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These Short Films by Young Cambodian Men Aim to Stop Sexual Harassment · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Screenshot from one of the short films depicting the impact of sexual harassment on women. Source: YouTube
A recent campaign challenged young male filmmakers to reflect on sexual harassment and the urgent need to stop it. The result is the production of more than a dozen short films exposing the scourge of sexual harassment and its negative impact on victims and society at large.
Behind the campaign was CARE, an international NGO that does advocacy work in Cambodia. CARE launched #WhyStop activities across Cambodia encouraging men to understand why sexual harassment must stop, and that they have a direct role in ending violence against women.
CARE chose 16 short films made by filmmakers aged 16 to 29 that send a clear and powerful message about stopping sexual harassment. Here’s a preview of some of these films.
‘7 colors underwear’ is by 18-year old Khan Khav from Battambang. The film, selected by CARE as the best entry in the #WhyStop campaign, tells the story of a top achiever in school who stopped going to classes after experiencing sexual harassment:
This film by Stephen Row from the capital city of Phnom Penh narrates the tragic story of a student and waitress who is sexually molested by a professor. The film ends with this message: “One touch can change everything.”
This film by 16-year old Long Sovitou is about a teenager who is traumatized after being harassed in a café:
Thong Phynuch’s film explains the meaning of sexual harassment and mentions seven reasons why men should support the campaign to end gender violence:
Chea Sideith’s film tackles the effect of sexual violence in the workplace:
The film ‘Oudom’ features a teenager son reading a letter of his deceased father reminding him to respect women in society:
And finally, this film by Run Sokheng is about two students who realized their mistake when one of their classmates told them to think about their sisters when they are harassing their female friends.

author: Mong Palatino


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Native American Pipeline Resistance at Standing Rock Resonates Around the Globe · Global Voices
Nidia Bautista

Illustration by Nicolas Lampert. Made available for distribution by US-based artist collective Justseeds.
The protest at Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, US has mobilized hundreds of Native American tribes as well as solidarity across the world. The protests are against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a multi-billion dollar project that would transport almost half a million barrels of oil per day across the northern US. The pipeline could contaminate the Missouri River, a key water source for the region. It would also cross through a prominent Sioux burial site.
Although the US government stated last week that it would not grant the easement–the right to cross or use someone's land–under Lake Oahe for the Dakota Access Pipeline construction, the struggle is not over. The announcement cited that further examination was needed, and that an Environmental Impact Statement will be initiated. Demonstrators have said they plan to remain in the camps surrounding the northern edge of the reservation.
The Standing Rock protests started in April 2016, when members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe set up camp to block the construction. Known as “water protectors” for their commitment to protect the Missouri River from possible contamination by the pipeline’s construction, the activists have implemented peaceful tactics to fight construction.
However, in the past months their encampments have been met with an aggressive response by police, including being tear gassed, shot with rubber bullets, and sprayed with water in below freezing temperatures. Police also have been using various surveillance techniques in order to identify who is participating in the protests and what exactly they are doing while at the camps.
In the following video, you can hear some stories from indigenous activists in the front line:
Under the #NoDAPL and #WaterIsLife battle cries, activists have pulled together solidarity across the world, from groups like the Black Lives Matter movement and Code Pink in the United States, which takes a stand against violence and racism toward African-Americans, to activists from the Middle East and indigenous peoples from New Zealand to Latin America.
An outpouring of support has grown in the last months for Standing Rock, with people organizing solidarity protests in Palestine and Morocco and dozens of other cities worldwide. United Nations observers have been dispatched to Standing Rock to monitor human rights abuses and still many others, including veterans of the US army, have visited the encampments to provide support for the water protectors.
In October, local sources reported that the Morton County Sheriff’s Department was following Facebook check-ins by protesters, in an effort to track their activities. This led over a million people to check in to Standing Rock in an attempt to obfuscate police efforts. Though the Sheriff’s Department denied they were using Facebook check-ins to monitor the protests, the response nevertheless demonstrated the widespread sense of solidarity that people around the world are expressing for the protesters.
Indigenous activists from around the world also have shown their support for Standing Rock. In October, Mayan women from Guatemala traveled to Standing Rock in an effort to build solidarity among indigenous people fighting environmental racism and in defense of land and territory. Defense of land and life against the threat of environmental destruction has a long history in Guatemala, while government repression of indigenous movements and peoples continues to date.
In the Latin American news network Telesur video below, Juanita Lopez of the Maya Mam Council addresses the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. She says:
You are lighting a path for our people. And you have tremendous responsibility and a gift in this moment for uniting so many people. Stay strong. Be strong. And you have relatives all over the world to stand with you. And even though it's for a brief moment, we will take it with us, and it will be forever in our memory and in our hearts.
Other prominent leaders of Latin American indigenous movements have visited, such as the Panamanian Cándido Mezúa Salazar, member of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Salazar talked about the importance of indigenous solidarity especially on issues of environmental justice in the region. “Historical relations exist between the indigenous communities of the North, Center and South, and there have been several instances of cooperation between our peoples,” said Salazar.
He added:
We have been fighting for years in order to have our ties to our lands respected and for the recognition of our rights.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Nidia Bautista


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Russian Intellectuals Make Bolshevik Revolution a Virtual Reality, Repeating 100-Year-Old Mistakes · Global Voices
Sean Guillory

The October Revolution meets virtual reality. Photo edited by Kevin Rothrock.
Next year marks the centennial of the Russian Revolution, and many around the world will certainly ponder its legacy and memory. The Russian Revolution, after all, was a world-historical event, and its commemoration belongs to more than Russia.
Nevertheless, the Tsarist Empire was the locus of the Bolsheviks’ grand experiment, and their revolution defined Russia for the next seventy-odd years. But the USSR collapsed decades ago, and it's unclear how contemporary Russia will respond in 2017.
At a time when Vladimir Putin's government favors smooth historical narratives depicting the Russian state as eternal, it's difficult to say how the Kremlin will apply a narratological suture over one of the most fractious moments in human history. And this is a conundrum for more than just state officials. As the centennial approaches, many Russians will try to come to grips with the revolution’s history and legacy. But how? How does one narrate the Russian Revolution?
Mikhail Zygar. Photo: Facebook
One attempt is the online project “1917: Free History,” which retells events in 1917 through daily posts of letters, diary entries, articles, poetry, videos, and images relating to roughly 1,500 key individuals during the period. Mikhail Zygar, Dozhd television's former chief editor and the author of “All the Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin,” founded the project, recruiting more than 100 journalists, scholars, artists, and others. “1917: Free History” also has some impressive sponsors: the Internet search giant Yandex, Sberbank, the Tretyakov Gallery, the newspaper Kommersant, the Russian State Historical Museum, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art — just to name a few.
According to Zygar, the project’s goal is to “recreate reality as it was a 100 years ago,” if there had been the Internet. What you get is a kind of “virtual reality” of the revolution:
Наша цель — популяризировать историю. Нам хочется, чтобы люди видели в ней не какую-то скучную дисциплину, совершенно оторванную от реальности и не имеющую к ним прямого отношения. Наоборот, мы хотим показать, что история — это и есть жизнь. Это такие же люди, как и мы. И история объясняет многое не только про то, что случилось, но и про нас самих. У каждого есть возможность понять, что он сталкивается с теми же проблемами и мыслями, с какими сталкивался человек, писавший в свой дневник сто лет назад.
Our goal is to popularize history. We want people to see that history isn’t some boring subject completely divorced from reality and has no direct relation to them. On the contrary, we want to show that history is life. These people are just like us. And history says a lot not only about what happened, but also about ourselves. Everyone has to understand that he faces the same problems and ideas that confronted a person writing in his diary 100 years ago.
“1917: Free History” is indeed an impressive project, particularly for those interested in the primary sources from the time period. For example, you can read the following in a text written by Dowager Maria Fedorovna, Nicholas II’s mother, on Dec. 9, 1916:
5 градусов мороза, из дому совсем не выходила. Приняла несчастную женщину, отца которой в чем-то обвиняют и он сидит в тюрьме. Она просила помочь. После завтрака встретилась с фрекен Крупенской. В 4 часа пополудни приехала милая моя Беби, одетая словно настоящая леди, выглядит такой счастливой. Обедали вдвоем с Сандро, поскольку все остальные были в театре.
It’s 5 below and I won’t leave the house. I received a poor woman, whose father was convicted for something and is in jail. She asked for help. After breakfast we met with maiden Krupenskaya. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon my dear Baby [her daughter Grand Duchess Olga Aleksandrovna] came dressed like a real lady. She looks so happy. We dined together with Sandro [Grand Duke Alexandr Mikhailovich, Nicholas II’s brother-in-law] because everyone else was at the theater.
Or there's this passage from Nikolai Astrov, a Moscow Duma secretary and Kadet member, from Dec. 12:
На этом совещании было очень мало народу, были только по особым приглашениям. Среди присутствующих были кн. Львов, Кишкин, кажется, Маклаков, я. На этом совещании после заявления кн. Львова о том, что все сообщаемое им должно быть сохранено в тайне, он довольно подробно рассказал о настроениях Петрограда. По его словам, в ближайшем будущем можно ожидать дворцового переворота. В этом замысле участвуют и военные круги, и великие князья, и политические деятели. Нужно быть готовым к последствиям. В очень туманных выражениях было указано, что предполагается, по-видимому, устранить Николая II и Александру Федоровну. Торопливая речь кн. Львова была неясна. Уточнять ее было неловко. Тем более что казалось, что сам Львов не знает ничего точно, ибо сам лишь поставлен в известность о готовящемся.
There were very few people by special invitation at this meeting. Among those present were Princes Lvov, Kishkin, Maklakov, and myself. Following a statement by Prince Lvov where he told everyone must keep secret, he talked about the mood in Petrograd in much detail. According to him, we can expect a palace coup in the near future. Those in military circles, and grand princes and politicians, are involved in this plot. We must be prepared for the consequences. In very vague terms, he stated the apparent intention was to remove Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna. Prince Lvov’s speech was unclear. Making sense of it was difficult. Moreover, he seemed to know nothing specific because he was only made aware of its preparation.
These entries, which range from the mundane to the conspiratorial, demonstrate the aloofness but also the dread of key players at the time. They also provide a fascinating daily snapshot of what we all know would come in February 1917 (the abdication of Nicholas II, and the establishment of dual power between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet).
The site also has some innovative and important resources like a “Guide to the Romanovs,” which provides a genealogy of the family at the turn of the century. Perhaps most interesting and helpful is the section “Who Relates to Whom,” where clicking on a personage shows a network of whom the individual loved, hated, disliked, befriended, rivaled, and married. It’s a wonderful way to chart the various personal intrigues of the royal family and its circle.
Despite the vast array of voices, however, there is a great silence in all these entries: the voices of lower-class people who contributed, experienced, and were politically activated in the revolutionary process. In this sense, the site’s editors— intellectuals, artists, and elites themselves — reflect the experience of their own forebears. This is unfortunate. As historical research over the past 25 years has shown, Russia's archives contain a wealth of texts that convey the voices of the “people” in the forms of letters, diaries, journalism, art, and poetry.
This silence is perhaps the greatest irony of the website’s attempt to create a memory of the revolution. Ignoring the voices and historical agency of ordinary people is exactly what doomed many Russian elites in 1917. A century later, that decimated class’ descendants are making the same mistake in virtual reality, despite some good intentions.

author: Sean Guillory


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Syrian Media Activist: ‘It Is Terrible and Scary, Aleppo Has Become a Horror City’ · Global Voices
Joshka Wessels

Gnaid, center, with his newborn daughter and family. Used with permission.
“Aleppo is alive and will not die!”
This is what video journalist Gnaid wrote on Facebook when he announced the birth of his little daughter, his second child, on Thursday, November 24, 2016.
Gnaid works for the media activist group Aleppo Today providing daily news and also works together with Aleppo Media Center (AMC) in eastern Aleppo city in Syria. He has intermittent internet connection via satellite and is only able to communicate with Global Voices that way. He lives with his wife, his young son, his newborn daughter and two of his relatives.
Both children were born and are growing up under siege. Earlier last week, Gnaid told Global Voices in a series of communications that the Syrian regime's forces were only a couple of kilometers from his house and that panic has taken over the civilians and the media professionals who are still in eastern Aleppo.
At the time of writing, forces that support President Bashar al-Assad are reported to control most of East Aleppo, having made quick advancements in recent days under the cover of Russian bombardment and the large support of Iranian-backed militias. Since 2012, the city has been divided between rebel-held East Aleppo and regime-held West Aleppo. The first barrel bombs to have been dropped by the regime over Aleppo were in December 2013 and since then, many forms of weapons have been used, from chemical weapons to cluster bombs, leaving the eastern part of the city in complete ruins. A brutal siege was then imposed by the regime in July 2016 as it declared its intentions to retake eastern Aleppo within months.
When Gnaid and his family assessed the possibilities of leaving eastern Aleppo, they found many obstacles. Going to neighboring Turkey is difficult, and areas of Syria that are held by the regime are dangerous for media activists who fear arrest, torture or even death. Gnaid remarked that only if he surrendered and held a portrait of Assad he might survive, but his pride and dignity would not allow it. It is too humiliating for him, he told Global Voices. So Gnaid and his family decided to stay in eastern Aleppo and continue.
“Tonight, the bombings are very heavy” Gnaid said on Wednesday, December 7. “It is terrible and scary, Aleppo has become a horror city.” He accused the international community of having “a lack of humanity”:
My wife and I don’t have passports. We cannot travel, but we could keep ourselves alive here in Aleppo, even during the siege. There has to be a solution now. It’s our right to live in dignity and freedom, just like all people in this world. But unfortunately our voice is not heard over the sound of the weapons! An enormous number of people have lost their houses and are driven away by the violence and the bombs. Maybe our neighborhood will return to the regime. But we will hold on to our land! The shame is on the United Nations and all international organizations who could rescue the wounded but simply refuse to do so!
Gnaid then sent another message:
The situation is terribly difficult. I don’t know what to say. I am looking at the people. I do not want to leave. I do not want to leave Aleppo. I am tired and utterly exhausted. But there is nothing else to do for me than to stay. This is my land. There is nothing else for me than Aleppo. I don’t know what to do anymore. It’s in God’s hands.
Finally, on Thursday, December 8, Gnaid sent what he thought would be his last message.
Half an hour ago the fighting started here. There is an enormous panic. Especially with the children. It is very very difficult now. There are rocket attacks by the Syrian Army. Soon there will be a battle now.
Fortunately, he managed to send a short audio note to Global Voices on the morning of Tuesday, December 13, saying:
We are okay thankfully. We're still waiting to see what's going to happen to us.
Meanwhile, his colleagues at the Aleppo Media Center uploaded a 360-degree video to show the wide-spread destruction of the area of Al Shaer neighborhood in eastern Aleppo.
For Gnaid and his family, the international community is doing nothing to stop the bloodshed. The only hope now, he says, is that he and his family can get out safely to the remaining opposition-held areas, hoping that the warplanes don’t follow the people there eventually.

author: Joshka Wessels


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Taiwanese Are Disappointed With the Foreign Media’s Response to Donald Trump’s Tweet · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-Wen. Photo credit: Taiwan's Central News Agency.
Donald Trump, the next president of the United States, surprised Taiwanese on Dec. 2, when he tweeted about a congratulatory phone call he'd received from Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-Wen.
The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016
Due to the “one China” policy in diplomacy, Taiwan has been isolated from the international scene for decades, at least officially. After Trump's tweet, the number of Google searches for “Taiwan” spiked worldwide, tripling in some places. Furthermore, for many people around the globe, Trump's decision to refer to Tsai as “the President of Taiwan” signals American recognition of Taiwan as an independent democratic country.
Capturing the mood sarcastically in The Atlantic, Isaac Stone Fish wrote, “[T]he island once had a seat on the U.N. Security Council. Now a simple phone call with its leader is international news.”
In an interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, Trump elaborated his position on China and Taiwan:
I don't know why we have to be bound by a “one China” policy, unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.
This, again, surprised Taiwanese. For decades Beijing has used the “one China” policy to break other countries’ official ties to the Taiwanese government while they want to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
Netizens in Taiwan expressed concerns that President-elect Trump is only using their country as a negotiating chip with China, but some say the next U.S. president's scheme could give Taiwan the opportunity to improve its standing internationally.
Some Taiwanese netizens complained about being bullied by the international community, following the response of the outgoing Obama administration and the world mass media to the tweet, which warned that Beijing would be enraged, and the possibility of damaging U.S.-China relationship — all before the Chinese government even issued a formal statement on Trump's comments.
A sample of the headlines right after Trump's tweet.
Taiwanese netizens criticized the international media for being so quick to focus on Beijing's diplomatic line without describing the voices from Taiwan.
Lin Fei-fan, the co-founder of the “Taiwan March” activist group and one of the student leaders during the 2014 Sunflower Movement, wrote on Facebook after his article was published in The Washington Post:
我們在行文最後想表達的本意其實很簡單：這通電話的意義是正面的，它提供了重新檢視台美關係的機會。[…]令人遺憾的是，美國大多數一向傾向自由派的主流媒體，包括《紐約時報》、《CNN》，在第一時間，就搶在中國都還沒回應之前，就大幅度警告「此舉將會觸怒中國」。乃至近幾日的報導也環繞著中國學者、民眾的反應，卻少見來台訪問台灣人自己的看法。
What we want to express at the end of this article is very simple: The meaning of this phone call is positive, because it provides a chance to re-evaluate the Taiwan-U.S. relationship. […] It's a pity that many mainstream liberal media outlets, including The New York Times and CNN, immediately rushed to warn the world that “this will enrage China” — even before China responded to the incident. Until now, we only saw reports about the responses from Chinese scholars and citizens, and we rarely see reporters interview Taiwanese people about their opinions.
Michael Turton, a popular blogger in Taiwan, also expressed his concerns about the foreign media's reactions to Trump's tweet:
One way to read the media brouhaha is to observe how incompetent the media is, and how it does Beijing's work for it in referring to tensions that don't exist. […] But there's another way to think about it: the media are also signaling China about how it could/should react. If China doesn't react strongly, the media won't be validated (they will then say nothing about their failure). […] In other words, congratulations, media, you just gave China permission to go to its limit. […] China chooses actions that play the western media for publicity, but have little concrete effect. They've learned well from the international media…
In the end, Beijing reacted as the mass media anticipated, except there was a small twist: the Chinese government's response to the White House was restrained, and they did not even bother arguing with the U.S. President-elected; Instead, they blamed Taiwan for what happened. On Dec. 10, Chinese military aircraft flew over the East China Sea and circled international airspace surrounding Taiwan.
China's Air Force has performed similar stunts in the past one year, but the timing of this latest operation appears to be a clear response to the phone call between Trump and Tsai. Financial experts, for example, were quick to connect the two events. A financial journalist based in China, Emmy Hu pointed out on Dec. 5:
早盤滬指大跌1.3%，只有軍工股集體上漲。有趣的是，所有人都知道為什麼漲，但是沒有一家股評敢做真相君，連「深港通導致軍工股大漲」這種理由都掰出來了。
#大型南海軍演就要出動
This morning, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index dropped by 1.3 percent, and only those related to military industry went up. Interestingly, everyone knows why they went up, but no commentator dared to say the truth. Some commentators even tried to find a reason like “the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect led those related to military industry go up.”
#Large-scale exercise in the South China Sea will begin
In addition to the military threat, the daily Chinese newspaper Global Times suggested that Beijing should punish Taiwan by forcing its allies to break diplomatically. In March, China's pressure led Gambia, a West African nation, to end diplomatic relations with Taiwan and establish formal ties with China, two months after Tsai won Taiwan's presidential election. More recently, China has approached Panama and Vatican. Considering that Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with just 22 countries, this is definitely not good news.
Facing the threat in the military side, diplomatic side, and economic side from China, some Taiwanese expressed panic, but others say they're ready to brave further pressure from Beijing.
Yu Hsiao-Tsung (游學宗), for example, responded to Global Times’ threat about punishing Taiwan over Trump’s tweet:
恐嚇，打壓，—大堆飛彈对台湾人民，也不是今天才有，壞事做絶也不是今夭才有，不差再多幾椿。
It is not only today that we face the threat and pressure: we've seen missiles aimed at Taiwanese before. And it is not only today that China does all these bad things to Taiwanese. We don't care if they keep at it.
Pingjen Chen responded to a report published in the Economist on cross-strait tension over Trump's tweet:
之前沒有熱線。中共拼命打壓，早已陷入困境了！現在，死豬不怕滾水燙
Before this phone call, we were already trapped because of China’s pressure. Now, we're so used to the boiling water that we can actually swim in it, regardless of the temperature.
In January, as a warning to Taiwan's newly elected president who is challenging the One-China Principle, Beijing implemented several punitive measures: closing all communication channels with the Taiwanese government, taking steps to weaken the country's diplomatic standing internationally, and discouraging Chinese tourists from visiting Taiwan.
Chinese officials also isolated Taiwan by denying its access to the International Civil Aviation Organization summit in Montreal this September, as well as a meeting of Interpol's General Assembly in Indonesia a month later.
Beijing even engineered the deportation of several Taiwanese citizens traveling in Kenya in this April and Malaysia in this November. In both instances, those Taiwanese citizens were sent back to China, not Taiwan.
Overall speaking, the ‘Status Quo’ between Taiwan and China has been biased toward the China side, especially in the past one year. Therefore, the response of the foreign media to Trump's tweet again represented this imbalance and seemed to Taiwanese to be an insensitive response of international bullying.

author: I-fan Lin


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The High Cost of Algeria’s Crackdown on Speech: Life and Freedom · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

A painted portrait of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika., whose criticism is banned under the country's Penal Code. Photo: Thierry Ehrmann, courtesy of Organ Museum
On December 12, 42 year-old Algerian journalist and blogger Mohammad Tamalt was laid to rest in the capital Algiers. Tamalt entered a coma in late August after staging a two-month hunger strike in protest of his arrest.
His crime? Publishing on Facebook a poem and a video that contained comments that were deemed disparaging towards 79-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal.
On 11 July, a court in Algiers sentenced Tamalt to two years in jail and a fine of 200,000 Algerian dinars (about US $1,800) for offending Bouteflika and public institutions under articles 144, 144 bis and 146 of the Penal Code. His conviction was upheld by a court of appeal a month later.
Mohamed Tamalt. Image from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Algerian authorities may seek to distance themselves from any responsibility in the death of Tamalt. In a statement, the country's prison service said that Tamalt had access to medical follow-up and medicines during his hunger strike, and that his health suddenly deteriorated following a lung infection detected on 4 December. Yet, it was the Algerian authorities that imprisoned and silenced Tamalt for good, to protect an ailing president, who has been in power since 1999, from criticism.
Ihsane EL Kadi an editor and journalist at the online media Maghreb Emergent wrote that the “Algerian political regime kills”:
Le pouvoir politique algérien a commis deux erreurs. Infamantes pour l’Histoire. Il a mis Mohamed Tamalt en prison pour un délit qui ne doit pas conduire à la détention, en 2016, dans les pays respectueux de la presse et des journalistes ; Il a persisté à le laisser en prison lorsque sa grève de la faim a clairement mis, dès la fin juillet, sa santé en danger.
The political regime in Algeria committed two mistakes, that are infamous in history. It imprisoned Mohamed Tamalt for an offense that should not lead to detention in 2016 in countries that respect the press and journalists. It continued to keep him in jail, even though his hunger strike [had] clearly put his health in danger since the end of July.
Supporters are also assigning responsibility to the British government, as Tamalt was a dual Algerian-British national. Sirine Rached, a North Africa researcher at the international human rights organization Amnesty tweeted:
Journalist #MohamedTamalt, RIP, was also British. What did the @foreignoffice do for his release? cc @NewsFromAmnesty @AmnestyAlgerie
— Sirine (@sirine_ai) December 11, 2016
This year alone, several Algerians including journalists and bloggers were prosecuted and jailed for expressing themselves online. In late May, labor rights activist Belkacem Khencha was sentenced to six months in jail for posting a video on Facebook slamming the imprisonment of a colleague, while in March human rights activist Zoulikha Belarbi was ordered to pay 100,000 Algerian dinars (around US $1,000) for posting a satirical photo of the president on Facebook.
The crackdown continues unabated.
Algiers at sunset. Photo by Faten Aggad via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Journalist Hassan Bouras is currently serving a one-year jail term for “insulting state institutions” on social media, after he was convicted on 28 November by a court of first instance in the Algerian province of El-Bayadh.
#Algeria – HRD & journalist Hassan Bouras detained and sentenced to one year imprisonment https://t.co/dK3aUffkzu pic.twitter.com/emRgMqhrOT
— Front Line Defenders (@FrontLineHRD) November 29, 2016
According to human rights groups, Bouras was convicted over a video he posted on Facebook. The video featured citizens criticizing the police, Reporters Without Borders said on Twitter.
#Algérie @RSF_inter dénonce condamnation Hassan Bouras à 1 année prison ferme par trib.AlBayadh 1/2 pic.twitter.com/8IM1Tsdj3j
— RSF_NordAfrique (@RSF_NordAfrique) December 5, 2016
Reporters Without Borders condemns the sentencing of Hassan Bouras to one year in jail by AlBayadh court.
#Algérie Hassan Bouras condamné suite pub. vidéo où des citoyens dénoncent des pratiques policières douteuses 2/2 pic.twitter.com/kVdTbgYMw9
— RSF_NordAfrique (@RSF_NordAfrique) December 5, 2016
Hassan Bouras was convicted after publishing a video in which citizens denounced dubious police practices
Bouras, who is also a member of the Algerian League for Human Rights, has repeatedly faced judicial harassment for his rights activities and work as a journalist. On 2 October 2015, he was arrested from his home and spent more than three months in detention for “incitement to violence and revolt against the state” and “insulting state institutions.” In 2008, he was sentenced to two months in prison for reporting on corruption, and in 2003 he was sentenced to two years in jail for insulting state institutions and banned from practicing journalism for five years.
Tamalt has paid the highest price for speaking his mind freely. Will this force the Algerian government to acknowledge the high cost of silencing its critics, before more lives are lost or destroyed for a mere Facebook post? It remains to be seen precisely what cost this will bring for Algeria, and what changes it might make in response.

author: Afef Abrougui


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Belarus Moves to Block Tor in Fight Against Online Anonymity · Global Voices
Jack Margolin

Tor helps protect your identity on the Internet. Screen capture from Tor informational video, licensed for reuse.
At the end of November, several Belarussian internet users began complaining to their internet providers about the apparent blocking of the Tor anonymity network.
Уважаемый @by_velcom, что вы знаете про нерабочий TOR https://t.co/FbcHzjtadF в вашей сети и сети Атлант Телекома? @nasa_niva @svaboda
— minchik (@minchik) December 1, 2016
Dear @by_velcom, what do you know about Tor not working on your network and on Atlant Telecom?
Shortly thereafter, on December 6, Belarus’ Ministry of Communications published an official statement explaining that the network had been blocked in order to restrict the distribution of illegal material on the internet, as stipulated in a new law passed in February 2015.
В данном случае не преследуется цель запретить анонимный доступ пользователей в интернет. Задачей является ограничение доступа к интернет-ресурсам, содержащим информацию, распространение которой запрещено…Беларусь не является первым государством, применяющим данную практику для ограничения доступа к сайтам с информацией, содержание которых направлено на осуществление экстремистской деятельности, незаконный оборот оружия, наркотических средств, распространение порнографических материалов, содействие незаконной миграции и торговле людьми, пропаганду насилия и жестокости.
In this case, [the blocking of Tor] is not intended to prohibit anonymous access to the internet. The objective is to restrict access to internet resources that contain prohibited information. Access to these sites is restricted by the legislature of Belarus…Belarus is not the first state to apply this practice, to limit access to sites with information that have content aimed at the execution of extremist activities, illegal arms trafficking, narcotics, the distribution of pornography, facilitating illegal immigrations and trafficking in human beings, propaganda of violence and cruelty.
The Tor network, which developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in the early 2000s and now run by the Tor Project non-profit organization, anonymizes internet traffic, allowing users to circumvent network surveillance. Traffic is encrypted to obscure users’ identity, and passes through volunteer-run servers in multiple locations before reaching its destination.
The Tor network is a collection of servers located across the world, run mostly by volunteers. The network helps users connect to the Internet anonymously by sending traffic between at least three Tor servers, typically located in different countries, before allowing it to reach its destination. This makes it nearly impossible for anyone monitoring the Internet to understand where the traffic is coming from and where it is going. Tor “exit nodes” are the final set of servers used in the connection process. This is where a user’s traffic exits the Tor network and connects to the world wide web.
The Tor network facilitates special sites that allow website owners and their users to remain anonymous through “hidden services.” Hidden services have been used by criminals for nefarious activities like selling drugs, but they have plenty of legitimate, lawful uses too. Bloggers use hidden services to blog anonymously and safely. Human rights defenders share information with media by using leaking platforms in this realm. Media organizations use them for sensitive research.
Belarus first took aim at Tor in February 2015, when a decree issued by the Ministry of Communications laid the foundation for banning anonymizing services. Tor was explicitly named in the decree, though experts doubted the ability of the Belarussian state to limit the network’s use.
Mikhail Yakushev, the vice-president of the international domain name provider ICANN, described the problem in an interview with Belarusian news site 42.TUT.BY in 2015:
Есть замечательный анекдот о «принципе 15». Для того чтобы, условно, создать систему блокировки Tor, нужно будет посадить 15 000 человек на разработку, потратить 15 месяцев и 15 миллионов долларов. А чтобы ее затем взломать, 15-летнему парню потребуется 15 минут.
There is a remarkable anecdote about “principle of 15.” In order to create a system to block Tor, you will need to task 15,000 people with development, spend 15 months and $15 million dollars. And in order to crack [the system], a 15-year-old guy will need 15 minutes.
Despite the difficulty of the task ahead, the Ministry of Communications is now ramping up efforts to crack down on Tor. Members of the Tor community noted specific efforts to block Tor usage in Belarus on November 30 and December 1, with known Tor nodes being placed on a special blacklist by BelGIE, the State Supervisory Department for Telecommunications of the Republic of Belarus, and targeted for blocking.
These blocks are created through a TCP reset attack, in which the attacker tells the user’s machine that their connection to another machine – in this case, the Tor network’s public “onion router” – has been reset. This causes the first machine to immediately stop using the connection.
Yet Belarussian Tor users have found this relatively easy to circumvent. 42.TUT.BY discovered they could access restricted sites using the Tor browser’s default settings on December 5. Elsewhere, sites have published guides on circumventing the block, often making use of the browser’s “bridge relays.” These relays, which are unlisted in the main server directory, are less likely to be recognized and blocked by Belarussian authorities.
В общем, в TOR-е всё открывается. Жыве Беларусь!
— Повар Войны (@noliquid) March 13, 2014
In general, everything on Tor-e is open. Long live Belarus!
During this period, the number of Tor direct users in Belarus dropped from 5,500 to 3,000.  However, the number of users making use of bridge relays increased from 250 to 2,000, indicating a large segment of Belarussian Tor users are bypassing the block.
When Belarus first moved to pass legislation blocking Tor in 2015, Russia began to eye similar options. While Russia’s main effort at blocking Tor failed, due primarily to the withdrawal of the project’s contractor, it remains to be seen whether the Kremlin will follow Belarus’ lead or learn from its failures.

author: Jack Margolin


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Little Dolls From a Vietnamese Prison Carry a Big Message · Global Voices
Loa

Roly poly dolls
This article by Quyên Ngô is from Loa, an independent news website and podcast that broadcasts stories about Vietnam. It is republished by Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Have you ever seen a roly poly doll? They are also called tumbler dolls, or wobbly man dolls. They have round heads, round bottoms and no limbs. When you push the doll, it wobbles for a bit but never falls down.
There’s a version made by ethnic minorities in Vietnam — colorful and crocheted. And now there’s another version, made exclusively by one political prisoner: Nguyen Đang Minh Man.
Man Minh
Nguyen Đang Minh Man is a 31-year-old photojournalist and beautician who is currently serving her fifth year in prison. She was sentenced to eight years on charges of subversion. Her mother, Đặng Ngọc Minh, is a former prisoner of conscience, who was arrested at the same time as her daughter, but was released much earlier.
Ngọc Minh recalls the time that she and Minh Mẫn learned how to make the dolls while in pretrial detention.
We were brought to Nghệ An, at Nghi Kim camp. There were some ethnic minorities there, and they make these dolls, but they were kinda ugly! But they showed us how to make it.
Each doll is unique and wears a different outfit. They are the size of your palm, with striking details like eyelashes and tiny butterflies and flowers stitched on their hats. One doll wears a hat that’s flipped up in a coquette-ish fashion. Another one is very festive — decked out in red and green, her two braids tied with red ribbon with the words “Merry Christmas” threaded across her little body.
But arts and crafts get tricky when you’re being held in a detention center. Ngọc Minh talks about gathering the materials to make the dolls:
The thing is, when we learned how to make them, we were at a detention center so we didn’t really have materials. When we wanted to practice making them, we had to use the threads from our bath towels. That doesn’t look very good though, when you pull out those threads. But when we were transferred to a different detention center, there were many prisoners working on embroidery, and they gave us their leftover thread – all different colors. And we found some cotton too, so we stuffed their stomachs.
Minh Mẫn went on a doll making frenzy. She made one for every occasion – one for Christmas, one for her mom’s birthday, one for her parents’ wedding anniversary.
At the prison that Minh Mẫn and her mother were held, inmates are kept apart from each other and completely barred from going outdoors. Reading materials are highly regulated and inmates risk solitary confinement for any perceived misconduct. The roly poly dolls became a therapeutic source of creativity and distraction.
When her mom was about to be released, Minh Mẫn passed a bunch along for her to take home. The prison guards got suspicious and demanded to cut open the dolls, to make sure it was not a ploy to sneak something out of prison. However, they found nothing in the stomachs of the dolls except cotton. What the authorities didn’t realize was the messages the dolls bear were right in front of their faces — they just couldn’t comprehend them.
Ngọc Minh tells Loa the ‘secret’ message in the dolls:
One has the flag of the Republic of Vietnam and she embroidered my English name, Ammy on it, along with my birthday, April 4th, next to the word Freedom, the white flower, and a cute butterfly on my hat.
The white flower, hoa mai, that appears on many of Minh Mẫn’s roly poly dolls represents the symbol of the pro-democracy party Việt Tân, and serves as a message of solidarity for those fighting alongside her beyond prison walls. Minh Mẫn, like her mom, is a member.
Some of the dolls
Another doll is dressed in black, with the letter T and the number 4 embroidered on the body: the T stands for “tháng,” or month, and the 4 stands for the month of April. This doll, Ngọc Minh says, commemorates tháng tư đen, Black April – otherwise known as April 30th or the fall of Sàigon. The family had attempted but failed to flee Vietnam after the war.
Ngọc Minh wanted to share her daughter’s cute and meaningful creations with the world, so after her release, she posted pictures of them on Facebook. People from around the world began to comment and notice the dolls. That’s when the authorities banned Ngọc Minh and her husband from bringing any more dolls home after prison visits.
But this is not the only time international attention Minh Mẫn has received international attention. Three months ago, in September, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared that Minh Mẫn “was detained solely for the peaceful exercise of her rights”. They called for her immediate release.
And while Minh Mẫn is still behind bars at Prison Camp 5 in Thanh Hóa, during their November family visit, Ngọc Minh said they have noticed a slight change in behavior among the authorities. Ngọc Minh recounts:
She and her dad were talking through the glass partition on the phone. He said to her ‘The UN told the Vietnamese Government to release you unconditionally. I’m letting you know this, but don’t rush to hold too much hope, because at the end of the day it is still up to the State. Organizations and people all around the world are speaking up for your freedom.’ In the past, whenever we spoke about matters related to the case, they stopped us immediately. But this time, they didn’t stop us! All five of the prison guards standing watch did not say a word.
Ngọc Minh says that she and her family just wish for Minh Mẫn to return home. They don’t want her to receive political asylum and be exiled to another country. She says that they want to fight together as a family for a free Vietnam, in Vietnam.
And if the authorities fear letting some roly poly dolls leave prison, one can only imagine how they feel about setting Minh Mẫn free.
Learn more about the story of Minh Mẫn by listening to this podcast

author: Loa


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Mexico Reportedly Moves Ahead With Controversial Pipeline, Despite Moratorium · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

Tribu Yaqui in meeting. Photo: Flickr user Malova Gobernador. Used under CC 2.0 license.
A new pipeline under construction in northern Mexico has become a major controversy involving the local Yaqui indigenous community, which is less that pleased about the Agua Prieta tube's route (straight through Yaqui territory).
Things went from bad to worse on Oct. 21, when the pipeline's supporters attacked a group of protesters, killing one, wounding eight, and causing no small amount of property damage.
The Yaqui tribe, which has endured a long history of repression, also has a history of mounting various resistance movements. Like other indigenous communities in Mexico, members of the Yaqui tribe have lost their lives fighting against invasive private companies and non-indigenous authorities. Just two years ago, before the conflict over the Agua Prieta pipeline, the Yaquis protested against a large-scale aqueduct that would have diverted what was left of their sacred river to the city of Hermosillo.
According to its design, the Agua Prieta Pipeline project would begin in Arizona, in the United States, and end in Sonora, Mexico. One portion of the pipeline would be constructed in 90 kilometers of Yaqui territory, which is protected by Mexican law, Building the pipeline without consultations deemed to be fair, transparent, and inclusive for all of the Yaqui communities would be a violation of the sovereignty of the Yaqui land, community leaders say.
Recently, members of the Yaqui tribe in Loma de Bácum won a moratorium against the construction of the pipeline. According to the local media, however, Mexican authorities have announced that the pipeline construction will continue because “one community” cannot stop “a project that will benefit future generations.”
According to Solidaridad Tribu Yaqui‘s Facebook page, construction is going ahead, even though fair and transparent consultations and negotiations never happened:
On one hand, the Yaquis of Loma de Bácum oppose the pipeline and have legally filed an appeal against the work. Thus far, the project has been carried out beneath a simulated consultation of SENER (Secretariat of Energy) Them, together with the company Sempra Energy, the government of Hermosillo, the local media, and the municipal governments (all of which have supported the work) have sought by any means necessary to debilitate the opposition of Loma Bácum.
The other visible actor in this conflict, backed by the supporters of the project, are Yaquis from 7 other towns, who in a rather surprising event, have become the cannon ball of violence and intimidation so that the construction of the gas pipeline penetrates the territory of Bácum.”
Solidaridad Tribu Yaqui also expressed concerns about discrimination and underrepresentation:
“These rich men don’t care about the life of one, two, or three people, much less if they are indigenous. They are those whom don’t care if an indigenous government falls. They are those that don’t care if the Yaqui culture is exterminated. What is important to these rich men is to conclude the work and pocket all the profits, solidifying the appropriation of the Yaqui Territory.”
Gema Villela Valenzuela, a Mexican journalist who has reported on the conflict with a gender perspective, wrote about the threats Yaqui women from Loma de Bacun have faced, since coming out against the Agua Prieta pipeline:
“Mujeres de la comunidad Yaqui (que pidieron el anonimato por seguridad) informaron que la construcción del ducto a cargo de la empresa Gasoducto Aguaprieta ha generado violencia que va desde enfrentamientos entre los mismos miembros de la comunidad, hasta amenazas a líderes Yaquis y mujeres de la misma etnia, defensoras de los Derechos Humanos de los pueblos indígenas y de la tierra.
Explicaron que se han provocado incendios de automóviles y riñas que han terminado en homicidio. Algunas mujeres de la comunidad han tenido que permanecer en lugares que consideran seguros, por recomendación de las autoridades Yaquis del pueblo de Bácum, porque al oponerse a firmar el permiso colectivo para la construcción del ducto, han recibido amenazas.”
Women from the Yaqui community (who requested anonymity for security purposes) reported that the construction of the pipeline, run by Gasoducto Aguaprieta, has generated violence ranging from clashes between members of the community, to threats against Yaquis leaders and women from the same ethnic group, and human rights defenders of indigenous peoples and environmental activists. They explained that, as a result of the conflict, cars have been ignited, and there have been fights that even killed a man. Some women in the community have had to stay in places they consider safe, since that was what Yaquis authorities of the town of Bácum recommended. They have received threats because they opposed signing the collective permit for the construction of the pipeline.
According to journalist Al-Dabi Olvera, members of the Yaqui community in Loma de Bácum haved filed complaints with the Mexican Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Last month, Gema Villela Valenzuela reported that members of the Yaqui community are still receiving threats for opposing the pipeline.

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Russian State-Run TV Network Refuses to Give Former U.S. Ambassador His Own Show · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Photo: Pixabay, edited by Kevin Rothrock
As the U.S. media explodes with reports about “Russian cyberpower” and the Kremlin’s “perfect weapon,” one of the biggest American stars in Russia’s news cycle today is a diplomat who left Moscow nearly three years ago.
For the past week, Michael McFaul has returned to Russian headlines as one of the United States’ loudest critics of Moscow’s apparent cyber-attack on the U.S. presidential election. The former ambassador has also appeared repeatedly on American television, advocating the creation of an independent investigation “like the 9-11 Commission,” and in a Dec. 10 opinion piece for The Washington Post, he urged U.S. lawmakers to “wrestle” with the possibility of blacklisting Russian state-run media outlets as “foreign agents.” In the spirit of the Donald Trump age, McFaul has also tweeted over and over regarding the need to know more about Russia’s reported hacking of American political institutions.
Constantly trolled and criticized on Twitter, McFaul has remained devoted to engaging people online for years, ever since his days as ambassador. On Sunday, following news that President-elect Trump would nominate Rex Tillerson to serve as the next U.S. secretary of state, McFaul tweeted a novel idea, reaching out to Margarita Simonyan, the chief editor of Russia Today, with an offer to host his own television show on the network.
Maybe I should host my own show on @RT_com ? @M_Simonyan ? как считаешь? будет весело! https://t.co/Phs5LUFeZw
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) December 12, 2016
In subsequent tweets, McFaul promised to “submit a resume” and “work for free,” so long as Russia Today agreed to certain conditions:
I was clear about working with RT. Ill only do if I have my own show, live and uncensored. (So far no response) https://t.co/6TNBHOOEwI
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) December 14, 2016
Three days later, Simonyan responded with sad news. Professor Michael McFaul, she explained, lacks the professional experience to host a live television show:
. @McFaul Непрофессиональные ведущие не получают шоу лайв, чтоб не позориться. Лайв надо заслужить годами безупречного труда.
— Маргарита Симоньян (@M_Simonyan) December 14, 2016
Inexperienced hosts don’t get live shows, so they don’t make fools of themselves. You have to earn a live show with years of impeccable work.
Without access to Russia Today’s live, uncensored airwaves, McFaul has refused to host a show on the network. Nevertheless, Simonyan says she’s willing to discuss his ideas for a pilot episode:
. @McFaul Я же предложила сделать пилот. Делайте. Мы ждем. Или вам нужны особые условия?
— Маргарита Симоньян (@M_Simonyan) December 14, 2016
I already asked you to do a pilot. Get going. We’re waiting. Or do you need special conditions?
On Twitter, some Russia Today staff defended Simonyan’s comments, telling McFaul directly that he lacks the experience “to run a television show.” Others mocked the ambassador, when he claimed that he has been appearing on TV for the past 26 years, and even co-hosted a Russian show on the RTR network with Andrei Bystritsky in the 1990s.
While Simonyan’s remarks about professional experience appear to apply specifically to hosting a live TV show, her insistence that “years of impeccable work” are required for the job seems to contrast with some of Russia Today’s recent hiring decisions.
For instance, earlier this year, Russia Today gave mixed martial arts champion Jeff Monson his own online series, where the athlete lectures viewers about “how to defend yourself from American trolls” and “avoid a knockout in the information ring.” In some promotional materials, Monson appears in a t-shirt bearing the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union.
In 2012, Russia Today also aired 12 episodes of “The Julian Assange Show” (also known as “World Tomorrow”), where the Wikileaks hacker interviewed various public figures. This first brush with hosting a television program would be the beginning of the now common claim in the Western media that Assange acts as a “useful idiot” for the Kremlin.
At least one Russian official, Senator Alexey Pushkov, has also joined the Twitter assault on McFaul, writing on Dec. 14 that the former ambassador’s conditions for working with Russia Today are unreasonable. “It would be like CNN giving me my own show on their network,” Pushkov tweeted, recycling Moscow’s often-repeated comparison between the state-run Russia Today news network and the privately owned and operated Cable News Network.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Albanians From Macedonia Cross Ethnic Lines to Vote Against Ruling Parties · Global Voices
Adrijana Selmani

Albanian and Macedonian flag joined at anti-fascist protest in Skopje on October 11, 2016. Photo by Vančo Džambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
A very un-Balkan thing happened during the Macedonian election. Instead of voting for ‘their’ ethnic parties, many ethnic Albanians decided to vote for the opposition Social Democrats (SDSM), who recently re-branded themselves as more multi-ethnic.
Currently, Macedonia is going through the tumultuous process of forming a new government after parliamentary elections on 11 December. The initial election results are controversial — and contested — so it's uncertain which party will have more members of parliament in the end. Nevertheless, even though the ruling parties seem to have a slight lead, it is evident that their support has dropped dramatically in comparison to previous elections.
This is a historical moment for the people of Macedonia, especially for the Albanian community, who for the first time gave a significant number of votes to a political party in opposition that had been previously considered to be ‘ethnic Macedonian.’ Ethnicity plays a big role in Macedonian politics, and Albanians are the country's second-largest ethnic community. But this time around, SDSM included ethnic Albanians in its lists of candidates for members of parliament, opened local offices and held rallies in predominantly ethnic Albanian municipalities.
However, many Albanians did still vote for the ethnic Albanian political party Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), which seems to have won 10 parliamentary mandates. DUI is one of the ruling parties, and has maintained a stable government coalition — dominated by the ethnic Macedonian VMRO-DPMNE — since 2008. However, the projected number of DUI members of parliament falls well below the 19 achieved during the 2014 elections, which was before the coalition became mired in numerous scandals revealed by a series of leaked wiretapped conversations of journalists, opposition members, members of government and more.
Edited photo of Nikola Gruevski widely used on social media to promote the petition.
The recordings were done reportedly on the order of ex-Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who is the current leader of VMRO-DPMNE. Some ethnic Albanian citizens of Macedonia started an online petition on December 14 in order to tell the Albanian political parties to say “NO” to VMRO-DPMNE and Gruevski when it comes to forming a government. The petition gained several hundred votes in a few hours, and had been shared on social media.
VMRO-DPMNE also stoked Albanian anger during the election campaign for using “coded” hate speech against Albanians — another big reason why some in the community don't want Albanian political parties to work with VMRO-DPMNE.

author: Adrijana Selmani


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Controversial Legislation in Bangladesh Highlights the Complexity of Child Marriage · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

Almost half of the women population of Bangladesh are 20-24 years old. Many of them are married off before they reach 18, the legal age for marriage. Image from Flickr by SAM Nasim. CC BY 2.0
On November 24, 2016, the controversial Child Marriage Restraint Act 2016 was given a nod of approval by the cabinet of Bangladesh. With a goal of reducing the high rate of child marriage in Bangladesh, the act criminalizes violations of the minimum marriage age — 21 years old for men and 18 years old for women — with a fine and jail. The severity of the punishment varies, depending on the role a person played in the marriage.
However, the act contains a new provision saying that in “special cases”, such as pregnancy, a girl is allowed to marry with parental consent and a court order in order to “protect her honor”.
A lot of debates are happening in the country about this exception. There are fears it will legitimise statutory rape and encourage the practice of child marriage.
Child marriage is a global problem affecting 15 million girls every year. Bangladesh is among 20 countries where child marriage is a norm despite existing laws against it. Only a decade ago many women, especially in rural areas, were married off before they reached 18.
That trend is now decreasing as Bangladesh has made significant progress towards achieving gender equity. Some of the factors that drive children marriage include poverty, a desire to keep girls safe, and a lack of education allowing self-sufficiency. The girls subject to an early marriage suffer from health concerns and are subject to domestic violence.
It will actually be EASIER to arrange child marriages in Bangladesh, thanks to this loophole. #LeveltheLaw https://t.co/eZ356srCGE
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) December 12, 2016
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has defended the new provision amidst criticism from different rights groups including Human Rights Watch, which deemed it a huge step backwards. She argued in parliament that these criticisms are far from reality:
বাস্তবতাকে বিবেচনা নিয়েই বাল্যবিবাহ আইনটি করছি। গ্রামের পারিবারিক মূল্যবোধ ও সমস্যা সম্পর্কে তাঁদের কোনো ধারণা নেই। যে কারণে তাঁদের অনেক বড় বড় কথা। এঁরা রাজধানীতে বসবাস করেন। রাজধানীর পরিবেশটাই তাঁরা দেখেন।
আমরা ১৮ বছর পর্যন্ত বিয়ের বয়স নির্ধারণ করে দিয়েছি। কিন্তু একটি মেয়ে যদি… যে কোনো কারণে ১২-১৩ বা ১৪-১৫ বছরের সময়ে গর্ভবতী হয়ে যায়- তাকে গর্ভপাত করানো গেল না। তাহলে যে শিশুটি জন্ম নেবে তার অবস্থান কী হবে? তাকে কী সমাজ গ্রহণ করবে?
This law has been formulated taking the reality of society into consideration. Those who criticize do not have any idea about the family values and problems of girls in rural areas. They talk big sitting in the capital. They only take the society of big cities into consideration.
We’ve fixed the minimum age for girls to marry at 18. But what if any of them becomes pregnant at 12-13 or 14-15 and abortion can’t be conducted? What will happen to the baby? Will society accept it?
Sex without marriage is still a taboo in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Blogger and poet Ashraf Mahmud questioned in a Facebook post what is meant by the “interest of the minor” in the law:
অভিভাবকের সম্মতি”তে যখন মেয়েটির বয়স ১৮ বছরের আগেই বিয়ের ব্যবস্থা রাখা হয় তখন আপনি বা আপনারা খেয়াল রাখেন না যে আমাদের দেশে অধিকাংশ অভিভাবকরা এই মনোভাব রাখেন যে মেয়ের বিয়ে দিতে পারা এক ধরণের দায়মেটানো, অধিকাংশ মেয়েদের বিয়ে হয় পরিবার ও অভিভাবকের চাপে, নিজ অসম্মতিতে; সেই অভিভাবক ও পরিবারের উপর সিদ্ধান্তের আইনী বৈধতা দিয়ে আপনি বা আপনারা মেয়েদের আত্মসম্মানবোধ ও নারী-অধিকারকে অপমান করছেন।
When you make the special provision that minor girls can be married off before 18 with the consent of her parents, you ignore the fact that many parents feel that their children are a liability. Many girls are forced into arranged marriages by their parents, without their consent or choice. You have disrespected the dignity of girls and neglected their rights by making it legal for parents to give consent for marriage in special circumstances.
Tuhin Das observed:
এখনো পর্যন্ত দক্ষিণ এশিয়ার দেশগুলোর মাঝে কন্যাশিশুর পরিস্থিতি বিবেচনায় বাংলাদেশের অবস্থান সব দেশের নিচে, বাল্যবিবাহ আইন সংশোধন সে পরিস্থিতি ও সুযোগ আরো সংকোচন করে তলানিতে নিয়ে আসবে। বিশেষ পরিস্থিতিতে (যেমন ধর্ষণের কারণে গর্ভধারণ) বাবামায়ের অনুমতি থাকলে ১৪ বছরের মেয়েকেও বিয়ে দেয়া যাবে। [..] অর্ধবিকৃত সমাজের চাপের কাছে মাথা নত করে ধর্ষককে বিয়ে করতে বাধ্য হবে কন্যাশিশুরা।
So far Bangladesh ranks below other South Asian countries in terms of child marriage. This amendment to the child marriage law will push Bangladesh far below. In special circumstances (pregnancy in consequence of rape) even 14-year-old girls can be married off with the consent of the parents. […] Victims of rapes would be forced to marry their rapists, forced by this so-called society.
Journalist Syed Ishtiaque Reza pointed out some anomalies in the provision:
দেশ জুড়ে মেয়েদের ওপর বেড়ে চলা যৌন-হিংসার জেরে, সর্বত্র মেয়েদের, বিশেষত অল্পবয়সি মেয়েদের, পথেঘাটে বেরোনোর আত্মবিশ্বাসে অনেকটাই ফাটল ধরেছে। প্রশ্ন হল, নতুন আইন এলে ইভ টিজিং-এর শিকার মেয়েদের দ্রুত বিয়ের আয়োজন করবেন বাবা-মা’রা এবং তারা ব্যবহার করবে এই বিশেষ বিধান। যখন প্রয়োজন নিরাপত্তার অভাবে ভুগতে-থাকা মেয়েদের মনে সাহস জোগানো, তখন যদি এমনটা ঘটে তাহলে লিঙ্গ-ন্যায্যতা কতটা নিশ্চিত করা যাবে?
Girls across Bangladesh are subject to street harassment and other sexual harassment and the parents of young girls are afraid to let them out. The question is, will this provision prompt parents of victims of street harassment to arrange their marriage early by exploiting its loopholes? When it is required to console and motivate the victims of street or sexual harassment, if they are married off early, how can we achieve gender equality?
Many however, supported the prime minister. Asha Naznin explained how the law will protect girls:
বাংলাদেশে বিয়ের আগে এক মেয়ে প্রেগন্যান্ট হইছে, আপনি তারে ঘরে জায়গা দিবেন?
দিবেন না|
তার বাচ্চারে ‘জারজ’ না বইল্যা কাছে ডেকে আদর করবেন?
করবেন না|
অতএব, ১৮ বছরের আগে বিয়ে করা যাবে না, এইসব এনজিও মার্কা বুলি আপনার আমার বেলায় খাটে|
কিন্তু, গ্রামের খুব সাধারণ খেটে খাওয়া পরিবার যখন ‘মেয়ে’ কে নিয়ে বিপদে পড়ে, মোল্লারা দোররা নিয়ে ধেয়ে আসে, তখন আপনি আমি কেউ যাব না- ওই মেয়েকে কিংবা তার পরিবারকে উদ্ধার করতে|
এই আইন তখন ভুক্তভোগী পরিবারকে সুরক্ষা দেবে|
Will you give shelter to a Bangladeshi girl who has become pregnant before marriage? You won't. Will you love her child without mentioning the word “bastard”? No, you won't. So “you cannot marry a girl off before 18″, this kind of development agency speak is applicable to you and me, the urban people. But when a poor family living in a village has the problem of unwanted pregnancy in their underage daughter, you and me won't be there to solve that or rescue them. This law will protect them.
Kamruzzaman Kamrul also lauded the step by the government:
ঢাকা বসে থেকে গ্রামের বাস্তব পরিস্থিতি বোঝা যাবে না। সুশীল সমাজ বাল্যবিবাহ দেখতে পেলেও কেনো বাল্যবিবাহ হয় তা খুঁজে দেখতে নারাজ। মানুষের আর্থ সামাজিক উন্নয়ন হলে, সামাজিক নিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিত হলে, শিক্ষার হার বৃদ্ধি পেলে এমনিতেই বাল্যবিবাহের হার কমে আসবে। সেজন্য সময় দরকার।
You cannot understand the reality fully sitting in the capital. Civil society easily can see child marriage but is blind to the fact why it happens. When there is development in society, social security ensured, the rate of literacy increased, child marriages will fall. We need time for that.
During the Girl Summit in England in 2014, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged to end child marriage under 15 in Bangladesh by 2021, and end all child marriage under 18 by 2041.
According to the demographic and health survey 2007, the average age of marriage for women in Bangladesh is 15 years and three months. Among the 20-24 age group of women, 66% are married before 18. In 2004, the percentage was 68%.
The main reason for child marriage in Bangladesh is societal pressure. The parents deem girls as liabilities, so many do not receive proper education. The think that girls will become a burden for them when they are older and that the marriage ceremony and dowry will cost more money, which they cannot afford, so they want to marry off their girls at the earliest opportunity.
According to a government survey, more than half of the child marriages in Bangladesh happen with the insistence of the parents.
This documentary by Human Rights Watch explains what the risks girls face as a consequence of child marriage are:
Bangladesh has shown remarkable development in the past decades especially in the field of empowerment of women. Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to achieve gender-parity in primary education. The maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh has declined sharply by more than 66% over the last two decades. The fact that the rate of child marriage is still high despite these other achievements is unfortunate, and a question that needs to be answered.

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


text:
Gambians Fear President Jammeh Is ‘Putting the Lives of Citizens at Risk’ With His Rejection of Election Results · Global Voices
Demba Kandeh

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. Public domain photo by the White House uploaded online by Wikipedia user Alifazal.
President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia has rejected the results of the 1 December presidential elections in the tiny West African nation, which he lost to opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow. In a televised address, Jammeh criticised the electoral commission and proposed fresh elections to be organised by “God-fearing” people.
Jammeh previously had conceded defeat and promised a smooth transfer of power, describing Gambia's electoral system as “rig-proof” and transparent, and adding that the opposition victory was a “clear victory”. The Chief of Defence Staff (head of the army) pledged allegiance to the president-elect after Jammeh did so.
However, Jammeh's rejection of the results came barely 24 hours after he promoted 49 junior officers of the Gambia Armed Forces. There were unconfirmed reports that some senior members of the army exerted pressure on Jammeh to concede defeat.
Here is a video of Jammeh rejecting the results.
Following his announcement on national television, Gambians took to social media to protest Jammeh's decision.
Sait Matty Jaw criticised Jammeh's move, saying that he risks the peace and stability of the country:
The defeated dictator in Gambia has rejected the rigged prof elections that he organised at lost. Now putting The Gambia at a very critical position. As Gambians we spoke loud and clear that we no longer need the services of Jammeh. His current move has put the tiny country that have been non for its stable nature into a dire situation that needs immediate global attention. Jammeh lost hand down in a system he has created and now is putting the lives of citizens at risk.
Kemo Cham warned that anyone supporting Jammeh's rejection of the results maybe guilty of treason:
Anyone, including members of the Gambian army, who supports this man, is equally guilty of treason.
Even the person who wrote that speech. I know he is not intelligent enough to speak such good English. This moron!
Another social media user wrote of Jammeh's decision: “By this, it's Crystal Clear that he want to get us to war. Our last hope presently is the members of our #ArmedForces, stand up for Gambia.”
While Samsudeen Phatey wrote: “Yahya Jammeh, you said it was the will of Allah and that you will never question Allah. Why are you questioning Allah now? #JammehMustGo#GambiaDecided“
Jeffrey Smith tweeted a call of action to regional leaders in the African Union and the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS):
African Union & ECOWAS leadership: It is time to be relevant, time to stand up to this brute once and for all. This is unacceptable. #Gambia
— Jeffrey Smith (@Smith_JeffreyT) December 9, 2016
Madi Jobarteh, a human rights activist, noted that Jammeh's decision is not in line with Gambian law.
The announcement by Pres. Yaya Jammeh to reject the December 1 presidential election has no basis in law. It is unconstitutional and an affront on our national sovereignty and dignity.
The election was conducted 9 days ago. The results were validated by the representatives of all the parties including [Jammeh's party] APRC in each and every counting center in the country. The results were announced by the Chairman of the [Independent Election Commission] who declared Adama Barrow the elected President of the Republic of the Gambia on national television. On December 2 Yaya Jammeh conceded defeat and called to congratulate the president-elect Adama Barrow on national television.
Dr Isatou Touray, who withdrew her candidature to support the opposition coalition flagbearer Adama Barrow, tweeted:
President Jammeh's rejection of the election results is a rape against democracy. pic.twitter.com/cGD0r9kXQ5
— Dr. Isatou Touray (@DrIsatouTouray) December 10, 2016
In the meantime, there is heavy military installations across the capital with security checkpoints mounted in strategic locations. Jammeh said he has vowed to crush any public demonstrations and urged everyone to go about their regular business until fresh elections are held.
The Senegalese foreign minister, Mankeur Ndiaye, has condemned Jammeh's rejection of the election results. According to reports, he has reportedly summoned a United Nation Security Council meeting on the situation and has notified regional organisations such ECOWAS and the African Union.
The African Union has called a statement by President Jammeh rejecting his loss “null and void” since he had already conceded defeat. The European Union has urged President Jammeh to fully respect the rule of law and will of the Gambian people.
Meanwhile, Gambia has denied the ECOWAS chair landing space at the Banjul International Airport.
The other losing party, Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), led by Mamma Kandeh has said it is dismayed by Jammeh's rejection of the results, adding that GDC has accepted the election outcome.

author: Demba Kandeh


text:
Ghanaians Call Out CNN for Misrepresenting Their Country in Post-Election Coverage · Global Voices
Kofi Yeboah

A supermarket in Accra, Ghana. Creative Commons image by Flickr user Michael Sean Gallagher.
Following a successful and peaceful election on December 7, Twitter was awash on Sunday, December 11 with messages from Ghanaians saying that they had attended to church to give thanks to God for the smooth outcome or to celebrate with the winning party.
However, a tweet from Ghanaian sports journalist Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) struck a much different note. Gary had published a screenshot of part of an article written by American broadcaster CNN about Ghana's election in which the country was characterized as suffering food shortages. In his tweet to his over 166,000 followers, using the hashtag #CNNGetItRight he said:
Uhm @CNN, I didn't know Ghanaians “stand in long lines to obtain products” or “struggle to obtain food”. And I live there. #CNNGetItRightpic.twitter.com/tpyosBIrJJ
— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) December 11, 2016
Gary was disappointed that the article written by CNN did not give a true picture about the economy of Ghana. In the second paragraph of the article, it read, in reference to President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo:
The national economy will be Akufo-Addo’s major challenge. Oil reserves were discovered off the coast of Ghana in 2007, but Ghanaians struggle to obtain food and day-to-day services. Rolling blackouts are common and citizens often stand in long line to obtain products.
The article misrepresents reality on the ground in Ghana. Ghanaians generally do not struggle for food and day-to-day services, and they have access to enough food and resources. If you were to see food-related queues these days, it might be to buy the local delicacy called “Waakye,” which is a favourite dish made from rice mixed with beans — but the long queue is a sign of the quality of the Waakye, not because there's a critical food shortage.
In the past, there were challenges with access to power due to an energy crisis, but currently, Ghanaians have access to power and do not experience rolling blackouts as depicted by CNN.
Gary's tweet sparked lots of anger from Ghanaians against CNN, and many responded ridiculing CNN for the inaccurate coverage. Other Ghanaian journalists, such as Nana Ama Agyemang (@JustNanaAma) of Citi FM, tweeted:
Such a lazy coverage of a fantastic story by @CNN. No nuance, just the usual template “Africans are suffering.”#CNNGetItRight
— Nana Ama Agyemang (@JustNanaAma) December 11, 2016
The first lady of Ghana, Lordina Mahama (@firstladyGhana), told CNN to report accurately about Ghana:
#CNNGetItRight we are a beautiful and thriving country. Kindly report accurately on us.
— Lordina Mahama (@FirstLadyGhana) December 11, 2016
Some local media houses also picked up the story. Myjoyonline exposed even more errors in the article, pointing out that it was written by two authors who were neither in Ghana nor Ghanaian:
The errors brought ridicule from Ghanaians, who got even more annoyed when it emerged that the article was written by a Nigerian journalist based in Lagos, Stephanie Busari, and another based in Atlanta, Ralph Ellis.
The article, among other errors, also incorrectly said the people of the country are ‘Ghanians’, instead of ‘Ghanaians’.
In addition, the story even got the final results wrong. It said: “Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party won 5,180,389 to 4,193,861 or about 55% to 45%, reported representatives at the EC National Collation Centre which verified results sheets from 241 constituencies.”
This was inaccurate because the EC's account of 241 constituencies gave Nana Addo 54.69%, and John Mahama 43.60%, so it's surprising the network quoted that number.
Another factual error said that Ghana’s president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo had contested a general election in 1998, when elections were actually contested in 1996 and 2000.
Other international media houses including the BBC, far-right American website Breitbart and the Russian-government funded broadcaster RT picked up the story.
Efo Dela cynically speculated the decision making that went into the article:
CNN: we shd write abt Gh's successful elections
Also CNN: ppl won't read it. Add “struggle to obtain food” ppl like that sh!t#CNNGetItRightpic.twitter.com/0L8t9XNoI0
— Efo #GhanaDecides (@Amegaxi) December 11, 2016
Eventually, CNN, in response to the tweets, corrected the errors in the article and indicated in the editor's note that the previous article did not give a true picture of Ghana's economy. Jemila Abdulai (@Jabdulai), a writer and a blogger, tweeted the screenshot of the corrected article:
The @CNN story on Ghana's elections has finally been amended. #CNNGetItRight #GhanaDecides pic.twitter.com/EE7QDMHcwY
— Jemila #GhanaDecides (@jabdulai) December 11, 2016
Mawuli Tsikata (@MawuliTsikata), an online manager for CitiFm, asked CNN to apologise:
.@CNN We notice the changes to the earlier story. Can you now issue a public apology to Ghanaians. #CNNGetItRight
— Mawuli Tsikata (@MawuliTsikata) December 11, 2016
All in all, many Ghanaians are happy they were able to put pressure on CNN to correct the poor reportage about the country, but it's unfortunate that it happened in the first place.
A CNN spokesperson forwarded along the following statement:”This story should never have been published in its original form. CNN’s editorial procedures were not followed, and we have thoroughly reviewed our internal processes to ensure this does not happen again. The article has been corrected and Stephanie Busari’s byline was removed because she was not involved in writing this piece. We apologize for any offence caused.”

author: Kofi Yeboah


text:
Japan’s ‘Kanji of the Year’ Choice Refers to the Olympics, Political Scandal and Trump · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

The Chinese character kin (金) has been named the kanji that best symbolizes the year 2016 for Japan. Screencap from ANN News official YouTube Channel.
The Chinese character kin (金) has been named the kanji that best symbolizes the year 2016 for Japan. Chinese characters are known as kanji (漢字) in Japan, and the character “金” means “gold”,”wealth” or “money” in Japanese.
This year's kanji was selected by the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society (財団法人日本漢字能力検定協会. Zaidan hōjin Nihon Kanji Nōryoku kentei kyōkai), based on the results of a nationwide poll. More than 150,000 people from around Japan voted on a list of kanji, and “gold” ranked first, with 6,655 ballots.
In its news release, the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society explained that “gold” was a suitable representative kanji for the year 2016 because of Japan's performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the country won 12 gold medals. The kanji “金” can also be read as kane, or “money”, which played a role in the downfall of former Tokyo Governor Masuzoe Yoichi, who was forced to resign in 2016 because of an expense scandal.
The Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society recorded various comments by voters about why they thought ”金” should be the kanji of the year. Some cheekily explained that US President-elect Donald Trump's “golden hair” was also part of the gold theme of 2016.
The 2016 kanji of the year was unveiled at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, and was a major news event.
皆さんにとって、今年の漢字は何でしたか？　今年の漢字は「金」　清水寺https://t.co/0NZjOuPW6K pic.twitter.com/AXn8srnB8H
— 産経ニュースＷＥＳＴ (@SankeiNews_WEST) December 12, 2016
Which Chinese character did Japan choose to represent the past year? This year it's the character for “gold.” (At Kiyomizu Temple)
Japanese voters sent in suggestions for kanji of the year. After “gold”, number two on the list was “選”, which means “select”, “choose”, or “vote” — possibly a reference to the US elections in November. Number three was “変”, which means “strange” or “unusual”, much like Donald Trump's hairstyle, or the surprise results of the Brexit vote in the UK in June.
The eighth and ninth most popular 2016 kanji characters on the list also attracted some attention. When added together, the two form “不倫” (furin), the Japanese word for “infidelity”.
今年の漢字1位はリオ五輪とかにちなんで「金」らしいけど、個人的にそっちよりも8.9位の「不」「倫」に目がいってしまった pic.twitter.com/8F3wIi6Axb
— ねこぽん (@nekopone) December 12, 2016
While the 2016 kanji of the year, “gold”, has something to do with the Olympics, the eighth and ninth characters, when combined together create “infidelity”, and certainly stand out.
Japanese netizens had fun with kin being the kanji of the year. For example, it is the family name of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un (金正恩).
今年の漢字が「金」になって喜ぶ将軍様です pic.twitter.com/5lRQ5xoYk0
— 聖ζ懺悔王(要出典) (@320airline) December 12, 2016
The fact that kin is the kanji of the year has made a certain supreme leader very happy.
Other Japanese netizens discussed the fact that the official calligraphy used to represent kin is somewhat hard to read. A promotional Twitter account for popular web series Eagle Talon (秘密結社 鷹の爪) made a clever parody of the 2016 kanji announcement:
今年の漢字は「金」だそうです。ぶっちゃけ全く「金」って読めませんでした！
きっと漢字って、読めない字ほど「達筆だ！」と賞賛されるものなんすよ。
だから僕も今年の漢字を書きました！今年の漢字は「鷹」です。#今年の漢字 #鷹の爪 #清水寺 #達筆 pic.twitter.com/6IImQKKPYW
— 吉田@鷹の爪団(本物) (@yoshida_justice) December 12, 2016
The 2016 kanji of the year is “gold”, and I don't mind saying that I can't read the calligraphy at all! It seems like it was just dashed off as soon as the announcement was made.
So, I've decide to write my own 2016 kanji of the year! It's 鷹 [taka, meaning “hawk”]!
Another Twitter user suggest that “carp” (鯉, koi) be made the 2016 kanji of the year, after the Hiroshima Carp baseball team won their first Central League pennant since 1981. In the photoshopped images below, Carps slugger Arai Takahiro sneakily makes the kanji for “carp” the character for 2016:
どうしても今年の漢字に納得がいかなかった新井さん#新井さんクソコラグランプリ#今年の漢字 pic.twitter.com/ZU0UVL75xv
— 池邉宗行 (@muneyuki_ikebe) December 12, 2016
Arai was just not satisfied with the choice for kanji of the year.
Parody news site Rising Wasabi thought viral singing sensation PPAP should have been chosen:
海外の虚構新聞みたいなサイトなのかな？ https://t.co/CyKC4qEE4A
— Kim TaeDoo (@taedookim) December 13, 2016
Is this perhaps from Kyoku Shimbun [a satirical news site]?
“PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)” was the 2016's top viral song:
This article has been updated.

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
The 2016 Word of the Year Down Under? ‘Democracy Sausage’. · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

‘Democracy sausage’ has been awarded the Oz word of the year by the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC).
Democracy Sausage. By Silent Billy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
ANDC's definition reads, ‘A barbecued sausage served on a slice of bread, bought at a polling booth sausage sizzle on election day’. (Australia held its national election on 2 July 2016.)
It seems confusing that two words can win. Not everyone liked the idea:
All good except for the fact that, at the risk of being pedantic, “Democracy sausage” is a phrase not a word, so… https://t.co/GGLPiSegb6
— Anthony Element (@observationpt) December 13, 2016
ANDC explained: “Because it’s a compound, defined as ‘a word made up of two or more existing words’. A compound has a specific meaning that we can’t necessarily deduce from knowing the meaning of each part.”
It had some stiff competition:
#Shoey #DemocracySausage #CensusFail #SmashedAvo #Australia
— Jacey Hammond (@jacehammy2) December 14, 2016
#CensusFail was a viral twitter hashtag resulting from the crash of the national census website in August 2016. These contenders and others are explained in detail here.
This kind of thread inevitably brings out the punsters (or people who play on words):
⚡ “'Democracy sausage' snags 2016 Word of the Year”https://t.co/WfpBBiXqc1
— John Bergin (@theburgerman) December 13, 2016
‘Snag’ (sausage) is an Australianism, as is ‘sausage sizzle’ (fundraising barbecue). Both can be found in the latest edition of the Australian National Dictionary launched in August 2016.
The snags in the case of democracy sausage are part of fundraising that not-for-profit organisations do on election day. Parents and friends groups are the most common as many polling booths are located in schools:
First Ever Federal Democracy Sausage @ Erskineville Public School https://t.co/iunwvDSJZA
— Eliot Hastie (@Hastie93) July 2, 2016
During the election in July, some weren't happy about missing out:
arrived too late for the voters sausage sizzle….ensue an acute depressive state with sombre… https://t.co/YBQHkcWk1w
— Freya Kate (@kate_freya) July 2, 2016
And some just weren't happy about their local BBQ:
Having to walk through a cloud of smoke from the sausage sizzle is… https://t.co/edyyXTZUVF
— Mike Pickard (@mikepickard) July 2, 2016
Democracy sausage may be the word of the year down under, but ‘post-truth’ must be a hot favourite to be the global word of the year.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
When You’re Black and Foreign in Brazil: An African Medical Student Shares His Story · Global Voices
Taisa Sganzerla

Fleury Johnson, who's from Togo, in the Sugarloaf trek in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Published with permission.
In 2011, when Fleury Johnson decided to move from his hometown of Lomé, in Togo, to study medicine in Rio de Janeiro, he had the same ideas about Brazil as most foreigners. He thought Brazilians were joyful and had a positive attitude towards life. Johnson knew the country's economy had been growing, but that its population still faces problems similar to those of Africa. But most of all, he thought Brazil had no racism, and that blacks and whites live there in harmony.
The 24-year-old student didn't expect such a rude awakening, especially when it came to racism in Brazil.
“I was shocked as soon as I arrived in Guarulhos airport in São Paulo. There were just whites. I wondered if I was really in Brazil,” he told Global Voices.
In 2016, while still halfway through his undergraduate degree in medicine at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (one of the most prestigious in the country), Johnson decided to start blogging about his life in Brazil, writing in Portuguese, which he now speaks fluently. He practices a kind of free-form blogging that went out of style a decade ago, writing about absolutely everything, from hiking trails around Rio to the meaning of African names. He's especially keen to educate Brazilians about his home continent, particularly his homeland Togo.
But the subject that has probably gripped his readers the most is his shock about the racism he's encountered, since crossing the Atlantic.
In July, his post titled “Brazil vs. Reality” went viral, getting republished by several mass media outlets and generating an enormous amount of feedback. “Some people contacted me to say they wanted to use my post on their Master's and PhD thesis, which made me very happy”.
In the text, Johnson described his personal encounters with racism in Brazil, such as trying to apply for an internship at a hospital, when the attendant doubted his identity as a medical student. Another time, a patient refused to accept Johnson's care because he is black. And these experiences aren't rare among black people studying medicine in Brazil, Johnson says.
“After that post went viral, many young black Brazilians who wanted to study medicine contacted me, saying that I was an inspiration to them”.
Johnson's blog is also remarkable for his accounts of how being both black and a foreigner plays out in everyday life. The legacy of more than 300 years of the transatlantic slave-trade in Brazil mixes with the country's place in the developing world, where Brazilians are known for their open-mindedness and curiosity towards foreigners.
Johnson described the following incident on his blog:
Aqui em casa meus amigos(todos pretos) falaram para a gente ir até para o mercado arrumado. A primeira vez que fui desarrumado, uma mulher que estava na minha frente atravessou a rua rapidamente. Depois que ela percebeu que entrei no mercado, ela também entrou e foi puxar assunto comigo porque percebeu que eu estava indo só comprar. Ela percebeu então pelo meu sotaque que eu sou estrangeiro e se animou em conversar mais. Imagina o que passa o negro pobre da favela.
Here at home, my friends (all black) told us to go to the supermarket well-dressed. The first time that I was badly dressed, a woman in front of me crossed the street quickly. Afterwards, she realized that I entered the supermarket, she entered it, too, and went to talk to me because she realized I was just going to shop. She then realized by my accent that I was a foreigner and was excited to talk more. Imagine how a black person from a favela might have been treated.
Elaborating on this episode, Johnson told Global Voices:
Eu acho que o negro estrangeiro já é visto diferente do negro brasileiro, porque tem sotaque, fala outra língua, e o brasileiro gosta disso. A gente sofre preconceito até abrir a boca. […] Quando sabem que somos estrangeiros, esquecem da nossa cor, e são interessados mas histórias e experiências que temos para contar.
I think the black foreigner is seen in a different way from the black Brazilian, because we have an accent, we speak another language, and Brazilians like that. We suffer prejudice until we open our mouths. When they realize we're foreigners, they forget our skin color and are more interested in the histories and experiences we have to tell.
Johnson also describes the time a Brazilian friend assumed that Brazilian beauty standards (which usually involve features like white skin and straight hair) were the “worldwide” standard:
Em 2012 uma amiga me perguntou se eu sabia qual o estado padrão de beleza no Brasil. Eu pensei: a Bahia tem mais negros, logicamente é a Bahia. Ela disse “não”, e então chutei o Rio de Janeiro, pois após a Bahia é o estado com maior número de negros. Ela respondeu “não. É o Rio grande do Sul e Florianópolis SC”, e ela emendou ainda : é padrão de beleza no mundo inteiro. Fiz-me uns questionamentos como: será que é mesmo? Em que mundo eu vivia e não sabia disso? […]. Eu já visitei 7 países da África e tenho certeza que na África negra, o padrão de beleza é outro. É bonito ter cabelo crespo, enrolado, lábios e nariz grande.
Back in 2012, a friend asked if I knew which Brazilian state better represented the country's “beauty standards.” I thought: “Bahia has more blacks, so it must be Bahia.” She said no. So I guessed Rio de Janeiro, which after Bahia is the blackest state. She said, “No, it's Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina” [two southern Brazilian states that received a large influx of German migration in the early 20th century, rendering their populations distinctly “whiter” than the average Brazilian]. She also said, “That's the beauty standard in the whole world.” I kept wondering: Really? In what world did I live that I did not know this? […] I have visited seven countries in Africa, and I'm sure that in black Africa, the beauty standard is another one entirely. It's beautiful to have curly hair, full lips, and a large nose.”
Brazilians might be curious about foreigners, but Johnson also highlights their general ignorance about Africa. For him, it would be important that Brazilians knew about Africa from Africans, not Europeans, which is how the country gets its information about most places throughout the world.
He told Global Voices:
Muitos brasileiros não conhecem o Togo. É triste, porque o Brasil tem muita ligação com o Togo historicamente. Muitos negros brasileiros vieram do Togo, e teve outros que voltaram pro Togo depois da escravidão. O primeiro presidente do Togo era descendente de Brasileiro. O Brasileiro acha que vivemos numa pobreza imensa, uns não sabem nem que tem aeroporto lá. Muita gente acha que na África só tem miséria, guerra, e acham que é só um país. Ou que a África é um país da Angola ou o Togo é um país da Angola. É verdade que tem guerra, problemas na África, mas não em todos os países, e cada país tem sua organização, seu sistema que é diferente do outro, como aqui na América do Sul que a Argentina é diferente do Brasil, da Bolívia, etc…
Many Brazilians don't know Togo. It's sad, because Brazil has many historical connections with Togo. Many [ancestors of] black Brazilians came from Togo, and many returned to Togo after slavery was abolished [in 1889]. The first president of Togo was a descendent of a Brazilian. Brazilians think we live in complete poverty, and many don't know we have an airport there. Many people think that in Africa there's only misery and war, and they think it's just one country. Or that Africa is a country within Angola, or that Togo is a country inside Angola. It's true that there is war and there are problems, but it's not in every country. Each has its own organization and system, and all are different from one another, like here in South America, where Argentina is different from Brazil or Bolivia.
Johnson points out that one reason why his post might have gone viral is precisely because he's an outsider. “I wish the point of view of black Brazilians on those issues was taken into account as well,” he says.
What's next for Johnson? He plans to return to Togo after he finishes his studies, though he loves many aspects of Brazilian life: the people, the happiness, the diverse culture, and the beautiful landscapes. But he worries about what kind of future his children would have in Brazil. “I don't want their hair or their physical features to be the subject of jokes while they're at school,” he says.

author: Taisa Sganzerla