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Still No Arrests in Case of Murdered Trinidad Attorney · Global Voices
Flora Thomas

After one national newspaper published the contents of murdered Trinidadian attorney Dana Seetahal‘s will, public relations expert and blogger Denise Demming is more concerned that five months later, no-one has been arrested:
As the days pass and the likelihood of laying charges against the perpetrators of this crime recedes, I wonder how our first female Prime Minister feels.  Is the Prime Minister now numb to the callous murders which occur daily or does she see them as just hard luck. […] Dana must not simply be another statistic.  The popular view is that this was a planned hit, designed to snuff out a voice of reason.
Demming suggests that the crime was more than a murder; it was an assault on the country's democracy. She stated emphatically:
When our mistrust of the state and the institutions designed to protect us is eroded, we are near to anarchy.

author: Flora Thomas


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Trinidad-born Actor and Renaissance Man Geoffrey Holder Dies at 84 · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Geoffrey Holder in “Live and Let Die” (1973). YouTube screen capture.
Geoffrey Holder, West Indian Renaissance man, died of pneumonia on Monday. He was 84. Holder was best known as an actor, but his creative talents knew no bounds — he was also a dancer, choreographer, designer, director, and painter.
Holder grew up in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and was part of a vibrant artistic scene that included his older brother, Boscoe Holder. Before migrating to the United States, Holder attended the prestigious Queen's Royal College, where he was a schoolmate of future Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul. Holder was married for over sixty years to the dancer and actress Carmen Delavallade, with whom he had one son, Leo.
Holder came to prominence with such high-profile appearances as the villainous Baron Samedi in the James Bond film Live and Let Die and as Punjab in the movie Annie. On the stage, Holder won a Tony award for directing The Wiz in 1975. His work remains relevant today: the film Carmen and Geoffrey, which charts the remarkable careers of Holder and his wife, won the prize for Best Documentary at the 2009 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.
On Facebook, Leo Holder shared memories of his father's last moments:
Through the oxygen mask the gurgling starts creating it’s [sic] own rhythm. Not sure of what I’m hearing, I look up to see his mouth moving. I get closer to listen: ‘2, 3, 4….2, 3, 4…’ He’s counting! It gets stronger, and at it’s [sic] loudest sounds like the deep purr of a lion, then he says ‘Arms, 2, 3, 4, Turn, 2, 3, 4, Swing, 2, 3, 4, Down, 2, 3, 4…’
Artist and activist Rubadiri Victor remembered Holder for being one of the greatest artists Trinidad has produced, as well as a prominent member of a golden generation of artists who came of age in the 1950s:
ONE OF OUR GREATEST CITIZENS- EVER!!! GEOFFREY HOLDER- Rest in Peace Master. Winner of 2 Tony Awards for 1974's The Wiz- first black man to do so: should have won 2 again 4 the following year's ‘Timbuktu’ but they never would give such as he 2 years straight. Pioneering Caribbean/Black screen actor- Dr No, Boomerang, Annie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Little Mermaid… First book of photography on the nude black male with his book ‘Adam’. Seminal choreographer and dancer with Alvin Ailey and with his own work. Larger than life. Connected with every single facet of the entertainment and Creative Industry. Completely and absolutely under-utilised by us. His passing marks not only the passing of a giant and an Age of Afro-Saxon Genius and Creativity- but also serves as the most glaring symbol of our failure as a civilisation. That a Genius such as this would be so completely abandoned and un-used by the nation that would require his talents the most is the greatest tragedy that I know…
On hearing the news of Holder's death, other veterans of the Trinidad and Tobago's theatre also paid their respects:
#GeoffreyHolder – a true genius of Broadway – passed away yesterday. May he rest in peace… pic.twitter.com/o71mGjXt9i
— Mervyn de Goeas (@madego) October 6, 2014
Mike Bernard remembered Holder for his commercial work. Holder starred in a series of 7-Up commercials he filmed in the late 70s-early 80s:
Bernard explained:
Like most I was first introduced to Geoffrey Holder in the 7up Uncola commercials. As a Trini away from home I was proud of his Trinidadian heritage. Condolences to his family.
On Twitter, Eric Haywood acknowledged that Holder's talent far exceeded those commercials, but he still made them his own:
#GeoffreyHolder was much more than these 7Up commercials from the late 1970s, but he ROCKED that white suit. http://t.co/1mqBqGhp5l
— Eric Haywood (@Eric_Haywood) October 6, 2014
Desiree Edwards hoped his legacy will live on:
The region and the world has lost a phenomenal multi-talented man. His voice, his presence, his dance moves, his art!!! May his legacy and his spirit soar to touch a new generation.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Matthew Hunte


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Tumblr Account Shames Online Hate Directed at Brazil’s North · Global Voices
Taisa Sganzerla

Woman from the northeastern state of Piauí. On her door, a poster from a Worker's Party politician. Image by Otávio Nogueira on Flickr. CC BY 2.0
A Brazilian Tumblr account is collecting xenophobic messages published on social networks following current President Dilma Rousseff’s passage to the runoff in the country's elections.
The Worker’s Party candidate earned a large number of votes in the poverty afflicted regions of the north and northeast, where a significant portion of the population are beneficiaries of cash transfers and social benefits, like “bolsa família”. Since 2006, critics of the Worker’s Party have labelled cash transfers as a way of “buying votes” from the poor.
The Tumblr account, called “Esses nordestinos…” or “Those northeasterners” in English, encourages users to file complaints against those who are are posting the negative messages with the public prosecutor's office, called the Federal Public Ministry, since posting such comments may fall under the definition of the crime of racism. Following Rousseff's victory in 2010, law student Mayara Petruso faced criminal prosecution after making racist comments on Twitter about northeasterners. She was originally sentenced in 2013 to a year and 5 months of prison, but that penalty was reduced to community service and a fine.
Many of the online users who have come under the Tumblr account's scrutiny have deleted their social media publications, but “Esses nordestinos…” is taking screenshots of the offending remarks:
Eleição devia ser feita só no sul e sudeste
Elections should be done only in the south and southeast
Engraçado: Nós estados responsáveis pelo trabalho e pela economia nacional, em sua maioria (salvo MG e RJ) o Aécio ganhou da Dilma. Já naqueles com baixo índice de desenvolvimento econômico a Dilma vence. Desse jeito começo a pensar em um movimento separatista… se vocês gostam tanto do bolsa família, ótimo, fiquem com o PT e o retrocesso que ele representa… it is up to you! Aqui para baixo e para o centro-oeste nós vamos trabalhar para ter o que comer e produzir. Só não acho que precisamos ficar vinculados a esse atraso econômico e comodismo social….
funny: In the states that actually work and are responsible for the national economy, for the most part (except in Minas Gerais and Rio de Janerio) Aécio Neves beat Dilma. In the ones that have a low level of economic development, Dilma has won. It really makes me start considering a separatist movement. If you like ‘bolsa família’ so much, great, stay with the PT [Worker's Party] and all the stagnation it represents… it is up to you! Down here and in the center-west we are going to work to have what to eat. I just think we shouldn't be hostages to economic failure and laziness…
The bolsa família, implemented by ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003, gives families with per-capita monthly income below 56 US dollars (the poverty line) a monthly stipend of 13 dollars for each vaccinated child under 16 years old and attending school (up to five children), and 15 dollars for each 16- or 17-year-olds attending school (up to two). To families whose per-capita monthly income is below 28 dollars (the extreme poverty line), the program offers the “basic benefit” of 30 dollars per month in addition to the child benefits.
These types of remarks are evidence of the long-documented economic gap between the north and the south in Brazil that has developed since the political and economic center shifted from the northeastern coastal cities to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo at the end of the 19th century.

author: Taisa Sganzerla


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Bahamas Constitutional Reform To Address Citizenship, Gender Equality · Global Voices
Guest Contributor

A monument in Nassau, Bahamas to Claudius Roland Walker, a Bahamian educator, political figure and patriot who as far back as the 1930s advocated voting reform and women's rights, one of the areas being addressed in the country's current constitutional reform exercise. Photo by Jon Worth, used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
By Nicolette Bethel
The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is amending its 41-year-old constitution. I’m using the present continuous tense, because the amendment is a process, one that began some twelve years ago in 2002. Back then, a constitutional referendum was held and failed—the proposed amendments to the Constitution were rejected by the general public. But the need for amendment has persisted, and ever since 2012 a constitutional referendum has been imminent.
The main issue at hand is the question of equality between the sexes under the constitution. The most striking instance of inequality in our constitution is that between men and women in relation to their ability to pass on Bahamian citizenship, but, as the most recent Constitutional Commission has noted, the inequalities in the current constitution are manifold. This Commission has narrowed them down to the following categories: inequality between men and women, between children and between married and single people. To this we can add inequality based on place of birth.
The last item on that list notwithstanding, the Constitutional Commission has drafted four bills which, if passed by the two Houses of Parliament and agreed to by the general public, will make Bahamian citizens more equal than non-Bahamians by seeking to address the first three inequalities.
Put simply, the main inequalities are as follows:
- Married Bahamian men and unmarried Bahamian women automatically pass their citizenship on to their children at birth.
- Bahamian women cannot pass their citizenship on to their overseas-born children at birth, if they are married to a non-Bahamian.
- Single fathers may not pass their citizenship on to their children, as the constitution defines children born out of wedlock as not having a father.
- The non-Bahamian wives of Bahamian men are afforded the right to be granted citizenship upon application.
- The non-Bahamian husbands of Bahamian women are afforded no such right.
The issue, however, is complicated by several other requirements that make the passing on of citizenship from parent to child less straightforward. Primary among these is a clause which addresses the institution of marriage. Under this clause, unmarried Bahamian mothers are defined as “fathers” for the purpose of passing on their national status to their babies. This particular clause also nullifies single Bahamian fathers’ ability to pass on their citizenship.
The four bills drafted to amend the constitution seek to rectify the situation. They are designed to promote equality for children, among men and women, and to enshrine the principle of equality throughout the constitution. The first of these seeks to award the children of both Bahamian men and women citizenship at birth. The second entitles all non-Bahamian spouses of Bahamian citizens to Bahamian citizenship. The third allows single Bahamian fathers to pass their citizenship on to their offspring. And the fourth bill seeks to enshrine the principle of equality between the sexes in the constitution by adding the word “sex” to the list of categories under which discrimination is prohibited.
On the surface, this seems a simple enough task. It is complicated, however, by a public discussion which has focused mainly on the fourth amendment—the one which is, in its own way, the simplest of the proposed changes: the adding of “sex” to the categories prohibiting discrimination.
The current categories include race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, and creed, but currently exclude sex. The opponents of this amendment have construed the word “sex” as relating to sexual orientation, and have gained much traction in the eyes of the public by claiming the constitutional amendments are designed to permit same-sex marriage. If this Article is amended, their story goes, Bahamians will be giving the government permission to allow same-sex marriages to take place. These arguments obscure the principle of equality between the sexes and make this clause appear the most controversial—which also makes it the most threatened as the time for the referendum draws near.
And there are other questions of inequality that have not been addressed. Most notable among them is the question of birthplace and its effect on the awarding of citizenship to Bahamian children. There are two elements at work here. The first is the fact that birth on Bahamian territory is no avenue to citizenship if neither of one’s parents is Bahamian. The most that a person born in the Bahamas is entitled to is the right to be registered as a citizen upon making application at the age of 18.
The second, more difficult challenge, is the kind of citizenship one is granted if one is born abroad to Bahamian parents. One peculiarity of the current constitution which has not been put forward for amendment, is that children born to Bahamians abroad, even if they are classified as citizens, have no automatic right to pass their citizenship on to their own offspring. In other words, children born to Bahamians studying or working abroad, or giving birth in another country for reasons of health, may be classified as Bahamian citizens. However, if they themselves have children outside of The Bahamas, those children are not Bahamians at birth, and have no right to claim Bahamian citizenship whatsoever.
The issue is complicated, and most Bahamians are not aware of this stipulation. Most of the discussion relating to citizenship and our constitution has focused on the next generation—on our children. We have not yet thought about our grandchildren. What the current situation does ensure, though, is that not one of us, whatever the outcome of the referendum and whatever amendments are made to the constitution, can be confident that our grandchildren will be Bahamians at birth.
Let me bring this home. In my family, I have cousins who were born abroad because their Bahamian father was studying in the UK at the time of their birth. They are Bahamian. Their children, though, unless they are born in The Bahamas, are not.
Similarly, I have a nephew who, once again, was born in Canada when his Bahamian father was studying. He is a Bahamian, but his children, unless they are born in The Bahamas, will not be.
Finally, I have another young cousin who was born in Miami while his parents were there getting medical treatment for their older son. That cousin, even though both his parents are citizens, will not be able to pass on his citizenship unless his children are born in The Bahamas.
And none of these issues even begins to address the question of statehood for the many children of undocumented immigrants (most of them of Haitian origin) in The Bahamas. Most of those children currently have no national status at all. It is a situation which must be addressed, but which has not been touched upon in the present referendum.
So critical is this question of citizenship that a 2013 Report on the constitution recommended appointing a second commission altogether to focus exclusively on the issue of statelessness in The Bahamas, as the commissioners did not feel they could give it the necessary attention. No such move has yet been made.
The constitutional amendments are long overdue. They will go some way to equalizing the granting of Bahamian citizenship to children, and to even out the distinction between male and female, married and unmarried, that currently exists. But they are only a beginning. Serious issues of inequality remain, and the climate in which the discussions regarding the referendum is taking place has grown fraught with misdirection. The popular interpretation that the addition of “sex” to the categories where discrimination is prohibited is an endorsement of same-sex marriage plays into a deep-seated homophobia in Bahamian society. But it’s also worrying for another reason: it is entirely possible that this relates to homophobia only tangentially, and is in fact a strategic move to campaign for constitutionally-sanctioned misogyny without openly admitting that fact.
Nicolette Bethel is a Bahamian teacher, writer and anthropologist. She was the Director of Culture in The Bahamas, and is now a full-time lecturer in Social sciences at the College of the Bahamas. She blogs at Blogworld and tweets at @nicobet.

author: Guest Contributor


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Blog Action Day This October 16: If I Say #Inequality, You Say…?  · Global Voices
Maria Grabowski

Looking out across the bay from Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai at some of the most expensive land in the world. Image by Flickr user Shreyans Bhansali on 9 January 2007. (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Tell the world what inequality means to you. Tell your story, share your view, debate and argue. Do it this Thursday, October 16 on Blog Action Day together with thousands of other bloggers.
Bloggers, unite!
Since 2007, Blog Action Day have been gathering bloggers from around the world to put global important topics to the table. Together, we have massively hit the blogosphere with thousands of posts on water, climate change, poverty, food and the power of we. It is a brilliant initiative that creates a worldwide action, a global community, and a great dialogue. Again this year, Global Voices Online is proud to be an official partner.
If I say inequality, you say…?
The word inequality may bring many associations. Too many maybe; which is exactly why it is a crucial topic to bring to the headlines. Inequality could refer to healthcare inequality, economic inequality, global inequality, educational inequality, racial inequality, gender inequality, social inequality, and many more unequal constellations. Express your view and experiences in your blog, and let’s stand together in discussing inequality in all its forms.
Join #Blogaction14
To participate in Blog Action Day, you can register your own blog on Blog Action Day's website – and note that you can write your entry in any language, from any country. At the time of writing 1032 participants from 108 countries have registered to take part. On Twitter, keep an eye on the hashtags #Blogaction14, #Inequality, #Oct16.
On October 16, we will list the posts from Global Voices contributors around the world – stay tuned!

author: Maria Grabowski


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A Student Movement Against a Mishandled Sexual Abuse Investigation Rocks West Bengal · Global Voices
Rezwan

Jadavpur students protesting against police action at campus and demanding resignation of the vice chancellor. Image by Reporter#47468. Copyright Demotix (20/9/2014)
The Indian state of West Bengal it witnessing a revolution of sorts in #Hokkolorob, the “Let There Be Noise” movement, which started in Jadavpur University last month and is spread like wildfire across the country. Individuals started using term “Hok Kolorob”, originally the title of a 2006 song by Bangladeshi singer Shayan Chowdhury (also known as Arnob), as a hashtag on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.
Screenshot of locations from where Twitter users mentioned the hashtag #hokkolorob via tweetchup.com
On August 28, several residents of the Old Boy's hostel molested a female second-year student at Jadavpur University and beat up her male friend. The girl's father lodged a police complaint on September 2 and sent a letter to university authorities on September 3, launching an internal inquiry.
Suspicions about the University's investigation have arisen, however, following a September 5 visit to the victim's home in Bidhannagar by two members of the university's probe, who refused to give their names. The anonymous investigators asked questions about the girl's sobriety and dress on the night of the attack, leading her family to file a complaint with police, calling it “mental harassment“.
That's when students started protesting, demanding that the university replace the probe members who visited the victim's home and asked such questions, and that the school form a new, external committee to investigate what happened on August 28.
On the evening of September 16, students blockaded some university buildings, confining several officials to their offices, including Vice-Chancellor Abhijit Chakrabarti. When talks failed between students and administrators, the Vice-Chancellor summoned the police. In the early hours of September 17, police moved in on the student demonstrators, severely injuring several and arresting thirty-six. Many were hospitalized. There are now allegations that some activists from the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (the ruling party’s student wing) also aided the police.
Jadavpur University students organise a rally from Nandan to Raj Bhavan, protesting against police in a midnight action on Jadavpur's campus. They also demand the resignation of Vice Chancellor Abijit Chakraborty. Image by Reporter #47468. Copyright Demotix (20/9/2014)
Videos of the attack on students were leaked on the Internet, and the broadcast media has also amplified the story. The incident sparked a nationwide reaction, as the #HokKolorob hashtag has taken local social media by storm.
The viral spread of these protests and demonstrators’ success with social media have mobilised Jadavpur University alumni across the region. Students from other educational institutions, as well as members of the general public, have mounted a sudden and effective campaign to express their outrage with the way authorities have handled the molestation case.
On September 20, students organised a rally in the heart of Kolkata city, attracting an estimated 100,000 participants. Prasun posted pictures of the protest on his blog.
Rupam Islam, a rock star in Kolkata, sang in support of the demonstrators, providing the movement with what has become its anthem. The song extols the movement's determination with the words, “Andoloner Shuru Aacchey, Shesh Nei” (This movement has a beginning, it has no end).
Protesters in Delhi (at JNU, Banga Bhavan and Jantar Mantar), at IIT Chennai, IIT Mumbai and IIT Kharagpur, Pondicherry, Hyderabad, and in Bangalore have also gathered for demonstrations of solidarity with the #hokkolorob movement.
The movement got an interesting turn as on September 22, a rally was arranged by the ruling Trinamool Congress party against the protesting students where they were mocked through slogans and posters.
Julia Banerjee writes:
I write this as a fellow student of Jadavpur who has experienced her friends go through things unspeakable, who cannot unsee what she saw, where people she loves and cares for went through hell in a place that she loves with her being, her college, her university.
Shuddhabrata Sengupta at Kafilla.org writes:
Why are the students in Jadavpur, and their friends elsewhere, so angry? [..]
Had the vice chancellor and the university authorities wanted, they could have dealt with the matter with promptness, sensitivity and intelligence. Instead, to please their political masters in the Trinamool Congress Party, they tried to shield the actual reign of thuggery that they preside over in the campus of Jadavpur University. It is the Vice Chancellor, not the students, who need to understand what ‘decorum’ and ‘discipline’ in a university mean.
Agnivo Niyogi, a blogger, however thinks the #hokkolorob campaign amounts to little more than “hashtag activism”:
What amused me the most is the fact that these “rebellious” students were relaying the “state sponsored brutality “live” through FB and Twitter. Delhi-based media, which these days treats FB posts as Gospel truth jumped into the fray and launched into an attack on the WB Govt.
The Facebook page dedicated to the #hokkolorob cause, which has played a major organisational role in the movement, has more than 54,000 followers today. The group's popularity, however, has also attracted the scrutiny of police, as well as the Jadavpur molestation victim herself. According to reports, the girl lodged a complaint with police in Lalbazar last month against efforts on Facebook to “malign her image”. Her father, moreover, no longer calls for Vice-Chancellor Chakrabarti's resignation, and even urges students “to return to class”.
Is #hokkolorob becoming a lost cause? Avishek writes:
There is a lot to overcome, it seems. Exactly why police get away with brutal assaults on students and manhandling girls while #HokKolorob-ers get arrested for painting banners remains unknown.
Kolkata probably cares. She probably does not, despite having witnessed 1905, 1946, and 1971. She goes on nevertheless in sensuous meanders from Laboni to Maddox Square and beyond. She had cried her heart out the day #HokKolorob took centrestage on September 20.
Some day she will join in the march to overcome as well. Some day she will respond to #HokKolorob.

author: Rezwan


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If Activists Were Prime Ministers, the Hunger Strike Over the Highway in Trinidad Would Be Over  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh, YouTube screen capture, November 28, 2012, video by Miquel Galofré.
Twenty-four days into his second hunger strike against the construction of a highway in south Trinidad, Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh remains stoically committed to the cause. He and other supporters of the Highway Re-Route Movement continue to protest the plans for one section of a new bypass, hoping that Trinidad and Tobago's prime minister will abide by the findings of an independent audit on the proposed development and at least consider the suggested alternative route.
Unfortunately for demonstrators, the government has chosen to hold its ground and abandon a promise to consider the recommendations of the Armstrong Report. In a clever satirical response, university lecturer and activist Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, who helped organise last week's gathering in support of the women of the Highway Re-Route Movement, posted the latest installment in the video series “If I Was Prime Minister”.
In the clip, a puppet bearing an uncanny resemblance to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar attempts to make an “official speech” to placate the public over the Debe-Mon Desir highway extension:
Describing the video, Hosein says it is an “uncut edition of the PM's Official Address to the Nation, [which] gives the facts and shows government's commitment to truth vs. spin”.
The video begins with an electric guitar rendition of Trinidad and Tobago's national anthem, which blends into an instrumental version of Celine Dion's “A New Day Has Come“, the tune that was the campaign song for Persad-Bissessar's 2010 election bid, which now seems quite ironic  to many.
Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh on hunger strike last week, surrounded by the women of the Highway Re-Route Movement. Dr. Gabrielle Hosein sits to his left. The HRM's plan for an alternate route is illustrated by the map in the foreground. Photo by Abigail Hadeed, used with permission.
The video's voiceover does its best to mimic the prime minister's linguistic style, but the real jabs are in the content of the puppet's speech. The introduction addresses the Highway Re-Route Movement's contention that Persad-Bissessar and other ministers of her government reneged on assurances that the highway would not displace the community in question:
As your Prime Minister, I wish to explain how I could have protested against the highway extension from Debe to Mon Desir and then imposed it on the very citizens who trusted that I would not betray them…
An off-screen voice, acting as an advisor, immediately yells, “Cut! You can't say that!” And so it goes for the entire video. The “Prime Minister” goes on to reveal all the sticking points upon which the Highway Re-Route Movement has hinged its campaign: that the billion-dollar project was never put out to tender; that no social or environmental impact studies were conducted; and, in short, that officials failed to follow proper procedures to keep the process transparent.
The puppet soon comes up with a possible approach: simply “tell everybody ‘don't worry, we know what we doing'”, mirroring the government's modus operandi with Section 34, which attempted to sneak in legislation that could have exonerated the ruling party's financiers, who are facing corruption charges.
Suddenly, a cell phone is heard in the background; it is the “Attorney General” offering a bit of advice: take the line that the government cannot interfere because the case is now before the courts. The “Prime Minister” goes along with it, saying:
I would like to remind the public that this case remains before the court for adjudication; the Highway Re-Route Movement should therefore respect the rule of law and allow due process to take its course. Yes, construction has continued the whole time undermining the legal process, so by the time the courts decide, all them houses done bulldoze already…
The speech also addresses the Highway Re-Route Movement's concerns about the possible environmental impact of “1.4 million aggregate coming from the Northern Range to fill up the Oropuche Lagoon”. But the “Prime Minister” brushes aside these concerns, saying “ecosystems can be destroyed and massive quarrying can take place with no effect on anything whatsoever”.
Near the end of the monologue, the puppet assures her public that the “experts” have it all under control — a dig at patriarchal politics, which politicians frequently use to sideline the voices of civil society.
Finally, the skit addresses the government's position on Dr. Kublalsingh's hunger strike, when the “Prime Minister” says:
We will not be held to ransom. We ask, ‘Do not harm yourself as a form of protest’ when we can harm you by talking about our proud history of dialogue and conciliation while not actually engaging in truth about this issue.
According to reports yesterday, Dr. Kublalsingh's organs are beginning to shut down. His doctor, who says she cannot watch him deteriorate further, is calling for urgent mediation between the Highway Re-Route Movement and the government, in an effort to put an end to the hunger strike.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Mexicans Demand Safe Return of Students “Taken Alive” · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

15,000 march against disappearance of Ayotzinapa students, October 8, 2014, by Enrique Perez Huerta, Mexico City, Demotix.
Thousands in Mexico City protested against the disappearance of dozens of Ayotzinapa students from the coastal state of Guerrero on Wednesday, October 8.
Victims’ families experienced anguish anew this week, when authorities discovered 28 bodies (yet to be identified) in secret mass graves in Guerrero's southeast. Sadly, this kind of news is not unfamiliar in Mexico, especially after the two San Fernando massacres.
Protesters are demanding that students still alive be returned to their homes. Those who didn't survive must be found, as well, demonstrators say. As people took to the streets throughout the country, Mexico's netizens discussed the campaign on Twitter.
User Tania posted the following image from the protest's point of origin:
En el ángel se siente la hermandad y la indignación. @epigmenioibarra pic.twitter.com/4397Nojzt1
— Tania (@Tania_mafalda) October 8, 2014
At the Angel, you can feel the brotherhood and indignation. [Note: the Angel of Independence is a very recognizable landmark in Mexico City and has become a focal point for both celebrations and demonstrations.]
TuiteraMx (a user with more than 13,600 followers) declared:
El dolor por la desaparición de los normalistas es desmesurado. #Ayotzinapa pic.twitter.com/8iSp0m9qaQ
— TuiteraMx (@TuiteraMx) October 8, 2014
The pain for the missing “normalistas” [teaching students] is unmeasurable.
User Pau shared this set of images showing protests in various cities:
Protestan en Alemania, Noruega, Argentina y Bolivia x #Ayotzinapa #JusticiaParaAyotzinapa #TodosSomosAyotzinapa pic.twitter.com/Xksddi1iU0“
— ♥ Pau ♥ (@Pau_Mttl) October 8, 2014
Protests in Germany, Norway, Argentina, and Bolivia for Ayotzinapa. Justice for Ayotzinapa. We are all Ayotzinapa.
Mauricio Torres described the scene at the protest:
Los padres caminan al frente de la marcha, cargando una manta con los rostros de los 43 jóvenes desaparecidos.
— Mauricio Torres (@mau_torres) October 8, 2014
Parents are marching at the front, carrying a banner with the faces of the 43 missing youngsters.
Jordy M.Y. was particularly impressed by the rally's size:
Verdaderamente grande e impactante la marcha por #Ayotzinapa Siguen llegando contingentes a Reforma. pic.twitter.com/yojYBnyxsV
— Jordy M.Y. (@jordy_my) October 8, 2014
The protest for Ayotzinapa is truly big and impressive. More groups are arriving to Reforma [one of the main avenues in Mexico City].
Also, people from Buenos Aires, Argentina, showed their support for the protest:
#Ayotzinapa: solidaridad en la embajada mexicana en Buenos Aires, Argentina. vía @masde131 pic.twitter.com/CdIECON5I4
— ContingenteMX (@ContingenteMX) October 8, 2014
Ayotzinapa: Solidarity at the Mexican embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dr. John M. Ackerman described the grassroots movement that has emerged since the students disappeared as:
Thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand justice for the dead as well as an increased role for society in politics and education.
For further details on the October 8 protest, as well as this story's latest developments, you can follow these hashtags: #Ayotzinapa, #AyotzinapaSomosTodos, #JusticiaParaAyotzinapa, and #JusticeForAyotzinapa.

author: J. Tadeo


text:
Remembering Mahsa Shekarloo, Iran’s Internet Pioneer and Women’s Rights Activist  · Global Voices
Arseh Sevom

Photo of Mahsa Shekarloo by Kamran Ashtary. Used with permission. You can share it with attribution, but don't sell it.
Mahsa Shekarloo, women’s rights activist, writer, editor, translator and founder of the online feminist journal Bad Jens, died Friday September 5, 2014, surrounded by her family. She had been stricken with an aggressive form of cancer. In this post, Tori Egherman from Arseh Sevom, an organisation that promotes openness and human rights in peaceful Persian-speaking communities, joins others around the world in mourning her loss and celebrating her life.
Mahsa was thoughtful, skeptical, and insightful. In life she would not have wanted to be the center of so much attention. Her passion and work were not done to fulfill a personal ambition or to place her front and center in the public spotlight. She worked because of her great curiosity, her dedication to human rights and the women’s movement, and her belief in the possibility of change.
Mahsa was born in Tehran but spent most of her childhood in Chicago. She moved back to Iran in the early 2000s right after graduating from college. It was there that she discovered a place she could love and a society she could contribute to. In an article about Mahsa, The Feminist School wrote [fa]:
She was part of a group of people from the Iranian diaspora who returned to Iran to employ their cultural capital and experience and contribute to the culture. She joined a group of Iranian women who were taking advantage of that moment when there was a small opening in the political system to expand the women’s movement and the discussion of equality of men and women in the culture.
Mahsa also translated two of Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi’s books: Women's Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran and The Story of One Woman.
In February of 2014, Mahsa worked to help promote and organize One Billion Rising-Iran, which was part of a global day using dance to call attention to the issue of women’s rights. This is how the group described itself:
For us in Iran, One Billion Rising is one more way for diverse social groups to unite and demand justice and equality for women in the home and in society. We take to the streets because they form the fabric of our lives. The streets are our stomping grounds. They hold our memories, pain, and joys. They are where we find our allies and friends and where we become aware of dangers. They are where we take refuge when our homes become unsafe. It is on the streets where we have discovered our voices and also have lost our lives. The streets are where we articulate our demands and where we haggle and negotiate, not just with the merchant, but also with the ruler and sovereign. Stomping in the streets is a way for us to arrive at reconciliation, equality and social justice for all. This action is for those who want joy for themselves and for others, and who are willing to stomp for it.
This video is one of several created by participants:
In a 2007 interview with Qantara.de, Mahsa discussed the online feminist journal she founded: Bad Jens. The objective of the journal was to give a voice to feminists inside Iran, to provide a way to break out of the isolation that they felt, and to challenge Western assumptions.
Mahsa stated:
…I think most Westerners, when they come to Iran, assume that Iranian women, Muslim women, are among the most oppressed women in the world – which may or may not be true. But the point is that – because they come in with that assumption – everything they see, when they're here, seems to confirm that.
Recently, since Khatami is president, a different kind of stereotype, a different image is: “the young girl with her veil pulled back and with a lot of make-up and tight clothes” – glamorizing that almost. Well, it's important what these girls are doing, that is one thing; but making it sound like it's the best social revolution to occur is something else, this is simply not the case.”
And if Westerners do have positive images of Iranian women, they're always represented as these heroines. So it's these two extremes: on the one hand Iranian women are portrayed as very passive and as victims, and one the other they are just an exception, breaking all the rules and social norms. So what gets lost is everything in between.
The bi-lingual journal Bad Jens was a revelation for many. At the time of its launching, there were few sources for the English writings of people living and working in Iran. Iranians like Mahsa used the internet to create a public forum denied by restrictive policies on other platforms such as printed magazines and newspapers.
The internet was adopted quite early in Iran. It opened a space for challenging governmental doctrine, engaging in debate, and personal expression.
In the early 2000s, Persian was the second most used language on the Internet. Blogging from Iran was a phenomenon. A nation of storytellers had discovered a format for their stories. They used it to talk about everything from Harry Potter to Islamic law to women’s rights. Those first self-published words were a revelation. Iranians had found a way to connect with each other on a personal and political level that had been restricted for a number of years.  A study of Iran’s internet done in 2008 showed that people with differing views engaged and overlapped with one another. Commenters on blogs engaged each other in discussion. In their paper, Iran's reformists and activists: Internet exploiters, Babak Rahimi and Elham Gheytanchi wrote:
The impact of the Internet on Iranian politics resembles the introduction of earlier information technologies, such as the telegraph in the late nineteenth century and the cassette tapes in the 1970s, which also created new individual and social spaces for dissent.
The online journal Bad Jens contributed to the discussion with thoughtful articles, fiction, and poetry.
In a 2005 interview with ABC news Mahsa said:
You use any available avenues that you have. One reason why the internet is so popular here is precisely for that reason. It's an independent space, relatively accessible or at least relatively uncontrolled.
For many working on issues of human rights and women’s rights, Mahsa was a kind of conscience. She believed in the power of small changes beginning with the family and inside small social groups. Positive change could be more sustainable if it took root in the family and was not imposed from outside.
She lived her life practicing her ideals in all ways: as a friend, a mother, and a colleague. This is why her loss is such a tragedy for so many of us. What we gained from her comradery was more than she herself knew or could imagine. This is because her work as an engaged intellectual and defender of rights went beyond the professional. She showed many that the effects of living a life dedicated to small, changes could have a broad impact and create lasting change.
It should come as no surprise to us that tributes to her are coming in from so many directions and from all over the world. Her sharp intelligence, warmth and generosity of spirit was admired by many. She showed the right mix of skepticism, realism, and optimism when it came to designing projects and taking action.
In a bio of Mahsa available online, we read that:
…when she's not helping others help Iranian women, she's secretly sowing post-colonial feminist thought among her unknowing colleagues.
Mahsa Shekarloo was an internet pioneer, a women’s rights activist, and a friend. She will be missed.
Originally posted on Arseh Sevom.

author: Arseh Sevom


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Russian Lawmakers Will Debate Legislation Against Back Tattoos for Women · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Image edited by Kevin Rothrock.
Russia’s parliament will soon debate its next intervention into the lives of citizens: forcing tattoo parlors to warn women that ink in their lower backs could make it dangerous to receive epidural anesthesia during child birth. The legislation, which the Duma is scheduled to discuss today, October 10, is billed as a consumer protection regulation, but many—if not most—Russians seem to interpret it as the latest in a series of laws aimed at curbing supposedly immoral behavior. Reactions have been even more animated because several Russian news outlets misleadingly describe the initiative as an effort to ban outright lower-back tattoos for women.
In comment threads online, in forums and social media apparently dominated by men, the discussion about lower-back tattoos on women has more to do with aesthetics than health concerns. “A cute booty without all kinds of painted crap is a lot prettier,” Aleks3 writes on the Vott.ru message board, posting links to images of women’s midriffs, one tattooed, and one au naturel. “Feel the difference,” he beckons readers.
Another charming lad, who uses the Vott.ru name “Fosnet” and evidently supports the effort to rein in back tattoos on women, declares, “a tattoo on the ass is already evidence of some disability in the head. Childbirth is hardly something to add.”
Russian-language RT shared its coverage of the tattoo story on Vkontakte, Russia’s most popular online social network, where users left almost 200 comments. Again, most of the responses belong to men whose overriding concern is the degree to which a lower-back tattoo signals a woman’s sexual promiscuity. “I think that such tattoos are found on whores and sluts, who, considering their lifestyle, should be banned in principle from having children, as they’ll only give birth to the same kind of people,” writes Alexey Maslov, before adding, “Maybe I’m mistaken.”
Tatiana Seminchenko, a young woman living in Krasnodar, dared to engage Maslov on the question of “Why do you think this way?” He answered that tattoos on women belong to a “whole, global plan” by Europe, “with its incest and samesex marriage.”
Male chauvinism and homophobia are nothing new—not in Russia or anywhere else—but it’s hard to ignore how the Duma’s new effort to protect women from tattoos dovetails with the country’s current reactionary trends. As the conflict in eastern Ukraine simmers on an uneasy ceasefire, Russian lawmakers might consider returning to the prewar politics of moral outrage. Before Moscow battled the “fascists” seated in Kyiv, it spent years guarding Russians from wicked foreign foster parents and dubious sexual deviants. Legislation against “back tattoos on women,” ostensibly based on medical considerations, has the potential to please a large segment of people who already fear the West’s “whole plan.”

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Guinean Cities Keep a Strong Heart Despite Ebola Epidemic · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Young girl in Conakry, by Sebastián Losada – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
The Ebola epidemic is raging, causing hysteria worldwide. The people of West Africa, where the epidemic began, are under surveillance by international health authorities. Guinée, which was already in the throes of severe socioeconomic problems before the virus’ outbreak, has suffered the brunt of the epidemic. Guinée's population, however, is coping valiantly with life's daily challenges, despite the risks, the sorrows, and the suspicion from the rest of the world.
The two bloggers quoted below illustrate Guinée's determination to survive.
Alimou Sow, a Guinean blogger, decided to eat some pizza with his wife and some friends at a small restaurant in the upper suburbs of Conakry, Guinée's capital. He describes this experience of daily life in the capital with a distinct sense of humor:
Vu de l’intérieur, le pays est comme ostracisé. Le vrombissement des avions dans le ciel de Conakry a considérablement diminué. Les étrangers ont fait leurs bagages, désertant les zones minières, les hôtels, les restos et … la bande passante sur Internet ! Depuis quelque temps, la connexion est devenue étonnamment fluide. Les téléchargements sont lénifiants. Vu de l’extérieur, sous le prisme des médias – nouveaux et anciens – toute la Guinée n’est qu’un océan d’Ebola. Beaucoup se sont barricadés de peur d’être contaminés. L’amitié, la solidarité et la convivialité ont laissé place à la suspicion et à la stigmatisation. Ebola va certainement faire son entrée dans les cursus de formation en relations internationales. L’épidémie a ouvert un nouveau chapitre pour cette discipline. Pourtant, nous vivons. Le cœur de Conakry palpite. Toujours le même chaos sur les deux principaux axes routiers : les mêmes taxis jaunes indélicats, les mêmes cadavres de Magbana chargés à ras bord, le même joli vacarme qui rythme la vie des habitants de ma capitale avec les klaxons qu’on pousse à fond, les invectives, les aboiements desCoxeurs qui arrondissent leur fin de journée par de petits larcins sur les passagers. Les marchés sont bondés, les cafés animés. Les rumeurs et les ragots, l’essence même des Conakrykas, vont bon train.
From the inside perspective, it's as if our country has been ostracized. The roar of airplanes passing overhead in Conakry has diminished considerably. Foreigners have packed their bags, deserting the mining areas, hotels, and restaurants … and bandwidth has increased on the Internet! For some time now, the connection has become amazingly fluid. Downloads are running smoothly. Meanwhile, seen from the outside world, through the prism of both new and traditional media, it's as if Guinée were nothing but an ocean of Ebola virus. Many have barricaded themselves indoors, out of fear of being contaminated. Friendship, solidarity, and conviviality have given way to suspicion and stigma. Ebola will certainly find a place in training courses on international relations. In fact, the epidemic has written a new chapter for the textbooks of that discipline. Yet, we live on. The heart of Conakry is still beating. Always the same chaos on the two main roads: the same unscrupulous yellow taxis, the same human bodies packed like sardines into magbana taxi-buses, the same familiar noise that animates the life of my capital. With horns that keep growing louder, the shouting of curses, and the barking of the coxeur touts, who are finishing up their day of petty larceny committed on passengers. Markets are crowded, cafés are bustling. The rumors and gossip, which are the very essence of Conakry, keep going strong.
Cireass, another blogger who writes about Guinée, chose a more direct approach to explaining both the epidemic and the challenges of informing the public:
S’il y a une grande erreur que certains de nos compatriotes – ce n’est pas propre qu’aux Guinéens – ont commise dans la lutte contre la fièvre rouge, c’est bien d’avoir politisé une situation qui n’a rien de politique. Dès l’annonce de la présence de l’épidémie, ils ont nié catégoriquement son existence, sans chercher à comprendre quoique ce soit. Résultat : les installations de MSF à Macenta ont été saccagées par des gens qui criaient au mensonge [..] personne n’a intérêt à inventer une telle histoire. Ni les autorités guinéennes, ni les ONG et les organisations internationales ne pourraient tirer profit en inventant une épidémie effrayante comme celle-ci. Nous ne devons pas voir la politique derrière tout ce que nous entendons. Aujourd’hui à cause d’Ebola, la Guinée est complètement isolée sur le plan international. la meilleure façon pour nous de sortir de cette lamentable situation, c’est de combattre Ebola (ensemble), notre véritable ennemi.
Although it's not only Guineans who have done so, one big mistake made by our countrymen in the fight against Ebola Fever was to have politicized a situation which has nothing to do with politics. Ever since the announcement of that epidemic, people denied its existence, without even trying to understand what it was. The result: the Doctors Without Borders centers in the city of Macenta were vandalized by people who claimed that the disease was a lie (ed's note: the facility has resumed its activity). […], even though no one could possibly benefit from having invented it as a myth. Neither the Guinean authorities nor the international non-governmental organizations could profit by inventing a terrifying epidemic like that. We shouldn't be looking for a hidden political motive behind everything. And now, in the case of Ebola, Guinée has become completely isolated on the international stage. The only way out of this unfortunate situation will be to work together, to combat Ebola, which is our true enemy.
It is also important to note that, in the race to cure Ebola, certain metropolitan areas such as the city of Télimélé, have been more resistant to the virus than others—a hopeful sign that could prove crucial to the medical research now underway.
Follow our in-depth coverage: The Struggle to #StopEbola in West Africa

author: Abdoulaye Bah


text:
Is History Repeating Itself in Mexico with the Ayotzinapa Tragedy? · Global Voices
Elvira Herrera

15,000 march against disappearance of Ayotzinapa students, Mexico City, October 8, 2014, by Enrique Perez Huerta. Demotix.
As it does every year, Mexico commemorated on October 2 those who died in the tragic Plaza de Tres Culturas student massacre ;in Tlatelolco in 1968. Echoing the memorial services on the anniversary itself, Twitter users have spent the week promoting the hashtag #2DeOctubreNoSeOlvida (“October 2 Won't Be Forgotten”), sustaining the public conversation about the tragedy, which even after 46 years feels eerily recent for Mexicans, following the mysterious disappearance of almost five dozen students in Guerrero.
A 46 años del 68, ¿han terminado los balazos?: @Eponiatowska – http://t.co/WAbXPh26ng #2deOctubreNoSeOlvida #1968 pic.twitter.com/bdAXRCm3NO
— La Jornada (@lajornadaonline) October 4, 2014
It's been 46 years since 1968. Will the bullets ever stop?
Just last month, on September 26, local police in Iguala attacked a group of students from the Rural School in Ayotzinapa, killing six and wounding seventeen. Another 25 people—perhaps more—simply vanished. Ironically, the youths were reportedly gathering resources for the 46th anniversary march in commemoration of the Tlatelolco massacre, when they were assaulted. The students were unarmed and en route to a peaceful demonstration against job discrimination against teachers from rural areas.
Otro caso de ejecución extrajudicial: Policías balean a normalistas de Ayotzinapa en Iguala; 5 muertos http://t.co/ms2GyPI6WM
— Sanjuana Martínez (@SanjuanaMtz) September 28, 2014
Yet another case of extrajudicial execution: Police officers gun down teacher trainees from Ayotzinapa in Iguala; 5 dead.
Since then, civil organizations throughout Mexico have repeatedly denounced such extrajudicial executions, advocating a search for the more-than-50 students who remain missing.
“@Pajaropolitico: Ellos son los 43 normalistas de #Ayotzinapa [en] desaparecidos en #Iguala -> http://t.co/NxvKjQjIkX pic.twitter.com/wWU374Hze0“
— Tanivet (@tanivetreyes) octubre 7, 2014
Photos of the 43 school students from Ayotzinapa who remain missing in Iguala.
It is crucial to remember that Ayotzinapa is not an isolated case: the state of Guerrero is only one of several Mexican states where organized crime is fighting a turf war. The government of Iguala, moreover, is not Mexico's only bureaucracy paralyzed by corruption. Police brutality is nothing unique to this case, either. Murders, disappearances, torture—these are weapons law enforcement across Mexico has turned on peaceful protesters. Ayotzinapa calls to mind other similar cases, including ;Aguas Blancas, Acteal, and Tlataya, where corrupt police in league with the mafia have effectively criminalized social protests.
Ya es oficial por el gobierno de #Guerrero [en], hay 58 estudiantes de #Ayotzinapa [en] desaparecidos, los queremos vivos http://t.co/7lRyl4PplJ
— Ignacio Hernandez (@Pocopelo22) September 29, 2014
Now officially announced by the government of #Guerrero [en]: 58 students from #Ayotzinapa [en] have gone missing. We want them back alive.
The Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural School of Ayotzinapa was founded on March 2, 1926, to offer children of farm workers access to education. Both Lucio Cabañas and Genaro Vázquez, guerrilla leaders who opposed land dispossession in the 1960s and 1970s, have passed through the school's halls. The student body is well known for its activism, advocating better education and expanded enrollment for the children of farm workers.
Hoy #Ayotzinapa [en] Mirando el pasado #Acteal #2deOctubre Exigimos justicia! http://t.co/Zty6mfXgPq
— Joss (@Youst_t) October 6, 2014
Today Ayotzinapa looks back toward the past. We demand justice!
Both the governor of Jalisco and the president of Mexico have addressed the recent tragedy in formal statements. Additionally, the federal government has resolved to dispatch police forces to oversee security in Iguala, after the discovery of six unmarked graves in the settlement of Pueblo Viejo, including the mangled remains of a youth identified as a student in a nearby industrial neighborhood. The rest of the bodies are still unidentified.
El Universal – Los Estados – Identifican cuerpo desollado como normalista de Ayotzinapa http://t.co/t72XdQREu0 vía @El_Universal_Mx
— Comité Digna Ochoa (@DDHH_Chiapas) septiembre 29, 2014
El Universal – Los Estados – Flayed corpse identified as that of a school student from Ayotzinapa.
Se han localizado 28 cuerpos en fosa clandestina de #Iguala, y se realizan exámenes para establecer su identidad. http://t.co/3iCmVUsp68
— Gobierno de Guerrero (@portalguerrero) octubre 6, 2014
28 bodies discovered in unmarked grave in Iguala; tests will be conducted to establish identity.
National and international organizations, including the Comité Cerezo, argue that these attacks, extrajudicial executions, and forced disappearances are tactics in a larger campaign to suppress Mexico's organized social movements.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico have all weighed in on the recent events.
La @CIDH hace 4 recomendaciones a México por normalistas desaparecidos (incluye informe) | http://t.co/l28G984Z2Y | De @Pajaropolitico
— CMDPDH (@CMDPDH) October 6, 2014
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, @CIDH, offers four proposals to Mexico concerning the kidnappings of school students (report included).
La oficina de la #ONU en México pide al gobierno una “búsqueda efectiva” de los 43 normalistas desaparecidos #Ayotzinapa [en]…
— CNN México (@CNNMex) October 4, 2014
The Office of the United Nations #ONU in Mexico asks that the government conduct an “efficient search” for the 43 kidnapped school students.
La ejecución extrajudicial y la desaparición forzada: violaciones más graves a DH que se pueden cometer Caso #IGUALA: http://t.co/msVbfRfELZ
— CNDH en México (@CNDH) October 5, 2014
Extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances: the most serious HR [human rights] violations that it is possible to commit.
The disappearance of these 43 students from Ayotizinapa is a sad reminder for all Mexicans of similar past tragedies. Relatives of the disappeared students, alongside civil organizations, staged a national demonstration on Wednesday, October 8, to call for international solidarity and public awareness about the search effort.
Es más. No sólo las escuelas, todo mexicano con un mínimo de conciencia debería estar condenando la matanza de normalistas de Ayotzinapa…
— CNDH en México (@CNDH) October 5, 2014
Not only the schools, but all Mexican citizens with a modicum of awareness ought to decry the slaughter of school students from Ayotzinapa…
Nationwide marches planned October 8 for 43 disappeared #Ayotzinapa students. #JusticiaParaAyotzinapa pic.twitter.com/JovG5D0pZI
— ThinkMexican (@ThinkMexican) octubre 6, 2014
The missing students from the Rural School in Ayotzinapa are the latest additions to a growing list of disappeared civilians in Mexico, which also includes the women who mysteriously vanished in Ciudad Juárez, the migrant workers who went missing while in transit through Mexico, and the more than 26,000 people kidnapped or unaccounted for between 2006 and 2012, during the war on drugs.

author: Elvira Herrera


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Weapon of Mass Destruction in Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mainland Chinese state-run media has been running editorials and opinion pieces to criticize the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong, with emphasis on the destruction the street occupations have brought to ordinary people.
The Umbrella Revolution has also been labeled as “Color Revolution” backed up by foreign forces, in particular, the United State. Pro-Beijing law makers passed a motion on October 10 demanding an investigation of the mobilization of the massive sit-in action under the Legislative Council（Powers and Privileges) Ordinance.
In response to the smear campaign, DDED HK, created a video that imitates the China Central Television's news report on the students’ use of mass destruction weapon – umbrellas and birthday song – in Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution.
In the video, the umbrellas that protected the protesters from police pepper spray and tear gas were depicted as parachutes and ray guns. The birthday song, which was sang by the sit-in protesters, when they were surrounded and bombarded by the anti-occupation groups, was depicted as the most evil weapon.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Hometown Through the Eyes of Its Children · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Image on Flickr by user iñaki de luis (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Chapacoco, a Peruvian village located at an altitude of 3,000 meters, part of the district of Chilcaymarca in the Arequipean province of Castilla, has been in the news thanks to its children.
On October 10, 2014, the book “Chapacoco as seen from the children” was launched. The book has been written by fifth and sixth graders from the Elementary School 40351. Under the guide of their teacher Ronny Durand, in charge of the project “Making science as a game”, the students investigated for over a year about customs and riches of the area:
El libro resulta de Proyecto de Innovación Pedagógica “Haciendo Ciencia Como Jugando”, que tiene como objetivo que los niños desarrollen competencias y capacidades utilizando el conocimiento de la realidad, promoviendo la identidad cultural, la conciencia ambiental y la participación comunitaria. Resultado de esta es que la obra contiene: los datos generales (ubicación, población, servicios y geografía); costumbres y tradiciones, como mitos, cuentos y leyendas; la gastronomía, artesanía, paisajes turísticos y restos arqueológicos del lugar; y la riqueza natural de la flora y fauna.
The book results from the Educational Innovation Project “Making science as a game”, that has as an objective that children develop competences and abilities using knowledge from reality, promoting cultural identity, environmental awareness and community participation. As a result, the book has general information (location, population, services and geography); customs and traditions, such as myths, tales and legends; gastronomy, craftwork, tourist landscapes and archeological remains; and the natural riches of flora and fauna.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


text:
Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution in Mathematical Formula  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A high school test paper on the background of Hong Kong umbrella revolution. via Facebook OCLP's page
The above high school test paper has gone viral in Hong Kong social media in the past few days. The test question is: What are the factors that lead to the September 28 Umbrella Revolution?
The student answered with a mathematical formula: 64+71+101+689+3=928.
The teacher marked the paper 0 and told the student to correct the answer. The student decoded the formula:
64 = the June 4 Incident in 1989 in Beijing. After the crackdown, Hong Kong people hold annual candlelight vigil demanding the vindication of June 4.
71 = on July 1 1997, Hong Kong, the former colony of Britain was handover to Beijing. Since then, every year, pro-Beijing political groups celebrate the reunification in the morning, while the pro-democracy civic groups rally for democratic reform.
101 = the China national day is on October 1.
689 = is the total number of votes that the current Chief Executive Leung Chun Ying obtained in the election committee, which was composed of 1200 members.
3 = the reform trio, a short term for the three major government officials responsible for the consultation of the political reform. The three officials are the Chief Secretary, Carrie Lam, Secretary of Justice, Rimsky Yuen and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam.
The sum of the above is 928, September 28, the day when the police deployed tear gas to peaceful protestors who resisted with their umbrellas.


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What’s Been Worse for India: Cyclone Hudhud or the Media Frenzy About It? · Global Voices
Subhashish Panigrahi

Cyclone “Hudhud“, classified as “very severe”, crashed into northeastern Andhra Pradesh and Southern Odisha on Sunday, October 12, around noon local time. The damage has been tremendous. According to the latest reports, winds approaching 200 kph (124 mph) have pummeled the coast, killing at least six people.
Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, home to two million people and a major naval base, was the hardest hit, with the storm knocking out the city's telecommunications. By Sunday evening, as the cyclone moved across inner Andhra Pradesh and other nearby areas, wind speeds slowed to 120–130 kph (roughly 77 mph).
RT @potuku: #hudhud devastates. No power. No news. Uprooted trees in the streets. Praying for safety #Vizag
— The Earthwoman (@tw_bhav) October 12, 2014
Formed on October 8, 2014, Hudhud moves across the Bay of Bengal. NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team. Copyright Demotix.
For the past several days, the Indian mass media have been in a frenzy about the coming of Hudhud. Responding to the panic in the news, as well as memories of the 1999 Super Cyclone and the “Phailin” storm last year, communities along the Andhrapradesh and Odisha coasts have been busy covering them homes in sandbags and tying down their houses with ropes. Roughly 500,000 people have evacuated the area altogether, moving to safer places outside the storm's projected path.
All this, despite predictions that Hudhud would produce only heavy rains and some high winds in Odisha. On Twitter, many Indians have complained that sensationalism in the news is causing more damage than the storm itself. The prices of vegetables, for instance, shot up, as frightened people began hoarding produce. The same has occurred with other household goods, as well. Concerns about profiteers and artificial scarcity have appeared online.
Some #Odia print #media seem to be marketing #panic through #sensational headlines on #Hudhud.
— prasanna mishra (@swayamvu) October 12, 2014
Hudhud has also presented many Internet users in India with the opportunity to track the storm in realtime from areas far from the rain and wind.
A video of #Hudhud #CycloneHudhud for people in the media from 28 storms #Odisha #Andhra https://t.co/lC2uWp6kzO
— Devasis Sarangi (@devasissarangi) October 10, 2014
Tracking Hudhud has appealed to many in India, but many others find the enterprise foolish, insofar as it aggravates the level of public panic.
Cyclone #Hudhud will probably spare most parts of #Odisha as it heads towards Vizag.Insat 3D image taken at 9.30 pm. https://t.co/wDtfJJSqoX
— అంతర్వాణి #SHL #ahf (@Antharvani) October 10, 2014
@devasissarangi National media has become idiotic, no news of NE floods, not of #hudhud #Odisha, stop watching them @agrawalakhil
— Bhubaneswar Buzz (@BBSRBuzz) October 8, 2014
Commentary about Hudhud has not escaped politics, of course. As the storm hit India's eastern coast, the prime minister was busy visiting Maharashtra. Several new organizations apparently stuck with the prime minister, reporting favorably about his current election campaign, instead of covering the cyclone to the east.
The day when #HudHud hits India, marathi media will be cheerleading for #Modi. So much for humanity. #SoldOutMedia pic.twitter.com/nO8QzL5Gp6
— JAI_HIND (@Sunit_B) October 12, 2014

author: Subhashish Panigrahi


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Brazilian Man Accused of High Profile Revenge-Porn Case Only Gets 5 Months Community Service · Global Voices
Taisa Sganzerla

Image by Flickr user Moyan Brenn. CC.BY – 2.0
A year ago Brazilian university student Fran let her then boyfriend Sérgio Henrique Alves make a video with his phone while she performed oral sex on him. He proceeded to spread the video through Whatsapp. After memes humiliating 22 year-old Fran popped up all across the Brazilian internet, the case was taken to court.
This week, a verdict was finally reached. Sérgio was sentenced to 5 months of community service. As Brazil does not have a law for revenge-porn, Sérgio was prosecuted on the basis of libel and defamation.
The trial left Fran devastated. After having her life turned upside down – she lost her job at a retail store and had to stop attending university – she believes the sentence was disproportionate to the damage she and her family suffered. She told the TV news station Globo that Sérgio left court “laughing at her face”. Yesterday, she posted a testimony on Facebook page “Apoio Fran” [Supporting Fran] and urged people to help pressure the Congress to approve a law that tackles revenge-porn specifically
Oi gente! Queria agradecer de coração pelo apoio, que sempre foi fundamental para mim, e falar que a nossa luta não terminou. Desde o início, eu sabia que não ia dar em nada, infelizmente. Mas a esperança é sempre a última que morre e eu continuei por saber que várias mulheres passam e vão passar por isso. Eu vou lutar por uma lei que proteja essas vítimas, para que a pena seja proporcional ao dano causado.
Vocês serão fundamentais para que isso aconteça! Mais do que nunca preciso de vocês ao meu lado! A lei Maria da Penha Virtual precisa existir ou até a lei Fran Santos, e eu prometo que eu não vou desistir!
A lei pode ser criada se houver 1% de assinaturas do eleitorado nacional. Nós temos a constituição do nosso lado! Mas para isso precisamos de no mínimo 1,36 milhão de assinaturas e um deputado que nos ajude. Onde estão aqueles deputados que tanto disseram que iriam me ajudar ?
De um jeito ou de outros nós vamos conseguir isso. Pode demorar, mas vamos conseguir!
Hi, guys! I wanted to thank everyone from all my heart for all the support, which was so important to me, and also to say that our struggle isn't over. Since the beginning I knew nothing was going to happen to him. But hope dies last and I held on because I know many women might go through the same as I did. I will fight for a law that can protect those victims and that the punishment to the perpetrators are fit to the damage made. You guys are vital for this to happen! More than ever I need you by my side. We need an internet version of Maria da Penha Law [law against domestic violence], or maybe even a “Fran Santos Law” and I promise I won't give up! The law could be created if we had 1% of the national population in signatures, which is 1,36 million. We have the Constitution by our side! But we also need a legislator to help us. Where are those deputies who said they would help me? One way or another, we'll do this. It might take long, but we can do it.
Image from the Facebook page Apoio Fran. “Because we are all Fran, against sexism as a form of comedy and sex as a taboo.”
Fran has created a public petition on the Petição Pública website for the creation of a new law. At the moment the petition has 1220 signatures. She also says she will sue her offender (now that the criminal prosecution is over) for moral and material damages, since she hasn't been able to find another job ever since the incident last year. She told the news website G1:
“Já até procurei emprego em outros lugares. Mas quando olham meu currículo, veem meu nome e onde eu trabalhei, se lembram do que aconteceu e não chamam.
I have looked for jobs in other places. But when they look at my CV, when they see my name and where I used to work, they remember what has happened and don't call me back.
Ex-footballer and now re-elected senator Romário has proposed a law project that makes the improper spreading of intimate material a specific criminal offense. According to the project, perpetrators could face up to three years in jail and be obliged to compensate the victim in any material damages resulting from moving houses, losing a job and any medical or psychological treatments they might need to go through.


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Colombia’s “Citizen Porfolio” Program Could Infringe Privacy Rights (And More) · Global Voices
Lully

Image by Kevin LaBianco via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).
Under the “Live Digital” initiative, Colombian Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Diego Molano is pushing a policy program under which the government will bestow upon each citizen a “digital portfolio,” where all of one’s personal data held by the state, ranging from state identification and passport numbers to tax information and health data, would be stored together and come with a unique government-issued email address.
Although conceived as a pathway to greater efficiency in communication between government agencies and reduction of paper use, the policy has raised concern that it may leave citizens vulnerable to greater government surveillance or to malicious hacking.
One concerned citizen, a Colombian industrial engineer named Pedro Rivera, filed an information request with the Minister of Information and Communication Technologies in an effort to obtain information on various aspects of the project. Rivera filed the request with the support of the digital rights collective “RedPaTodos”, which advocates for absolute transparency on matters of public policymaking. Rivera argues that the initiative should be repealed or subject to public review and approval before being implemented.
On Pastebin, Rivera acknowledges the potential conveniences offered by the system but rejects certain aspects of the system, noting that they could lead to different kinds of abuse and infringe human rights. This paragraph references the revelations of Edward Snowden, as they relate to Google:
Todo esto significa que básicamente toda tu existencia ante el estado se reduce a una cuenta de “Google”. Como sabemos por las revelaciones de Edward Snowden, “Google” tiene pleno poder de leer información, analizarla, copiarla, venderla o cerrar cuentas sin más ni más. Si sustituimos a “Google” por una empresa privada controlada a través de concesiones por el gobierno colombiano, que nos podemos esperar?
This basically means that your entire existence before the state is reduced to a “Google” account. As we know from the revelations made by Edward Snowden, “Google” has full power to read information, analyze, copy, sell it or close accounts without further ado. If we replace “Google” with a private company [ostensibly controlled by] the Colombian government, what we can expect?
RedPaTodos published “Concerns and Proposals on the Citizen Portfolio initiative,” affirming its support for the petition and broader initiative. They conclude:
Es claro que tenemos demasiadas preocupaciones y pocas claridades, algunas de estas preguntas vienen de la poca información concreta sobre el proyecto y otras más sobre la existencia de contratos que parecieran estar relacionados. Obvio, si ya hay contratos el margen de incidencia es mucho menor que si es una  propuesta abierta para el debate y su mejoramiento. Hemos realizado una recopilación de la información que creemos está relacionada con el proyecto pero sabemos que está incompleta. Ante la falta de certezas e información pública y veraz sobre este proyecto, hemos decidido presentar un derecho de petición a MinTIC solicitando más información y con esta definir una ruta posible para afectar esta propuesta buscando la garantía de nuestros derechos un espacio de diálogo inicialmente de nosotros, la idea es que pueda la sociedad involucrarse en la medida de lo posible y también otros colectivos y sectores.
It is clear that we have too many concerns and little clarity; some of these questions come from the little concrete information about the proposed policy and more about the existence of contracts that appear to be related. Obviously, if there are already contracts, the margin of incidence is much narrower than if it is open for discussion and possible improvement. We have made a collection of information that we believe is related to the project, but we know it's incomplete. In the absence of certainty and truthful information about this project, we have decided to invoke our right to petition and thus to petition the Ministry of Communication Technologies requesting more information about the program. [We propose to work with them] to set plan to carry out this proposal and to invoke our rights to develop a space for dialogue that will take place initially among key stakeholders, but that will ultimately allow society can be involved as much as possible and also another groups and sectors.
Human rights lawyer and Internet advocate Carolina Botero, writing for El Espectador, expressed concern about the silence that the ICT Ministry has maintained surrounding the issue. She also highlighted comments published on the website of Fundacion Karisma, a digital rights organization under her leadership:
[…] “el Proyecto Carpeta Digital se llevará a cabo mediante una alianza público-privada. Esta metodología no solo es imprecisa, sino que revela una de las mayores preocupaciones que tiene la sociedad civil respecto al derecho a la intimidad”. Como el propio plan decía poco del proyecto, nos quedamos pendientes de la respuesta del MinTic a los comentarios (que aún esperamos) y, sobre todo, a la presentación del documento final que se haga revisando el plan con base en los comentarios de la ciudadanía para analizarlo integralmente.
[…] The Citizen Portfolio Project will be implemented through a public-private partnership. This methodology is not only imprecise, but also it reveals one of the biggest concerns of civil society regarding the right to privacy. As the plan itself said few about the project, we were waiting for the response to comments MinTic (we are still waiting) and, above all, for the presentation of the final document, and that this may be carried out by reviewing the plan, based on public comment to analyze it integrally.
So far, there have been no responses from the national government. For citizens, the wait continues.

author: Lully


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Hour-Long Total Lunar Eclipse Lights Up Japan’s Sky  · Global Voices
Sayuri Ishiwata

The lunar eclipse on October 8, 2014, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, by Les Taylor, CC 2.0.
For the first time in three years, Japan witnessed a total lunar eclipse on October 8, 2014. Everywhere across the island nation, friends and family gathered outside under the open sky and turned their gazes upward.
According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the total eclipse could be seen across the entire archipelago, with the exception of Ishigaki Island (southwest of Kyushu).
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, the Earth, and the moon are arrayed imperfectly on a line. Like total lunar eclipses, they are only visible during a full moon. A total lunar eclipse, however, requires that all three bodies are aligned perfectly.
In a total lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow totally blocks the sunlight, creating an umbra—the innermost and darkest part of a shadow—where the light source is completely blocked by the occluding body. An observer in the umbra then experiences a total eclipse.
The total lunar eclipse on October 8 lasted for nearly an hour, providing everyone with plenty of time to observe it.
People in Japan came up with a variety of unique ways to watch the eclipse. “Lunar eclipse yoga,” for instance, was quite popular.
東京ミッドタウンでは今年も皆既月食の日にあわせ、明日10/8（水）「月見ヨガ」を特別開催！　部分月食の始まりから皆既月食、部分月食の終わりまで皆既月食を観測できるのは2011年以来3年ぶり。http://t.co/JDtp9krxl3 pic.twitter.com/VJMyQLqlQM
— VOGUE JAPAN (@voguejp) October 7, 2014
In Tokyo’s Midtown district, a group of people gathered to participate in open-air “lunar eclipse yoga.” The event was timed to start at 7:30pm and lasted for one hour, the length of the eclipse.
Yoga is usually practiced indoors with a small group of people, making such a large number of yoga fans in one place outside quite the spectacle. About 560 people joined in.
ミッドタウンの月見ヨガ、肌寒いかなとおもったけどよかった 560人集まったんだって すごい
— mayols (@may_ols) October 8, 2014
While I thought it might be cold doing it outdoors, gathering with 560 people was great!
The Tokyo Sky Tree, Japan's tallest building, which is lit up by the blue LED lights made famous by the recent Japanese Nobel Prize winners, also played a role in the eclipse festivities.
東京スカイツリーのてっぺんをかすめる皆既月食（19:57撮影） pic.twitter.com/44pydWCVLl
— てつ (@tetsu_skytree) October 8, 2014
Tokyo Tower, another prominent (and somewhat nostalgic) landmark got in the act.
Calling itself “The Moon’s Diamond Veil,” the lower half of Tokyo Tower lights up in pink lights at least once a month to mark the full moon. For the eclipse, the LEDs on the upper half of the Tokyo Tower were extinguished and lit instead by moonlight. To create a romantic atmosphere, people inside the tower also lit candles in nearly 100 of the building's windows.
今夜は皆既月食。みるみるうちに月が変化していきます。 ピンク色の東京タワーと月食がとても綺麗です。 #皆既月食 pic.twitter.com/u2eMKO1RdS
— ❀Taki Hirata❀ (@kaorucojp) October 8, 2014
I’m watching the total lunar eclipse. The pink lights of the Tokyo Tower and the eclipse make a beautiful sight.

author: Sayuri Ishiwata


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Join Us for a #GVMeetup in Tunis on November 1 · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

We are pleased to announce that a Global Voices meetup is set to take place in Tunis on November 1, 2014 from 9am to 1pm, at 404 Lab an open innovation lab hosted by the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI).
Global Voices Meetups are local and small gatherings designed to help facilitate meaningful connections with our readers, potential authors or translators, and others that have shown an active interest in our work.
During the same period, other Global Voices meetups will also take place in Accra, Beirut, Dar Es Salaam, and Belgrade.
The Tunis gathering is an opportunity for us to introduce the mission and projects of Global Voices to our readers in Tunisia. In the meetup agenda also, a panel on the subject of alternative media in Tunisia and a keynote speech on personal data protection by Chawki Gaddas from the Faculty of Judicial, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis.
You can find the meetup's full agenda here.
If you are interested in taking part, please complete the following registration form. The event is open to all but seats are limited.
Here is a map to the event venue.
For more information, please contact: abrouafef [at] riseup [dot] net

author: Afef Abrougui


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Death By Firing Squad in Eastern Ukraine Over a Cartoon? · Global Voices
Tanya Lokot

“Mutant Vatnik,” YouTube screen capture, written by Irena Karpa. Published October 10, 2014.
Did the Luhansk rebels’ minister of culture just ask a local court to execute a Ukrainian writer over an online cartoon? Or was the bizarre request for capital punishment part of a propaganda campaign by forces in Kyiv, bent on damaging the reputation of the “terrorists” to the east?
Earlier today, the pro-Ukrainian portal Lugansk Radar reported that Irina Filatova, the supposed “minister for culture” of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, intends to sue Irena Karpa, a Ukrainian musician and writer, for lampooning Filatova in a satirical cartoon. Filatova allegedly demands that a court sentence Karpa to death by firing squad, “by the laws of war time [sic],” and also asks to be awarded 50,000 rubles ($1,200 USD) in compensation for moral damages and nightmares, before Karpa is shot.
Lugansk Radar quoted its own anonymous source inside Ukrainian law enforcement, even publishing scans of Filatova's apparent notice of suit against Karpa.
The “minister”‘s main beef with the cartoon is that it depicts her in a state of undress, holding a bottle of champagne. These images mimic the not-altogether-flattering photos of Filatova that were found on her Vkontakte page in May, earlier this year, when rumors of her appointment first surfaced.
Fragment of Filatova's alleged complaint, demonstrating her photo and the cartoon likeness. Screenshot from Luhansk Radar.
The press service of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic told Slon.ru that Irina Filatova is not and never has been their minister of culture, recalling that claims about Filatova's position in the new government trace back to the pro-Kyiv media. Apparently, a woman named Lesya Lapteva currently heads Luhansk's ministry of education, science, culture, and religion.
The cartoon that Filatova allegedly found so deadly insulting is part of a project that Irena Karpa and Podrobnosti.ua launched earlier this month, “Mutant Vatnik,” aimed at ridiculing “vatniki,” a derogatory term for the pro-Russian leaning citizens of Ukraine. The second episode (the one at issue now) mocks eastern Ukraine's female “vatniki,” like the former mayor of Slovyansk, Nelya Shtepa.
For her part, Karpa says she isn't too worried about Filatova's suit, even if it's real. In fact, the next episode of “Mutant Vatniki” is already in production. The scathing attacks on prominent rebels, she promises, aren't going anywhere.
Журналисты и мои друзья, по-моему, испугались больше, чем я. А мне смешно, что мои мультяшные герои оказались более реальными, чем я планировала. Но это уже предъява не мне, а художнику: мы не называли никаких фамилий, но портретное сходство сделало свое дело.
I think journalists and friends were more afraid than I was. I find it funny that cartoon characters proved to be more realistic than I planned. But I owe this to the animator. We did not name any names, so it must have been the uncanny likeness [to Filatova] that did it.
Luhansk under rebel-control is fertile ground for peculiar stories like the one about Filatova and Karpa. High “ministerial” turnover is a fact of life there, as is the steady stream of outrageous decrees banning various things. (Most recently, it was gay sex.) Just the other day, rumors spread online that Luhansk had appointed a local musician to act as culture minister. (The man later denied it.)
The Luhansk People's Republic, in short, has become a circus. In the city's bedlam, the outside world is now left asking itself, with every strange, new story that comes out of Luhansk, “is this the bungling of a bunch of rebels?” or “was this part of a brilliant propaganda campaign by Kyiv?”
Whatever the truth of “Mutant Vatnik,” it's clear that humor and satire remain some of the most potent weapons still exploding over eastern Ukraine today.

author: Tanya Lokot


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How Two Tibetan Musicians Created a Novel and Forbidden Collaboration Through the Internet · Global Voices
Dechen Pemba

Five years in the making, solely through online communication, a unique music collaboration between a Tibetan musician in exile and a Tibetan poet inside Tibet, was finally released internationally in July 2013.
The first collaboration of its kind, the song Lam La Che is an example of how the internet allows Tibetans in exile and Tibetans inside Tibet to reach across borders to not only communicate, but also collaborate.
Tibetan musicians making pro-Tibetan art inside Tibet risk censorship and imprisonment;for their work. Tibetans diaspora musicians can produce art freely but know that their work might not reach Tibetans living under Chinese control.
By communicating through the internet, Tibetan exile musician Techung and internal Tibetan blogger Woeser were able to create a song that reaches across borders while calling attention to them. This post digs deeper into Lam La Che, Techung and Woeser's story.
Inspiration for collaboration
When Tibetan writer, poet and blogger Tsering Woeser (known as Woeser) saw photos and video footage online of Tibetan diaspora musician Techung (Tashi Sharzur) performing at the Tibet Freedom Concert in Taipei in December 2008, she was deeply moved. 2008 had been a turbulent year for Tibet – a wide-scale uprising against Chinese rule started on March 10 and swept across the entire country. The military crackdown that followed kept Tibet under tight control for the rest of the year, and Beijing-based Woeser used her blog to document what was taking place. The concert inspired Woeser to reach out to Techung about starting a collaboration between what she refers to as “internal” and “external” Tibet.
The concert coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Techung’s voice came across as a beacon of signal hope and peace. In a post about 2008, Woeser wrote, “Tibetans, regardless of whether they were inside or outside Tibet, could hear voices from the heart – Tibetan people live together in happiness and sorrow.”
A collaboration between an “internal” and “external” Tibetan had the potential to symbolically bridge the borders separating Tibetans from their diaspora family.
“I had written several song lyrics, one of them being “On the Road,” which I wrote many years ago in Lhasa, [which] expresses longing for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” Woeser wrote in an email interview. “I was thinking that if Techung could add music to it and perform it, that would be the perfect dedication.”
Creative censorship and travel restrictions
Techung and Woeser could not meet in person, which presented certain challenges for the project. Politically active exile Tibetans like Techung, are often denied the Chinese visa that they would need in order to visit Tibet. As an activist blogger, Woeser has been routinely refused a passport by the Chinese government. In March 2013, Woeser was honoured with an award from the US State Department on the occasion of International Women’s Day but, as relayed to AP, she was “unable to attend because her application last year for a passport was denied by police — and that she was told the reason was that she's deemed a threat to state security, presumably because of her activism.”
Artists, musicians, and bloggers who support Tibetan nationalism face high risks. Music can be pulled from distribution, and musicians can face years in prison. Tibetan singers Lolo, Tenzin, and Gebey have all been sent to prison for making music that celebrates Tibet. Music made by exile musicians such as Techung is frequently censored once it reaches Tibet.
After releasing an openly political debut album which was banned in Tibet, Techung has attempted to tone down his language, imitating the self-censorship practiced by internal Tibetan artists in order to increase the chances that his music will be heard inside Tibet. For example, instead of using the politically loaded Tibetan word “Bod” for Tibet, singers would sing Kangjong (Land of Snows).
Woeser, on the other hand, has been directly censored many times. Her writing has cost Woeser her job, and her blogs have been shut down so many times that she is only currently able to maintain her blog by hosting it on overseas servers.
“It had just never happened before that someone had collaborated with a Tibetan inside Tibet or inside China before,” said Techung.
“In a sense, Techung is a symbol of exile Tibet…” wrote Woeser. “As I have written in the past, music is like the wings of a bird that can fly over man-made borders. I wanted to work with Techung to break down some kind of historical or practical obstacles.”
Working together online
“It was a surprise and a big honour when Woeser contacted us,” said Techung in a Skype interview from USA. Below are the screenshots of their communications:
Born and raised in Tibet and China, Woeser can only write in Chinese. Techung, born and raised in India and living in USA, feels more comfortable writing in English. Both had heard of each other but had never spoken until Woeser wrote to Techung on Facebook, using Google Translate to translate her message from Chinese into English.
“There was a big language barrier,” said Woeser. “There wasn’t all that much contact between us.”
“Collaboration is quite a new thing for all Tibetan artists and musicians, both inside Tibet and in exile,” said Techung. “We don’t quite know how these things work yet. Woeser wrote the lyrics in Chinese and someone else translated them into Tibetan. She sent me two or three poems to set to music and eventually we chose “Lam La Che.” I sent some changes to the lyrics in Tibetan back to her… We had some back and forth a few times with various suggestions… We never actually spoke to each other in person – everything was done online.”
Woeser’s lyrics:
On the road
Ah, on the road
My eyes are brimming with tears
I clutch a flower not of this world
Hurrying before it dies, searching in all directions
That I may present it to an old man in a deep red robe
He is our Yeshe Norbu
He is our Kundun
Our Gongsachog
Our Gyalwa Rinpoche
On the road
Ah, on the road
My eyes are brimming with tears
I clutch a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers
To present to him, to present to him
A wisp of a smile
These bind the generations tight.
“The song itself was so poetic [that writing] the music felt very easy and spontaneous, like it was meant to happen,” said Techung.
Although Techung was the first exile Tibetan Woeser had collaborated with in such a direct way, she has worked with exile Tibetans before. High Peaks Pure Earth had previously translated her blogposts into English, and exile Tibetan scholar Tsering Shakya had written a preface to one of Woeser’s books. Woeser had once written an essay inspired by Tibetan exile painter Losang Gyatso’s series Signs From Tibet, which Gyatso read aloud at the exhibition’s opening.
So long as internet access is not censored, Woeser expresses optimism about further possibilities for collaboration.
Other Tibetans are also using the internet to bridge geographical gaps
With advances in technology, Tibetans inside and outside Tibet are finding new ways to communicate and collaborate. The Tara Café Project’s Shining Spirit recording and film project, created in 2006, is an early example of musical collaboration amongst a Tibetan family who are separated, with some living in Amdo, Tibet and others living in exile in Canada. The short film shows how through recordings and internet the family were able to record their own version of traditional Tibetan song  “Aku Pema.”
Nowadays, Tibetans outside and inside Tibet are even writing songs specifically addressed to each other. The young Tibetan rapper “Shapaley” (Karma Norbu) from Switzerland released a music video in 2011 called “Made in Tibet,” with the lyrics, “Brothers and sisters, we don't know if you can hear us, but we hope you'll receive this message, don’t worry, we’re all doing fine, […] Although we’re far away from you, our thoughts are with you.”
Bantsang Lobsang, a musician living inside Tibet, included a message for all Tibetans on his most recent album. Lobsang directly addresses the camera and says, “I wish for Tibetans of the Land of Snows, home and abroad, to be reunited.”
Keeping up with Tibetans around the world
Despite being separated by geographical and political factors, Tibetans in exile keep up with work created by Tibetans inside Tibet, and vice versa.
Fans have approached Techung a number of times to tell him that musicians inside Tibet were following the diaspora music scene and were inspired by the music being made by exile Tibetans.
In turn, Techung admires the tenacity of internal Tibetans, “The Tibetan musicians in Tibet are way ahead of those of us in exile! I appreciate how poetic they are. They are utilising the art form to communicate messages and [keep] culture alive – people really look up to them. At the same time, the risk is so high and they have to be so careful.”
Techung’s is a fan of “internal” Tibetan musicians such as Tsewang Lhamo and Yadong. “Through them, a whole sense of our culture and identity is carried; this is so important. My message to them is just to keep doing the work they are doing and we’ll do what we can from our side. One day hopefully we won’t have to worry about the political issues and risks, and Tibetan musicians and artists, including Woeser, will enjoy the freedom to be able to travel and we will be able to meet in person and collaborate on music.”
Woeser’s favorite Tibetan exile singers include Techung, Shapaley, Phurbu T Namgyal and Kelsang Chukie Tethong. Her message to exile Tibetan musicians echoed Techung’s as she wrote, “I really like the music of exile Tibetan musicians and have written articles about them. I hope that one day, Tibetans inside and outside Tibet will be able to work together and express our common concern about Tibet’s future.”
You can support Techung’s new album here, it also include a cover of a song by young Tibetan singer Lolo, who has been imprisoned for his music.

author: Dechen Pemba