately, these hopes were dashed when Greece won the match by a score of zero-to-one. Twitter user Dima Aurum (@DimaAurum) mourned the result, perhaps intentionally echoing a phrase [ru] popularized by Viktor Chernomyrdin (“We wanted something better, but it turned out as always”):
Должна была быть #Грециядавайдосвидания, а получилась #Россиядавайдосвидания и это печаль….

author: Augis Barkov


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Syria: Regime Assailants Kill Blogger’s Mother · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Syrian blogger and activist Marcell Shehwaro, from Aleppo, lost her mother Marina, when government assailants shot at the car she was in early this morning. Netizens from around the world mourn their friend for her loss.
From Beirut, the co-founder and director of Arab Digital Expression Foundation Ranwa Yehia tweets:
@ranwayehia: when tragedy hits home, all of a sudden the pain of thousands accumulating hits in one big wave & crushes u RIPMarianne
Marcel and her mother in a poster made and shared by Jordanian blogger Mohammed Al Qaq on Facebook paying tribute to the martyred mother
In three tweets, Yehia quotes Marcel, reacting to her mother's death saying:
تابع “بس أبداً ما كنت متوقعة الوجع يكون بالعكس” ٣/٣
In a post dated May 27, Marcel writes [ar]:
Meanwhile, Rahaf Konbaz shares a screenshot of a Marcell's Facebook update on Twitter. In her update she writes:
A screenshot of Marcell's Facebook update in which she describes the circumstances of her mother's murder shared by Rahaf Konbaz on Twitter
They suspected the car my mother was in with another young woman and a young man because the car was being driven in the opposite direction on a street which didn't have a sign which said which direction traffic was supposed to flow in. The guards whose guns had ammunition did not care…to shoot in the air .. to shoot at the car tires .. they insisted on shooting the car. The car escaped the shooting and passed them. They discovered it was a car, whose occupants did not fire at them but the person who took the decision to shoot continued to shoot. Shooting means shooting..
So the guards, who are members of the party, shoot the car from behind. That simple.
This bullet cost my mother her life and prevented her from being in my life.
To those who believe that it is armed gangs. It is armed gangs who killed my mother. They are the armed gangs who make up this regime.
Netizens from around the world conveyed their heartfelt condolences to Marcell for her loss on both Facebook and Twitter.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Togo: Protests for Human Rights Repressed with Violence  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The Association “Collectif Sauvons le Togo (Save Togo) ” published images and videos  of violence following marching protests [fr] for Human Rights and Democracy in Lome, Capital City of Togo on June 12 and 13. Hundred of protesters were injured [fr] and dozens were arrested [fr].

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Tunisia: Cyber-Activist Commits Suicide  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tunisian cyber-activist Karim Alimi, aged 29, committed suicide on June 16 in his Ariana home, reports Tunisia Live. Tunisie Secret sheds more light on the tragedy here [fr].


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Tunisia: Final Draft of New Constitution Preamble Causes Controversy  · Global Voices
Ahmed Medien

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011/12.
Tunisians are fuming over the final draft of the preamble (prelude) of the new constitution, drafted by their first elected parliament after the fall of the Ben Ali regime. Many netizens did not agree with the assembly members’ vision of post-revolution Tunisia.
The preamble of the new Tunisian constitution. Photo courtesy to Tunisia Live
Tunisian Journalist Farah Samti at the local news website, Tunisia Live, translates the text of the preamble (click link provided).
The preamble, which thus far, is still poorly spoken of in the media and discussion panels received objection form different bloggers.
Netizens have a problem with the wording, the confusing amalgamation of ideas presented in the text and its length.
These are some different, yet important, points discussed on the blogosphere. The authors are: long Tunis-resident and political blogger, Erik Churchill, and the blogs NadiaformTunis, Debatunisie.com and MasrwaTouness.
Lengthiness and amalgamation of ideas
Erick Churchill: The Tunisian preamble, [on the other hand], runs 433 words (in English) and 8 paragraphs. It includes references to Tunisian history, Arab history, Muslim culture, the Palestinians, and the environment. The fact that the preamble took six months to draft, and the fact that it is a kitchen sink of ideas does not necessarily bode well for the timeline set out by the Constituent Assembly speaker Mustapha Ben Jafaar, who has promised that the document will be complete by October 2012.
NadiaFromTunis: Ce texte est extrêmement lourd. Alors qu’un préambule est censé inspirer respect et amour de la patrie et des valeurs communes au peuple tunisien, nous voilà en présence d’un morceau médiocre de littérature sans queue ni tête, où l’effort – trop visible – des élus d’y introduire tout et n’importe quoi a résulté en une chose qui manque d’homogénéité, tant au niveau de la langue que du contenu. On y voit pêle-mêle des références historico-culturelles du pays et des postures géopolitiques dont on ne sait si le peuple les approuve ni quel sens elles ont dans un contexte par définition mouvant alors qu’il s’agit là d’un texte fondateur censé. durer
Too much emphasis on the Arab-Muslim identity, Islam and less mention of universal rights
Erick Churchill: 3) The document is careful to avoid references to universal values or rights. While the document does endorse human and equal rights among Tunisians, it does not take the bold step of endorsing universal rights, such as the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Many Muslim countries have refused to sign on to this document as some consider it to subjugate Islamic sharia to man-made rights. Liberals in Tunisia had hoped that the assembly would have taken this bold step which would have set precedents for the country’s judges to use as a basis for adjudicating rights claims. The document as is remains so vague that the constitution itself or the country’s civil code will have to set out exactly what rights will be considered fundamental.
NadiaFromTunis: Ici le mot Islam (et ses dérivés) est cité 3 fois[…]. Voyons voir si ces 3 références sont bien nécessaires. La première fait peur : comment ça « se baser sur les constantes de l’islam » ? quelles constantes et selon qui d’abord ? et que veut dire le fait de se baser dessus et dans quel but ? bref, le summum de l’interprétabilité sur un sujet aussi sensible est un crime contre les générations futures (ou une chose totalement inutile, ça dépend). La deuxième pourrait être exprimée autrement, même si à mon humble avis, il s’agit là de la seule référence à peu près acceptable dans le sens où elle fait partie d’un passage sur les composantes historico-culturelles du peuple. La troisième fait partie d’un magma d’idées qui ne me semblent pas avoir leur place dans une constitution censée représenter tout le peuple et ne pas préjuger de ses choix diplomatiques et géopolitiques présents et futurs.
Debatunisie.com: Il est évident qu'en donnant à notre consitution un socle religieux, nous intégrons une part d'irrationnel dans nos textes de lois, ouvrant ainsi la porte aux multiples interprétations. Nous mettrons sous tutelle notre citoyenneté au profit d'experts de la religion qui nous expliqueront d'après leurs sciences occultes les arcanes de nos codes de conduite et de nos lois. Ils useront de sourates ou de hadiths hermétiques -à nous autres pauvres mortels- pour légiférer à notre place, censurer et atteindre à notre liberté.
Liberty, Dignity, Justice, surrounded by a pedestal of the Islamic oath. Photo courtesy to Debatunisie.com
An overstated political agenda
Umma, integration with Muslim people, Maghreb unity, Arab Unity and Palestine's liberalization movement are perhaps that keywords that stirred the most controversy in the preamble. While, these terms do not relate to the rights or duties of the Tunisian people, these messages were deemed hiding a political agenda.
NadiaFromTunis: C’est là qu’on en arrive plus largement à cette histoire d’union (maghrébine, arabe). Mais qui vous dit que tous les tunisiens sont d’accord pour s’unir avec les pays voisins ? Ou alors les 217 élus sont en charge d’en décider pour eux ? Et si je ne veux pas moi de cette union, serais-je hors la loi ou carrément excommuniée, mon passeport brûlé et vouée au statut d’apatride ? Bref, j’aimerai dire à ces gens que non, ces affaires là on peut en discuter dans d’autres circonstances quand il s’agira de définir notre politique internationale, et qu’il faudra nous demander notre avis sur la question avant de conclure un quelconque accord de ce genre. Et ne venez pas me dire « mais moi je suis d’accord pour qu’on s’unisse » … je m’en fous, la question n’est pas là, la question est que ce préambule n’est pas fait que pour vous, et surtout que c’est le préambule d’une constitution, pas le programme du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères du gouvernement Machin.
Palestine….
MasrwaTouness: As much as I care for Palestinian cause, I can’t accept the fact that because it’s an “Arab” cause it is above any other. It would simply mean that support goes with ethnicity not with justice. In many places in the world people experience situations at least as horrible as Palestinians, and sometimes much worse. Dying of hunger in Somalia or killed by a Taliban in Afghanistan or a Jenjaweed in Darfour is nor less important nor less painful. By favoring Palestinian cause, Tunisia would send the message that not all victims are equal.
Erik Churchill: The question of Palestine makes a not-so-subtle, and somewhat problematic, appearance. The document states that “individuals have the right to self determination, and for movements of justified liberation, at the forefront of which is the liberation of Palestine.” It’s a curious construction, obviously based first and foremost by the motivation to include the populist sentiment to support the Palestinian cause. What’s interesting is the reference to self-determination, which is the legal basis for Palestinian statehood, in the absence of warfare. However, self-determination is also the basis for independence movements across the world, notably among Western Saharans in their dispute with the Moroccan government and in Berbers in Kabylie in Algeria. It will be interesting to see whether this clause will cause diplomatic problems for the government at the same time that it is looking to restart the cause of pan-Maghreb unity.
Gaps
MasrwaTouness: As a half-Tunisian Amazigh (Berber), I felt personnally kicked out of my country by this preamble. Tunisia is said to be Arab-Islamic, thus ignoring the Amazigh roots of our identity/culture (am not even speaking about the Berber-speaking minority, but about the majority that, although dont speak Berber share all cultural features of Berber civilization, like all other countries of Maghreb). The Berber language has no status in the preamble: nor official language, nor national, nor even minority language. As if Berber language simply doesnt exist at all.
I felt also that as a Tunisian I was less important to the rulers than Palestinians. As an African, I felt my Africanity is not respected (so much emphasis about Arab in this preamble, nothing for Africa?) and as a human I feel I am pushed to favor one cause (Palestinian) not because of the human beings involved but because of the ideology involved (I dont think a Palestinian suffers more than a Darfurian or a Somalian, for example).
The constituent assembly will have to vote on this preamble next October, supposedly, when the assembly will finish drafting the constitution as announced by the head of the assembly.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011/12.

author: Ahmed Medien


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Ukraine: Obstacles to Having a Visa-Free Regime With the EU · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On Causes.com, “Make Europe visa-free for Ukrainians” now has 970 members. Odessablogger explains what some of the obstacles to a visa-free regime are: “The 2015 goal for visa-free with the EU, set by the Ukrainian government, looks likely to be 2017 due to its own inability to legislate for biometrics and data storage rather than any issues created by the EU. Needless to say, the legislative issue could be easily overcome if it were not for the business interests of those seeking to produce the biometric passports and their friends in the RADA lobbying on their behalf.”


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Ukraine: President Yanukovych’s European Assets · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On OpenDemocracy.com, Ukrainian journalist Serhij Leschenko writes about President Viktor Yanukovych's “luxury residence and the money trail that leads to London”: “Having completely rejected such European values as human rights and democracy, the Ukrainian president uses Europe as a place to hide his dirty money with impunity. European leaders who are critical of Yanukovych could put pressure on him through his European assets – deeds, not words.”


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United Arab Emirates: Anger at Risqué Madonna Concert · Global Voices
Salah Almhamdi

Madonna kicked off her MDNA Tour on June 1 and performed her debut concert in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on June 3 and 4. The concert prompted controversy for the sexual themes and Madonna's revealing costumes.
Performers in Muslim countries usually face opposition from the conservative factions of those societies; Lady Gaga's concert in Indonesia was cancelled recently amid pressure by conservatives and hardliners.The timing was also not appropriate as the event came after the Houla Massacre in Syria. Madonna was slammed by Twitter users for various reasons.
UAE dress code
Fashion designer Hala Zadeh summarized the sequence of events in her tweet:
@halaZadeh: Getting Madonna to Abu Dhabi, knowing who she is, then criticize her and trash her everywhere!
There is no law regarding dress codes in the Emirates but efforts have been put in place to make a dress code law.
Savannah NOT Banana said:
@EasyAsPieMmmPie: You know who else didn't care about #UAEDressCode? Madonna, in Abu Dhabi, or anywhere really
Blatant exposition of Christian symbols
As the Arabian Peninsula is the birthplace of Islam, it is sometimes considered offensive to expose symbols of other religions in a blatant way. Madonna used crosses of different sizes as stage props and the concert was started by ringing bells, chants and monks. Khaled Hammadi tweeted:
Saudi netizen Mansour Al-Harethi tweeted:
Alleged affiliation with the illuminati
Madonna's concert showed religious imagery. Hamad Al-Shirawi tweeted acknowledging Madonna's alleged links with the Illuminati:
@Hamad_AlShirawi: No more crazy illuminati concerts please. #Madonna
Sexuality
Expatriate blogger Pam posted:
I am no prude, but she pushed the limits. I am sure some people who attended, and perhaps some leaders of this country who got wind of what went down were not very happy with her. There is nothing directed at Islam in the show that I could see, but I am sure her kissing a woman and the cross dressing dances didn’t go over well among other things.
Profanities
At the beginning of the concert, Madonna addressed the crowd calling them “sons of a bitch.” Saudi Sheikh Khaled Al-Saqaby tweeted:
American Expatriate blogger Thomas O'Hara posted:
I'm told that her first song was in HEBREW and that she spewed profanities during the entire show. A common ex-pat would be thrown in jail for years for that kind of public behavior.
Bad timing
The concert was held soon after the Houla Massacre in Syria. Emirati Twitter users said it was not time for rejoice and partying. They organized an online campaign using the Twitter hash tag [ar] #مادونا_تراقص_جراحنا (#Madonna_Dances_On_Our_Wounds).
Blogger Mohamed Alfraj posted [ar]:
Emirati blogger Ibrahim Alharam expressed his disappointment at the campaign failure tweeting:
However, Emirati blogger Ahmed Al-Gargaoui posted that Madonna's performance is controversial by nature:
We all know the hype Madonna has created, however regardless of all the fuss people have created over Madonna coming to Abu Dhabi.. I believe she performed beautifully, we all know the Madonna brand is controversial so if you do not want to associate yourself with it or dislike, simply don't just like an over 18 film at the cinema, don't go see it if it offends you.[…] I think this country is led by great men and they wouldn't allow her to perform if her content was extremely controversial or insulting.

author: Salah Almhamdi


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United States: “Shooting Blind” – Seeing With Different Eyes · Global Voices
Yarisa Colon

Every Tuesday, a group of visually impaired photographers come together in Manhattan, New York City. Some of the people attending are partially blind, while others have suffered from visual degeneration at an early age, or they were born blind. The name of the group is Seeing with Photography Collective (SWCP).
In a book titled Shooting Blind, Mark Andres, the founder and head of this collective, explains that he has had many roles in this organization. As a matter of fact, he has worked as music arranger, guide, instructor, coworker, and sometimes as the main photographer or assistant. This means that cooperation among the team members and the volunteers commitment are the key of the group, for which light painting is the most common technique.
We share some photographs by the members SWPC (all of them republished with their permission), and a video by Steven Erra, one of the artists of the collective. These images depict some of passions and interests of the photographers. We hope you enjoy them!
by SWPC
by Donald Martinez and Phil Malek
by SWPC
by Hashim Kirkland
by Mark Andres
by SWPC Occupy Wall Street activists.
by SWPC
by SWPC. Picture shot in the opening of the exhibition in the Long Island Center of Photography.
Here is a video about Seeing with Photography Collective group by Steven Erra:
This exhibition can be seen in New York in the Long Island Center of Photography in the Afroamerican Museum, which is located in the 110 Franklin Street, Hempstead, Long Island until June 29th. SWPC also invites you to visit its Flickr page. Comments on the photographs are highly appreciated.
Light is essenciatly indifferent
just until it is in a lens or in a cold camera
becomes meaningful
- Steven Erra

author: Yarisa Colon


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Afghanistan: Another Diplomatic Conference, But What About Results? · Global Voices
Vulanga Akhmedova

A one-day event titled ‘Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference‘  was held in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on June 14, 2012, as part of the ongoing “Istanbul Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan.” On the Facebook page of a popular television show, netizen reactions to the initiative were tepid at best.
Representatives from 29 countries as well as from NATO, UN, and the European Union attended the conference which aimed to discuss the future of the war-torn country after the withdrawal of coalition troops in 2014.
In addition to regional strategies to combat terrorism and drug trafficking, tackle natural disasters, and strengthen trade and economic relations – all on the agenda of the conference – another issue dear to Afghan netizen hearts was raised at the conference – Pakistan.
The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, chaired the ‘Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference’ in Kabul. Image by Afghanistan's MFA, used with permission.
As delegates noted, in April 2012, a well coordinated attack was staged by militants in Kabul, which Washington blamed on the Haqqani network operating in Pakistan. That was then followed by a June 6 double suicide attack in Kandahar that US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described as “much more organized than we've seen before”.
Even though Pakistan denies any support for Haqqani activities, it is still widely believed that the group’s leaders have strongholds in the semi-autonomous Pakistani border district of North Waziristan. A statement made by the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, read that peace in Afghanistan could only be achieved via regional cooperation and destroying the safe havens of militant networks waging violence in his country. The Afghan leader expressed hope that Pakistan could help in this process.
Delegates at the ‘Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference’ were more blunt, stating ‘the need for joint and concerted efforts and cooperation among the regional countries to address the challenge of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the dismantling of terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens.’
As a result of the one-day conference a declaration was issued where participants collectively called for enhancing regional cooperation to strengthen peace and security. The seventh article of the declaration reads:
We emphasize the importance of a political solution as the surest path to lasting peace in Afghanistan, and agree to actively facilitate the current Afghan-led process of reconciliation in Afghanistan. We endorse Afghanistan's efforts to reconcile the Taliban and other militant groups through an inclusive peace process that is based on the principles of renunciation of violence, cutting ties with all terrorist groups, preservation of Afghanistan's democratic achievements and respect for the Afghan Constitution, including its provisions for the human rights of men and women
Netizen reactions
Afghan netizens are no strangers to such grand statements of good intention and have seen a host of similar international forums fail to deliver improvements in the country's security situation. Following the conference, on June 14, the popular Afghan TV show ‘Kankash’ posted [fa] a question on its public page in Facebook asking people to express their opinions and share expectations of the conference for their country.
Discussion of the outcomes of the conference on the TV show Kankash's public Facebook page. Screenshot taken on June 18, 2012.
Responding to the question a Facebook user, Sayed Abdullah Ahmadi, said [fa]:
اگر دست اندرکاران دولت افغانستان از قبل برنامه ها و خواسته های مشخص خود از این کنفرانس را آماده کرده باشند و کنفرانس را به طرف خواسته های افغانستان رهبری نمایند نتیجه خوب خواهد بود. در غیر آن اگر رهبری کنفرانس غیر مستقیم به دست دیگران باشد و نماینده های افغانستان طرح و برنام مشخصی برای این نشست نداشته باشند نتیجه اش معلوم است. با توجه به تجربیات گذشته از نشستهای مشابه چنین میشود نتیجه گرفت که بیشترین سود از این نوع نشستها را کشورهای شرکت کننده منطقه میبرند – اگر چه به نام افغانستان و برای حمایت از افغانستان باشد- و کمتر اتفاق افتاده است که افغانستان از این نوع نشستها استفاده مطلوب نماید و نتیجه خوب بگیرد. امیدوارم که نتیجه خوب باشد و رهبری نشست در کل به دست نماینده های افغانستان باشد
Another Facebook user, Parsa Kabuli, also responded [fa] to the question pessimistically:
اګر نګاه کلی به شرایط افغانستان بیندازیم متوجه خواهید شد که با کسانی که امروز در دولت ما نقش دارند حتی اګر صدها نشست و صد سال دیګر هم کمک خارجی ها هم باشد هیچ کمکی به جامعه ما نمی کند
While Mujeeb Rahmani argued:
Till we don’t have a government without corruption and till we don’t have the right people for the right job I do not think that gatherings like today will work because the fund and support we are getting from international allies and partners won’t bring any changes to the lives of those people who are working so hard in order to survive and the current government do not respect their citizens rights as well. We are also expecting from our international partners to set a clear system of how to use and spend the funds so we Afghans see positive changes in our lives.
Another respondent, Faisal Amiri, blames [fa] the neighboring countries for Afghanistan's problems:
Pakistan namekhaya ke afghanistan pesh raft kuna. Pakistan az bain bobara United states of america bayat. kol e fesad dar Pakistan wa Iran ast….poshte qese mardom nabashen, ami kar ke shawa Afghanistan ba saw ye europe balk e azo europe kada ham khob mesha.
The next round of talks on the future of the war-torn country will be held in Tokyo in July and will focus on ways to ensure social progress such as governance, economic prospects, health and education in Afghanistan.

author: Vulanga Akhmedova


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Afghanistan: Women Leaders on Twitter · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Ahmad Shuja, an Afghan blogger and political commentator based in US, has put together a list of 15 must-follow Twitter feeds by Afghan women leaders. Shuja explains: “I thought I’d try and share with the world the wonderful work Afghan women do everyday, often in extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances”.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Algeria: Twitter Protest Against the State of Education · Global Voices
DZCalling

Algerians on Twitter staged a protest against the state of education in their country, with Aboubakr Benbouzid, the Minister of Education, serving as a focal point. Borrowing from the slogan “Ben Ali dégage” (Ben Ali get out) made famous by the Tunisian revolution last year, they adopted the hashtag #BenbouzidDégage.
Participants were invited to the ‘event’, which took place on June 14, through this poster prepared by @copi35:
Invitation to #BenbouzidDégage
#BenbouzidDégage Thursday June 14 at 8:00pm Algerian Twitter users, tweet about the state of education in Algeria. Come in numbers
That evening's activity were explained clearly by Rachid Laireche [fr]:
@RachidLaireche: Ce soir la twittosphère algérienne est en mission. L'objectif: virer le ministre de l'éducation en poste depuis 20 ans. #BenbouzidDégage
(In reality Benbouzid has been a minister for 19 years, 14 of which have been spent as Minister of Education).
Hamoud Aissam described the assignment succinctly [ar]:
For Ismail Chaib going to Twitter for such an action made sense:
@iChaib: Since demonstrations are neither allowed nor effective in #Algeria, the youth is demonstrating on Twitter and it works! cc #BenbouzidDégage
Yasmine Bouchène launched the tweet wave on time:
@Yaspuppchen: 1, 2, 3, let's begin the #BenbouzidDégage.
It began with gently sarcastic tweets such as this one from Arslan Mouloudi:
@Bahimund: Ouvrons le bal gentiment; #BenbouzidDégage, s'il te plait ? Tu es en place depuis 1993. JE SUIS NÉ EN 1993 !
The campaign lasted well over four hours. Sporadic tweets carrying the hashtag are still arriving at this time.
Tweeters protested against the record longevity of the minister which was aptly captured by this picture, posted by Youcef Baaloudj, which shows that France had 10 different ministers of education during Benbouzid's tenure.
Ministers of Education in France and in Algeria
This led Seif Eddine to comment wryly:
The poor quality of education, the lowering of standards, the repressive atmosphere in schools, and inflated success rates were recurring themes in the tweets posted that evening.
Algerian Mesperpe7 commented:
@copi35: L'école algérienne apprend aux élèves les problème sans jamais leur apprendre à créer la solution. #BenbouzidDégage
Then Imene complained:
For her part, Yasmine Bouchène mentioned the repression she experienced when she asked that a word be translated to her native Kabyle:
@Yaspuppchen: Au primaire, j'avais demandé la traduction d'un mot arabe au kabyle. On m'a réprimandé. J'avais 6 ans. #TamazightEnseignée #BenbouzidDégage
Tamazight is the name of the native language of North Africa and its teaching has been a contentious political issue in Algeria for many decades.
According to a report from tweetreach.com the hash tag “BenbouzidDégage reached 13,269 accounts.
Although centered on Twitter the operation also had a Facebook component.

author: DZCalling


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Armenia: Memories of Historic Yerevan Market · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ianyan takes its readers on a photographic tour of a closed market on one of the capital's main central streets. Taken over by a notorious oligarch, public reaction to demolish the ornate building in which the market is contained has been negative.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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China, Hong Kong: ‘Happy Ad’ for Student Abortions Ignites Debate · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A hospital in mainland China has advertised a special installment payment package for university students, for getting abortions conveniently, in the event of accidental or unwanted pregnancies. The hospital's marketing poster has caught the attention of Hong Kong's netizens and has triggered a moral debate.
Hospital's happy ad
The hospital's poster, showing three girls jumping with joy because now they can pay by installment for abortion. Public Image.
The advertisement copy states that:
大學期間，意外懷孕了
做人流也可 ”分期付款“了
此活動只限學生
本人只需憑身份證或學生證到沈陽市中山醫院做人流，即可辦理分期付款手續，首付30﹪起各型套餐任選，在保證學生的私密性的同時，方便快捷。
While abortion is a common practice in China, the poster has triggered a moral debate [zh] in Hong Kong:
@Aris Coffee: 若拋開宗教反對墮胎的話，我就看不出有何不妥？若可以分期付款，那對一些經濟不好但意外懷孕又沒成熟到可以養育子女的女學生也是一種幫助，難道要她們冒險去那些黑市無牌醫生去流產嗎？其實分期付款，跟買醫療保險每月供款及買電視冰箱分期付款沒有什麼大分別。
@俞火: 這不是宗教與是否合法的問題。在說的是生命，無論因為什麼原因，最後需要如何善後都是該嚴肅面對，而不是「開心到飛起」的事情。同一件事、同一個做法，但心態、道德就是決定你做事的態度，在同一件事上下來將再怎樣學習和面對，會否重蹈覆轍！
不要這些孩子去黑市墮胎，不就等如要興高采烈的如此 promote 「開心到飛起」的墮胎, 把這必要時的服務當成派對商品的！
@Carmen Tong: 我是不反對墮胎的, 正如你說的情況, 女性是能該擁有the control of their own body. 反感的是此廣告promote的價值觀: 處理掉一個生命很害易, 冇錢都唔緊要. 不安全性行為也冇所謂, 一旦出事有我們提供方便!
這和叫你成身card數去借那些”card數一筆清”,然後繼續放縱消費的廣告就真係冇乜分別了~
@Joyce Ho: 覺得呢張廣告無問題噶人，你地知唔知道，大陸系無性教育噶？就係因為到處充斥呢種漠視生命，美化人流噶廣告，有唔少女學生，從來都唔做防護措施，一年做幾次人流。我先唔講坯胎的生存權，無保護的性交，與無數次人流，對女性噶身體傷害有幾大，任何一個正常人都應該知道。但好可惜，系大陸，好多少女，包括大學生都唔知道。難道這些商業醫療機構和政府，沒有任何責任嗎？

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Must Private Charity have Government Blessing? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Media Project has translated a commentary on the recent discussion about the development of charity in China. The commentary is triggered off by a criticism made by a TV anchor, Cui Yongyuan on the Hunan Education Bureau's uncooperative manner towards charity work.