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Taiwan: Media Workers Act to Save Journalistic Autonomy · Global Voices
vita.tw

In response to the erosion of journalistic autonomy as exemplified by the smear campaign of the Want Want China Times Group against a Journalism scholar and the sale plan of Next Media's print business in Taiwan, professional journalists, scholars and independent media workers start to put forward concrete plans and take action to save professional journalism.
Are journalists destined to be disposable in the media industry? How can journalists maintain their professional autonomy and be independent from their employer’s control? These are the burning questions in the Taiwanese journalist circle these days. The answer of course is “No”, but with many different solutions.
Employees from Apple Daily formed an union to assert their rights.  (Photo provided by the Apple Daily Worker Union)
Agreement to ensure autonomy in journalism
Some urged media owners to sign autonomy agreements with their journalists to safeguard professional journalism against intervention. Ho Jungshin, founding president of the Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) who initiated the “March for Journalism Autonomy” [zh] eighteen years ago, decided to resign from the postion of Deputy Chief Editor at Want Want China Times to protest against the media's smear campaign despite his employer Tsai Eng-Meng‘s rigorous persuasion for him to stay. He rebuked [zh] Tsai Eng-Meng:
「如何挽留」比「拚死挽留」更加重要，誠摰期盼旺中集團未來能登高一呼，率先簽定編輯部公約，帶動所有媒體簽定，以具體行動落實專業自主規範，提升新聞工作者的專業尊嚴，成為台灣新聞界的重要里程碑。
What he used to persuade me is more important than his rigorous persuasion style. [I] earnestly wish that the Want Want China Times Group will take the lead to sign the autonomy agreement so that other media will follow the example. Such a move is to ensure the integrity of journalists and will be a milestone in the development of Taiwan journalism.
Meanwhile at Apply Daily, two hundred employees, including nine deputy chief editors, swiftly formed a workers union on 29 September and elected Tsai Ryh Yun as chairperson. Tsai said [zh]:
第一個要面對的，可能就是壹傳媒經營權易主問題，工會的主要兩個訴求，即推動與資方簽定團體協約和編輯室公約，希望保障《蘋果》原有言論自由空間與勞工權益。
The first problem is probably the change of management of Next Media Group [as a result of the change of ownership]. The union will demand that the employer sign a collective contract with the union and the autonomy agreement in order to protect freedom of expression within Apple Daily and employees’ rights.
The inauguration ceremony of Apple Daily Workers’ Union.  (Photo provided by Apple Daily Worker Union)
However, media scholars Liu Chang-De and Kuan Chung-Hsiang [zh] pointed out that employers may not follow the autonomy agreement. They quoted the example of Rupert Murdoch, who had undertaken to protect the professionalism and autonomy of The Times but tyrannically replaced the chief editor afterwards. When being reminded about his undertaking, Murdoch allegedly said, “Oh my God, you haven’t taken it for real, have you?”
They believe that autonomy in journalism has to be institutionalized through policy and legislation, in addition to collective awareness.  The Campaign for Media Reform [zh], to which they referred, advocated that “the implementation of editorial agreement and unionization of media workers should be protected by a set of media laws”. However, Shyr Howard S.H., chairman of the National Communications Commission (NCC) which promulgated policies regarding the broadcasting media, said [zh] that “there will be no separate legislation for the autonomy agreement. Future legislation would be to enhance media's self discipline and code of conduct.”
Collective ownership and media trust
Some believe that the problem lies in media ownership and advocate media workers buying a share of media organizations or setting up media trust funds so that journalists can share decision making power.
Liu Chang-De suggested [zh] the employees of Apple Daily should follow examples from overseas and find way to take control of the company by buying a share and encourage some private-funds to help them to take control of the company ownership. Such a strategy would turn the media company into a social utility which is publicly owned, regulated and shared.
Huang Jhe-Bin, the former deputy chief editor of www.chinatimes.com and the former reporter-in-chief of China Times’ investigative office, also urged Tsai Eng-Meng to hand over China Times to a trust fund. He suggested [zh] to Tsai:
讓《中國時報》如同英國的《衛報》或《經濟學人》，交付信託，某種程度上捐給社會公眾，也證實他不打算干預媒體人事及內容。
對台灣社會而言，因而得到一份真正獨立的媒體；對蔡先生而言，他能擺脫他原本沒興趣的報紙產業，也不會如此頻繁挨罵，若能如此，旺旺集團及他的社會形象，絕對會大大加分。至少，我會永遠敬佩這位豪氣阿莎力的商人，我會每天早晚在心底對他三鞠躬致敬。
Follow the examples of The Guardian or The Economist in the United Kingdom: hand over China Times to a trust fund. Such a move would represent, to some extent, a giveaway to the general public and would also show that [Tsai] had no intention to intervene with the personnel or the substance of the media.
This can bring to Taiwan genuinely independent media and allow Tsai to steer away from the newspaper industry that has never interested him and from the persistent condemnation and blame. If this ever came true, the public images of both the Want Want Group and Tsai himself would be considerably lifted. Then I would admire this valiant businessman and pay my heartfelt tribute to him three times every day and every night.
However, neither Want Want China Times nor Next Media gave an affirmative response to the suggestions.
Independent report for public interest
Many have strived to explore new paths to professional journalism outside the territories of conventional media organization.
Hu Yuan-Hui, former chief executive of Public Television Service, and Lo Shih-Hung, associate professor of National Chung Cheng University, together with some others, founded weReport [zh], a project which promotes investigative journalism through public endorsement and support. Under the slogan “You support, We report”, former journalists and independent journalists are encouraged to submit news reporting proposals, to cover the news with the support of public donations. In return their reports will be contributed back to the public domain and be free to be published by all media outlets. It is hoped that with this, professional journalists are able to practice investigative journalism and bring impact and changes. The inaugural declaration [zh] of weReport stated:
新聞業並非企業財團型媒體的專利，唯有公民參與新聞產製的行列，並以具體行動支持優質的新聞業，新聞才能成為我們公共生活的良伴。
Journalism should not be monopolized by media enterprises. It is only when the public participate in news production and take substantive action to support quality journalism that news shall enrich our public life.
(Screen capture of weReport.）
Zhu Shu-Juan, Feng Xiao-Fei and some other independent journalists founded Independent Media Academy [zh] with the vision to unite independent media workers. Through intensive classes and a mentorship program, they seek to train more professional journalists. As stated in their Academy's manifesto:
二○一二年，台灣媒體正經歷一場重大的變革。許多獨立媒體記者從傳統媒體出走，以專業、深入的報導，在台灣媒體混沌的年代走出另外一種可能，對於促進公共議題討論、形塑公民意識、推進政治民主，都發揮了關鍵的影響力⋯⋯
台灣媒體價值正在打破、重建中，未來也充滿了無限的想像與可能，在這個歷史的轉折點，希望結合更多專業的獨立媒體人，共同形塑台灣媒體的新價值。
Media in Taiwan is undergoing a significant reform. A large number of independent journalists have left conventional media enterprise and walked on a new path for professional journalistic practice in a turbulent age for Taiwan media. This has forged crucial impacts on public agenda setting, citizenship practice and development of democracy…
The values of Taiwan media are going through the phases of destruction and reconstruction. The future is full of possibilities. It is hoped that at this turning point in history, more independent professional media workers will be united to strive for the one and same goal – to shape the new values of Taiwan media.


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Ada Lovelace Day: Celebrating Women’s Genius · Global Voices
Renata Avila

I want to challenge you. Yes, you, who are reading this article: mention five, just five names, of amazing women in science and technology you know, from five different countries in the world. The average person will likely fail to complete the challenge. Many will just mention some names they heard in recent news, like Marisa Mayer, the new CEO of Yahoo.
Ada Lovelace Day, celebrated every October 16, honors international women who are contributing with effort and little praise in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths – women whose skills are urgently needed for the future of the world.
Here we highlight some of these extraordinary women from all over the world.
For example: Brazilian molecular biologist and geneticist Mayana Zatz is heading the University of São Paulo's (USP) Human Genome Research Centre; Mexican Environmental Engineer Blanca Jiménez Cisneros is the Director of the Division of Water Sciences and Secretary of the International Hydrological Program from UNESCO; Sijue Wu, from China, was awarded with the Morningside Medal, considered the most prestigious award for Chinese experts in Mathematics. Wu is also the first female recipient in the medal's history.
‘Introduce a girl to engineering’ by Argonne Library (CC-BY-NC-SA)
Leading the list of women scientists is Fabiola Gianotti who is directing the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland, considered the world's biggest scientific experiment. Gianotti is followed by Sunita Williams, an Astronaut who holds the record for the longest space flight by a woman.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Seberry is well know as The Grandmother of cryptography and computer security in Australia. She is a globally recognized cryptographer, mathematician, and computer scientist who took part in the discovery of the foundations of what is computer security today.
All the women listed above are at the peak of their consolidated careers. They are role models and examples who are inspiring many girls around the world. A new generation of scientists, computer experts, and researchers are taking the first steps to lead science and technology all over the world.
In Cuba Martha Zoe, a specialist in natural medicine in Cuba using native herbs growing in the island, discovered how ‘anamu’ pills help those who are sick with terminal diseases.
In Tunisia, Sarrah Ben M'Barek is engaged in similar research, discovering innovative uses of plants. She also advocates to teach children how fascinating science can be with a creative approach.
Meanwhile, Esther Duflo, from France, founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, a network of professors from all over the world who use Randomized Evaluations to answering questions about poverty alleviation.
Computer Scientist from Princeton University, Nadia Heninger, scanned the entire Internet and found hundreds of thousands of instances of insecure Internet connections.
While Linet Kwamboka, from Kenya, is a computer expert leading the Open Data Initiative and the Open Government Partnership at the Kenya ICT Board.
Ana Domb, from Costa Rica-Chile, is a researcher studying distribution systems and thinking about the intersection of culture and technology.
Erinn Clark, a self taught computer expert, is one of the bright minds behind Tor Project, updating the Tor Project code and by doing so, allowing hundreds of users to communicate privately and securely. She combines her coding activities with public advocacy.
Berglind Ósk Bergsdóttir, for her part, is an amazing developer of mobile apps from Iceland.
Twelve years ago, Chiaki Hayashi founded LoftWork, which comprises more than 7,000 creators, including web and graphic designers, illustrators, photographers and fine artists and is allowing hundreds of digital creators to work together, share their portfolios and build projects they would have never created in isolation.
Debbie Sterling is an engineer and the founder of GoldieBlox, a toy and book series starring Goldie, a girl inventor who loves to build, seeking to attract girls to mechanics and engineering.
Naeema Zarif in Lebanon is leading a sharing revolution, promoting open digital models.
Architect Joumana Al-Jabri, meanwhile, is using her technical skills to foster human rights with a variety of technology projects, including Visualizing Palestine.
In Costa Rica, Giannina Segnini is leading a team of scientist and journalists working in the most ambitious data driven journalism iniatiative in the region.
Kate Doyle, in the United States, is the director of the Evidence Project at the National Security Archive, and uses data science to uncover human rights abuses and hold criminals accountable of the most horrific crimes.
Models to follow, lives to inspire us, and names we must not forget to tackle stereotypes pushing women away from science. While some names mentioned above belong to very bright and famous senior experts, one must not forget the amazing women leading and forming communities such Mitchell Baker leading Mozilla, Cathy Casserly as CEO of Creative Commons, Kat Walsh as the Board Chair of Wikimedia, and all Global Voices Online female authors and editors, who make up a majority of our community. We should also remember those groups of women who are the custodians and guardians of traditional knowledge in all cultures.
Women have been at all times the keepers of culture, the depositories of knowledge and the seeds for the future. Lets honor all of them today.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Renata Avila


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Colombia/U.S.: “We Need to Talk About Coke” · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Colombia based American blogger Natalie Southwick writes about cocaine supply chain and asks her countrymen to think about how Americans may be perpetuating the cycle of violence and exploitation by feeding the demand for cocaine. “At the least, think before you inhale”.
Colombia may be one of the world’s biggest producers of cocaine, but the U.S. is by far the biggest consumer. It’s no accident that in the last few years, northern Mexico has turned into a roiling nightmare of narcotraficantes and horrific cartel-sanctioned violence — someone has to protect that coke and make sure it’s getting safely to the noses of rich kids in American cities.

author: Paula Góes


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Democratic Republic of Congo: A Francophone Summit too Focused on the Protection of the French Language ? · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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The Stateless People of Egypt · Global Voices
Ahmed Awadalla

Stateless people are those who do not have a nationality. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are up to 12 million stateless people in the world.
Sometimes the concept of being stateless is confused with refugees. However, many stateless people are not refugees as they have never crossed any international border. While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that everyone has the right to a nationality and prohibits the arbitrary deprivation of nationality, stateless people exist due to different reasons; gender, ethnic and religious discrimination are among main factors.
Stateless people usually suffer from multiple forms of human rights violations and lack of access to basic rights such as education, employment, healthcare, and political participation.
Statelessness is not uncommon in the Arab world. Palestinians are a prime example as their nationality is not recognized by other countries. Also, those who live in Jerusalem but didn’t apply for Israeli citizenship are without nationality. Bidoon (without nationality) people of Kuwait and other Gulf countries, Sahrawi refugees in Algeria, and the black minority in Mauritania are other examples of stateless people in Arab countries.
National laws that prevent mothers from transferring nationality to their children if the father is not a national is also one of the main reasons for statelessness in different countries, such as Iraq and Oman.
While the issue of statelessness doesn’t get much visibility, some activists have been raising their voices and using social media to highlight it. In Kuwait, online advocacy is an important tool for shedding light on the plight of Bidoon people. Global Voices author Mona Kareem has started Bidoon Rights Blog to document the situation of this community in Kuwait.
In Egypt, Abdullah Elshamy, a reporter for Al Jazeera shared on Twitter the details of his visit to the Azazma tribe in the East of the Sinai Peninsula.
Elshamy tweeted:
نوتات عن البدون في مصر: كنت اليوم في زيارة الى قبيلة العزازمة في شرق سيناء قرب الحدود مع فلسطين مسافة ١٥٠ كيلومتراً من العريش #بدون_مصر
@abdallahelshamy: Notes on statelessness in Egypt: Today I was visiting Azazma tribe in East Sinai near borders with Palestine; 150 km far from Arish.
He added:
هذه القبيلة تعيش منذ عشرات السنين هنا دون جنسية مصرية . لا توجد عندهم سوى وحدة صحية دون موظفين و التراب يعلو كل شيئ فيها #بدون_مصر
@abdallahelshamy: This tribe has been living for decades without Egyptian nationality. They only have one health unit with no staff and it is totally covered with dust.
He continued:
قال لي شيخهم: نريد من الرئيس مرسي الذي سمعنا عنه أنه رجل عادل أن يحل مشكلتنا لكي يستطيع أبنائنا السفر والعمل #بدون_مصر
@abdallahelshamy:The tribe leader told me: We heard that President Morsi is a just man and we demand that he solves our problem so that our sons could travel and work.
Azazma tribe is a nomadic society that is spread out between Negev and Sinai deserts on both sides of the Egyptian and Israeli borders. The tribe members in Sinai number between 3,000 to 5,000 people. After the Israeli occupation of Sinai ended, Azazma tribe members on the Egyptian side expected to obtain the Egyptian nationality, but were only left with “passage documents” with unidentified nationalities.
In a blog post from 2008 entitled Azazma, people of the border or border for the people?, blogger and poet Ashraf AlAnany ponders difficult questions regarding the history of Azazma, their complex relationship with Israel and the perceived lack of loyalty to Egypt which propagates their statelessness. AlAnany wrote:
أعتقد أننا هنا أمام خيارين لا ثالث لهما , أولهما أن يستمر وضع هؤلاء علي الحدود هكذا مرشح علي الدوام كبؤرة توتر ، هم مواطنون “ بدون “، فكيف نطالبهم بالانخراط في هذا البلد ومعاملتهم كأبنائه ، لهم ما لأبنائه من حقوق وعليهم ما علي أبناءه من واجبات ؟؟؟؟؟
أما الخيار الثاني الذي أعتقد أن كثيرين سيعارضونه فهو أن تعطي مصر الجنسية لهؤلاء ، وهو خيار سيقول من يعارضه بأن عزازمة 1953 مهجرون تم تهجيرهم من قبل قوات الاحتلال ، وسيقول المغالون : كيف تعطي الجنسية لأبناء قبيلة يشتغل بعضها مع الإسرائيليين كأدلاء وقصاصي أثر في سلاح الحدود ” مشمار قفول ” وكجنود أو ضباط في الكتيبة البدوية ، كيف نضمن ولائهم في وضعية كهذي
I believe we have one of two options; the first is to continue their situation at the border and continuously remain as a tension point. They're without nationality so how do we demand them to be integrated in this country and treat it as its citizens with all the rights and duties.
The second option, which I believe would be opposed by many, is that they become Egyptian nationals. The opponents would say that the Azazam of 1953 were forcefully displaced by occupation forces. Others may take the argument to another level and say “How do we give nationality to a tribe that works with Israelis as guides in the Border Guard Division and as soldiers or officers in the Bedouin Troops, how do we ensure their loyalty?”
Elshamy shared photos from his visit to the tribe:
A photo of one of the tribe’s sheikhs showing his passage document; the only official paper he has. Photograph shared by @abdullahelshamy on Twitter
A photo of children of the tribe, by @abdullahelshamy
The Azazma tribe, however, are not the only stateless people in Egypt. Since Palestinians who fled to Egypt and other Arab countries were not granted citizenship and lost their original citizenship, many of them are now stateless. Other than that, small numbers of people of Armenian origin are stateless in Egypt. Children of mixed Ethiopian-Eritrean origins can also be stateless and some of them seek asylum in Egypt.
Until recently, people of the Bahai’ faith were not able to obtain official documents such as birth certificates or national IDs as their faith was not recognized by the state. In 2008, the Administrative Court ruled that Bahai’s could be issued documents without mentioning their religion, deemed as a historic step towards integrating them.
The UNHCR has started a campaign last year to combat statelessness, encouraging countries to sign agreements related to reducing statelessness. Except for Tunisia, Libya and Algeria, Arab countries did not sign these conventions.

author: Ahmed Awadalla


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Haiti: Yéle Haiti Facing Allegations of Financial Impropriety  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

On October 11, 2012, the New York Times published a report by Deborah Sontag on various allegations of financial impropriety directed at musician and activist Wyclef Jean's defunct charity Yéle Haiti. The allegations are centered on the millions that the defunct charitable organization received in donations after the Janury 2010 earthquake period that devastated the island.
Yéle Haiti was founded in 2004 by Jean and a few associates, and was intended to provide developmental assistance to his homeland of Haiti (Jean resigned from Yéle in 2010 to focus on his run for President of Haiti two years ago but failed to meet the residency requirements for the office.) However, the organization was shutdown at the end of August when its last official employee, CEO Derek Q. Johnson resigned. Yéle is now under investigation by the Attorney-General of New York State.
On a Facebook page which apparently belongs to Jean, several pictures were posted recently, all highlighting Yéle Haiti's work on the island:
Wyclef Jean Speaking to Crowd In Haiti.
Image: Wyclef Jean Facebook page
The accompanying text reads:
Yéle Corps employed 2,000 people at a time from the tent camps to clean streets and collect garbage. In their distinctive blue uniform with the Yéle logo, they were a common sight around Port-au-Prince.
Talking to my hard workers employees before they start cleaning the streets of Haiti, right after the Earthquake on January 2010.
On Friday there were two posts featuring bits from a press release by Jean's attorneys. One announced that Jean helped pay for an audit of Yéle:
“Wyclef Jean helped pay for the independent audit of Yele because of his commitment to both the organization and the people of Haiti, and while most of its findings to do not in any way relate to him he is nevertheless commited to ensuring that things are made right,” according to Mr. Jean's attorney, Avi Schick.
The other announced that Jean was working to clear up any issues related to Yéle:
According to Jean's spokesperson Melanie A. Bonvicino, ” At present my client Wyclef Jean and his legal team are working “assiduously” to resolve any pending issues with respect to Yele prior to its closing, as Mr. Jean continues his tireless commitment to his “beloved” country by remaining steadfast in his efforts to encourage the global community to join him in supporting ongoing relief efforts in Haiti.
On October 15th, Wyclef posted an article from Hugh Locke,  Yéle Haiti's former director, refuting the New York Times article:
Ms. Sontag has perfected a genre of reporting that is a freestyle mix of fact and fiction. This is not a new journalistic phenomenon, but what distinguishes the coverage of hip hop artist Wyclef Jean, in connection with the Yéle Haiti organization he co-founded, is the sheer audacity of the fiction. Each fact is matched with the most outrageous distortion imaginable, a process made possible only because Ms. Sontag and others have been absolved from accountability for their fabrications.
Akelia Lawrence-Maitland posted a comment on the page criticizing the link between charity and celebrity:
Many charities look desperately to ‘celebrities’ to help at least bring awareness to their work…the charities need the influence, attention and resources that celebrities bring to the table. Unfortunately, celebrities make charities ‘pay’ them, and ridiculous amounts at that, for extending themselves. They don't need it. And by the time the fundraiser is done, most of the money goes to costs than to the people it was intended for. Quite sad —- and we wonder why the world's problems get worse rather than better. But things have a way of coming full circle.
Out in the blogosphere, Jean was widely criticized and ridiculed for the downfall of his charity.
Natasha Jovin felt that this scandal mirrors the poor governance long associated with Haiti:
your lack of integrity is affirming the corruption, the brokenness, and it is so discouraging and heartbreaking to people world wide…especially your own people, the people of Haiti…who have been so proud of you and the way you have supposedly fought for them… Wyclef ..i am mad at you…and heartbroken for my Haitian family and friends….
Jovin felt that as a celebrity, Jean should be held to a greater standard of accountability:
see i know people are people and we make mistakes, we can be selfish and do a lot of things that aren't true to the reputation we have created, but the thing is when you take the responsibility of being in the lime light you will and in my opinion should be held to a higher standard… because you are a role model, an example…and when you fall, make that mistake, well unfortunately, you're effecting a lot more people…your influence has reached farther and wider than say those around you who are not in the lime light….
Still, she hoped that Jean could redeem himself:
may the Lord convict you, change your heart and allow you to see what a mistake this is…and with that realization maybe redemption and something better can come, but as of right now…i am so discouraged and mad that you could chose to join in the corruption, greed and money game….instead of being who you claimed to be…. and have integrity.
A View From The Cave used Yéle Haiti to show what could go wrong with charities/NGOs:
The organization became flush with cash following the earthquake and managed to spend half of its money on overhead costs, generally a red flag for an NGO. A lack of focus meant that Yele largely only accomplished surface level impacts which contributed to incomplete projects.
According to A View From The Cave, while celebrities are not necessarily bad managers, their presence can cause people to neglect due diligence:
Certainly celebrities are not inherently prone to fraud and bad aid. Though Sean Penn has personally taken criticism from this blog and other places, I understand that his J/P Haitian Relief Organization is doing good work and has gained the respect of aid workers in Haiti. Yele is an example of how a large personality can lead people to support without asking questions. Fortunately Sontag's fine reporting helps to uncover a poorly run NGO.
Data Fois Gras pointed out that even Yéle Haiti's website has gone down:
Wyclef Jean's highly-hyped Haiti charity defunct and in debt, surprising approximately nobody:Yéle is bust. How bust? So bust that their domain, yele.org, has expired.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Indonesia: Ending Police Corruption · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Pramudya A Oktavinanda suggests several reform measures on how to eradicate corruption in the Indonesian police force. He reminds government that raising salaries is not enough and it must be complemented with other incentives and other bureaucratic reforms.

author: Mong Palatino


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Indonesia: Impact of Bali Bombing · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Reporting on Bali changed the way I looked at the world. Until today, I believe Bali could have been prevented if authorities paid attention to the signs along the way. When the explosions happened a decade ago, the Indonesian police already had the names of every single one of the Bali plotters. Government denial and political gamesmanship – courting moderate Muslims by ignoring extremists – prevented action. This is part of the reason I cannot look away. I remember Bali.
Journalist Maria Ressa remembers the impact of the Bali bombing ten years ago. She described the bombing as Southeast Asia's 9/11.


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Saint Lucia: Bananas as a Renewable Energy Source? · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

A 2011 blogpost on the use of bananas in the creation of biofuel has inspired Dane Gibson to ask some questions about the renewable energy sector in the small Caribbean country of Saint Lucia.
In The Power of Bananas, Laura Eco had outlined an energy enterprise project:
The project is being implemented by Applied Renewables Caribbean and aims to use the waste generated by St Lucia’s banana trade to produce environmentally friendly energy. At the same time, it will enable local banana farmers to supplement their income by selling the waste from their crops.
Bananas As A Renewable Energy Source?
Image: MrTopher Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
In a post on Facebook page St Lucians Aiming for Progress- S.L.A.P on 13 October 2012, he asked:
Jimmy Fletcher, who is currently Saint Lucia's  Minister for the Public Service, Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, responded to Gibson first by addressing the work of Applied Renewables Caribbean, the company referenced in the blogpost:
The Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology has been working with Mr. Ken Aldonza to move this excellent initiative along. I visited his plant in Vieux Fort over four months ago, and following that visit my ministry has been working with Mr. Aldonza to try to secure additional funding for his project. As Minister for Energy I also wrote to the National Development Corporation, NDC, to try to secure one of NDC's empty factory shells at a rent-free or rent-subsidised rate so that Ken Aldonza could shift his operations to a more spacious and convenient location.
Fletcher gave assurance that the government was working to expand the renewable energy sector and promised to report on the progress made :
At some point in the near future we will provide greater detail on the actions that we have taken to encourage the development of a renewable energy sector and to encourage the use of more energy-efficient devices and appliances. So, rest assured, there is much going on to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for energy and to ultimately reduce the cost of electricity for Saint Lucians.
In a comment Nadia Cauzabon suggested that the government look to biogas as an alternative fuel for farmers:
The Power of Pig Poo: Two models of low-cost biogas digesters have been piloted in Saint Lucia in Soufriere, Dennery, Laborie, VFort and Micoud. The gas produced can be used for generating electricity for a farm or tied to the grid, lighting, for cooking and even to ripen bananas. Minister Jimmy Fletcher, I would like the ministry to assist farmers who already have digesters installed utilize the gas to produce electricity.
She pointed out that biogas could also be used domestically:
The ministry can also even explore use of digesters for households. We have the know how in the Caribbean in Jamaica where CASE converted the septic tank for a boys school into a digester and the gas was used for cooking. In the 1990's a GTZ project piloted steel-dome type digesters. One farmer in Bois D'Orange used the gas produced for cooking at his home. In the last two years he decommissioned his digester and had to purchase a tank of cooking gas for the first time in over 15 years.
Cauzabon also implored the government to make sure that farms don't pose a risk to public health:
Also, I would like your ministry and ministry of Agriculture mandate all pig/animal farms MUST have some form of waste management (digester, compost or otherwise) to clean up the waterways in Saint Lucia. The levels of faecal bacteria in some rivers are off the charts and pose a significant health risk to human lives. Some communities have a real problem with gastro-intestinal cases which is most probably directly linked to poor potable water quality.
In responding to Cauzabon, Fletcher expressed regret that more progress hadn't been made in this area:
Nadia, it is unfortunate that we have not made more progress with biodigesters. When I worked in the Research and Development Division in the Ministry of Agriculture (1990s) there was a lot of interest in both biodigesters and solar dryers and there was quite a bit of work going on in the region on improving the technologies. I remember the GTZ project in the 1990s and also the work done by Professor Clem Sankat and others at UWI on solar dryers. Two years ago, when I was at the OECS, I started a dialogue with UNIDO on assisting with the manufacturing of solar dryers in Saint Lucia. All of this is to say that I agree with you that we have to explore all practicable applications of renewable/sustainable energy and provide support for the uptake of these technologies. In the case of biodigesters, you are absolutely correct, they have the added positive benefit of assisting with the vexing issue of waste management on the farm.
While happy with the possibilities for the development of biofuel, Jana Auguste is concerned about its sustainability:
while I am thrilled that renewable energy initiatives live in SLU, as a sustainability wonk, I remain apprehensive about the use of food as bio-fuel feedstock for reasons I hope are obvious…..land-use, cost etc.
Former Minister of Agriculture, Ignatius Jean also has some questions about this possible initiative:
Good idea. However, now that the banana is no longer “green gold” how do you propose to attract former producers back into production of bananas for methane? What price will the banana and all its parts thereof, receive from the energy generation plant? This is not about romanticism. Currently the generating capacity of LUCELEC is upwards of 66 Kw, what are the targeted projections by this new idea?
Much like Jana Auguste, Jean is concerned about the sustainability of biofuel production and sees other sources of renewable energy as preferable:
Given the high cost of production of bananas and the consequent and attendant risks and “bad practices of production” I have more more confidence in geothermal, solar and wind.


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Syria: The Revolution Goes Multilingual · Global Voices
Thalia Rahme

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
The revolution in Syria is not just taking place on the battleground, between Daraa's alleyways or Aleppo's Citadel. There is a bigger battle going on online with both regime antagonists and supporters, portraying a merciless tug of war against each other.
With the Internet accessible almost all over the globe, the Syrian revolution has gone global, with news spreading as quickly as the events unfold on the ground.
Syrian Immigrants and Friends of Syrian (irrespective of their affinity) contributed into disseminating the information into almost every language.
Only on Facebook, not to mention other platforms, we can find hundreds and hundreds of pages and groups in Greek, German, Turkish, Spanish (here and here), Italian, Japanese … and many more.
Among the pages worth mentioning in this regard is “Syrian Revolution in the Languages of the World” and the “Free Syrian Translators”.
Another page which is quite popular on Facebook is entitled “La Revolution Syrienne en Français” (The Syrian Revolution in French) where its owners are trying to distinguish themselves from other pages by posting quotes of intellectuals, photographs, cartoons, paintings of the situation as well as online petitions.
We interviewed them to know the motives behind creating such a page in French particularly and how they think they are contributing to the revolution – virtually.
GV: Who is behind the page?
Quatre personnes 2 hommes, 2femmes syriens et français – de l'intérieur du pays et à l'étranger -profondément acquis à la cause de la révolution.
Four persons, two men and two women, Syrians and French from inside the country and abroad, who are deeply engaged in the cause of the revolution
GV: Why did you decide to create a FaceBook Page?
Moyen de communication on ne peut plus efficace pour toucher le plus grand nombre d'internautes, syriens ou étrangers sur ce qui se passe dans notre pays dévasté anéanti par un régime barbare et sanguinaire.
There is no better communication tool to reach the biggest number of citizens, Syrians or foreigners on everything that is happening in our country, devastated and ruined by a barbarian and bloody regime.
GV:To whom is this page addressed? Why is it in French?
A toute la communauté francophone, la diaspora syrienne, tous ceux qui de près ou de loin s'intéressent à notre révolution. D'innombrables pages ont été créées en arabe, en anglais, nous avons jugé judicieux de nous adresser à la communauté francophone. La langue française constitue la seconde langue étrangère pour bcp de syriens, puis c'est le pays des droits de l'homme et de la première révolution populaire (1789) Nous avons d'ailleurs en couverture le tableau de Delacroix, “la liberté guidant le peuple” avec, bien entendu l'étendard de la Révolution Syrienne.
Delacroix Painting with the Syrian Flag
To all the Francophone community, the Syrian diaspora, and those who are interested in our revolution, to a great or lesser extent. Countless pages have been created in Arabic and English, we thought it was only right to reach out to the Francophone community. The French language is the second foreign language for many Syrians, moreover it is the home of the human rights and the first popular revolution (1789). We have as our cover page, Delacroix’ painting “Freedom guiding the people” with naturally the flag of the Syrian Revolution
GV: What is the content of this page?
0utre une revue de presse quotidienne, nous essayons de publier le maximum d'informations, articles, analyses politiques etc. qui touche de près ou de loin à la révolution syrienne. Nous publions également beaucoup de photos, caricatures, affiches, peintures, vidéos, relatives à la Syrie, la création artistique est d'une richesse indescriptible. Des traductions fidèles de textes, d'affiches, faites par nos soins. Une attention particulière d'afficher les sources, l'origine de telle publication, ou nom d'artiste. Ainsi, par le texte et l'image, nous parvenons à rendre compte des évènements de leur évolution, en Syrie.
In addition to a daily news digest, we try to post the maximum amount of information, articles and political analysis that are somehow related to the Syrian Revolution. We also publish lots of photographs, cartoons, posters, paintings and videos related to Syria. The artistic creation is so rich, not to mention correct translations carried out by ourselves of texts or posters. We are very keen on citing our sources, the origin of publication and the names of artists. It is through the text and the image we are able to report on the events and on their evolution, in Syria.
GV: How do you judge of the netizens interaction with the Syrian Revolution?
Ils sont de plus en plus nombreux, leur taux augmente de manière inattendue, nous avons à l'heure qu'il est, une portée de près de 5.000 personnes et dépassé les 3.600 adhérents. La plupart commente avec pertinence les évènements, partage bcp d'illustrations et de publications.
They are becoming more and more in numbers and their rate is increasing in an unexpected way. Until now  we have been able to reach around 5,000 people and we have over 4,000 members. The majority comment on the events and share lots of illustrations and publications.
GV: Do you sometimes receive threats because of what you publish?
Oui Certes nous en recevons. Quelquefois des insultes, des commentaires haineux, pro régime, que nous supprimons, évidemment. Une certaine déontologie régit notre page, pas d'injures, pas de vidéos ou d'images choquantes et une devise clairement visible : UNITE LIBERTE DIGNITE
Yes, of course we do. Sometimes we receive insults, hateful comments and pro-regime propaganda that we naturally delete. A certain ethics guide our page – no insults, no shocking videos or images and a clearly visible slogan or motto: UNITY FREEDOM DIGNITY
GV: Do you coordinate with other pages or do you work solo?
Nous avons longtemps travaillés en solo, mais depuis quelques mois, nous sommes extrêmement sollicités par d'autres pages qui souhaitent collaborer avec nous, au vu du succès grandissant rencontré par nos publications. Tous horizons confondus, nous oeuvrons avec des belges, des canadiens, des français et des syriens, bien ententdu.
We have long been working in solo, but for the past few months we have been sought after by other pages who wish to collaborate with us given the big success of our work. We now cooperate with Belgians, Canadians, French and Syrians, of course.
GV: What do you think is left to make the Syrian Revolution heard by the biggest number of people?
Une MOBILISATION internationale DES PEUPLES pour que cesse le génocide du peuple syrien !!!!! Nous sommes désabusés, déçus voire désespérés par l'inanité de la communauté internationale qui regarde et LAISSE FAIRE l'extermination d'un peuple qui n'aspire qu'à sa libération du joug de l'oppression et de la dictature ! Les syriens n’ont rien à attendre des gouvernements, depuis 18 mois de cette révolte populaire, l’ONU –au fait à quoi sert-elle ? – les gouvernements ont prouvé leur incapacité à aider notre pays. Si seulement les peuples pouvaient faire pression sur leurs gouvernements, en manifestant, en faisant grève en se mobilisant… peut-être que le sang des syriens massacrés en masse cessera de couler ?.
Pour le peuple syrien : il est essentiel de donner la voix, plus que jamais aux syriens qui ont fait le pari de la mobilisation populaire et démocrate et qui se sentent démunis car seule voix des armes et des canons trouve un écho en Occident
An international MOBILIZATION of PEOPLE in order to stop the genocide of the Syrian people !!!! We are disillusioned, deceived even desperate by the inanity of the international community who just watches and allows the extermination of a population who only aspires to its liberation from the yoke of oppression and dictatorship! Syrians have nothing to wait from governments, it has been 18 months that the popular uprising has been going on and the UN? What is it for? The governments have proven their incapacity to help our country. If only people can pressure their governments by demonstrating, observing strikes and mobilizing … maybe the blood of Syrians massacred in numbers will stop flowing.
As for the Syrian people: it is necessary to make their voices heard, now more than ever to Syrians who have bet on the popular and democratic mobilization and who are feeling  helpless because the voice of arms and cannons only finds its echo in the West.
GV: In your opinion, aren't you afraid that the information circulating in languages other than Arabic distorts the facts? Bad Translation? Wrong understanding of the reality?
Absolument pas ! En ce qui concerne notre page et bien que nous ne soyons aucunement des “professionnels” du journalisme; nous ne publions que des faits vérifiés et recoupés. Parfaitement bilingues, nous nous efforçons de rendre le plus fidèlement possible l'image de la réalité en Syrie.
Absolutely not!!! As far as it concerns our page and even if were unprofessional journalists, we only post verified and accurate news. Being perfectly bilingual, we try to give the most faithful image of Syria.

author: Thalia Rahme


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The Authors Behind the Venezuelan Literary Boom · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

This post is the last of a two part series on our conversation with Venepoetics’ author Guillermo Parra about Venezuelan literature (online and offline) and his translations of Jose Antonio Ramos Sucre. You can read the first post here.
In the first part of this interview, Guillermo Parra told us about his experiences with Venezuelan poetry, his contact with new movements thanks to social media, and his take on what could be considered a new boom in the literature of the country. In this part of the interview we will share Guillermo's take on the new authors who are painting the landscape of new Venezuelan narratives.
En cuanto a escritores, me parece fascinante que hay varias generaciones que están publicando cosas muy interesantes. Las ocasiones cuando he estado en Caracas entre 2007 y 2010, me ha sorprendido la cantidad de presentaciones, lecturas y otros eventos literarios. Poder encontrarme con el poeta Rafael Cadenas revisando libros en las librerías […] fue impactante para mí, hasta que me acostumbré a su presencia en los eventos literarios caraqueños. Pero las primeras veces que lo vi en público fue un poco intimidante, ya que su obra ha sido tan importante para mí.
Regarding the writers, I think it's fascinating to see different generations publishing a lot of very interesting things. The times I've been in Caracas, between 2007 and 2010, I've been surprised by the amount of presentations, readings and other literary events. Being able to meet poet Rafael Cadenas while checking books in bookshops impacted me until I grew used to his presence in Caracas’ literary events. The first times I saw him in public was intimidating, since his work has been so important to me.
We also asked Guillermo to give us some hints about some of the main characters of this “boom”. He told us:
Image via Shutterstock, copyright Falconia.
Hay un montón de escritores venezolanos contemporáneos que me parecen increíbles. En la narrativa, en particular, se está publicando tanto que no me ha dado tiempo para mantenerme al día. Algunos favoritos de las generaciones recientes son Carlos Ávila, Mujeres recién bañadas (Mondadori, 2009), Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, Una larga fila de hombres (Monte Ávila Editores, 2005), Dayana Fraile, Granizo (El perro y la rana, 2011), Ana García Julio, Cancelado por lluvia (Monte Ávila Editores, 2005), Liliana Lara, Los jardines de Salomon (Universidad de Oriente, 2008), Mario Morenza, Pasillos de mi memoria ajena (Monte Ávila Editores, 2008) y Gabriel Payares, Cuando bajaron las aguas (Monte Ávila Editores, 2008). [Pero hay] gran un problema: los libros venezolanos no se consiguen fuera de Venezuela, no circulan ni en Latinoamérica ni aquí en los Estados Unidos)
There are a lot of Venezuelan contemporary writers that I find amazing. In fiction, particularly, there is so much being published that I haven't been able to stay up to date. Some favorites from recent generations are Carlos Ávila, Mujeres recién bañadas (Mondadori, 2009), Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, Una larga fila de hombres (Monte Ávila Editores, 2005), Dayana Fraile, Granizo (El perro y la rana, 2011), Ana García Julio, Cancelado por lluvia (Monte Ávila Editores, 2005), Liliana Lara, Los jardines de Salomon (Universidad de Oriente, 2008), Mario Morenza, Pasillos de mi memoria ajena (Monte Ávila Editores, 2008) y Gabriel Payares, Cuando bajaron las aguas (Monte Ávila Editores, 2008). [Nevertheless,] there's a big problem: Venezuelan books can't be found outside Venezuela. They don't circulate neither in Latin America, nor here in the US.
And about influences and literary connections, Guillermo says:
No veo mucha diferencia entre las historias de estos escritores y las que me han influido a mí en los Estados Unidos. Sus propuestas literarias reflejan una amplia red de influencias, desde el español Enrique Vila-Matas hasta la venezolana Teresa de la Parra y el estadounidense David Foster Wallace…
I don't see much difference between these writers’ stories and the ones that have influenced me in the US. Their literary proposals reflect a wide set of influences, from the Spanish Enrique Vila-Matas to the Venezuelan Teresa de la Parra, as well as the North-American David Foster Wallace…
Finally, he adds:
Pienso que los lectores, dentro y fuera de Venezuela, deberían conocer a estos narradores porque nos dan una muestra de los diversos rumbos que podría tomar la literatura venezolana en los años que vienen. Son apasionados de la literatura, pero ante todo, escriben historias que revelan la poesía o la magia que a veces surge en nuestras vidas cotidianas.
I think readers inside and outside the country should know these fiction writers. They give us a taste of the different ways that Venezuelan literature could go in the years ahead. They're passionate about literature, but above all, they write stories that reveal the magic and the poetry that sometimes come up in our daily lives.
You can find more about Venezuelan literature, and also some of Guillermo's translation of Ramos Sucre, in his blog Venepoetics.

author: Laura Vidal


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Uganda: The Golden Jubilee Gift That Never Was · Global Voices
James Propa

As Uganda was celebrating 50 years of independence on 9 October 2012, everyone was hoping that qualification for the African Cup Of Nations would be the best gift Ugandans would get. It never happened.
Although the Federation of Uganda Football Association sold tickets at 40,000 Ugandan shillings ($16) ordinary, 75,000 Shs ($30) Gold and 120,000 Shs ($48) Platinum, Ugandans turned up in large numbers for the match.
Official poster for Uganda versus Zambia game. Image courtesy of Uganda Cranes Facebook page.
On Saturday 13 October, Uganda Cranes took on Zambia's Chipolopolo. After 90 minutes, Uganda was leading 1-0. The game had to go to penalties because Uganda lost to Zambia 1-0 in the first leg. The penalties ended with Zambia beating Uganda 8-9. This made the loud Mandela National stadium and entire Kampala City go silent. One could hardly hear a single Vuvuzela or whistle blow.
This means Uganda now has to wait for the Africa Cup 2015 qualifiers to try out its luck. Ugandans as always took to Twitter to express their feelings and here are some of the reactions.
Patrick Mugumya noted that some journalists are happy for this loss:
@mugumya: And as expected some journos are very happy that the national team didn't qualify. Pathetic lot #UgandaCranes
He asked people to leave out president Museveni as some blame him for the loss:
@mugumya: Good morning #Kampala I hope today we shall have a rational discussion on #UgandaCranes keeping out Sevo, he didn't play wont ever play
Tumwebaze Josephe blames fans who brought a live chicken to the pitch:
@jobaze: Finally I have something to blame for the failure of Uganda Cranes to qualify. This chicken wasn't happy with us!pic.twitter.com/VujcSdbo
It is said that Ugandans like partying so much, as Assumpta Nalubega shows that some Ugandan are now focused on Sean Paul's concert:
@mnalubega: Now that #ugandacranes is done n we r over the loss, waiting for tickets for #SEAN PAUL!! I learnt from the best:-) @SemuGoma
Proggie Uganda thinks Uganda has to construct a new stadium as it can not qualify from Namboole:
@proggiug: We need to relocate. We've never qualified from there. RT @oleebranch: Mandela Stadium. The Home Of The #UgandaCranes http://instagr.am/p/Qy1oQXImjg/
Uganda's national soccer team, the Uganda Cranes, last qualified for the African Cup of Nations in 1978 when it reached the finals but finished second. The team came closer to a historic comeback last year.

author: James Propa


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Yemen: Why Insult Women?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Yemeni netizen Hind Aleryani questions [ar] the demeaning manner in which some people talk about women on social networks.
On Facebook, she writes:
What is the reason for the deterioration of manners. All the photographs of women I see [on social networks] have obscene comments on them. I was just looking at photographs of Tawakkol Karman and Asma Mahfouz and the obscene comments were about them as women and not criticism of their political thoughts or even their personalities. What is the reason when a woman is being criticised, they always use this method of insults and slurs? Their manners have certainly vanished

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Central Asia’s Water Stories · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

How is it possible that in Central Asia, a region with abundant water resources, safe drinking water is still a luxury for many people? On his blog, Bakhrom Mananov features several documentaries about water problems in the region and explains why this important resource has become a contentious issue in Central Asia.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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China, Hong Kong: Launching of Investigative Journal · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Media Project blogs about the launching of an investigative journal, i-sun affairs, in Hong Kong. Many of its editors and reporters were former journalists and dissidents in mainland China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Global Voices Introduces New Advocacy Director, Hisham Almiraat · Global Voices
Ivan Sigal

We're very excited to announce that Hisham Almiraat has joined Global Voices Advocacy as Director. Hisham is a long-time member of the Global Voices community. He writes about Morocco, North Africa and online freedom of speech. He's also an award-winning blogger and writer. He won Deutsche Welle's Best of Blogs competition for his co-authored blog TalkMorocco.net in 2010. He then co-founded Mamfakinch, which has recently won the Breaking Borders award in support of online freedom of expression from Google and Global Voices. He also blogs on the Mirror| المرآة and is on Twitter at @__Hisham. Additionally, Hisham is a medical doctor, and with practices both in France and in Morocco.
Hisham Almiraat
Hisham joins Global Voices Advocacy at an important time, both for online freedom of speech and for the Global Voices community. The last several years have demonstrated that online speech can have consequences in the real world: online social movements, digital activism, digital-only journalism, and a flood of content in writing, audio and video have had a major impact on political and social change in numerous countries. This is especially true in the Middle East and North Africa. Hisham's personal experience in working within digital movements in Morocco, and his participation in extensive networks of learning and practice in digital activism in MENA and around the world will be a welcome force for Global Voices’ advocacy work.
Many governments around the world, recognizing the power of online speech, are moving to bring it under the control of national law, in the process applying media restrictions, restricting access, increasing surveillance, often making the online media as hazardous and contested a space as other forms of media. For the past several years, individuals working in citizen media have been frequent targets of attack, violence and arrest, as documented by Global Voices Advocacy, as well as journalist rights organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters sans frontières. The GVA project Threatened Voices has documented 333 cases of citizen media producers threatened, attacked or arrested in the past three years.
Given this, GVA's work has a new urgency: to document and spread awareness of threats to online speech, to help digital activists and citizen media producers to be aware of the risks and threats that come with some kinds of speech, and to learn the tools and practices that will help them to protect themselves.
GVA's ultimate purpose is to build networks of support and trust so that we all have the communities we need to defend our rights to speech. Our work under our first director, Sami Ben Gharbia, aimed to ensure that online citizen speech received the same protections as the work of journalists and professional media producers. Initially, that work was focused mostly on documenting attacks and threats. While documentation is still vital, we also recognize that policies set by governments, by the private companies that control a great deal of online speech, and by internet governance bodies will have a major impact on our ability to retain a global, unified internet. Individual cases and work on policy now go hand in hand.
Given the challenges before us, Hisham's mix of experience, passion, calm wisdom, and strategic thinking should serve GVA well. I'm personally very much looking forward to working with and learning from him, and welcome him in his new role.

author: Ivan Sigal


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Latin American Netizens Join Forces to Overcome Poverty · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Regional organization TECHO is using Facebook [es], Twitter [es], Google Plus and YouTube [es] to raise awareness about poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean on October 17, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
A Google hangout, titled “Is poverty the principal limitation in the development of Latin America?”, will be held today, October 17, at 9:30 pm (GMT-4). You can follow the hangout on Twitter with the hashtag #TECHOhangout [es]. More information on the TECHO website and under the hashtag #NoMasPobreza [es] (“no more poverty”).

author: Silvia Viñas


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Macedonia: Fashion and Style Blogs · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Photo: Dijana Kalić-Velkova, used with permission.
Skopje Casual blog, run by “3 girls, showing off their daily inspirations and casual fashion from the streets of Skopje,” followed up on their previous work and posted [mk] a new list of Macedonian fashion/style blogs. Some of them, like Diario creativo and Sanja's Burgundy Blog, post original content in English. So does previously featured Angela Dissected.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Malawi: Online Journalist Arrested for Allegedly Insulting the President  · Global Voices
Victor Kaonga

Online journalist Justice Mponda was arrested Monday morning 15 October 2012, in Blantyre allegedly for insulting the president, publishing false information and criminal libel. Mponda works with the  news website Malawi Voice.
Discussing the new development that came in the wake of a new electronic bill (E-bill), journalist Pearson Nkhoma writes:
…one can question whether Malawi is a democratic state or an authoritarian one which demands people to tow to the opinion of the government…..
Ironically, the Malawi Constitution, particularly Section 35 and 36, vehemently affirm that “every person shall have the right to freedom of expression” and that “the press shall have the right to report and publish freely, within Malawi and abroad, and to be accorded the fullest possible facilities for access to public information”.
malawivoice.com journalist Justice Mponda. Photo courtesy of malawivoice.com
He continues:
Through its machinery, the Government of Joyce Banda sent two heavy armoured Land Cruisers to net Justice Mponda who has so far been charged for publishing false information and insulting the president.
The E-Bill seeks to regulate and control online communications in Malawi.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has already expressed worry over the bill and condemned the arrest of Justice Mponda:
[…]the Malawi government today descended on the Media fraternity based on what the Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has called “outmoded pieces of legislation enacted during the colonial era to suppress dissent and promote colonial superiority”.
Through its machinery, the Government of Joyce Banda sent two heavy armoured Land Cruisers to net Justice Mponda who has so far been charged for publishing false information and insulting the president.
So far, MISA has issued a strong-worded press statement calling for the immediate release of Mponda.
The statement revealed that MISA “is shocked and deeply saddened with the detention of…Mponda [on the basis of laws which are] archaic and retrogressive for our country”.
According to Misa, “archaic laws have no role to play in a democracy”.
The charter has far called upon government to desist from dragging the country to the colonial era by implementing such laws.
The E-Bill, among other things, defines:
[…]precisely the responsibility of technical service providers and editors of online contents.
The bill's chapter three of Part III, which has the headline ‘Online user's protection and liability of intermediaries and content editors’, defines who the editors are in Section 23.
The draft bill describe operators as intermediary, who are any legal or physical person or any entity that provides electronic communications services consisting of the provision of access to communication networks, as well as storing or transmission of information through communication networks.
The said section of the draft bill says the editors of online public communication services shall offer in an open standard, among others, their names, domicile, and telephone number.
Blogger Richard Chirombo on Zachimalawi quotes his Malawian friend living in South Africa who hopes that the case will be handled fairly:
I hope his charges of sedition, insulting President Joyce Banda and misinforming on the Malawi-Tanzania lake-boarder conflict are not authentic. I hope his case will be handled fairly, and that his lawyer will secure bail on second attempt. I feel personally involved and hope I will not be disappointed eventually.
Terrified!
Commenting on Malawi Voice Facebook page, John Kazibwe says:
Banda is following the path of her predecessors like Kamuzu and Bingu. She's indeed a true jezebel
Mafunga hopes for a speedy and fair trial:
Guys, let the law take its course. We need a speedy trial so we can know whats going on. Its not easy for a journalist of his calibre to tell lies, but its not impossible for him to do so. I hope the police has a valid case, otherwise, this is a very bad sign. I also hope Mr Mponda has solid grounds for his stories.
In any case, I hope he is treated with the fair conduct of “innocent until proven guilty”
Malawi Voice has been critical of Joyce Banda's government since she came to power:
Malawi Voice published an article that revealed that Joyce Banda [Malawi's President] had pardoned a serial rapist Agala Festone Kuiwenga, just a month after the Hig Court had extended his 8 year sentence by one more year due to the gravity of the offence he committed. She also pardoned George Allan Nyambi, a relation of Senior Chief Nyambia of Machinga. Nyambi was convicted of murder.
However, in an effort to silence the alternative voice, the Malawian Governmnet descended on the media practitioner on charges which include insulting the president, publishing false stories aimed at generating public anger against the president.
Mponda has been freed on bail and his court hearing has been set for 16 November, 2012.

author: Victor Kaonga


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Pakistan: Malala Yousufzai And The Drone Attacks · Global Voices
Sidra Rizvi

Ever since the young school going peace activist Malala Yousufzai was attacked by armed gunmen in Swat, numerous questions over the efficacy of the ongoing drone attacks in the region have surfaced. Following the attack on October 9 2012 (see Global Voices report), widespread outrage from all quarters of the world including all political and religious parties of Pakistan poured in condemning the move, of which the Tehreek -e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility.
As the National Peace Prize Winner recuperates in a hospital, many in the country have begun linking the unfortunate attack with the ongoing drone attacks which target the militant presence in the Northern areas. Was the attack on Malala instigated by these drones? Was she targeted due to insufficient efforts to stop the drones?
MQM activists hold portraits of Malala Yousufzai during address of MQMs chief Altaf Hussin in Hyderabad, Pakistan. Image by Rajput Yasir. Copyright Demotix (14/10/2012)
The chief of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazal group Maulana Fazlur Rehman blamed the government for the thousands of deaths that have resulted due to its policies. Furthermore he stated that while the attack on Malala Yousufzai should be condemned, nobody was protesting the deaths caused by the drone attacks.
It appears many on Twitter share the opinion, held by Rehman:
@RajaSahabPTI: If Malala is getting coverage , medals, hospital facility, bcz she was targetd by TTP. Then wht abt thoz who r being targtd by DRONES?????
@Kidwhy009 (Hafsah Q): RT @Realist0: hundreds of kids younger than #Malala are bombed by the #Drones everyday, where is our heart for them?
@akbar62 (Ghulam Akbar): Malala incident has been timed to perfection.Murderous drones are forgotten. it is back to square one..Talban Terror War Madness. Hats off CIA
@SohaibMalek (Sohaib Malek): @Shahidmasooddr and still no action against Drones? But very much vibrant on #Malala ‘s issue! Aren't they sons & daughters of this Land?
People have also started using the shooting as a way to justify the drone strikes which are responsible for scores of civilian deaths in the northern region, which raises concerns on whether linking the two very serious issues is healthy.
@aHm3D_  (A.): ‘Attack on #Malala because of #drones…’ ‘Drones justified because of attack on Malala…’ Quite simply, you're both hideously wrong.
@YusraSAskari (Yusra Askari): Warped logic: ‘Drones Kill So Malala Can Live’  http://pic.twitter.com/S2SmfAK2 via@kirannazish #ShitYouCantMakeUp
Terming the incident barbaric, Federal Minister Dr. Farooq Sattar said that the drone strikes should not be linked with the attack on Malala.
Just days before Malala was attacked, leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaaf Imran Khan led a peace march into South Waziristan to protest against the drone strikes. While his motorcade was stopped short of entering in South Waziristan Khan called for Pakistan’s immediate pull out from America’s war on terror and a stop for all drone attacks. Said to sympathize with the Taliban, Khan also condemned the attack on Malala however stopped short of condemning the Taliban who claimed responsibility.
“We have local affiliates and supporters. Sure I can give big statements against the Taliban, but that would make them [supporters] Taliban targets,”
Khan is also said to have repeatedly called for negotiating talks with the Taliban as an effort to bring peace to the country.
A candlelight vigil was held for Malala Yousuf Zai at Hyderabad Press Club. Image by Rajput Yasir. Copyright Demotix (13/10/2010)
Support for young Malala Yousufzai is clearly visible as people across the globe applaud her courage to stand up to the Taliban. A candlelight vigil was held in Karachi by Muttahida Quami Movement to pray for her recovery. People across the country have held similar events to honour her stance and bravery. A protest against the Taliban outside the Karachi Press Club also ensued that was attended by many peace activist and members of the civil society.
Online petitions in her name have flooded the internet. One such petition is ‘Protect the Children & Schools in Northern Pakistan’.  People also took to the social networking site Twitter to show support for Malala and condemn the Taliban for what they term as a ‘cowardly attack’.
@asadmunir38 (Asad Munir) #MALALA:Pray for her, she is young, wants to live, has dreams for future, wants to contribute, Pride of Swat and Pakistan, don't let her die.
@MaryamNSharif (Maryam Nawaz Sharif): Attack on Malala should not be seen as an attack on an individual. It is indeed an attempt to stangulate every progressive voice.
@Shahidmasooddr (Dr Shahid Masood) May Allah give Malala Yousaf Zai and her friends a quick recovery,health,happiness and a long successful life. Ameen.
@sharmeenochinoy (Sharmeen Obaid) I condemn the attack on Malala Yousafzai in swat- you can't silence us all cowards! #Pakistan

author: Sidra Rizvi


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Siege of Portuguese Parliament: “This is not our budget” · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

This post is part of our coverage Europe in Crisis
A siege of Portuguese parliament [pt] took place on October 15, 2012, the day when Portuguese government officially submitted the state budget for 2013 [pt] to the President of the Parliament. The draft proposal, which is expected to be put to the vote on October 31, unveils growing austerity and cuts on public services such as healthcare (-17%) and education (-14.5%), inevitably leading to more unemployment [pt] and impoverishment of the population.
On Twitter, Facebook and blogs many were surprised [pt] by the lack of coverage on TV and criticized [pt] biased and sensationalist news about the demonstration in front of São Bento Palace (home of the Assembly of the Republic). Meanwhile, citizens made the news with their own media, livestreaming the events and tweeting under the hashtag #OE13 (from “Orçamento de Estado 2013″, 2013's State Budget).
A video by Ministério da Verdade (Ministry of Truth) on Youtube summarizes the siege, which started at 6 p.m.:
“Several thousand people gather in front of the Portuguese parliament to demand the resignation of the government following the announcement of a new budget.” Photo by Xavier Malafosse copyright Demotix (15/10/2012)
João Paulo Pedrosa, on Praça Stephens blog, writes his impressions of the “young peaceful people” he found when he got in front of the Parliament:
São, todavia, jovens à rasca, à rasca com as dificuldades do momento, o desemprego, a precaridade, a insegurança do presente e, sobretudo, o medo do futuro e é para eles que todos temos que ajudar a encontrar respostas.
Há contudo, bem expressa na barraquinha de comes e bebes que lá foi instalada, uma certa utopia de igualitarismo social que, infelizmente, não faz parte dos nossos tempo cruel e implacável. Vivemos, pois, um tempo péssimo, pena que seja logo o nosso. Mais que felicidade, hoje, a palavra mágica, é esperança.
They are, however, the scraping-by youth, scraping-by with the difficulties of the moment, unemployment, precariousness, insecurity of the present and, above all, fear of the future and it is for them that we all have to help find answers.
There is, however, well expressed in the small stall of food and drink that was installed there, a certain social utopia of egalitarianism which, unfortunately, is not part of our cruel and unforgiving time. We therefore live in a terrible time, too bad it is ours. More than happiness, today, the magic word is hope.
“A man wears a mock ‘Pinocchio’ nose as thousands gathered outside the Portuguese parliament to demonstrate against renewed austerity measures introduced by the Portuguese government.” Photo by Violeta Moura copyright Demotix (15/10/2012)
“Don't fuck my job”. Photo by Xavier Malafosse copyright Demotix (15/10/2012)
In another video by André Matos Cardoso on Vimeo, one can hear protesters chanting slogans such as “the people united will never be defeated”:
“Naked demonstrators protest among a couple of thousand who gathered outside the Portuguese parliament to protest renewed austerity measures introduced by the Portuguese government. ” Photo by Violeta Moura copyright Demotix (15/10/2012)
“Riot police monitor protests as a fire burns in front of the parliament building as demonstrations take place over government imposed austerity measures designed to ease Portugal's economic and financial crisis”. Photo by João Caetano copyright Demotix (15/10/2012)
Philosopher and researcher Porfírio Silva, on his blog Machina Speculatrix, explains why he is against the idea of a siege of parliament:
Se querem ser realmente imaginativos, façam um parlamento alternativo para um orçamento alternativo. Peguem na proposta do governo (quando existir), discutam alterações concretas e aprovem-nas, façam-nos saber do resultado para alimentar o debate entre os cidadãos. Prometo que nem vou analisar as credenciais “representativas” de tal “parlamento alternativo”: apenas analisarei o orçamento “popular” daí resultante, pelo seu próprio mérito.
If you want to be really imaginative, make an alternative parliament for an alternative budget. Take the government's proposal (if any), discuss specific amendments and approve them, make us know the outcome to fuel debate among citizens. I promise that I will not even analyze the “representative” credentials of such “alternative parliament”: I will only examine the “popular” budget that results from this, on its own merits.
Feedback keeps pouring in on the wall of the Facebook event created for October 15 (with almost 4.500 participants), and a new event has been created for October 23, calling for an “Assembly of the Siege” to plan for upcoming actions.
This post is part of our coverage Europe in Crisis

author: Sara Moreira


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Russia: Candidates Drop Out of Opposition Elections · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

On October 16 two high profile candidates in the opposition's Coordinating Council elections announced they are withdrawing from the campaign. Economist Irina Yasina and writer Liudmila Ulitskaya published a statement [ru] on Yasina's blog, explaining that there are other “younger” and more “active” “young people” involved in the process, and that they are satisfied with having attracted public attention to the election process. Both were members of Ksenia Sobchak's electoral “block.”
A week prior, on October 8, another candidate renounced [ru] his candidacy. Mikhail Deliagin, a well known economist and blogger, declared that his move was in protest of the way the organizers constantly change election rules. He especially criticized having to write an essay and to participate in the debates.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Slovakia: Music Copyright Agency Vs. School Drama Club · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

On his blog, Jozef Černek, who, for the past seven years, has been a high school drama club teacher in the town of Komarno, wrote “a sad letter” [sk] to SOZA, the Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights Society, reacting to the €975 fine imposed by the agency for a Feb. 2012 fundraiser ball, which included a raffle and featured songs authored and performed by the drama club members – but had not been properly registered with SOZA:
[…] Your organization has just destroyed one big dream. […] On the whole, we raised about €300 with this concert, and passed it to the children. Bought costumes for the next performance. […] And I just hope that your own child won't have to hear a club teacher say what I must say to our children: “We're closing, kids, we don't have enough to pay SOZA charges, thank you for coming…”
SOZA – which in the past attempted charging Slovak web servers that embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos on their pages – had first found out about the “unregistered” fundraiser from a short news item about it. It did the calculations of the penalty based on the information available from this news item, coming up with a sum that amounted to nearly a quarter of the money raised.
According to Černek, the fundraiser's organizers reacted by filling out the required SOZA form and trying to contact the agency, but SOZA ignored them – until the publication of Černek's “sad letter.”
“The biggest SOZA mystery” – Vladimír Repčík: “From morning till evening, all we are thinking of is how to support the Slovak culture, and then we end up profiting from it. I myself do not understand it. Simply a miracle!” (Image by CynickaObluda.com, used with permission.)
Vladimír Repčík, SOZA's General Manager, later replied [sk] to Černek via his own blog, offering his view of the situation and explaining how the penalty could be lowered, “in accordance with the law”:
This event was presented as a standard ball […] Tickets were sold for €30, and, according to a SME article, […] there were nearly 140 people in the audience. […]
[…] According to all this data, it was a standard cultural event that used protected music repertoire [SOZA's default thinking is that everything that is played is copyrighted unless there is a proof of the opposite], but the organizer did not report the event in advance, despite the fact that the law requires it.
The form used to settle the author's fee did not mention the musical ensemble. Only the drama club and the repertoire used by it were mentioned. Consumption fees were not mentioned [food and drinks were included in the ticket price], only the price of the tickets, the number of guests and the capacity of the hall – this data was used in the calculation of the copyright payment.
[…] This money does not reimburse the high school drama club for the use of their own repertoire, which the high school students played and sang themselves. It is the author's reward for the repertoire that the ball's organizers used during the event. […]
Černek expressed [sk] his willingness to look for a way out of the bureaucratic trap together with Repčík:
We realize that you are acting in accordance with the law. Something that I did not deny on my blog. I already understand, based on the invoice that we got (which was based on a news item), that it is just unfortunate that we didn't have a chance to express [our stance] before being fined. Today, as over a month ago, I was trying to call you or your department to explain the whole thing – in vain. However, I understand that from the news item your staff could not even imagine [how] it [really was]. But it was obvious from the form that we sent, and which, if I understand it correctly, your employees did not take into account, or we filled it out incorrectly.
[…] You will surely agree that from our perspective, €950 for this event is unfair, to say the least, even if it's legal. It is therefore probably good that this has caused such a reaction. Tomorrow I'll try again to contact you and find a solution.
In response, Repčík promised to “arrange a meeting” with Černek “in the near future” – in order to “resolve the whole thing properly.”

author: Tibor Blazko


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Sri Lanka: Nava-ratri – Nine Divine Nights · Global Voices
Rezwan

Navratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of a Hindu deity and is celebrated with nine nights of dancing. More at DD's blog.
Idols on display. Image by  P D Dharmawardhane. CC By NC ND

author: Rezwan


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Turkey: Hundreds of Kurdish Political Prisoners go on Hunger Strike  · Global Voices
Ruwayda Mustafah

Hundreds of Kurdish political prisoners have entered an indefinite hunger strike, challenging Turkey's treatment of Kurdish political prisoners. Through their protest, some are demanding re-trials and language rights while others want to raise international attention about Turkey's treatment of Kurdish political prisoners. Despite their hunger strike, which is nearing six weeks, international media outlets have largely remained silent. This is not particularly surprising, since domestic media outlets in Turkey have both ignored the hunger strikes, and refused to report on them.
A Kurdish blogger explains how the protests began. Memed Boran, currently residing in London, says;
On 12th September 2012, nine women prisoners in Diyarbakir E type prison began an indefinite hunger-strike. In the statement they made via lawyers they highlighted two demands: the right to use their Kurdish mother tongue in the public sphere, including court and the removal of obstacles preventing imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan from negotiating in peace talks with the Turkish state. Soon after, many other inmates, men and women, from prisons in every corner of Turkey began joining the hunger-strike; sometimes in groups and in certain prisons individually. Now there are 380 prisoners in 39 prisons who are on what has surpassed a hunger-strike and become a ‘death fast.’
The number of Kurdish political prisoners is unknown, but according to Human Rights agencies there are thousands of political prisoners in Turkey, and this had led activists to believe that all of them, or rather significant number of them are on hunger strike. Elif from Turkey, Istanbul says the media has chosen to ignore Kurds on hunger strike, and that many of them may soon die.
One Pro-Kurdish rights activist, who tweets under @Hevallo has been desperately trying to get people on Twitter to send Vitamin B1 tablets to the prisoners on hunger strike, in an attempt to minimise the damage to their bodies, and the potentially inevitable consequence, death.
On Facebook Sedat Yezdan says:
In the last 3 years Turkish state has arrested more than 10,000 Kurds, who are students, children, mothers, activists, journalists, lawyers, doctors, mayors, MPs, and many people who are member of Peace & Democracy Party(BDP).
Hunger strikes are a form of non-violent protest, and despite the ongoing and large number of hunger strikers, Turkish media has willfully ignored their plight, perhaps hoping that through their silence the international human rights agencies will also follow a similar path. The lack of interviews with prisoners on hunger strikes has facilitated a justification for media outlets to ignore it, particularly journalists who complain about the lack of resources available.

author: Ruwayda Mustafah


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Turkmenistan: Build Athletes, Not Stadiums · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

My countrymen appreciate the new [sports] infrastructure…, but they generally feel that what really needs to be built aren’t facilities, but actual athletes.
Annasoltan on NewEurasia.net suggests that instead of building lavish stadiums and gyms,Turkmenistan should focus on training athletes that would be able to win international competitions. Yet, she explains why this is not likely to happen:
…I suspect that developing real athletes would risk drawing attention away from our supernatural president – martial artists, horseback rider and race car driver par excellence.


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United States: The Fight for Young Undocumented Immigrants · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

Hundreds of thousand of young undocumented immigrants rejoiced at the news: President Barack Obama's Government authorized registration for the deferred action plan, which allows them to resolve their immigratory and laboral status for two years. Some of the requirements to qualify for the plan are [es]: applicants must be not more than 31 years old by June the 15th of the current year, they must have arrived to the United States before age 16, have joined school or served in the US Armed Forces.
Once the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made the application forms available, the offices all over the country were packed by the eligible recipients. Navy Pier in Chicago, for example, received 10,000 young people; 5,000 more than expected [es].
Just like the students from Nassau Community College in New York (picture),
hundreds of young people all over the country support the cause of the
DREAMers. Photo on Flickr/longislandwins (CC BY 2.0).
However, there is some bad news for some of these DREAMers (called like that because of the DREAM Act) as the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, challenged The White House to reject the opportunity of almost 80,000 young migrants to apply for public benefits in that state. This is not the first time that Brewer is involved in the middle of an immigration debate. Two years ago she supported the controversial state law SB 1070, which has recently been partially nullified [es] by the Supreme Court for containing elements that led to racial profiling, especially against Hispanics.
Some blogs like Immigration Direct [es] make clear what deferred action really means:
Acción diferida no le dará status legal. Acción diferida puede ser considera como un alivio de ser considerado para deportación. Esto no significa que tendrá status legal temporario porque, aunque sea aprobado para acción diferida, no se le perdona los años que ha pasado en el país ilegalmente. Esto se llama presencia ilegal.
Deferred action won't offer legal status. It could be considered as a measure to not being deported. This doesn´t allow you to have a temporary legal status, although is approved for deferred action, the previous illegal years that you lived in the country won't be forgotten. That is called “unlawful presence.”
Regarding legal matters, the blog Immigration America [es] explains that despite the euphoria
about the measure, the process must be taken very cautiously:
Solo usted puede tomar la decisión de aplicar. No se deje presionar. Obtenga primero todos los detalles. Recuerde, esto es solamente asesoramiento jurídico general. No hace referencia a su caso específico. Para obtener un consejo legal específico, consulte a un abogado de inmigración.
You are the only one to decide wether to apply or not. Don't let yourself be pressured.First, get all the details. Remember, we just provide general legal advice. It doesn'tmake reference to your specific case. In order to get specific legal advice ask an immigration lawyer.
The reactions on Twitter bursted at once. Especially against Governor Brewer's measure.
Victor Hugo is a good example:
@victorhugophx: A pesar de la acción diferida, los soñadores reciben una puñalada en la espalda al negarles licencias de conducir en Arizona
@victorhugophx: Despite the diferred action, DREAMers are stabbed in the back, as they are denied to get driving licenses in Arizona.
Eduardo Delgado states that deportations will cease thanks to the Government measure:
@eduardodlgd: Jóvenes ven como la amenaza de una deportación queda en el pasado
@eduardodlgd: Young people see how deportation threat remains in the past.
The Representative of Illinois, Luis V. Gutierrez (@LuisGutierrez), who defended the DREAMers cause, celebrates the measure:
@LuisGutierrez: #DREAMers, you're probably more “American” than “immigrant.” Let's have the paperwork catch up with reality: http://bit.ly/RdqUmq  #DACA
@LuisGutierrez: #DREAMers, son probablemente más “estadounidenses” que “inmigrantes”. Hagamos que el tramite esté a la altura de la realidad.
However, some others like David Bennion, met the benefits of deferred action with scepticism:
@dcbennion: Cautious optimism on #deferredaction for #undocumented youth http://bit.ly/QFXUNN #DACA #unexpected
@dcbennion: Cauteloso optimismo sobre la acción diferida para jóvenes indocumentados #inesperado.

author: Robert Valencia


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Yemen: Total’s Unfair Gas Prices · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Yemen's economy has been struggling for years, resulting in high levels of poverty and alarming rates of malnutrition. Yet, the corruption cases exposing the former regime's mismanagement and embezzlement of Yemen's wealth have been emerging as the main reason for the state the country is in. The latest corruption case exposed was the sales agreement of Yemen's Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). The corrupt government had signed a 20-year deal with French company Total to sell Yemen's gas at a fixed price of $3.2 per million BTU, a considerably lower price than the global market's rate. The deal is reported to cost Yemen a loss of $2.8 billion yearly from selling it at the current price.
Over the past few months, Yemenis have been organizing marches to reclaim the country's wealth from the regime. The Yemeni government responded to the demand of the street and negotiations took place in France on October 4th in a meeting between between President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi and officials of Total to adjust the price. Although  Total agreed to raise the price to $7, yet it is still much lower than the current global market price which ranges between $ 13-18 per million BTU.
The Electronic Coordination of the Yemeni Revolution addressed a stern letter to Total which they posted in Arabic, English and French on their Facebook page, and sent copies to Yemen's Prime Minister Mohammed Basendwah and Oil and Minerals Minister Ahmed Daris, demanding the purchase of Yemen's LNG to be compatible with the global market price and warning both sides to stop looting and draining the country's wealth.
In a threatening tone they pointed:
We can guarantee you that the People of Yemen will not be forgiving. We will commence demanding compensation not only for the financial loss, but for the bribery of government officials and the embezzlement of our wealth. This case will be taken to the French and international courts.
A march organized yesterday October 16, in Sanaa, headed to the presidential palace where the cabinet was holding a meeting.
Banners held in Yesterday march read in Arabic “The minister's task is to reclaim our wealth not manage what is stolen…LNG deal” and “Total, enough taking advantage of our wealth”
Another banner held in yesterday's march
A poster held in yesterday's march reads in Arabic “Stop stealing our country's wealth…a letter addressed to France and Korea”
Yemeni Abroad tweeted:
@NotUntilHeFalls: Can't fathom why ppl are blaming #Total for making off with cheap gas! It's a business not a charity. Blame the gov #TotalRipoffYemen”
Simultaneously, Rasha Jarhum, a Yemeni activist based in Lebanon, is spearheading a campaign demanding more Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from Total which has been operating in Yemen for a number of years.
She tweeted:
@rrj_934: #TotalRipoffYemen is a new hashtag 2 force #Total 2 do better philanthropy & CSR N #Yemen after ripping off #Yemenis 4 years – Join Campaign
@rrj_934: #TotalRipoffYemen btw2007 -2010 only 48 #Yemeni students got internal scholarships from #Total they consider that #CSR http://www.total-ep-yemen.com/pages.aspx?pageid=92 …
@rrj_934:
#TotalRipoffYemen #Total CSR is a drop in a sea for #Yemen comparing to its gains http://www.total-ep-yemen.com/pages.aspx?pageid=92 …
Najla Alhamadi tweeted in response:
@NajlaAlhamadi: @rrj_934 #TotalRipoffYemen #Total is the other dictator in #Yemen As long as they have our gas #Yemen will always be poor.
Luai Ahmed added with irony:
@JustLuai: #TotalRipoffYemen could be talking about the company Total, or just generally saying Yemen is being totally ripped off by everything& every1
TOTAL Group is the fourth largest publicly-traded integrated international oil and gas company in the world and many are skeptical if they would revise their price one more time. Yet Yemeni revolutionary youth and activist through these campaigns are pressuring their government and proving to them and to the world that they are alert and will not allow any corrupt or shady agreements or further embezzlement of Yemen's wealth. They are also demanding more development project of benefiting companies operating in Yemeni soil.
Listing Yemen's natural resources Omar Mashjari wisely tweeted:
@Omar_Mash: With hundreds of miles of coastline, massive untapped natural gas/oil reserves, strategic ports & a huge population; Yemen should not be poor
In fact, Yemen has natural resources that if managed properly by non-corrupted officials and partner companies, can become profitable revenue income sources and hence flourish Yemen's economy. Until then Yemen's youth seem to be relentlessly vigilant and actively working towards that goal.

author: Noon Arabia


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Zimbabwe: Asiagate Scandal Continues to Haunt Football Hopes  · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

This past weekend 13-14 October 2012, had various countries across Africa playing for qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations 2013 to be held in South Africa.
Zimbabwe Shirt Crest courtesy of ZIFA – www.wikipedia.com
But while focus was on who was going to qualify and who would miss the continental challenge, Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) was dealing with the match-fixing scandal that popularly has come to be known as Asiagate.
Following revelations by Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal earlier this year, top football officials have been suspended and even the ZIFA chief executive Jonathan Mashingaindze was kidnapped for making investigations of the match-fixing claims.However various national football fans have been talking about it.
FutbolNews9101 noted that the number of players suspended:
National team players alleged to have taken bribes to throw matches played in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Eighty Zimbabwean footballers have been suspended because of alleged involvement in Asian betting syndicates linked to match-fixing.
The country's sports minister said football was “riddled with corruption”, and called for politics to be rooted out of the sport.The players, including leading members of the national team, are alleged to have taken bribes to throw friendly matches between 2007 and 2009.The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) has set up an independent ethics committee to investigate the alleged fixing, which it believes took place when the national team played in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Stephen Brewer on the blog The Non-partisan Football Fans also shared some concerns about football in a post titled – Global Corruption in Football, It was never a Beautiful Game Part I:
Although this happened five years ago and surfaced a massive three years later, the first proper action was only taken by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) in February 2012 when they temporarily banned around 90 people including coaches. The ZIFA chief executive who was fired ‘Henrieta Rushwaya’ was said to have masterminded the scam, she has been arrested and faces jail time if convicted. The ones who truly suffer from this are the fans, a lot of whom feel that this scandal is surely going to ruin their chances of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations.
Though a majority have the right attitude, with one fan Lindiwe Malaba saying, “They are greedy. We will not miss them at all. They have brought shame to this country.” A sentiment also felt by retired Zimbabwe forward Alois Bunjira, who feels the people involved deserve their fate for putting the country to shame. However after reading several accounts I don’t feel this entirely accurate, whilst I agree with the fans and Bunjira 99%, I feel sorry for the teams goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro who is known to have cried when he was told to allow goals to fly past him. This strikes me as a player with little to no choice and I genuinely feel remorse for him.
Reflections of an African Youth wrote a passionate appeal to the national coach Rahman Gumbo and the football team known as the Warriors:
Dear Rahman.
I know it is not easy carrying the hopes of an entire nation, less so when that nation is Zimbabwe, whose citizens are always complaining about one thing or the other.
Yesterday is a day best forgotten for you and millions of Zimbabweans. It was a terrible day, a disastrous end to a fairy tale that lasted one game.
When you got the position of head coach I, and other like minded Zimbabweans, reserved our comments. I would not be lying if I say I hoped you well.
It is a difficult job, a difficult team, with difficult fans in a difficult country but when you got the job everyone agreed it would not be too difficult to succeed. Against a background of match-fixing, losing to Cape Verde and failing to qualify for the AFCON since 2006 all you needed to do was win a few matches.
He expresses his disappointment with national team officials and nation's state of affairs and further says,
We were tired of Prime Minister Tsvangira’s wife and the women in his life. We were equally tired of the speculation over elections which has gone on for over two years now.
And Cde Rahman, you gave me a chance to write a letter, something I have not done in a very long while. There is something positive even in the bad as the Shona say, “Kushata kwezvimwe kunaka kwezvimwe” isn’t it?
Lastly I wish you every success in your next adventures, wherein you will be carrying the hopes of lots of people again. Must be a heavy burden that, carrying an entire people’s hopes, especially a capricious people like Zimbabweans.
I won’t be part of those people or adventures though Cde Gumbo, my time with the Warriors is up.
In the hope that this letter finds you well in these difficult times- ‘mourning times’ as Sharuko would have us believe.
I look forward to receiving your reply comrade.
Warmest Regards
The African Youth ( A very disappointed former fan of the Warriors)
Finally Stanford Chiwanga through his blog Flair Play offers a nice conclusion by saying:
There is no denying that football in Zimbabwe has not been tapped, its full potential has been retarded by lack of corporate support. This is the time for ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube and his board to impress the business community that has shunned football because of perceived corruption and maladministration.
The Ndumiso Gumede led Asiagate investigating team has done well and the prayer of the day is that its findings will not be thrown into the dustbin with just a few scapegoats punished while the major players walk away with the proverbial cigar in their mouths.
The Asiagate scandal was a wake up call, a reminder and an obvious example that our football is in need of drastic changes now not tomorrow. This opportunity must not be lost otherwise the vultures will circle again when the dust has settled.

author: Richard Wanjohi


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Bermuda: Election Thoughts · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Catch a fire blogs about Bermuda's elections – and offers a few predictions – while Respice Finem calls the right to vote “a right, not a privilege.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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China: Basketball Grandma · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

To avoid medical spending and keep herself healthy, Zhu Shumei, a 76 old granny plays basketball every day for more than 20 years on a university campus in Jinhua, Zhejiang province. JIng Gao from Ministry of Tofu has translated the local feature story.


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China: Breast Feeding · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Sascha Matuszak blogs about his wife, Zhang Yushi's involvement in breast feeding campaign in China, including the organization of a flash mob breast feeding action in Chengdu.