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15-Year-Old Roma Girl’s Deportation Shakes Up France’s Immigration Debate · Global Voices
Marie Bohner

[All links lead to French-language pages unless otherwise noted.]
A student protestor during the demonstrations supporting undocumented students Leonarda and Khatchik, Paris, 18 October 2013. By Valentina Camozza, Copyright Demotix
The deportation of Leonarda Dibrani, a 15-year-old Roma student, continues to rattle France. It is not the first time that a school-aged child has been forced out of the country, but this time all the ingredients were there to expose, to a shocking degree, the contradictions of the country's poorly executed immigration policy, against the backdrop of a rise in deportations of undocumented immigrants, in the stigmatization of Roma people, and in political power of the populist extreme right.
The facts are as follows: On 9 October, just a few months shy of her family's five-year anniversary in France – a milestone which which would have granted them eligibility for a residence permit – the girl was forced to get off the bus that she was riding in on a class field trip. She was put on a plane by the police along with her mother and siblings to join her father, who had been deported the night before, in Kosovo. She has never lived there, she doesn't speak the language, and will be the target of discrimination there.
The Réseau Education sans frontières (Network for Education Without Borders), which lobbies against the deportation of students, quickly mobilized and denounced the actions of “blind and inhumane politicians”. A Facebook page was created with more than 3,200 likes, and a petition was opened on Avaaz:
La pétition #Léonarda15ansArrêtéeEtExpulsée a l'air de marcher à fond: les nouvelles signatures arrivent sans arrêt http://t.co/kCurd50f6H — lebrubru (@lebrubru) October 15, 2013
The petition “Leonarda 15 years old arrested and deported” seems to be very successful. New signatures are constantly arriving http://t.co/kCurd50f6H – lebrubru (@lebrubru) October 15, 2013
A political firestorm
As a first move after the outcry, and in the absence of both the Minister of Interior and the President who were both overseas at the time, the Prime Minister ordered an administrative inquiry about the conditions of Leonarda's deportation, promising the family would come back if there was a error.
France's Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls, who oversees policy on migrants and asylum seekers and enjoys high popularity in opinion polls, is ruffling feathers more and more, even within his own party, with his tendency to act alone without consulting the rest of the government. Huffington Post blogger-journalist Romain Herreros wondered if this time, with the case of Leonarda's deportation, the minister went too far:
Le Valls qui cache la forêt http://t.co/N76OHZU6AK via @LeHuffPost — Romain Herreros (@Romain_Herreros) October 18, 2013
What Valls’ strategy is masking about immigration http://t.co/N76OHZU6AK via @LeHuffPost — Romain Herreros (@Romain_Herreros) October 18, 2013
The case has exposed a rift in the ruling French Socialist Party (PS) [en]. The cacophony in the media and elsewhere grew louder all the way to the top, as described in the blog Sarkofrance saison 2:
Le gouvernement a été ébranlé. Peut-on le dire ? Oui. Jean-Marc Ayrault a demandé une enquête; Manuel Valls a fait publier un communiqué défensif. Le président de l'Assemblée nationale, Claude Bartolone, celui qui institutionnellement pourrait remplacer le président de la République si celui clamse, a fustigé publiquement les conditions de l'arrestation. Le Parti du président, le PS, s'est indigné. François Hollande, en déplacement à quelque 3.000 kilomètres de là, a réagi. Cette indignation s'est vue jusque dans les blogs politiques.
The government has been weakened. Can one say this? Yes. [Prime Minister] Jean-Marc Ayrault called for an inquiry; Manuel Valls issued a defensive statement. The president of the National Assembly, Claude Bartolone, the very person who could, based on the institutional order, replace the president of the Republic if it were to collapse, publicly denounced the circumstances of the arrest. The President's Party, the PS grew indignant. François Hollande, some 3,000 kilometers from here reacted. Even the political blogs perceived this indignation.
Students protest during the demonstrations in support of Leonarda and Khatchik, undocumented students in Paris, 18 October 2013. Photo by Valentina Camozza. Copyright: Demotix
On the eve of school holidays, on the 17 and 18 of October, thousands of secondary school students blocked access to their schools and protested in support of deported undocumented students. The demonstration was meant to demand the return of Leonarda, but it received limited public support from an immigration-weary public. Its motives have been deemed purely political by some, such as journalist Patrice de Plunkett:
Ce qui s'exprime ressemble plutôt à un règlement de comptes. Le secrétaire national du PS expliquant, au ministre PS de l'Education nationale, que les lycéens PS bloquent des lycées pour contester le ministre PS de l'Intérieur ? ça va encore faire du joli dans les sondages.
There seems to be some sort of settling of scores (between leaders of the Socialist Party PS). The national secretary of the party explaining to the Minister of National Education [also from the same party] that left-leaning students are blocking school gates to challenge the Minister of the Interior? This internal battle is going to look fabulous in the polls [for the socialist party]
Meanwhile, others saw nothing but political manipulation against the already divided government:
[AFP] #Léonarda : pour Chevènement les lycéens pourraient être manipulés pour déstabiliser Valls http://t.co/GFFgGJ9z3q — J-P. Chevènement (@chevenement) October 18, 2013
[AFP] #Léonarda: according to [former Interior Minister and former member of the PS] Chevènement,  students might be manipulated to undermine Valls http://t.co/GFFgGJ9z3q [fr] — J-P. Chevènement (@chevenement) October 18, 2013 (ed's note: as a consequence of the internal battle within the party)
Blogger Seb Musset called for taking politics out of emotional issues:
Pendant combien de temps encore 20.000 Roms vont être instrumentalisés à gauche comme à droite dans le débat politique, et tout ça pour un statu quo ? Rien ne change pour eux, rien ne change dans notre regard.
How much longer do 20,000 Roma have to be used by both the left and right as pawns in the political debate, and all of that just to maintain the status quo? Nothing ever changes for them, nothing changes in our eyes.
Lies and imbroglio
In order to sort through what has become the Leonarda Affair, an investigation was requested by the prime minister to understand the context of the deportation. Even before the report of the investigation was made public, word got out that the family was far from exemplary, did not make an effort to integrate into French society, and that the father, aside from having a reputation for violence had lied about his wife's nationality and that of his children, who were all in fact born in Italy. These details turned everyone into a judge of the validity of the deportation:
Les pages 16 et 17 du rapport (sur l'absence de volonté d'intégration de la famille de #Leonarda) sont dévastatrices. http://t.co/wiesb3Wg3v — Olivier Siou (@oliviersiou1) October 19, 2013
Pages 16 and 17 of the report (about the unwillingness of the family to integrate #Leonarda) are damning. http://t.co/wiesb3Wg3v [fr]— Olivier Siou (@oliviersiou1) October 19, 2013
Christophe Giltay of RTLInfo.be wrote:
Le plus fou c’est que si ce qu’il [le père] dit est vrai, ses enfants sont de nationalité italienne, ils ont donc tout à fait le droit de résider en France comme partout dans l’union européenne. Et comme c’est le père qui a menti à l’office des étrangers, la femme et les enfants ne risquent rien devant la justice française. Mais ont-ils vraiment la nationalité italienne ? Difficile à savoir puisqu’ils ont détruit leurs papiers.
The most insane part is that if what he (the father) says is true, his children are Italian. They therefore absolutely do have the right to reside in France or anywhere else in the E.U. And if it is the father who has been dishonest with the department of immigration the wife and children are at no risk if called before the French justice system. But are they really of Italian nationality? It is difficult to know as they destroyed their documents.
A challenge specific to the Roma population? Christophe Bouillaud, political science professor at IEP in Grenoble, reflected on how impossible it is for this underclass to escape their circumstances, despite the schemes that they may drum up:
De fait, le coup de théâtre de l’italianité (légale) des membres de la famille n’en est peut-être pas un, il peut s’agir d’une autre embrouille encore, mais une fuite d’Italie, c’est tout à fait possible, c’est crédible,  cela en dit long sur la condition des “zingari” en Italie. On peut d’ailleurs supposer qu’ils ne savent pas eux-mêmes quelle est leur nationalité réelle en fait. Le père aurait déclaré à la presse que sa femme et ses enfants avaient des papiers italiens qu’ils auraient détruits, c’est bien possible qu’ils n’aient justement pas eu de tels documents de la part d’une administration italienne assez peu prompte à démêler les fils compliqués de ces vies transnationales.
In fact, the surprising turn of events that certain members of their family are legally Italian may be much ado about nothing. It could be one more scheme, but it is also possible that they just want to escape from Italy. If that is the case, it says a lot about the condition of the “zingari” [gypsies] in Italy. One could still suppose that they themselves don't even know what their actual nationality is. The father would have revealed to the press that his wife and children had Italian papers that they would have destroyed. It's very possible that they didn't have the documents due to the Italian bureaucracy that is slow to untangle the maze of these transnational lives.
Is a return possible?
While the legal experts were pondering the possibility of a compromise for her, President François Hollande announced on the 19 October that because places of academic activity are exempt from deportation, Leonarda could return to France to complete her education, but without her family. The girl, who has publicized her cause with some of the characteristic awkwardness of someone of her age, has publicly refused.
Leonarda faces a large crowd of journalists from France and Kosovo.  Mitrovica-Kosovo, 19 October 2013. Photo Agron Beqiri, copyright Demotix.
The public debate is ongoing. Gilles Langoureau, an activist for the Left Front coalition, a coalition of left-leaning political parties and a frequently challenging ally for the current government, posted the following statement on Facebook:
#Léonarda: Une enfant de 15 ans est ainsi mise en situation de choisir entre l’école de la République et ses parents, entre la France et sa famille. Le piètre jugement de Salomon de François Hollande contrevient à l’esprit de la Convention internationale des droits de l’enfant et à l’article 8 de la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme. Il est humainement indigne […].
#Léonarda: A 15-year-old child is put in the position to choose between Republican school and her parents, between France and her family. The poor judgement of Solomon by [President] François Hollande goes against the spirit of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and also against Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is inhuman and shameful […].
Thomas Wieder, a journalist from Le Monde, stated:
#Leonarda, en nouvelle éditorialiste, commente la décision de Hollande sur les chaînes d'info en continu. C'est l'hallu totale ! — Thomas Wieder (@ThomasWieder) October 19, 2013
#Leonarda, as a new commentator, responds to Hollande's decision through the 24-hours news channels. It's completely crazy! — Thomas Wieder (@ThomasWieder) October 19, 2013
Meanwhile, the expulsion of an Armenian high school student named Khatchit, this time one who is legally an adult, has also arisen. Minister of the Interior, Manuel Valls, has cut his trip to the Caribbean short and is paying very close attention.
Latest update: Leonarda and her family are not, as one may have feared, in safe circumstances in Kosovo [Albanian]:
“Familja Dibrani ishte duke ecur në Mitrovicë kur ata janë sulmuar nga persona të panjohur”, ka thënë një oficer policie.
“The Dibrani family was walking in Mitrovica when they were attacked by unidentified people”, reports a police officer.

author: Marie Bohner


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Argentina’s Legislative Elections · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her allies lost by large margins in the biggest and most important elections in the country yesterday. Her legislative lists were crushed in Buenos Aires (both city and state), Cordoba, Mendoza, and Santa Fe. There is a reason that every major newspaper is talking about her defeat and even the pro-Kirchner media is relatively subdued in its spin. The voting showed a clear rejection of the president and a serious drop from her big 2011 election win.
Bloggings by boz lists five points on the legislative elections held in Argentina on October 27, 2013.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Silvia Viñas


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South Korean Tear Gas Being Used in Bahrain? · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Bahrain interior ministry allegedly ordered 1.6 million teargas canisters to use against protesters, and South Korean company DaeKwang is believed to be one of the major suppliers. R. Elgin wrote in Marmot's Hole blog about the ironic history of tear gas– a notorious symbol of Korean government's clampdowns back in 70-80s becoming a money-maker nowadays. Earlier this month, net users tweeted photos of protesters outside the Korean embassy in London, calling Korean companies to stop selling toxic gas.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Spain’s Association of Victims of Terrorism Publicly Chastizes Amnesty International · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

The Minister of the Interior, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, receives the president of the Association of Victims of Terrorism, Angeles Pedraza. Photo from the Ministry of the Interior website.
A few hours before the European Court of Human Rights [en] (ECHR) issued a verdict which could mean the release from prison of several members of the Basque terrorist organization ETA [en] imprisoned in Spain, the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) posted several tweets criticizing what they consider a lack of support of Amnesty International [en].
In the verdict [en], which was made known on October 21, the ECHR decided that the the so-called “Parot Doctrine” [en] is illegal. This doctrine allowed for the amended 2003 Penal Code to be applied retroactively on crimes committed before it was put into effect, thus extending original sentences. The verdict also urges the Spanish government to free the ETA member Ines del Rio “as quickly as possible.”
This sentence hasn't only unleashed strong controversy on social networks, but even before it was public, there were many Internet users who were thinking about the possible consequences of the ECHR's decision. In these circumstances, the Association of Victims of Terrorism [es] posted this tweet:
Las puertas de la AVT están abiertas para Amnistía Internacional si quieren conocer la realidad de las víctimas. Pero ellos son más de ETA.
— AVT #DoctrinaParotSí (@_AVT_) October 20, 2013
AVT's doors are open for Amnesty International if they want to know the victims’ realities. But most of them are more pro ETA.
This tweet provoked an avalanche of indignant responses like the following:
Que hayais sufrido la lacra terrorista @_AVT_ no os legitima xa insultar a una organización que lleva 40 años SALVANDO VIDAS INOCENTES. — Jose Cosin (@Jose_Cosin) October 20, 2013
The fact that you have suffered terrorism @_AVT_, doesn't mean that you can insult an organization that has spent the past 40 years saving innocent lives.
Durante la dictadura Argentina, Jorge Rafael Videla coincidía con la @_AVT_ : “Amnistía Internacional es una entidad pro terroristas”. — Hernán Sampietro (@hernansampietro) October 20, 2013
During the Argentine dictatorship, Jorge Rafael Viela agreed with @_AVT_: “Amnesty International is a pro-terrorist organization.”
@rapedi79 @JavierPGalindo La AVT es una organización repugnante controlada por la ultraderecha que usa muertos como elemento de presión. — CaballoMan™ (@PotiPotiInLove) October 20, 2013
The ATV is a repugnant organization controlled by the ultra-right which uses deaths as an element of pressure.
@_AVT_ Hacéis que las víctimas se revuelvan en sus tumbas. — Anonymous Action (@AnonymousAction) October 20, 2013
@_AVT_, you have made the victims roll in their graves.
Internet users also left comments on news and online newspaper websites, not only on Twitter. Falcatruadas wrote [es] in the Huffington Post:
Cuando dejaran de prostituir a las victimas estos malnacidos. Se les acabo el chollo.
When will these sons of bitches stop prostituting victims. The party is over.
The user machao, using the same media, also criticized[es] AVT's tweet:
Toda esta gente de la AVT hace mucho tiempo que perdió toda su credibilidad y lo que es peor toda su dignidad. Qué mal debieron llevar el cese permanente de la actividad armada de ETA, se les acabó el chollo.
All of these people from AVT lost their credibility a long time ago, and all their dignity, which is worse. How badly they must have dealt with the ceasefire of ETA's armed activity. The party is over.
Other Internet users also criticized Amnesty International, like lobonegro [es], who accused the organization of having clear political synpathies on the daily ABC:
Claro, claro. Y A.I. es una asociación benéfica para proteger a la gente decente y desamparada, ¿ verdad?. Como por ejemplo hace habitualmente en China, en Corea del Norte, en Cuba, en Venezuela, en Rusia y su paraíso de libertad o ahorita mismo en Siria o el cuerno sur de Africa. ¿ a que si?
Of course, of course. And A.I. is a benefic organization to protect decent and defenseless people, right? Like in China, In North Korea, in Cuba, in Venezuela, in Russia and its paradise of freedom, or right now in Syria or the southern horn of Africa, isn't that so?
And the Twitter user J.J. Salas endorsed ATV's statements:
Críticas e insultos a @_AVT_ por denunciar una realidad, q AI siempre se ha posicionado a favor d los presos de ETA y nunca con sus víctimas
— J.J. Salas (@jjsalass) October 20, 2013
Criticisms and insults of @_AVT_ for denouncing reality, for which A.I. has always positioned itself in favor of the ETA prisoners and never with their victims.
However, the vast majority of Internet users defended the international organization's work. Daniel Morgado wrote on VdeVerdadNews[es]:
Protest organized by AVT in Madrid. Photo from the blog Auténticos builders of peace.
La AVT vuelve a estar en boca de la gran mayoría de los españoles y las españolas, y no precisamente por sus méritos sino más bien por sus errores. Cabe recordar que según nos informaba el diario El Plural ya en 2007, esta misma asociación cuenta con el respaldo de grupos “tan democráticos y respetuosos” como son Alianza Nacional, La Falange, España 2000, Frente Nacional, Juventudes de la Falange Española,…; que “apoyan de manera inquebrantable a la AVT y sus reivindicaciones”.
For the great majority of Spanish men and women, the AVT comes up in conversation, and not exactly for their merits but more for their mistakes. It's fitting to remember that according to what the daily El Plural already told us in 2007, this same association is supported by “such democratic and respectable” groups as Alianza Nacional, La Falange, España 2000, Frente nacional, Juventudes de la Falange Española…, which “support the AVT and their acceptance unyieldingly.”
Other Twitter users humorously connected the AVT tweet with the habit some government representatives seem to have of connecting any “annoying” group with ETA:
De los creadores de “El 15M es ETA”, “la PAH es ETA” y “el 11M fue ETA” llega… @_AVT_ : “Amnistía Internacional es ETA”
— Pablo Villacañas (@VillacanasPablo) October 21, 2013
From the creators of “March 15 is ETA,” “the PAH is ETA,” and “March 11 was ETA” comes @_AVT_: “Amnesty International is ETA”
Pues con la incorporación de Amnistía Internacional ya cerramos el cartel. pic.twitter.com/ISgDKI3tBl
— Facu Díaz (@FacuDiazT) October 20, 2013
So with the incorporation of Amnesty International we now closed the cartel.
The AVT was created in 1981. It brings together families and victims of ETA [en], IRA [en], First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups [en] and Islamic attempts [en]. Its current president is Angeles Pedraza, who lost her daughter in the 2004 Madrid train bombings [en]. Along with its existence, AVT has been accused of being affiliated with the governing Partido Popular (Popular Party) on numerous occasions and has been responsible for controversial conflicts with the previous PSOE (Socialist) government and with other terrorism victim associations of different ideologies. But it has also gotten approval for advocating on behalf of victims and survivors of terrorism.
In an interview with Paco Novales[es] for the news site Mas posted on September 4, 2013, the AVT president, Angeles Pedraza, expressed it like this:
¿Cuáles han sido los logros y aciertos de la AVT desde su creación? ¿Ha habido algún error?
R: Somos humanos, así que errores tiene que haber. Pero la AVT ha tenido grandes logros en su lucha por las víctimas del terrorismo. En los duros ochenta ayudó a sacarlas de la clandestinidad a la que estaban obligadas a acogerle, supo movilizar a la sociedad contra la injusticia y frente a los terroristas, consiguió que empezase a aplicarse la doctrina Parot para hacer las condenas más justas,… y muchas más.
(…)
P.- Si tuviera capacidad para hacer o eliminar leyes, ¿qué medidas adoptaría?
R: Eliminaría todos los beneficios penitenciarios para los asesinos y adoptaría la cadena perpetua.
What have been AVT's achievements and good decisions since its creation? Have there been any mistakes?
R: We're human, so mistakes will happen. But AVT has had great achievements for terrorism victims. In the hard years of the 80's AVT helped to get get terrorists out of clandestinity, knew to mobilize society against injustice and confront terrorists, got started applying the Parot Doctrine in order to make fairer prison sentences,… and much more.
(…)
P.- If it was possible to make or eliminate laws, which measures would you adopt?
R: I would eliminate all penitentiary benefits for murderers and would adopt life imprisonment.

author: Lourdes Sada


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From Fiji to Italy, Global Eco-Tourism Communities Blossom · Global Voices
Bernardo Parrella

Welcome to Monestevole. Screenshot from TribeWanted video.
A new model of self-sustainable eco-tourism is enjoying great success thanks to online supporters from around the world. From Fiji and Sierra Leone to the heart of Italy, these are locally managed communities that welcome motivated visitors to take part in both the fun and the work at incredibly beautiful sites.
It all began in 2006 with an online community or “tribe” called TribeWanted started by social entrepreneurs Ben Keene and Filippo Bozotti. Their mission was to build a sustainable tourism community on the Fijian island, Vorovoro, in partnership with villagers.
The campaign caught fire and within a few weeks 1,000 people from 21 countries supported the project with on average $250 each. Over the next four years, a rotating group of 15 tribe-members, built the cross-cultural island community together with the landowners and 25 Fijian employees.
This success story soon led to the creation of new eco-villages in John Obey Beach, Sierra Leone in 2010 (check their beautiful videos here) and Monestevole, Italy in 2013.
These communities are funded by worldwide members, starting at £10 ($12) per tribe member per month. Members can then vote online for new locations and distribution of any surplus money, connect with sustainability experts, and reserve a stay at any TribeWanted location at a discounted rate.
Dinner at TribeWanted in Monestevole, Italy (photo by Ariel Parrella, CC BY)
In the ‘Green Heart’ of Italy
Over a few, rainy days in early October I traveled with my daughter and a group of 15 other people (mostly Germans) to the new “eco-tribe” in Italy to experience this communal living experiment.
We helped with farming activities and hearty meal preparation, played music together and spent time wandering and marveling over the beautiful scenery.
It's a collaborative, social experiment based on a simple truth: another world is possible, here and now. When you build a sustainable business model around conviviality and sharing, people can actually put into practice a new lifestyle around this belief.
Here is a video introducing the TribeWanted Monestevole community, near Umbertide (Umbria, Italy). To learn more check  their Facebook page.
“Where We Feel at Home”
Co-founder Ben Keene explains in his personal blog earlier this year how the overall structure of the community influences the experience of visitors:
Each project has had its successes and challenges. But what has connected them all is a sense that, together with our local partners and supportive members we’ve created places where we all feel at home. Like a part of us has always belonged there – even though the language, diet and culture may seem very different to the place we might normally call home. And because we feel ‘at home’ we’re open to engage with different ideas, foods, experiences, and people as well as rejuvenate and play. With the leadership of our local teams and communities we’ve been able to reinforce the importance of protecting cultural heritage as well as the natural environment and resources.
To underline their commitment to improving local quality of life in “tribe” locations, 30% of all membership fees go towards community projects for health, education, conservation, enterprise and clean energy. Members and visitors are also encouraged to engage in these issues during their stay and when they return home.
The next step will be to expand TribeWanted with 10 new locations, through partnerships with other eco-tourism projects and by scaling the innovative membership model.
A crowd-funding campaign for equity in TribeWanted Ltd is currently underway on a new platform called Crowdcube, and there is already planning underway for new communities in Mozambique, Laos, Nicaragua, the United Kingdom and Bali.
If successful, this crowd funding effort will help push forward a broader approach to eco-tourism and toward a more participatory culture across the globe, as Filippo Borzotti says in an update on the crowd-funding campaign:
We also think this goes beyond tourism, we are investing in a lifestyle. We like to think we are ahead of the curve: living sustainably and promoting green energy and green architecture, local food, public water, minimizing waste and minimizing our carbon footprint; we want to be an example for how hopefully we will all live in the next 50 years.

author: Bernardo Parrella


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100% Bolivian: Video of Life as a Migrant in São Paulo · Global Voices
Pública - Agência de jornalismo investigativo

Denílson and other teenagers meet one Sunday at the Kantuta fairground, a meeting point for the Bolivian community in São Paulo. Photo: Agência Pública
[This article, written by Alice Riff and Luciano Onça, was originally published by Agência Pública, on 27 September 2013, with the title 100% Boliviano, mano [100% Bolivian, buddy].
Denílson Mamami, aged 15, lives in Bom Retiro, a central district of São Paulo. Like all young men of his age, he dreams of going to university, having a good career, making his mother proud, getting married and having children. He is studying at the João Kopcke state school, also in the centre, a few metres away from the Júlio Prestes station. He likes hanging out with his girlfriend and meeting his friends to listen and compose romantic and hip hop songs. But Denílson – known as “Choco” – along with one-third of the pupils at his school, was born in Bolivia. He has lived in Brazil since he was 9 years old. Like him, thousands of Bolivian teenagers, or children of Bolivian immigrants, currently live in São Paulo.
The association ‘Pastoral do imigrante’ estimates that the Bolivian population of São Paulo is between 50,000 and 200,000 (a figure which cannot be confirmed as many are in an irregular situation). The vast majority work in sewing workshops located throughout the city, but which are concentrated in central districts such as Brás and Bom Retiro. The Bolivian community is considered to be the biggest community of Latin-Americans resident in Brazil. In 2010, when the Lula government granted an amnesty to the country's irregular immigrants, of 42,000 requests for naturalisation, more than 17,000 came from Bolivian citizens.
Choco's parents came to Brazil 15 years ago in search of job opportunities. During his childhood he was cared for by his grandmother in La Paz, Bolivia's capital, while his parents sought to establish themselves in São Paulo as seamsters. When he was just 9 years of age, his mother, now separated from his father, went to bring him from Bolivia to live with her in the Bom Retiro district, where they live and work in the same room of an old multi-story house which they share with other Bolivian families. In the house's living room there is a sewing workshop, where the adults work very long days.
São Paulo's Bolivian seamsters have achieved visibility in the media following various complaints of workshops which kept immigrants in conditions akin to slavery. But the mini-documentary 100% Boliviano, mano sought to investigate the way of life of the second generation of Bolivians who live in the city. Against a backdrop of daily prejudice – pejoratively called “Indians” or “Bolivias”, they describe a day-to-day life of physical and verbal attacks – they share their desire to remain in Brazil and to avoid working in the sewing industry.
Watch the video which was produced by Pública, a partnership with Grão Filmes, and shown in the 4th series of the programme Sala de Notícias on Canal Futura.


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A 700-Kilometer March for Missing People in Pakistan’s Balochistan · Global Voices
Arslan

Separatist fighting in Balochistan, the largest and poorest province of Pakistan, has taken a bloody toll in the last nine years, with more than 2,000 civilians killed as well as about 700 security forces and 500 fighters. But more than killings has plagued the people of the province – in that time, thousands of Baloch have disappeared without explanation.
#VBMPLongMarch Screenshot from Video by International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons
To protest the abductions, a group of about 20 people, mostly women, embarked on a march of nearly 700 kilometers from Balochistan's capital city Quetta to Sindh's capital Karachi on October 27, 2013. The marchers are part of the organization Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), which has maintained a protest camp in Quetta for three and a half years (see GV article) and will move the camp to Karachi at the end of the march.
The protesters will walk on foot from six in the morning until six at night until reaching their destination. Participants are carrying emotionally charged placards and banners inscribed with slogans, such as “Stop killing Baloch political workers” and “we condemn extra-judicial killings”.
According to the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (IVBMP), at least 18,000 Balochs have been abducted between 2001 and 2013, and their whereabouts remain unknown. “Several loved ones of VBMP members along with thousands of other Baloch are currently languishing in torture cells and hundreds have been killed under-custody,” members said during a press conference at the Quetta Press club, where the protest camp is, before the march.
In the same conference, VBMP warned that if anything happened to them on their way to Karachi, they will hold the provincial government responsible.
Relations between the Balach separatist movement and the government are icy. The Chief Minister of the Balochistan government, Dr. Malik Baloch, recently announced that a multi-party conference would be convened to discuss ways and means of bringing an end to prevailing unrest in Balochistan, marked by insurgency and growing sectarian attacks. However, Baloch resistance groups have rejected talks with the government, and deemed it a conspiracy to damage the Baloch struggle.
On social media, activists voiced their support for the march. Sindhi nationalist Organisation Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) wrote:
#JSMM announces support for #VBMPLongMarch. Activists will welcome Mama Qadeer Baloch in Karachi. Said #JSMM chairman
— Team JSMM (@TeamJSMM) October 27, 2013
Users commented under the hashtag #VBMPLongMarch:
Hundreds of miles, thousands of people, over million stories of pain and agony. Support #VBMPLongMarch for humanity & justice.
— #VBMPLongMarch (@Faiz_Baluch) October 27, 2013
Journalism student and human rights activist Faiz M Baluch (@FaizMBaluch) tweeted a photo of a marcher:
Son of Shaheed Jalil Reki is also participating in #VBMPLongMarch, he wants to know who killed his father?: pic.twitter.com/0y34LW73VW
— Faiz M Baluch (@FaizMBaluch) October 28, 2013
Ghaffar Baloch (@Alhaan_) asked readers to put themselves in the shoes of the victims’ families:
Just think of yourself! How would you feel when your most loved one went missing & you'd no knowledge of him at all? Support #VBMPLongMarch
— Ghaffar Baloch (@Alhaan_) October 27, 2013
Journalist Boriwal Kakar (@BoriwalKakar) spread the news:
#Pakistan‘s #Punjabis rallying for #Kashmir‘s freedom & #Balochs marching for recovery of their 1000s of missing loved ones. #VBMPLongMarch
— Boriwal Kakar (@BoriwalKakar) October 27, 2013
On 30 October, 2013, the fourth day of the march, the protesters reached Manguchar area of Kalat District in Balochistan. Hamdan Baluch (@HamdanBaluch) reported:
4th day of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons long march reaches Mangocher #Balochistan #VBMPLongMarch pic.twitter.com/MzbRUQSLbm
— #VBMPLongMarch (@HamdanBaluch) October 30, 2013
Please follow the Facebook page of Bramsh News Media and the #VBMPLongMarch hashtag in Twitter for the latest updates on the march.

author: Arslan


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Documentary Explores 90s Rap Culture in Sao Paulo · Global Voices
Debora Baldelli

Through interviews and archival footage, the documentary “Sabotage Nós” (We Sabotage), available to watch online, presents important moments of Sao Paulo's rap music in the 90s. The film tells the story of the release of the album “Rap é compromisso” (Rap Is Commitment), Sabotage's debut album. Sabotage was an important rap icon in Brazil killed ten years ago. The film focuses on what is called “the golden age of the national rap” through the history of RZO (Rapaziada da Zona Oeste – Guys from the West Zone, pt), a rap group founded in the 80s in the West Zone of São Paulo, in the district of Pirituba.
Image from the movie on Youtube
The film is part of series of tributes to rapper Sabotage [pt] happening every year since his death in 2003, when he was hit by three shots in the neighborhood of Saúde in São Paulo. Besides being a musician Sabotage also worked in the cinema industrie. He participated in the movie “Carandiru” by Hector Babenco, based on the book of Dráuzio Varella “Carandiru” about the São Paulo's House of Detention that originated the neighborhood's name Carandiru [pt].
Watch the movie online:

author: Debora Baldelli


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Documentary Provides Intimate Look at Venezuelans Living Abroad · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Desde Afuera (From Abroad) is a documentary which follows the stories [es] of five Venezuelans who recorded their daily activities living abroad using mobile and handheld cameras for over one year.
Producers Johann Pérez Viera and Pedro Camacho put together this footage and Skype calls with the five participants to create a “collective portrait that explores distance, identity and everyday life as a Venezuelan immigrant”.
The documentary is available (with English subtitles) online until November 15, 2013.


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Egypt: Urban Constitution Document · Global Voices
محمد عادل

Ezbet Abu Qarn, one of Cairo's informal settlements. Photo by Manal ElShahat. (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
As the “50 member-committee” meets to amend Egypt's constitution, some civil society organizations and urban activists participated in producing what they called the “urban constitution document” [Ar]:
We present this document to “50 member-committee” as a comprehensive suggestion for articles we see important in being added to the constitution. What's more important is that we present it to all Egyptian people to work together and unify our efforts to see these rights becoming a reality.
Join us in adopting these rights, share it all over your neighborhoods, regions, villages and cities. Join the debate to improve the document. At the end, if you agree with it and the rights it presents, sign the document and help us gather signatures through spreading the word all over Egypt to make this a popular demand.

author: محمد عادل


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Russia’s Demagogues Just Can’t Get Along · Global Voices
Nina Jobe

Zhirinovsky (left) debating Maksim Shevchenko on “The Duel.” YouTube screenshot.
Russian MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky often serves as a kind of Kremlin bellwether, a role he adopted in the early 90s when his KGB-conceived Liberal Democrats became a party of nationalist loyal opposition in the Duma. His seemingly outrageous statements often preface actual reforms in the same vein — only less radical. In this way he makes the new course more palatable by comparison, and at the same time gives marginalized sectors of society an outlet, allowing the Kremlin to placate them.
So it was hardly surprising when Zhirinovsky ranted about natives of the North Caucasus on the popular debate show “The Duel”, on October 24 [YouTube] — mere weeks after the ethnic riots in Biryulyovo [Global Voices report] and a suicide bombing in Volgograd [Global Voices report]. As usual, his rhetoric was bombastic:
Они должны рожать столько детей, сколько рожает в среднем человечество, два, один, все, за третьего — штраф. Не хотят — ограничим, окружим колючей проволокой, закроем все, что можно, пусть сидят там. 15-20 детей пусть сами кормят, сами дают работу. Но убивать в России никому не позволим. Вот этот автобус Москва-Махачкала надо закрыть немедленно. На этих автобусах уже неоднократно приезжали террористы, убийцы, криминал.
They should give birth to a number of children that matches the universal average, two, one, that’s it, for a third one you're fined. If they don't agree — we will confine them, surround them with barbed wire, close down all that we can, let them sit there. Let them feed 15 to 20 children themselves, let them employ themselves. But we will not allow anyone to kill in Russia. The Moscow-Makhachkala [capital of Dagestan] bus needs to be shut down immediately. Terrorists, murderers and criminals have visited us repeatedly on these buses.
The Chechen branch of the LDPR at first denounced Zhirinovsky’s statements, but then later backtracked, implying that his statements had been made under duress. The Russian blogosphere meanwhile, reacted in true form — someone immediately photoshopped Zhirinovsky as Hitler.
Crude, yet effective, photoshop of Vladimir Zhirinovsky as Hitler. Anonymous image distributed online.
Opposition activist Ilya Yashin posted Zhirinovsky’s Dagestani campaign poster, where the politician is wearing a traditional Caucasus woolen hat and holding a rifle. Yashin noted the irony:
Жириновский хочет оградить Кавказ колючей проволокой, ограничить рождаемость.На выборах в Дагестане он говорил иначе: pic.twitter.com/C4pKaQHg7C
— Илья Яшин (@IlyaYashin) October 25, 2013
Zhirinovsky wants to fence the Caucasus in with barbed wire and limit their birthrates. During the elections in Dagestan he said otherwise.
Leader of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, himself a pro at using hyperbole for political effect, responded almost immediately on both his LiveJournal [ru] and Instagram [ru] accounts. Both entries included a picture of Zhirinovsky wearing a clown wig. In an impassioned bit of rhetoric Kadyrov ridiculed Zhirinovsky and at the same time reaffirmed his loyalty to Putin and to the Russian state:
Я знаю, что президент страны Владимир Путин никогда не позволит развязать межнациональные и межрелигиозные конфликты. Это наша с вами страна, уважаемые россияне! Жириновский может жаждет, чтобы воцарились хаос, смута! Но этому не бывать. Жириновские приходят и уходят, а Россия остается.
I know that President Vladimir Putin will never let ethnic and religious conflicts to be unleashed. This is our country together, dear Russians. Zhirinovsky may be eager for chaos and turmoil! But this is not to be. Zhirinovskies may come and go, but Russia abides.
Russian nationalists, however, aren't buying this vision of Russia united. Opposition nationalist Vladimir Tor addressed Kadyrov on his blog:
Жириновский, конечно, ещё тот марципанчик – но никакой общей “нашей с вами страны, уважаемые россияне” в природе не существует. И никаких россиян – мифической общности, где русские братаются с чеченцами – тоже нет.
Это всё бредовые фантазии в голове Путина и Кадырова.
Zhirinovsky is, of course, a fruitcake – but in general there can't be any “this is our country together, dear Russians.” And there are also no civic Russians — there is no mythical community where Russians are brothers to the Chechens. These are simply delusional daydreams in Putin's and Kadyrov's heads.

author: Nina Jobe


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South Korea Wants to Regulate Online Gaming Like Drugs and Alcohol · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Drugs, alcohol and gambling. With those already under tight control, the South Korean government wants to add a fourth vice to the list – online gaming.
Earlier this month, South Korean lawmakers proposed a bill that regulates online gaming in a similar fashion to drugs and alcohol. As local news reported, the country's Ministry of Health and Welfare took a step further [ko] towards the restriction last weekend by designating the online game as one of the four major addictive elements [ko] which merit state-level control.
Net users have erupted with jeers and criticism, and the proposed regulation has unsurprisingly drawn severe backlash from members of the gaming industry who are enraged to be considered in the same category as drugs and gambling.
New main image of the Korea Internet and Digital Entertainment Association's website that wrote “Condolence to the Republic of Korea's Gaming Industry”, implying that the government's decision will bring death to the Korean game industry. Fair Use Image.
The Korea Internet and Digital Entertainment Association posted an online petition [ko] in their website, arguing that the government's decision will bring death to the Korean gaming industry, which makes up 60 percent of the nation's entire contents market. Only few days have passed, but it has already gathered over 55,000 signatures.
Korean social media has been inundated with sarcastic comments mocking the bill, with some users saying that they would love to abuse it by taking sick leaves:
게임중독 질병코드화 환영합니다. … 회사 병원에서 게임중독 진단을 받고야 말겠어!
— Woojin Kim (@neoocean) October 24, 2013
I welcome this news of designating game addiction as a disease. I will definitely be diagnosed as suffering from game-addiction at the company hospital.
게임중독 질병코드면 병가 가능하구나… 난 장애 판정도 받을 수 있겠다! 차량에 장애인 1급 딱지 붙이고 막 주차요금 할인받고.. 게임 할만하네?
— WorldWideWayne-зывад (@WainUnions1) October 25, 2013
Once game addiction is acknowledged as a disease, then I would qualify for sick leave, and even be deemed to be disabled! I could even use the first-degree disabled person sticker on my car to get discounts. Gaming is so worth trying!
Some serious responses voiced concerns that lawmakers and government officials lack understanding of the gaming industry or user behavior:
게임(인터넷)'중독’ 문제를 실제보다 더 크게 인식하는 사람들이 많은 이유는, “가상현실”을 어떻게 받아들여야할지 잘 모르기 때문이다. 잘 모르는 것에 대한 위험성은 흔히 크게 평가된다. 사실 게임이 어떤식으로 발전할지도 아무도 모른다고 보는게 맞겠다
— 개골 [괴물] (@cfr0g) October 25, 2013
The reason why the issue of online gaming addiction is being blown out of proportion is because many struggle to understand the concept of “virtual reality”. People tend to develop irrational fear for something they don't understand. Actually, I think no one has clear idea on how the gaming [industry] will develop.
몇년전 게임중독통계라며 내세우던 수치는 인터넷중독통계였는데, 게임중독의 근거가 못됨은 말할것도 없고 그조차 산출근거가 불확실했다. 그런데 요즘은 그런 자료제시도 없이 그냥 게임은 중독이라고만한다. 게임중독이슈는 이미 이성적 갑론을박의 영역이 아니다.
— 펭귄대왕 (@icegeo) October 7, 2013
Several years ago, the authorities presented some statistics on gaming addiction which were later found to actually be data on Internet addiction. It was a data set unqualified to be used as an evidence for gaming addiction. Furthermore, that study is thought to be bit groundless. Nowadays, they even don't try offering any data sets and blindly claim that gaming leads to addiction. Gaming addiction issues are no longer a topic for a rational debate.
The latest developments are in line with the previous controversy over a shutdown system implemented by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism which dictates a time window when teenagers aged 16 or under are allowed to play online games — another case of an infamous bureaucratic decision that net users called out for being neither informed nor effective:
셧다운제 찬성하는 이들의 공통점 1.해당 법에대한 세부 이해가 없다. 2.학생인권에 대한 이해가 없다. 3.게임중독의 근본적 원인이 어디에 있는지 모른다. 4.업계의 구조에 대한 이해가 없다.(게임회사가 돈 잘번다니까 다 대기업같은줄 암)
— 게임개발자 봇 (@gamedev_bot) October 24, 2013
These things pro-Shutdown-ers have in common: 1. They have no real understanding of the details of the Shutdown law. 2. They have no understanding of students's rights. 3. They have no understanding of the real causes of gaming addiction. 4. They have no understanding of the structure of the gaming industry. (Since they've heard that gaming companies make a lot of money, they assume their would be similar to those of the big corporations)
Many net users pointed out that the authorities have failed to see the big picture, either intentionally or unintentionally:
@idgmatrix:게임 중독이란 없다. 다만 여가와 놀이 시간의 심각한 부족이 있을 뿐이다. 원인과 결과를 뒤집지 말라. 우리의 연간 근무시간은 세계 1위를 달리고 있고[…]
@idgmatrix: There is no such think as gaming addiction. What we see is a serious shortage of leisure time and entertainment hours. Don't confuse the causes of the problem with the symptoms. Our nation’s annual work hours are ranked as the highest in the world […]
근데 사실 우리나라 학생들이 게임에 중독되는 게 놀랍지도 않은게, 많은 학생들이 정서적 문제를 안고 있으니… 엿같은 입시제도를 12년동안 겪으면서 현실을 도피하고 싶은것도 무리는 아니지
— 구름구름 (@cloooooooooud) October 7, 2013
Actually, it is no surprise that our young people are addicted to gaming, since they have so many emotional issues — it is understandable that they, who had to suffer under the 12-year f**ked-up education system, want to escape from reality (by gaming)
@kinophio: 게임중독 여론은 최소한 3개 층위의 크로스다. 학부모의 지지율이 절실한 정치권, 지위의 안전과 돈줄을 확보하고픈 정부부처/민간단체, 그리고 ‘진심으로’ 게임이 미운 학부모들이다.
@kinophio: There are at least three layers (of interest groups) involved in the gaming addiction debate: political groups desperately seeking supports from the parents, government divisions and private organizations who want to secure their status and money source, and lastly, parents who genuinely hate the game.


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Yelling and Fist-banging at UN Review of Uzbekistan’s Torture Record · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan has ratified the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT) in 1995, but torture remains a “systematic practice” in the country according to a recent report [pdf]. As the UN anti-torture committee met to review Uzbekistan's implementation of the CAT, Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) tweeted live from Geneva.
Below are just some of Swerdlow's tweets, indicating that the Uzbekistani authorities prefer to deal with allegations of torture, forced sterilization of women, and use of ‘slave labor’ to harvest cotton primarily through yelling, screaming, and insulting experts:
Tweeting from Geneva: #Uzbekistan now being reviewed by UN Committee against Torture
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 29, 2013
Right out of the gate #Uzbek [government] delegation bites back at [committee] against #Torture, asserting (in a yell) that CAT is ignoring the facts
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Head of #Uzbek [government]: “We don't care that European [Committee on Human Rights] has repeatedly found torture in #Uzb is systematic. We are an Asian country”
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Torture is widely used in Uzbekistan, according to several recent reports. Screenshot from video “Massacre in Uzbekistan (Trailer)” uploaded on YouTube by Mulberry Media on July 13, 2012.
#Uzbekistan‘s primary “diplomat” to @UN Committee against #Torture is yelling, banging fists on the table, insulting individual experts.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Will #Uzbekistan answer the actual questions of the @UN Committee against Torture? My bet is probably not.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
35 minutes & still not a single concrete answer by #Uzbek delegation to any specific questions on #torture
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
#Uzbek official to CAT experts: We have not found one single case of forced sterilization of women in the country.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
CAT expert drawing attention to continued [reports] of forced & child labor in #Uzbek cotton harvest. @cottoncampaign
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Cmte agnst Torture asks #Uzbekistan: Why don't you investigate allegations of torture? Answer: No political will to combat it.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Cmte agnst Torture to #Uzbek official: I haven't heard one word from you about the #Andijan massacre of 2005, which involved hundreds killed
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Expert to #Uzbekistan: Your responses strain credulity. I'd like to see answers to our questions.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Expert to #Uzbek official: Whether u agree or not that torture is systematic, the fact is that numerous allegs continue to come to our attn
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Expert to #Uzbekistan: Pls tell us abt 8 ppl who have allegedly died during 2013 #cotton harvest due to forced labor @cottoncampaign
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
Uzbekistan has also been accused of routinely using ‘slave labor’ to harvest cotton. “Cotton Pickers” by peretzp, September 20, 2009 (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Head of #Uzbekistan delegation again screaming and yelling at Committee against Torture experts.
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
#Uzb official categorically declares: “The issue of the #Andijan massacre of 2005 is closed for us. We will never return to this issue!”
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
#Uzbek official screaming at top of his lungs at internationally respected experts on torture-Good strategy to deflect from damning evidence
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013
And so ends #Uzbekistan session at Cmte against Torture: A truly rare moment of accountability for #Uzbekistan‘s atrocious record on torture
— Steve Swerdlow (@steveswerdlow) October 30, 2013

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Yemen: An Owl Outside My Window  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Yemeni blogger Abdulkader Alguneid finds an owl outside his window:
He tweets the rare occurrence:
بومة كبيرة خلف زجاج نافذتي، 1.30 بعد منتصف الليل. A big Owl, behind my glass window, 1.30 am pic.twitter.com/19WjfUelQ0
— abdulkader alguneid (@alguneid) October 30, 2013

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Ballett Dortmund’s Red Dream Ballet Censored in Hong Kong · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Dream of the Red Chamber, a ballet co-produced by the Hong Kong Ballet and German company Ballett Dortmund and choreographed by Wang Xin Peng, Artistic Director of Ballett Dortmund, is caught up in a censorship scandal involving mainland Chinese authorities in Hong Kong.
Inspired by a famous novel in the Qing Dynasty written by Cao Xueqin, the Ballet Dream of the Red Chamber, is about China's modern history. As choreographer Wang Xin Peng experienced the Cultural Revolution in China and left his country after witnessing the June 4 Tiananmen Crackdown, he has injected his personal reflections onto the Ballet. Below is a video uploaded by Ballett Dormund showing some scenes from “The Dream of the Red Chamber”.
A censored ballet scene depicting the Red Guard's campaign to destroy the Four Olds during the Cultural Revolution was removed by the Hong Kong Ballet before first night. In addition, a 12 minute background projection of a scene with Pao Yu, the main protagonist of the story, reflecting on the history of Grand View Garden or Daguanyuan, a metaphor of Chinese history in Wang's Ballet, was removed after the opening show. The projection carries images from Ming and Qing Dynasties to contemporary China and it has snapshots showing the Cultural Revolution as well. Such abrupt post-production censorship has outraged the cultural circle in Hong Kong and many believe that the Beijing government is behind the scene.
Online news commentary portal site, the House News, quoted an email reply from the Ballet Dortmund on the significance of the two censored scenes:
We are not informed of any cuts on purpose made in the production – and we haven't given permisson to do so.
We have been officially informed though that there were serious technical problems in the venue, which concerned the video and text in the performances after the opening night. We sincerely hope that these problems are being solved for further performances!
The elements of the third act are important to understand the intention of choreographer Wang Xin Peng. He wants to focus on the the relevance of the story for our present age. The third act shows Chinese history from the Emperor time up to today: The cosmic stone seeks the experience of eternal love. Since eternal is the essence of life as a whole, the stone goes through not only one human life, but through the lives of 300 years in history. This time-journey through 300 years in history from the middle kingdom up to today is shown in the 3rd act as well through videos and costumes. Without any valuation but rather as a reflection of the history of Mr. Wang's home country, this final part of his work is essential and makes it complete.
The Hong Kong Ballet denied that any political censorship was involved and insisted that the decision to change the Cultural Revolution costumes and remove the projection of 12 minutes of Chinese history was based on artistic and technical consideration.
However, an audience member who had attended the pre-opening rehearsal disclosed that the Cultural Revolution scene was included in the pre-opening show. She described what she saw to inmediahk.net on the evening of 24 October 2013, just one day before the opening  [disclosure – the report at inmediahk.net is written by author of this article]:
Scene of red guards denouncing the capitalist in the Dream of the Red Chamber. Screen capture from Theater Dortmund's Youtube video.
10月24日晚的彩排中，在舞劇的下半部份，舞台以天安門為背景，墻上有个很大的毛澤東頭像，台上出現了一些穿着紅衞兵的特約演員，他們手持小紅簿，向毛像揮動。然後演出『破四舊』的情節，例如把國畫切破，把舊書和一些代表封建時代思想的東西放在鐵桶裡焚繞，批鬥資本家等等。
In the rehearsal of October 24, in the latter half of the ballet performance, the background of the stage was Tiannanmen and Mao Tsedong's portrait was hanging on the wall. Some dancers dressed as Red Guards appeared on stage, they had the little red books in their hands and waved them to Mao's portrait. The next episode was “destroy the four olds”, dancers were tearing apart paintings, burning old books that represent feudalism, denouncing the capitalists etc.
Under the comment thread of the House News’ story in Facebook, Joey Kong pointed out that art groups in Hong Kong, because of the government's direct sponsorship policy, are easily manipulated by political forces:
HK ballet，以至 香港舞蹈總會，以至香港整體藝術發展資助政策：都很腐爛、很親中很紅。＜明報＞香港芭蕾舞團原由藝發局提供資助，2007年起，與其他八大藝團一同歸入民政事務局的資助之下，資助額明顯增加，例如07年藝發局資助1346萬元，08年民政局資助2491萬元，到2012年資助額為3158萬元，該年度的盈餘為833萬元。 〜「民政事務局的資助」？？曾德成 wor! 統戰部黎架！
Hong Kong Ballet and even Hong Kong Dance Federation Limited, as well as the direct sponsor policy of arts development, are very rotten, pro-Beijing government. According to Ming Pao [a local newspaper] Hong Kong Ballet was sponsored by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC). But in 2007, it was put under the direct sponsorship of Government Home Affair Bureau among 8 other performing arts groups. The funding amount has increased under the new policy. For example in 2007, ADC only funded Hong Kong Ballet HK 13,460,000 dollars [US 1,736,083 dollars], the amount was raised to 24,910,000 [US 3,212,915 dollars]  in 2008 and 31,580,000 [US 4,073,219 dollars] in 2012. The company made 8,330,000 [US 1,074,411] profit last year. – “Funded by HAB”? Tsang Takshing is in charge! It is like a defacto unit of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Negahamburguer’s Street Art Raises the Self-Esteem of Brazilian Women · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

Projeto Beleza Real (Real Beauty Project)
[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages, except when otherwise noted.]
Evelyn Queiroz, better known as Negahamburguer, started Project Beleza Real (Real Beauty) four years ago. The project is made up of a series of urban interventions based on statements, commentary and thanks that she has received on her blog, Negahamburguer.
In her graffiti, twenty-four-year-old Negahamburguer spreads messages of love for women that live in conflict with themselves for having voluminous or “plain” bodies and end up having to cope with insecurity and rejection.
Those who have walked through the steets of the Zona Sul [en] (South Zone) neighbourhood of the city of São Paulo could already have encountered works of graffiti depicting women with bodies that are less than conventional according to accepted standards of beauty, especially those of Brazilian society.
“Aceite seu corpo!” (Accept your body!)
Resident of the famed Brazilian city of artists and artisans, Embu das Artes [en], Negahamburguer spoke with Global Voices by email:
Na verdade comecei a receber os relatos em meio a elogios do trabalho. [Elas] me escrevem falando da identificação e do porque se sentiam parte [disso] e assim junto com histórias reais. Tenho ações como grafite, sticker [adesivos] e lambe [colar cartazes]. Tem poucos ainda porque eu trabalhava e não dava tempo. Agora estou começando a me programar para fazer mais por semana. Estão praticamente todos na Zona Sul de São Paulo. A ideia era ter esse material além do virtual, para que ele pudesse ser mais propagado e chegar a mais pessoas. O livro será todo em aquarela.
Actually, I began to receive the stories along with compliments on my work. [My readers] wrote me about identification and why they felt like they were part of this along with their own real-life stories. I have mediums such as graffiti, stickers, and colour posters. There are only a few right now because I was working and didn't have time. Now I am starting to organise my time to do more each week. Practically all of them are in the Zona Sul of São Paulo. The idea was to have this material outside the virtual world so that it could be spread and reach more people. The book will be done in watercolour.
Below are some of the works of graffiti by Negahamburguer, inspired by stories from the readers of her blog:
Eu peso 120kg e vivo numa luta diária comigo mesma, eu me odeio. eu tento de todas as formas aceitar o meu corpo… mas é muito difícil. e em casa é uma pressão muito grande por parte da minha familia para que eu emagreça, na escola, com os amigos… a pressão está comigo 24h, aonde quer que eu vá (…) Eu vim pra casa, chorei e quase tentei me matar (mais uma vez…)
E todos os dias, todos os dias eu lembro disso… essa frase não sai da minha cabeça “eu nao sinto tesão por você”, isso está me matando, sabe? (…) Bom, esse é o meu relato… é também um desabafo. eu tinha que contar isso pra alguém. ): Obrigada por existir, nega. seu trabalho aos poucos está me levando ao caminho da aceitação… de verdade. obrigada..
I weigh 120kg (265lbs) and I live in a daily struggle with myself. I hate myself. I have tried every way possible to accept my body, but it's very difficult. And at home there's a lot of pressure from my family for me to lose weight, at school, with my friends. The pressure is with me 24 hours a day, wherever I go (…) I came home, cried, and almost tried to kill myself (again…)
And every day, every day I remember this. The phrase doesn't leave my mind: “I'm not attracted to you”.It kills me, you know? (…) Well, that's my story. It's also a relief. I had to tell someone. :( Thank you for existing, Nega. Your work is helping me to accept myself little by little… really. Thank you.
“Ser linda assim é um tesão” (Being beautiful like this is a turn-on)
(…) Estou namorando há oito meses e me sinto muito bem, mas no começo do namoro fiquei muito incomodada com uma garota que mora na mesma casa que meu namorado (Casa do Estudante Universitário).
Ela disse que era muito bonito ele “me assumir”, tipo namorar uma garota gorda é um favor, uma ‘boa ação’, a forma como ela se colocou (com seus padrões estéticos bem definidos) foi que ela nunca imaginaria que um homem como meu namorado preferisse a mim do que a ela, se referindo a forma física mesmo (…) Só tenho convicção de uma coisa EU NÃO PRECISO SER MAGRA PARA SER FELIZ.
I have been with someone for eight months and I feel very good, but at the beginning of the relationship I felt very uncomfortable with a girl that lives in the same house as my boyfriend (university student housing). She said that it was very nice for him to “take me on”, as if dating a fat girl is a favour, an “honourable action”, such that she (with her aesthetic standards very well-defined) could never imagine that a man like my boyfriend would prefer to be with me instead of her, with respect to physical appearance (…) I just have one belief, that I DON'T NEED TO BE THIN TO BE HAPPY.
“A coisa mais gostosa é sentir amor ao se olhar no espelho” (The most wonderful thing is feeling love when looking in the mirror)
Há coisas muito engraçadas nessa sociedade, sabe?
Desde sempre fui gorda e, assim como eu, minha irmã. Todos pegavam em nosso pé, diziam que éramos lindas, mas que se emagrecêssemos “arrumaríamos” qualquer homem que a gente desejasse. Daí, aprendi a ver milhares de defeitos em mim mesma (…) Ninguém me amou verdadeiramente até eu me aceitar e me amar, até meu amor próprio virar incondicional e eu já não precisar de amor alheio para me sentir completa. Hoje tenho uma pessoa linda e maravilhosa ao meu lado que me respeita, me enche de amor e que ama meu corpinho no formato “ampulheta”. KKK. E a sociedade nunca estará satisfeita, visse?
There are a lot of funny things in this society, you know?
I have always been fat and, just like me, my sister is too. Everybody was always after us, saying that we were pretty, but if we lost weight, “fixed ourselves up”, then any man would desire us. From then on, I learned to see thousands of defects in myself (…) Nobody truly loved me until I learned to accept and love myself, until that self love became unconditional and I no longer needed another's love to feel complete. Today I have a beautiful and wonderful person at my side that respects me, fills me with love and that loves my body in its “hourglass” format. Lol. And society will never be satisfied, you see?
“Meu tamanho é lindo! Meu peso é ideal!” (My size is beautiful! My weight is ideal!)
Between the idea of the blog, the Facebook page, and the graffiti on the street, the only thing missing was a book, which will be released shortly and will be funded through a crowfunding site, Catarse. The project has already received more than the established budget, 20,000 Brazilian Reais (approximately 9,130 US dollars), and still has more than 30 days to continue receiving contributions.
This post was proofread in English by Georgi McCarthy.

author: Thiana Biondo


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China: Photoshop Propaganda Explained · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Offbeat China explains why the Anhui government produced this photoshop image in which four giant officials were surrounding a tiny elderly woman: due to limited space at the lady's home, it’s impossible to put everybody in the frame so they “had to put together two separate pictures.”


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Former Croatian President Mesic Says Tudjman and Milosevic Set Out to Divide Bosnia · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, who was in this office as Croatia's second President from 2000 to 2010, recently gave an interview for Serbian weekly NIN, in which he claims to have found maps of a divided Bosnia in the presidential safe of Franjo Tudjman. BalkanInside.com quotes a portion of that interview:
“Slobodan Milosevic and Franjo Tudjman had been communicating with each other during the war 1991-1995. They wanted to divide Bosnia. Tudjman even thought that the greatest world powers want to divide Bosnia as well“, said Mesic.

author: Danica Radisic


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Halloween Costume with Chinese Character  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Nick Compton from Beijing Cream puts together some Halloween costume ideas, with Chinese character.


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Halloween in Tajikistan: Devil Worship or Innocent Fun?  · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

If Halloween is not at the very bottom on the long list of celebrations observed in Tajikistan, it is certainly very close to the bottom. Most people in the country have probably never heard of the festival. However, as Global Voices reported last year, even rare Halloween fun raises eyebrows in the Tajik society.
This year the “alien” holiday continues to divide people in the country. On October 26, Tajik police detained [ru] several young men after a Halloween party at a night club in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. It is not clear what prompted police officers to detain the men wearing Halloween masks. Yet, as one of these men later wrote on Facebook, police officers scolded them for celebrating an “alien holiday” in a Muslim society.
Halloween party at a night club in Dushanbe. Image by ASIA-Plus, used with permission.
The incident polarized the small Tajikistan community on Twitter. Tomiris posted a link to a news report about the incident, asking [ru]:
Мы что живем в исламской республике, а милиция преобразована в полицию нравов? http://t.co/dtDCsV2pka
— Томирис (@tomiristj) October 28, 2013
Do we live in an Islamic republic or what? Has our police been transformed into the morality police? http://t.co/dtDCsV2pka
Bachai Sako responded [ru]:
@tomiristj Нет, не в исламской республике, но нужно ясно видеть границу между своей культурой и чужой. Так мы свою культуру потеряем.
— Бачаи Сако (@BachaiSako) October 28, 2013
@tomiristj No, [we do not live] in an Islamic republic. However, we should clearly see a line separating our culture from the strange culture. Otherwise we can lose our culture.
Mardikor weighed in, asking [tj]:
@BachaiSako @tomiristj Истиқлол шудем, бале, лекин то хол идҳои бегонаро ҷашн мегирем, ва аз ҷашнҳои миллӣ рӯ мегардонем. Чи сабаб?
— Мардикор (@mardikor) October 28, 2013
@BachaiSako @tomiristj [Our country] has become independent, but we still celebrate alien holidays and turn our backs on national festivals. What is the reason?
He adds [tj]:
@BachaiSako @tomiristj Ин ҷашн ҷашни шайтонпараст. Кӯдаконро бояд фаҳмонем ки оқибати ин ҷашнгирӣ чист.
— Мардикор (@mardikor) October 28, 2013
@BachaiSako @tomiristj This is the devil worshipers’ holiday. We should explain to children what the consequences of celebrating it are.
Young woman wearing a Halloween costume at a party in Dushanbe. Image by ASIA-Plus, used with permission.
Tomiris then responded [ru]:
@mardikor @BachaiSako Какой “шайтанпараст”? О чем вы? Молодежь отдыхает. Нормальная молодежь, не сатанисты какие-то. Зачем это запрещать?
— Томирис (@tomiristj) October 29, 2013
@mardikor @BachaiSako What “devil worship”? What are you talking about? Young people are having fun. Normal young people, not some kind of satanists. Why should this be banned?
@mardikor @BachaiSako Для этих молодых людей Хэллоуин ведь не праздник, а просто какой-то повод собраться и весело провести время.
— Томирис (@tomiristj) October 29, 2013
@mardikor @BachaiSako For these young people, Halloween is not even a holiday, but rather an opportunity to get together and have a good time.
She has failed to convince, however:
@tomiristj @mardikor И все же есть другие поводы собраться и веселиться. Нужно использовать другие поводы.
— Бачаи Сако (@BachaiSako) October 30, 2013
@tomiristj @mardikor Still, there are other opportunities to get together and have fun. Other opportunities should be used.
A similar discussion has taken place in the comments section on news.tj, under a report about the incident.
Rustam wrote [ru]:
А на самом деле зачем они празднуют этот праздник? У нас свои хорошие и интересные праздники есть без всяких привидений и монстров. Меньше надо западные кино смотреть.
Really, why do [these young people] celebrate the holiday? We have good and interesting holidays of our own, without ghosts and monsters involved. They should watch Western movies less.
Simka added [ru]:
…бестолковая молодежь…
…stupid youths…
But Aprel disagreed [ru]:
пусть молодежь отдыхает ,они же просто веселиться и при чем тут вера…почему у нас принята всегда напоминать о вере , что на новый год ,что на другие мало мальские праздники .у каждого есть родня пускай они и беспокоятся о религиозном составляющий свох чадов..
let the young people have fun. they are just having fun. what does their faith have to do with it? why are we always reminded about the faith, for example when we celebrate the new year's eve or other holidays? all people have families, let their families care about the religious upbringing of their children.
Yet some readers thought that the real problem that the incident highlighted was the unprofessional police. Ali wrote [ru]:
уважаемые товарищи, наша милиция является выходцы из сельской местности. Поэтому для это чужда, вот они и ловять тех уто справляет западный праздник. Пршу не обижаться на них…
Dear friends, our police officers come from rural areas. Things like that are alien to them, this is why they detain those who celebrate this Western holiday. Please, take no offence….
A part of the former Soviet Union, Tajikistan became independent 22 years ago. Since then, Islam has come to play a much more important role in the everyday life of Tajikistani society, and there has been a greater emphasis on the “national” cultural heritage. Yet the continuing disputes about holidays, monuments, and national symbols demonstrate that there is still little agreement in society about what it means to be “Tajik” and what role religion has to play in the country.

author: Mahina Shodizoda


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“I’m Dominican, Just Like You”: Thousands of Dominicans of Haitian Descent Are Left Stateless · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

Protesters against the Constitutional Court's decision to strip thousands of their nationality. Taken from the Facebook page of the organization, reconoci.do.
[All links in this article lead to Spanish language sites, except where otherwise noted.]
¿Por qué en el Caribe siempre hay que huir hacia la libertad, o mejor, hacia un espacio que se dibuja en la imaginación como el de la libertad? La respuesta es obvia: las sociedades caribeñas son de las más represivas del mundo.
—Antonio Benítez Rojo, La isla que se repite: El Caribe y la perspectiva posmoderna
Why is it that in the Caribbean people must always flee in search of liberty, or towards an imaginary space portrayed as liberty. The answer is obvious: Caribbean societies are among the most repressive in the world.
—Antonio Benítez Rojo, La isla que se repite: El Caribe y la perspectiva posmoderna
Following the decision by the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic (Tribunal Constitucional de la República Dominicana) to strip citizenship from all those born in the country to immigrants with an illegal status, the truth contained in the above quote is revealed with stunning clarity.
The repercussions of this unappealable decision by the Constitutional Court will affect several generations of Dominicans of Haitian origin, whose families came to make their lives in the Dominican Republic. The majority have never even visited Haiti, nor have family there. Even so, from one day to another, thousands of people have been left effectively stateless.
It is unknown exactly how many people will be affected by this decision. According to information from the National Office of Statistics (Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas), there are 244,151 persons born of “foreign” parents in the Dominican Republic; 86 per cent  of these are people of Haitian origin.
The reconoci.do campaign has taken up the task of collecting testimonies from Dominicans whose legal situation is now in a limbo due to the denationalisation policy of the Dominican government. Below, Deisy Toussaint [fr], a young author, the recipient of numerous national literary prizes,  describes how she was not allowed to obtain a passport  in order to represent her country at international cultural events:
The reconoci.do campaign also has a Twitter presence (@reconoci_do), where it it is in active communication with its followers. On Twitter, the #EsoNoSeHaceRD [You do not do that DR] hashtag has also been created.
@Evenelr: Cien años de injusticia no hacen derecho… #EsoNoSeHaceRD
— Evenel René (@Evenelr) October 29, 2013
@Evenelr: One hundred years of injustice do not create rights… #EsoNoSeHaceRD
Sentencia TC Nos recuerda que: El racismo y la xenofobia son vergüenza para la humanidad #EsoNoSeHaceRD
— Juan Castillo (@solojuanrd) October 28, 2013
This Constitutional Court sentence reminds us that: racism and xenophobia are the shame of humanity.
Imagínese que un grupo de personas llenas de perjuicios decida que ya no es dominicano/a. ¿Cómo se sentiría? #EsoNoSeHaceRD
— Merybell Nabilah (@MerybellNabilah) October 28, 2013
Imagine that a group of people full of prejudice are able to decide who is and isn't Dominican. How would they feel?
The international community responded to the Constututional Court's decision with alarm. Chiara Liguori, investigator for Amnesty International  in the Caribbean said:
Esta última decisión destroza totalmente las vidas de los ciudadanos dominicanos de origen haitiano, especialmente si son obligados a salir del país por el Plan Nacional de Regularización.
Es totalmente injusto decir que personas que han vivido como dominicanos durante décadas ya no pertenecen al país ni tienen ningún derecho en él.
This recent decision totally destroys the lives of Dominican citizens of Haitian origin, especially if they are forced to leave the country due to the Plan Nacional de Regularización (National Regularization Plan).
It is totally unjust to say that people who have lived as Dominicans for decades now no longer belong to the country, nor do they have any rights here.
UNICEF (The United Nations Childrens Fund) followed suit in its press release, stating that, long before the Constitutional Court’s decision, it had expressed its concern regarding the large number of children who would be left stripped of all legal protection:
En 2008, en las observaciones finales para la República Dominicana, el Comité de los Derechos del Niño señaló que el derecho constitucional de adquirir una nacionalidad por jus solis se negaba frecuentemente a niños que carecían de certificados oficiales de nacimiento o que habían nacido de padres sin residencia oficial en la República Dominicana. El Comité expresó su grave preocupación por el amplio número de niños apátridas que generaba esta política.
In 2008, in the concluding observations on the Dominican Republic, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child stated that the constutional right to acquire nationality by jus solis was frequently denied to children who lacked official birth certificates or who had been born to parents without legal residency in the Dominican Republic. The Commitee expressed its grave concern for the high number of stateless children created by this policy.
This past January, the blog La neurona impasible posted a reflection on Haiti which gains special relevance in the current moment:
Realmente somos todos Haiti ? Cuando hace tres años tembló la tierra y arrasó un ya de por sí desolado país, la comunidad internacional enseguida salío al paso con promesas de ayudas materiales y económicas. Que muchas de ellas se quedaron en eso, en promesas, al fin y al cabo publicidad para sus causas particulares y sus ansiado y ególatras baños de masas.
[…]
La comunidad internacional no ha hecho seguramente todo lo que podía, aunque los ciudadanos han hecho el grueso.
Quizás vaya siendo hora de redimirse y enmendar todos los errores del pasado.
Really are we all Haiti? When three years ago the earth shook and tore apart an already desolate country, the international community got away with mere promises of material and economic aid. The fact is that most of them remained just that; promises. Ultimately, publicity for their personal causes and ambitions, complete with egomaniacal photo-ops mingling with the victims.
[…]
The international community has clearly not done all that it could, while ordinary citizens have provided most of the relief.
Perhaps the hour of redemption and remedying of all the errors of the past is on its way.
The multifaceted author and singer Rita Indiana Hernández added her voice to the chorus of indignation in the El País newspaper:
La maldición que ahora se cierne sobre los haitianos es producto de artilugios más potentes, siniestros y escurridizos que los que se hacen acompañar del tambor. Esta magia, como otros colegas han señalado, es la que se ampara en la ley para justificar un racismo despiadado. Ya la temían las víctimas del holocausto esclavista, quienes durante generaciones le vieron la cara a esa maldad que la avaricia habilita en los hombres. Entre las muchas tradiciones heredadas por la sincrética sociedad dominicana, esta magia sobrevive de manera especial. Tras casi un siglo de trabajos forzados y maltratos de todo tipo, queremos arrebatarle el derecho a la nacionalidad a los hijos que los haitianos tienen en la República Dominicana.
The curse which now hangs over the Haitians is the product of more powerful, sinister, slippery devices than those accompanied by the beating of a drum. This magic, as others have pointed out, is enshrined in the law to justify a ruthless racism. The victims of the holocaust of slavery lived in fear of it, generations of them stared at the evil that avarice builds in men. Among the many traditions passed down by the syncretic Dominican society, this magic survives in a special way. After nearly a century of forced labour and abuse of all kinds, we want to destroy the right to citizenship of the children born to Haitians in the Dominican Republic.
Narciso Isa Conde, in the Lo Cierto Sin Censura blog, points out the racist motives behind the Constitutional Court’s decision:
Mis abuelos paternos eran árabes libaneses, vinieron con pasaportes turcos truqueados y se registraron con nombres no originales, al punto que el abuelo Antonio Isa no era ni Isa ni Antonio.
Si nos atenemos a la esencia de esa cruel sentencia, mi papá, Tony y yo, sus hijos y los míos, descendemos de “ilegales” y, entonces, deberían despojarnos de nuestra nacionalidad y documentos dominicanos.
Pero sucede que somos “blanquitos” y no provenimos de la inmigración haitiana.
Es claro que más allá de la población dominicana haitianodescendiente, muchos dominicanos y dominicanas de hoy estamos en condiciones parecidas, procedemos de troncos familiares traídos o venidos de fuera. Nuestros habitantes originarios, llamados “indios”, fueron exterminados por invasores blancos.
Entonces, es fácil percatarse del carácter racista, neonazi, de esa sentencia, en un país donde el racismo y la xenofobia dominantes se expresan fundamentalmente contra la emigración negra de origen haitiano y contra su descendencia; al extremo de imponerle la declaración como “indios/as” en el registro de identidad a los/as dominicanos/as color café o café con leche claro u oscuro.
My paternal grandparents were Lebanese Arabs, they came here on forged Turkish passports and registered with names so altered from their originals that Granddad Antonio Isa was, in actuality, neither Isi nor Antonio.
If we accept the essence of this cruel verdict, my father Tony and I, his sons and mine, descend from “illegals” and thus we should also be stripped of our Dominican nationality and papers.
But as it happens we are “white” and do not descend from Haitian immigration.
It is clear that beyond the population of Dominicans of Haitian descent, many Dominicans today are in similar circumstances; we descend from family trees which came or were brought from abroad. This country’s original inhabitants, commonly called “indios”, were exterminated by white invaders.
Thus it is easy to perceive the racist, neo-Nazi character of this decision, in a country in which the dominant racism and xenophobia is expressed fundamentally against black immigrants of Haitian origin and against their descendants. A racism which goes to the extreme of imposing the categorization of “indio” on Dominicans with coffee or milk-and-coffee coloured skin in the national identity registers.
Earlier coverage of this story can be read here.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Kazakhstanis Divided on Whether Home Is Really Best · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

A debate about why some Kazakhstanis stay in their country while others choose to emigrate has unfolded online. It started after Daniyar posted his “What Is Keeping You in Kazakhstan?” [ru] on yvizion.kz. The blogger identified seven main reasons why he preferred to stay in the country:
#1. Великая история…
#2. Гражданин РК…
#3. Женщины… Я люблю наших женщин…
#4. Природа…
#5. Друзья…
#6. Президент РК. Огромное спасибо, нашему президенту Назарбаеву Нурсултану Абишевичу.
#7. Любовь… к родине…
1. [The country's] great history…
2. [Being] a citizen of [Kazakhstan]…
3. Women… I love our women…
4. [The country's] nature…
5. Friends…
6. President of [Kazakhstan]. Lots of thanks to our dear president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
7. Love… for Motherland…
The blog has so far drawn more than 110 comments, with most comments following the line of “East or West, Home is Best”.
The discussion has prompted another blogger, Artyom Volkov, to look at the issue from an opposite angle. In his “What Is Driving You to Leave Kazakhstan?” [ru], Volkov named five problems leading young people to want to try their luck abroad:
1. Низкое качество высшего образования…
2. Фальшивая демократия…
3. Страх перед будущим…
4. Проблемы с трудоустройством…
5. Экология…
1. Low quality of higher education…
2. Fake democracy…
3. [Uncertain] future…
4. Difficulties with finding jobs…
5. Environmental [problems].


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Madagascar Still Waiting for Presidential Election Results  · Global Voices
Mialy Andriamananjara

It has been six days since Madagascar's long-awaited elections were finally held, the first since the last democratically elected president, Marc Ravalomanana, was ousted during a military-backed coup in 2009.
Results have been trickling in since Friday, October 25, 2013, and the wait has kept social media aflame.
The international community has deemed the elections as “free and fair”:
Observers have declared #Madagascar‘s presidential election peaceful and transparent. But, the role of the military remains unclear.
— The EIU Africa team (@TheEIU_Africa) October 30, 2013
But some regret the haste of the international community in embracing the elections, as many citizens have been unable to vote due to their voting cards not having been delivered or their names mysteriously missing on polling lists. Ndimby [fr], a prominent Malagasy blogger since the start of the political crisis post-coups, described the actions of the CENI-T, which is organizing the elections:
S’il est vrai que la journée du 25 octobre s’est relativement bien déroulée, le processus électoral va bien au-delà de cette date, jusqu’à la proclamation des résultats et au positionnement des vaincus. Contrairement aux éjaculateurs précoces de l’observation internationale, attendons qu’une masse critique de résultats sorte, qu’une tendance véritablement nationale se dégage, que l’étendue des problèmes et incidents recensés soit définie, et que les vaincus reconnaissent leur défaite, avant de dire que le premier tour s’est bien passé.
[…]
Au stade de dépouillement et de compilation où nous sommes, il est encore trop tôt pour crier à la fraude, et encore moins pour crier victoire. L’arrivée des 90% de résultats restants peut faire changer les choses, augmenter certains scores et en baisser d’autres. Une fois encore, il faut tenter de garder la tête froide et ne pas se laisser embarquer par les appels à la protestation contre les tentatives de fraude, ou aux appels à célébration de victoire. Ceci étant dit, la lenteur de la CENI-T dans la publication des résultats (à commencer par ceux dont son siège est pourtant proche géographiquement) n’est pas fait pour éloigner la suspicion. Et il faudrait que la CENI-T rectifie le tir, avant que les gens ne commencent à se demander si les erreurs de listes et de cartes électorales étaient vraiment des erreurs, ou bien le résultat d’une stratégie en vue de préparer, si nécessaire, des prétextes pour annulations massives de vote dans un réservoir de voix qui serait a priori anti-Rajoelina. Quoiqu’il en soit, seul le temps permettra de déterminer si ces défaillances conjointes de la CENI-T, des fokontany et du personnel des bureaux de vote, ont été des cas isolés, et si leur fréquence et leur étendue pourraient avoir un impact significatif. On pourra en effet se poser des questions sur ce qui se passe en régions et en zones rurales, quand on sait que même dans la Capitale, avec les moyens de transports et de communication qui y existent, il y a tellement eu de ratés.
It is true that the elections on October 25 went relatively well, but the voting process goes well beyond this date, and includes the announcement of results and the reactions of losing candidates. In disagreement with the dysfunctional international observers, let us wait until a critical mass of results are published, until truly national patterns emerge, until the scope of issues and events are defined, until the losers acknowledge their defeat, before proclaiming that the first rounds went well.
[…]
While we are still opening ballots and compiling numbers, it is too early to suspect vote rigging, and even too early to proclaim any victory. The arrival of 90 percent of the remaining votes could well change things, increase some scores and decrease others. Once again, we should keep cool and not let ourselves get entangled in protests against fraud, or victory celebrations. This said, the slowness of the CENI-T in publishing the results (starting with results which are geographically close to its headquarters) does encourage suspicion. The CENI-T has to pick up its game, or people will start to wonder if polling list mistakes and missing voting cards were really that – mistakes – and not part of a strategy aiming to prepare, if necessary, excuses for denying voting rights to those residing in precincts that would have gone in their majority against [the country's current transition president and presidential candidate] Rajoelina. Only time will determine if the combined failures of the CENI-T, voting stations and their personnel were isolated cases, or if their scope could have a significant impact. One could really wonder what is happening in rural regions, when we know that even in the capital city, with existing communication and transportation means, so many failures happened.
The CENI-T has found itself the target of much criticism for its difficulties in publishing accurate election results quickly. Its website was hacked not long after the election, as shown in this Twitter update:
Pourquoi les résultats par BV du #mdg2013 ont disparu des pages statiques #CENIT ? Pétition! https://t.co/hIiYEZ2mf4 pic.twitter.com/rbKR72bsYx
— Thierry Andriamirado (@tandriamirado) October 28, 2013
why were the results of the election by polling station removed from the official page of the electoral committee ? Sign the petition ! https://t.co/hIiYEZ2mf4
A Photoshop message humorously said that the CENI-T was busy rigging votes and that it will come back later, as seen in this tweet:
LOL.. #TeamGasy #Mdg2013 #Election #Madagascar“Mbola mangala-bato” hono Haahaa pic.twitter.com/VI568gwQsj
— Heninkasina (@CauseImMalagasy) October 28, 2013
It says: “website busy rigging the vote” Hahaha
Barijaona, one of the very first bloggers in Madagascar and a self-described geek, is familiar with the analysis of large databases in finance. With the results from various polling stations slowly trickling in, he wrote a script [fr] that allows anyone interested in Malagasy electoral analytics to transfer the official results published as a PDF document into a spreadsheet, and therefore verify that the official numbers make sense. He also wrote statistical model to project the final results of the elections. The official results from all the regions are taking days to come in. Therefore, with only a fraction of the regions officially in, Barijaona ran the voting data available on October 27, and then again on October 29, and came to very similar results. He concluded that [fr] the two front runners are probably set to face each other the 2nd round of the election:
Les résultats me paraissent remarquablement stables entre ces deux traitements, et si les résultats finaux s'écartent beaucoup de ces chiffres, il y aura vraiment de quoi s'étonner…
The results are remarkably stable between the two candidates, and if the final results differ from these numbers, it would be amazing… .
Two initiatives are crowdsourcing irregular elections events:
GREAT Initiative RT @r1lita: Crowdsource mapped data on the elections http://t.co/8SbF7KCPVx and http://t.co/UNEKsaEO7U #madagascar #mdg2013
— Thierry Andriamirado (@tandriamirado) October 25, 2013
Meanwhile, some keep calm and carry on:
Elections or not, there is some nightlife going on in Antananarivo , stay positive ! #mdg2013 pic.twitter.com/oRt3kbGyMd
— Haja Rasambainarivo (@rashaja) October 25, 2013

author: Mialy Andriamananjara


text:
Meetup with Global Voices! · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

You may feel as if Global Voices community members are already longtime friends after being a regular reader of their posts and translations highlighting the online conversation in their countries. Perhaps you may also follow them on Twitter or are familiar with their digital projects and activities. Certainly these virtual connections can help make the world feel like a smaller place, but there is still something elemental about offline interactions that can only help strengthen these online bonds.
Throughout the months of November and December, we are organizing six global in-person ‘meetups’ led and facilitated by Global Voices members, who live and know those local communities.
However, these gatherings are much more than networking social events. They are opportunities for knowledge sharing, skills building, and future collaboration among peers who share similar missions.
Perhaps you have an idea for a citizen media outreach project and you want to find potential partners. Or you may want to learn new strategies for digital storytelling for a global audience. You can also learn more about Global Voices’ work and how to become a volunteer. These and much more may be a part of the half-day program.
The six cities for this first round of meet ups are:
Karachi, Pakistan – November 1, 2013
Cairo, Egypt – November 16, 2013
Kampala, Uganda – November 16, 2013
Skopje, Macedonia – November 30, 2013
Porto, Portugal – December 14, 2013
Phonm Penh, Cambodia – To be announced
These meetups are free to attend, but RSVPs are required. With each meetup, we will publish a post, as well as a Facebook Event invite with more details on how to sign up and the proposed agenda. This post will also be updated with these details. Special invitations will also be sent to previous applicants from our Rising Voices microgrant competitions, many of which come from these cities.
We're also launching a hashtag – #GVMeetup to follow along even if you one of these meetups are not scheduled for your city.
These six meetups are part of a pilot project to explore ways that our vast Global Voices community in all corners of the world can help facilitate peer learning and exchange among readers and other individuals and organizations in the field of citizen media. We hope to build upon this experience for more meetups in 2014!
In the meantime, for more information please write to rising [at] globalvoicesonline [dot] org

author: Eduardo Avila