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Americas: International Mother Language Day · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.
UNESCO invites the world to celebrate the International Mother Language Day annually on February 21 to encourage all communities to “promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.” According to Koïchiro Matsuura, former UNESCO Director-General:
…Languages constitute an irreducible expression of human creativity in all its diversity. Tools of communication, perception and reflection, they also shape the way we view the world and provide a link between past, present and future. They bear within them the traces of their encounters, the diverse sources from which they have borrowed, each according to its own particular history.”
Celebration in front of the International Mother Language Day Monument in Ashfield, Sidney (Australia). Photo by Anisur Rahman and used under Wikimedia Commons
In recent times when many of the world languages are in risk of extinction, this day reminds many of the importance of mother tongues through the discussion about the need to maintain global cultural diversity as long as possible. Part of these efforts, according to Matsuura, include a primary school in Kosovo that has launched a series of exchanges with students from “different schools and nations”; celebrations with poems, indigenous songs, stories, plays, and a ceremony organized in the Philippines titled, “In the Galaxy of Languages, Every Word is a Star.” This celebration has also been important in Bangladesh, where they have been celebrating the diversity of languages since 1952.
David Galeano Oliveira, in his blog Café Historia [es] supports this idea:
Cada lengua refleja una visión única del mundo y una cultura compleja que refleja la forma en la que una comunidad ha resuelto sus problemas en su relación con el mundo, y en la que ha formulado su pensamiento, su sistema filosófico y el entendimiento del mundo que le rodea. Por eso, con la muerte y desaparición de una lengua, se pierde para siempre una parte insustituible de nuestro conocimiento del pensamiento y de la visión del mundo.
The Ongoing Discussion About What is “Good” Spanish
“We ended up losing…we ended up winning…they took the gold and left us the gold…they took everything and left us everything…they left us the words”
Pablo Neruda
Most Spanish speakers are located in Latin America; of all countries with a majority of Spanish speakers, only Spain and Equatorial Guinea are outside the Americas.  For many in the region, Spanish is considered to be their mother tongue based on the long history with Spain. However, the Spanish language differs from country to country, which brings up discussions and debates about origins, forms and “styles”. In the blog Sacando la Lengua [es], I tried to underline the fact that these difference are today a futile matter of discussion:
Hace mucho que nos hemos dado cuenta de que el idioma más que algo abstracto pareciera más bien tomar la forma de un animal salvaje; y como tal, cambia, evoluciona y crece. ¿Se podrá dominar a este animal? Muy buena suerte a los que lo intenten. Una vez preso, cambiará de forma. Observar su belleza traerá seguramente muchos menos cotilleos bizantinos que determinar cuál es la exacta, o cuál es la “correcta” forma de hablar la lengua de Lorca, de las versiones y diversiones de Paz, de la hilarante modestia de Borges y de tantos otros que lo hablan y lo transforman hoy. El español que habla esta inmensa cantidad de gente no es, en efecto, el mismo.
It’s been long since we realized that the language, more than something completely abstract, actually seems to take the shape of a savage animal, and as such, it changes, grows and evolves. Is it possible to tame this beast? Good luck to those who dare to try! Once in the cage, it’ll change its features. Just observing its beauty will be surely the best way to avoid wasting time splitting hairs by pointing out which is the best and most accurate way to speak the language of (Federico García) Lorca, the same one that (Octavio) Paz used in his versions and diversions and in which (Jorge Luis) Borges showed his clever modesty. It is the same language so many people use and change today. The Spanish that this large amount of people speak is not the same.
This same idea is backed up by Viviana Mejenes-Knorr, who wrote as guest editor on the blog Lexiophiles [es]:
Como cualquier otra lengua ampliamente hablada, el español no es uniforme; en cada país hispanohablante y en cada una de sus regiones, se le añaden sazones gramaticales que crean una colorida gama sociolingüística con rasgos léxicos únicos, además de agregarle diversidad a la pronunciación.
Other phenomena explored in the blogosphere is the Spanish used in United States. From Argentina, Pedro Ylarri writes in his Blog del Medio [es] a review of a new encyclopedia of Spanish in USA, which he considers a turning point in the study of this language inside the country. Pedro underlines the study of the influence of youth and its role in this evolution through technology and also gives his thoughts around the expansion of the language through culture, literature and media:
Junto a los medios de comunicación, la producción cultural plasma el empuje del español en todos sus ámbitos: revistas literarias, cuentos, poesía, teatro, música…, toda manifestación artística es rastreada históricamente hasta nuestros días, según distintas nacionalidades y corrientes.
Ante el mundo de la novela, por ejemplo, Mercedes Cortazar y Eduardo Lago nos presentan una perspectiva complementaria, colocándonos respectivamente ante la pista de las posibilidades de la narrativa escrita en español en Estados Unidos, así como ante la existencia de multitud de escritores hispanos que se expresan en inglés.
With the mainstream media, the cultural production captures the force of the Spanish in all its spheres: literary magazines, short stories, poetry, theatre, and music… All artistic expressions are tracked historically to our days, according to the different nationalities and movements.
In the literary world, for example, Mercedes Cortazar y Eduardo Lago (among other Hispanic writers expressing themselves in English) present a complementary perspective and they give us the clue on the possibilities of Spanish narrative in the States.
Posting now from the Philippines, Manolo Pérez, a blogger from Spain, observes with fascination the presence of his language in what he considered a far away land:
Realmente el español nunca se ha ido de Filipinas, se habla poco pero permanece en las lenguas locales y, sobre todo, en la Historia y en los archivos de este país, en su literatura, etc. Más que de la vuelta del español hay que hablar de la vuelta de la enseñanza del español.
Este sigue siendo un país de sorpresas y para un español más.
The Spanish language never left the Philippines. It’s not widely spoken, but it still seen in local languages and, most of all, in the history of the country and its literature. More than the return of the Spanish, we should discuss more the return of this language in education.
This is a country full of surprises, even more for a Spaniard.
The Conquest of the Spanish Language and its “Adoption” in the New World
For others in Latin America, one's mother tongue is relative. A brief historical review is summarized in Salon Hogar [es] about this spread of the Spanish language in a region where many languages had already been present.  The diversity of languages in America was -and still is- immense. Some authors point out that this continent is the most fragmented, from the linguistic point of view, with more than a hundred families of languages, inside which there are also tens or even hundreds of dialects and languages. Nonetheless, some of the most important languages coming from indigenous communities are still alive, given the number of speakers or its influence in the Spanish. Languages like Nahuatl, Taino, Maya, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani and Mapuche are some of the most important examples.
When Christopher Columbus arrived to America in 1492, the Spanish language was already consolidated in Iberian Peninsula and it started a new process in the New World with the crossbreeding and the influence of the Catholic Church. The mixture was very complex, given the diversity, not only of the indigenous communities, but also that of the Spanish that settled in the land.
Many groups are promoting the preservation of their native languages, for example the blog Information Mapuche Chile [es]; in which it is underlined the importance of maintaining of indigenous languages:
La oportunidad de utilizar y transmitir el pensamiento y tradiciones en sus lenguas originarias representa no sólo un derecho cultural, sino que una herramienta esencial para asegurar el conocimiento de los derechos humanos. Según datos de la UNESCO, el 90% de todas las lenguas del mundo desaparecerían en los próximos 100 años.
In the blog Espacio Verde [es], a Mexican community working for environmental development, a video is shared in which is seen the linguistic richness of the country.
Also, communities like Jaqi-Aru, a group of multilingual bloggers in El Alto, Bolivia , are engaged to the promotion of Aymara language in Internet. This group is devoted, thus, to protect the evolution of their own language. Through translation projects and blogging in their native tongue, Jaqi-Aru looks to contribute with the enrichment of the Aymara language in cyberspace.
In the end, UNESCO's celebration aims to promote the value of each language resulting in the intercultural exchanges. As language represents a cultural door to a new way of thinking and an interpretation of the world. Its main objective is to respect and promote the conservation of such expressions and give them a space in a world that, now more than ever, needs to exchange views, thoughts and grow in its intercultural relations.
This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.

author: Laura Vidal


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Armenia: Safe Sex · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts photos of what could be the first ever publicly available condom dispensing machine in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. The blog says that more are needed.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Working conditions · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Adrineh Macaan details the trials and tribulations of working in Armenia. The blog says that conditions are inconvenient and lacking, hours are long, and salaries sometimes take months to be paid.


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Barbados, St. Kitts & Nevis: Corruption Watch  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press has its eyes on St. Kitts and Nevis when it comes to transparency and government accountability.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bermuda: Budget Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“With a very important budget looming I've been thinking about what the individual parties can get out of it”: Politics.bm considers the upcoming Budget Day in Bermuda.


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Caucasus: Lezginka dance · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Orxanbey posts a video on YouTube of what is described as an Azeri guy and and an Armenian girl dancing to the Lezginka (national dance popular in the North Caucasus), location unknown. Wearing the national flags of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Because of the still unresolved conflict between the two countries over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, not all comments [RU] are positive, but some are.


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China: CNN Poll on Tibetan Independence · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C. Custer from ChinaGeeks blogs about anti-CNN members’ recent mobilization to spam CNN poll on Tibetan independence.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Toilet paper making machine · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mari introduces a machine that make toilet paper out of office recycle papers.


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Egypt: DC Rally for Kareem Amer  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Supporters in Washington DC held a rally in support of jailed Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer. Kareem has been in prison for three years as part of a four year sentence for insulting Islam and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Greece: Bloggers respond fiercely to financial crisis · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

Bloggers reacted with uncommon drama, spirit and gravitas to the financial crisis facing Greece – and by extension, the eurozone – which came to a head this month. The socialist government elected last October has fought bitter battles both at home and abroad to weather an alleged assault on the currency and country by speculators (since admitted by the eurozone chairman), and also to avoid defaulting on the country's debt.
After the announcement of tough austerity measures by the government in late January, followed by a renewed wave of strikes and a vague statement of support by EU leaders, involving “technical support” by the IMF, EU finance ministers met last week to thrust a narrow deadline on Greece before imposing further strict measures.
Citizen photojournalist Craig Wherlock, who has been closely following the wave of demonstrations erupting in recent years in Greece, somberly summarized the internal challenges faced by the Papandreou government after the faint, non-fiscal support secured in Brussels:
Doubts remain though over Athens ability to implement such radical changes given the massive public resentment they have created with the country's civil service trade unions. Already proposed changes to police and armed services pension contribution schemes have been postponed in the face of opposition.
Also the ability of Greece notoriously corrupt tax authorities to get tough on tax evasion has been questioned by Greeks long accustomed to such calls by political parties on both the left and right. As one Thessaloniki taxi driver dryly put it, getting Greece out its present fix by raising taxes is like bailing out the Titanic with a sieve.
As well as strikes and public demonstrations there is also the fear that growing social unrest will spark off a repeat of the month long revolt which swept the country in December 2009 following the death of a teenager, allegedly shot by the police in central Athens.
Immigrant workers on general strike in Athens on February 10 – photo by Left~Lens on flickr
Political blogger Panos Zervas placed the blame squarely on politicians and their cronies and shared Wherlock's concerns about the possible social repercussions of the crisis:
Ειλικρινά ΔΕΝ νομίζω ότι αυτή ήταν η  μοναδική μας εναλλακτική. Την έκανε μοναδική εναλλακτική η απίστευτη ανεπάρκεια του ηγετικού πολιτικού μας προσωπικού. Δυο κόμματα εξουσίας με επικεφαλής δυο κραυγαλέα ανεπαρκείς πριγκιπικούς κληρονόμους, οι οποίοι κουβαλάνε μαζί τους ένα απίστευτο σκυλολόι «ιδεολόγων» της αρπαχτής. Ένας ολόκληρος στρατός από γλύφτες, μετριότητες και απατεώνες του κοινού ποινικού δικαίου. Με τους ικανούς και ανιδιοτελείς ανθρώπους να έχουν εξοριστεί, δεκαετίες τώρα, από την πολιτική – γιατί πολύ απλά δεν υπάρχει χώρος γι’ αυτούς.
Τα θλιβερά κοράκια της εξουσίας δεν ήταν και δεν είναι σε θέση να σχεδιάσουν και να υλοποιήσουν πολιτικές εξόδου από την κρίση, χωρίς να γίνει ο τόπος μας Γης Μαδιάμ. Έντρομοι, ανίκανοι – και στο τέλος αδιάντροποι, θα κάνουν ό,τι τους υπαγορεύουν οι «απέξω».
Μόνο που αυτό που μας υπαγορεύουν / υποχρεώνουν οι «απέξω» θα οδηγήσει την Ελλάδα ολοταχώς στη δεκαετία του ’50. Και όταν οι εργαζόμενοι και η νεολαία  αρχίσουν να το συνειδητοποιούν αυτό, μέσα από το αδιέξοδο και τη μαυρίλα που θα οδηγηθούν, τότε τα Δεκεμβριανά του 2008 θα μοιάζουν πια με χαρούμενες εκδρομές των προσκόπων, σε σύγκριση με αυτά που, αναπόφευκτα, θα συμβούν στις συνειδήσεις των ανθρώπων και στους δρόμους των πόλεων.
Envisioning a way out of the bleakness, veteran journalist – blogger Andreas Panagopoulos, raised a fighting cry for solidarity and collective action across Europe:
Αρκετά με την άμυνα… Αλλάζουμε και τους βουλιάζουμε! Κι αλλάζουμε μαζί με τους άλλους λαούς της Ευρώπης. Μέσα από Νέα, κοινά συνδικάτα και οργανώσεις. Με πρωτοβουλίες (και) μέσα από τα blogs, το twitter, το Facebook. Με κοινή, πανευρωπαϊκή αντίσταση απέναντι στους τραπεζίτες και τα φαντ. Ο μοναχικός δρόμος μας πάει στο γκρεμό. Αλλο δρόμο δεν έχουμε από τους κοινούς αγώνες!
resistencia – resistência – Résistance – resistenza
Architect and blogger C. Alexacos, in his blog titled “Citizen”, envisioned a different challenge and solution, calling on citizens to rise above the pettiness and make an effort to help the government steer the country through the crisis,
Μήπως αντί για τα συντεχνιακά και εγωιστικά μας θέλω, πρέπει να δούμε το “εμείς”; Μήπως ήρθε η ώρα για ένα νέο εθελοντισμό; Στα πρότυπα των Ολυμπιακών; Μήπως έτσι δείξουμε έμπρακτα στους εαυτούς μας και στους γύρω μας ποιοι είμαστε και τι θέλουμε.
Δεν προτείνω σε καμία περίπτωση την ακύρωση της όποιας αντιπολίτευσης ή κριτικής. Κάθε άλλο. Ο Παπανδρέου, καλώς ή κακώς, ηγείται μίας Εθνικής προσπάθειας. Μπορούμε να το αντιμετωπίσουμε με όρους Παναθηναϊκού-Ολυμπιακού, ή μπορούμε να βοηθήσουμε. Για 2, 3, 6 μήνες. Έχουν δίκιο όσοι λένε ότι πρόκειται για πόλεμο. Μένει να αποδειχθεί αν είμαστε εγωπαθείς μαυραγορίτες ή πολίτες με προοπτική.
Blogger Chris supported the  need to impose strict measures -even predicting the additional measures imposed by ECOFIN- but railed against impunity,  demanding justice before innocents are called to shoulder the burden, in a theme  also promoted by the Greek vice president:
Σκληρά αλλά απαραίτητα τα μέτρα που εξαγγέλθηκαν απόψε από τον   πρωθυπουργό. Δυστυχώς, ίσως να χρειαστούν και άλλα στο σημείο που φθάσανε τη χώρα ανίκανοι και κλέφτες, πολιτικοί κοι λαμόγια. Όσο όμως   αυτοί οι ανίκανοι και κλέφτες δε πάνε φυλακή και δεν κατάσχονται τα   κλεμένα τότε οποιοδήποτε μέτρο που απαιτεί έστω και ένα ευρό από αυτούς   που δεν έφαγαν και δεν ψήφισαν ανίκανους θα είναι άδικο.
One of the oldest Greek bloggers, graphic designer Arkoudos produces a semi-regular pseudo-magazine cover that serves as visual commentary on current events. The latest “Point of View” featured a half-shorn sheep with the blurb: “Hey, voters; we said you weren't going to pay for it and you believed us?”
Blog posts about the crisis have been few and far between overall, as Greek bloggers are reeling with the possible dire implications of staggered developments and heavy media spin, but Twitter has been abuzz for the better part of the new year with frantic discourse, analysis, speculation, anger, frustration and wild humor over the “Greek crisis”. Some choice tweets:
After a widely republished story by the New York Times reported that Karamanlis’ conservative government had clandestinely pawned off future infrastructure proceeds in order to service the debt, aided by a Wall Street firm notorious for its involvement in the subprime meltdown, user @Cyberela arrived at an uncomfortable realization:
Στα διόδια πληρώνω  την Γκολντμαν Σακς!;!
Arkoudos mused bitterly on a deal struck with France to buy frigates amidst the crisis, reportedly in return for diplomatic support:
Μην πείτε τίποτα  κακό για το ότι αγοράσαμε φρεγάτες σε καιρώ οικ κρίσης γιατί κάποιος θα  βρεθεί να πείσει τους γείτονες να μας δείξουν γιατί
Twitter user @JoBlack sardonically compared recent moments of Greece's triumph and fall,
Στα διεθνή  πρωτοσέλιδα ζούμε ιστορικές στιγμές! Σαν το 2004. Απο την ανάποδη. Ωρα  είναι να μας κατηγορήσουν οτι εμπλουτίζουμε και ουράνιο.
While user @trianta poked some fun at the narrow focus of contemporary Greek economy on the services sector and faux-innovation technobabble, while making a pun on the ruling party's signature color and “green  economy” campaign pledges:
θα παράγουμε:  πράσινες augmented reality πολιτισμικές, διατροφικές και τουριστικές  υπηρεσίες :)
Blogger Tom Tziros (@Argos_t) disagreed with C. Alexacos on who exactly is responsible for the crisis, given that socialist governments ruled Greece for nearly 20 years,
@constantnos δεν συμφωνώ στο ότι η σημερινή κυβέρνηση δεν έχει καμία ευθύνη ενώ η σημερινή αντιπολίτευση ευθύνεται για όλα.
and compared prime ministers, offering some  reluctant praise for the incumbent:
Πάντως οφείλω να  παραδεχτώ οτι ο ΓΑΠ τουλάχιστον κινείται και προσπαθεί, δεν παίζει FIFA  σπίτι του
(Semi-reclusive former prime minister Karmanlis was reputed to be an avid console game player.)
Recently married, Tom berated the government, not as much for lack of trying, but for failing to inspire hope in people that the crisis can be overcome. In a post titled “Oh, what a happy life“, after a Theorodakis song favored by George Papandreou's father and historical statesman Andreas, he recounted a chance meeting in the street:
Περιμένοντας να ανάψει πράσινο παρατήρησα έναν συνταξιούχο που έστριβε  από την Μπότσαρη στην Παπάφη τραγουδώντας φωναχτά το παρακάτω τραγούδι. Δεν ξέρω γιατί αλλά όλη την μέρα έβλεπα τα πάντα με αισιοδοξία. Αυτό  χρειάζομαι. Μια μικρή ελπίδα. Όχι να μου κρύβουν την αλήθεια, αλλά να  έχω κάτι να ελπίζω. Ώσπου να καταφέρουν να με κάνουν να αισθανθώ, έστω  και προσωρινά, όπως το τραγούδι του Θεοδωράκη που τραγουδούσε ο  συνταξιούχος, θα τους έχω γραμμένους.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Haiti: On Beauty  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The problem is not lack of food. It's lack of money. Put people to work. Pay them enough to support the local economy. Pay them enough to eat good local food”: Chronicles of an Unplanned Return writes an uplifting post about “beauty, lightness, and good things” in Haiti.


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India: Sachin Tendulkar Trended On Twitter  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Santosh at Über Desi informs that Indian cricketing legend “Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to score 200 in a one day international match against South Africa earning him 3 different spots on Twitter trends.”

author: Rezwan


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India: Surviving A Fire · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kiran Jonnalagadda posts his accounts of surviving a fire in his Carlton tower office in Bangalore. Nine people have died and 70 people have been injured.


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Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Flags, Water & Reggae · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican Annie Paul blogs about everything from the regional drought to the recently concluded International Reggae Conference.


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Montenegro: The Language Issue · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Not content to watch Serbia and Croatia fight it out over Serbo-Croatian, Montenegro now wants its own language,” Eternal Remont reports.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Nepal: Monarchists Shut Down Capital Kathmandu · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

Strike in Nepal. Image by Flickr user Nepaliaashish. Used under a Creative Commons License
Pro monarchy groups demanding restoration of constitutional monarchy, and establishment of a Hindu state in Nepal forced its capital to shut down. The streets of Kathmandu, usually a bustling city of about a million people, wore a deserted look on Monday as businesses and schools were closed. Nepali language blog Mysansar has pictures of the city's major thoroughfare during the protest.
Called by pro-monarchy party Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and lead by former Home Minister Kamal Thapa, the protest has once again posed the question – “is there future for monarchy in Nepal?”
After nearly three hundred years of monarchy, Nepal was declared a republic following a peace agreement between the government and Maoist rebels. King Gynandra was a pretty unpopular figure when he was deposed in 2008; but the relative success of RPP called protest and the way people received the King during a recent religious festival indicates that some people are willing to give the King a second chance.
United we blog for democratic Nepal, a blog maintained by a group of journalists, reported on the religious festival:
“A lot of ex-royalists and general people out of curiosity had lined up this time on the roadside to get glimpse of the ex-monarch. Some people cheered as king passed by. There was a group of people who sang bhajan to welcome Shah. Some people screamed slogan Raja Aaau Desh Bachau “Come King and Save the Country” The same slogan chanted by staunch royalists. Gyanendra Shah tried to mingle with the people…he sometime shook his head, waived his hand and joined his palms to honor the elders, according to Kantipur. A woman who was standing by the street complained “Hajur…there is no peace in the country.” Gyanendra Shah who stayed in Panauti for one and half hour prior he returned to the capital only said, “I wish there is justice and no one faced difficulties.”
Some loyal royalists have also been doing rounds of international publications to turn the border perception on their side. Dirgha Raj Prasai-former member of parliament, writing for Sri Lanka Guardian, argues that Maoists and various political parties are destroying Nepal and only monarchy can save the country.
The debate over Nepal's status as a secular state has also been pushed to the spotlight. Prasai in his aforementioned article, calling for monarchy to be restored, injects religion into the debate; saying that a secular Republic will destroy Nepal's character as a unique blend of Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Blogger Maila Baje speculates that Nepal may quietly drop off its present secular state  status:
“….It was not politically correct to defend Hinduism lest it imply support for the discredited monarchy. The Maoists, the storyline went, had to be brought into the mainstream at all costs. (The rebels, for their part, had long recognized that international funding was most copious for restructuring the religious character of the state.)
Nearly four years after that simulated peace, it has become fashionable to break the silence. A republican Nepal might be better able to anchor its unique identity as a Hindu state, after all. President Ram Baran Yadav and Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal have purportedly conceded that the secularization of the state was a mistake. Granted, they made the admission during private meetings with Hindu men of robes. But that goaded Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala toward pushing the envelope. She wants a referendum on whether Nepal should return to state Hinduism.”
The relative success of RPP called protest in largely liberal progressive Kathmandu is no doubt an indication that nearly two years after the country was declared a secular Republic. There is a section of society who still are not satisfied and convinced about the change. It is up to the leaders and the public to decide how they are going to address the unsatisfied mass.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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Russia: Government Supports Blogger School · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Gov-gov.ru blogs [RUS] about a new online initiative: government-sponsored blogger schools that emerge in Tomsk (Siberia) [RUS] and Dagestan [RUS]. The Dagestan region has one of the lowest Internet penetration rates in the country. The schools involve the most popular Kremlin-affiliated bloggers.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: New Military Doctrine · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Irina Filatova comments on Russia's new military doctrine at the Guardian's Comment is free.


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Russia: PM’s Figure Skating Comment · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Ivanov Report analyzes the Western media response to the Russian prime minister's “Vancouver Olympics quote/misquote” and concludes: “Attaching his name to a piece of ‘analysis’ helps sell this questionable product as efficiently as attaching the name of another celebrity to a product that consumers would be reluctant to buy otherwise.”


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Russia: Provider Sued For Not Blocking Web Sites · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

The prosecutor's office of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Siberian region where most of Russia's oil comes from, filed a suit against a local Internet provider that refused to block “extremist” Web site, Regnum reported. However, there's no federal law that requires providers to block the sites.


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Russia: Seeking Justice by Linking and Re-Posting · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

The Russian blogosphere became a place of public outcry against the  lack of adequate punishment for corrupt government officials and their  relatives violating the law. A simple blog search reveals numerous posts  criticizing Russian police, senators and governors who disregard any  notion of the law and easily avoid any consequences for taking bribes,  pursuing illegal business deals or even killing people.
But the public frustration online doesn't always lead to real-life changes. The recent story of a car crash in one of the Siberian cities and online reaction to the incident illustrate how an improvised online campaign attempts to affect gloomy reality.
On the  surface, the story of Anna Shavenkova who ran over two women  while driving her Toyota on December 2, 2009 in Irkutsk is nothing new in Russia.  Thousands of people are killed in road accidents every month. But the story  took a slightly different spin when people found out that Anna is a  daughter of Lyudmila Shavenkova, a chairwoman of the election committee  in Irkutsk region, who apparently has a lot of influence on the way  things are done in that part of the country.
The disturbing video [ENG] of  the crash, which keeps being deleted from YouTube, has been shown by some media outlets and, at first, did  not originally cause any significant discussion online. Some bloggers  pointed out the indifference of people who continued walking as if  nothing happened. Some were upset that Anna, the driver, got out of the  car and started immediately calling someone (not the ambulance) instead  of checking the condition of the victims (one of them died in a hospital  several days later).
What really led to the outrage on the  blogs is a result of a formal investigation of the crash by the road  police in Irkutsk. Anna is allegedly being treated as a  witness of the crash although she was the one who drove the car into the  sidewalk and hit the by-passers.
The well-known blogger and member  of “The Other Russia” oppositional  coalition [EN] Marina Litvinovich (aka LJ user abstract2001)  commented on it in her blog post [RUS] that quickly attracted thousands of  visitors and hundreds of comments:
Многие, наверное, помнят ролик из Иркутска, где камера видеонаблюдения  зафиксировала ДТП. Его виновница, Анна Шавенкова, на полной скорости сбившая двух девушек в  самом центре Иркутска, вдруг оказалась не виновницей происшествия, а  его свидетельницей. Кто  является виновником ДТП, суд пока не установил. Вполне вероятно, что  виновником окажется автомобиль. А Анна Шавенкова просто так, случайно,  оказалась на водительском сидении. Чисто как свидетель.
Litvinovich urged other bloggers to re-post this information online hoping  that it would eventually catch the attention of media. Following the advice from a fellow blogger, she even created a “re-post” button at the end of the post making it easier for everyone to spread the information.
Many bloggers responded to this by enthusiastically linking to Litvinovich's blog (the most popular reply to the post was “I re-posted”) and expressing their deepest concerns with how the local authorities handled the incident.
A good portion of online readers admitted the impotence of law in Russia against people with power and called for concrete actions. Blogger tvn1, for example, wrote [RUS] that one cannot blame a mother who tried to shield her daughter from the punishment. Instead, the blogger drew attention to the people who made it possible for a person to be above the law:
А вот судью и ментов надо мочить жёстко и показательно. Из-за них,  взяточников, и стал возможным мажорский беспредел.
Нужно уже брать  пример с той-же Греции, Франции т.п. Так за такие дела люди выходят на  улицы и пускают в ход силу ломов, коктейлей молотова и прочих подручных  средств, этим самым напоминая, что власть – слуга народа а не народ на  службе у власти.
Proposals to “whack” authorities and “take it to the streets” were not uncommon among the bloggers.
Some suggested that the “lawlessness” is the fault of people who elected those authorities. LJ user toytronic wrote [RUS]:
В этой стране власть всегда имела граждан, почитайте историю! Радуйтесь, что в ЖЖ вам пока любезно позволяют чувствовать себя свободными! Вы сами проголосовали за вертикаль власти и парламентское большинство, а получили тотальную коррупцию, полное разложение МВД, цензуру СМИ и парламент состоящий из коррупционных чиновников, на все это мерзко смотреть! У вас была возможность избрать демократическое гражданское общество в конце 90х! Если народ не поумнеет, его ждет новый 37 год!
Another blogger called for active participation in local and regional elections to prevent corrupt politicians from taking power.
Litvinovich's post is currently among the most popular ones on the Russian blogosphere leading in every rating of the top online entries. It seems that the author achieved the goal to attract attention of many netizens to the issue.
But it is still unclear if the improvised virtual campaign will amount to any results in real life. Litvinovich seems to be convinced that it will change things for the better. Replying to a comment doubting the effectiveness of re-posting, Litvinovich optimistically noted:
Опыт показывает, что простым привлечением внимания  моно много добиться – например того, что следствие и суд к проблеме  отнесутся по-другому, а не так как сейчас. Если не помоет, будем  думать, что еще можно сделать.

author: Vadim Isakov


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Russia: Snow and the Gastarbeiter · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Photos of some of the aftermath of a record-breaking snowfall in Moscow, as well as musings on whether the Russian capital needs its gastarbeiter or not – at Pictures of Moscow.


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Slovenia: Tribute to Janez Drnovšek · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Two years after the death of former Slovenian president Janez Drnovšek, Sleeping With Pengovsky observes that “most of the nation is on the prowl against any sort of deviation from ‘normality’, be this deviation actual or imagined, personal or political”: “President Drnovšek rarely passed judgement. […] But when he spoke, his words had merit. Today, a lot of what is being said is judgemental to start with and is fluff to boot.”


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Sri Lanka: Interview With Ameena Hussein · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sanjana Hattotuwa at Groundviews posts an interview with Ameena Hussein, one of Sri Lanka’s best known English authors.


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Suriname: Countdown to Exhibition  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Paramaribo SPAN is excited about its upcoming art exhibition.


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Bangladesh: Hail Storm In Dhaka City · Global Voices
Rezwan

Yesterday a hail storm swept through Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and Ehab caught all the actions with photographs.


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Barbados, Haiti: Survival  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One of the things that has stuck out for most of us as we look on at the struggle in Haiti after the quake is that people have to go so long without food, water, basic amenities”: From Barbados, Sun, Rain Or… blogs about “what can we do to make ourselves less reliant on the things we take for granted and able to survive if we suffer a major disaster.”


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Bermuda: Southlands · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermudian bloggers discuss the issue of Southlands, which involves the government's plans to develop a green site.


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Cuba: Hunger Striker Dies in Havana Prison · Global Voices
Susannah Vila

The death of the first Cuban political prisoner to die on hunger strike since 1972 is eliciting a combination of speechlessness and outrage on the web.
In an apt expression of this, Orlando Luis Pardo of Boring Home Utopics posts a series of solid black images, one after another, instead of words.  Yoani Sanchez has posted a video she made of the prisoner's mother waiting outside the hospital where her son died.  In it, Reina Luisa Tamayo calls her son's death a “premeditated murder.”  This is a sentiment that others have echoed. “The Castro Brothers Have Returned to Murder!!!!” goes the headline of a widely tweeted post at El Tono De Voz.
Orlando Zapato Tamayo began the 86 day long strike on December 3rd, 2009, after a prison guard in the eastern province of Holguin beat him so brutally that the hematoma left on his head needed to be operated on.  Initially, the director of that prison denied him water for 18 days, causing kidney failure. When he was transferred again, he contracted pneumonia. His last move was to the maximum security prison in Habana where he died.
Along the Malecon writes: in 2003 “he joined dissidents who were staging a hunger strike to try to pressure the socialist government to release prisoners. But then many of these protesters later wound up in jail themselves.”
The next year Zapato Tamayo was sentenced to 3 years of prison for contempt, public disorder, and disobedience.  Once in prison, his term was extended to 36 years for “acts of disobedience.”
Former prisoner of conscience Jorge Luis García Pérez, reports Radio y Television Martí, said that this event “has caused enormous dismay throughout the country, not just among the opposition but also the whole population.”
It seems that some bloggers are hoping help make García Pérez’ prophecy a reality.  As Uncommon Sense writes, “this is not a time for regrets but for action, to follow Zapata's example and continue the struggle against those who murdered him and for Cuban liberty.” A commenter at Diario de Cuba writes:
“Atencion estamos convocando una marcha mundial para el 13 de marzo del 2010 en favor de la libertad de todos los presos politicos cubanos, asi como la condena por la muerte de Orlando Zapata Tamayo.”
“Attention we are organizing a global march on March 13, 2010 for the release of all Cuban political prisoners, as well as a conviction in the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo.”
Twitter has updates on this proposed action. Blogger Yoani Sanchez has also proposed a (presumably virtual) prayer chain for the morning of Zapata Tamayo's funeral.
On the other hand, the official leaning Cuba Debate (which is also on Twitter) republishes a post from La Isla Desconocida:
Tienen razón al decir que fue un asesinato, pero los medios esconden al verdadero asesino: los grupúsculos cubanos y sus mentores trasnacionales. Zapata fue asesinado por la contrarrevolución.
They are right to say it was murder…but the media are hiding the real murderer: small Cuban groups and their international mentors. Zapata was murdered by the counterrevolution.
The party line, then, has a web presence too.
According to CNN Spanish reporter Daniel Vottio, there are guards surrounding the Tamayo household where the wake is being held.  Sanchez tweets that dissidents are being kept from leaving their homes; her and others’ movements seems to be generally restricted.
Two other Cuban prisoners of conscience, Ariel Sigler Amaya and Normando Hernández González are also imprisoned and in poor health. What this augurs for them, and for Cuban civil society, is to be determined.

author: Susannah Vila


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D.R of Congo: Two closest capital cities in the world · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Solo Kinshasa writes about Brazzaville and Kinshasa, two closest capital cities in the world. S

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Dominican Republic: Colorful Characters of Carnival · Global Voices
Rocio Diaz

February is a very special month in the Dominican Republic. Not only does the country celebrate its National Independence Day on February 27, but there are also Carnival festivities and the beginning of Lent which often falls during this time. They are two very different events that seem to clash with the Catholic Church's vision. In fact, for years it has insisted on separating these celebrations. This convergence of events can demonstrate the two sides of a people that are profoundly religious, but at the same time, also like to party. Blogger Rossy Díaz writes how the topic seems to come up at the same time each year [es]:
Es ya conocida la campaña puntual de la comisión asesora permanente para la separación del carnaval de las fechas patrias y la cuaresma, en relación a la conveniencia de movilizar las celebraciones del carnaval(…) Nuestro carnaval, históricamente, se ha crecido con las muestras de patriotismo, con cada expresión viva de nuestra sociedad, con la fe, y seguirá creciendo en esencia, ante las penas y las alegrías de este Caribe que nos une.
Jonathan, a reader of the blog En Segundos [es], agrees that the dates should be separate:
Claro que es una locura… CARNAVAL significa Festival de la CARNE, y cuaresma es abstinecia de todo lo que supone “Carne”, sobre todo en el sentido espiritual, pero claro…. ESTA ES LA ISLA ALREVES!!!!!!
The Dominican carnival is a centuries-old tradition that goes back to colonial times, with records going back to the year 1520. With a mixture of European and African heritages, the result is a diversity of characters that include the Cojuelo Devils of La Vega, Papeluses of Cotuí, the Santiago piglets, the Macaraos of Salcedo, Guloyas of San Pedro de Macorís, Robalagallina, Califé, and other popular cultural expressions.
Cojuelos Devils. Photo by kptyson and used under a Creative Commons license.
Carnival groups, parades, and tours to the interior of the country all make up part of the Carnival festivities. On a provincial level, the Carnival of La Vega is probably the most well-known on a global level with the draw of the “vejigazos” (beatings) of the Cojuelo Devils. The tradition is that the costumed devils carry small bags made of animal hide and give “vejigazos” (beatings) to passers-by. The accompanying pain is described by blogger Yaniris López [es] who writes about the essence of Carnival in La Vega:
Un sonido seco seguido de un dolor intenso que hace que te hierva la sangre se escucha cerquita. La rabia se apodera de ti. Un segundo golpe te deja sin fuerzas, seguido de una palabrota amortiguada por el dolor, un dolor tan fuerte que te priva, es decir, no te deja siquiera reaccionar, correr, pedir auxilio…
Y a medida que la sangre y los músculos asimilan el golpe llega la risa, una risa rencorosa que te recuerda que nadie te obligó a lanzarte a las calles y exponerte a los vejigazos de los diablos del carnaval de La Vega…
A nearby dull thud is followed by an intense pain that makes one's blood boil. Anger seizes you. A second blow leaves you weak, followed by a muffled curse because of the pain, a pain so strong that it deprives you, in other words, it does not allow you to react, run, ask for help…
As one's blood and muscles absorb the pain, comes laughter, a spiteful laughter that reminds you that no one forced you to head for the streets and expose yourself to the “beatings” of the Carnival devils of La Vega.
Carnival celebrations culminate with a large parade that takes place in early March along the Malecón in Santo Domingo with the participation of almost all of its characters. The parade takes place usually to the beat of “Baila la Calle” (Street Dance), a song immortalized by the composer Luis Días, who died in late 2009 and to whom this year's Carnival is dedicated.
In contrast to the festive atmosphere of Carnival, once the celebrations end comes the typical recovery days of Lent, which culminates in the celebration of Easter. While the traditions of attending Church, reflection, not eating meat, processions, the burning of Judas, and other related events, Easter in recent years has become an excuse to take a mini-vacation. At that time, Dominican beach resorts become crowded by those looking to escape the routine. Even though the Church has complained, hoteliers do not complain.

author: Rocio Diaz


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Egypt: Cats can wink too · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Tarek Amr (ar) winked at a cat and it winked back at him.


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Global: Concerns About Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

The last meeting of negotiations for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has provoked the protest of online communities against both its content and the circumstances of their negotiations. The main point of the agreement, which currently involves more than 11 countries, is to deal directly with the piracy on Internet through the construction of a legal framework that will strengthen the protection of the intellectual property rights in each country.
Those behind the agreement cite the need to combat all forms of piracy of intellectual property.  Twitter user Juan José Burciaga (@jjbfigueroa) agrees with the basic reasons for an agreement, but not at all costs.
La piratería es un cancer contra el cual debemos de luchar, pero no pisoteando las garantias individuales de las personas #ACTA #OPENACTA
With this, many users are worried about whether their user data will remain private if Internet Service Providers (ISP) are forced to provide that information, and whether the penalties would be too harsh. In addition, much has been said about the way that negotiations have been carried out, since the agenda and the advances of each meeting have been regulated under confidentiality clauses.
Current countries involved in the negotiations include Australia, Canada, members of the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States. Recently, a leaked document revealed details of the enforcement system to be implemented in several of them: anti-circumvention tools beyond the DMCA, take down notices, a liability scheme for Internet Service Providers and the three strikes rule that will allow any service provider to disconnect the user from the Internet.
Calls for Greater Transparency
Michael Geist, professor of the University of Ottawa and one of the leaders against ACTA, offered an unofficial summary of the seventh meeting, which took part during the last days of January in Guadalajara, Mexico and the stances of some countries regarding transparency. You can follow further discussions on ACTA by Prof Geist by subscribing to his RSS on ACTA.
During the seventh meeting, many from the Mexican online community protested in Twitter under the hashtags #Acta and #openActa, demanding ACTA to make the agenda public and the documents of the agreement available for public scrutiny.
Photo by Neto González. Used following a Creative Commons license. Taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/netogonzalez/4270933008/
After the movement of #InternetNecesario that defended the Internet from being taxed by the Mexican government, the dialogue between Twitter users and authorities was more direct, and it included participants such as the president of the Science and Technology Commission of the Senate, Javier Castellón, who appealed through Twitter the need of transparency of the agreement [es], as the negotiations were held in his country:
Informo al grupo de las negociaciones de ACTA y de la demanda de mayor transparencia e informacion al senado. Manifiestan interes
An important part of the protest was channeled through Open Acta [es], both website [es] and Twitter [es], which has the objective of making public the documents of the agreement [es] “so a real public and democratic discussion about its content and its reach can be begin.” It started its activity 2 years ago when the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property [es] (IMPI, in Spanish) regarding ACTA [es] announced that it would join to the ACTA negotiations by asking citizens to send their suggestions to the agreement.
One citizen who tried to give her input was Twitter user, Geraldine Juárez, representative from the civil organization Mexican Pirate Party [es] and known in Twitter as Miss Pirata (now offline), , who shared a story about how she tried to become involved through contributing her input to the IMPI.  She wrote about the meeting with the IMPI and how she protested by abruptly leaving when she was asked not to tweet about the meeting:
Me salí, enojada sí. Pero también me quedó claro que esto es un asunto serio en el cuál la autoridad apoya a la industria públicamente y que no esta dispuesta a ceder por una ciudadana con una postura que disiente completamente, no solo en cuanto al proceso de negociación del ACTA, sino de la penosa injerencia de la industria del entretenimiento en para controlar la libertad de mi país y en mi mundo: Internet.
Yes, I left angry. But it was also clear that this is a serious matter where authorities openly support industry, but it is not willing to concede to opposing approaches from citizens, not only in the negotiation process of ACTA, but the shameful interference of the entertainment industry in order to control the liberty of my country and my world: Internet.
For the seventh meeting, Open Acta called for emails to the Senate [es] to “demand transparency, rights and liberties and respect to the fundamental principle of the web.”
Possible New Legal Frameworks
There are other concerns about the agreement. Alejandro Pisanty, one of the leaders of the #InternetNecesario movement, commented on his blog about the repercussions of ACTA [es] on legal structures in each of the countries:
En lo que se sabe, de manera parcial, extraoficial e informal, hay bases para temer que ACTA pueda llevar a la necesidad de que algunos países creen legislación nueva (por ejemplo, un país puede tener que crear legislación, ahora inexistente allí, que permita la persecución de la piratería como un delito, persecución ex-officio cuando ahora sólo es mediante acusación), a aplicaciones draconianas de la legislación existente, a la supresión o debilitamiento de la presunción de inocencia, y a la creación de un ambiente poco conducente al acceso al conocimiento, a compartirlo y a la creación colectiva de nuevos arte, ciencia, reflexión y conocimiento. No es posible en este momento confirmar o desmentir con base en documentos oficiales que esto ocurra, ni lo contrario. El tema requiere vigilancia constante.
Protection of User Data and Harsh Penalties
Another subject of discussion was the access to sensitive information of Internet users, as pointed out by one of the official documents leaked. However, the AMIPCI publicly rejected [es] any chance of forcing the Internet service providers to share private user data about those users suspected of illegal activities.
There are also reports that there is a proposal to implement a three strikes policy for any user that engages in illegal file sharing. The penalty for this is disconnection from their internet service. Cory Doctorow, blogger and journalist, argues in this video (available in English, French and Italian) that the Internet is too central to our lives to be taken away for three accusations of copyright infringement, like a death penalty.
The eighth meeting for negotiations will be held on New Zealand, in April 2010. Different organizations like EFF, Reporters without borders and IP Watch, are concerned with the future of the Net, the lack of transparency and openness that should be implemented by exemplary democracies in the world like the countries involved in the negotiations. Furthermore, citizens are demanding their authorities transparency and access to the negotiation and a public consultation to have a word on it by organizing meetings in different locations, blogging-twitting in different languages, and sharing documents and concerns via the web.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Guyana: Spam You!  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal says that spam is a four letter word.


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Macau: Alternative public sphere · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chong from interlocals has a summary of a local research on the development of online alternative public sphere in Macau.


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Macedonia: Grassroots Effort to Preserve Folk Music Online · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Appreciation of folk music has been a distinguishing feature of the Macedonian culture, and thanks to selfless efforts of one dedicated blogger it spreads through the blogosphere, too.
As part of the world heritage, traditional Macedonian music has been enjoyed and reused world over, sometimes without attribution.
(Video: Many Hands diverse ensemble performing traditional tune from Macedonia “Jovano, Jovanke” [MKD]  in Kyushu, Japan.)
An old internet joke about ex-Yugoslav stereotypes – which has been circulating for at least 12 years – states that one of the top 10 advantages of being Macedonian is:
4. You get to be sad and suffer while listening to folk music.
This cultural feature extends to good times also, as the EVS volunteer Katarina Karcolova noted in her article on the youth portal Mladi!nfo:
The young people here share many similarities with young Slovaks, but there is one significant difference, which I really like. It is the preservation of the folklore, music and dance especially. For example if there is a house party, it is common to listen to traditional music. Actually, it is not only about listening but also about singing and dancing. When I asked whether all those people are members of a folklore group because they could dance so well, they told me that they are not. Macedonian folklore is so rich that they are proud of it and want to keep it.
The most significant recent development related to folk music and poetry in the Macedonian blogosphere is moving of the content of the Macedonian Folk Songs blog to a dedicated domain and hosting service – pesna.org (the word for “song” and “poem” in Macedonian), enabling its author Zoran Stalevski, aka GoodBytes, to add more functionalities, such as various kinds of sorting, and options for translation into English, French, and German. In addition to this, he announced [MKD] that:
…All the songs are transliterated into Latin alphabet. For instance “А бре Македонче (A bre Makedonche)” [MKD]. To access this version click on the tab “Transliterated.” This will aid at least two things: the foreigners would be able to read the text more easily, and it can facilitate access of search engines, whose users often don’t or can’t use Cyrillic.
Audio files of the songs are no longer limited to one minute, but at popular request they are posted complete. However, in order not to violate the copyright of the performers, the downloadable mp3s are encoded to 32kbps. This is enough to hear the song or “to have it,” but no audiophile or folk music lover would be satisfied with such low quality. Therefore I assume they would buy the songs they like in the future. And if some musicians would like to share some of their rights to recorded performances, I would be happy to post the high-quality versions of the songs.
Mr. Stalevski also stated that he intends to finance the site with his own funds till the end of his days, with some possible aid from online advertising. In an interview for It.com.mk, he confessed [MKD]:
I started the project as my personal hobby, but also out of revolt, because the institutions paid to promote our cultural heritage still use the computers mainly to play Solitaire while waiting to punch the clock.
By collecting the songs, I followed Gandhi’s dictum that “you have to be the change you want to see in the world.” As the collection grew, I started receiving praises, advice and direct help with the texts or audio files from visitors who like folk music. This support from people world over, including foreigners interested in Macedonian language, culture and traditional music, provided inspiration for me to continue with enriching the website. I actually do not need financial contributions, because publishing online is not very expensive. But the project can really benefit from more audio files, especially of rare songs, which are almost impossible to find via regular channels. There’s a great need to digitize the audio/video archives of the Macedonian Radio & Television, which hides an invaluable treasury, rotting in the cellars of that black hole of a “public broadcaster.” Probably some of those rare materials have been appropriated by some ethnologists or collectors – people I cannot easily reach.
Macedonian Folk Songs uses Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License. With over 640 songs, it is probably the richest collection of its kind on the web. Archeological Diary noted that it has been used as a source for content for Wikipedia in Macedonian language.
(Video: Oneself76 performing “Jovano, Jovanke”. His covers receive admiring comments from YouTube users from Macedonia and the diaspora.)

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Nigeria: Nigerian author nominated for Commonwealth Writers Prize · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A Nigerian author published by a Kenyan has been nominated for Best Book in the 2010 Commonwealth Writers Prize.


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Rwanda: Controversy surrounding opposition candidate · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This is Africa discusses Victoire Ingabire, the Rwandese opposition candidate who has been “the target of a relentless campaign of intimidation and perfidious perfidy, no doubt engineered by the ruling junta in Kigali.”


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South Africa: Mr Gay World 2010 is a South African blogger · Global Voices
Haute Haiku

The newly crowned winner of Mr. Gay World 2010 is Charl van den Berg, a 28-year old South African restaurant manager and blogger.
Charl beat competitors from Australia, Hong Kong, Spain and China to win the coveted title and become the second global gay ambassador following Max Krzyzanowski from Ireland. The aim of the competition is to find a leader who can take responsibility and talk about human rights and equality worldwide. The AFP wrote earlier this month:
OSLO — A South African man has won the 2010 Mr Gay World pageant, beating rivals from Australia, Hong Kong, China and Spain, the organisers said on Sunday.
Charl Van den Berg, 28, who runs a restaurant in Cape Town, won after four days of competition finished with a walk down a fashion runaway in an Oslo nightclub dressed in skimpy swimwear and various costumes.
The competition is aimed at “finding a leader who can take on the responsibility of being a spokesman for the community and who can also speak out on equality and human rights on the world stage,” a statement said.
After winning, Charl expressed himself on how he is ready to represent the gay community in a proper manner and urged the world to learn to love people who are different:
My hope is to be able to first of all represent the gay community in a proper manner, but at the same time to also just show people that it’s okay to love someone who’s different than you. You don’t have to focus on their differences, but you focus on what makes you a unit, what makes you and the other person equal.
On his blog he shows his patriotism by thanking the communities and Nelson Mandela, his sponsors and supporters who made this possible for him. Being the only representative from Africa in the competition, he has got a hard task ahead of him as many countries in Africa have refused to accept homosexuality.
Homosexuality is only legal in handful of countries in Africa such as South Africa, Rwanda (recently), Madagascar, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Côte dl’voire, Cape Verde and Benin.
Wow! What an amazing experience and first two weeks. I want to thank you all personally for supporting me in my endeavors and goal of representing South Africa on a global stage. My fellow competitors were amazing and taught me a significant amount in diversity, cultural adversity and the challenges the LBGT community faces. This has clearly set the goals and objectives for my reign as their global spokesman and new Ambassador.
My first few days back home has made me realize the extent of the tasks that lay ahead, and it has been a whirlwind of events and interviews. However, the most humbling aspect has been the support I have received from all the communities within South Africa, and has made me proud to be a part of the Rainbow Nation that Mr. Mandela envisaged nearly four decades ago. I am proudly South African and embrace the diversity, potential and prospects the country offers on the eve of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Since, returning from my first trip abroad, I need to acknowledge the work and effort the local committee from Mr. Gay SA played in making the event possible and my representation in Oslo possible. Also, the sponsors and supporters of the event have made it comparable to other (major) local pageants.
Charl van de Berg believes he has got a message and a sense of social responsibility to give back to the people he interacts with in his community.
Not all is well in South Africa despite being the first country to legalize gay marriage in Africa and has a constitution that favors the gay community. He wants to fight heterosexual prejudice, homophobia,  AIDS and other issues confronting the LGBT community:
Yeah, yeah I know what you’re thinking these beauty competitions are so narcissistic and just brainless wonder parading around in skimpy underwear working hard for that sash and sceptre. LOL! Believe me I’m not here for the glory of being South Africa’s Number 1 Moffie. I actually have a message and a sense of social responsibility that I’d like to share and winning this title will provide me with a great opportunity to contribute positively towards the South African gay community and hopefully to South Africa in general.
Although I’m painfully aware that as South Africa we have a Constitution that is based on sexual equality, I think our biggest obstacle to this equality is not what we perceive to be so called heterosexual prejudice. Our biggest obstacle to true equality is our own internal prejudice within the gay community.
Amidst controversies of his past appearing on gay movies, Pierre Le Roux a South African blogger says his past should not determine here, people make mistakes and he should not be judged, he owned up to his mistakes and faced the music in a respectable manner he would make a great ambassador:
But do the making of one video and a few pictures actually make Charl van der Berg a veteran porn star? I think not! Sure he may have had a lapse of judgment, but then again everyone makes mistakes. The fact that he stood up and faced the music in a respectable manner says plenty about his character. So do I think he’s a suitable ambassador for the international gay community, yes I do. The GLBT community is not without our flaws and neither is South Africa. Having our own president embroiled in sex scandals with bastard children popping up with what seems to be everywhere, why can’t we be proud of our own homegrown Mr. Gay World even if he had made one dirty little film.

author: Haute Haiku


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Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana: Rights of LGBT · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

gspottt has its eyes on developments in Guyana regarding the filing of “a constitutional challenge to a law criminalising ‘crossdressing’ in that country’s high court.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: J’ouvert! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“To me J’ouvert is the purest form of Trinidad ‘mas there is, right up there with ole ‘mas and the long, oft drawn out pre-soca calypso from the tents”: Gilberte's Poetry and Rants shares her 2010 J'ouvert experience.


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Vietnam: Dad asks netizens to help find missing daughter  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Nguyen Minh Chau from Vietnam last saw his five-year old daughter Nguyen Truong An fifteen years ago. He had gone to various places like Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong province, and even neighboring Laos to look for his daughter. He appeared on national TV and radio to ask for help. But he failed to find his daughter. Today the desperate father is asking the help of netizens in his long search for his daughter.
According to Chau, who is a resident of the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, his daughter went missing on December 10, 1995. Chau’s daughter and his nephew Diem My were last seen playing in a neighbor’s house. The two children were both five years old during that time.
Last month, Chau was assisted by a relative in creating a website to gather clues and reports about the missing daughter. Below is Chau’s introductory message
Con tôi sinh năm 1990, bị bắt cóc từ cuối năm 1995 ngay tại quê nhà ở Tiền Giang. Bé và một bé gái khác cũng gần bằng tuổi tên Diễm My mất tích vào một buổi chiều cuối năm đó. Gia đình tôi tìm kiếm con tôi bao năm nay cùng với sự giúp đỡ của cơ quan báo, đài, công an nhưng vẫn bặt vô âm tín. Giờ tôi đành gửi gắm chút hy vọng mong manh qua trang web này.
Chau is thankful for any lead he will receive from netizens
Chúng tôi xin chân thành cảm ơn mọi thông tin về con gái chúng tôi!
The website and Chau’s determination to find his daughter attracted a warm response in Vietnam. Before the end of January, nearly 100,000 people have already visited the website. Chau has received thousands of calls expressing support for his cause.
Chau is hoping the online community will be able to help him. He stated this desire during an interview with Vietnam Bridge
I and my wife have never stopped missing my daughter. We love our missing daughter very much. We don’t know whether she lives happily or not. Through this website, I hope that the online community will help me to find my daughter
This author contacted Chau through the email address listed on his website. Below is Chau’s answer to the questions sent to him:
What motivated you to establish this website?
-> I think that information about the fact that I'm finding my daughter on the website nguyenminhchau.com can be known quickly on over the world with such speed of internet. I know that she was lost 15 years ago, and I just hope that my daughter will know this information and get back to our home.
Do you believe the internet can provide some clues in the search for your missing daughter?
-> Yes, I believe that.
Have you received any lead or feedback from internet users about your daughter?
->I have received a large number of feedback, recommendation. Some of them are very useful for me to find my baby girl
So far, are you satisfied with the results or reactions you are getting ever since you established this website?
-> I'm please with help of many people, newspaper. Their help is empowering us more and more to keep finding my daughter.
Chau said he was contacted by a U.S. citizen who offered to upgrade the nguyenminhchau.com website and add information in three more languages: Cambodian, Thai and Chinese. A company that exports goods to Cambodia is willing to print the picture of Chau’s daughter on the cover of their products.
Chau and his relatives can be reached through this email: truonghoangthai158@yahoo.com

author: Mong Palatino


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Armenia: Beauty talk · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ashley Corinne Killough visits the hairdresser and details the experience. The blog also comments on her encounters and observations while doing so.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: ANTV receives freedom of the press award · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

ANTV [AZ/EN/RU], an online citizen journalism site co-founded by now imprisoned video blogging youth activist Emin Milli, has received an award from ZEIT-Stiftung for its work in promoting independent voices and alternative news and views in Azerbaijan [RU]. The Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS) also carries the news in English.


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Azerbaijan: Scary Azeri turns 1 · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

To mark its first birthday, Scary Azeri in Suburbs posts an illustration to celebrate the occasion.


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Belize: Teachers’ Strike  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Teachers are on strike in an effort to secure a pay raise: Belizean reports.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bermuda: Budget Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Today is Budget Day in Bermuda.  21 Square “throw[s] out a few thoughts.”


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Cuba: On the Front Line  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense says that “Orlando Zapata Tamayo's fight for liberty is not over, as reports…are that other Cuban freedom fighters are taking his place on the front lines of the struggle.”


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Dominica: Water Needed · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

News Dominica.com reports on the country's water woes and its impact on the island's agriculture industry, here and here.


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Ghanaian students contribute to virtual media library · Global Voices
Gayle Pescud

ISABT Newsletter
In July 2009 I had the privilege of catching up with old friends and meeting some new faces when Jonathan Thurston, his wife Kristi, and past and present students arrived in Ghana to carry out a book making project with students at a primary school in Elmina, in the Central Region of Ghana.
What’s so special? They use simple, portable technology to inspire creativity and facilitate learning among Ghana’s poorest students. And they use ‘social media’ to establish networks with like-minded individuals and organizations internationally, enhancing development opportunities and increasing the possibility of involving other communities and countries as the organization grows.
I interviewed Jonathan, the founder, about 2009 summer’s project and the organization behind the project: The Intl School of Art, Business and Technology (ISABT). Founded in 2006 by Jonathan Thurston, Trudy Obazee, former Chair of the Accounting Department at Albright College, and Sarah Philbrick, ISABT's mission is to operate educational programs in Ghana and give children an opportunity to become authors. You can view some of the books that students wrote in July 2009 at the Ghana Reale Library. For those interested, download Reale Writer from the Reale site.
Kojo's story
We’re working with schools and we’re trying to work with the PTA to sustain our program. We have some help from other NGOs like Global Mamas with housing or advice. We have people that we work with in Ghana here that can go around and make appointments before we arrive to save us a lot of time. You know, sometimes things take a while so if we can get the ball rolling a month before we come and jump right in when we arrive.
Yes, former teachers. We have one who was actually hired to run the book making program. And what I’m trying to do is put our research from this summer and from the past together to educational units and share it with teachers across developing countries and solve their problems before they have them, like an issue with ink or different technology issues or equipment. Ideally you would have the educational units ready and all you need is a working printer and a working laptop that can run the software, and some paper and some crayons. If you have that, you can run it.
A video of 2008's visit with the teachers.
Last summer I came for a week and saw the possibility and impact that it had. One school I went to, Kakum Oda, had no power and very few books and resources. I only had a week and I had asked for just two students to work with to see. On the first day I sat down with the head teacher and greeted her and said, ‘Thank you for working with me, so, it would be great to meet the two students.’ And she started laughing. She said, ‘There’s more than two.’ I said, ‘Really, more than two?’ I thought, maybe, there’d be four or six. No. Every kid in the school wrote a story already! There were over a hundred stories. They all came up all of a sudden and put them on the desk. Just from hearing about the project they’d all written a story.
I couldn’t do all the stories last summer but I what I saw was that people want to do them. So we’re working through those stories and I have my college kids illustrating them, putting them into software—we’re working our way through that pile.
Click You Tube to watch the Elmina Authors at work and interviewed.
Elmina authors
So what’s happening this summer?
This summer we have a new program where we have writing instruction. It’s about how to write a story, descriptive language, setting, character, and plot. One thing I noticed with the pile of stories was that there was little structure so one thing we did this summer was introduce story-writing instruction—and they totally get it. From a few paragraphs to pages—we’re seeing very descriptive and rich stories.
I want to read that story. And maybe some will be copying from one at the beginning, we’re all going to sit and read them together and if we get a story twice, we’ll know.
We’re still learning, but when I came last summer one thing I noticed is that a lot of the stories didn’t have a beginning, middle or an end. For a well-rounded story you have to introduce the story, tell the story, and then tie it up at the end. We talk about that during the teaching sessions.
I’ve been doing a lot of research into folk stories as well for a couple of years now, especially from West Africa. You know Ananse?  When I see an Ananse story, I know, often, whether it’s an original. If they do want to tell an Ananse story that’s fine, but we encourage them to make it their own a little bit and enrich it to make it different.
Click on the link to watch the children in the Book Making Project.
Book making 2009
How does the project work this summer?
We’re working with this school and they pitched in their own money to buy the computers they have. Even though the computers are often twenty years old, although they have some newer ones, it’s still a foundation to start.
We brought volunteers from the USA with lap tops. They could work with three students each and put the stories into the lap tops. The next thing they’ll do tomorrow is proof-reading and illustrating pictures for the stories. The students write and illustrate the story and we help them get them on the lap top. And tomorrow we’ll run a training session for the teachers too, so when we leave they’ll be able to do it on their own.
On the final day we’ll have a book celebration. We’ll give each student a printed book and give a laptop and printer to the school. It’s everything they need to keep it going with the teacher who’s been involved from the beginning.
We’re promoting the healthy book cycle: Read, Create, Share. Always start with reading. Even better: start with reading a book another student has written. Then they get inspired to create a book that they then share. And then the next student will read it and be inspired to create and share. That’s the healthy book cycle. If they keep this going, it’s going to keep building. What we want to do is make sure they can continue to the cycle.
We have a library for Ghana. So any book made in Ghana is welcome to be included in that library. Anyone can access it. It’s all free. The software is free. The library is free. These books are available for anyone to read if they have a PC and internet. Kids from Kenya, Brooklyn, New Jersey and California will be reading these books. And they’re making their own books and putting them online too and kids in Ghana will be able to read those. And they can pull them off the library and print them.
Spotlighting Jonathan in Ghana this year on You Tube
If we can get it working here, we can build a model that we can replicate. We also want to build a community centre to work with the schools and run after school programs. We would have a small library and computer lab and do programs like the book making program. We want to provide resources to run programs for the future. If someone wants to run an accounting workshop, we’ll bring an accountant from the US or a local accountant and run the workshop. We want to get involved in the community and give them what they need: programs that can enhance the community.
One is a former student of mine from Albright and one is a current student; he’s getting college credit for working on this project. Their help has been so wonderful on so many levels. They’re both so committed. I think the reactions of the students working in the project are special for them. For a Ghanaian student to study in the USA is very expensive so they’re from families that can afford that. They come back and help out the kids and hopefully those kids will have that opportunity in future. And it’s good role model for the students here to see someone who’s worked hard and graduated from university who cares about Ghana, coming back: someone like them but a bit older. It’s inspiring for the kids.
The educational paradigm is drawn as a pyramid and goes that everyone gets in on the bottom, but the higher up, the narrower it gets, less people in. We’re trying to make that pyramid a square.
Read the featured book, The Bakatue Festival, at RealeBooks.
Visit ISABT here. Join them on Facebook at People Who Want to Help. They blog at ISABT. You can check out how to make books at Making Books in Ghana demo.

author: Gayle Pescud


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Greece, Germany and the middle finger of Venus de Milo · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

In the continuing drama of the financial crisis plaguing Greece and the eurozone, a row erupted last week because of a German Focus Magazine cover that depicted ancient Greek statue Venus de Milo flipping a middle finger at the European Union.
The magazine also published an accompanying article reportedly describing Greeks as the ‘crooks’ of the European family.
The media in Greece elevated the story to a level of popular public scandal, evoking  indignation by Greek politicians, and engendering  a new round of fierce public discussion on issues of national identity  and sovereignty, racism and  European integration.
Indignation and bitter humor
Some saw the incident as an instance of “anti-Hellenism” or dislike of Greece. On Twitter, sotomi angrily proposed a boycott action,
Boycot German products and German stores in Greece. This should be the  answer to Focus cover and German publicity. #GRanswer
… while Nikos Roussos, echoing a popular recurring theme, focused on war reparations allegedly still owed to Greece:
the best answer   would be, if we could finally demand from Germany to pay their debt to us for 2nd World War
pascal_ bitterly proposed a reaction in kind:
Να βγει το ελληνικό Focus με εξώφυλλο φωτό του Χίτλερ και τίτλο: Σας  χρωστάμε πολλά
Perhaps as a conciliatory gesture, radio producer Antonis Vlavogelakis responded to the cover with a Venus de Milo photo manipulation of his own:
"Prost Venus!" by vlavo
Veteran comedian Harry Klynn threw a punch line back at the crisis,
Ένας φίλος μου αγόρασε μια 600άρα Μερσεντές τοις μετρητοίς. Την βενζίνη αγοράζει με δόσεις!
… while FivosV speculated on the statue's usually unseen fingers:
Επιτέλους είδαμε και το -ένα τουλάχιστον- χέρι της Αφροδίτης  της Μήλου. Έτσι ήταν κανονικά. Γι'αυτό τα σπάσανε. #FOCUS
Reflection and social critique
Blogger alepouda weighed the public indignation against the more serious economic crisis,
έμενα μου τη δινει που πιο πολύ ως λαος εκνευριζόμαστε αμα μας  κακολογήσουν παρά που τα έχουμε κάνει σκατά
…while web designer Cyberela angrily refocused the argument on those responsible for bringing Greece to a state of decline:
Ντροπή σας! Εμένα με  προσβάλει το γεγονός ότι βάζετε εμένα να πληρώσω την κρίση των άλλων και  τα κλεμμένα την προηγούμενης κυβέρνησης.
kaltsovrako, also entreated Greeks to focus on the most important issue:
μας εγκαλούν έμμεσα να αλλάξουμε νοοτροπία [και] “εμείς” βλέπουμε το δάχτυλο και απαντάμε ενθυμούμενοι  ΞΑΦΝΙΚΑ τον Χίτλερ, τις πολεμικές αποζημιώσεις, το Δίστομο και τα  Καλάβρυτα. Ρε,  πάμε καλά;
E-Lawyer blogger Vassilis Sotiropoulos focused on legal aspects of the controversy:
το νομικό  ερώτημα είναι εάν έχει το δικαίωμα ένα περιοδικό να συμπεριφέρεται με  αυτόν τον τρόπο σε [..]  ένα σύμβολο του Ελληνικού πολιτισμού. [..] Τα δικαστήριά έχουν  αποκλείσει τέτοιου είδους παρερμηνείες, τασσόμενα παραδοσιακά υπέρ της  ελευθερίας της έκφρασης. [..] Για να επιστρέψω όμως στον πολιτικό  χειρισμό, πρέπει να παρατηρήσουμε ότι κι αυτός ενδέχεται να έχει  ορισμένες νομικές προεκτάσεις. Το ερώτημα είναι εάν η παρέμβαση που  ζητείται σε ιδιωτικά μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης είναι ή όχι μια παρέμβαση  στην ελευθερία του λόγου.
(Α day after this opinion was posted, Reporters  without Borders reprimanded the president of the Greek parliament for requesting that the German  government discipline the press.)
In his blog, Dog Day Afternoon, music producer Stathis Panagiotopoulos proclaimed the assertions in the Greek translation of the German article to be true,
“Οι Έλληνες δεν αντιμετωπίζουν ποτέ και πουθενά προβλήματα ενσωμάτωσης. Παντού νοιώθουν σαν στο σπίτι τους. Το συμπαθητικό αυτό μικρό έθνος μοιάζει να μην έχει έγνοιες και να χορεύει πάντα σαν τον Αλέξη Ζορμπά. Οι Έλληνες αισθάνονται σαν πατέρες των υπόλοιπων ευρωπαϊκών κρατών και δεν θα είχαν καμία δυσκολία να ζήσουν και χωρίς κυβέρνηση. Γιατί να αλλάξει κάποιος που είναι ήδη τέλειος;” Ψέματα είναι;
He unleashed a righteous fury of his own at the more simplistic counter-arguments:
Ξανάρχισε να ακούγεται το μικρονοϊκό επιχείρημα “όταν εμείς χτίζαμε  Παρθενώνες αυτοί έτρωγαν βελανίδια οπότε πως τολμούν κλπ” [..] ενώ “εμείς” ξαναγυρίσαμε στα βελανίδια, και η απόδειξη  είναι παντού τριγύρω μας, στον τρόπο με τον οποίον βρωμίζουμε και  απαξιώνουμε τη χώρα μας, στην έλλειψη κοινωνικής συνείδησης, στο  ρατσισμό μας, στον εθνικό μας αυτισμό.
Writer and translator Nikos Sarantakos engaged in professional critique of the article's translation, focusing on an obvious but overlooked aspect of the controversy:
Εγώ το διάβασα το άρθρο και δεν συμφωνώ ότι είναι ανθελληνικό, ότι  είναι δυσφημιστικό και άλλα τέτοια. Φυσικά, έχει γενικεύσεις, έχει και  ανακρίβειες, αλλά συνολικά χαρακτηρίζεται από χιούμορ, παρατηρητικότητα,  καλή γνώση της Ελλάδας και  συμπάθεια προς τους Έλληνες. Οι επικριτές του το διάβασαν το άρθρο ή έμειναν απλώς στη φωτογραφία;
Blogger mindstripper published an impassioned letter from a friend, tormented by perceptions of Greece abroad and a, perhaps uniquely Greek, kind of grief:
Εδώ που είμαι έχω ακούσει ένα σωρό ειρωνίες για το πως βγήκε η  δημοκρατία από μια χώρα σαν την Ελλάδα, για τους Έλληνες και την  νοοτροπία τους. Αλλά έχω σταματήσει καιρό τώρα να προσθέτω σ’ αυτές τις  συζητήσεις τη γνωστή γκρίνια για τους ανάξιους πολιτικούς και τις  ηλίθιες κυβερνήσεις και αυτούς που τα παίρνουν και το σύστημα και…  Εμείς είμαστε όλοι αυτοί.
And blogger Roides, nicknamed after an iconoclastic and witty Greek author, challenged the perception of who should be affronted by the article:
Δεν  υπάρχει μία Ελλάδα, ουδέποτε υπήρξε. Άλλη η Ελλάδα της δημιουργίας, του  αλτρουισμού, της αλληλεγγύης, του μεροκαματιάρη και της Σκέψης, κι άλλη  η Ελλάδα των λαμόγιων και των κάθε είδους αρπακτικών. Το εξώφυλλο του  Focus θίγει τους δεύτερους


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India, Bangladesh: Protest On Killings In Bangladesh · Global Voices
Rezwan

Musings Of A Chakma reports that  “the members of Chakma ethnic community living in Delhi held a huge peaceful protest demonstration in front of Jantar Mantar, New Delhi from 11 AM to 3 PM on 25 February 2010 to protest against the attacks on Chakmas and other indigenous Jummas in CHT, Bangladesh.”


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India: Indusladies Blog Contest · Global Voices
Rezwan

Blogadda informs that an International Women’s Day Blog Contest has been arranged by Indusladies, a global online community of Indian ladies. To win a cash prize or other goodies the participants will have to “write a blog entry on any one of the prescribed top 10 women development issues” and submit within 8th of March, 2010.


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Russia and US to Broaden Collaboration Online · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Vesti.ru wrote [RUS] about the visit of the U.S. “innovation delegation” [EN] led by America's Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra [EN]. The plans of the Russian-U.S. cooperation include launching e-government Web sites and visits of Twitter, Cisco and Mozilla representatives to Russia in June 2010.


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Russia: Sakhalin Island Fails to Connect to Broadband · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Blogger w7062c wrote [RUS] about two unsuccessful attempts to connect Sakhalin island [EN] (island in the Pacific north closer to Japan) to the broadband network of Russia. The third attempt is scheduled for 2011. Until then, 580,000 inhabitants of the island are able to go online via satellite only.


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Silence Speaks: Multimedia storytelling in Republic of Congo · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

“My name is Bahamboula Gertrude. I was a stonecutter in Kinkala before the war. I helped make stones used for building houses. When the war began they started destroying houses instead of building them …” Photo of Gertrude cutting stones published with permission from Silence Speaks.
Seven women affected by Congo-Brazzaville’s (also known as Republic of Congo) civil wars between 1997 and 2003 came together in November 2009 for a four-day digital storytelling workshop organized in a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (UNDP-BCPR) and the Center for Digital Storytelling’s initiative Silence Speaks. Since their beginnings in 1999, Silence Speaks, which is based in the United States, has coordinated more than 40 projects across the United States, and in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo-Brazzaville, South Africa, and Uganda.
Congo-Brazzaville workshop group. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.
On behalf of Global Voices, I interviewed the director of Silence Speaks, Amy Hill, to learn more about this wonderful project. Amy explains that their workshops blend oral history, popular education, and participatory media production, enabling people to create short videos about their own lives, with stories that may otherwise go unheard.
“We modify our methods to accommodate languages, literacies, and technologies in a given setting and emphasize reflection on the implications of bringing sensitive personal narratives into the public sphere. Following careful informed consent processes, stories are shared locally and globally, as strategic tools for training, community mobilization, and policy advocacy to promote well being, gender equality, and human rights,” she says.
GV: How did you start working with women survivors of war in the Republic of Congo?
Amy:  “In April of 2009, I was approached by a staff member with UNDP’s Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (BCPR) in Geneva about the possibility of developing digital storytelling work in the context of UNDP’s Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs…
“In recent years, BCPR personnel have recognized that critical to the success of their efforts are the development of communications strategies that ensure a voice and audience for those directly affected by conflict. Because we shared a particular interest in women’s health and well-being and because DDR efforts have been criticized for failing to emphasize the need for gender-specific approaches to post-conflict support, we outlined a collaborative project to assist a small group of women affected by/involved with the most recent civil war in Congo Brazzaville (1997 – 2003) in sharing their stories.
“The goal of the project was two-fold: (1) to use a participatory production process in creating a collection of short videos and radio pieces that can be screened by UNDP in various local and international settings (ie, at community events,  trainings, conferences, meetings, web presentations, etc.) to highlight examples of success and positive change; and (2) to provide a mechanism for addressing the deep scars left in the region in the wake of years of conflict (both through the workshop process itself, and through subsequent distribution of the digital stories in Congo).”
GV: With what local organizations did Silence Speaks work with in Congo?
Kinkala. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.
Amy: “The BCPR chose Republic of Congo as a site for the project because its DDR team maintains a special emphasis on income generation activities for women. Local UNDP communications officers and program staff based in Brazzaville (the country’s capital) and Kinkala (a heavily war-affected city in Congo’s Pool region, where much of the most brutal fighting took place) were involved in project planning from the outset.
“A key piece of the participant recruitment process involved informing interested women from the outset that their stories were intended for public sharing. After years of working in extremely resource-poor settings and in communities experiencing high levels of poverty and distress, I do not view “informed consent” as a one-time procedure involving the signing of forms. Instead, I am committed to weaving the notion of consent throughout projects…
“Our goal with the project was to support as best we could a process that gave the women themselves a sense of clear ownership over their work and a sense of commitment to how their stories can assist community reconciliation and peace building activities in the wake of war both locally and globally.”
Workshop in Congo-Brazzaville. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.
GV: What forms of media did the women survivors select (video, audio, text, photographs, internet-based) to narrate their stories?
Amy:  “Most of the women who participated in the workshop had less than a sixth grade education and had never had access to any media-making tools. We wanted to design a workshop process that would be empowering rather than intimidating, and we were limited in terms of local technology resources (again, electricity is scarce in Kinkala, and computers are virtually nonexistent), so we focused the participatory aspect on photography and drawing rather than on the use of computers.
“Prior to the four-day session, UNDP staff carried out an orientation for the women to go over the purpose of the project and describe what would happen in the construction of stories. Each participant was given a disposable camera, and UNDP staff offered a short training session on photography basics and camera use.
“Several weeks later, we gathered in Kinkala for four days, where the women shared and recorded stories and drew illustrations. We also shot additional photos and videos on site. Participants turned in their cameras, and the photos were developed. Afterwards, I edited these materials into finalized short videos and radio spots.”
GV: How did the women who participated in the workshops describe the experience of telling their stories?
Florence Malanda at the Coop. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.
Amy:Time and resource limitations made it impossible for us to do focused interviewing with the participants about how they felt in the aftermath of sharing their stories, but the sense of relief and pride was palpable, on the last day of the session. During a short debriefing conversation, workshop participant Florence Malanda, Head of the Kinkala Women's Cooperative, said, “These testimonials will help to raise awareness with all Congolese people on the consequences of war. We hope that UNDP's support will also help other women who are suffering around the world.”
GV: What is the role of multimedia tools and the Internet in these storytelling projects?
Amy: “At the Center for Digital Storytelling, we view multimedia/digital media tools as just that: tools to assist people in sharing meaningful stories from their lives. We do not glorify them or see them as in and of themselves capable of bringing about change. We believe that what is important is how and why these tools are used.
“With Silence Speaks, I am not interested in “collecting stories” just for the sake of creating an archive of stories; I am interested in critically examining the ways in which the process of sharing and listening to stories can lead to specific changes across multiple levels of human experience and influence.
“Of course user friendly digital editing and production tools are essential to this idea, if the stories are to be developed in media formats. But teaching people technology skills alone or dumping equipment into their communities absent a coherent plan for how these skills or equipment can be utilized to promote an analysis of people’s life circumstances, build political consciousness, or support community/civic engagement, etc., seems to me to be extremely misguided. Instead, I take a Freirean approach to the use of the tools – one that views technology as an enhancement to a process of learning and empowerment.
“When it comes to the role of the internet, particularly in relation to projects like the work with women in Congo, I would caution readers to think carefully about who benefits from the proliferation of narratives of suffering and sorrow, online. Is it the storytellers themselves? Or is it media outlets, NGOs and government agencies with particular funding/programmatic agendas, and distant viewers sitting alone at their computers who can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that such tragedies are remote and pitiable?
“Certainly I am complicit in this equation, since I clearly stand the benefit from the outreach and publicity that sharing stories on the internet can bring about. However, when it comes to project development, I prefer to focus not only on strategies for internet distribution but on mechanisms for sharing stories with local audiences, where they have the potential to really make a difference.
“My colleagues at WITNESS have offered useful mentoring along these lines, with their emphasis on “micro audiences” and video advocacy. In the case of the Congo women’s stories, the collaboration with UNDP stresses not only distribution in international venues but also distribution locally, via community screening and dialogue sessions in Kinkala, and distribution throughout the Pool Region and nationally, via radio broadcasts and associated call-in programming on issues of conflict and reconciliation.”
Workshop participants. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.
GV: How can telling one's story be empowering?
Amy: “Trauma expert Judith Herman contends that while telling one’s story can be healing, participating in collective action at the community level also plays an important role in nurturing recovery. This is why Silence Speaks aims to support individual transformation and empowerment while simultaneously building the resilience of participants for involvement in community building and social justice movements.
“It’s really important to stress, though, that before any of the above benefits can be realized, people must feel ready and able to share their stories. Most people will come to the digital storytelling process when they are emotionally and physically strong enough to do so, but some may not be able to assess their own readiness.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


text:
Sri Lanka: Cricket And English Language · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lanka Rising comments on the issue of accents and the speakers of English as a second language: “Cricket was Englishmen’s, but now we play better cricket so that now they follow us. Can not we do the same with English language? Yes we can.”