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Trinidad & Tobago clamps down as two cases of COVID-19 are confirmed · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—virus particle. Image by NIAID on flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
On March 12, 2020, Trinidad and Tobago's minister of health, Terrence Deyalsingh, confirmed in an emergency press conference that medical officials had identified the country's index case of COVID-19.
The patient, who resides in Trinidad and Tobago, had recently returned from a trip to Switzerland when he started feeling unwell, and made the decision to self-isolate. He has since been moved to the Caura Hospital, which specialises in the treatment of thoracic cases. Members of his family have tested negative for the virus.
However, after the principal of Maria Regina, a primary school located in Port of Spain, issued a release stating that health officials confirmed “the parent of one of [its] students has tested positive for the Corona virus [sic]”, not only did that school close, but several others followed its lead, including Maple Leaf International School, where one of the teachers is the spouse of the pilot who captained a Caribbean Airlines flight to Guyana, on which it was determined that a female passenger was carrying the virus. The passenger later died.
During the sitting of parliament on March 13, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced that all schools country-wide — including tertiary institutions — will be closed for one week initially, after which government will reassess the situation. As of the same date, the Ministry of Health had submitted 63 samples to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for COVID-19 testing, with just the one positive result.
The government has also decided to halt the arrival of cruise ships for the remainder of the 2019-2020 cruise season, which typically runs from November to April. The feeling was that potential economic losses arising from a COVID-19 outbreak in the country would be far worse than the drop in tourism income for the period. Similar measures have already been taken in Jamaica.
Even as Prime Minister Rowley warned against panic and urged citizens to remain calm and refrain from spreading misinformation, many supermarkets reported instances of stockpiling. On WhatsApp, social media users shared photos and videos of panic-buying in crowded grocery stores and pharmacies, many of which were low on items like hand sanitiser and toilet paper.
Taking World Health Organization guidelines into consideration, many citizens were already practising recommended measures like hand-washing and social distancing.
Several events have been cancelled in anticipation of the possible spread of the virus, including the Tobago Jazz Festival and Point Fortin Borough Day celebrations, and religious festivals like Phagwa and Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day. In the sister isle of Tobago, which has not yet had a confirmed case of the virus, the hugely popular Goat and Crab Racing event, which takes place every Easter, has also been cancelled.
This has been the trend within the region, with St. Lucia cancelling its annual jazz festival despite the tourism dollars it attracts, and Jamaica postponing its Carnival celebrations — which usually take place in April — to October 2020.
In Trinidad and Tobago, however, there was still time for a laugh, even in the midst of anxiety. Quite apart from the memes making the rounds on social media, the satirical news site Wired868 poked fun at party-loving Trinbagonians’ priorities by quipping about ways in which they could “make it safely through this thing to get to Carnival 2021 on the other side”.
All jokes aside, though, the country, like much of the Caribbean, is bracing for the effects of COVID-19, both human and economic. Chair of the Tobago Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Diane Hadad, has asked the prime minister to visit the island to discuss the potential impact of the virus on Tobago's economy, which is still trying to get back on an even keel since severe, prolonged disruptions to the inter-island ferry service a couple of years ago.
Health minister Terrence Deyalsingh has likened the present situation to walking a tightrope — trying to keep the economy functioning while taking all “necessary, reasonable” health precautions — but insisted that the health authorities were as prepared as possible for the arrival of COVID-19.
On March 13, at 7:44 p.m. UTC-04:00, the Ministry of Health confirmed a second case, a 66-year-old man who had travelled less than two weeks previously and went to a public health facility on March 12 seeking medical care. He has been in isolation ever since, and the relevant district medical officer has begun to track down everyone with whom the patient may have come into contact so that they can be quarantined.


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Japan resurrects ‘Amabie’, an ancient supernatural creature, to fight COVID-19 · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

“Huge new ‘amabie’ boom in Japan. But what are they, exactly? Screencap from an explainer video on popular ‘Omega Sisters’ YouTube channel.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
As Japan continues to grapple with growing uncertainty over COVID-19, a friendly supernatural creature once popular in feudal Japan has made a comeback to fight the virus, this time on social media.
By mid-March 2020, the hashtag #Amabie (＃アマビエ) trended on Twitter as people from around Japan shared drawings and other creations of an otherworldly beast called a ‘yokai‘ (妖怪) conjured up during Japan's Edo period two hundred years ago.
An Edo-era depiction of an ‘amabie’. Image Public Domain, from Wikipedia.
Resembling a somewhat homely and unattractive mermaid with long hair, in Edo times, the ‘yokai’, called ‘amabie’ (A-MA-BI-EH), was said to protect against pestilence similar to today's COVID-19. According to a legend, by drawing a picture of an ‘amabie’, it was possible to ward off disease.
On Twitter, people have resurrected the ‘yokai’ by sharing their own pictures of the creature using the hashtag #Amabie (＃アマビエ).
疫病退散〜！ #アマビエ pic.twitter.com/dyMIIdkgvP
— サタケシュンスケ｜イラストレーター (@satakeshunsuke) March 9, 2020
Eradicate the plague! #amabie
私も神頼みしておきます。#アマビエ pic.twitter.com/3lIGKElf8h
— 吉田戦車 (@yojizen) March 12, 2020
I also appeal to the ‘kami’ (NOTE: A ‘yokai’ can be a kind of ‘kami’ or god in Japanese folklore) for protection.
Not everyone draws a picture of an ‘amabie’. Some people have created their own amulets in ‘amabie’ form. This Twitter thread by staff at a publication devoted to arts and crafts called ‘Tezukuri Town’ (Handmade Town) shows how:
早く平和な世の中になればいいな…と、編集部でもアマビエのマスコットを作ってみました。
２枚目の画像に型紙＆レシピをつけておりますので、よかったらチャレンジしてみてください。#アマビエ pic.twitter.com/LyOQWzA5Gh
— 手づくりタウン by 日本ヴォーグ社 (@tezukuritown) March 12, 2020
In hopes of a quick return to peace and normalcy, the editorial department (at our magazine) has created an ‘amabie’ mascot.
The pattern and instructions are included in the next tweet, so try making your own.
Knitted ‘amabie’ is also popular:
アマビエ編めたよ。
かつてこんなに短期間で急激に愛された物の怪がいただろうか。#アマビエ #こんな時だしみんなでアマビエ編もうぜ #コロナ撲滅祈願 pic.twitter.com/5ihAt2qwK0
— ぽぽぽ本舗 (@popopohompo) March 10, 2020
I have knitted an ‘amabie’. Was there a monster that was loved so quickly in such a short time?
Writing in FU, a monthly magazine published in Fukui Prefecture, Nagano Eishu, a researcher and folklorist, explains the traditional appeal of ‘amabie':
一つの理由として、珍獣・幻獣の姿を「見る」と除災招福の御利益が得られるとする心性の存在が挙げられる。
舶来の象やラクダ、はたまた人魚を描いた摺物は”護符”としての機能も持ちあわせていた。見たり、貼り置いたりするだけで寿命が延び、悪事災難から逃れられると人々は考えたのである。
One reason is that there is the idea (in traditional Japanese folklore) that by “seeing” the appearance of a rare or fantastic creature, we can capture some of its mystical benefits and help eradicate misfortune. In the past, (besides ‘amabie’), people also drew pictures depicting elephants, camels and even mermaids, which all functioned as amulets. People thought that simply looking at or posting these images would extend their lifespan and help evade evil.
Nagano goes on to explain that during an 1858 epidemic in Japan, illustrations of “three-legged monsters resembling monkeys” were sold throughout Edo (contemporary Tokyo) as a charm to ward off cholera.
People continue to share images of ‘amabie’ on Twitter. You can see more of the creations by following the hashtag #アマビエ (‘amabie).
‘Amabie’ appear in a variety of media. This video shows an artist carving a traditional Japanese seal in the form of the ‘yokai':

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Nevin Thompson


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The mother of detained blogger Le Anh Hung speaks out about prison abuse in Vietnam · Global Voices
The 88 Project

Vietnamese blogger Le Anh Hung was arrested for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of organizations and individuals.” Screenshot of YouTube video.
This article is from The 88 Project, an independent news site covering Vietnam, and is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
One form of psychological abuse in Vietnamese prisons is sending political prisoners to mental institutions against their will, even though they have no history of mental illness. Le Anh Hung's case is one such example. Hung, a blogger and reporter, who often wrote articles sharply criticizing the Vietnamese government, was detained in a mental health facility in 2013 for ten days after police arrested him at his workplace.
Hung was arrested again on July 8, 2018, under Article 331 of the 2015 Criminal Code, for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of organizations and individuals”. He has been in pre-trial detention ever since.
On April 1, 2019, the investigation agency of the Hanoi public security suddenly transferred Hung to the Central Mental Hospital. On April 24, after the facility had conducted its mental health evaluation, the authorities transferred Hung back to prison, but by May, he was again sent to a mental health hospital. The reason for constantly moving him back and forth remains unclear.
According to his family, throughout the process, Hung appeared exhausted, thin, and generally unhealthy, but urged people to protest on his behalf and request that the authorities stop his forced mental health treatment.
In June 2019, Hung’s mother sent an application to authorities asking for his release so that she could care for him at the family’s home. She said her son's good health degenerated and his spirits were low after being subjected to forced mental health treatments while in detention. Prior to his imprisonment, she confirmed that Hung was healthy and strong, both physically and mentally. It is unclear how the authorities reacted to the petition but Hung remains in detention.
The 88 Project recently interviewed Hung’s mother, Ms. Tran Thi Niem, about his current condition and her desire to care for her son at home. She called on the international community to advocate for Hung’s release. Watch the interview below:
The week of March 8, 2020, fellow activists revealed that Le Anh Hung had called his mother to let her know the authorities had once again increased his anti-psychotic medication, which he is being forced to take against his will. Hung reportedly told his mother the meds made him feel very sick, but he has no choice but to take them, and pleaded with her to call on the international community to raise awareness about his situation.

author: The 88 Project


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Trinidad & Tobago’s fight against COVID-19 puts emphasis on ‘personal responsibility’ · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of green cells cultured in the lab. Photo credit: NIAID-RML, CC BY 2.0.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19
Having recently confirmed the country's second COVID-19 case, Trinidad and Tobago's Ministry of Health held a press conference on the afternoon of March 14, 2020, to update citizens on the current situation and the mitigation measures being used.
Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh described the government's response to the COVID-19 situation as “forceful” and “decisive”, ever since it instituted its first travel restriction on January 30, adding that the two main hospitals designated to treat cases of the disease were Caura (reputed for its specialisation in treating respiratory conditions) and Couva, located in central Trinidad. Should case numbers surge, he added, the Arima hospital in the northern part of the country would provide additional capacity.
The thoracic medical director at Caura Hospital, Dr. Michelle Trotman, reported that the country's initial COVID-19 case, a 52-year-old man, was improving; doctors expect him to achieve a full recovery. Though the prognosis of the second patient, a 66-year-old man, is more serious, he too is reportedly improving.
Explaining that the virus spreads via access to the mucosa lining found in the eyes, nose and mouth, Trotman reinforced the need for people to be vigilant about hand washing and social distancing, saying, “If it can't get in, it can't be a disease.” This, she said, would require a change in culture, as Trinbagonians tend to be “touchy/feely”.
While most people who may contract COVID-19 will experience mild, flu-like symptoms, Trotman warned that seniors and immune-compromised people must be wary. She also advised that the ministry has developed a questionnaire aimed at helping to screen suspected cases, and that the public should feel confident in the preparedness and capacity of the public health system. As it stands, suspected cases are being tested via nasopharyngeal swabs.
The Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments of most major hospitals now have triage setups aimed at treating patients with flu-like symptoms. The Port of Spain General Hospital, situated in the capital, will have a separate triage area for potential COVID-19 sufferers starting from March 15, and the ministry is paying extra attention to the health and safety of medical personnel, who are in the front line of this battle.
Visiting hours at state hospitals have been restricted; when visitors are allowed, it will typically be one at a time. Meanwhile, only a parent or legal guardian can stay with paediatric patients on the ward.
In addition, Roman Catholic Archbishop Jason Gordon has suspended all masses, effective March 14.
Making it clear that people should not take actions that present risks to others, Minister of National Security Stuart Young, who also spoke at the press conference, said that “personal and social responsibility” are important factors when it comes to combating COVID-19.
Given that both cases of the disease in Trinidad and Tobago were imported, he said that government-related travel has come to a halt and noted that any trips made by nationals should be “essential” or “emergency” travel. Those who must travel, he said, should immediately self-quarantine for 14 days upon returning home. This is what the 13-member crew of Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight did once it was established that a passenger — who later died — had tested positive for COVID-19.
It was not clear from the media briefing how exactly the self-quarantine guideline was going to be enforced, but County Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram, who is the country's quarantine authority, noted that the Quarantine Act allows for police officers to ensure compliance through force if necessary. The Act also gives police the right to enter premises, ships or aircraft without a warrant, and to arrest (again without a warrant) anyone they believe has committed an offence against the legislation. As it stands, anyone “obstructing the execution” of the Quarantine Act is liable on conviction to a fine of 6,000 Trinidad and Tobago dollars (approximately 886 United States dollars) and to six months’ imprisonment.
Caribbean Airlines has put an emergency response team in place, furnished staff with safety kits, protective personal equipment (PPE) and sanitation supplies and protocols, and started a 24-hour hotline for employees requiring information or assistance regarding COVID-19 — but in light of the Minister Young's revelation that airports are among the riskiest places to be, the press conference did not address how far precautionary measures for the regional carrier may eventually extend. When CAL flies to New York, for instance, its crew stays in Nassau County, which recently declared a state of emergency as the number of coronavirus cases in Long Island continues to climb.
Minister Deyalsingh, in urging citizens to be responsible, said the “first sensible decision” people should make is to ignore social media, which is “causing more damage than coronavirus right now”.
Minister Young echoed this sentiment, accusing people of using social media channels to make mischief, fearmonger and spread misinformation “for political purposes”. Trinidad and Tobago's next general election is due in September 2020. There are only two “official sources” for information pertaining to COVID-19, Young stressed, “the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Communications.”
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has since warned that under the Summary Offences Act, citizens can be fined or imprisoned for sharing misinformation.
Adding that social media has been turning a pandemic into a “panic-endemic”, Dr. Trotman urged netizens to use social networking platforms to convey proper information about COVID-19 and help the health authorities “fight and beat” the virus, saying, “Public behaviour will change the landscape.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Study suggests that China could have prevented 95% of its coronavirus cases · Global Voices
Hong Kong Free Press

Hong Kong government's file photo via HKFP.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
The following post is written by Tom Grundy and published on Hong Kong Free Press on 14 March 2020. It is republished on Global Voices under a content partnership agreement.
According to a recent study by the University of Southampton, China could have prevented 95 percent of coronavirus infections if its measures to contain the outbreak had begun three weeks earlier. However, China only took vigorous action in late January – weeks after police silenced a doctor for trying to raise the alarm.
The study, which was published this week by University of Southampton mapping group WorldPop, measured the effectiveness of nonpharmaceutical interventions. The researchers examined how China isolated ill persons, quarantined exposed individuals, conducted contract tracing, restricted travel, closed schools and workplaces, and cancelled mass gatherings.
The analysis – which has yet to be peer-reviewed – found that early case detection and contact reduction were effective in controlling the virus and combined measures can reduce transmission. They can also delay the timing and reduce the size of the epidemic’s peak, and thus buy time for healthcare preparations and drugs research.
The simulations drew on human movement and illness data to model how combined interventions might affect the spread of Covid-19.
Coronavirus cases could have been reduced by 66 percent if the measures were taken a week earlier, the study suggested, or by 86 percent if action began two weeks earlier. If action had been taken three weeks later, then the situation could have worsened 18-fold.
Most efforts to tackle the outbreak took place in late January, weeks after Wuhan ophthalmologist Dr. Li Wenliang tried to warn about the mystery disease on December 30. He was among eight people who were punished by police on January 1 for spreading “rumours” about the virus.
The Public Security Bureau made Li sign a letter stating that he had made “false comments” and had “severely disturbed the social order.” He died last month of the disease, aged 34, prompting widespread outrage in China.
According to the New York Times, China also ignored offers of help in January from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
With the virus now classed as a global pandemic, the University of Southampton researchers concluded that social distancing measures should continue for the next few months and China’s approach should be adopted elsewhere as early as possible.
“China’s vigorous, multifaceted response is likely to have prevented a far worse situation, which would have accelerated spread globally,” the study said.

author: Hong Kong Free Press


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Trinidad & Tobago closes its borders as COVID-19 cases double to four · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

9Y-MBJ Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-85P(WL). Photo by Heads Up Aviation on flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
Compared with the mounting numbers of coronavirus cases in other countries, four patients testing positive for COVID-19 might not seem like a lot, but the government of Trinidad and Tobago is taking no chances. In a press conference that began just after 11 a.m. local time on March 16, 2020, Prime Minister Keith Rowley explained his administration's strategy in dealing with this pandemic: avoid levels of infection that could overwhelm the health care system.
Calling the current situation one of “crisis” and “emergency” (albeit “temporary”), and making the point that there will be no solutions without inconvenience, the prime minister informed the country about additional mitigation measures that have been put in place.
The most drastic of these — and perhaps the most essential — is the decision to close the country's borders to everyone but Trinidad and Tobago nationals for 14 days starting from midnight local time on March 17. Any exceptions to this rule would require authorisation from the Ministry of National Security, and all nationals re-entering the country will also be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Additional measures include the immediate closing of all bars and dining-in restaurants, though establishments will still be allowed to provide curbside delivery. Gathering in groups of more than 25 people is strongly discouraged, with the prime minister making the point that people should opt to take responsibility and follow the recommended guidelines, rather than having to be in a situation where measures have to be enforced. “Personal conduct,” he explained, “plays a major part” in the success of the government's efforts to contain the spread of the illness.
Roman Catholic and Anglican churches in Trinidad and Tobago have discontinued masses for the foreseeable future, and the government is asking other the leadership of other religious denominations to follow their lead and halt religious observances attracting large groups of people. Explaining that the health authorities are trying to create a secure national environment, Rowley lamented, “Why do we have to be beaten over the head to do the common sense thing to save our lives?”
Though all schools will remain closed until April 20, 2020, online learning is encouraged, since, in the prime minister's words, “We are not stopping our existence, we are responding to a challenge.” The nationwide school closure will naturally affect thousands of students who have been preparing for various examinations, with the most immediate casualty possibly being primary school students who are due to sit the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam on April 2.
The government is also seeking ways in which to continue the School Nutrition Programme, which provides vulnerable students up to secondary school level with breakfast and lunch on weekdays. For many children, these school meals are their most substantial, and in some cases, the only ones in the course of a day.
Stressing that the government's role is to protect citizens, their families and jobs, businesses, the economy and the country, Dr. Rowley said that the government would, very likely, be forced to draw from the Heritage and Stabilization Fund. The money in this sovereign wealth fund is essentially the country's nest egg capital, and current laws dictate that any fund withdrawals are to be made at the end of a financial year. Legislation will need to be passed to make an exception under the circumstances. “We can't wait,” Prime Minister Rowley said. “We don't have time. We're in a crisis.” The country's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
Another major initiative that's being proposed by the Ministry of Labour is the institution of a new category of time off from work called “pandemic leave“, designed to specifically address the need to be absent from jobs to deal with situations occasioned by the COVID-19 outbreak. Chief Personnel Officer Darryl Dindial explained, “Anybody who doesn't qualify for extensions of sick leave or if you are a contract officer and you do not qualify for leave of absence on the grounds of illness, you could qualify for pandemic leave.”
With schools closed, if parents who need to stay home to take care of kids can take pandemic leave, without being penalised by their employers. Pandemic leave would apply to public officers (whether they are on contract or not), fixed- and short-term employees, on-the-job trainees, daily paid workers, freelancers, and new employees who have been working less than a year. However, some are already complaining that they do not have the means to give employees an undetermined amount of time off with full pay.
The general tone of the press conference, however, was one of “We're all in this together.” Banks and insurance companies, it was revealed, will be asked to “share the burden” by agreeing to deferrals for certain clients who might not currently be able to honour their commitments. Credit card interest is another area under discussion.
There is no doubt that these new restrictions will be a bitter pill for many Trinbagonians — typically a sociable people — to swallow. But the prime minister warned that the consequences will be grave if people do not adhere to the guidelines. Using the burgeoning number of COVID-19 cases in Italy as an example, Rowley warned, “There but for the grace of God go Trinidad and Tobago.”
Update: At approximately 8:30 p.m. local time on March 16, 2020, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Health confirmed that a fifth person has tested positive for COVID-19.


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As Uzbekistan thaws, the Uzbek language spreads its wings · Global Voices
Filip Noubel

Classics of Uzbek literature in the Cyrillic and post-Soviet Latin alphabets, with a 1926 textbook using the Arabic alphabet. Photo (c): Filip Noubel, used with permission.
Written in three alphabets and spoken across Central Asia by 35 million people, Uzbek is the second most widely used Turkic language after Turkish. It is also the sole official language of Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most populous country which has recently shown timid signs of opening up after decades of self-imposed isolation. Writers and language lovers alike are cautiously optimistic that Tashkent's thaw bodes well for the Uzbek language — which is now spreading its wings online.
Uzbeks are a Turkic nation with nomadic origins which explains why the use of the language is widespread across different nation-states of modern Central and Inner Asia. While Uzbek is a Turkic language, it has many loanwords from Mongolian, Persian, Arabic and Russian, and distinct among the Turkic languages because it lacks vowel harmony. Its closest relative is the Uyghur language, with which Uzbek is partly comprehensible.
In Uzbekistan itself, Uzbek is the mother tongue of approximately 27 million speakers out of a total population of 32 million. While there is a standardised form of Uzbek, local dialects are prominently used, which sometimes complicates communication as these regional forms are also influenced by neighbouring languages, retaining specific phonetic properties and vocabulary. During Soviet rule (1917-1991), Russian had official status on par with Uzbek but the two languages were far from equal. Russian was considered the language of social advancement, leading Uzbek elites as well as ethnic minorities to disregard Uzbek. Since independence, this trend has reversed: most of the country's non-Turkic ethnic minorities (Tajiks, Russians, Ukrainians, Koreans, and Germans) speak Uzbek more fluently, particularly younger generations.
Read Global Voices in Uzbek at
GlobalVoices Ўзбекча
In neighbouring Afghanistan, nearly four million Uzbek speakers can be found. The language has official status in the northern regions where most ethnic Uzbeks live. Significant numbers of ethnic Uzbeks also live in states whose territories once formed the historical homeland of Central Asian Turkic peoples: one million in Tajikistan, over 900,000 in Kyrgyzstan, nearly 600,000 in Kazakhstan, and around 300,000 in Turkmenistan. Uzbeks are also one of the 56 officially recognised ethnic minority groups in China.
Political and economic factors have also brought large numbers of ethnic Uzbek migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers to Russia (where nearly two million Uzbeks live), Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Furthermore, a new diaspora is now emerging in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union.
Whether written “o'zbek tili”, “ўзбек тили”, or “اوزبیک تیلی “, it all means “Uzbek language.” During the many political upheavals in Central Asia, new rulers appeared with new ideas — imposing their own scripts on the local population.
Commemorative cup at Tashkent's Museum of Literature in honour of the 15th century poet Alisher Navoiy, considered the father of classical Turkic literature. Navoiy's name is written in Arabic and Cyrillic. Photo (c): Filip Noubel, used with permission.
The traditional and longest-used script for Uzbek is Arabic, which entered use in the eighth century,  given the adoption of Islam and the integration of Uzbek culture into the Arabo-Persian world. Today, this alphabet is still used by ordinary Uzbek speakers, public officials, and media outlets in Afghanistan and China. It persisted in what is now Uzbekistan for the duration of Russian Imperial rule.
But when the Soviets established control over Uzbekistan, they sought to mark a clean break from old religious and cultural ways, to usher in a new secular Uzbek identity fit for communist modernity. A Latin alphabet for Uzbek was introduced in 1928 and used until 1940. It was then replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet, representing another U-turn in the Soviet utopian view: namely, that all citizens would speak Russian first and foremost.
Independence brought more alphabetic upheavals. In 1991, another Latin alphabet was introduced for Uzbek to signify a rupture from the Soviet past. This reform is still ongoing as several versions of the newest Latin alphabet are being tested, introduced, and contested. The latest reform dates from May 2019.
Today, the old Cyrillic alphabet is still widely used in Uzbekistan, and can be seen on street signs, advertisements, and in bookstores, television screens, and online content. Nevertheless, the government enforces a policy of maintaining all official documents and online communication in the Latin alphabet. In any case, Cyrillic still dominates among ethnic Uzbek communities in neighbouring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
While Wikipedia has only over 130,000 articles in Uzbek (allowing users a choice between Latin and Cyrillic scripts), a modest political thaw since the death of former president Islam Karimov in 2016 has led to an explosion of social media content. Platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and Instagram have become leading sources of information (and disinformation), entertainment, and social interaction, modifying language and expression:
In Uzbekistan, when parting with a good friend, it is customary to say “gaplashamiz” or “telefonlashamiz”. In translation, this means “let’s talk again” or “we will call each other.” Increasingly, however, Uzbeks are saying “telegramlashamiz” to one another: Let's talk on Telegram.
Bloggers and vloggers have also emerged, some of whom now have hundreds of thousands of followers. A particularly vibrant place for the Uzbek language on social media is in the intersection of poetry and song. These lyrics often serve as social commentary on a vast array of social issues, sometimes using the allegorical language of poetry as a way to bypass the political censorship which persists, despite the thaw.
Literature is also a new avenue for the expansion of Uzbek, offering new opportunities for a two-way cultural exchange. Long ignored by foreign audiences, Uzbek literature is finally being translated, published, and discovered by global audiences in English. The relaxation of censorship and liberalisation of the publishing industry also means that more non-Uzbek literature is being translated, published and circulated on- and offline, challenging the norms of standard Uzbek.

author: Filip Noubel


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Cooped up? Trinidad & Tobago’s Bocas LitFest has released its 2020 longlist · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Covers for three of the nine books longlisted for the 2020 Bocas Prize, sponsored by One Caribbean Media. Image courtesy Bocas LitFest, used with permission.
With Trinidad and Tobago closing its borders, Jamaica being declared a disaster zone, and new Caribbean territories declaring their own index cases of COVID-19, the outbreak is re-shaping life in the region, with people practising social distancing and in many cases, self-quarantining.
Humans are social creatures, though, so restrictions on social gatherings can be tough, particularly for Caribbean people, who love socialising so much they've even got a special word for it: liming. Let's face it, there's only so much Netflix you can watch, so many hours you can spend scrolling through social media feeds. Luckily, Trinidad and Tobago's beloved literary festival, Bocas, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, has released its longlist of “nine books by writers with roots in seven Caribbean territories” for the 2020 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature.
The prize recognises books in three different genres — poetry, fiction, and literary non-fiction — published by Caribbean authors in the preceding year. The winner of the prize, worth $10,000 United States dollars, will be announced in May 2020. The festival itself was meant to take place from May 1-3, but given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,  it was announced today that there will be a postponement to September 18-20, 2020.
The 2020 longlist boasts seven women writers and a range of titles that are sure to keep you riveted during your COVID-19 quarantine.
Compilation image of book covers for the nine books longlisted for the 2020 Bocas Prize, sponsored by One Caribbean Media. Image courtesy Bocas LitFest, used with permission.
According to the judging panel, chaired this year by author Earl Lovelace, Trinidad-born, United States-based writer Lauren K. Alleyne's “Honeyfish” was chosen for “the refusal of silence [it] issues with its references to the dangers faced by the Black body in ‘America.’” Her poems speak to themes of legacy, inheritance, and survival.
“Skin Can Hold,” by acclaimed Trinidadian-Scottish poet, Vahni Capildeo, creates a “compelling, dazzling” world in which speakers react to writers and thinkers ranging from Martin Carter to Shakespeare. A refreshingly original piece of work, the judges suggested that the collection's “inherent hybridity […] raises the bar for what poetry can formally achieve.”
From the British Virgin Islands comes Richard Georges’ “Epiphaneia,” set in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Particularly relevant for citizens of small island developing states (SIDS) like the Caribbean, as the climate crisis unfolds, these are poems that speak to resilience, something the world needs more than ever right now. In the words of the judges, the poems allow us to “comprehend disaster with an alertness to a complexity that carries us beyond the usual triad of narrative, lamentation, and outrage.”
Women writers own this category, and perhaps the best known of these is Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat. Her collection of eight short stories, “Everything Inside,” masterfully captures the broader repercussions of her characters’ situations and how their choices personally affect them — subtle and spellbinding at the same time.
“The Confessions of Frannie Langton” is the first novel by United Kingdom-based Caymanian writer Sara Collins. Part Caribbean Gothic, part psychological thriller, the judges describe it as “a doomed love drama that inescapably shocks its early nineteenth-century audience in the Old Bailey.”
Spanning a time frame that runs from pre-Independence in Jamaica to Donald Trump's America, Curdella Forbes’ “A Tall History of Sugar” tells the tale of a man “born without skin” and his soul mate who shields him from the inevitable fallout over his appearance. The Bocas judges praised the author's innovation, “vivid language” and “expert construction of fragile and robust characters”.
The well-researched, strong literary style of “Moments of Cooperation and Incorporation” by Jamaican Erna Brodber — a compilation of six essays that examine the connections between African-Americans and Jamaica between 1782 and 1996 —captivated the judges by making history come alive.
Barbadian Aaron Kamigusha’s “Beyond Coloniality” looks at the Caribbean's radical intellectual tradition, with particular focus on C.L.R. James and Sylvia Wynter. The judging panel described the book as “an erudite work which combines compelling and deeply researched academic analysis with creative and sophisticated literary criticism … often underscored with a thoughtful and poetic tone.”
Finally, “Shame on Me,” by Guyanese-Canadian Tessa McWatt, examines the concept of identity by embarking on a journey that explores family, race, belonging, and migration, lauded by the judges as “a beautifully written, profoundly moving, and deeply reflective book.”


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Czech Republic enters quarantine amid conflicting government directives · Global Voices
Filip Noubel

Prague's Old Town Square on Saturday March 14, a time when large groups of tourists usually crowd this historical landmark. Photo by Filip Noubel, used with permission.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
After the Czech government announced drastic measures on March 10 leading to the closing of schools, followed by a state of emergency declared on March 12, Czech people find themselves thrown into chaos after authorities issued conflicting statements.
At the time of publishing, there were 434 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic, whose population totals 10 million.
At midnight on March 16, the government imposed a nationwide quarantine with noticeable exceptions: people are allowed to go to work, and to go out to buy food, medical supplies, go to the bank or visit doctors. Towns with larger clusters, however, are under stricter measures, with residents forbidden to travel elsewhere within the country.
The decision to shut down businesses came four days after authorities had announced a state of emergency. At that day, on March 12, the government sent the following SMS message to all mobile phone users in the Czech Republic:
Announcement of the Czech government: starting March 14, 2020, at 6AM, to March 24, 2020, 6AM, the government has decided to close all shops EXCEPT for stores selling food, pharmacies, drugstores, stores selling electronics, pump stations, shops selling tobacco and newspapers, and certain other stores. Details available on vlada.cz. Follow the media.
Citizens were caught by surprise as less than 24 hours earlier Prime Minister Andrej Babiš had said on Twitter that authorities weren't planning to close shops. The tweet has since been deleted:
Někdo šíří po Facebooku nepravdivou zprávu, že budeme zavírat obchody. Není to pravda, nic takového jsme neřekli a neplánujeme. Mrzí mě, že se někteří lidi takhle chovají.
Some people spread fake news on Facebook, saying we will shutting down shops. It is not true, we never said anything like that and do not plan such thing. I am sad that some people behave like that.
To add to the confusion, on March 15, the government hinted it would impose a nation-wide quarantine on the same day, starting at 4 p.m, but delayed the decision until close to midnight.
Left: Screen capture of deleted tweet from March 12 by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš declaring the government would never order the closure of shops in the country. Right: SMS sent to all users of Czech mobile numbers on March 14 announcing a state of emergency and a closure of most shops. Photo by Filip Noubel, used with permission.
The back-and-forth and contradicting statements have fueled panic buying, adding tremendous pressure on shop assistants as one article reports:
V obchodu podle něj vznikl velký nedostatek personálu, protože část prodavaček i zaměstnanců na jiných pozicích hlídá doma děti a část se vrátila domů do zahraničí, zejména na Ukrajinu. Chybí zhruba 20 tisíc lidí.
According to [Tomáš Prouza, head of the Union of commerce and tourism], there is an acute lack of staff, because part of shop assistants have to be home to take care of their children and part of them went back home outside of the Czech Republic, mostly to Ukraine. We are missing about 20 thousand people.
The Czech Republic has a large community of Ukrainian migrant workers employed mostly in the restaurant, retail and construction industries.
PM Babiš is a controversial politician who is also under investigation for possible abuse of European Union (EU) subsidies and is known for populist stances.
Leaflet distributed by the Czech Ministry of Health in mailboxes providing information and instructions about COVID-19. Photo by Filip Noubel, used with permission.
Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtěch admitted that the medical sector is facing a mask shortage of the order of hundreds of thousands, if not one million, according to daily newspaper iDnes. Dagmar Žitníková, head of the Alliance of Medical Trade Unions, told the publication:
„Znovu jsme upozornili premiéra, že mohou dělat jakákoliv karanténní opatření, ale pokud nezabezpečí zdravotníky v terénu, je to zbytečné.“
We have informed the Prime Minister that they can take whatever quarantine measures, but if medical staff in the field have no masks, then it is useless.
The government claims that the distribution of masks is ongoing, but journalists are questioning whether that's true, such as in this article:
Smlouva na 5 milionů roušek, které měly do České republiky dorazit v pondělí, byla podle Babiše porušena. Česká firma je podle něj v Číně objednala a zaplatila, někdo ji ale podle premiéra podvedl.
The contract for 5 million masks that were supposed to reach the Czech Republic on Monday [March 16], has been violated, according to Babiš. A Czech company ordered them in China, and paid for it, but was cheated, according to the Prime Minister.
The Czech government has forcibly purchased the entire production of local manufacturers of face masks, even though they had been pre-sold to other buyers. Now the former clients claim the government has been slow to distribute the masks. This article in Seznam Zprávy, an online daily, reports:
Stát v tuto chvíli úplně odřízl soukromé nemocnice, ordinace nebo třeba neziskové organizace. I když si u nás zboží objednaly a zaplatily už třeba koncem ledna, teď jim ho nesmíme dodat,“ řekl Jiří Kůs, šéf Asociace nanotechnologického průmyslu ČR.
The state has cut off private hospitals, doctor offices or non-governmental organizations. Even though they have ordered our goods, and paid in late January, we are not allowed to deliver the goods, said Jiří Kůs, head of the Association of nanotechnology industry in the Czech Republic.
One of the most outspoken critics of the central government's failure to ensure access to masks is Prague's mayor Zdeněk Hřib, from the opposition Pirate Party, who is also a doctor. He tweeted on March 14:
Mrzí mě, že vláda v médiích prezentuje, že zdravotnický materiál Praha dostala už včera.  Ve skutečnosti je realita naprosto odlišná. Kromě 50 respirátorů určených pražské Záchranné službě jsme nedostali vůbec nic.
— Zdeněk Hřib (@ZdenekHrib) March 14, 2020
I am disappointed to see that the government pretends in the media that Prague [administration] already received medical supplies yesterday. In fact, the reality is quite different. Besides 50 masks provided to the Prague emergency services, we did not receive anything.
On top of all that, on a leaflet distributed by the Ministry of Health during the week of March 9 to 15, a section titled “facts against myths” included a recommendation that was perceived as vague:
Masks don't protect healthy people, they are suitable for sick people to prevent further contagion.
WHO recommends that healthy people wear masks if they are taking care of a sick person.
Meanwhile, a new movement encouraging people to produce their own masks and wear them has spread through several hashtags, such as #chranimnejslabsi (“we protect the weaker”), and #rouskanenitrapna (“wearing masks is not embarrassing”) and #chranimtebechranimsebe (“I protect you so I protect myself”).
According to news site Aktualne.cz, social media influencers are also promoting the use of masks:
Autor Petr Ludwig na svém Instagramu, kde ho sleduje asi 16 tisíc lidí, uvedl, že se chce stát “rouškovým influencerem” a šířit osvětu. Vymyslel už i hashtag – #rouškyvšem a první mladí lidé se k jeho iniciativě přidávají.
Author Peter Ludwig announced on his Instagram account, where he has a following of 16,000 people, that he wants to become a “mask influencer” and spread awareness. He already created the hashtag #rouškyvšem [#masksforall] and young people are already joining his initiative.


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Trinidad & Tobago’s traditional Carnival characters offer women sexual healing · Global Voices
Jada Steuart

Sexologist Onika Henry, centre, surrounded by women performing as Jab Molassie Carnival characters. Photo courtesy Henry, used with permission.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
In an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19, Trinidad and Tobago will shut its borders at midnight on March 17, 2020 but just three weeks ago, Carnival was a reminder of freer times. Trinidad and Tobago's annual Carnival celebrations, which culminate each year in a street parade on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is a deeply rooted tradition that allows participants to connect with their history, their culture and themselves.
In an article for Caribbean Beat, Attillah Springer describes the Canboulay Riots — now re-enacted every year as Kambule — as the roots of J'Ouvert, the ritual loosely translated as “the opening of the day,” which heralds the official start of the Carnival. Springer writes:
[…We] know the idea that Canboulay is a French Creole version of cannes brulées — the burning of the canes. But we also know that the scholarship of historian Maureen Warner-Lewis cites kambule as a Kikongo word meaning ‘procession.’ We reflect on the conflation of the two terms: the idea of the burned cane as a symbol of plantation life and death, and the idea of the early morning procession that became J’Ouvert, in which the ex-enslaved would recount the horrors of that time, while protesting against current injustices. And still in the midst of all that shrieking pain and profanity, they would find time for ritual.
This idea of ritual and self-expression fascinates sexologist Onika Henry, who has been observing the ways in which women can express and explore their sexuality through traditional Carnival masquerade characters. As a licensed sexuality consultant and theatre arts professional, Carnival was the natural intersection of her two areas of expertise. She has studied, observed and even given a TEDxPortofSpain Talk about reclaiming sexual identity through Carnival.
Henry first began to explore Carnival as a form of healing when she heard of a woman using the Jab Molassie character, also known as a Molasses or Tar Devil, as a channel to express the range of emotions she felt after falling victim to sexual violence; it is a topic Henry continues to explore.
Jab Molassies, one of the most intimidating Carnival characters with its sharp trident and forceful movements, allowed her “a space,” as Henry puts it, “to release trauma from her body, but also to move her body however she wanted.”
Speaking with Global Voices by telephone, Henry noted that this form of healing is not limited to specific characters: “Humans and sex are very complex, so anyone can find healing through a character that speaks to them.” For instance, the popular Midnight Robber character might offer people a safe space in which to examine the more masculine side of themselves.
At the other end of the spectrum is Dame Lorraine. Originally intended to mock the wives of plantation owners, the costume visually exaggerates the physical concept of femininity by emphasising enormous breasts and ample buttocks. According to Henry, this character can also be used in a variety of ways, including the exploration of gender roles. Interestingly, men often play Dames Lorraine, which affords them the opportunity to experience not only how women see the world — but also how the world sees them.
Because Carnival characters are often masked, with faces covered by paint, mud, or in costume, masqueraders are fully able to embody the characters they choose, while retaining their anonymity. In Caribbean societies, female sexuality is generally a topic that is discussed in private — ironic, considering that during Carnival, the lion's share of masqueraders is proud to show off their bodies. At the same time, however, sexuality is a complex topic — intricate, personal and largely tied in with social conventions.
In Trinidad and Tobago, the lack of sexual education programmes in schools likely contributes to misunderstandings about the body and the attitude to sex as a whole. Religion also factors in, as many of the country's religious bodies push an abstinence-only approach. Henry, however, is confident that Carnival can help the country develop a healthy relationship with sexuality and sensuality. Like Carnival, this involves going back to the country's roots.
Henry talks of studies which show how Trinidad and Tobago's First Peoples, as well as the cultures of Africa and India, had less rigid and binary systems when it came to life, sex, gender, and work — beliefs that changed drastically after colonisation, when Eurocentric views were forced upon the indigenous peoples, and later, the slave and indentured labourer populations.
Colonisation tried its best to stifle the majority of these traditions and beliefs, but Carnival — that bastion of masquerade and self-expression — creatively surmounted the challenges. Henry explained:
[It] became a way of [our ancestors] keeping their beliefs and allowing them to embody those practices without being disciplined for it.
The restrictions on colonised people also encompassed expectations around women's behaviour. While these have naturally evolved over time, modern-day Trinidad and Tobago still has “rules and roles” as Henry describes it. Carnival, though, is a way for women to defy those expectations.
Could this explain the popularity of skimpy Carnival costumes? Henry thinks this is just one lens through which to have discussions about Carnival and women's participation:
In my opinion, because women — for so many centuries — have been told what to wear, or told if they show too much skin that they are ‘less than,’ Carnival is a way for them to reject that and say, ‘No! I can wear what I want, be who I want and still be valuable.’
Women are the ones with the power to choose their costumes for Carnival, she says. They decide how they want to costume to look on their body:
Near-nakedness is a costume in and of itself; [it] becomes the costume. Accepting and loving the body and saying, ‘This is what I look like and that doesn't mean I don't deserve pleasure or that somehow, I should be denied the right to move how I want and express myself how I want for these two days out of the 365 days of the year.’
According to Henry, women can learn from these essential elements of Carnival tradition and implement them into everyday life by creating spaces to be themselves and challenging taboos.
Creating such a space, she says, merely involves replicating the “safe space” that Carnival creates for female sexual expression and pleasure. The key, however, is not to immediately go into sexual situations:
Rather, make your daily walk one that is pleasure-based, one that accepts the body in whatever state it is.
This can be done in the simplest ways, from savouring the texture and flavour of a piece of chocolate to buying clothes with fabric that feels good on the body.
As for taboos, Henry says that is the job of Carnival. Challenging hierarchies and social conventions, views of sex and gender — or any matter constrained by religious or social norms — is a way to use the Carnival spirit to approach things differently. Practising these elements of masquerade in everyday life, Henry says, “is a way of liberating ourselves on different levels.”

author: Jada Steuart


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Chilean women proclaim: ‘We are no longer afraid’ · Global Voices
Gabriela Mesones Rojo

Performance during the Women's demonstration on March 8 in honor of women victims of femicides. Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of how women fight gender violence in Latin America.
On March 8, an overwhelming number of women attended the International Women's Day marches in Chile. According to the organizer, Coordinadora Feminista 8M (the 8M Feminist Coordinator), 2 million people demonstrated in cities across the country, while the police estimated 150,000 attendees.
Of the thousands who marched from several points in Santiago de Chile to Plaza Dignidad, there were three friends, aged 19, 20 and 30, with their faces covered with pink hoods. They said to Global Voices:
Estamos cansadas de los abusos, la violencia constante. Todo lo que hacemos lo cuestionan, encontramos obstáculos una y otra vez solo para vivir una vida normal. Se acabó, ya no tenemos miedo.
We are tired of the abuse and constant violence. Everything we do is called into question, we face obstacles again and again just to live a normal life. It is over, we are no longer afraid.
One of the three hooded women interviewed. Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
All three women openly discussed how they have been victims of sexual abuse, and how they managed to get out of this situation and recover from the experience thanks to other women:
Otras mujeres fueron las que nos escucharon, nos creyeron, entendieron la magnitud del problema y nos ayudaron a salir de él. Por eso estamos juntas.
Other women were the ones who listened to us, believed us, understood the extent of the problem and helped us overcome it. This is why we are together.
The march covered a route of more than 4 kilometers and the surrounding streets, and featured live music, theater performances, literature readings, visual art, and dance for more than six hours. Allison Garrido, 13, holds a banner with the words “no more abuse, but more equality.” Her mother, Jenny Molina, 37, accompanied her with a placard which reads that she is marching for her daughter. It is the first time they attend a demonstration and they decided to participate after witnessing the October 18 protests.
Mother and daughter march together.  Left sign: “I want my daughter to be safe when she comes back home”; Right sign: “I want my mother not to worry when I go back home.” Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
On March 8, President Sebastián Piñera announced that he sent two draft bills to Congress that would help protect women's rights. The first establishes telematic monitoring of men charged with domestic violence, and the second incorporates child support debtors into the commercial information bulletin (currently in Chile, 84 percent of fathers obligated to pay alimony fail to do so.)
Women's demonstration on March 8. Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
Women who were political prisoners during the US-backed Pinochet dictatorship also joined the march. For example, Amelia Negrón, 67, is one of the representatives of the Coro Voces de la Rebeldía (“Voices of the Rebellion Choir”), a choir founded in the Tres Álamos concentration camp in 1975. Wearing a red flower in her hair, she explained that:
Las mujeres siempre hemos estado presentes desde todas las trincheras: en los sectores populares, en las cárceles, las casas y las calles. Ahora nos parece fantástico que podamos contar con una asistencia masiva, una celebración por nuestros derechos.
We women have always been fighting on all fronts: in the civic sectors, in prisons, within homes and on the streets. Now it's great that we have a massive attendance at this march which is a celebration of our rights.
There have been 7 femicides claimed so far this year in Chile. Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
Along the route, the demonstrators stopped several times to jointly carry out the performance “Un violador en tu camino” (“A rapist on your path”), inspired by the feminist writings of Rita Segato made popular by the Chilean collective Las Tesis. The feminist anthem, which has been replicated globally, bares the sexist character of state institutions.
Several indigenous groups also joined the women's demonstration. On this occasion, the Mapuche women sang for the earth.
Mapuche women participated in the march. Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
On March 2, the central government enacted the Ley Gabriela (“Gabriela Law”), a new legal regulation that broadens the definition of the crime of femicide (seven completed femicides and 19 thwarted femicides have been registered by March 11 this year). According to this law, a femicide will be defined as a crime based on hatred, contempt or abuse on account of gender, and not only when it relates to spouses or partners as it was before.
In his presentation of the Gabriela Law, President Piñera stated that “sometimes, it's not just men's desire to abuse, but also the women's position to be abused.”
His comment was berated by the participants at the march. Mariana Álvarez, a Venezuelan migrant in Chile attending Red de Mujeres Afrodiaspóricas (the Network of Afrodiaspora Women), said:
Con estos comentarios queda claro que los recientes logros y los avances en las leyes que protegen a la mujer no son logros del presidente o del gobierno, son logros de las mujeres. A ellos no les importa proteger a nadie.
These comments make clear that recent legislative successes and progress that protect women are achievements of women, not of the president or the government. They don't care about protecting anyone.
Sign says: “As long as there's a single woman oppressed, I will not be a free woman.” Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
There were also vegan feminist groups attending the march. Antonia Mellado, 28, painted her naked body with red paint and held in her hands images of a battered cow. She explained:
Sostenemos que haya sororidad entre todas las especies, no solo la especie humana, sino también la animal. Llevo dos años siendo vegana porque los animales femeninos también están sujetas a una explotación llena de crueldad. Hoy también protestamos por esos animales y queremos que la nueva constitución proteja los derechos animales del país.
We believe that there is sorority among all species, not only within human species, but also within animal species. I have been a vegan for two years because female animals are also subject to cruel exploitation. Today we are also marching for these animals and we want the new constitution to protect the rights of the animals in this country.
Vegan women asking for “interspecies sorority”. Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
At the end of the March, police shot pepper spray on demonstrators. According to Berta Robles, police coordinator for the demonstration day, the disturbances resulted in 19 injured officers and 16 people detained.
Despite that, the demonstration was well-organized and had diverse attendees, according to Pía Barros, one of the founders of the Alternative Feminist Party of Chile:
La capacidad de las organizadoras fue espectacular. Poquísimos incidentes y una gran cantidad de mujeres disfrutando, consignas preciosas, creatividad y la naturalidad con la que la gente tomó las calles deja al descubierto de lo que somos capaces.
The competence of the organizers was spectacular. The very few incidents and a large number of women enjoying themselves, the wonderful slogans, the creativity and the natural way with which people took to the streets. This reveals what we are capable of.
The hood moms distribute food to the front line protesters during the Chilean social outbreak. Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
Marta Romero, a 23-year-old student, while walking away from the police repression taking place in front of Casa de Moneda, said:
Estuvimos por horas bajo el sol, disfrutando, cantando, abrazándonos, juntas como hermanas. Las mujeres tenemos voz, siempre la hemos tenido, pero ahora no tenemos miedo. Ahora están obligados a escucharnos.
We spent hours in the sunlight, enjoying ourselves, singing, hugging each other, being together as sisters. We women have a voice, we have always had, but now we are not afraid anymore. Now they have to listen to us.

author: Gabriela Mesones Rojo


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Pakistan claims COVID-19 under control amidst rising figures · Global Voices
R Umaima Ahmed

Image by digital designer from Pixabay. Used under a Pixabay license (Free for commercial use No attribution required).
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has affected thousands of lives and is set to badly affect the global economy. According to Worldometer, as of March 18, 208,457 people have been diagnosed with 8,312 deaths globally. So far, Pakistan has reported 297 cases at the time of writing of the post. People on social media are wondering if measures taken by the Pakistani Government are adequate and whether Pakistan is equipped to face the challenge of screening and isolating infected people in order to safeguard the rest of the population.
Southeastern Sindh province leads the country with 208 confirmed cases.
The first two cases of coronavirus from Sindh province were reported on 26 February after which the Chief Minister of Sindh state Murad Ali Shah took immediate steps to check passengers at the airport and set up quarantine centres in the city of Taftan (near the border of Iran and Afghanistan) for Pakistani pilgrims returning from Iran after coronavirus cases soared in Iran. Out of the 208 cases in Sindh, 154 are pilgrims quarantined in the city of Sukkur after returning from Iran.
Get ready for more Coronavirus cases ? “671 returnees from Iran leave for Sindh Pakistan ??in convoy of 18 Buses” #coronoavirus pic.twitter.com/WOFZ3IIPpA
— Bleed Green (@bleedgreenarmy) March 18, 2020
He also closed all educational institutions in the province until May 30 as well as banned all public gatherings including weddings, religious and sports events. Baluchistan also shut down its schools. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government followed suit.
#SindhGovernment enforce “Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act 2014″ after World Health Organization declares #Corona pandemic. Mass screening & inspection being carried out, gatherings, rallies & shrines will be banned & closed, violation will be penalized u/s 188 of Pakistan Penal Code. pic.twitter.com/ytSkuJ9w9Z
— Majid Agha (@Majid_Agha) March 14, 2020
After the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged everyone to “raise awareness among the masses so they can take appropriate precautions to protect themselves from the virus.”
Amidst concerns about the cost of screening, the government said that coronavirus test kits would be available for free selected hospitals all over the country and a protocol has been set to get checked for coronavirus. As for face masks, most pharmacies do not have masks in stock with some that do selling at high prices.
The government has created a ‘National COVID-19 Command and Control Centre’ which started by carrying out disinfection operations at Lahore airport:
#Pakistan’s newly formed ‘National COVID-19 Command & Control Centre’ is conducting disinfection operation at Lahore airport. Officials say they’r using ecologically safe & biodegradable ‘VIROX TECHNOLOGY that clears all kinds of microbes in 3- 5 minutes.” #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/WZb13fN9ZT
— Ayaz Gul (@AyazGul64) March 15, 2020
The Facebook page for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Islamabad is posting videos about how people can protect themselves from the virus.
Pakistan has made it compulsory for passengers arriving in Pakistan from international destinations to provide coronavirus test results prior to boarding their flights.
Section 144 has been imposed across Pakistan for one month from March 15, 2020. Section 144 bars people from taking part in activities for a given time period including congregation by four or more people. However, a large number of people are still going to offices as no work from home orders are in place.
The government  claimed that “it has taken adequate measures to ensure that the disease does not spread further.”
Isolation wards have been created all over Pakistan to cater to Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic
Province/Region wise No. of Designated Hospitals
ICT – 01
Punjab – 06
Sindh – 04
Baluchistan – 10
KP – 7
GB- 4
AJK – 3https://t.co/EcGPRQQ2d4 pic.twitter.com/SW1esTKdym
— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) March 13, 2020
However, Tahir Mehdi, a journalist shared his experience on social media:
I have flu for last five days [..] so I called 1166 and they asked me to contact the Corona Center at Services Hospital. I went there this morning. A glass room with masked staff speaking through a microphone, she asked a few questions and handed a printed parchee (paper) and asked me to go to Corona ward for a screening test. The ward guys shrugged and said they have no such thing so go back to the reception girl. [..] I waited. She came back to tell me very frankly “we can't do a thing”. [..] The hospital has no Corona test facility of its own. None, at all.
Since the virus has no cure per se, the only thing a health facility can do is to screen and isolate infected persons and the only Center in Punjab's capital is unable to do that.
There were ‘Ghabrana nahee’ (Don't worry) posters all over the hospital though.
There are also concerns that there are not enough numbers of testing kits available.
Even though various steps have been taken by the Pakistan government to control the virus, health experts in Pakistan shared their concerns about the virus and asked people to take personal measures to ensure their safety. Due to COVID-19, the Pakistan stock market has seen a downfall like all other nations. Even the National Assembly of Pakistan has canceled all its proceedings until further notice.
The hashtag #CoronaVirusPakistan is trending on Twitter to mixed reactions. Many people joked about the situation while some feared the worse. Mothers posted questions about how to keep kids busy during the holidays while students were asked to study online. Others tried to relate it to the wrath of God, yet others are linking it with the lockdown in Kashmir. And people are not taking the needed precautions especially in Sindh province where the number of Coronavirus patients is the highest. Sheema Ghani posted images on Facebook showing a large crowd in a train station in Karachi.
A large number of people are waiting at the main railway station at Karachi. Image by Sheema Ghani, used with permission
Business as usual in lower courts, people sneezing and coughing like it's no big deal. The ignorance is alarming. Please #CloseTheCourts, so many households at risk because of this negligence.
Via @SAhmadmaan pic.twitter.com/BV4bsL51FP
— Nida Usman Ch (@NidaUsmanCh) March 16, 2020
Last week more than 250,000 pilgrims gathered in Raiwind near Lahore for an annual Tablighi Ijtema.
People have demanded the government shut down everything except the emergency services to prevent the virus from spreading:
All schools colleges universities, training institutions, civilian & military , all cinema houses, offices , all sports events must be immediately shut down. Only the essentials services must continue to function. #CoronavirusPandemic Pakistan.
— Nasim Zehra (@NasimZehra) March 12, 2020
6 steps #Pakistan should take immediately:
-Travel restrictions
-Cancel/ban public congregations
-Protect children:phased closure of schools&colleges
-Boost Detection/testing
-Fed govt/provinces allocate dedicated resources for #cornoravirus threat
-Public awareness campaigns
— Raza Ahmad Rumi (@Razarumi) March 12, 2020
For now, people are looking to the government to implement more concrete measures to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Pakistan as the numbers are predicted to rise sharply if there is no effective intervention.

author: R Umaima Ahmed


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Turkmenistan fights coronavirus with (more) isolation and herbal remedies · Global Voices
Maxim Edwards

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov considers herbal remedies in this March 2020 video, “Harmala: A Cure For Many Diseases.” Image still from Turkmenistan Today news portal.
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
A pandemic, by definition, reaches everybody. There are now reports that the coronavirus has reached Turkmenistan, one of the world's most isolated and closed states. In recent years, the gas-rich desert state has suffered a protracted economic downturn, leaving observers to wonder how Turkmenistan's public services will cope with a full-blown humanitarian emergency.
At the time of writing, Turkmenistan is one of the few countries in Eurasia for which there is no data on the authoritative Johns Hopkins online map of confirmed coronavirus cases. This could be due to the notorious difficulty of getting accurate information from the country, where information is strictly controlled and censorship of the media is ubiquitous.
True to form, Turkmen officialdom is keeping quiet about bad news on the horizon. They have barely mentioned the word “coronavirus,” which has not appeared on any government website after one cursory mention on March 5. That same day, citing medical sources in the capital Ashgabat, RFE/RL's Turkmenistan service wrote that there are probably at least two confirmed coronavirus cases in the country.
Coronavirus cases in Turkmenistan are not implausible. The country borders Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the north, which both reported their first cases this month and declared nationwide emergencies this week. Turkmenistan also shares 1,148 kilometres of its southern border with crisis-stricken Iran, with over 17,000 known cases and nearly 1,200 deaths to date. Like the rest of its neighbours in Central Asia, Turkmenistan also maintains a brisk trade with Turkey and China, while Turkmen citizens study and work in Russia, where cases are rapidly multiplying.
The first known official mention of a threat to public health in Turkmenistan came after the new year.
The website of Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry states that on January 8, the country's Ministry of Health issued an order on identifying symptoms and treating “unknown pulmonary diseases.” An extraordinary committee convened on January 20 to discuss preventative measures, such as improving the state of the country's hospitals, setting up quarantine zones in border areas, and conducting unspecified medical tests on all people arriving from affected countries.
On February 25, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov held a special meeting in which he spoke of the need to challenge viruses and other “health threats.” Turkmen government officials, predictably, have not responded to RFE/RL's questions about coronavirus cases in the country, nor those of any other international news agency. There appear to be some signs of preparation: the American news service also reports that government ministries are increasingly checking the temperatures of their employees. Suspected cases are being dispatched to the Chongaly Centre for Infectious Diseases, though the number of cases there remains unknown. From March 4, swimming pools and sports halls have been closed in Ashgabat, and weddings and other large scale events have either been cancelled or postponed.
According to Chronicles of Turkmenistan, an independent website following political and social developments in the country, Turkmenistan's few touristic resorts such as the Ahvaz on the Caspian Sea coast, have been closed down in recent days, and since at least February the Ministry of Health has distributed leaflets throughout the capital including information on coronavirus symptoms. Nevertheless, according to Fergana News, an independent news website specialising on Central Asia, the authorities started handing out a new version of these booklets in March which omitted any mention of the name of the new virus.
Detail from a public information leaflet about COVID-19 symptoms. This version was distributed in February. Photo (c): Turkmen.News. Used with permission.
But the most stringent measures appear to be taken against travellers from overseas. On February 3, Turkmenistan closed the entirety of its border with Iran, followed by its borders with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the Turkmen authorities have sought to bring back Turkmen citizens living and working in affected countries; over 200 Turkmen citizens were returned from China in February and are under quarantine in the Lebap Province.
Turkmenistan Airlines ceased all flights to and from China on February 29, followed by several other destinations. Representatives of the airline told the state media outlet TurkmenPortal that its remaining flights from Turkmenistan were still departing from Ashgabat, but returning to the western city of Turkmenabat where medical facilities have been set up in the airport.
On March 15, Fergana News reported that the airline, which has faced financial struggles, was no longer able to compensate passengers for cancelled flights. Several large international carriers such as TurkishAirlines, China Southern, Belavia, and FlyDubai also temporarily cancelled their flights to Turkmenistan.
Disturbingly, on March 13 journalists from Chronicles of Turkmenistan reported that some passengers arriving in Turkmenabat from overseas were able to leave mandatory quarantine after a few minutes by paying officials bribes ranging from US$100-800.
Meanwhile, the healthcare services continue to praise the steps outlined by President Berdymukhamedov. On March 5, Minister of Healthcare Nurmukhammet Amannepesov credited this approach with the lack of recorded coronavirus cases in the country.
Turkmenistan's most prominent response to the pandemic has been a herbal remedy proposed by President Berdymukhamedov. In a speech to the cabinet of ministers on March 13, the president remarked that his book on medicinal plants includes useful advice, noting that pepper can be useful in combating infections as can garmala, or common rue. The country could do well to learn from its “wise ancestors,” declared the president, who advocated the health benefits of using garmala as incense:
Dürli görnüşli, göze görünmeýän wiruslaryň adam bedenine aralaşmagynyň öňüni almakda ýüzärlik tüssesiniň netijelidigini köp asyrlaryň durmuş tejribesi subut etdi. Şunuň bilen baglylykda, milli Liderimiz halkymyzyň ýüzärlik tütetmek däbiniň häzirki döwürde dünýäde emele gelen çylşyrymly pursatlarda aýratyn ähmiýetlidigine ünsi çekip.
Many centuries of experience proves that light smoke can effectively prevent the spread of various invisible viruses into the human body. In this regard, our leader emphasised that our people's tradition of burning herbs is especially important in these complex times, in light of events in the world today.
Berdymukhamedov, who served as Turkmenistan's Minister of Health between 1997 and 2007, has authored several books on healthcare, one on horses, and another on tea. His 2013 book details the medicinal properties of over 150 plants native to the arid country.
According to this recent video produced for state media outlet Turkmenistan Today, Garmala, the “cure for a thousand ailments,” plays an important role in Turkmen culture. Burning the desert grass to release its aromatic smoke, it continues, is a fixture of any large celebration from weddings to the dedication of a new home.
Media reports suggest that the president's advice is already being strictly observed. According to Orient TV, which advertises itself as the “first non-state TV station in Turkmenistan,” the herb was burnt during a meeting between UN representatives and Turkmen government officials on March 14. While attendees of the meeting in Ashgabat treated their hands with an antiseptic solution, handshakes continued as normal.
It may be easy for observers from afar to simply write off this herbal remedy as one of President Berdymukhamedov's eccentricities, but Chronicles of Turkmenistan suggests that it could be a smokescreen, in both senses, for the lack of adequate healthcare in the country. State media continue to report merrily on the president's latest initiatives. In spite of advice from the World Health Organisation strongly advising against mass public events, Turkmenistan is going ahead with preparations to hold the Nowruz, or spring festival, on March 20.

author: Maxim Edwards


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Watchdog decries threat to press freedom as China expels some US journalists · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Image from the Stand News.
On March 18, China announced that it is expelling American journalists working for three major news media outlets, namely the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The ban would be extended to Hong Kong and Macau despite the fact that both ex-colonial cities are supposed to be autonomous under the principle of “One Country Two Systems”.
International press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders slammed Beijing's decision calling out “China’s aggressive moves against press freedom in the world” and stressed the significance of transparency amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its March 18 announcement, China stressed that the move was a response to the U.S government's designation of five Chinese state media outlets as foreign government agents on February 19. Under the Foreign Missions Act, staff members of the five listed Chinese media outlets — Xinhua, China Global Television Network (CGTN), China Radio International, China Daily, and Hai Tian Development USA — would have to register with the U.S. State Department. The outlets also have to declare their U.S. real estate holdings and seek approval for future purchases.
On the same day as the U.S. State Department decision, China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters after the newspaper refused to apologize over an opinion column headline which referred to China as “the real sick man of Asia”.
The U.S government went on to issue a personnel cap on March 3 for the above Chinese media outlets from 160 to 100 employees. Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of the State said that the restriction is in retaliation for Beijing’s “increasingly harsh harassment and intimidation” of American journalists and it aims to reset a “level playing field” and “spur Beijing to adopt a more fair and reciprocal approach” to foreign press in China.
However, China decided to expel more American journalists. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded that all American journalists working for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post return their press cards (which were due to expire this year) within 10 days. It is estimated at least 13 journalists would be expelled.
In addition, the Ministry also demanded the above three media outlets together with Time Magazine and Radio Free Asia register their staff, financial status and assets in China with Chinese authorities. The announcement also stressed that expelled journalists would not be allowed to report from Hong Kong and Macau.
In the daily press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that China would be “compelled” to take further countermeasures targeting U.S. media outlets and journalists if the U.S. refuses to change its policy.
Hong Kong has been a safe harbor for foreign journalists working in Asia for decades given the special administrative status under the principle of “One Country Two Systems”. In response to Beijing's new policy, Edward Yau Tang-wah Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong commented that the government would act according to the principle of “One Country and Two Systems”.
The answer is highly ambivalent as the Hong Kong Basic Law has guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Hong Kong since its enactment in 1997. It also states that the Hong Kong government may apply immigration controls on entry into, stay and departure of people from foreign states and regions. At the same time, in 2018, the Hong Kong government rejected a visa renewal for Foreign Correspondents’ Club’s (FCC) Vice President Victor Mallet who is also the Financial Times’ Asia news editor. The political gesture came after Mallet chaired a talk by pro-independence activist Andy Chan at the press club.
The FCC slammed Beijing’s recent move to extend the American media outlet ban to Hong Kong as a “serious erosion” of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle. A spokesperson from the Chinese Commissioner’s office in Hong Kong defended Beijing’s stance and told FCC to “address its complaints to the US administration, urging the latter to immediately change course, undo the damage, and stop its political oppression of and arbitrary restrictions on Chinese media organisations.”
Hong Kong's Civic Party leader Alvin Yeung described Beijing's reaction as “unprecedented”:
It is as if Beijing is directly imposing its authority on Hong Kong’s Immigration Department and prohibiting the issuance of work permits.
Reporter Without Border’s East Asia Bureau head Cédric Alviani pointed out that the incident is a move “against press freedom in the world”. He stressed:
The media targeted by China enforce and abide by the principles of ethical journalism—including editorial independence and the verification of facts for the public benefit—while the Chinese state media officially serve as mouthpieces for the Chinese Communist Party.
RSF’s Secretary-General Christophe Deloire stressed the significance of press freedom amidst the COVID-19 pandemic:
The despotic control of news and information by Beijing had a very negative impact at the starting point of this coronavirus epidemic… Chinese president Xi Jinping has a huge responsibility in front of all human beings.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Even with renewed laws, Brazil struggles to protect women amid rising femicide · Global Voices
Isadora Varejão

Women marching in Rio de Janeiro to raise awareness of femicide rates in Brazil: “It's for women's lives. Sexism kills,” Photo by Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil, used with permission.
This story is part of Global Voices’ special coverage on gender-violence in Latin America.
While Brazil's murder rate declines, femicide — the killing of women as a result of domestic violence or on account of gender, usually by a man and very often her partner — is on the rise.
In 2019, the overall murders of men and women in Brazil dropped 19 percent in comparison to 2018, but femicides had a 12 percent increase, according to an analysis by news outlet G1 based on official data by state governments.
Brazil ranks fifth in femicide rates worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and the staggering numbers have been called “alarming” by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
But the explanation recent increase might lie with a recent legislative change: In 2015, Brazil added the crime of femicide to its penal code. Femicide is now an aggravating factor in murder cases, with even harsher penalties when the victims are pregnant, disabled, and under the age of 14 or over 60.
The executive director of the Brazilian Public Safety Forum, Samira Bueno has been analyzing the data on violence for years for the Atlas of Violence, a long-established annual study of violence in Brazil published the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea).
According to Bueno, the law has encouraged law enforcement to distinguish femicide from overall homicides, naturally leading to an increase in crimes framed as such. Speaking with Global Voices via telephone, she said:
Nesse contexto de morte violenta de mulheres, o número de fatos enquadrados como feminicídio também aumentou. Ou seja, o número de mortes é um número absoluto, mas o número de feminicídio é variável porque depende da interpretação que se dá no momento de registro da ocorrência. Aumentar esses números é um aspecto positivo e que revela envolvimento e conscientização por parte das autoridades.
In this context, the number of deaths is an absolute number, but the number of femicides is variable since it depends on the interpretation given by investigators when the crime occurs. To see these numbers growing is a positive aspect and shows engagement and awareness by the authorities.
However, there has also been an actual increase in all crimes related to gender-violence, such as bodily injury resulting from domestic violence and rape. Bueno also points:
A maior parte dos crimes de feminicídio decorre de violência doméstica, que está aumentando. Por isso o assunto tem se tornado central no Brasil. A violência de gênero continua sendo o ‘calcanhar de Aquiles’ em termos de política de segurança pública.
Most crimes of femicide stem from domestic violence, which is on the rise. This is why the issue has become central in Brazil. Gender-based violence is still our “Achilles” heel in terms of public security policy.
Bueno considers this a very peculiar moment in Brazil’s history:
Nós nunca tivemos tantas leis abordando violência contra as mulheres. Foi um avanço importante, mas precisamos ter a clareza de que leis penais não mudam comportamento.
We have never had so many laws tackling violence against women. It's an important progress, but we need to have the clarity that laws don't change behavior.
According to Bueno, there are three key points concerning gender violence today in Brazil:
Black women are the leading victims
Between 2007 and 2017, the murder rate of black women grew 29.9 percent compared to 4.5 percent of non-black women. Over 65 percent of all women who were murdered in 2017 were black, according to the Atlas of Violence. Bueno notes:
Raça e classe são elementos fundamentais pra entender violência de gênero. As negras têm menor escolaridade, vivem em áreas mais periféricas e tem mais dificuldade de acessar instrumentos públicos. Tem salários mais baixos que mulheres brancas com a mesma escolaridade.
Race and class are key elements to understand gender-based violence. Black women have less education, will likely live in the outskirts, which makes it harder for them to access public services. They have lower wages than white women with the same education.
The overlapping of gender pay inequity and racism also makes the group the most financially vulnerable in the country: They earn on average BRL 1.394 (around 300 US Dollars) a month, which is less than half the average for white men, BRL 3.138 (697 US Dollar). She adds:
Quando tem crescimento na violência letal contra a mulher, ele é puxado pelo número de vítimas negras; quando há redução, ela se verifica mais entre mulheres brancas.
Whenever we see a rise in the number of deadly violence against women, it is among black victims. Whenever we see a decrease, it is among white women.
Inadequate federal support
Brazil had a record number of 263,000 cases of women injured due to domestic violence in 2018 and 54,000 victims of rape. However, the funding for the Women’s Secretariat, which manages a program to support victims, was reduced from US$25 million in 2015 to US$1,1 million in 2019 according to an investigation by Grupo Estado.
President Jair Bolsonaro said in February that efforts to fight gender-based violence do not need more money; what is needed is “a change in attitude and behavior” as well as more “awareness”.
The Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights, Damares Alves has been the government’s spokesperson on issues related to gender-based violence. An attorney and evangelical pastor, Alves is known for her conservative stance on women’s rights and gender identity, often grounded on her religious beliefs.
Early in 2019, she said that “boys must wear blue and girls must wear pink”. In February 2020, Alves promoted abstinence as a strategy to avoid teenage pregnancy, ignoring that many cases result from rape: according to a study by the Ministry of Health, between 2011 and 2016, 16,680 teenagers from ages 15 to 19 years were raped, of which 2,387 ended up pregnant.
Meanwhile, a bill that would grant victims of domestic violence financial support has been stalled on the Chamber of Deputies for seven years.
More guns, less safety
One of the first campaign promises delivered by Bolsonaro was to ease gun rules, which could lead to more deaths due to domestic violence. According to Bueno, weapons used in femicides are “whatever the perpetrator can find in a moment of rage.”
With the president's executive orders, marksmen, hunters, and collectors are now allowed to transport loaded weapons; the limit on ammunition purchases was raised from 50 to 5,000 cartridges for permitted guns, and the process to import a gun or transfer ownership was simplified.
According to the Atlas of Violence, the number of femicides that happened both inside the victim’s residence and by a firearm has increased since 2015. An award-winning study conducted by Ipea researcher Daniel Ricardo de Castro Cerqueira predicts that an increase of one percent in the number of guns in the country will lead to a two percent increase in homicides.
O cenário da violência já é preocupante; uma maior circulação armas de fogo pode ser devastadora.
The scenario is worrisome in and of itself; having more guns circulating can be devastating.

author: Isadora Varejão


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Local power play ends the reign of northern Nigeria’s emir of Kano · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II, former emir of Kano. Image by T.Y. Bello (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 14th emir (king) of Kano was on March 9 dethroned by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, in northwestern Nigeria.
According to reports by the Nigerian Guardian newspapers, the former emir was dethroned by a unanimous vote by the Kano State Executive Council.
Usman Alhaji, Secretary to the Kano State Government accused Emir Sanusi of “total insubordination” and “disrespect to lawful instructions” from the state governor. Alhaji also alleged that the Emir breached “part 3 section 13 (a-e) of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019.”
The Kano State Emirate Law 2019 divided Kano into five independent kingdoms. However, a Kano court had on November 2019 nullified the Emirate Law because it “was faulty and did not follow due process”.
Sanusi accepted his unseating from the throne as the “will of God,” according to the BBC.
Aminu Ado Bayero has been appointed as Sanusi's successor by Governor Ganduje:
Breaking: New Emir announced. Emir of Bichi, Aminu Ado Bayero announced the new Emir of Kano. The announcement was made by the SSG few hours after the removal of Muhammadu Sanusi II. The appointment takes immediate effect according to the SSG.@GovUmarGanduje | @NGRPresident pic.twitter.com/gcO79xcNCJ
— ARISE News Feed (@ARISEtv) March 9, 2020
Following his sacking, Sanusi was immediately banished to Awe, a town in the backwaters of Nasarawa State, north-central Nigeria. Sanusi challenged his banishment and on March 13, a court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, ordered his release from “post-dethronement detention and confinement,” according to Premium Times.
The deposed emir left Awe that same day in the company of his friend, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El- Rufai.
Malam Nasir @elrufai and HH Muhammadu Sanusi II are Abuja bound… pic.twitter.com/0MkbjvCJWP
— Governor Kaduna (@GovKaduna) March 13, 2020
Earlier that day, Sanusi led the Friday prayers in Awe Central Mosque:
The deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on Friday led juma'at prayers at the Awe Central Mosque, in Nasarawa. He was accompanied by Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
In this video, he can be seen heading to the mosque.
Credit: Abel Daniel#SanusiLamidoSanusi #NasirElRufai pic.twitter.com/SmDUgbITll
— The Guardian Nigeria (@GuardianNigeria) March 13, 2020
Writer Gimba Kakanda commented that the emir — “the man we fell in love with” — is a public intellectual and that can't be taken away from him.
The man we fell in love with is called Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and what’s made him the darling of the progressives is his characteristic public intellection. You can never take that away from him. There’s always a price to pay for refusing to play by the book of the Establishment. pic.twitter.com/ZLWTl1tJgO
— Gimba Kakanda (@gimbakakanda) March 9, 2020
Sanusi’s accession and his later dethronement as emir are both linked to a nerve-wracking politics in his home state, Kano. Consequently, “Sanusi’s emirship was molded in the crucible of partisan politics and was dissolved in it,” writes Farooq A. Kperogi, in an op-ed in the Nigerian Tribune.
As Nigeria’s Central Bank governor, Sanusi, in late 2013, notified former President Goodluck Jonathan of an unaccounted $20 billion United States dollars in oil revenue from Nigeria’s state oil firm. Sanusi was suspended as Nigeria’s central banker in February 2014, and accused of “financial recklessness and misconduct.”
Reuters reported in February 2015 that a senate committee that investigated the allegation discovered that “Sanusi’s account lacked substance.”
At the time of Sanusi’s suspension, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was the ruling party while the All Progressive Party (APC) was in opposition.
The then-governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (an APC member at the time) appointed Sanusi as the emir of Kano, to spite the ruling party over missing oil funds and subsequent sacking:
The 2 custodians of Kano State. His Excellency, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and His Royal Highness, Sanusi Lamido pic.twitter.com/JboxWJnmkb
— Peacock (@dawisu) June 9, 2014
Kwankwaso appointed Sanusi as the emir in 2014, toward the end of his eight-year tenure as governor of Kano State. Kwankwaso's deputy, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, succeeded him as governor in 2015.
Then things fell apart between Kwankwaso and Ganduje. Sanusi was caught in the middle of the battle between these two politicians.
The two rivals have engaged in a political battle of attrition. Ganduje revoked all Kwankwaso’s projects that he started as governor. This bitter rivalry became more pronounced because Kwankwaso resisted Ganduje's reelection bid for a second term during the 2019 elections.
Sanusi supported Kwankwaso’s favored candidate, Abba Kabir, during the 2019 election. Since then, Ganduje has expressed hostility toward Sanusi for supporting his rival.
In May 2019, Ganduje divided the ancient Kano kingdom into five independent kingdoms in an act of perceived revenge against Emir Sanusi’s partisanship:
In June 2019, Ganduje, through the Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, further investigated Sanusi “for financial scandals that date back to 2017.”
On March 6, a court in Kano granted an order restraining the Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission from further investigating Emir Sanusi.
The Nigerian Guardian reports that the court directed a suspension of “any attempt by the commission or anyone acting on its behalf pending the hearing on 18 March 2020.”
Sanusi's grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi I, was the 11th emir of Kano from 1953 until 1963 when he was deposed by the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello.
History has repeated itself…
In the year 1963, the Emir of Kano Sir Muhammadu Sanusi I was ovethrowed as a result of power struggle between him & Ahmadu Bello.
57 years later, Emir Sanusi Mohammed Sanusi II his direct descendant has been dethroned by Ganduje.
Wayo Allah Na! pic.twitter.com/iMrt6EqjFH
— Photo Waka (@PhotoWaka1) March 9, 2020
Hence, Muhammadu Sanusi II’s ascension to the throne “51 years later” was interpreted as “a vindication of his grandfather,” writes Mahmud Jega in the Daily Trust.
The deposed emir was very vocal on social issues like poverty and malnutrition in northern Nigeria.
The video that cost Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi his throne. In his speech, he touches area he ought not to ventured into. The very areas some elites are comfortable with. pic.twitter.com/FxuFisFNJk
— ?? ?? ?? ????? ???????? (@DRElMo_ATIKU) March 10, 2020
#BREAKING News. this is the speech that makes Ganduje to remove Sanusi as king of Kano in case you missed it.. pic.twitter.com/uLzyzwrInx
— BoB Cyril¶ (@BOBCyril2) March 9, 2020
Sanusi was known to speak out about various social ills faced by Kano residents. The United Nations Children's Fund asserts that children in northern Nigeria are significantly malnourished and The World Bank states that 87 percent of all poor Nigerians live in the north.
Sanusi is a progressive northern intellectual, albeit with a penchant for being provocative.
The emir of Kano on his throne, September 2016. Photo by Don Camillo DonCamillo via Wikimedia Commons: CC BY-SA 4.0.
In 2017, Sanusi broke protocol by having his daughter Princess Shahida Sanusi represent him in a public event, the first time a woman stood in for a King from Northern Nigeria.
In that lecture Shahida Sanusi stated that her father was not afraid of saying the truth even though it may cost him his throne:
“My father is not afraid of giving up his throne if it stands in the way of speaking the truth. Those who think that my father would keep quiet because he wants to hold on to his throne, I think they don’t know my father… ~ Shahida Sanusi, 2017. pic.twitter.com/o9s2f9zQJF
— Kwankwason Tuwita? (@baba__________) March 9, 2020
Farooq A. Kperogi in an op-ed in the Nigerian Tribune newspapers stated that Ganduje dethroned Sanusi as emir of Kano “because he couldn’t stomach the former emir’s disapproval of the electoral fraud that brought him to power.”
The former emir's principled stance did not go down well with the political establishment in Kano who clipped his wings and ended his reign.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike