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Kenya: Citizen Journalism of  the Kibera News Network  · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Young people in Kibera, Kenya, which is known to some as Africa's largest slum, are determined to show a different face of the place where they live. With video cameras in hand, they scout the streets for stories to show the world how Kibera sees itself.
The project started in April 2010, spearheaded by Map Kibera and Kibera Community Development Agenda (KCODA). They began with just two young journalists and now the team is up to 14 young people who record the videos, edit and upload them to the web: not only to their own website Kibera News Network but also to Voice of Kibera, a site which maps their videos and also other news sent in by people via SMS and other mediums.
Kibera News Network in Kenya
Content is very varied: from job security issues, to reporting fires or train accidents, as well as cultural events and political activity.  This next video, for example, shows how two young men have turned to a somewhat unusual, for Kibera, employment: they own and work at a beauty salon, providing services such as manicures as well as hairstyling:
In this other video we visit Kevin Irungu, a  young man who earns a living from his art:
Both of the previous examples show how creativity and hard work pay off. However, for others in Kibera making a living is a constant struggle as demonstrated by these washerwomen who work hard and sometimes don't even get paid:
In Kibera, health is an important issue: open sewage trenches and high population density means that communicable diseases can quickly spread. Added to the fact that many people don't have the economic resources to buy medication a disease can easily turn into an epidemic:
You can see more of the videos in the Kibera News Network site or on their YouTube channel.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Libya-Bosnia-Hungary: Origins of Gaddafi’s wife · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Pestiside.hu reports about uncorroborated rumours that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's wife, Safiya, is from Bosnia with origins in Hungary.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Pakistan: Text Books Being Updated After 11 Years · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts welcomes the steps by the Education Ministry of Pakistan to update the text books and supplementary materials for both students and teachers of primary and secondary schools, which were pending for so long. In states like Sindh & Baluchistan they were not revised in the past 11 years.

author: Rezwan


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Palestine: Remembering Murdered Italian Activist Vittorio Arrigoni · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Long before the deadline set by his captors arrived, kidnapped Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was killed, apparently hanged. Bloggers in Gaza and elsewhere have reacted with disbelief, anger and sorrow.
Vittorio Arrigoni by Carlos Latuff (@CarlosLatuff)
Arrigoni, an activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Gaza, was planning on visiting Italy soon because of his father's health [it].
Jared Malsin, who had met Arrigoni, writes:
I met Vittorio several times when I was in Gaza last year. I first met him when I accompanied him and several other activists to visit Palestinian families who had been injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes in the mid-Gaza area. He was a burley, bearded man, dressed in black and smiling wide. Talking politics the whole way, we shared the front seat of a van on the ride from Gaza City down to Deir Al-Balah. He had a tattoo of the word “resistance” (“muqawama”) in Arabic on the inside of his right arm.
He was a man who lived and died to express his solidarity with Palestinians. He was big-hearted and he was brave, twice participating in blockade-defying sea voyages to Gaza, three times jailed by Israel for his activism.
He embodied a certain spirit of the European anti-fascists of the 1930s and ’40s, who went to fight and die as partisans in Italy and Spain. “I come from a partisan family,” he once told an interviewer. “My grandfathers fought and died struggling against an occupation, another occupation. It was the Nazi-Fascist one. For this reason, probably, in my DNA, there are particles that push me to struggle.”
His murder is an outrage and an enormous tragedy.
Vittorio Arrigoni. Image by Peter Philips, used with permission.
Mohammed Rabah Suliman was friends with Arrigoni:
“Ween?” (the Arabic for “where”) was the first thing Vittorio ever asked me. He was looking for my phone number and sent me a FB message titled, “ween”. Today I ask him the same question: “ween?”
I can’t think of one reason that would make a “Palestinian” kill someone like Vittorio. A man who dedicated his life to fight injustice. A man who abandoned the luxury of Rome and came to one of the most turbulent regions in the world in order to expose Israeli atrocities committed against Palestinians. A man on whose right arm was big brilliant tattoo: resistance. A hero in whose eyes there was a whole lot of unmistakable meanings of profound love, loyalty, hope, sacrifice, truth and courage. Vittorio has done for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank more than those who killed him.
[…] Vittorio is a man who loved Gaza, he loved Gaza’s land, its sea, and its sky. Two things Vittorio obviously loved to do: to wave the Palestinian flag, and to sing “Onadikum” (I call upon you!). Wholeheartedly, Vittorio sang, “Onadikum” time and again. He poured his heart out as he sang it. It’s probably the only thing he could say so fluently in Arabic.
Now that you moved to live in our hearts, we’ll become stronger and fiercer in the battle against occupation, humiliation and injustice. Vittorio. Such an inspiration to all of us. You taught us that life isn’t worth living if one isn’t ready to fight against its injustice, and that’s what gives it a meaning, that’s what makes it all beautiful. Now, empowered by your “memory”, we’ll carry on the fight together.
Nazek Aburahma also remembers him, and she writes [ar]:
I truly don’t know how to write what I want. A morning swathed in tears and dismay: I awoke to the news of the murder of one of the foreign solidarity activists in Gaza City. I knew him as “Victor”; with every encounter, I noticed in him the flame of love for Palestine in his eyes, and the Palestinian flag as his companion with his every step on the soil of the occupied land…
[…] Victor was passionate, always waving victory signs, and now we wave farewell flowers to his corpse. The tears of mourning will not dry on his body, they will remain alive in the minds of every free person, every Palestinian, every human who shares the breath of freedom with another. Victor was murdered, but we will not forgive those who killed him; his blood will remain on the wall of sins until those who committed this crime are punished!
Lina at Live From Gaza writes:
Vittorio Arrigoni was a very recognizable face in Gaza. I didn’t personally know him, but I came to know about his bravery from the documentary “To shoot an elephant”. Vittorio was one of the activists who stayed during operation “Cast Lead”. He was one of the voices which told the world about the brutality of the Israeli invasion.
Sadness and anger prevail over the murder of the Italian activist. Those who claimed responsibility for the abduction and murder of Vittorio call themselves Palestinians and Muslims. But Islam washes its hands from such brutal act. Moreover, International activists who visit Gaza have always felt the warmth of the Palestinian hospitality. This will never change, the only threat the Palestinians and these activists share is the threat of the Israeli occupation.
Vittorio Arrigoni holding a Palestinian flag (profile picture from Facebook)
Also in Gaza, Omar Ghraieb gives an account of how the news of the kidnapping and murder unfolded, and ends:
Vittorio was Italian by birth but his dedication to Palestine and Gaza made him no less Palestinian than any other Palestinian, he came to Gaza many times and live here for a while. He endangered his life numerous times while working as a volunteer with the ISM (International Solidarity Movement) in Gaza when he was trying to protect farmers and fisherman, in addition to his participation in all buffer-zone protests.
Vittorio meant a lot for Palestinians, Gazans and his friends everywhere. He is a huge loss for us all, may he rest in peace.
Eva Bartlett worked with Arrigoni in Gaza:
I first heard of Vik before arriving in Gaza. Vik had just been injured by the IOF [Israel Occupation Forces/Israel Defense Forces] water canon attack which shattered the windows of the fishing boat he was accompanying. Vik had some injuries from the shattered glass. […] He was taken from Gaza, briefly, by the IOF navy, when they kidnapped 15 Palestinian fishermen and 3 accompanying activists, including Vik, in November 2008, from Palestinian waters. At the time of his abduction, he was electrically shocked while peacefully avoiding abduction by diving into Gaza’s cold waters.
He returned to Gaza, via Free Gaza again, before Israel began its war on Gaza. He continued to write and report from the enclosed, bombed Strip.
Stay human, he always said. And so was the title of his book on the Israeli massacre of Gaza in 2008-2009. Stay human. […] During the Israeli war on Gaza, we all worked together, riding in ambulances, documenting the martyred and the wounded, the vast majority (over 83%) civilian. Vik was always on the phone, Italian media taking his words and printing them for the public to see. […] He was there to joke with us, to counsel us, to smoke shisha by the sea…He wrote the truth, spoke the truth, stayed human.
Another fellow activist, Ken O’Keefe, has made this video, with footage from the press conference announcing Arrigoni’s death.
Jeff Halper from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions knew Arrigoni well:
Vik was truly a person greater than life. He was so filled with energy, a mixture of joy, camaraderie and impatience with the confines of boats and prisons like Gaza, that he would suddenly lift you into the air, or wrestle with you – he was a big, strong, handsome guy, ebullient and smiling even in the most oppressive and dangerous situations – as if to tell you: Yalla! These Israel naval ships shooting at us and the Palestinian fisherman cannot prevail over our solidarity, outrage and the justice of our cause! (Vik was wounded in one of those confrontations). He would come up behind you and say: The Occupation will fall just like this! (and he would wrestle you to the ground, laughing and playing with you as he did).
Vik, who like me received Palestinian citizenship and a passport when we broke the siege of Gaza and sailed into Gaza port in August, 2008, was a peace-maker exemplar. […] Vik worked in the West Bank as well as Gaza, and was jailed three times before being expelled by Israel. But his peace work did not take the form of activism alone. Vik was a master of communication – physical, verbal, written (his blog, Guerrilla Radio, was one of the most popular in Italy) – and he mixed personal experiences, reportage and analysis effortlessly.
Vik was what we call a “witness”: someone who put himself physically with the oppressed and shared with them their triumphs, tragedies, sufferings and hopes. Yet he was one who through his actions tried to affect genuine change. […] I’ll miss you, man. But every time I feel tired or discouraged, I’ll feel you lifting me up over your head and, with your huge smile and laughter, threatening to throw me overboard if I even hesitate in throwing myself into the fight. You were and are the earth-force of the struggle against injustice.
Global Voices contributor Asteris Masouras has aggregated tweets about this news on Storify which you can find here.
During the Gaza war of 2008/9 Global Voices translated and quoted extensively from Vittorio Arrigoni's blog posts. To read them click here.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Russia: Complexities of LiveJournal attack · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Putin Watcher tries to contextualize the various interests that may have been behind the recent attacks on Russian blog platform LiveJournal in the complex and fractionalized context of Russian politics.


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Russia: Interviews With Miriam Dobson, Thomas de Waal, Christopher Ward · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog interviews authors Miriam Dobson (“Khrushchev’s Cold Summer: Gulag Returnees, Crime, and the Fate of Reform After Stalin”), Thomas de Waal (“The Caucasus: An Introduction”) and Christopher Ward (“Brezhnev’s Folly: The Building of BAM and Late Soviet Socialism”) for New Books in Russia and Eurasia.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Sri Lanka: Threats Continue Against News Web Site · Global Voices
Rezwan

Freedom Of Expression In Sri Lanka informs via Net working for rights in Sri lanka (NfR), an exile network for media and human rights in Sri Lanka, that threats are still being made to staffs and well wishers of the news site Lanka e-news. Bennet Rupasinghe, the editor of Lanka e-news Editor was granted bail on April 7, 2011 after much protest.


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Ukraine: Natural History Museum; Farmers’ Markets · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A walk through Kyiv's Natural History Museum – at Uncataloged Museum; a look at Kyiv's farmers’ markets (here and here), as well as a traditional Ukrainian recipe for a viburnum (kalyna) drink, “delicious and nourishing” – at The Pickle Project.


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Ukraine: Photos of presidential palace · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Foreign Notes comments on pictures published by Ukrainian daily Segodnya [RU] of Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovich's, new palace on the outskirts of Kiev, and the public outrage this luxurious mansion has provoked.


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Angola: Concern with Côte D’Ivoire · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

The volume of comment on this news story “Angola yet to react to the fall of Gbagbo” [Pt] reveals Angolan netizens’ significant concern with Côte D'Ivoire. Some lament rumors that Angolan mercenaries were killed needlessly in Côte D'Ivoire defending Gbagbo. Others suggest Gbagbo was victim of betrayal by other African leaders and European intervention.

author: Janet Gunter


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Bangladesh: Yunus And After · Global Voices
Rezwan

After the removal of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus from the post of Managing Director of Grameen Bank, the Bangladesh government faces a challenge to run the bank smoothly with the new appointees. An Ordinary Citizen opines that  Grameen Bank may be a political liability for the government in future if it is not managed well.


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Egypt: “I really sympathize with Mubarak” · Global Voices
Mohamed ElGohary

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Since last week's news that former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal El-Din are being detained and prosecuted, Egyptian blogger and activist Hany George, says he has met several people who say they feel sorry for Mubarak's predicament because of his old age and accomplishments.
Hany was among the many protesters in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution. On Facebook on April 16, 2011, he shares a true story [ar] from Tahrir Square which he dedicates to those who still have sympathy for Mubarak.
Here is the translation from Arabic:
يوم 30 يناير رأيت العجوز، بدا مريضا للغاية، كان يتحرك بمفرده وسط صفوف المعتصمين بالميدان، وجهه المجعد بفعل السنوات لا يبتسم و لا يعبس، بعيون زائغة يتأمل وجوه الناس، يتفحصها، و كأنه كان يبحث عن شيء ما. بعد عدة ايام من تواجده الدائم بالميدان في نفس المكان بدأت اتسائل كيف يحيا وحده هذا العجوز !؟من يهتم بأمره هنا، راقبته لفترة طويلة، و لم اجد احدا معه، اقتربت منه متوددا محاولا فتح حديث، وعرفت منه ان ابنه الوحيد قتل في احدي المظاهرات، ولا يوجد في هذه الدنيا احدا اخر غير ابنه لكي يرعاه في ايامه الاخيره في الحياة، لذا فقد قرر أن يأتي الي ميدان التحرير و يعتصم
On the 30 of January, I saw an old man. He looked very ill, walking alone among the protestors in Tahrir square. With a wrinkled old face he was watching people. Not smiling, not frowning. Just checking them out, as if he was looking for something. After a few days of noticing his endless presence in Tahrir in the same location, I wondered how is this old man living? Who looks after him? I kept an eye on him for a long time, never finding anyone by his side.
After starting a friendly conversation with him, I found out that his only son died in one of the protests. His son was the only one in the world who took care of him in his last days. So the old man ended up protesting in Tahrir.
At the height of protests, men on camels arrived to beat protesters in Tahrir Square. Photo shared by AmalShawki on 2 February, 2011
قال لي، قتلوا ابني و انا كمان عايز اموت، بس اموت شهيد زيه علشان عايز اشوفه .في اليوم التالي لمعركة الجمل الشهيرة ذهبت الي المكان الذي نصب فيه العجوز خيمته لأسأل عنه، فلم اجده، وجدت في خيمته مجموعة من الشباب، سألتهم عنه فلم يعرفوه، قالوا لي انهم اتوا من مدينة المنصورة بالامس و شاركوا بمعركة الجمل، و وجدوا في الصباح هذه الخيمة بلا صاحب، و ظلوا بجانبها فترة طويلة حتي تأكدوا من خلوها، فسكنوها .
هذه الواقعة الحقيقية اهديها لكل من يتعاطف مع مبارك بدعوي انه رجل كبير السن و له انجازاته و لا يجب محاكمته، اهديها لكل من لا يعرف أن العدالة قيمة مهمه مثلها مثل الرحمة تماما إن لم تكن اهم منها كثيرا فيما يخص محاكمات الرئيس المخلوع، و ان كنت رحيما بالفعل فأدعوك أن تدعو بالرحمة للرجل العجوز و ابنه الشهيد
He told me: “They killed my son, and I want to die too, as a martyr, like him. I want to see him again soon.”
On the day following the “Camel Battle”, I went to where the old man pitched his tent to check on him, but he wasn't there. Instead I found a group of protestors inside. After asking them, I found out that they came from Mansoura city and participated in the “Camel Battle”. They found the tent empty in the morning. They waited a long time until they were sure the tent belonged to no one, then they stepped in.
I dedicate this true story to everyone who sympathizes with Mubarak claiming that he is an old man with a history of accomplishments who shouldn't be put to trial. This story is for everyone who does not understand that justice is a very important value, exactly like mercy – if not more important, in case of the ousted president. If you really have mercy, please pray for this old man's soul and his martyred son.
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Mohamed ElGohary


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France, Japan: Debating President Sarkozy’s Visit to Japan  · Global Voices
Gael Brassac

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.
When French President Nicholas Sarkozy visited Japan [fr] on March 31, 2011, less than three weeks after the earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear emergency, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is reported to have said:
When it rains, a friend who comes is a true friend
Did Nicolas Sarkozy really come to visit out of friendship alone? This has been a subject of conversation in both Japanese and French citizen media.
Show of support
President Sarkozy is the current G20 president and also the leader of a country which has Europe's largest [fr] nuclear park – and the world's second largest, after the United States. After an official trip to China, where he met with Chinese leader Hu Jintao, to notably speak about nuclear collaboration [fr], he spent a few hours in Tokyo. He expressed his solidarity with the Japanese people in two press conferences; one with Naoto Kan and another for the French community in Japan.
The videos below of the press conferences are from the official presidential Elysée channel on Dailymotion:
Reactions to the visit
French and Japanese web users have widely reacted to this quick visit. Very few comments, from either country, turned out to be positive.
Berlin-based Twitter user @rimsonghi [jp], wrote on the day of the visit:
@rimsonghi: サルコジはスピーチや声明文がすごく上手だとおもうよ。フランス人皆口がうまいってのもあるけど。いつかのスピーチで国が民と労働者を救わないで誰が救うというのだ？って記事を読んだ時、日本の政治家に足りないのはコレだと思ったよ。いい機会だから、日本の政治家サルコジから学べばいいさ
In France, on the right-wing blog gauliste libre (Free Gaullist) [fr], Laurent Pinsolle hails Sarkozy for his gesture of solidarity, but at the same time nuances his view as he recognizes there may be other intentions behind the speech:
En effet, c’est aussi un geste de solidarité vis-à-vis du Japon. Il est probable que le peuple Japonais apprécie autant la dimension symbolique d’être le premier à le faire, que la dimension plus factuelle qui consiste à montrer que Tokyo est sûre puisqu’il n’hésite pas à y passer. Dans un pays qui vit avec la crainte du nucléaire, ce geste spectaculaire, qu’aucun autre dirigeant n’a fait avant lui, reste un très beau geste, quelles que soient les motivations qui sont derrière.
En revanche, le reste des annonces du président relève beaucoup plus de la communication que du souci de résoudre quoique ce soit. […]
Idem sur les normes nucléaires internationales. Voici encore une grave déclaration de notre président qui ne débouchera sur rien, comme ses annonces sur les parasites fiscaux ou la réforme du capitalisme. De telles normes n’ont aucun intérêt car il est évident qu’elles seraient influencées par les industriels locaux et qu’il sera impossible de produire un alignement par le haut. En outre, on ne voit pas comment elles pourraient être mises en place et surtout contrôlées.
Indeed, it is also a solidarity gesture towards Japan. It is possible that the Japanese people appreciate [fr] the symbolic dimension that he was the first one to act as well as the factual dimension which consists of showing that Tokyo is safe since he doesn't hesitate to visit it. In a country living in the fear of nuclear power, this spectacular gesture, that no other leader has done before him, remains a very nice gesture, no matter what the motivations behind it are.
On the other hand, the rest of the president's announcements were more geared towards communication rather than a concern to resolve anything [fr]. […]
Same goes for the international nuclear standards [fr]. Here is yet another serious declaration from our president that will lead to nothing, just like his previous announcements on fiscal parasites or the reform of capitalism. Such standards have no benefit since it is evident that they would be influenced by the local industrials and that it would be impossible to have a top driven alignment. Furthermore, it is not clear how these standards would be implemented or especially how they would be monitored.
In Japan, there have been questions as to the legitimacy of Sarkozy's visit. Japanese Twitter user @tele1962 [jp] writes on April 3:
@tele1962: サルコジさんがいち早く日本を訪問したことを本気で有り難いと評価している人がいるようですが、フランスのエネルギーがどれだけ原子力に頼っているか、サルコジさんがどんな政治信条と支持基盤の持ち主かを見極めて冷静に判断しないといけませんよね。
Question of motives
The visit happened shortly after Sarkozy's political party (UMP) underwent an electoral reversal [fr] and experienced a sharp decline in popularity, all less than a year away from the 2012 French presidential election. Regarding the nuclear debate [fr], Germany – France's main European partner – decided to announce a moratorium to extend the nuclear reactors lifetime [fr].
In Japan, Twitter user @BeatlesManiac2 [jp] expressed alarm on April 3 because what he saw in the visit was:
@BeatlesManiac2: 先日、フランスのサルコジ大統領とフランス国営原子力企業の援助を日本の政府が受領した時点で「原発継続」を日本国民に通知したようなものだ。マスコミはこういう点を明らかにする方向で動くべきだ。TVも「バラエティー」ばかりやっているが、これでいいのか?
In Tokyo meanwhile, @toshi_fujiwara [jp] is worried by foreign industrial groups’ interests in nuclear power and hopes that the Japanese are aware of the stakes (April 4):
@toshi_fujiwara: すでに菅政権がアレバに協力を求め、東電がGEに協力を求め、菅直人がサルコジのトップセールスを受け入れてしまった以上、新たな国際基準を利用して米仏が市場参入して、国際的な圧力で原発政策存続が既定路線となる可能性が高い。だから日本国民の意思表示は、その前になされなければならないのだ。
@taka_paris [jp] wonders what the French opinion is:
@taka_paris: サルコジ本当に迷惑極まりないよー。どうにかして！フランスの世論は原発に関してどう思ってんの？
On the eve of the visit, this is what Bouloulou thought of the situation on the blog L’Elysée côté jardin (The Elysée, garden side) [fr]:
Les seules choses dont les Japonais ont besoin sont des secours, du matériel, des vivres, et du personnel qualifié pour résoudre le problème de la centrale de Fukushima (sur ce point, le Japon a besoin des meilleurs spécialistes mondiaux). Not’ président ne rentre dans aucune de ces cases, donc il n’a rien à faire au Japon. Au mieux, il imposera des contraintes diplomatiques supplémentaires aux autorités japonaises qui n’en ont pas franchement besoin en ce moment.
For Plume of CIB, on the blog La plume dans l’kawa [fr], Sarkozy's speech was like that of an NCV (Nuclear Centers Vendor):
Sarko est parti vendre du nucléaire à un pays dévasté par le nucléaire ! Tout ça parce qu'Areva doit être prochainement côté en Bourse [le 31 mars 2011]!!! Comme je vous le disais hier, Lauvergeon [Présidente du directoire d’Areva] a fait elle aussi le déplacement, soit disant pour aider les pauvres Japonais complètement dépassés par la catastrophe.
This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.

author: Gael Brassac


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India: Cricket On Overdrive · Global Voices
Rezwan

Proloy Bagchi has this to say about the hype on the game of cricket in India driven by billions of dollars in advertisement revenues: “it has become a year-round circus and is no longer a sport for the three or four winter months”.


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India: Social Media Powers Anti Corruption Bill Campaign · Global Voices
Rezwan

Corruption is a big issue in India and many love talking about the latest expose of government officials. However, there are actually a few people who do something significant to bring about a change.
On April 5, 2011 social activist Anna Hazare started a fast-unto-death campaign to demand an effective anti-corruption law and hundreds of thousands of Indians supported him. His India Against Corruption website listed support of more than one million people and counting.
Mukul Sharma at Kafila calls Anna Hazare one of India’s leading environmental warriors and provides a background on his life and his campaigns (also right to information campaigns).
Anna Hazare, Image courtesy Rajavaddhan, Wikipedia.
On the second day of Anna's fasting many commentators were drawing parallels of this protest with Tahrir Square, and other pro-democracy revolutions in the Middle-East. Prerna at I Love Life So I Explore posts some pictures of the protestors supporting Anna Hazre.
On Saturday morning (9 April, 2011) Anna Hazare broke his fast after over 90 hours, when the Indian government issued a gazette notification constituting a joint committee of ministers and civil society activists, including him, to draft an effective Lokpal Bill to combat corruption.
The anti-corruption law in question called Jan Lokpal Bill (zip file) requires that investigations into any case should be completed within a year and the trial should get over in the next one year so that a corrupt person goes to jail within two years of complaint and his/her ill-gotten wealth is confiscated.
A recent article in The Hindu analyzes how social media helped shape up and power the campaign of Anna Hazare. Facebook profile badges, cause applications, missed call campaigns and petitions etc were some of the forms of the campaign. On Twitter, the hashtags #janlokpal and #annahazare began to trend. YouTube shows up around 2,000 amateur video results on the campaign.
Before Anna broke his fast, Gaurav Mishra at Gauravonomics wondered whether Anna Hazre's campaign will ever tip into a social movement, because:
It seems that Hazare’s India Against Corruption campaign is attracting some serious support on the Indian social web. The Facebook page has more than 180000 likes, the Facebook event has more than 160000 attendees and #annahazare is trending on Twitter worldwide. The campaign’s Twitter account @janlokpal is also getting some traction. Overall, the campaign claims to have received 7 lakh calls in support at +91-22-61550789.
Twitter users are urging each other to go to Jantar Mantar in Delhi, Azad Maidan in Mumbai and Freedom Park in Bangalore to support Anna’s fast until death. India Against Corruption claims that protests have been organized at 400 locations around the world.
However, most people seem unsure about what they are supporting. The Congress-led UPA government has been embroiled in a series of high-profile corruption cases, but the BJP-led opposition hardly inspires confidence either.
Sick of government corruption, men sit and support Anna Hazare's fast-unto-death movement which has spread from city to city. Image by Devarshi Pathak. Copyright Demotix.
Amit Varma at India Uncut also questions the support for Anna Hazra:
I’m amused that most people supporting him haven’t read and understood the draft of the Jan Lokpal Bill, which Hazare has been fighting for. I’m appalled that they don’t understand that this bill does nothing to fight the root causes of corruption, and may instead add to the problem. And yes, I’d be astounded if they care about this bill or the man two weeks from now, when the fashion would have changed, yellows would be out, and purples would be, like, so in.
And Amit was right. The sad thing about this movement was that it died prematurely and cricket started to dominate social media again. Gaurav writes:
The campaign started getting traction on Wednesday, and peaked on Thursday. By Friday, netizens had moved on from corruption to cricket. IPL4 dominated the conversation and amusement about Lalit Modi’s support to Anna Hazare campaign reached trending topics on Twitter India. So, it’s a good thing that the government agreed to Anna’s demands on Friday night and Anna agreed to end his fast on Saturday morning. India’s heart might beat for Anna Hazare, but India’s heart still bleeds blue.
Saurabh Dhanuka is not convinced that Anna has brought social media revolution in India. Saurabh believes that corruption starts from ordinary people, the ones who were supporting him:
The real change cannot come into existence by bringing new laws, it will come when we attack the cause. This is the main point which the Indian status message revolution and Anna’s crusades missed it since the beginning.
Flawsophy also provides a hilarious reality check for the social media enthusiasts in a post titled “What Kind of Anna Hazare Supporter Were You?”
The movement died as soon as Anna Hazare broke his fast. Now, will the Lokpal Bill help reduce corruption? Amit Varma says that unless the government is stripped of some power and does away with the need for excessive licenses (for example, a hotelier needs 165 licenses) and regulations, the situation is not going to change:
Governments should exist to implement law and order, to protect our rights, and to provide basic services—nothing else. The more we move towards this ideal, the closer we come to rooting out corruption.


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India: The Pitiful State Of Indian Television · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sujoy at OneKnightStand.Net discusses about five issues that are responsible for the present pitiful state of Indian Television.


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Iran: Fashion designer died · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several bloggers such as Neghae Man remembered Bijan Pakzad, fashion designer icon who passed away this weekend. He dressed President Obama, the Queen of England, Ronald Reagan, the Sultan of Brunei, Prince Charles and Bill Gates.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Halal internet · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Donyae Eghtesad writes Iranian State anounced that ” islamic halal internet will be launched soon.”


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Nigeria: #PlessYaHand and #NigeriaDecides Trending  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This post is part of our special coverage Nigeria Elections 2011.
Voting in Nigeria’s presidential election has begun. The election was postponed from 9 April, 2011. The main candidates are the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and Muhamadu Buhari. #PlessYaHand and #NigeriaDecides are currently trending in Nigeria's Twittersphere.
Low or high turnout?
@rosanwo:
UPDATE: Low turnout of voters in Ibadan. Sports minister appeals to electorate to come out and vote. – NEXT #NigeriaDecides
Hashtag for Nigeria Presidential Election. Image courtesy of CP-Africa.
@Babsburton:
Low? I'm no 481 on the queue and there are many pple behind me RT @bubusn: Seeming low turn outs in Lagos might hurt ACN. #PlessYaHand
@chieduifeozo:
Last week I was 26 out of 84, this week I'm Number 98 out of over 250!! Nigerians are really ready for this!! #Nigeriadecides #Plessyahand
@minefieldscom:
The massive turnout of voters dis wk is an indication tht there is sm belief in the system, change is here ☺.#PlessYaHand #Nigeriadecides
@boosoolalab:
RT @Tomi_Oladipo: An old lady here just told me she came all the way from the US to vote #NigeriaDecides
@IYgold:
In my family, everyone. Is voting different candidates! Now that's democracy… :D #Nigeriadecides
@flexydaisy:
Final announcement for accreditation made! latecomers are now rusing to queue up for it #PU/09/09/11/037 #PU/09/09/11/038 # #NIGERIADECIDES
Who is the enemy of democracy?:
@teejayzzile:
RT @Ebuka: The biggest opponent to democracy today is the heat. Which kain heat be dis? #NigeriaDecides
@Steve_eko:
Mehn, this sun has the power to disenfranchise! But I stay defiant. I must vote.#Nigeriadecides http://plixi.com/p/92930152
@gboukzi:
Cnt we thnk of somthn dat wont require dat voters stay on a queue in the hot sun for almost one hour?@inecnigeria #plessyahand
@AboutLagos:
It really takes dedication to brace dis hot Lagos sun to queue & vote #PlessYaHand
Nigerians waiting to cast their votes. Photo courtesy of @Steve_eko
Irregularities:
@King_Aleiro:
RT @healnigeria: One trailer of Ballot papers with PDP officials is reportedly caught in BORNO STATE along Gambaru Ngala Road.
@ceedemmama:
RT @234next: KADUNA: Five CPC supporters arrested at Namadi Sambo’s polling unit for campaigning. #Nigeriadecides
@NigeriaNewsDesk:
UPDATE: A local PDP politician was almost beaten to death in Tundun Wada, Kaduna South for distributing money to voters. #NigeriaDecides
@MsChika411:
In Ideato LGA in Imo INEC official was caught with ballots claiming to be taking it to another PU that needs the papers #nigeriadecides
Advice:
@budzeg:
RT @duchessromeya: Don't fold your ballot papers after voting cos ink spills over and leaves multiple marks. Multiple marks = invalid vote #plessyahand
@bisiogunwale:
It's time to #PlessYaHand! Remember the future of a country and generations is at stake! Use #ReVoDa to protect your vote. #NigeriaDecides
Finally, vote with a sense of humor:
@cameoses:
RT @Moyinoluwa: First lady did it again! Dame Jonathan said to journalist: “Are you going to show us ‘alive’ on the TV?”:D #NigeriaDecides #Plessyahand
It was the Nigerian First Lady, Patience Jonathan, who asked Nigerians to vote for “umblerra”, the symbol of the Peoples’ Democratic Party. Here is a single titled “Umblerra” featuring Patience Jonathan.
This post is part of our special coverage Nigeria Elections 2011.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Russia: Art Group “Voina” and Innovation 2010 Prize · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

RussiaWatchers writes in detail about Art Group Voina, whose “phallus on the Liteiny bridge opposite to St. Petersburg FSB headquarters has been awarded the Innovation 2010 prize for best visual work of art.”


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South Asia: Reactions On The Burqa Ban In France · Global Voices
Rezwan

The recent ban imposed by France on burqa (niqab), the Islamic face veil, has created a lot of buzz across the different blogosphere of the world. The law does not say anything explicitly about the burqa and it is called the “law forbidding the covering of the face in public space”. But in effect it is all about Muslims and Islam.
Some South Asian bloggers have been discussing this issue.
Bangladesh
Sadiq Alam at Technology Of The Heart provides some background of banning of face veils in France and the the 2004 law banning the wearing of religious symbols and clothing in public schools. He argues:
Majority of Islamic scholars agree on the point that Full Face Veil is NOT something which is a requirement of Islam or mandatory to observe (even though some observe it believing it as part of their religious observation). Many Muslim leaders have said they support NEITHER the veil nor the ban. [..]
Thanks to various culture from where people came and accepted Islam, various pre-existing dress code and idea of modesty became part of Muslim culture and they must be viewed as cultural element than religious. Dressing modestly is possible independent of culture, race, or existing practices of any other land or nation.
He comments on the French burqa ban:
While its understandable that full face veil is not necessarily a religious obligation from Islamic point of view, but an age old cultural practice, yet banning it creates a very different situation for it. From the point of individual freedom this becomes some what disturbing. A state or country telling its citizen what to wear and what not to wear contradicts with democratic, civil values – the very values French republic so high upheld.
A group of Muslim women protest France's ban on full face veils outside the French Embassy in London. Image by Sinister Pictures. Copyright Demotix.
Bhutan
Journalist and blogger Dipika writes after weighing on several issues:
Perhaps there are women who want to be freed of wearing a veil at all times throughout their lives- and are secretly happy that now they can.
But on thinking about this for a while, I come to the conclusion that this law is still wrong. Because my leaning towards this law is based on the assumption that the women actually don't want the veil, but are being forced into wearing it by their men. But this is an assumption. I am sure there are a lot of muslim women in France. Some may not want to wear the veil, but are being forced to by their family. Some, however inconceivable it may seem to us, may want to wear it! And if a single woman in France wants to wear a veil, she has every right to do so. Having a law that denies her this right is wrong.
She concludes:
All bans are wrong when they tread on your personal freedom. The ban on veils in France, and the ban on sale of tobacco in Bhutan.
Pakistan
Raza Habib Raja writes at Pak Tea House:
The ban opens a whole new philosophical debate on concepts like religious tolerance, freedom, the meaning of secularism and even liberalism. It is the ongoing debate between those who take liberal and secular positions which interests me and there is a lot of merit in discussing the issue in liberal and secular context. [..]
Secularism has to blend in with religious freedom and tolerance and only then it can be a true liberal version of secularism. The French brand of secularism will not make the concept of secularism popular and will not work in a pluralistic society.  It will rather defame and further intensify the confusions surrounding the concept of secularism.
To conclude the debate Sadiq is hopeful that this ban may have a positive effect:
The sum effect of banning of Burqa most probably going to have positive effect because it encourage integration, it forces even Muslims (in Europe they have tendency to live in their own bubbles) to understand their own customs, educate themselves and separate cultural baggage from authentic teachings or practices. This also offers opportunity for Muslims to educate non-Muslims about their beliefs and the fact that those who practice Islam do not belong to a Mono-Culture.


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Ukraine: Chernobyl Charity Walk on April 22 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On April 22, a group of volunteers from the British and French embassies in Ukraine will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe and fundraise for the Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund (CCRDF) and the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA) by walking 63 miles (110 km) non-stop from the center of Kyiv to the edge of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Info on the Chernobyl Charity Walk and on how to donate is here, here, and here (via Ann Merrill of Anka's Place, and Leigh Turner, the British Ambassador to Ukraine).


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Ukraine: UkrTelecom’s “Shady” Privatisation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes writes – here, here, and here – on last month's  sale of “a 92.79 percent stake in Ukraine's telecom monopoly, Ukrtelecom” – apparently, Ukraine's yet “another shady privatisation” deal.


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Armenia: Internet Penetration · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Despite government claims of 47.1 percent, Social Science in the Caucasus analyzes its 2010 household survey to assess the real level of Internet penetration in Armenia and especially as it relates to mobile access.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh: Approval Of A Coal Mine Threatens Displacement And Destruction · Global Voices
Rezwan

ShahidulNews reports that “a massively destructive coal mine could be approved in northwest Bangladesh that would displace tens of thousands of families, destroy vital farmland, and devastate mangrove forests that protect the climate-fragile country from rising sea levels”.


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Bangladesh: Communal Attacks On Indigenous People · Global Voices
Rezwan

Unheard Voice blog is reporting that tension is running high in the Chittagong Hill tracts of Bangladesh as Bengali settlers attacked Jumma People with the direct support of security forces.


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China: Recent Scandals Show Ongoing Battle for Food Safety · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

A slew of food scandals have occurred in China in recent weeks, highlighting the country's ongoing challenge with maintaining levels of food safety.
Most recently, a report on broadcaster CCTV2 revealed that a Shanghai producer of steamed buns (mantou) used dye and excessive amounts of artificial sweetener in the product, and relabelled for sale buns that had already expired and been returned from local supermarkets. Wang Longxing, director of the Shanghai Food Safety Office, has since apologised for the scandal, insisting that supermarkets should also bear some responsibility for failing to check the quality of the buns before selling them.
Poisonous milk, meat, rice, and then?
Also this month, three children have died and 35 others have been hospitalised in the northwestern province of Gansu, after drinking what officials suspect was milk tainted with nitrite, an industrial salt. Chinese state media followed up with news from police that two suspects had intentionally poisoned the milk out of anger against the farmer who had produced it.
In March, pork from a subsidiary of China’s largest meat processor, Shuanghui Group in Henan, was found to contain an illegal additive, clenbuterol, used to produce lean meat. Authorities in the province responded by taking 72 people associated with producing, using or selling the additive into custody, closing 16 pig farms and seizing 134 tonnes of pork products. China's Ministry of Agriculture also pledged that the government would launch a one-year crackdown on the use of illegal additives in pig feed.
Rice is the major food source in China. Photo by Flickr user Herr_Bert (CC BY-SA 2.0)
China's rice sector has also faced controversy, with various reports highlighting that as much as 10% of the country's rice is tainted with heavy metals. In southern China in particular, toxins have been discharged with sewage by mining operations and made their way into rice paddies. A recent expose by Caixin magazine revealed:
Much of the toxic rice is consumed by farm families who can't afford the “clean” rice sold in markets. But some rice laced with heavy metals also slips through safety checks and is sold on the general market, experts say, sometimes to consumers in China's wealthiest cities.
Unsolved melamine milk scandal
Such potentially fatal episodes are not new. Perhaps the most notable scandal came in 2008, when six children died and nearly 300,000 fell ill from powdered milk laced with melamine. An industrial chemical, when added to watered-down milk it can boost readings of protein levels, but also causes kidney stones in infants. The episode prompted Chinese authorities to tighten the regulation of food safety, with the country's first Food Safety Law taking effect in June 2009. (Incidentally, China's top legislator yesterday called for a more in-depth and comprehensive enforcement of the legislation).
Responding to the scandal was Zhao Lianhai (@zhaolianhai), whose son fell ill from the tainted milk. He set up a website for other affected parents to exchange details on how to sue the companies involved, and was in 2010 sentenced to two and a half years in prison for “disturbing social order” as a result of his activism. He was released on medical parole in December of the same year.
In a recent YouTube clip in which he calls for the release of detained artist Ai Weiwei and other victims of China's recent crackdown on potential dissent, Zhao alludes to the 2008 scandal:
It seems that many children have been unable to receive timely treatment, including some children whose cases have become more serious. Local governments, and relevant departments included, have simply turned their backs. We hope first of all from a humanitarian viewpoint, from the most basic consideration of our children, that some practical things be urgently done. I’m sure that all parents will have an attitude of tolerance in looking at the tragedies that befell each of our families. In this age of hours, we can withstand a measure of grievance. But we hope that all of the ills we bear can bring more goodness for this country of ours, creating a better social environment for those who come after us. In that society, all of our generations will live in security.
Netizens’ comments
ChinaGeeks last week selected and translated a handful of netizens’ recent comments on Sina Weibo [zh], China's domestic version of Twitter. Among them:
Take the people from the [relevant] government department out and shoot them. Why is it always the media that discovers this stuff first?
Any food may have something added to it, so why aren’t the higher-level leaders nervous? They think that of course the common people must eat from the same special, environmentally protected stock that they do […] what high-level official has been investigated or forced to resign? The common people are forced to determine for themselves whether even basic foods and drinks are poisoned or not. Leaders of the food safety [department], have you no sense of shame? If those food inspection officials who shirked their duty aren’t executed, the problem of contaminated food will never disappear.
There’s no big scandal here, don’t be alarmist. Isn’t this just inserting some dye for color? Isn’t it just putting expired mantou back to work? What is that, it’s no big deal… As a great Chinese citizen, as the descendants of Yan Di and Huang Di, as the Chinese who have successfully made it to this point, you’re not even willing to eat this, and you’re not ashamed?
China itself is a society of mutual poisoning, a society of mutual pain-infliction. You add some [poison] to the milk, I put sweet additives into expired mantou, he puts additives into the food he feeds his pigs, oil, crab, rice, duck eggs… even if the milk manufacturers don’t drink milk, they eat mantou. Even if the mantou makers don’t eat mantou, they eat pork. Even if the pork farmers don’t eat pork, they drink milk. In the end, we’re just hurting ourselves. The nation is in peril, inviting ridicule and shame.
Blogger Jiangminct, meanwhile, responded to the discovery of mercury in Coilia Ecetenes Jordan, a rare and expensive fresh water fish in the Yangtze river. Fish dealers had injected mercury [zh] to increase the weight of the fish and make it look fresher.
我们的老百姓啊，祖国的花朵啊，你们能够吃到染色馒头、过期馒头、重金属米粉，那也是你们的幸运，毕竟这些东西不会吃死人，看你们长期吃，也没有拉肚子、长癌症，还是生龙活虎的，就是证据。你们就别嚷嚷了，感谢那个生产染色馒头的老板吧，他已经很仁慈了，没有让你们吃水银，只是让你们吃了一点点色素而已，他的良心大大的好。[…]
今天我不打算评论有关部门和所有监督部门，这个话题让人很累，说了还是一样，再过几天某地又会冒出某食品有问题的新闻。至于为什么，只可意会，不可言传，你们都懂的。总之，相信谁也不如相信自己。在这个神奇的国家，我们的食品没有最毒，只有更毒。
Our people, flowers of our motherland, you are lucky to have dyed bun, heavy metal rice, at least they would not take away your lives. See, after all these years, you don't have cancer, no diarrhea. Your body is still in good shape. This is proof. Don't you complain, you should be thankful to the dyed bun manufacturers, they are so kind not to add mercury, just a little bid of chemical dye. They are people with a very good conscience. […]
I don't want to comment on the role of food monitoring department, this is such a tiring subject. There is no use commenting, news about food security keeps popping up. Why? The reason cannot be spelled out, but I am sure you know. In a nutshell, you cannot believe in anyone except yourself. In this amazing country, we don't have the most poisonous food, but always the more poisonous one.
Western and expat bloggers have largely remained unsurprised, but wonder for how long such scandals will continue before effective government regulation is enforced.

author: Marta Cooper


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China: Sunday Night Political Chat · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Chinese academic Yu Jianrong has long since moved on from (and apologized for) using his popular Sina microblog to rally kids armed with smartphones to go chase down homeless families, and seems to have found a better use for his platform. (On a side note, Yu is one of the few Internet celebrities to have brought attention to Chinese artist Ai Weiwei‘s arrest earlier this month.)
On the night of Sunday 17 April, 2011, Yu posted a photo taken during a recent trip to the United States, along with a summary of the conversation he had there with several of his peers, seemingly spurred by the long string of recent arrests.
Yu writes [zh]:
回到了北京。在美见了新加坡的永年教授。我同意他的《保卫社会》书中这观点：一个可持续的和谐社会不是建立在强制力控制之下，而是基于经济、政治和社会力量之间的自愿合作之上。确立一个有助于这种自愿合作发生和发展的制度环境，应当是政府主导的社会改革的核心。图：张炜、于、郑永年、吴国光在闲聊
Here are a few pieces of the lengthy conversation following Yu's post:
码字工人赵野 新加坡民主么？我还真没看出来，典型的威权主义国家。(4月17日 22:56)
月湖无人区 大左派郑永年，又是俺们宁波老乡，不过这个大左派实在。(4月17日 22:56)
呼吸大师 是呀，至少他不起哄认真地研究问题。//@月湖无人区:大左派郑永年，又是俺们宁波老乡，不过这个大左派实在。(4月17日 23:01)
蓝色特快之谜 压制越厉害，到时的反弹也越大(4月17日 22:56)
本冈律师 //@律师联盟:自愿合作的和谐~(4月17日 22:56)
天蝎座的左手 吴国光…这个不是敏感词…(4月17日 22:56)
北地凡客 支持。要走正路，失踪是无法走向和谐社会的。(4月17日 22:58)
颜炎岩 可惜zf不懂，官老爷们不懂，他们听不得也不愿听他们认为的对他们这个阶层的利益有触动有损伤的意见，有不同的意见就要扼杀掉。(4月17日 22:58)
王俊doctorwang 我们的官员会懂吗？(4月17日 22:58)
风有声博无痕 就不能听一点意见。我爱我的祖国，希望她不要罗织罪名对提意见者。但我深深的失望。(4月17日 22:59)
古老围脖 关键是，数以亿计的普通中国百姓能否成为合作的一方呢，强势集团会放弃排斥政策吗(4月17日 22:59)
偶尔看书 蒋经国能重生大陆就好了。(4月17日 22:59)
秦汉射雕 新加坡就是一个专制社会。(4月17日 22:59)
看电影也看现实 一直对吴国光先生十分景仰。(4月17日 23:00)
高峰AIBJ 和谐就没有太多强制，太多强制会向相反方向发展(4月17日 23:01)
蔬菜tc 政府不愿意主导这种改革怎么办(4月17日 23:02)
bq行者 这样的和谐才是真和谐，不过个人觉得有点儿理想化了，至少在中国不大现实。(4月17日 23:02)
喜喜V8 于老师 秀才造反十年不成 我说的对吗？(4月17日 23:03)
途说道听2世 于兄，此次海南博鳌会上，又冒出来了一个“河蟹亚洲”裹脚布破旗迎着呼啸的海风胡咧咧作响，在举国强拆杀人、瘦肉精、染色馒头、乞讨儿童等河蟹中，好一阵阵恶臭扑鼻而来。。。你远在美国时，有闻到这从南海飘出那阵恶臭没？(4月17日 23:03)
喜喜V8 中国现在已经太腐败了，需要的是直接推翻。(60分钟前)
五月OAK 对权力自我改良的美好愿望常常会落空,是因为推进改良的力量掌握在权力自己手中.(59分钟前)
薛东林007 同意此观点。和谐不是回避矛盾，而是解决矛盾，任何寄予回避的做法都是徒劳的。(59分钟前)
MilitarySpace 闹了半天，大家都有绿卡哦。(59分钟前)
Samuel_LL 其实新加坡最不自由。(59分钟前)
亘玄sinian 说的真好，我也觉的尊重平民，把权利下放，避免监管不力，才能更好的构建和谐社会(58分钟前)
人民江湖 转发此微博:和谐从来都是自由、自愿、自然的状态下自动生成的一种天然状态。是由内而外的、自发的天然。任何强制、外力、扭捏、造作、甚至粉饰都是不和谐的！(58分钟前)
王强的阵地 社会是人的组合，道德、法律、发展的基础是人性的共识，共识需要协商，任何暴力的压制手段都是暂时的胜利。暴力永远是社会的破坏。(58分钟前)
幸福像小溪 转发此微博:尽管理论有时超前于现实，现实未必可行，但给我们提供了一条可能的路径，一种方向性的分析。希望能够走出西方现代社会话语权主导下的社会发展困境。(58分钟前)
纳亿午 所有的东西，进入中国，都要中国特色！(58分钟前)
铁块–流离寻岸的花 转发此微博:十个当官的有十一个贪，除了贪，他们没有其它任何本事。对于升官发财没有好处的事它们是不会费心去做的。(57分钟前)
叶落知秋keon 政府主导？？这就是所谓的社会主义？？？(29分钟前)
城市马帮 于老师，美国有访民村么？(今天 00:46)
于建嵘 回复@城市马帮:没有发现(59分钟前)

author: John Kennedy


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Côte D‘Ivoire: The Regional Economic Impact of Post-Election Conflict · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Aconerly looks at the regional economic impact of post election conflict in Côte D‘Ivoire: “Seasonal migrant laborers from Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali face a prospect of unemployment as a result of the upheaval caused by the political conflict between incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and contested President Allasane Outtara.”


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Germany: A blog of rare German records from flea markets · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Berlin Beatet Bestes is a blog by Andreas Michalke of rare out of print German 45 rpm records found at flea markets. For instance, this 1959 tune of Trinidadian singer Mona Baptiste singing a mambo in German.

author: Solana Larsen


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Iran: Top Fashion designer and Green Movement · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Tahriyeh Khamosh has published a video where Bijan Pakzad, top fashion designer who passed away this weekend, talks about his participation in a demonstration. The blogger says the film is a “proof he was green”.


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Japan: “Nuclear Power Mafia” · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

An anoymous user  published on Nichannel (2ch) some pages from the manga titled Hakuryu Legend – Nuclear Power Mafia  [ja] (by Tennoji Dai and Watanabe Michio), whose publication was suspended  [en] after the earthquake. The story is about a journalist who conducts an investigation on a power company called Toto Electric Company and predicts the occurrence of a Chernobyl-level nuclear accident.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Kuwait: The Prime Minister Wins Again · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah has broken a new record with his appointment as prime minister of Kuwait for the seventh time in five years. He was first appointed to the position on February 7, 2006, and six cabinets have since resigned under his watch.
When he was first appointed prime minister, some bloggers welcomed this decision by the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, saying Al-Mohammed might be the one to lead Kuwait forward with his liberal vision. At present however, things have changed a lot and some bloggers and Twitter users have been campaigning, alongside political groups, demanding his departure.
Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, prime minister of Kuwait. Image by Diwan, available in public domain.
Demand for departure
On March 8, 2011, a sit-in was organized to demand the departure of Al-Mohammed, where opposition figures gave speeches to approximately 700 people, accusing the Prime Minister of corruption.
The sit-ins continued on and off for the following weeks until the cabinet presented its resignation due to requests from the parliament  to quiz three ministers, who happen to be members of the Al-Sabah ruling family.
Many hope that the new cabinet will not include Al-Mohammed as the prime minister, however, the Amir, who has the exclusive constitutional right to appoint the country's prime minister, decided to reappoint Al-Mohammed.
Some bloggers have expressed their disappointment with this decision throughout the past 10 days and how this decision might have consequences in the future. Here is a quote from blog The Constitution [ar]:
Another blogger named Al-Fargad wrote a post titled “The Jasmine Tea State” [ar] commenting on the reappointing of Al-Mohammed:
أبشروا بالفساد الأداري، أبشروا بالرشاوي، أبشروا بالفضائح، أبشروا بعودة الأعلام الفاسد…
On the other hand, blogger Le Koweit [ar] shared an optimistic note:
And last, but not least, Kuwaiti blogger 3ajel wrote in his blog Bil Kuwaity Al-Fasih, a post to express his sadness, addressing the Prime Minister directly:

author: Mona Kareem


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Laos: Controversial Xayaburi Dam · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Amraapali writes about the planned Xayaburi Dam along the Lower Mekong in Laos. The controversial dam project is opposed by some groups which warned of “reduced fisheries, inundation of riverbank gardens, and loss of nutrients for floodplain agriculture” if the dam becomes operational.

author: Mong Palatino


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Morocco: Controversy Over International Music Festival · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.
Each year the capital Rabat is the epicenter of a major music festival, Mawazine. Since its modest launch in 2001, Mawazine has grown, and in the last decade has become the top national entertainment gathering, featuring hundreds of local and foreign performers and offering some of the most eclectic lineups.
This year the organizers are announcing a star-studded bill including Shakira, Kanye West, Joe Cocker, Yusuf Islam, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie.
The festival has had its share of controversy in recent years. In 2009, the security standards were challenged after a dozen people died and a number others injured when a wire fence collapsed causing a stampede. In 2010, Moroccan religious conservatives wanted pop legend Elton John off the bill, citing the singer's homosexuality. John made it to the front stage, much to the delight of a cheering crowd.
Rabat sunset, Morocco. Image by Flickr user }{enry (CC BY 2.0).
This year's edition of the festival is due to take place in late May and it comes at a particular political juncture in Morocco. In recent months, people have been regularly taking to the streets calling for political change. One of the focal points of their demands has been the lack of transparency in the way government spends taxpayer's money.
As an event that promotes Morocco's image abroad, the festival receives some government financial and logistical support. But some protesters, including the youth movement known as “February 20,” questioned the wisdom behind government sponsoring of the event. An open letter believed to have been issued by the movement has been published, asking the artists who confirmed their participation in the festival to think it over. “By refusing to attend, you will contribute to reforming Morocco and paving the way for its transition to democracy,” the letter says.
On Facebook and Twitter, supporters and opponents of the music festival seem to have engaged in a tit-for-tat battle.
A group in support of the festival launched a blog called “Tous pour Mawazine” (All For Mawazine). Their first post reads:
Dear Moroccans, think about all of this. Act your way to push our country toward real democracy, one of liberty. Support the Mawazine festival and do not let these obscurantist (sic) eradicate Arts and Culture, means of democratic expression.
A group has surfaced on Facebook called “The National Campaign for the Cancellation of the Mawazine Music Festival.” It counts over 20,000 members. The group's preamble reads:
أطلقت هذه الحملة الوطنية بهدف أساسي هو الإلغاء النهائي لمهرجان موازين وكل مهرجانات تبذير المال العام في ما لا ينفع لأن أولويات صرف المال العام في المغرب هي البنية التحتية وتعزيز الخدمات الأساسية وتوفير مناصب الشغل لشباب الوطن
On Twitter, supporters of the festival argued that those against it were shortsighted, as the event transformed over the years into a successful business, generating wealth and creating numerous job opportunities. Moncef Belkhayat is the Moroccan Minister of Youth and Sports. He tweets:
@citizenkayen @meryemsaadi mawazine a cree un vrai business model. Les subv(entions) publ(iques) representent tres peu par rapport a d'autres festivals de mus(ique)
He adds:
@citizenkayen pourtant on devrai(t) etre fier d'avoir l'un des meilleurs festivals au monde..avec un bus(iness) model ou tout se vend! 35000 clients!
Houda C. is a blogger. She regrets that the debate around Mawazine has not tackled the question of what she calls “a cultural strategy” for the country. She writes:
Tout changement démocratique, nous le savons tous, ne sera complet sans une stratégie culturelle adéquate !
Tout d’abord un constat : l’activité culturelle aujourd’hui au Maroc s’apparente principalement, saufs rares exceptions, à de l’événementiel. On est principalement dans la culture du divertissement.
Il va s’en dire que les initiatives culturelles, personnelles ou associatives, ont vu un essor intéressant ces dernières années,  mais ceci n’est pas le propos. Les initiatives indépendantes ne remplacent en aucun cas une véritable stratégie culturelle de l’état.
We all know that any democratic change will not be complete without a proper cultural strategy! First observation: the cultural activity in Morocco today is akin mainly, with few exceptions, to events. It is mainly centered on the culture of entertainment.
It goes without saying that cultural initiatives, individual or associative, have grown tremendously in recent years, but this is not the point. The independent initiatives can not substitute for a real state-run cultural strategy.
Nadia Lamlili is a journalist and a blogger. She sees in this controversy the rise of a new culture in Morocco: that of accountability. She says social media has greatly helped enshrine that culture in young Moroccans. She writes [fr]:
Ce que cette population reproche aux responsables de Mawazine ou à Moncef Belkhayate [ministre de la jeunesse et des sports], c’est qu’ils n’ont pas communiqué d’une façon transparente et cohérente sur la façon avec laquelle ils ont géré les deniers publics. Les Marocains sont en train d’exercer la culture du « rendre des comptes », Al Mouhassaba en arabe ou l’accountability en anglais. Et il est de notre intérêt à nous tous d’exercer ce droit sans susceptibilité, dans le total respect des lois et de la cohérence des pensées de chacun.
Car avec les médias sociaux, cette culture d’accountability ne fera que gagner du terrain. La rétention de l’information n’a plus lieu d’être. Les citoyens se sont appropriés les moyens d’information et en très peu de temps, peuvent recouper et publier. Bien sûr, il y a du bon et du mauvais sur la toile. Alors, pour se forger une position, cette jeune communauté cybernétique marocaine veut se baser sur la raison, des faits empiriques et vérifiables et…elle demande aux responsables de ce pays de faire de même.
What the people are blaming officials or Mawazine and Moncef Belkhayate [Minister of Youth and Sports] for is their lack of communication and transparency in the way they manage public funds. Moroccans are exercising the culture of “Mouhassaba”, or accountability in English. And it is in the interest of us all to exercise this right without susceptibility and in total compliance with laws and coherence with the thoughts of each one of us.
Social media is helping this culture of accountability to gain ground. The withholding of information is no longer justifiable. Citizens have appropriated the media and in a no time can cross-check the information and publish it. Of course, there's good and bad on the web. So to forge an opinion, this young Moroccan cyber community wishes to rely on reason and verifiable empirical facts … and it calls on leaders of this country to do the same.
This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Nigeria: Jega set to announce presidential election results · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The stage is set for the announcement of final presidential election results by the Chief Returning Officer, Prof Attahiru Jega, as accredited stakeholders arrive the National Collation Centre in Abuja.


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Nigeria: Photos the Presidential Vote · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

I’m posting a few photos I took from Saturday’s presidential vote from Kaduna, Nigeria. Stay tuned for more photos from yesterday along with my longer post on the view from the ground.


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Nigeria Votes 2011: Opinions From the Polls · Global Voices
Eremipagamo Amabebe

This post is part of our special coverage Nigeria Elections 2011.
Nigerians voted yesterday (16 April, 2011) in the third presidential election since the nation transitioned to civilian rule in 1999. Thus far, the election has widely been declared a success, with only sporadic reports of violence and voting irregularities. News sources reported a large turnout, orderly queues, and voters waiting until polls closed to make sure their votes were counted.
As Africa's largest nation and a major international oil supplier, Nigeria stands in the spotlight during election season. Previous elections in 2003 and 2007 were marred by fraud and violence; as a result, high hopes have been placed on this year's polls.
In this video uploaded to YouTube by jakobu1802 on April 9, 2011, parliamentary election results are tallied in Oyo State:
Incumbent Goodluck Johnathan, the former vice-president who assumed office after his predecessor's death last year, is perceived as the frontrunner; his closest competition is expected from Mohammadu Buhari, who briefly governed the country during the 1980s. Other challengers are former anti-corruption chief Nuhu Ribadu and Kano State governor Ibrahim Shekarau, as well as 16 candidates from smaller parties.
Official results are expected Monday. For more coverage, check out GV's special page on the Nigerian Election.
Report from the polls
At Bella Naija, Chiedu Ifeozo wrote how he changed his mind about voting in Nigeria. He said that although he had voted in “every election that was held while I lived in England,” at home in Nigeria he just “didn't see the point,” because of the prevalent assumption that ‘Nigerian votes do not count’ and ‘the winners have already been decided.’ But, like many young Nigerians, Ifeozo changed his mind and headed to the polls this election season:
Regardless of the cynicism, there has been renewed vigor among the people of my generation regarding the 2011 elections. Various youth coalition groups have gone all out to show that it isn’t only ‘cool’ to vote but have gone as far as giving insight into exactly who was running for the various offices by performing online polls, organizing a debate, and even developing web and mobile applications for easy monitoring of the elections through citizen reports. Through these processes, the candidates became more than just names and faces on campaign posters. They became the possible agents of change my country needed.
He then gave a blow-by-blow account of his experience on voting day:
1.04pm: When it was my turn, my heart was beating a little fast, I can’t lie. We had been educated on how to correctly complete the process for our votes to count, and I didn’t want to make a mistake, certainly not at the last moment. I handed the official my registration card, and he passed it to another official while he searched for my name on the list. When he found it, he put some ink on my right thumb and ushered me to the female NYSC personnel from earlier, who tore out two separate ballot sheets folded them and stamped some information on the back. She then wrote some details as well before handing it over to me and then directed me to the polling booth, a white folded stand with visors on both sides to prevent anyone from seeing me make my choice. I made towards the ballot boxes, one for the senate and the other for the House of Representatives, put my ballot sheets through the slot and I was done. I had voted for the first time, and honestly the first thing that crossed my mind was, “that wasn’t so bad now was it”.
He concluded:
5.15pm: I saw the result of my polling unit on the internet. My lips stretched into a smile….. “this is is the beginning of a new day for my country.”
Nigerian polling agent. Photo courtesy of Damisi Pikuda
In a post titled “A different kind of war,” Salisu Suleiman wrote about how the election season interrupts the business of daily life:
All schools were closed down. No form of teaching or learning took place for the duration. When it was discovered that the private school the president’s children attend did not close down along with others, public outcry forced it to close down also. After the initial two weeks, an extension was sought and granted. So for an entire month, all primary and secondary schools in the whole country were shut. Even in tertiary institutions, not much activity took place.
In that one month period, every Nigerian aged 18 and above was practically drafted to put down their names and fingerprints at various centres. Government said it was a civic duty. Preachers harangued citizens on the need to perform this divinely inspired responsibility. Parties tried every trick known and unknown to get people to these centres. Civil society groups made sure they were not left out and they shouted loudly on the need for citizens to participate in the noble exercise. Public holidays were declared in several states to ensure that the details of all eligible citizens were captured. Sophisticated digital equipment, worth over USD 500 million, were imported. At the end of one month of frantic activity, including a week’s extension, over 73 million gallant Nigerians had voluntarily participated in the noble cause.
Imnakoya expressed a cautious optimism shared by many in the blogosphere:
People came out to vote, voted, and even waited for the votes to be counted, without being intimidated by gun-trotting hoodlums, as was the case 2007. This appears to be the case across most South-western region of the country. This is a significant shift from the last election.
Writing at NigeriansTalk, Kunle Durojaiye agreed:
One cannot deny that there is a sense of a wind of change. People voted, and waited behind to witness the counting and collation of votes; media stations ran a live coverage of the elections while it lasted, and very importantly, young people influenced the exercise with the flood of information available via twitter, facebook and blackberry messaging. Without mincing words, change is inevitable, but one just wonders if the stage is truly set.
Read election day diary by Global Voices author, Nwachukwu Egbunike, which describes his day at the Polling Unit in Agbowo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Nigerian parliamentary election was held last Saturday, April 9. The presidential poll was held yesterday, April 16. The vote for state governors is scheduled for April 26.
This post is part of our special coverage Nigeria Elections 2011.

author: Eremipagamo Amabebe


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Philippines: Solar lighting project · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), is a “sustainable lighting project in the Philippines which aims to bring the eco-friendly Solar Bottle Bulb to underprivileged communities nationwide”


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Popularizing Vietnamese films · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Jennie Le, writing for Vietnam Talking Points, explains why Vietnamese films are not getting much attention in the Western world.


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Sri Lanka: Sinhala And Tamil New Year In Jaffna · Global Voices
Rezwan

Marisa De Silva at GroundViews reports that the people of Jaffna had a quiet new year celebrations because of the heavy presence of security forces and their regular questioning.

author: Rezwan


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Taiwan: Experience of foreign graduate students · Global Voices
David Reid

Fili writes about his experience studying in a Ph.D. program in Taiwan. While Range also writes about his experience as a graduate student in Taiwan.

author: David Reid


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Tunisia: Bloggers Debate Secularism  · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Although Tunisia is a country with a large Muslim majority and the Tunisian Constitution states that Islam is the state religion, Tunisian society is one of the most secular in the Muslim world.
The secularization movement goes back to the post-independence era under the presidency of Habib Bourguiba, one of the most secular leaders in the Arab world. Bourguiba is mostly known for the major role he played to issue “Le Code du Statut Personnel” or the Personal Status Law, a set of laws that mainly protected women and guaranteed their rights. During his 23-year rule, his successor Zine Al Abideen Ben Ali continued the secularization movement.
Protest for secularism. Photo by Nawaat.
However, Bourguiba and his successor Ben Ali (now deposed) have been criticized for being too harsh not only on political Islamist parties and leaders, but also on ordinary Tunisians who wanted to freely practice a number of religious activities.
During the past 50 years or so, women were banned from wearing headscarves, and the secret police used to keep an eye on and investigate those who prayed in mosques. In other words, secularism and religious freedom at that time were only working for the benefit of those who did not want to practice religion, but those who wanted to do so were treated with suspicion.
After the revolution, secularism and the place of Islam have been the  centre of heated debates on social media platforms and Tunisian blogs.
‘Made in Tunisia’ secularism:
Liberté Conditionnelle, a Tunisian blogger, is a supporter of “a Secular Tunisia, but its secularism should be Tunisian.” Liberté Conditionnelle  explains [ar]:
تونس الغد من اولوياتها ضمان الحريات الشخصية لكل المواطنين كل انسان حر في معتقداته و له الحرية المطلقة في ممارستها … لذا فالتونس العلمانيه هي الضمان و الكفيل الوحيد لهذه الحريات ! العلمانية نعم و لكن لا و ألف لا لإستنساخ الأمثلة و تطبيقها حرفيا و بكل “بهامة” (سامحوني في الكلمة) تونس و كما سبق صنعت ثورتها دون الإستناد في ذلك لأي إديولوجية الثورة التونسية فريده من نوعها الثورة التونسية صنعت مفهوما جديدا لمعنى الثورة فهي ثورة سلمية لا قائد له … فعلى الثورة إكمال مسارها و صنع مفاهيم جديدة .و من اهم المفاهيم التي يجب ان تكون تونسية بحته هو مفهوم اللائيكية
Selim also talks about a Tunisian secularism. He writes [fr]:
Pour que la liberté des uns n’entrave pas celle des autres, parlons de la démocratie. Ou soyons plus précis et parlons de la « laïcité ». Non pas la laïcité française ou turque, mais notre laïcité en tant que tunisiens.
He carries on explaining what a “secular Tunisia” is:
C’est une Tunisie qui ne donnerait pas à un politicien le droit de diriger le pays au nom de la volonté de Dieu. La religion ferait partie de la vie privée.
Ainsi, d’un côté, les lois ne sont pas une interprétation des textes religieux, afin de garantir l’égalité entre tous les citoyens quelles que soient leurs croyances.
Et de l’autre côté, les lois ne peuvent pas interdire à un croyant de pratiquer sa religion.
Le port de voile à titre d’exemple ne peut pas être interdit dans une Tunisie laïque.
It is a Tunisia that will not give politicians the right to govern the country on behalf of the will of God. Religion will be part of one's private life.
Thus, laws will not originate from the interpretation of religious texts, in order to guarantee equality for all citizens regardless of their beliefs.
At the same time, laws can't prohibit a believer from practicing his or her religion.
For instance, wearing headscarves can't be prohibited in a secular Tunisia.
A divided Tunisia:
The debate about secularism has deeply divided Tunisia into two segments. One sector considers laicism as the only guarantee for individual rights and liberties while the other views laicism as a threat to the Islamic Tunisian identity.
Amane  writes [fr]:
La laïcité […] est une idéologie dangereuse dont les conséquences implicites conduit à une destruction massive de l'identité Islamique de notre Tunisie et la rupture complète avec son passé islamique.
Primavera  adds [fr]:
Mes amis si votre laïcité ne signifiait que : liberté, égalité, respect et tolérance alors il n'y a pas plus laïque que l'islam (…)le principe fondamental de la laïcité (vous le connaissez bien) c'est de séparer l'Etat de la Religion, c'est-à-dire vous passer des lois divines et inventer les vôtres humaines avec toutes les imperfections et  les défauts…
Banner reads: "United, Islamists and Seculars. We are all Tunisians". Photo by Afef Abrougui from Flickr, used with permission.
Hedi Attia, a blogger for group blog Nawaat,  says [fr]:
A propos de la laïcité, elle est à la fois diabolisée par ses adversaires et idéalisée par plusieurs de ses partisans. Personnellement je me considère comme étant un laïc dans le sens où je souhaite une société où toutes les religions et toutes les tendances puissent vivre librement sans que personne n’impose à l’autre son point de vue ou sa manière de vivre.
Juriste Tunisie [fr] argues that the debate has deeply divided the North African country:
Le débat qui devrait être un débat autour du concept d’Etat à choisir est vite devenu un débat d’accusation: Les laïques sont accusés d’être anti-islamistes (voir même athées), les anti laïcité sont accusés d’être des extrémistes et anti-liberté!!!
Pire et encore plus dangereux et inquiétant, on a le sentiment que le débat se déroule entre Pro Nahdha et Anti Nahdha excluant par la même tout le reste des composantes de ce pays.
Plus catastrophique: une grande ignorance règne à propos du concept même de laïcité.
The debate which was supposed to be a debate about the concept of the kind of state that we want, has quickly turned into a debate of accusations: Seculars are accused of being anti-Islamists (even atheists), and anti-laicists are accused of being extremists and opponents of freedom!!!
What's even worse, more dangerous, and disturbing is that we have the impression that the debate is between pro Nahdha and anti-Nahdha and therefore excludes the remaining groups of the country [Nahdha is a Tunisian Islamist Party previously banned under the regime of Ben Ali].
More catastrophic: much ignorance about the term “laicism”
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Afef Abrougui


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Uzbekistan: President’s daughter sues French publication · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust opines on the news that the daughter of Uzbekistan’s authoritarian ruler Islam Karimov filed suit against the French website Rue89.com over an article that identified her father as a dictator and characterized her charity work as an attempt to whitewash the Uzbek repressive regime.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Vietnam: Facebook partners with local telecom giant · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

James Bao cites a report from PC World Vietnam about the partnership of Facebook and FPT, a telecom giant in Vietnam. Facebook is regularly blocked in Vietnam and FPT is often blamed for making the popular social network site inaccessible in the country.


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Vietnam’s native fruits · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Mach-Speed Whippets samples some of Vietnam's native and popular fruits.


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Argentina: Judge Recognizes Armenian Genocide · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

The Federal Judge of Argentina, Norberto Oyarbide [es], issued a historic ruling on April 1, 2011, in which he condemned the Turkish state for committing the crime of genocide against the Armenian population.
The cause started in the year 2000 following the testimonial presented by the scribe Gregario Hairabedian, according to the page Miradas al Sur [es]:
La causa se inició a raíz de la demanda presentada en diciembre de 2000 por el escribano Gregorio Hairabedian, descendiente de armenios asesinados, quien pidió que se investigue por la suerte de 50 familiares directos en la provincias armenias (vilayetos) de Palú y Zeitún, en poder del entonces Imperio Otomano.
A esta querella se sumó luego la colectividad armenia de Buenos Aires por la matanza de población armenia en las provincias de Trebizonda, Erzerum, Bitlis, Diarbekir, Jarput y Sivas, que de acuerdo a estimaciones históricas costó la vida a un millón y medio de armenios en el primer genocidio del siglo XX.
The cause started as a result of the presented testimonial in December of 2000 by scribe Gregorio Hairabedian, a descendant of assassinated Armenians, who asked for an investigation to determine the fate of 50 of his direct relatives in the Armenian provinces (vilayets) of Paulú and Zeitún, under the power of the former Ottoman Empire.
This action was later joined by the Armenian Collective of Buenos Aires for the murder of the Armenian population in the provinces of Trebizonda, Erzerum, Bitlis, Diarbekir, Jarput and Sivas, which, according to the historic estimations, cost 1.5 million Armenians their lives in the first genocide of the 20th Century.
Genocidio Armenio [es] relates the events that led to the declaration of the genocide:
Del 23 al 24 de Abril de 1915 fueron detenidos, deportados a Anatolia y asesinados unos 650 dirigentes armenios de Constantinopla. A partir de entonces, se dio la orden de deportación de la población civil, desde las zonas de guerra en el Cáucaso, hacia los centros de reinstalación, en los desiertos de Siria y Mesopotamia.
El mismo esquema de arresto y asesinato de los líderes y de los hombres mayores de 15 años, así como la deportación del resto de la población -mujeres, ancianos y niños-, hacia los desiertos de Siria, se repitió en todos las localidades armenias.
From April 23 to April 24 of 1915, approximately 650 Armenian ruling classes of Constantinople were detained, deported to Anatolia and assassinated. Following this, the order for deportation from civil towns, from the war zones in the Caucasus to reinstallation centers in the deserts of Syria and Mesopotamia, was passed.
The same outline of arrest and assassination of the leaders and men older than 15 years of age, along with the deportation of the rest of the population — the elderly, women and children — to the deserts of Syria, repeated throughout all of the Armenian towns.
The text continues:
Esta larga marcha, que para muchos fue el camino hacia la muerte, era acompañada de violaciones, torturas y robo de lo poco que llevaban consigo los deportados. Los pocos que lograron sobrevivir, fueron trasladados a distintos puntos del Medio Oriente donde el hambre y las epidemias hicieron su parte.
Los hechos descriptos fueron encuadrados dentro del concepto de GENOCIDIO. Este término fue creado por Raphael Lemkin y aplicado por primera vez durante el juicio a los principales responsables del crimen contra los judios, durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
This long march, that for many was the path to their death, was accompanied by violent acts, torture and robbery of what little the deported carried with them. The few that managed to survive, were moved to distinct points in the Middle East, where hunger and epidemics did their part.
The described events were classified under the concept of GENOCIDE. This term was created by Raphael Lemkin and applied for the first time during the trial of the principle individuals responsible for the crime against the Jews, during the Second World War.
It is worth mentioning that Argentina received an important stream of Armenian immigrants fleeing from the genocide, whose descendants maintain their customs and traditions, grouped under distinct institutions that form the Armenian Collective, as Armenios On Line [es] comments:
Actualmente la colectividad armenia de la Argentina se estima que cuenta con aproximadamente de cien a ciento veinte mil armenios. Se han establecido siete escuelas armenias, siete iglesias armenias, también iglesias católicas y Evangélicas armenias, funcionan dos diarios, tres audiciones radiales, varias organizaciones políticas, grupos de beneficencia, clubes sociales, deportivos, restaurantes, grupos culturales como ser coros, grupos de danzas folklóricas armenias, grupos de teatro, bandas musicales, numerosas agrupaciones juveniles y también funcionan tres agrupaciones scout, y otros.
Image from Flickr user pablodf, Pablo Flores (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
To identify herself with her roots and customs, to relive the traditions, those which emerge from family accounts, was one of the dreams for Valeria Cherekian, Argentinean-born and a descendant of Armenians, who relates her experience in her blog,  Birth Right Armenia [es]:
Cuando pienso en las razones y los sentimientos que motivaron mi viaje a Armenia para trabajar como voluntaria recuerdo a mis abuelos: Nazik y Meguerdich Cherekian y Lusin y José Dadourian. Mis abuelos me enseñaban canciones armenias, que cantábamos todos juntos en cada entrañable reunión familiar… Así crecí, entre libros de escuela, historias que mis abuelos contaban y canciones que nos acercaban a la madre patria… Entre el idioma de mi sangre y el idioma de mi barrio, entre la escuela armenia y la universidad de Buenos Aires… Si me preguntan, soy armenia y argentina. Probablemente en ese orden.
As a result of the important number that forms the Armenian collective in Argentina [es], mainly third or fourth generation descendants of the victims of the genocide, the presented testimonials and proof served to incite the start of the presented demand. In the Lic. Baleno's blog, El Magna [es], readers can see some of the current statements from Armenian descendants that served as the basis testimony for the sentence. At the same time, El Argentino.com [es] has published “The declaratory resolution of the historic events known as the genocide of the Armenian village — years 1915/1923, the sentence [es].”
The speech from the ruling by Judge Oyarbide can be seen in a video [es] on YouTube.
Turkey's reaction did not delay, according to a report from the newspaper La Voz [es]:
Turquía fustigó ayer el fallo del juez argentino Norberto Oyarbide en el que dictaminaba que el gobierno del país euroasiático cometió genocidio en contra de armenios durante la Primera Guerra Mundial.
Según el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Turquía, Ahmet Davutoglu, ese fallo “es un ejemplo de cómo los nacionalistas extremos pertenecientes a la diáspora armenia abusan de los sistemas legales”.
Turkey lashed out against the ruling from Argentinan Judge Norberto Oyarbide in which he ruled that the government of the Eurasian country committed genocide against the Armenians during the First World War.
According to the Minister of Turkish Foreign Relations, Ahmet Davutoglu, this ruling “is an example of how extreme nationalists belonging to the Armenian Diaspora abuse the legal systems.”

author: Laura Schneider


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Azerbaijan: The ‘Terror’ of Tiny Town · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Tamada Tales comments on the detention of a small child and her mother at an opposition protest in Baku on Sunday. Captured on video uploaded to YouTube and shared online, the blog wonders what ‘havoc’ could possible be wreaked upon the Azerbaijani capital by the girl.


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Brunei: Twestival Unites Local Netizens · Global Voices
Zul-Fadly

Social media movement Twestival made its inaugural debut in Brunei on March 24, 2011, which marked an important day in the local social media scene. The chosen motto was ‘Tweet.Meet.Eat.Give‘ in order to raise money for the Child Development Centre in support of the World Down Syndrome Day. Another aim of the Twestival is to connect the local Twitter community offline and give them an opportunity to meet face to face.
The Brunei Twestival event was sponsored by Kitaro Japanese Restaurant and Swensens Cafe & Restaurant, which agreed to hold a food eating competition in support of the charity. The proceeds of the event will be used to buy new equipment and educational toys for the children of the Child Development Centre.
A pre-Twestival food challenge event was held at @KitaroJapanese Restaurant where contestants had to consume a plate of sushi. One of the top finalists in last year's Borneo Blogger awards, BorneoColours (@marul69), was very supportive of the Twestival event and uploaded a video of one of the winners of the Sumo Challenge.
At Swensen's Cafe & Restaurant, the Huge Swensen's Challenge required participants to eat the infamous ‘Earthquake’ of 8 scoops of ice cream weighing 3 oz each in a huge bowl topped with whipped cream and other sweet toppings. Local blogging heroes came to support and participate in the event like @ranoadidas, @anakbrunei, Senor Pablo, @kurapak and @maurina to name a few.
One of the main organisers @BruneiTweet for Twestival Brunei 2011 mentioned on his blog the number of attendants and how much was collected this year.
Funds were raised from a portion of the proceeds from dinner sales at Kitaro Japanese Restaurant Brunei on 22nd March 2011, and from the sale of ice cream and kids meals at Swensen's Brunei (from 20th March 2011 to 24th March 2011). The tally of funds raised came up to BND$1,573.82 and has gone towards the purchase of developmental toys, teaching aids and educational equipment for the children who undertake therapy at the Child Development Center.
Close to 500 people attended across both local events, many Twitter friends met up for the first time…
Another one of the organisers @emmagoodegg took the opportunity to thank the outstanding individuals who volunteered to help make Twestival Brunei 2011 a success in her recent post on borneocolours:
Along the way we picked up many big-hearted folks who helped with the logo (@jidah), technical issues (@thewheat, @mfirdaus & @talkingaloudbru), background details (@faeyakof & the crew of @ubdfm), PR (our local social media friends), including the sponsors (Swensens & @kitarojapanese) and the public who came to give their money and time.
A local podcaster @talkingaloudbru  was present at the event and managed to do quick interviews during the pre-Twestival event at @KitaroJapanese Restaurant. He was also one of the volunteers promoting the event and he did a ‘live recording’ at Swensens during the main event. You can listen to pre-twestival podcasts here and Twestival Brunei podcast here.
@kurapak one of Brunei's well known bloggers, showed his support for the event by making a comic poster using the Twestival Brunei logo on his site. @johnreydangilan on his blog theasianbimbo made appearances during both the pre and main twestival events.
There were a lot of familiar faces on twitter and to be able to meet them were a little scary for me.  I am a social pariah of some sort so being in the sea of all these people is a little bit of “I could pee a bit in my pants/puke inside my mouth” moment.
Being the charitable person I  am, I am glad to be able to take part in this offline gathering of twitter lurves especially for a good cause. Even greater joy for me to see people who I have conversed with on twitter and a few more who recognised me from my rants here and there.
More pictures of the event are available at @anakbrunei's blog @ranoadidas's site. The organizers of Twestival Brunei 2011 are @BruneiTweet, @emmagoodegg and @zulfadly.

author: Zul-Fadly


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Central Asia: Ideas and Innovations of BarCamp Central Asia  · Global Voices
Ekaterina

BarCamp Central Asia, the fourth educational non-commercial conference for professionals in social media took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 15-17 April, 2011, bringing together journalists and bloggers, IT and media specialists, web-developers and everyone connected with the Internet and new media.
BarCamp is a new phenomena. The first BarCamp was held in Palo Alto, California back in 2005 and had 200 attendees. Since then, BarCamps have been held in more than 350 cities around the world, including Central Asia.
The first BarCamp Central Asia took place in 2008 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and brought together 250 specialists from Central Asia and other countries. The second and third (un)conferences took place in Almaty in 2009 and 2010. The number of attendees has been increasing every time.
BarCamp Central Asia logo
This year, BarCamp Central Asia was organized in Almaty. Almost 1,500 people registered on the website, about 600 of them attended the event and others followed it on Facebook and Twitter (#barcampca11, #barcampca2011). Although the majority of the attendees were from Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan), IT and citizen media specialists from Russia, Eastern and Western Europe also participated in the event.
The open discussion, sessions and presentations covered such topics as digital education, new mobile applications, development of citizen media, cyber security, crowdsoursing projects, startups, Internet analytics, etc.
For example, during the BarCamp TechTalk on Digital Education a question on differences between citizen and traditional journalism, and the role of social media was raised. One of the speakers Frederick Emrich, assistant professor teaching journalism and mass communication in the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research, said he tries to incorporate new media tools into his classes on traditional journalism:
Incorporating new media technologies allows students to express themselves outside of the classrooms. It gives them innovative spirit.
Emrich answered to the question whether people need special skills to act as citizen journalists:
Indeed. But not university education in journalism sphere is needed, but kind of outlook to the world that can be acquired in the university. Moreover, a person must have technical skills and use tools of the online journalism.
Also he added:
Opportunity for people to enter the dialog publicly is the biggest strength of the new media. Hope the tendency will grow. I don’t know whether it’s journalism or not, but it has a big value and should be supported.
Multimedia and ideas for new journalism were discussed during the presentation of Newreporter.org [ru], internet project covering media business and Internet media. Online translation of the presentation is here [ru]
A conference on the Internet technologies and new media can hardly cover all relevant topics if issues of online security and circumvention tools are not discussed. So, Alexey Bebinov, an expert on cyber security of the foundation “Citizen Initiative on Internet Politics” (CIIP) made a presentation on tools and tactics for online security. Among others, the workshop attendees discussed pros of using such tools as Security In The Box, Hot Spot Shield (VPN client), Tor Browser Bundle, Psiphon.
Global Voices in the schedule of BarCamp Central Asia, image by Alexey Sidorenko
Global Voices were presented by Alexey Sidorenko, editor of RuNet Echo project, and Adil Nurmakov, GV Central Asia editor.
While listening the presentation on Global Voices @BioCyberGear wrote [ru]:
Global voices переводят блоги на разные языки! У них виртуальное сообщество из 300 переводчиков!#barcampca11
Global Voices seems to be attracting attention of many Central Asian readers and bloggers. For instance, @iTengry writes [ru]:
Global Voices Online — кажется интересный сервис, нужно на него обратить внимание. #barcampca11
User @lemime wrote [ru]:
Хорошая презентация про Глобал Воис! Интересный сервис. Надо бы его получше изучить. Интересная площадка для блогеров#barcampca11
People taking photos during the presentation on Global Voices. Image by Ekaterina.
Here is feedback from some attendees of the BarCamp in general:
@mervlad:
Спасибо #barcampca11 за старых и новых знакомых. Организация на отлично, @mursya_ru @Agnesa и К молодчинки!
@chaals:
Super-speedy Widget Workshop done, Make extensions in minutes done, now to relax and enjoy the rest of #barcampca11:) (and work…)

author: Ekaterina


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Chile: Bill Seeks to Move Bicyclists off Roads and onto Sidewalks · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Setty criticizes a bill that, “tries to ban cycling on the street, putting the city’s booming cyclist population onto the sidewalk.”

author: Silvia Viñas