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Serbian Bloggers Censored for Criticizing Flood Relief Efforts · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

The image accompanying the unified blog post on many Serbian blogs states: “Don't let them flood you.” Image widely circulated on blogs and social networks.
In late May 2014, Serbia was hit hard by flooding in what became the largest natural disaster the region has seen in the past century. The catastrophic floods not only have taken a yet unknown number of lives and homes, but have also brought to light the pressure and censorship the current government, led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has been placing on media.
Bloggers, journalists and rights-conscious Internet users have banded together in the aftermath of the massive floods with a flood of their own – a unified blog post [sr] speaking out against censorship and media intimidation that was posted and reposted on dozens of blogs [sr] in Serbia over less than a day.
As flooding surged in the region, leaving several cities in Serbia under three or more meters of water, the Serbian government instated a state of emergency. Apart from aiding in the evacuation of flooded areas and supposedly allowing for more efficient government functioning, the state of emergency also gives authorities certain liberties, such as detaining individuals for “inciting panic during a state of emergency.”
As Internet users began commenting and sharing information on social networks and blogs about the floods, many of them also criticized the government's lack of due warning for a natural disaster of this size and its poor response in some areas.
With the state of emergency in place, some social media users were brought in for questioning by police forces under the suspicion of “inciting panic” for criticizing government relief efforts.
Originally written and posted by what seems to be a small group of organized local bloggers who intentionally began spreading it across the web, the post first appeared on May 24, 2014. At the time of this post's publication, it has spread rapidly among social media users throughout the region and carries a now widely popular hashtag on Twitter – #ulicecenzuri (“in the face of censorship”). A Facebook page for the movement created on May 24 has already garnered nearly 800 likes.
The viral post, titled “In the Face of Censorship” and with a subtitle containing a clear message to authorities – “Because you can't arrest us all or proclaim us crazy” – begins:
U danima kada, usled nemara, nesposobnosti i neodgovornosti vlasti, hrabri i humani građani preuzimaju funkcije države i pomažu unesrećenima iz poplavljenih i ugroženih područja – vlast troši vreme i energiju na kršenje slobode izražavanja, napadajući i gaseći internet stranice koje pozivaju na odgovornost.[…]
U nedostatku snažne parlamentarne opozicije, uz mali broj štampanih i elektronskih medija koji kritikuju vlast, vlada Aleksandra Vučića i njeni pomagači napadaju kritičku misao na internetu, gušeći slobodu izražavanja. Suočena s neugodnim pitanjima i činjenicama koje joj ne idu naruku, vlast pribegava sili, čime dokazuje da nema argumente kojima bi odbranila svoje postupke.
In the days when amid the negligence, ineptitude, and irresponsibility of government, brave and humane citizens took on the functions of state and are helping the victims from flooded and endangered areas, the government is wasting time and energy on abusing freedom of expression, attacking and shutting down Internet sites that are demanding accountability…
[…]
In the absence of a strong parliamentary opposition, with a small number of print and electronic media criticizing the government, the government of Aleksandar Vucic and its accessories are attacking critical thinking on the Internet, stifling freedom of expression. Faced with unpleasant questions and facts that aren't in agreement with it, the government has resorted to force, thus proving that it has no arguments to defend its actions.
The post also mentions some of the web pages and articles that were taken down before its publishing and adds that bloggers and journalists “cannot help but assume that more will be taken down.” An English translation of the post is available on the Balkanist.net website.
Some larger group blogs or websites by independent users, such as that of Serbian daily Blic, have taken down the reproduced posts or are burying them deep within the sites, perhaps hoping the issue will blow over and be forgotten. One user of the blog portion of privately-owned news and media network B92 reproduced the post on his blog and tweeted:
Prvi tekst sa mog bloga koji B92 nije linkovao na naslovnu stranu #uLiceCenzuri U lice cenzuri | B92 Blog http://t.co/LS42j54P1X
— Ray (@Ray__Day) May 24, 2014
The first text from my blog that B92 hasn't linked to its front page #uLiceCenzuri U lice cenzuri | B92 Blog http://t.co/LS42j54P1X
Many bloggers and journalists have added their names to a long list of signatures at the end of the post, and others like Sandra Kravic Simonovic also added a few words of their own to the blog post upon republishing it on their personal blogs. Kravic Simonovic introduced the reproduced blog post by saying:
Ovo nije prvi put da se na ovom blogu piše o cenzuri. Nažalost, moram dodati. Prvi put, povod je bio brisanje odgovora novinara BBC-a novinarki Kurira, koji je volšebno nestao sa blog platforme sajta B92. S obzirom da je moj blog nezavisni medij koji ne finansira niti jedna politička partija, imam punu slobodnu da samustupim prostor odgovoru i objavim ga u celosti.
Šest meseci kasnije, stanje po pitanju cenzure medija u Srbiji ne da se nije promenilo, nego je, rekla bih, postalo sve gore. Kao da svakog dana nestane po jedan tekst, pažljivo se biraju komentari koji će biti objavljeni po mainstream medijima, a u poslednjih nekoliko dana za vreme trajanja vanredne situacije u Srbiji stvari su otišle još dalje.
Ljudi su pozivani na saslušanja u policiju zbog svojih tekstova na društvenim mrežama. Povod za saslušanja bilo je “širenje panike na društvenim mrežama”, što je regulisano Krivičnim zakonikom Srbije (Glava 31, KRIVIČNA DELA PROTIV JAVNOG REDA I MIRA, član 343, stav 1 i 2), za šta je zaprećena kazna zatvora od 3 meseca do 3 godine i novčanom kaznom (stav 1), odnosno od 6 meseci do 5 godina i novčanom kaznom (stav 2).
This is not the first time that censorship has been a topic on this blog. Unfortunately, I have to add [to that]. The first time, the reason was the response [sr] of a BBC journalist [Dusan Masic] to a Kurir [Serbian daily] journalist that mysteriously vanished from the blog platform of the B92 website. Considering that my blog is an independent medium that is not financed by any political party, I have the full freedom to give [my] space to this response and publish it in its entirety.
Six months later, the state of media censorship in Serbia has not only not changed, but has I would say gotten worse. It seems as if a text disappears every day, comments that are published on mainstream media sites are carefully screened, and in the last few days during the state of emergency, things have gone even farther in Serbia.
People have been called in for questioning by police due to their writings on social media. The reason for questioning was “inciting panic on social networks”, which is regulated by the Criminal Code of Serbia (Chapter 31, CRIMINAL ACTS AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND PEACE, article 343, points 1 and 2), which carries a possible prison sentence from three months up to three years and a fine (point 1), or six months to five years and a fine (point 2).
Newly-elected Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, the country's former deputy prime minister, is know for using repressive measures against media. During the February 2014 election campaign, Vucic's team reacted to a parody video of him by requesting that several copies of it be taken down from YouTube. They allegedly also took down several personal websites that made the video available for download to other Internet users.
Another popular hashtag accompanying #uLiceCenzuri is #ZatvorUp, which translates to #PrisonUp. Apparently, in spite of Serbia's notoriously slow judicial system and overcrowded prisons, people are saying that they are willing to be jailed to defend their freedom of expression in a country that is desperate for reforms, rule of law and much needed recovery.

author: Danica Radisic


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Syrian Dark Humor and the Elections · Global Voices
Syria Untold

This post was previously published on Syria Untold.
It is no surprise to see Bashar al-Assad nominate himself for the Syrian presidency in the upcoming elections, slated for June 3. In the context of destruction, murder, displacement and torture, Syrian politics has become an endless gloomy performance staged for the outside world, and the elections are but the latest episode.
Cartoon on the Syrian elections, by Saad Hajo. Source: the artist's Facebook page.
Elections as a performance stands out as the recurrent theme in the latest Syrian artistic and creative production. Both the process and its protagonists are portrayed as a macabre farce, starting with the three final candidates: Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar, author of an article entitled “Assad, or no one”; Hassan al-Nuri, former minister and considered by many as the man behind the electoral campaign; and of course, Bashar al-Assad.
The campaign, which revolves around the slogan “Sawa” (Arabic for “together”), has filled the streets of the areas under regime control with photographs, posters and banners promoting Bashar al-Assad. Photos of the other two candidates are rare, but regime loyalists have gone to the extent of vandalizing Hajjar and al-Nuri’s posters to express their outrage at the possibility of anyone other than Assad becoming president.
And if the regime is papering the streets with electoral posters, pro-freedom activists are filling online spaces and platforms with an explosion of messages, photographs, videos and banners in response to the mockery that is the elections. “The elections of blood”, “Lower your voice” and “Together, we will bury him” are some of the slogans developed in response to Assad’s surreal one.
These Are My Achievements, so Elect Me, by Abu al-Noor. Source: the artist's Facebook page
The slogan itself, “Sawa”, quickly backfired on online social platforms, as users juxtaposed it against a huge amount of content showing the extent of Assad’s repression on the Syrian people, and the destruction of the country. “Together we kill” and “together we destroy” were some of the comments directed at regime loyalists and at anyone engaging in the electoral farce.
Journalist George Kadr commented on his Facebook page:
An official TV channel interviewed Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar yesterday, and asked him about his life, including his income and assets, so that the audience knows everything about the candidate. I am curious to know who is going to interview Bashar al-Assad and ask him about his income and assets…
According to Syrian-Palestinian cartoonist Yasser Abu Hamed, in an interview with SyriaUntold, many activists are making a mistake by focusing on the lack of legitimacy of the candidates, instead of on Bashar himself.
“You can hear activists propose alternative opposition candidates, as if the problem lies in the nature of the rivals. This only helps legitimize Assad and his illegitimate system.”
The Syrian Elections, by Yasser Abu Hamed. Source: The artist's Facebook page.
Abu Hamed’s view of the elections, and the illegitimacy of Bashar al-Assad, is reflected in his prolific artistic work, which has been extensively covered by SyriaUntold. Drawings and cartoons of the ruler sticking his nose into a ballot box, surrounded by a sea of blood, holding a gun on top of a military boot, smiling next to a blood-stained banner that reads “Sawa”, have been published and widely shared online.
In this surreal context, the farce of presidential elections has pushed Syrian dark humor to another level. The real irony, however, lies in the fact that the right to free elections was one of the reasons that millions took to the streets in March 2011, and one of the reasons why so many have lost their lives since. The regime has managed to turn the dream of the Syrian people into a bad joke, as it continues to mock their aspirations of freedom and justice.
The Syrian Elections, by Kamiran Shamdin. Source: The artist's Facebook page.
This post was previously published on Syria Untold.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Syria Untold


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VIRAL VIDEO: ‘But We’re Speaking Japanese’ · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Screenshot of YouTube video “But we're speaking Japanese” by user helpmefindparents
A video skit of a Japanese waitress serving a group of foreign-looking customers who speak Japanese has gone viral. The clip has resonated among many Japanese-speaking expats who occasionally experience how local Japanese communicate with foreigners based not on the language they are speaking but on how they look.
Watch the video (with English subtitles) below:

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Against All Odds, Yemen Is Happy Too! · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Despite all the hard living conditions, the long and recurrent power cuts, the unstable political and security conditions, the negative media coverage, a group of Yemenis managed to show the world that they are living proof to their country's ancient name ‘Arabia Felix’ aka Happy Arabia. Historically, Yemen was known as Arabia Felix meaning Fortunate Arabia or Happy Arabia – a name which was given to it by the Greek geographer Ptolemy. It acquired this name because of its high mountains, which attracted rain, making it more fertile than most of the Arabian peninsula.
The cover video of Pharrell William's viral song Happy was generated with a Yemeni twist, showing the creativity and talent of Young Yemenis, their positive spirit and their sense of humor.
The video was produced in cooperation with Support Yemen and Gabreez and is co-directed by two Oscar nominated directors Abdurahman Hussein and Ameen Alghabri.
Turkish Ambassador in Yemen, Fazli Corman tweeted:
@NoonArabia Which country on earth had the "Happy" title in antique times.. Yemen of course, aka Arabia Felix… http://t.co/ReY6K33AhX
— Fazli Corman (@FazliCorman) May 24, 2014
Mareike Transfeld, a researcher at Yemen Polling, tweeted to Pharell:
@Pharrell you got to check out & RT Yemen's official #Happy video by Oscar nominated @AfroHussain & @AmeenAlghaberi, @SupportYemen always
— Mareike Transfeld (@projectyemen) May 23, 2014
Awssan Kamal, a member of SupportYemen, tweeted:
The Happy #Yemen video shines a light on the darkness yemeni  #youth live thorough today @SupportYemen http://t.co/0epqebRCrh via @youtube
— awssan kamal (@awssan) May 24, 2014
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoum added:
Another showcase of how amazing people of #Yemen are-their version of "#Happy"w pause for power cut-beautifully done http://t.co/Z1t7PZgZYk
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) May 24, 2014
Yemeni blogger Afrah Nasser, living in Sweden, sees it differently. She tweeted:
New blogpost: #Yemen is Resilient Rather Than Happy http://t.co/0U9RRvJI0Z
— Afrah Nasser (@Afrahnasser) May 24, 2014
Support Yemen co-founder Rooj, who is familiar with the hardship of living in Yemen and is also featured in the video, happily pointed:
Despite media rhetoric that we r depressed unhappy #Yemen-is in need of saving. Here is our reponse #HappyYemen https://t.co/LPrk3B40na
— Rooj (@Rooj129) May 23, 2014
“Despite our difficulties our happiness will never cease” is a clear message of resilience from Yemen.

author: Noon Arabia


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10 Things You Need to Know About the Coup and Crisis in Thailand · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

1. Since 1932, there have been 19 or 20 coups in Thailand. The current coup led by General Prayuth Chan-ocha is the 12th successful coup; the last one was staged in 2006. The army initially established the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council to run the government; and later renamed as the National Council for Peace and Order.
Armed soldiers stand on guard during an operation to control anti-coup protesters in Bangkok. Photo by Matthew Richards, Copyright @Demotix (5/25/2014)
2. Martial law was declared by the army on May 20, 2014 or two days before the coup. The army suspended the 2007 Constitution except some provisions on the monarchy. Interestingly, it was the army which drafted the 2007 Constitution.
The Thai military has scrapped the very 2007 constitution it has drafted itself, apparently did not get desired results! #ThaiCoup #Thailand
— Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 22, 2014
3. The decision to retain the Constitutional provisions on the monarchy reflected the importance and popularity of the royal institution. Actually, King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world’s longest-reigning monarch and Thailand’s most beloved political figure. No politician in Thailand will dare to undermine the image of the King. Thailand also implements a strict Lese Majeste (anti-royal insult) law and in recent years, many citizens have been jailed for insulting the King through mobile texting or commenting on a website.
Anti-coup protesters begin to fill in the road in front of Victory Monument on Sunday. Photo by David Luekens, Copyright @Demotix (5/25/2014)
4. The army has ordered the detention of more than 150 political figures. One of them is Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand’s former Prime Minister and younger sister of controversial leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, one of Thailand’s richest individuals, was ousted as prime minister during the 2006 coup. He has been living in exile since 2008 to avoid imprisonment over a corruption case. Nevertheless, he remains popular among the rural voters and his party has always won the elections. Last year, a proposed Amnesty Bill would have allowed Thaksin to return home but it sparked a nationwide uproar and opposition forces rallied thousands to call for the removal of the Yingluck government.
5. There are demands to end the coup and to immediately conduct elections. This is easier said than done. Thailand went to the polls only last February but it was boycotted by the opposition and it failed to end the political crisis. Before the coup, there are proposals to hold another election in July or August. The opposition believes that the electoral process is corrupted by Thaksin’s money. They are willing to participate again in the elections if political reforms are first instituted and only after Thaksin’s influence is weakened.
Anti-coup protesters hold a large banner that reads ‘We want an Election’ as they gather at Bangkok's Victory Monument. Photo by Matthew Richards, Copyright @Demotix (5/24/2014)
6. The opposition Democrat Party, which has never won the elections for two decades, has organized and supported street protests since November of last year to force the ouster of the Yingluck government.
The main group behind the provocative protests is the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) led by Suthep Thaugsuban, a former Deputy Prime Minister. The protesters, mainly from the nation’s capital in Bangkok, were demanding the appointment of an unelected People’s Council to replace the Yingluck government. Many of the PDRC members are Yellow Shirt protesters who occupied Thailand’s airport in 2008.
Another group of protesters is known as the Red Shirts, the same group which led street protests in 2010 when the Democrat Party was in power. They are not Left-leaning; they just want to differentiate themselves from the Yellow Shirts. Many of them are loyal supporters of Thaksin.
When the army declared a coup, it ordered protesters belonging to both the PDRC and Red Shirts to go home.
7. Yingluck was already removed from power even before the martial law declaration. A Constitutional Court ordered her removal after she was found guilty of committing an unconstitutional act when she replaced the National Security chief in 2011. A caretaker prime minister was in charge of the government when the army intervened.
8. There were reports that many Thais are supportive of the coup. We also saw Thai netizens posting selfie photos with soldiers deployed in the streets of Bangkok. Naturally, there are Thais who already got tired with the protests and were happy about the peaceful dispersal of the street protests. But many are also wary of the military coup. Some even dared to post selfie photos holding placards opposing the coup.
For those who don't know, the woman with the red tape across her mouth is a journalist (a brave one). #ThaiCoup pic.twitter.com/FBBXzfYUxd
— แก้วมาลา Kaewmala (@Thai_Talk) May 23, 2014
9. Free speech was the early casualty of the coup. The army shut down TV stations, radio stations, and deployed soldiers inside the offices and newsroom of newspapers. The army instructed mainstream media not to interview academics and former leaders who might give ‘confusing’ and dangerous opinions about the political situation. It warned netizens not to spread Internet content that would create ‘misunderstanding.’ It asked Internet providers to block ‘inappropriate’ websites.
Anti-coup protest yesterday at Thammasat University. AFDD calls military to withdraw from politics & allow election. pic.twitter.com/UOYS5yQJVr
— แก้วมาลา Kaewmala (@Thai_Talk) May 23, 2014
10. Despite the martial law directive banning the gathering of five or more people, hundreds of Thais across the country have defied this ruling by holding several protests denouncing the coup. Some were arrested and the army warned that they would no longer tolerate protests. This could lead to a bigger and broader democracy movement inside Thailand.
Anti-coup demonstrators gather around the Victory Monument, Bangkok demanding the junta to step down. Photo by Amnat Ketchuen, Copyright @Demotix (5/24/2014)

author: Mong Palatino


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Students Discover a Mummy During an Expedition in Coastal Chile · Global Voices
Mi voz

The original version [es] of this post was written by Corresponsales from El Morrocotudo and was published on El Morrocotudo on May 26, 2014.
Image: Archive El Morrocotudo
Ten student members from the Academy of Archaeology in municipal school E -26 “America” have had an unforgettable experience.
With their background notes in hand, they arrived at an area next to the Morro, a small rounded hill in front of the coastal city El Laucho, in order to view the skeletal remains that were unearthed as a consequence of an earthquake in April.
Because the area is so steep, they came equipped with binoculars and a telescope to be able to appreciate the remains of a skull and scattered bones.
After their observations, each student had to take notes about what they saw and later they would have to write an evaluation.
An unexpected mummy
Just as the group started to pick up the tools they had used to observe the skeletons, something unexpected happened. A group up ahead led by teacher Hans Neira and student Mijael Flores decided to examine a nearby area. Climbing up to it, they found other remains and could clearly observe the lower extremities of what appeared to be an infant.
They carefully proceeded to check out the place, taking notes and pictures, so as to prepare a report for the academy and for the pertinent authorities who guard these kinds of findings.
“A perfect journey”
“I think this has really been the culmination of a perfect journey, the discovery of these remains, but it is also a wake-up call as this place should be guarded for what it represents, understanding that this is a great pre-colonial cemetery that extends further south of this area”, the teacher noted.
“A strange formation, which had dog feces, caught my attention, and when we looked through it we found these remains”, said the excited boy, who has dreamed for a long time of becoming an archaeologist when he grows up.

author: Mi voz


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PHOTOS: 20,000 People Protest in Macau Against ‘Bill of Greed and Privilege’ · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Thousands of anti-greed bill protestors gathered at Tap Seac Square before the rally started. Photo from All About Macau's Facebook page. Non-commercial use.
More than 20,000 Macau residents rallied on Sunday, 25 May, 2014, against a bill that would compensate high-ranking officials after they leave office and exempt the head of government from criminal liability during his or her term.
Macau, a special administrative region of China, has a population of about 500,000. Protesters constituted 4 percent of the total population, the largest demonstrations since the former Portuguese colony was handed over to China's control in 1999. The public outrage has surprised many, given opposition parties are rather weak in the casino city and major mainstream media outlets are pro-government mouthpieces and sponsored by the government.
The bill, which is expected to be passed on Tuesday, 27 May, 2014, was drafted by the Macau Secretary for Administration and Justice a month ago and was proposed without public consultation. It will grant the chief executive, as the head of government is called, immunity from criminal prosecution while in office. It also ensures that the outgoing chief executive, as well as his principal officials-designate, will continue receiving a monthly payment equivalent to 70 percent of his or her monthly salary. The secretary claimed that the bill is to attract business elites to join the government.
The selection of new chief executive will happen at the end of 2014, and after that major officials will also leave their positions. Many believe that the bill is tailor-made for outgoing Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on and top officials because they will be the ones to immediately enjoy the new privileges.
Even though the bill is highly controversial, the administration has been pushing the legislative council to pass it. The majority of lawmakers are either elected indirectly through functional groups or appointed by the chief executive.
To press the government to withdraw the bill, a group of concerned citizens called “Macau Conscience” organized the march against “the Bill of Greed and Privilege.”
Independent media outlet All About Macau asked one of the protesters on their Facebook group why she joined the rally:
市民林小姐認為特首在有可能臨離任的時候通過這個法案，是「打劫澳門市民」，根本是與民為敵；
Ms. Lam believes that the chief executive who will enjoy the outgoing compensation is “robbing Macau citizens” and making himself an enemy of the people.
Many expressed their anger through banners and placards while at the protest.
A protester holds a placard showing the Macau chief executive's face on a fake bank note. The slogan on the placard reads: “A monthly salary more than 200,000 pataca [about 25,000 US dollars] wanted as outgoing compensation? Impotent officials are out of their mind!” Photo from All About Macau's Facebook page
Young people say no to the “Bill of Greed.” Photo from All About Macau's Facebook page. Non-commercial use.
Protestors stick the face of Secretary for Administration and Justice Florinda Chan Lai-man onto a pig-shaped placard. Chan drafted the bill. Photo from All About Macau's Facebook page. Non-commercial use.
A young man assumes the so-called PK body position, otherwise known as planking, against the bill during the rally. The posture is meant to show absurdity and is used among youth in East Asia. Photo posted by Facebook user Ar B Cheong. Non-commercial use.
Soon after the rally, a number of pro-government lawmakers and executive councilors told the press that their would propose to the chair of the Legislative Council to form a committee to further review the bill. At the same time, organizer of the rally “Macau Conscience” said they would take further action if the legislature passes the bill on Tuesday.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Spain: Unconceivable Oblivion of an Atlético Madrid Football Club Fan · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

In an exciting football soccer match, Real Madrid team defeated with a final score of four goals to one the Atlético de Madrid for the Champions League championship, in the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. Fans from one and another team cheered their favorites in the Portuguese stadium. All but Jacinto, who minutes away from the starting kick and at the entrance of the packed stadium, realized he had forgotten his ticket at home, in Madrid.
Jacinto, socio número 474 del Atlético ,más de 50 años de socio. Se ha olvidado la entrada en casa, ha pedido una solución en @carrusel
— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) Mayo 24, 2014
Jacinto, Atletico fan with ID 474, a fan for over 50 years. Has forgotten his ticket at home. He has asked for a solution on @carrusel.
Some Twitter users looked for the positive side of the situation and joked about it:
Mirémoslo por el lado bueno: de la que se ha librado Jacinto xddddd
— Josep Maria Sempere (@kr3at0r) Mayo 24, 2014
Let's consider the good angle: no worries for Jacinto xddddd
@PeterLimVCF Ídolo Jacinto. Es capaz de llegar a Madrid esta noche y no poder entrar en su casa porque se ha dejado las llaves en Lisboa.
— Mr. Julio (@JulioSanchis10) Mayo 24, 2014
An idol Jacinto. More surely he will arrive to Madrid tonight and won't be able to get into his house, as he left his keys in Lisbon.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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“We Are Not Paying Enough Attention to Teenagers’ Health” · Global Voices
María-Angélica Marin-Lira

The latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the health of adolescents worldwide notes that :
The top 3 causes of adolescent deaths globally are road traffic injuries, HIV/AIDS, and suicide. Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 million adolescents died in 2012.
The report also adds that :
Mortality rate is higher for teenagers between the age of  15  and 19 that those between 10 and 14 years old. Although some causes of death are common to both sexes, young boys die at higher rate because of violence while giving birth as a teen is the main cause of death for young girls.
Some policies are suggested to better respond to the mental and overall health needs of adolescents. Dr Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General for Family, Women and Children’s Health, WHO states that  states that:
The world has not paid enough attention to the health of adolescents.

author: María-Angélica Marin-Lira


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What is Really Ailing France ? · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The inability of the French economy to rebound from the Euro zone crisis, the loss of corporate champions like Alstom and Arcelor and the forceful rise of the far right party (Front National) at the latest European elections [fr] are seen by many observers as tell-tale signs of the country’s relative decline. Yet Nicolas Véron at the economic Think Tank Bruegel argues that while France may have many issues to resolve, “an extinction of corporate champions is not one of them” :
The bid from GE, a leading US-headquartered conglomerate, over the power division of Alstom, a maker of turbines and trains, has prompted much soul-searching in France. [..] The description of mass corporate exodus fits a narrative of national decay. France’s exports are slumping. Except that on the specific issue of corporate champions, the story is not backed by the facts. Compared with the rest of the world and of Europe, France is not losing ground as headquarters location of major companies – if anything, the opposite is true [..] Strikingly, in less than two decades France has gained considerable ground in comparison with the two traditionally headquarters-rich EU countries, the UK and Netherlands, and even with Switzerland..

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Another “JetGate” Resignation in Bermuda · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

catch a fire blogs about the continuing political fallout over Bermuda's “JetGate” controversy.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Brazilian Colonel Found Dead A Month After Confessing to Torture · Global Voices
Fernanda Canofre

Colonel Paulo Malhães giving his deposition at the Brazilian National Truth Commission in March 2014. Photo by Marcelo Oliveira / ASCOM – CNV
[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages]
At the end of March, retired Colonel Paulo Malhães arrived at the building of the Brazilian National Truth Commission (CNV) sitting in a wheelchair and wearing sunglasses. He was about to begin one of the most powerful depositions to be heard so far on the country’s period of dictatorship, which endured from March 31, 1964 to March 15, 1985.
Just one month later, on April 25, 2014, the confessed torturer and killer was found dead. According to information released by the police, Malhães was held hostage by three men alongside his wife and an employee at his home in Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro.
The police are considering the theories of destroying files, vengeance and armed robbery – since the robbers made off with the colonel’s personal gun collection – as probable motives for the crime. The coroner's report pointed to death by natural causes. The family has already confirmed that Malhães, 76, suffered from a cardiac condition. The colonel's wife and his employee were left alive.
Still, the CNV asked that the federal police join in the investigation of the case.
Confess, but never regret
According to information published by Carta Capital magazine , during “private depositions” Malhães had testified that he feared for his life. The colonel refused to provide names of government agents who worked with him during the military regime, claiming that “he could not let slip the names because he would be putting his life at risk”.
At the depositions given to Sao Paulo’s State Truth Commission and to the National Truth Commission, Malhães confessed and described the practice of torture, murder and the disposal of bodies – which included removing dental arches and mutilating bodies to make identification more difficult. Last February, he took responsibility for the disappearance of the body of state deputy Rubens Paiva [en], a well-known case from the dictatorship era, but shortly after took back his testimony.
When asked how many people he had killed, the colonel coldly replied, “As many as were necessary”. Since the beginning of the CNV's mission in 2012, Malhães was the fifth agent to testify in front of a public audience, the second one to admit the recurrent practice of torture and the first one to confess his part in such crimes.
He never admitted regret. On the contrary, as soon as the hearing session began, he declared:
Como faço com tudo na vida, eu dei o melhor de mim naquela função. […] Eu cumpri o meu dever. Não me arrependo.
As I do with everything in life, I gave the very best of myself to this job. […] I fulfilled my duty. I don’t regret it.
‘Taking justice into your own hands’
Malhães’ death forced Brazil to see its dictatorship as an age that, perhaps, hasn't ended. It also gave rise to a debate about the criminals of the recent past who never faced punishment. The Amnesty Law, still in effect in the country, does not allow torturers to be brought to trial.
Blogger and activist Douglas Belchior – best know as Negro Belchior – said he felt sorry for the torturer’s death, recalling the wave of popular justice that spread throughout Brazilian cities at the beginning of 2014:
Foi acerto de contas por parte de grupos ligados a resistência à ditadura? Foi vingança por parte de família e amigos de algum torturado? Não acredito. É mais razoável imaginar que se trata de uma ação com a intenção de intimidar possíveis futuros delatores das atrocidades cometidas pelas forças oficiais do Estado durante os anos da repressão.
Mas, quero tratar aqui da mensagem que fica: A ideia da justiça feita pelas próprias mãos. Assassinatos, torturas, desaparecimentos e linchamentos cada vez mais frequentes e banalizados, a começar pela ação das polícias, cujos exemplos não faltam. E que agora se vê promovido por “populares”.
O discurso fascista se fortalece: “É a ausência da lei! Bandido faz o que quer e a população se sente desprotegida. A tendência é que façam justiça com as próprias mãos!”
Was it a settling of accounts undertaken by resistance groups related to the dictatorship? Was it revenge by a torture victim's family and friends? I don’t believe so. It is more reasonable to imagine that it is an action with the sole intention of intimidating possible whistleblowers of the future on the atrocities committed by official forces of the state during the years of repression.
But I want to talk here about the message that stays: the idea of taking justice into your own hands. Murders, torture, disappearances and lynching, more frequent each time and trivialized, beginning with police actions, of which we aren't lacking examples. And that now are promoted by the “people”.
The fascist discourse makes itself stronger: “It is the absence of law! The criminal does whatever he wants to do and the population feels unprotected. The tendency is to take justice into your own hands”.

author: Fernanda Canofre


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Should the Family and Friends of Terrorists in China Be Punished Too? · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

China has once again been hit by a violent attack targeting its civilians, prompting authorities to announce a crackdown on terrorism activities. More than 200 suspects have been arrested.
But for some, that isn't enough. Following the latest tragedy, some web users in China advocated for the collective punishment of terrorists’ families and associates to deter further attacks.
Thirty-nine people dead and about 90 people injured in an attack in Urumqi. Photo from Weibo via Boxun. Non-commercial use.
On Thursday, 22 May 2014, two vehicles drove through an open-air market and threw explosives in Urumqi, the capital of the western Chinese region of Xinjiang. Thirty-nine people were killed and around 90 people were injured, according to state media.
The police identified five suspects responsible for the attack, who all belong to the ethnic Muslim minority the Uighurs. The next day, Chinese authorities announced the launch of a yearlong crackdown on violent terrorist activities. President Xi Jinping called for the terrorists behind the attack to be “severely” punished.
Xinjiang has experienced a spate of attacks in recent years, with at least two happening in Urumqi. On 30 April 2014, a bomb hit the South Railway station of Urumqi, killing three people and wounding 79 others.
Since ethnic riots broke out in July 2009, leaving at least 197 people dead in Urumqi, violent attacks have begun to rise in frequency.
Chinese authorities put the blame on the Uighur separatists, including the attacks at railway stations in Kunming in March 2014 that killed 29, and have already stepped up security measures in Xinjiang. According to state media, more than 200 people were arrested and 23 extremist groups have been broken up this month. According to Xinhua agency, “many of the suspects were in their 20s and 30s and watched terror videos online to learn how to make explosives and other physical training.
Tian Shui police announced the yearlong crackdown against terrorism on their Sina Weibo account. Tian Shui is a small city in Gansu province.
China’s online community lamented the latest violence while also discussing the necessary punishments. In recent days, the “lianzuo” system (collective punishment) became the trending topic on Weibo. Lianzuo is an ancient tactic of Chinese governments. By putting several households into one unit, if any member of that unit commits a crime, all members of that unit would be subject to punishment. The word lianzuo, thus, reminds people of a form of authoritarianism that builds upon terror.
Wu Bihu (@吴必虎), a professor of tourism at Peking University, first brought up the issue and immediately heated up the discussion on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo:
极少数伊斯兰极端宗教分裂暴恐分子严重妨碍了包括维族群众在内的生存底线，我同意一些网友的意见，恐怖分子很难预防，不易清除。他們也不怕死，怎么办？連坐。其家屬、鄰居、所在清真寺的阿訇，應該連坐，因為他們理應承擔監視可能的死怖分子的責任。通過野蠻實現文明。
Very few Islam extremists and terrorists are severely deteriorating the living standards of the Uighurs. I support some netizens’ opinion that it is very difficult to prevent and eradicate terrorism. They are not afraid of death, what can be done? Lianzou. Their families, their neighbors, and the monks at the Muslim temples should be collectively punished. Because they should be responsible for monitoring the terrorists. Civilization has to be achieved through barbarism.
Although he later apologized for his misuse of the word “lianzuo” and deleted the original Weibo post, many other netizens responded.
Famous critic and writer Lian Yue (@连岳) replied:
杀人偿命，天经地义，主张宽恕欠下人命的恐怖分子，那是伪善。但鼓吹连坐，指望以屠杀无辜反恐，这是抱油救火，还不如伪善。
It’s given that the killers must pay for their crimes. And it’s hypocritical to advocate forgiveness for the terrorist. But to advocate for “lianzuo”, to depend on killing the innocent to crack down on terrorism, is like saving the fire with oil, which is even worse than the hypocrisy.
User @lalunazhan suggested that “lianzuo” should be first applied to another sever issue – corruption:
如果反恐要实行连坐的话，建议先从反腐连坐试行，提拔的领导，直属上级，家属等都连坐。
If lianzuo is applied to counter-terrorism, I suggest that we should begin it with anti-corruption. The embezzler’s family members, the promoted subordinates, and his direct superiors shall all be punished.
In contrast, those who live in Xinjiang are more likely to support the ‘lianzuo” system. Qian Quiren (@千求人) said:
疆乱不等同身受基本没有发言权，连坐只是借鉴俄罗斯普京的一些事实证明有效的反恐经验，何罪之有，来新疆生活几年再发言.
Those who didn’t suffer the terrorism have no say in the matter. “Lianzuo” is the anti-terrorism experience that has been proved to be effective, learning from Russia and Putin. Why bother to criticize it? Come and live in Xinjiang for several years and then speak.
Another user, “@n919″ (@优雅的诗意), who also lives in Xinjiang, echoed Professor Su’s “lianzuo” policy:
苏教授的连坐政策未尝不可，新疆维族人法律意识淡泊，家族观念很重，每个家庭成员对家庭中其他成员的行为负有不可推卸的责任
Professors “lianzuo” policy is not impossible. Uighurs in Xinjiang have less awareness of the law, but they are big about their family. Everyone is responsible for the behavior of other family members.
Compared with the overwhelming anger, sadness and blessings that swept social media after the Kunming attack in March, the latest attack received less attention from netizens throughout China than from the Han Chinese who are living or used to live in Xinjiang.
The Xinjiang autonomous region is located in China's far west and is home to 8 million Han Chinese and 10 million Uighurs. Most Uighurs are Muslim and Islam is an important part of their life, culture and identity. The tension between Han Chinese and Uighurs has escalated in recent years, with the target of attacks shifting to civilians.

author: Gloria Wong


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Creating Biogas from Water Hyacinth · Global Voices
Rezwan

Water hyacinth (water weed) is a menace in Bangladesh which restricts water flow and blocks sunlight in rivers and ponds contributing to contamination and killing of fish. Instead of spending much in removing or eradicating them they can be used for a good cause. Kristin Boekhoff at Panigram blog informs about an innovation in Jessore, Bangladesh which will be the first commercially operating biogas reactor running off of water hyacinth in the world.

author: Rezwan


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Guatemala: Violent Eviction of the La Puya Peaceful Mining Resistance · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

The blog MiMundo.org, by James Rodriguez, writes about the eviction that took place in La Puya, San Pedro Ayampuc and San José del Golfo, in Guatemala:
After two years and two months of peacefully blocking the entrance to U.S.-based Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA) El Tambor gold mine, local residents of San Jose del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc were violently evicted by Guatemalan Police forces in order to introduce heavy machinery inside the industrial site. Led by the local women, members of the La Puya resistance prayed and sang until they were faced with tear gas. Numerous locals were injured and detained.
He also posts pictures of the events that took place during the eviction.


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Driven by Facebook Rumors, Violent Mob Murders Brazilian Woman · Global Voices
Fernanda Canofre

All links lead to pages in Portuguese, except when otherwise noted.
Fabiane Maria de Jesus, a mother of two, died at the hands of a lynch mob driven by a series of vicious online rumors. Investigations of the events that led to her death suggest that while potent, the rumors were mostly false.
Saturday, May 3, Fabiane was returning home in the Morrinhos neighborhood of outer Guaruja, a city on the southern coast of Brazil. The 33-year-old housewife, mother of two daughters — one twelve years old, the other just a baby — suffered from bipolar disorder, but was able to manage the illness with medical treatment. While on her way back to her church, where she'd left behind her bible after the morning's service, a group of roughly one hundred people attacked her. Her hands bound together with a piece of wire, for the next two hours she was beaten and dragged through the streets. Rescued by police, two days after the attack, Fabiane died.
Fabiane Maria de Jesus, the housewife murdered in Guarujá, Brazil. Fonte: Wikipédia
Driving the collective rage was a rumor about the existence of a woman who was allegedly kidnapping children in the region to use them in witchery rituals. Alerts about the woman had been published on the Facebook page Guarujá Alerta (Guaruja Alert) – a profile that publishes services and news related to the police sector. Just days before the attack, the page, which has more than 24,000 followers, featured a police sketch of the assumed kidnapper.
Yet the same Facebook page had also reported that local police had no registers of children who went missing or kidnapped. But it was already too late. The tale of the child kidnapper was already circulating online and had led to a hunt through the city. The police sketch disseminated by the Facebook profile was made by Rio de Janeiro's police back in 2012, during the investigation of a case about a woman who tried to steal a baby from its mother. A month before Fabiane was killed, the same sketch appeared in Recife, Pernambuco, related to the suspect of another child kidnapping case. Like the rest of her family, Fabiane was born and lived in Morrinhos for her entire life. Anyone looking at the facts could see that she was targeted in error. But this was not enough to stop her death, another in a series of lynchings that have taken place in the country since the beginning of the year, as reported by Global Voices.
“It's nobody’s fault! It's the Internet’s fault!”
Screen shot of one of the videos that has circulated through the web.
With the help of videos recorded during the lynching, police managed to identify six suspects in the incident. According to A Tarde newspaper, a group of friends of one of the suspects united to protest across the police department, yelled:
Quer prender todo mundo? A culpa é de todo mundo! A culpa é de ninguém! A culpa é da internet!
Do you want to arrest everybody? It’s everybody’s fault! It’s nobody’s fault! It’s the internet’s fault!
Online, users criticized the Facebook profile that posted the erroneous reports. Users accused the page’s administrators of being “as guilty as those who had beaten and killed her” and having “their hands dirty with blood.” The person responsible for Guaruja Alerta deposed for the police and said he was available to offer anything necessary to help with the investigations, but he also claimed “not having any responsibility” in the episode. Neverthless, as written by Luiz Francisco Carvalho in an article about Fabiane’s murder:
O caso do Guarujá mostra que a internet potencializa a reação histérica de massas. A repulsa eventual e a punição de um ou outro envolvido não são capazes de conter a epidemia.
Guaruja’s case shows that the internet potentializes the hysterical reaction of the masses. The eventual repulse and punishment of one or other individual involved are not capable of stopping the epidemic.
The impact of traditional media reporting on such incidents has been a hot topic for discussion in recent months. As Marcelo Freixo, state deputy from Rio de Janeiro, wrote in his Facebook:
Maior é a responsabilidade daqueles que usam seus espaços privilegiados de fala, como programas de TV, para incentivar e, em certa medida, legitimar esses atos bárbaros. Foi o que ocorreu quando moradores do Flamengo agrediram e prenderam um adolescente negro a um poste, em fevereiro deste ano.
Greater is the responsibility of those who use their privileged space of speech, as TV shows, to encourage and, in a certain measure, to legitimate these barbarian acts. That is what happened when residents from Flamengo (neighborhood) pummeled and tied an afro-descendant teenager to a pole, in February of this year.
In February, Rachel Sheherazade, a newscast anchor, was notified by the Public Ministry, for saying on national television that the justice acts performed with one’s own hands were “understandable” – referring to the case of a minor tied up to a street pole [en] in Rio, last February. For the professor of Communications at the University of São Paulo (USP), Eugênio Bucci:
A imprensa é uma instituição que busca não difundir, mas investigar os boatos, a partir de uma postura crítica. A imprensa, sim, pode e deve ser cobrada quando desobedece a esse imperativo. As redes sociais não têm esse compromisso. É claro que o aprendizado social com o uso das novas tecnologias imprimirá às redes uma série de novos cuidados. Elas tenderão a ser passíveis de responsabilizações, e tenderão a ter de observar parâmetros que talvez as aproximem um pouco da ética da imprensa, mas ainda estamos muito longe disso. Ainda vivemos um tempo em que muita gente toma por verdade comprovada qualquer tolice que apareça numa tela eletrônica. Mais ainda: no Brasil, vivemos um tempo em que as pessoas premidas por demandas mais dramáticas estão deixando de acreditar nas instituições, na justiça, no bem comum, no poder público. O ódio e a pressa, juntos, produzem o caos.
The press is an institution that seeks not to publicize, but to investigate the rumors from a critical posture. The press, yes, may and should be charged when disobeys this imperative. The social networks do not have this commitment. It is obvious that the social learning with the usage of new technologies will print into the web a series of cautions. They will have a tendency to be passive of responsibilities, and will tend to have to watch parameters that maybe put them closer to press’ ethics, but we are still far from that. We are still living an age when many people take for granted any non-sense appearing in an electronic screen. More than that: in Brazil, we live in an age when people pressed by the most dramatic demands do no longer trust the institutions, justice, common welfare, the public power. The hate and the hurry, together, can produce chaos.
Beyond the rage
Fabiane was innocent of a crime that may never have been committed, but, as asked by the newspaper El Pais: “what if she was guilty?” Would the barbaric way in which she was killed still shock the country? A week after Fabiane’s death, a 26-year-old beautician was tortured and murdered by a group of men, also in Sao Paulo. Early accounts suggested that the attack was triggered by the victim allegedly having stolen a pack of cookies. Later, one of the suspects said she had stolen 27 thousand reais –- around US $12,000 -– from his house. Deaths by lynching in the typically impoverished outskirts of urban areas in Brazil are leading to a series of reflections about the country’s actual portrait. To the researcher Ariadne Natal, from the Nucleus of Violence Studies, from the University of Sao Paulo:
não é qualquer pessoa que pode ser desumanizada e, portanto, linchada. As potenciais vítimas de linchamento carregam consigo a marca daquele que pode, em última análise, ser eliminado.
not any person can be dehumanized and, therefore, lynched. The potential lynching victims carry with them the stigma of those who can, ultimately, be eliminated.
This indicates that a certain social class is uniquely vulnerable to the problem. Within the middle class, who also commit crimes, there is “a more efficient system of protection,” Natal points out. While the whole country tries to make some sense of these tragedies, the failure of democratic structures is also behind such actions. Ariadne notes:
Numa democracia, o que se espera é que as pessoas se mobilizem para melhorar as instituições e não para fazer justiça de forma sumária, sem dar aos suspeitos o direito à defesa. E, com isso, no afã de tentar fazer uma suposta justiça, comete-se grandes injustiças. E mesmo que a vítima tenha de fato cometido algum crime, isso não diminui o aspecto lamentável de um linchamento.
In a democracy, what one expects is that people mobilize to make the institutions better and not to make justice in a summary way, without given the suspects the right to defense. And, with that, willing of trying to do a supposed justice, one commits great injustices. And even if the victim has indeed committed some kind of crime, this does not diminish the lamentable aspect of a lynching.


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Jamaica Blog Day: Environment or Development?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The 2014 Jamaica Blog Action Day logo, image courtesy the event.
The second annual Jamaica Blog Day took place on May 23, symbolic because the date commemorates a pivotal moment in Jamaican history: four years ago, then-Prime Minister Bruce Golding declared a state of emergency in the island nation. The inaugural Blog Action Day focused on police and state security abuses out of respect for those that were killed during that difficult time – and the tradition of speaking out about important issues has endured from that first online bloggers’ forum. This year's theme was “Environment vs. Development”. According to the event's organisers:
The issue of our environment and development is a live one: from the near yearlong vigorous debate about the use of Goat Islands and the Portland Bight Protected Area for a Logistics Hub, to residents in Falmouth speaking up, again, about the damage a heralded pier has done to their communities, to drought that yet again grips the island and many Jamaicans choking on toxic smoke from the Riverton City Dump. Economists, politicians, environmentalists, businesspeople, the media, and ‘ordinary’ Jamaicans on The Rock or in the Diaspora are all debating how Jamaica…should manage the environment in the quest for development.
As usual, bloggers were not given any directives on how they should address the topic. The organisers’ statement continued:
As Jamaica faces a number of tough major decisions on coal fired plants, a new dam in the Bog Walk Gorge, mining for so-called rare earth elements, and – still – whether we should allow the Chinese government to lead the development of the Logistics Hub in a Protected Area, it is fitting that Jamaican bloggers will take an active role in helping to inform this debate.
The posts on Ja Blog Day are intended to be a campaign for raising awareness and more thoughtful action about Jamaica’s environment.
Cucumber Juice, one of the blogs closely associated with the event, took the lead in discussing the issue. She couldn't get the concept of dignity out of her head:
I recall images I have seen of folks like them.  Their livelihoods seem so carelessly considered. But, worse, their dignity is decidedly and perhaps deliberately ignored. They are the fisherfolk who are told, though not directly or with any real assurance, that once the Hub is built, there will be low-skilled jobs available for them.
Some fisherfolk may indeed choose to take these jobs, considering the choice a step ‘up’ and ‘progress'…but I expect that many may pause and wonder how it is that their workplace is being commandeered, and that many will mourn the loss of its beauty and the opportunities it provided or them.  So, I am bothered: what of their dignity and of the dignity of their work? What of their sense of self and self-worth possibly derived from at working for themselves? We parrot and pontificate about entrepreneurship but, it seems, only one kind of entrepreneurship will do.
The blogger, Alice Clare, went on:
I do not romanticize fishing work – nor do I romanticize poverty – it is an unnatural state for any human to live in, and too many Jamaicans live in it.  So it is not sentimentally that drives my discomfort.  Instead, it is a profound weighty feeling that we are losing something more than a Protected Area and more than access to and control over our blessed natural beauty.  The weighty feeling is one of dread as we discard our dignity. The loss of dignity seems a first and dangerous step.
The fisherfolk being told, quite condescendingly, that their livelihoods must be abandoned to be replaced by an ill-defined development seems to me to also communicate the pernicious message that they are worth nothing more than the labour that they can provide.
There is plenty of time – relatively speaking – to go over the tug of war between environment and development. But, this? This idea of dignity – our dignity – is fundamental.
Her thoughts were echoed by other JA Blog Day participants. On Twitter, @techno shared his view:
@JaBlogDay @Dremaican we forget that development should always aim to have a big & dare I say positive effect on all walks of society
— d'architect (@atechno) May 24, 2014
Constructed Thoughts countered that the issue was not black and white:
This year we are called upon to examine the debate between environmental preservation and development. This theme is particularly relevant in light of the government’s stated intention to develop a port and logistics hub in the Portland Bight Protected Area. Predictably, an overwhelming amount of Jamaicans are suddenly environmentalists, decrying the government as greedy, short sighted and any other emotionally charged description that will grab a headline. I’m particularly concerned that most, if not all, the arguments coming from our recently converted environmentalists are emotionally charged. There is a kind of reckless refusal to accept that the extraordinary economic challenges we face as a country necessitates an extraordinary response.
When we advocate for saving the environment, who are we saving it for? And if your cheeky answer goes something like ‘future generations’, I want to know what happens to the present generation. What happens to the need for investment, job creation, and poverty alleviation? Isn’t it true that in furtherance of our own survival we must exploit the natural resources available to us? Do we forego the estimated US$1.5 billion investment to save frogs, birds and fish? What of the expected three thousand jobs expected duration the construction phase and the 15,000 permanent well-paying jobs that will be created? Is it reasonable to ask the government to choose to protect flora and fauna at the expense of people’s economic lives?
Many environmentalists have argued that sustainable development demands that we protect the environment, while seeking out alternative strategies for economic development. Those who subscribe to the vague and imprecise concept of ‘sustainable development’, must explain how it addresses the 12% unemployment rate plaguing the country, they have a responsibility to explain how ‘environmentally friendly’ activities, and I’m assuming we are thinking of careers in fishing or some kind of craftsmanship, will move our country from a struggling third world economy to one which can adequately meet the needs of a modern population.
Cucumber Juice tackled the stance of the current government when it comes to development:
Prime Minister Simpson-Miller has essentially said that she’s interested in ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ and she’s ‘working, working, working’ to bring them to Jamaica for Jamaicans, and so unless you have some money to facilitate that goal, don’t talk to her. This is what I hear: we have sold ourselves…
It is not that I mean we should never court investment or never transform our country’s landscape or that our natural environment should never be touched or transformed in certain ways; that is Utopian and impractical. But I am very concerned about the mindless soulless pursuit of ‘progress’ and ‘development’ that frames our decisions.  These are not just difficult decisions, they are ones that will truly shape our destiny as a country, and, more importantly, as a nation; the decisions define who we are as a people.
The apparent loss of our dignity, given willingly to the highest bidder, is even more striking and troubling to me because time and time and time again I sense that too many Jamaicans do not believe that they deserve better. I think that, at least, we can demand that our fellow citizens are treated humanely and not as mere collateral damage.
Other bloggers also longed for a win/win situation. @Kellykathrin submitted a post that suggested:
In my mind both [environment and development] must be protected and fostered if we are truly going to be able to live in a country that lives up to its promise and stewards its gifts effectively.
Another participant examined the definition of “development” and how discussion about it on a national level is handled:
Development may change its definition depending on who you ask. The urban planner, the housing contractor, the government official- might have overlapping views…but where visions don’t overlap— and there are many such spaces—is a chasm of wills nowhere greater evidenced than in the battle between the economy and the environment.
We falsely perceive an angry environmental lobby that is anti-development, anti-jobs and therefore anti-growth on the one hand. While on the other we discern a molasses-paced government fraught with the challenge of moving a national economy towards measurable growth that has tangible impact in people’s lives. We project a rubric that says ‘Environment OR Development’. But the gloves-are-off combative approach to the national conversation on how to reconcile  environmental and economic goals is a dangerous one that does not engage the plethora of ways that an environmental agenda is essential to the economic agenda and vice versa.
You can read all the posts for the 2014 Jamaica Blog Day here, and check out the event's Twitter feed, here.


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Macau: 3,000 Surround Legislative Council To Stop the “Bill of Greeds” · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

More than 3,000 protesters sit outside the Macau Legislative Council calling for the withdrawal of the out-going top official compensation bill, which is also known as “bill of greeds and privileges”. Photo from All about Macau Facebook Page. Non-commercial use.
More information see GV's previous report.


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Remembering the Lima Football Tragedy, 50 Years On · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Lima National Stadium, May 24, 1964. Image via Flickr user leondeurgel. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Fifty years ago, Peru's National Stadium in Lima became the site of what is today considered the worst tragedy to ever happen at a football stadium, during which 320 people were killed and 500 were wounded.
On May 24, 1964, Argentina's national team was winning 1-0 in a qualifying match for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Just two minutes before the end, the Peruvian team scored a goal to tie, but Uruguayan referee Angel Eduardo Pazos disallowed it. This decision enraged fans, and Víctor Vásquez, known as “Negro Bomba” (Black Bomb), jumped onto the filed. Many other fans followed him, with the intention of attacking the referee. In turn, police officers released dogs, who jumped on the fans.
Supporters of both teams who minutes before were peacefully watching the game began to fight with sticks and blades. In an attempt to control the situation, police threw tear gas. Hundreds tried to flee the stadium away from the gas, but the doors in the north gallery were closed, trapping people inside. Police had, in fact, closed them to try to persuade the spectators to calm down and go back to their seats.
Cover of Argentinian sports magazine El Gráfico. Image on Flickr by user leondeurgel. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Víctor Vásquez was arrested two days later. Another leading player in the tragedy, police commander Jorge de Azambuja, said later, “I ordered tear gas bombs to be thrown into the galleries. I can't say how many. I could have never imagined the terrible consequences.” There was no punishment for Commander Azambuja nor referee Pazos, who continued working in Uruguay.
The cause of death for many of the victims was internal bleeding or suffocation, almost all of them in the stairwells. Those who stayed inside the stadium were saved. On nearby streets, houses and businesses were destroyed.
The Curiosidades del fútbol (Curiosities about football) blog offered details [es] about what happened that day:
El árbitro uruguayo Angel Eduardo Pazos había concedido el gol en primera instancia,pero ante las reclamaciones airadas de Perfumo lo había invalidado.La grada peruana estaba en plena ebullición ante el desenlace de aquella jugada.Es a partir de aquí cuando comienza toda la desgracia.
Uruguayan referee Angel Eduardo Pazos had said the goal was good at first, but following irate claims from [Argentinian Roberto] Perfumo, he disallowed it. The Peruvian gallery was up in arms after that decision. From here, the whole disgraceful thing began.
Meanwhile, the blog Jorge de Jesús Kbdto [es] shared how Héctor Chumpitaz recalled it. Chumpitaz was a Peruvian football player who was part of the national team that day at the National Stadium:
Regresando hacia nuestro lugar de concentración íbamos escuchando la radio y hablaban de 10, 20, 30 muertos. Cada vez que salían las noticias el número aumentaba: 50 muertos, 150, 200, 300, 350….
Después que llegamos a los vestuarios hubo personas que salieron y cuando regresaron nos contaron que había dos muertos. ¿Dos muertos?, preguntamos, pensando que uno ya hubiera sido demasiado.
As we returned to our pre-game meeting place, we were listening to the radio and they were mentioning 10, 20, 30 fatalities. Each time news were broadcast, the number kept going up: 50 dead, 150, 200, 300, 350….
After we arrived at the lockers, there were people who went out and told us there were two dead. Two dead? we asked, thinking that one would have been too many.
The blog Historia, tradición y fútbol [es] listd other incidents that happened at the same stadium and analyzed the causes of the events on May 24, 1964:
Para entender la tragedia, no debe recurrirse exclusivamente a factores netamente futbolísticos o deportivos –como el error humano de tener cerradas las puertas de acceso al estadio, el fanatismo del embriagado Víctor Matías Campos Vásquez, alias “negro Bomba”, o las desacertadas medidas policiales de arrojar gases lacrimógenos a las tribunas Oriente y Norte. Hubo otros factores que explican la descomunal cantidad de muertos y se encuentran más allá de lo meramente futbolístico.
To understand the tragedy, we should not focus exclusively on purely football or sports factors – take the human error of having closed the entrance doors, the fanaticism of inebriated Víctor Matías Campos Vásquez, aka “negro Bomba”, or the unwise measures of the police, such as throwing tear gas at the east and north galleries. There were other factors that explain the huge number of fatalities that go beyond purely football issues.
On Twitter, there were many users who remembered the date, and shared images and reflections:
RT @DTElComercio: Así informó la prensa la tragedia del Estadio Nacional ► http://t.co/93ifu5giux pic.twitter.com/lu5yS4R7cX
— Revista Somos (@SomosElComercio) Mayo 24, 2014
This is how the press reported on the tragedy at the National Stadium.
Habla sobreviviente de la tragedia en el Estadio Nacional (VIDEO) http://t.co/OUniyWpRIR
— Diario Correo (@diariocorreo) Mayo 24, 2014
Testimony by a survivor of the tragedy at the National Stadium (VIDEO)
Así informó la prensa la tragedia del Estadio Nacional: El 24 de mayo de 1964 se dio el lamentable … http://t.co/bvXEAIQ31W ecp #Perú
— Perú News (@PeruNews) Mayo 24, 2014
This is how the press reported the tragedy at the National Stadium: On May 24, 1964, the regrettable…
Hoy se cumplen 50 años de tragedia del Estadio Nacional. Y parece que no aprendemos de nuestros errores. Dile NO a la violencia en el fútbol
— vicente cisneros (@vicentgol) Mayo 24, 2014
Today we mark 50 years since the tragedy at the National Stadium. And it seems we don't learn from our mistakes. Say NO to violence in football.
Verguenza #Peru gobierno alquilo estadio nacional hoy pa concierto d salsa mismo dia de 50 aniversario d mayor tragedia futbol:320 muertos
— luis jaime cisneros (@ljcisneros) Mayo 25, 2014
Shame! Peru government rented the National Stadium today for a salsa concert, on the same day of the 50 anniversary of our biggest football tragedy: 320 killed.


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Ukraine War in Real Time · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

A Ukrainian military helicopter flying over Ukrainian regular troops in the Donetsk region. YouTube screenshot.
On May 25, 2014 Ukraine held snap elections for president. Billionaire Petr Poroshenko was elected in the first round, with over 50% of the vote. However, the situation on the ground in Eastern Ukraine remained dire throughout the electoral weekend, and only shows signs of escalating. The violence is playing out on social networks, as has been the case for the last few weeks. However, last Friday, it became even more viscerally evident on the Facebook account of one of the cyber-punk, post-state, viral-citizen-armies operating in the region.
Semyon Semyonchenko, the leader of the “Donbass Battalion,”  a volunteer paramilitary organization, ostensibly crowd-funded by regular Ukrainians, has been publishing situation reports on his Facebook account (much like the leader of the Slavyansk separatists, Igor Strelkov, publishes dispatches through a LiveJournal blog). On Friday, Semyonchenko made several updates over the phone, starting with this one:
Только что в районе с.Карловки Донецкой области батальон “Донбасс” попал в засаду. Принял бой. Против батальон работают автоматчики, снайпера и РПГ. Есть раненые. Отойти не можем, потому, что часть людей находится в окружении. Просим подмоги находящихся поблизости воинских частей.
Just now, around the village of Karlovka, Donetsk Region, the Donbass battalion was ambushed. Battle was joined. The enemy is using assault rifles, snipers and rocket propelled grenades. There are wounded. We can't retreat because some of our people are surrounded. We request support from nearby military forces.
One commenter responded:
Это жесть просить подмоги на фб, а что нет штаба, где координируются все передвижения? Удачи вам!
This is hardcore, to ask for support on FB, is there no HQ where all the movements are coordinated? Good luck!
Lack of a unified command has been the Achilles heel of the Ukrainian irregular troops volunteering to help with the “Anti-Terrorist Operation” in Eastern Ukraine. The separatists have been able to leverage this into stalemates and victories, even while lacking air-support. Shortly after the first post came an update, asking for an Armored Personnel Carrier and claiming that all attempts to contact local Ukrainian military for help were ignored by the powers that be. Another update requesting an APC came two hours later, after the main part of the “battalion” escaped the ambush, in order to retrieve troops that were surrounded and besieged in an abandoned building. Russian bloggers later reported that Semyonchenko himself was taken prisoner, along with a number of other “Donbass” troops, something that he later refuted.
After the election, on May 26, Semyonchenko gave a full situation report of the battle on his Facebook. In the end of a 5 hour fire-fight, “Donbass” lost 5 people dead, and 6 wounded out of a squad of 25. As has become all to common with such reports, claims of enemy casualties were higher — 11 dead, and 6 wounded, out of 100 enemy troops. (Separatist commander Igor Strelkov also regularly claims higher enemy casualties.) It is unclear where Semyonchenko got these numbers, or the information that the “Vostok Battalion” “Donbass” was supposedly fighting is staffed with “Chechen commandos.” However, war-time propaganda is war-time propaganda, especially on Facebook. Semyonchenko ended his post claiming victory:
Легко вооруженное гражданское ополчение жителей Донецкой области – батальон “Донбасс”, без всякой поддержки со стороны госструктур, нанес значительный урон вооруженным до зубов, прошедшему спецподготовку подразделению террористов.
A lightly armed civilian militia of the Donetsk region people – the Donbass battalion, operating without any government support, did considerable damage to a heavily armed detachment of terrorists who have received special training.
It appears that whoever is in charge of the separatist “Vostok” battalion — a confusion-inspiring name that begets comparisons with a long-disbanded battalion of Chechen special forces — they do not answer to Igor Strelkov in Slavyansk. At least, he did not comment on the fire-fight in his situation reports for that day. (He did, however, make the news this weekend in a different fashion — ordering the execution of two separatist militia members for “marauding.” A copy of his order, where he appeals to a World War II-era Soviet regulation for authority, surfaced online. Strelkov confirmed its authenticity.) According to some Russian analysts, Vostok could be a militia controlled (funded) by billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, who has vocally spoken out against Eastern Ukraine independence. In most recent news “Vostok” was fighting with regular Ukrainian forces for an airfield in the city of Donetsk, but in this fog of war, with multiple militias patrolling the countryside, this could mean anything. One thing is clear, the elections have magically made the Easter Ukraine problem go away.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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“Why Edward Snowden Wishes He’d Sought Asylum in Poland” · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

The Polish vodka Sobieski states in its website that vodka's “birthplace was in Poland” and not in Russia, as many believe. However what draws attention to the product is the use of whistleblower Edward Snowden in its new advertising campaign. Last year, Snowden revealed the U.S. National Security Agency's (NSA) massive electronic surveillance system.
The author of this article captured the following images in New York's SoHo neighborhood. The ad says: “Why Edward Snowden wishes he'd sought asylum in Poland”:
Our Global Voices colleague Jillian C. York also captured the irreverent campaign:
hahah RT @jilliancyork: Why Edward Snowden wishes he’d sought asylum in Poland. pic.twitter.com/tDUPlUdwhC
— Raza Rumi (@Razarumi) May 22, 2014
The funny thing is that, as stated in the ad, Edward Snowden had in fact sought political asylum in Poland, but Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on his Twitter account that “he will not give a positive recommendation.”
Snowden became famous about a year ago for his disclosures on how the NSA used global surveillance methods under the PRISM programs to collect billions of personal records. Since then, Snowden has sparked a global diplomatic storm and has been labeled a hero and a traitor by his supporters and opponents.
Snowden will make news again after agreeing to an exclusive interview with Brian Williams, host of NBC News, from Moscow. The interview will be broadcasted on Wednesday, May 28.

author: Robert Valencia


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What Happens When a Muslim, Jew, Christian, Atheist and Agnostic Travel the World Together? · Global Voices
Elise Lecamp

Victor, Josselin, Samuel, Ilan and Ismael are atheist, agnostic, Christian, Jewish and Muslim, in that order. With religious tolerance in mind, the five twenty-something French students, decided to travel across the world from July 2013 to June 2014 for their Interfaith Tour. The goal? To raise awareness of the many interfaith projects already out there making a difference.
Here's a trailer of the project:
In French-language interviews with Global Voices, the group offered details on the project and described their experiences along the way.
Global Voices (GV): After your journey around the world, you have now begun a tour of France to share your experiences. How has the project been received in France so far?
Victor (athée): Notre accueil en France a été très bon. Même meilleur que ce qu’on aurait pu penser. Les gens en France s’intéressent à l’inter-religieux et à la dimension internationale et sociale qu’on lui donne. Beaucoup de personnes viennent nous voir à la fin de nos interventions ou conférences et nous remercient, émus, du travail effectué pendant ce tour du monde et de l’espoir que ça leur donne. L’impact journalistique est également impressionnant. La rédaction d’un grand quotidien français nous a appelé pour nous expliquer que l’article relatant notre voyage sur leur page Facebook avait été le plus partagé et commenté depuis 2 ans, devant ceux sur Barack Obama ou François Hollande.
Victor (atheist): The tour was well received in France, better than we imagined. People in France are interested in inter-religious topics and the international component that we provided. Many people come to see us at the end of our talk to thank us, they were moved by the work we achieved during this tour and the hope it gives them. The impact in the media was also quite impressive. A French daily newspaper called us to tell us that the article about our trip on their Facebook page was the most shared and commented of the past two years, ahead of articles about Barack Obama or François Hollande.
The five team members of the InterFaith Tour. Used with permission
GV: Long trips and close quarters with others often lead to self-introspection and additional personal changes. Has your view of your faith evolved during the trip? If so, how?
Josselin (agnostique): Ma foi n’a pas évolué, même si elle a été remise en question, parfois. Ma situation particulière d’agnostique dans le projet a fait souvent croire aux gens que j’étais en recherche d’une religion mais ce n’était pas du tout cela. J’ai été renforcé dans mon agnosticisme, puisque je crois en Dieu, où en tout cas à ce que j’appelle Dieu, sans me reconnaître dans aucune religion, ni pratiques confessionnelles particulières. Après ce voyage je suis d’autant plus convaincu que nous avons tous le même Dieu et que Chrétiens et Musulmans, par exemple, empruntent simplement un chemin différent pour atteindre Dieu.
Josselin (agnostic): My faith has not changed, although it has been questioned at times. Because of my particular belief, agnostic, within the scope of the project, people often believed that I was looking for a religion to adopt, but it was not like that at all. The tour, in fact, strengthened my agnosticism because I believe in God, or in this case the being I call God, without seeing myself belonging to any religion or current religious practices. After this trip, I am even more convinced that we all have the same God and that for instance, Christians and Muslims simply take different paths to reach God.
Samuel (chrétien): Ma foi chrétienne est intrinsèquement en mouvement puisque elle est une relation. Elle bouge, se meut, évolue. Un déplacement autour du monde est forcément l’occasion d’un déplacement intérieur. Je n’ai pas trop souffert de remises en questions radicales à l’exception des trois mois en Asie de décembre à février, de Bombay à Jakarta en passant par Tokyo, Pékin et Kuala Lumpur. Cette région du monde est un désert des communautés chrétiennes et il peut s’avérer difficile de ne pas se sentir seul. Ce sont des grands moments de pauvreté qui m’ont permis d’enraciner ma foi dans la bonne terre, celle qui n’a pas besoin d’un contexte favorable pour porter du fruit.
Samuel (Christian): My Christian faith is always evolving because it is a relationship. It changes, mutates, evolves. Traveling around the world is always an opportunity for internal change. I have not been subjected to too much radical questioning with the exception of three months in Asia from December to February, from Mumbai to Jakarta to Tokyo, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. This region is a desert of Christian communities and it can be difficult not to feel alone. These are great moments of poverty that allowed me to root my faith in the good soil, which does not require a favorable context to bear fruit.
Ilan (juif): Dans la Torah, il est dit VéAhavta IreHa KamoHa (Tu aimeras ton prochain comme toi-même). Ce commandement, base de la vie en société, a guidé mon tour du monde. Constant aller-retour entre l’Entre-soi et l’Autre, qui s’alimente au gré des expériences de vie. A travers la rencontre avec l’Autre, j’ai renforcé mon appartenance au peuple juif, à son histoire singulière et à ses valeurs universelles. Le voyage a fini de me « convertir » à la fraternité sans pour autant oublier, à aucun moment, qui je suis et d’où je viens. Ce postulat – questionnement de soi et approfondissement de son identité – me semble être fondamental quand on se projette dans des rencontres, aussi belles et enrichissantes soient-elles.
Ilan (Jewish): The Torah says “VéAhavta IreHa KamoHa” (Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself). This command is the foundation of life in society and it has guided me throughout the tour. The constant back and forth between our inner-selves and others has fed my life experiences. Through encounters with the Other, I reinforced my sense of belonging to the Jewish community, its unique history and its universal values. The trip has definitely “converted” me to this brotherhood but I never forgot who I am and where I come from. This dual action – self-doubt and identity reinforcement – seems fundamental to me when we project ourselves when we meet other people. This action is independent of how beautiful and rewarding the meetings with others are.
Ismael (musulman): Je ne sais pas si on peut parler d’évolution dans ma foi mais une chose est sûre c’est que ce voyage m’a ouvert au monde, bien plus que je le pensais. On a souvent parlé d’inter-religieux pendant ce tour et durant les deux ans de mon adhésion à Coexister et en tant que musulman j’étais toujours ravi de travailler avec des personnes de confessions différentes mais pour ce qui est des personnes de ma communauté, j’entends par là les musulmans d’autres obédiences que les sunnites, je n’étais pas fermé mais très méfiant. Et pendant ce tour j’ai eu l’occasion de voir à quel point la communauté musulmane mondiale était divisée et à quel point il était urgent pour moi de m’impliquer autant dans l’intra-religieux que dans l’inter-religieux mais je garde espoir car je me souviendrais toute ma vie ou après la prière du vendredi dans la grande mosquées de Mascate en Oman j’ai pu sans le savoir au début de la prière, prier avec un ibadite et un chi’ite à mes côtés et donc me conforter dans l’idée que lorsqu’ on veut créer du vivre ensemble on peut toujours trouver des personnes prêtes à nous aider.
Ismael (Muslim): I am not sure if I'd say that my faith has evolved, but one thing is for sure: This trip has opened my world much more than I thought. We often talked about inter-religious themes during this tour and during my two years as a member of the Coexist Association. As a Muslim, I was always happy to work with people of different faiths.  However, with people in my own community, and by that I mean Muslims from other denominations than Sunnis, I was not as open and a bit suspicious. During this tour, I had the opportunity to see how the global Muslim community was divided and how urgent it was for me to get involved in both the intra-religious and the inter-religious aspect of our work. But I have hope that we can do better because I will always remember that day after a Friday prayer at the great mosques of Muscat in Oman when  I unknowingly prayed next to an Ibadi and a Shiite by my side.  That day reinforced my belief that when we want to live together, we can always find people willing to help us in that endeavor.
Victor: J’ai été renforcé dans mon approche du monde, mais aussi dans la conviction qu’il est nécessaire de dialoguer non pas simplement entre croyants, mais aussi avec les non croyants, humanistes et finalement l’ensemble de la population. En France il y a un tiers de croyants, un tiers de non croyants et un tiers d’agnostiques, dès lors, puisque l’inter-religieux est pour nous un outil de cohésion sociale, il faut dialoguer avec tous. Je suis renforcé dans mon approche du monde au contact de celle des autres. C’est ce que nous appelons l’effet miroir. Par ailleurs nous avons réussi entre nous a trouver la frontière entre affirmation de son identité et réceptivité à l’altérité, ce que nous appelons la Coexistence Active et qui est au cœur du message de l’association COEXISTER.
Victor: I was strengthened in my vision of the world, but also in the belief that it is necessary to start a conversation not just between believers, but also with non-believers, humanists and eventually, the whole world. In France, one-third of the population are believers, one-third are non-believers and the final one-third are agnostics. Therefore, inter-religious conversation is our tool for social cohesion and we need to discuss with everyone. I am reinforced in my approach to the world when I am in contact with others. This is what we call the mirror effect. Furthermore, we have managed to identify the line between affirming our identity and being open to otherness. This is what we call Active Coexistence and it is at the heart of the message of the COEXIST association.
GV: Five different denominations but no woman in the group. Was it a deliberate choice or simply how things turned out?
Victor: Il y avait une jeune juive dans l’équipe initiale, Raffaëla, qui a travaillé de longs mois avec nous sur le projet mais l’a malheureusement quitté un mois avant de partir par peur et il faut le dire, avec de la pression familiale. Ce n’est pas un choix délibéré, nous avons subi le fait de n’être simplement que des hommes dans l’équipe et nous avons essayé du mieux que nous avons pu de palier à cette situation en invitant à cinq reprises des jeunes femmes de notre association française Coexister de confessions différentes (une athée à Berlin, des chrétiennes en Turquie, une bouddhiste en Inde, une musulmane à Singapour et Jakarta).
Victor: The original team had a young Jewish woman named Raffaëla. She worked with us for a few months on preparing the project but unfortunately she left a month before we begun the tour out of fear and, it must be said, because of family pressure. Having no women in the team is not a deliberate choice, it was just something that happened and we tried as best we could to remedy this situation by inviting young women from the CoExist association of different faiths (an atheistic in Berlin, a Christian in Turkey, a Buddhist in India, a Muslim in Singapore and Jakarta).
InterFaith Tour in Burkina Faso. Used with permission
GV: During the trip, you had the opportunity to meet with Pope Francis, the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo and top level politicians including Laurent Fabius, the French minister of foreign affairs. In total, several hundred people, religious leaders and local figures of inter-religious dialogue. Which one had an important impact on you?
Victor: La rencontre avec le Pape est évidemment l’un des moments marquants de ce tour, même pour des athées ou agnostiques. Rencontrer pendant une dizaine de minute l’homme le plus médiatisé du monde, l’autorité ultime d’une des plus grandes religions sur Terre, est forcément impressionnant et même émouvant. Rencontrer ces leaders religieux ou politiques est extrêmement important pour nous évidemment pour savoir notamment ce qu’ils pensent de l’inter-religieux et dans quelle mesure ils sont prêts à s’engager dans cette voie là, mais il faut bien comprendre également que la majorité des personnes ciblées et rencontrées pendant ce voyage étaient de parfaits inconnus qui malgré tout travaillent depuis des années dans la paix et la réconciliation entre les communautés.
Victor: The meeting with the Pope was obviously one of the highlights of this tour, even for the atheists or agnostics. Meeting for 10 minutes the man with the most media coverage worldwide and the top authority in one of the largest religions is necessarily very impressive and emotional. Meeting religious and political leaders is extremely important for us to know what they think regarding some inter-religious topics and to what extent they are willing to engage in this topic. Still, it should also be clear that the people we really wanted to meet during this trip were common folks who nonetheless worked for years towards peace and reconciliation between communities.
GV: What region has had the most significant impact on the project?
Victor: Des dizaines de régions du monde ont été marquantes pendant ce tour du monde, et ce n’est forcément pas aisé d’en choisir une en particulier mais le Burkina Faso reste l’un des pays les plus marquants selon moi. Alors que ses voisins comme le Nigéria, ou le Mali connaissent de vives tensions communautaires ou ethniques, le Burkina Faso fait exception dans cette zone d’Afrique de l’Ouest en ce qui concerne la cohésion sociale et le vivre ensemble. Chrétiens, musulmans et animistes vivent en parfaite harmonie notamment grâce à une tradition centenaire de « parenté à plaisanterie ». Cette tradition se résument à créer du lien social par le mariage inter-ethnique et donc souvent inter-religieux et en désamorçant les tensions sociales par le rire. Des ethnies qui plaisantent sont des ethnies liées par des mariages. Dans la même famille au Burkina Faso, vous pouvez trouver plusieurs religions qui coexistent et cohabitent sereinement. Plaisanter signifie également institutionnaliser les clichés sur l’autre à l’oral, pour se dire tout ce qu’on pense, et ne pas retrouver des tensions ou des frustrations dans des couches de populations.
Victor: Dozens of regions in the world have been outstanding in our opinion during this world tour, and it is not easy to choose a specific one, but Burkina Faso remains one of the most striking countries in my view. While its neighbors such as Nigeria and Mali are experiencing religious or ethnic tensions, Burkina Faso is an exception in West Africa regarding social cohesion and togetherness. Christians, Muslims and animists live in perfect harmony thanks to a century-old tradition of “humorous relationship”. In short, this tradition strives to create social bonds through inter-ethnic and inter-religious marriage and defusing social tensions through laughter. People who tell ethnic jokes to one another are also linked through ethnic marriages. In the same family in Burkina Faso, you can find several religions that coexist and live together peacefully. Humor also means expressing stereotypes about each other vocally, to say what we think and in doing so, defuse tensions or frustrations throughout all the layers of the populations.
GV: Pope Francis brings a fairly modern vision of Catholicism. According to you, who are the religious leaders of other monotheistic religions also offering a modern vision of their faith?
Victor: Le grand imam d’Al-Azhar va également dans ce sens et appelle les musulmans à coexister activement avec les autres religions. Mais des leaders religieux moins connus comme le Grand Rabbin de Pologne ou le Patriarche Maronite du Liban sont acteurs du dialogue et de l’action inter-religieuse.
Victor: The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar also provides a similar view of Islam and he urges Muslims to actively coexist with other religions. But lesser known leaders such as the Chief Rabbi of Poland or the Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon are leading figures in inter-religious dialogue and action.
InterFaith Tour in Asia. Used with permission
GV: What happens next with the project? Is another tour planned?
Victor: Oui, ce n’est qu’un projet pilote, nous espérons créer un mouvement InterFaith Tour avec une nouvelle équipe qui partirait chaque année pour découvrir de nouvelles zones du monde ou approfondir le travail dans certains pays où ne nous sommes pas restés assez longtemps.
Victor: Yes, this is only a pilot project. We hope to create a movement based on the InterFaith Tour. A new team would go on tour every year to discover new regions of the world or continue the work we started in countries where we did not stay long enough.

author: Elise Lecamp


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A Prison Break Story with Chinese Character · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Two peasants from Hunan pretended to be UN peacekeeping officers in order to rescue their friend from jail. It is a failed attempt but full of dark humor. Off Beat China translated the news story.


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“An Island Luminous” Makes Haiti Open Access  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

There's an exciting new free-access website on Haiti, which pairs rare books, manuscripts, newspapers and archival photos with intelligent commentary.


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Another Singer Arrested in China for Praising Tibetan Identity and Culture · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Popular Tibetan singer Gepe was arrested after singing in a music concert. Screen capture from YouTube.
Tibetan singer Gepe was arrested on 24 May 2014 in Sichuan province after his performance in a concert attended by thousands.
The concert, organized by a group of Tibetan youth, had received permission from local authorities, and according to a report from Voice of America, the concert was to address the importance of Tibetan language and culture.
Gepe is a popular singer from Ngaba in Amdo. Back in 2012, after he released an album that expresses the pain of separation from his spiritual leader and a strong desire for Tibetan unity, he disappeared for quite a lengthy period of time. Below is one of his songs, “I am coming” with English subtitles translated by Grey Buffalo:
Gepe is not the first Tibetan singer to be prosecuted in China. Since the unrest of March 2008 in Lhasa, Tibetan artists have been one of the targets of political suppression. Tibetan author and poet Tsering Woeser described the series of crackdowns as “the same policies of the Cultural Revolution but of a different name”.
Last December, Thinley Tsekar and Gonpo Tenzin were arrested in Diru County. Both sing about Tibetan identity, culture and language. Thinley was sentenced to nine years imprisonment for “mobilizing anti-government sentiments among Tibetan listeners of his music”. Here is one of his songs available on YouTube:
In April 2012, popular Tibetan singer Lo Lo was arrested after he released an album titled “Raise the flag of Tibet, sons of snow”. The singer was eventually sentenced to six years imprisonment in August 2013. Below is one of his songs via YouTube:
A portion of the lyrics reads:
To promote loyalty to the Land of Snows
For the complete independence of Tibet
With a realised understanding of our objectives
Raise the flag of Tibet- sons of the snow
In March 2012, popular singer Ugyen Tenzin was detained after the release of his album titled “An Unending Flow of My Heart's Blood”. Some of his songs are dedicated to spiritual leaders including the Dalai Lama and Karmapa. Below is his album's theme song, “The Heart's Blood Flows”, with English subtitles translated by “High peaks pure earth”:
In 2011, well-known female singer Hortsang Lhalung Tso was detained before attending a Tibetan culture show in Sangchu county with other popular Tibetan singers and musicians. Here is one of her songs on YouTube:


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Atletico Madrid Football Club Campaign · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Américo Alvarado wrote on Barataria about the campaign by Atletico Madrid Football Club:
Sometimes, we witness real life stories, worthy of the seventh art. And right now we are witnessing one of those stories, somehow we are living it in the thrilling world of football. Heroic and inspiring are just a couple of adjectives that come to my mind to, somehow, classify the season Atletico Madrid Football Club is going through, with “Cholo” Simeone. A team that, against all odds, is two matches away from becoming monarch of the so called Star League and, besides all that, the team has seeped, after forty years, in the final match of the tournament of the most important clubs in the world: the UEFA Champions League.

author: Juan Arellano