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Nigeria: Okonjo-Iweala’s Bid for World Bank’s Top Job Creates Ripples · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (NOI), Nigeria’s Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy wants the World Bank top job. However, she has to slug it out with Jim Yong Kim (a Korean-American physician and President of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire) and José Antonio Ocampo (former finance minister of Colombia and currently a professor at Columbia University, New York).
These three wish to succeed current president, Robert Zoellick, who is stepping down at the end of his term on 30 June, 2012. Ever since NOI made her intentions public, the social media has known no peace with comments from African netizens.
NOI is no guest to the World Bank. She resigned as managing director to become the most important woman in present administration in Nigeria. Last year in Nigeria: Adrift Awaiting the Arrival of a Woman netizens predicted  that NOI will soon raise some dust:
When I became finance minister they called me Okonjo-Wahala –  or Trouble Woman. It means ‘I give you hell.’ But I don't care what names they call me. I'm a fighter; I'm very focused on what I'm doing, and relentless in what I want to achieve. If you get in my way, you get kicked.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy. Image released in the public domain by www.imf.org/
And sure she did! NOI was considered the lead protagonist of the removal of subsidy on petrol early this year. This lead to a national protest that was magnified by:
...the democratization of information as personified by young Nigerians through their use of social media. For days, the nation had been shut down: no one worked, earned or learned.
NOI declared her bid in Pretoria – with the support of two strong African economies, Angola and South Africa – in these words:
I consider the World Bank a very important institution for the world and particularly for developing countries deserving of the best leadership… So I look forward to a contest of very strong candidates, and am I confident? Absolutely.
She was also grateful for the support from other African countries. NOI’s Facebook post stated as follows:
I am honoured by my nomination and the support of multiple African Nations to make the World Bank more representative of the people it serves. As an employee of the Bank for 22 years, I know of its commitment to improving the lives of those in developing world. It is that passion that inspires me to do the most I can for Nigeria as the Minister of Finance.
Nonetheless, African netizens have reacted to her candidacy, some in support, others against and some just indifferent.
Sam Ayogu  commented on NOI Facebook wall:
You deserve the World Bank top-must position. I don’t know why USA must be so selfish to still eye that position again. Madam, may God see you through.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda did same like Sam:
In full support of your candidature my sister.
Dale @drkumo ranks among NOI’s supporters on Twitter:
@drkumo: Africa deserves the position of the World Bank President and Okonjo-Iweala should be the one.
Preh Omoni wrotes:
@prehfred: @NOIweala: Nigeria is indeed honoured. The nomination is as important as d job, just as for d Grammy, Oscar, Nobel, etc. Congrats!
Lant Pritchett in ‘Why Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Should Be the Next Head of the World Bank‘ employed a six-points criteria to compare NOI with Jim Yong Kim.  NOI ranked 5-1 to Yong Kim for the job. Pritchett asserted that:
The US had a chance to lead.  It abdicated that chance to play domestic politics and put forward a US nominee who is manifestly less qualified to be head of the World Bank than the alternative candidate nominated by African countries: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Below are tweeps who are against NOI’s bid.
Olaolu Adeniran :
@ladeniran: Nigerians & d hypes we eat up. #NOI wont get d world bank job. it's an electn yr 4 @barackobama & he's facing a close race.
Ismail Umar  was a bit sarcastic:
@yankee200893: @NOIweala to be realistic, you can go ahead with your career in World Bank. We Nigerians we don't see your impact in Nigeria economy.
AA as in AA :
@adaba2015: @NOIweala All the best in ur quest to be WB President. We wish u success bc we cant wait to see u go. You've become same of d shame in govt.
The indifferent gang was personified by Ken Opolo:
@kopalo: Interesting reactions to World Bank president nominee. I am ambivalent. Would love Ngozi to get it but wonder what difference that'd make.
One thing is certain, NOI is definitely not going to be a walk over in the race to the World Bank presidency. In a matter of weeks the decision will be made and who gets the top job will be settled. However, Peter Michael summarises the views of most netizens on NOI’s candidacy and nomination by other African nations:
Congratulations Madam! Even if you don’t make it we are still proud of you, you made Nigeria proud once again with your intellect and skills which is a legacy no one can dispute. May God continue to grease your elbow, increase you with wisdom as you continue to serve for the benefit of humanity.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Online Commentary on US President Obama’s Visit to South Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The Monster Island blog wrote several posts on US President Obama's visit to South Korea. Read the blogger's commentary on Obama's side trip to the demilitarized zone which is a de facto border between the two Koreas and President Obama's new Korean name.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Palestine: Gazans Suffer Due to Fuel and Electricity Shortage · Global Voices
Ola Anan

Over the past decade, the words “Gaza” and “crisis” have become almost complementary. The crises have ranged from war and military raids and invasions, to military occupation, and in this case to an electricity and fuel outage.
In addition to an ongoing Israeli-led blockade, the Gaza Strip is suffering from a fresh fuel crisis, with the only fuel currently available being an overpriced Israeli fuel supply in limited quantities. The shortage of fuel has added to the shortage of electricity, as it is used to supply the main generators of the electricity company, alternative power generators at hospitals, bakeries and sewage pumps, in addition to power generators used in households.
Palestinians wait to fill containers with fuel. Image by Majdi Fathi, copyright Demotix (21/03/2012).
Gaza's netizens have been commenting on the situation (when there is electricity to do so):
@Omar_Gaza: Gaza is heading into very dark dangerous turn because of fuel shortage! Bakeries, schools, hospitals, stores, cars, taxies & life will stop sooooon
The first victim of the power outage facing the Strip was seven-month-old baby Mohammed Al Helou, who died after the generator running his respirator ran out of fuel.
@LeilZahra: As we tweet the energy away, hospitals in #Gaza are denied the life-saving energy to sustain their patients #Gas4Gaza
Shortage of electricity and/or fuel is becoming the most popular topic among Palestinians on social media platforms. Things such as Facebook statuses cursing the electricity company, or happy tweets indicating the return of electricity, have become customary.
The electricity company has been dividing the Gaza Strip into areas and neighborhoods, and each gets a power supply for six hours daily on a rotating basis.
Blogger Randa Abu Ramadan has written a blog post [ar] that analyzes your personality according to the time your house gets electricity:
Moreover, people have to find a way to organize their day according to electricity. Yousef Abu Watfa, a reporter for Al Jazeera Talk, has written [ar] about how his friend's mother is affected when doing housework:
Large numbers of gas tubes are accumulating in stations in the Gaza Strip, as the fuel crisis deepens. Image by Ahmed Deeb, copyright Demotix (05/03/2012).
This could be summarized in a tweet written by Fady [ar]:
Nour Abed, a school teacher, tweets [ar]:
As a recent poll shows that 48 percent of Gazans blame their local government for the fuel crisis in Gaza. Izz Shawa wrote on Twitter [ar]:
Blogger Yasser Ashour also noticed the exchange of accusations between Palestinian officials as he wrote on his blog [ar]:
Although the official representatives of the Gaza government have come out with a number of declarations defending themselves, claiming that a huge “conspiracy” is being conducted against them, a lot of people are still not convinced. Blogger and photographer Khaled Safi writes in a blog post [ar]:

author: Ola Anan


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Puerto Rico: “National Day of Salsa” in the Conservatory · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

Every year, on the third Sunday of March, the National Day of Salsa takes place in Puerto Rico. However during the entire month there are a variety of events related to this important celebration.
This was the case on Sunday, March 11th at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music where the traditional concert in commemoration of Salsa Day was held. Salsa devotees congregated in the Conservatory's Rafael Hernández Ampitheater to enjoy this cultural and musical expression. An expression that has gone around the world to become one of the most popular and most recognizable examples of Latin American and Caribbean music and dance.
This year the singer Cheo Feliciano and the singer and trumpet player Jerry Medina, two of the most important exponents of Salsa in Puerto Rico, joined the Conservatory students to celebrate the Day of Salsa.
Wilma Colón has shared some photos she shot of the event. All the photos are used with her consent.
Devotees of Salsa gathered together to enjoy the commerative concert for the National Salsa Day.
Trombone students from the Conservatory majoring in Caribbean Jazz & Music.
Jerry Medina
Percussion students majoring in Caribbean Jazz and Music.
The singer Cheo Feliciano. As well as being a salsa signer, he is also known for singing boleros.
Conservatory students sing the choruses along with the guest Salsa singers.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Senegal: Wade Warned New President Sall of Shortage in Public Funds  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

M. Ndiaye reports [fr] that Wade warned newly elected president Macky Sall that the State will not be able to pay public servant salaries if he is not re-elected. Furthermore, P. Faye adds that Wade also stated before election Day that infrastructure construction in the city of Matam and Podor will stop [fr] without him at the helm.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Syria: A Year On, From Beirut With Love · Global Voices
رامي الهامس

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
On 15 March, 2012, the Syrian revolution marked its first anniversary with increasing determination that marked its beginning. On this day many activists around the world rallied at the Global March Against the Syrian Dictator while protests were arranged in many cities around the world supporting the Syrian cause.
Lebanon, Syria's neighbour, and its capital Beirut, were not away from all what was happening despite the difficulties in freedom of expression lately. There, activists faced this challenge and decided to do something different. Beirut Walls [ar] explains the activists stance in Lebanon in the blog post entitled “The Syrian revolution after a year, from Beirut with love”:
منذ عام والشعب السوري يصرخ “الموت ولا المذلة”، “حرية حرية حرية”. قتل منهم ما يفوق الثمانية ألف شهيد واعتقل الآلاف ودمرت البيوت واغتصبت النساء… منذ عام ونحن في بيروت نحترق أمام المشاهد ونتخبط في حيرتنا عمّا بوسعنا ان نفعله. كيف نتضامن مع شعب يقتل لأنه يريد اسقاط نظام قمعه لمدة عقود؟ كيف نعبر عن تأييدنا وبيروت يملؤها شبيحة من الطراز البعثي والقومي والميليشيوي؟
منذ عام وبعضنا من أفراد وناشطين مستقلين نحاول ان نشارك من بيروت في ثورة سوريا. نعتصم هنا، نكتب هناك، نعرض أفلاماً، نيأس ثم نعود نرفض ان يطالنا القمع فنهرع الى جدران المدينة. كانت الجدران الحيز الحر الذي وجدنا فيه مكاننا للتعبير
Beirut Walls: To the Syrian revolution with love, used under CC.
Despite this, netizens and activist Twitter users announced their support for the Syrian revolution. @abirsasso [ar], from Beirut, tweeted:
While @taniaelk said:
Early this morning, on the 1st anniversary of the revolution in #Syria Beiruti activists sent a message of solidarity.
@NadineBek [ar] also assured the Lebanese solidarity with the Syrian revolution saying:
Activists in Beirut found another way to announce their solidarity with the Syrian people, by drawing graffiti and putting posters on walkways and bridges. They also wrote and distributed slogans in the memory of the Syrian revolution.
Beirut Walls also wrote about the revolution morning [ar] including a video entitled: “From Beirut with love”:
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

author: رامي الهامس


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Tibetans, the police and China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Tom Lasseter blogs about what he saw in his travel to Tongren, an ethnic Tibetan town in Qinghai Province where two men set themselves on fire last week.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Tunisia: Bloggers Help Draft the Constitution · Global Voices
Ahmed Medien

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
On October 23, 2011, Tunisians elected an assembly to draft its new constitution, following the toppling of the Ben Ali regime. Now, five months later, the assembly has just started studying the draft proposals. Yet, disagreements about the first article of the constitution is slowing down the work of the assembly and Islam and the Arab identity are at the heart of debates nationwide.
Blogger Mohamed Ali Charmi took the initiative to propose the first three articles on his blog, bidules8. In his post [ar], El Cherni suggests that Tunisia should remain a civil state whose religion is Islam and whose official language is Arabic. He also stresses that Tunisia be open to other neighboring civilizations and cultures, naming the North-African, African, Arab, Mediterranean and European cultures.
In the same first article, Charmi reminds us of the design of the Tunisian flag. Perhaps, this initiative is a reaction to the discretion of Tunisian flag when a Salafi student lowered the Tunisian flag and raised the Salafist flag instead.
Tunisia Celebrates Independence Day – March 20
Charmi suggests that the second article of the constitution should protect the freedoms and dignity of all Tunisian citizens. He writes [ar]:
The third article emphasizes that Tunisia keeps the democratic republican regime that brings about pluralism and peaceful rotation of power. It approves the separation of powers and criminalizes any attempts to turn back on these foundations.
The apparent schism between the ends of political spectrum in Tunisia has reflected a gap within the Tunisian society that is drifting apart in two segments in the absence of any serious action to help the country progress towards an understanding. Therefore, once again, the community of Internet users in Tunisia is taking a stand to influence politicians to choose the best alternatives for Tunisians.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Ahmed Medien


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Armenia: Ushahidi deployed for parliamentary elections · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Georgia was the first country in the South Caucasus to deploy a bespoke crowd-sourcing and crisis mapping platform for its local elections in May 2010, but Armenia will be the first to use Ushahidi to monitor the conduct of national elections in the form of the upcoming May 2012 parliamentary vote. The site, iDitord (iObserver), uses the #iditord hashtag on Twitter.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Chile: Twitter Debates Therapeutic Abortion While the Senate Waits · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

[All links lead to Spanish-language websites unless otherwise stated]
While the Senate continues to postpone the debate over the decriminalization of therapeutic abortion, the exchanging of opinions has continued unabated in Chilean cyberspace, most noticeably following televised debates on the subject on two Chilean TV programmes. Subsequently, the hashtags #aborterapeutico (“therapeutic abortion”), #tolerancia0, #t0, and #VP  (all three referring to the TV programmes) became trending topics in Chile.
The bill was due to be debated in the senate on August 2, 2011, but to this day has not yet been introduced, due to the introduction of other more, or less, urgent bills.
Below are the highlights of the comments made on Twitter during the televised debates.
Chilean Senate. Picture by Flickr user congresochile (cc by 2.0)
Debate on TV programme ‘Tolerancia Cero’‘
During the programme ‘Tolerancia Cero’ on March 18, Pato Linsky (@Patolinsky) stressed that:
En un debate televisado sobre el Aborto a la que menos le dieron la palabra fue, adivine usted, a la única Mujer presente. #EsteEsChile #T0
In a televised debate on abortion, the person given least airtime was, you guessed it, the only woman involved. #EsteEsChile [“This is Chile”] #T0
Giorgio Jackson (@GiorgioJackson), a student representative, condemned one of the speakers, saying:
Es muy violento lo que dice el doctor de la U Andes… Lo peor es q cree q tiene la autoridad moral para decidir por miles de chilenas. #T0
It's very violent what the Doctor from Andes University is saying… and worst of all, he thinks he has the moral authority to make a decision on behalf of thousands of Chilean women.#T0
Meanwhile @JAVIERLABRIN, a student, defended the right of the conservative Dr. Illanes to give his opinion:
En 1 debate exento d argumentos moralistas y religiosos, Dr. Illanes, U andes, planteo su postura y, nos guste o no, se debería respetar #T0
In a debate dominated by moral and religious arguments, Dr. Illanes from Andes University made his position clear and, whether we agree with him or not, it should be respected. #T0
Twitter user Trini (@Sita_Tri) congratulated one of the moderators:
Bien Paulsen, al final esta no es una discusión científica, si no que ideológica #T0#aborterapeutico
Well done Paulsen, ultimately this is not a scientific debate but an ideological one. #T0#aborterapeutico
Jessica Riquelme (@JessRiquelme) asked:
si en #t0 dejaron claro q en caso de riesgo de vida de la mujer el médico está obligado a terminar el embarazo… que estamos discutiendo??
If on #t0 [TV programme ‘Tolerancia Cero’] it was made clear that in cases where a woman's life is at risk the doctor is obliged to terminate the pregnancy… then what are we debating??
Debate on TV programme ‘Vía Pública’
Following that, on March 19, during the programme ‘Vía Pública’ on station TVN, the well-known Twitter user Elquenoaporta (@elquenoaporta) said:
Prohibir el aborto de un feto inviable por razones ideológicas es tan ilógico como obligarlo. Las creencias no se imponen. #VP
Making it illegal to ban an inviable fetus for ideological reasons is as illogical as making it obligatory. Beliefs should not be imposed on others. #VP
To which, dentist Felipe González (@Felipedental) replied:
@elquenoaporta y quien habla de obligar a abortar? La discusión es que existan todas las opciones
@elquenoaporta and who says anything about making abortion obligatory? The debate is about having all the options available.
While Igraine (@Igra_ine) said:
#VP si ud quiere llevar feto inviable 9 meses en su útero, bien por usted, pero si otra persona no quiere hacerlo, debe tener la opción.
#VP if you want to carry an inviable fetus in your womb for 9 months, good for you, but if someone else doesn't want to do that, then they shouldn't have to.
And law student Caroola (@Carooola) added:
Interesante el debate en #VP .El problema radica en no separar las creencias de las políticas públicas,sin hacer eso no hay avance
Interesting the debate on #VP [TV Programme ‘Vía Pública’]. The problem centres on politicians being unable to leave their public beliefs out of the debate. If that doesn't happen, there will be no progress.
Belén Araceli Lagos (@Belencillaboop), meanwhile, stressed that:
#vp Podemos estar muy en contra del aborto, pero lo que no se puede hacer es no debatir el tema
#vp one can be completely opposed to abortion, but what one cannot do is refuse to have a debate on the subject.
Alvaro Jorquera, a political scientist (@jorqueramora) concluded:
#VP negarse a la idea de legislar, es no permitir que se den discusiones como la que están realizando ustedes en el programa.
#VP to refuse to accept the idea of legislation is to deny the possibility of debates like the one taking place on this TV programme.
Neither the issue, nor the debate surrounding it, are anything new, given that since last year, when the Senate Health Committee put the legislation on therapeutic abortion forward for debate [en], there has been intense discussion, both online [en] and face-to-face.
The Health Code in Chile  (the legal body responsible for regulating the health system) had, since 1931, considered abortion as an option in cases where the woman's health was at risk. In 1989 however, months before the end of the dictatorship, Augusto Pinochet revoked this position following intense pressure from Cardinal Jorge Medina and Admiral Toribio Merino. Since then, abortion under any circumstances has been completely outlawed.
Only five other countries in Latina America and the Caribbean share the same legal position of absolute prohibition: The Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras.

author: Elizabeth Rivera


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China: A New Collective Blog · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dan Harris from China Law Blog introduced a new collective blog: rectified.name in the Chinese blogosphere.


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China: A Titanic Nation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chinese cartoonist Perverted Pepper posted a political cartoon in which a throng of ordinary Chinese waves goodbye to a large red ship called “Titanic” at Sina Weibo. The drawing was quickly deleted and China Media Project has saved a copy.


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Cuba: Pope Benedict XVI Takes a Glance at Cuba’s Future · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

The arrival at Santiago de Cuba of Pope Benedict XVI placed the Caribbean nation in the Twitter Trending Topics. Raúl Castro and the name of the western province were among the most consulted topics yesterday afternoon.
After his arrival, President Raúl Castro gave the Pope a welcome speech in which he ensured:
Cuba lo recibe con afecto y respeto y se siente honrada con su presencia. Encontrará aquí a un pueblo solidario e instruido que se ha propuesto alcanzar toda la justicia y ha hecho grandes sacrificios.
Cuba receives you with affection and respect and it is honored with your presence. You will find here a solidary and educated community that has taken upon itself the objective of reaching all the justice and has made a lot of sacrifices.
Pope Benedicto XVI arriving in Cuba. Photo by Ismael Francisco. Republished with the permission of Cubadebate.
Meanwhile, Benedict XVI ended his arrival speech declaring:
Estoy convencido de que Cuba, en este momento especialmente importante de su historia, está mirando ya al mañana, y para ello se esfuerza por renovar y ensanchar sus horizontes, a lo que cooperará ese inmenso patrimonio de valores espirituales y morales que han ido conformando su identidad más genuina.
I'm convinced that Cuba, in this specially important moment of its history, is looking at the future. And by doing so, it is fighting to renew and widen its horizons with the cooperation of the spiritual and moral values that have shaped its most genuine identity.
Netizens on the web are reproducing the songs that are being heard at Plaza Antonio Maceo in the province of Santiago where most of the people are wearing white shirts.
Si el Papa no viene a Camaguey, a donde vaya, me voy con él.
If the Pope doesn't come to Camaguey, I will go wherever he goes.
In a Facebook consult [es] made by the author, several young Cubans expressed their views on the Pope's visit.
According to the blogger Olemis Lang [es]:
Comparo esta venida del Papa con la de Juan Pablo II y las conclusiones son que aquella estuvo mucho más participativa.
I compare this Pope's visit with the one made by John Paul II and the conclusions are that the latter was more popular.
Amaya Terry [es] mentioned that there has been “an over saturated coverage by all the media”. As for John Paul's visit 14 years ago, she pointed out:
No tengo muchas expectativas con este Papa, realmente no me hace ilusión; pero siempre se espera algo aunque muy en el fondo. El entusiasmo que existía con Juan Pablo II, éste nunca lo logrará en Cuba, aunque todos estemos orgullosos de recibirlos “con afecto y respeto”, la simpatía que dejó Juan Pablo II en nosotros es insuperable!!!
I do not have many expectations for this Pope, really he doesn't thrill me; but deep inside something is always expected. The enthusiasm that John Paul II generated will never be achieved by this Pope, even if we are all proud to welcome them with “affection and respect.” The charm that John Paul II left is unbeatable!!!
Here we present a video with the first moments of the Pope in Cuba.

author: Elaine Díaz


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Georgia: Anti-discriminatory legislation ahead of Armenia, Azerbaijan · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on the passage of legislation in Georgia outlawing discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, age, and political as well as religious views. The blog notes that the inclusion of sexual orientation makes Georgia “clearly the most advanced country in the South Caucasus in terms of legislative provisions on LGBT issues.”


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India: Young Women Learning About Participatory Video · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

A group of young women in the slums of Hyderabad in India are learning how to make videos to change their communities, and in this next film the group of young girls explain what they've learned and how they are helping their communities and themselves through their work.
Namita Singh, who is doing her PhD research on participatory video had a double function in this process. An experienced trainer in video production for grassroots communities as well as a writer of toolkits and guides for media training directed to girls and children, she was also studying these girls learning process.
While producing the video documenting the girls progress, they asked her to please train them further while they made the film. She comments on this experience in her blog post ‘Namita Singh, the Trainer Vs. Namita Singh, the Researcher : Things I taught and things I learnt!‘:
Young girls from the Hderabad Slums in India learn filmmaking
Tricky! How could I say no? They are giving me their time for my research. They are participating in it. They just want to learn a bit more, while being a part of it. On the other hand, it is a research, I did not want to compromise on my data-collection, while trying to train them and mixing up two very different things.Would research be research, if things did not complicate themselves?
So I put my dilemma aside, and thought, ‘Well, I could probably design the video-making in a workshop-format. I have done this as a trainer, as it is an extremely participatory process. I can do the same, as a researcher too.
It was not as easy as it seemed. There are things I did as a trainer, which I could not as a researcher, and vice-versa…..
Following is the video, subtitled in English:
Ms. Singh mentions in her article one example of how the young girls understand the power of the videos they are making and take into account many aspects in their production. It had to do with deciding on the language for the video. When it was suggested that they could make the video in English, as a way to reach funders and other NGOs, they countered:
But the girls pointed out, ‘Our communities don’t know English. They’ll not understand what we are saying. Even if we put subtitles, they don’t know how to read. Those who know English can read. So let only the subtitles be in English’. The girls were sensitive about their community, and vocal about it too. As a trainer, the focus was always to respond to such needs of the community. In fact, use of local words, encouraging local songs, etc. was an integral part of the process. After all, for them, it was for the local community that was to engage with the video more.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Malawi: Meet Malawi’s Most Followed Lawyer on Facebook · Global Voices
Victor Kaonga

Facebook has become one of the main platforms for updates and socio-political discussions in Malawi. For example, the arrest of Malawi's prominent lawyer and activist Ralph Kasambara in February 2012 attracted massive attention on Facebook. After his colleague and lawyer Wapona Kita broke the news on his Facebook page, the mainstream media had to follow his Facebook updates to keep their readers, listeners and viewers informed.
In a special interview with Global Voices Online on why he is so keen on using Facebook, Kita said that Facebook helps him connect with as many people as possible on important issues affecting the nation:
Being on social network is no longer an option these days. Updates which used to take days or months to come by are now accessible just within seconds. So just as I benefit from other people's updates, I also feel oblidged to update my friends likewise and if you are in a priviledged position where information easily gets you, why not share it if its is good for public consumption!
Wapona Kita, Malawi's most followed lawyer on Facebook.  Image source: Kita's Facebook page.
Kita added that he has reached the maximum number of 5000 friends on Facebook and still has got 2000 friends requests to confirm.
I value all these friends for what they are and what I can give them in terms of  sharing information in an acceptable manner
Bloggers such as Mbachi Joyce Ng'oma posted messages in support of Kasambara. The arrest and detention of Ralph Kasambara, a former attorney general, came after a fracas at his law practice with people he says were hired by the Malawian government to attack him and petrol bomb his office .
Kita, a resident partner at Ralph and Arnolds Associates in Lilongwe, rose to fame when took on a case involving Jim Jumani Johannson who claimed to be the son to Malaw'si former President Kamuzu Banda. Last year, he challenged the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority on its fuel price hike which saw upward adjustments of more than 20 percent on the pump price.
According to Internet World Stats, as of 31 December, 2011 there were 716,400 Internet users in Malawi. Currently, there are 127,740 Facebook users in Malawi. Malawi ranks number 134 in the ranking of Facebook statistics by country.
Following the fuel shortage crisis in Malawi, one netizen, Frederick Bvalani, created a Facebook group as a tool for citizens to update one another on latest fuel supplies at gas stations.

author: Victor Kaonga


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Mexico: Protests and Celebrations Mark Pope Benedict’s Visit · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Over the period of March 23, 24, 25 and 26, 2012, Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (better known as Pope Benedict XVI), in his current role as Head State of Vatican City and the Pope of the Catholic Church, carried out his pastoral visit to Mexico in the accompaniment of several other men of the clergy.
Ratzinger did not visit the Mexican Federal District (Mexico's capital city) but limited himself to Guanajuato. He attended a series of public ceremonies beginning with his arrival at the International Airport of Guanajuato, where, with respect to the protocol that corresponds to the visit of  Head of State, he was welcomed by the President of the United Mexican States.
Silao, Guanajuato, March 26, 2012. President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and Pope Benedict XVI. Imagee by Flickr user Gobierno Federal (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
However, days leading up to his visit, Twitter user Genaro Lozano (@genarolozano) [es] caused quite the stir by broadcasting the hashtag #desnudateparaelpapa [es] (“Get naked for the Pope”), and promoting nudity as a form of protest against the Pope's visit and against the attitude of the Catholic Church towards sexual education, abortion and sexual diversity:
Porque educación sexual y los preservativos salvan vidas, detienen al VIH y no dejan chavas con embarazos no deseados #desnudateparaelpapa
The same Twitter user also pointed out [es]:
Porque hay fieles católicos que son LGBT y que al clero les da asquito #desnudateparaelpapa
On the other side of the coin, user Luz Adriana Arellano (@Luz_AdrianaAL) [es], shared limited feelings on the Pope's arrival:
Ya quiero que llegue el papa me llena de emoción!!
User Caleb (@CalebTorres1) [es], also displayed similar feelings, showing his hope that the Catholic leader's visit would be beneficial:
Ya quiero que llegue el Papa y que por su divina presencia se acabe la violencia y deje de temblar. Amen
Lawyer Roberto Vélez (@bobelenigma) [es] expressed his opinion with regards to the hope that the Bishop of Rome's visit will resolve many of the country's problems:
Increíblemente en nuestro país las soluciones a tantos y tan variados problemas se están encomendando a la visita pastoral de Ratzinger
Blogger Francisco Xavier Sánchez [es] approached the theme of the pastoral visit in the following manner:
Es una alegría tener entre nosotros al sucesor de Pedro, guía espiritual de la Iglesia católica. Un viaje que nos permite reflexionar sobre la evangelización y el desempeño de la Iglesia católica en nuestro país.
Es verdad que la religión católica sigue siendo mayoritaria en México. Sin embargo considero que vamos bajando en cifras con respecto a otros grupos religiosos, e incluso a sectas, que han crecido mucho últimamente en nuestro país. Aunque también hay que considerar que las cifras son engañosas cuando se trata de hablar de porcentajes en religión. Porque finalmente ¿cuántos de los que se dicen católicos son practicantes? E incluso ¿qué debemos entender por “ser practicante”? Porque se puede llevar una vida “externa” basada en el culto que no refleje realmente una “actitud interior” y un compromiso social de vida. Digo todo esto porque la esencia de la religión no consiste tanto en reuniones multitudinarias sino en compromisos concretos y personales de vida. Aunque lo primero puede (y debería) ayudar a lo otro.
It is a joy to have amongst us the successor of Peter, the spiritual guide of the Catholic Church. It is a trip that has allowed us to reflect on the evangelism as well as the performance of the Catholic Church in our country.
Is is true that the Catholic religion continues to be the majority in Mexico. But, I believe that we are going down in numbers compared to other religious groups, including sects, which have grown a lot lately in our country. Also, you have to consider the fact that numbers are deceitful, when speaking about percentages of religion. How many of you that say you are Catholics are actually practicing? In addition, what do we understand when we say ‘practicing'? You can lead an “exterior” life, based on the cult that does not actually reflect an “inner attitude” and social commitment to life. I say all of this because the essence of religion doesn't consist so much of multitudinous meetings, but rather of personal and concrete commitments to life. Although, the first one can (and would be) helpful to the other.
In his blog, Jenaro Villamil [es] criticized the media coverage of the Pope's visit:
No hay día en que las televisoras no nos apabullen con los detalles más insustanciales de la llegada del obispo de Roma. No hay programa radiofónico que evada la referencia al viaje breve y singularmente político de Ratzinger.
Political scientist Denise Dresser (@DeniseDresserG) [es], ike many other persons, did not refrain from mentioning the cases of sexual abuse that affect the church that Ratzinger leads. In particular, the case of Marcial Maciel, a priest accused of being sexually abusive:
El caso de Marcial Maciel es escandaloso, ya que él fue protegido mientras sus víctimas fueron ignoradas por Ratzinger durante los 90s.
She adds that the treatment of the victims is what has been so surprising [es] to her:
Sorprende que el Papa no haya atendido mejor a las víctimas. No basta una disculpa genérica, Urge investigar, sancionar y reparar el daño.
After the departure of the Pope, many talked about the amount of media coverage during his visit. Maria Fernández Cadena (@vitamena) [es] expressed her opinion:
Aja ya se fue Don Benedicto, ahora la vendimia de las monedas, recuerditos, los programas especiales.. Le tiro como 1 mes mas en el tema..
User Alessia Corcuera (@top_roping_ale) [es] pointed out that the end of the pastoral visit means that the media will return to its coverage of the political campaigns:
Lo único malo de que el Sr. Ratzinger se vaya de México es que los candidatos presidenciales volverán a ser la nota principal día y noche
Ratzinger's visit to Mexico resulted in controversy, to say the least. However, amongst other things, his presence served as a way of appreciating the plurality of opinions and expressions that enrich this society. He now turns to Cuba, the Caribbean country that will accommodate the Vatican sovereign from starting March 26.

author: J. Tadeo


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Philippines: Government Fails to Stop ‘Noynoying’ · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

What started as a substitute to the now banned planking protests is now the latest hit sensation in the Philippines. As a protest pose, ‘Noynoying’ simply involves sitting around, lying on the ground, or staring on empty space, and doing nothing.
Activists first coined ‘Noynoying’ to describe Philippine President Noynoy Aquino's inaction on the soaring prices of oil, tuition and other school fees, and other basic goods and services, rising inequality, and poverty, among others.
Government fails to stop Noynoying
Government efforts to stop the growing popularity of ‘Noynoying’ have all failed miserably. The term became even more popular after the Palace released several photos showing the president supposedly “at work” to counteract the charges of ‘Noynoying’. These were quickly photoshopped and uploaded online as Internet memes.
The latest ‘Noynoying’ images showed the president together with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials who also became notorious last year after they edited photos of themselves to make it appear that they were “working” on a Manila Bay wall destroyed by a typhoon.
Here are some samples of noynoying memes now circulating on the Internet:
‘Noynoying’ now has its own entry in Wikipedia, which has expanded from a simple one short paragraph description to a lengthy treatise on the origin of the term.
On Noynoying's growing popularity
Taken from the president's nickname Noynoy, ‘Noynoying’ has been widely embraced by the public to mean doing nothing in the face of pressing matters that need action. Filipino netizens have been discussing why ‘Noynoying’ gained its present popularity.
A member of the Aquino regime's cabinet called Noynoying an “annoying” publicity gimmick by government critics:
It is a sub-plot to a more prolonged campaign against the government by its political enemies. Because these people are having a hard time attacking government policies, they resort to ad hominem attacks on PNoy, stooping so low as to question his mental condition.
Blogger Teo Marasigan replies that the rise of Noynoying is not just the work of a few activists:
Pumatok ang Noynoying dahil sapul nito ang sentimyento sa pangulo ng mga mamamayan. Sa likod ng masasayang ngiti at masasarap na pangako ng pangulo, ramdam ang pagtindi ng hirap at gutom ng mga tao.
John Marcel Ragaza meanwhile blogs that Noynoying, annoying as it maybe for the president and his officials, is not just an attack on the president's person.
Noynoying is a symbolic protest that goes beyond criticism of the president's character. The public and even Malacanang should not misconstrue Noynoying, and any act of creative protest for that matter, as a plain assault to person of Aquino. Rather, it is an insult directed at the kind of governance that is being espoused not only by Aquino but even by his predecessors, to the elite rule that has long dominated the country, to a leadership that sadly contributes to the suffering of marginalized Filipinos through the protection of elite interests. Noynoying is just a catchy verb, but it nevertheless pierces and offends because it is truthful.
The bottom line for the endurance of Noynoying, Like a Rolling Stone observes, is the Aquino government's willful disregard for people's issues:
It is Aquino and his officials who appear to be living in a different world, a place where there are only happy mall-goers, rosy stock market indices and busy construction sites that point to economic growth. In this world, oil prices are not a problem no matter how high they get. Poverty is just a state of mind and unemployment is fiction.
Be thankful Mr. President that today’s protests are still tinged with humor. There might come a time when there will only be anger over your government’s inaction.
Lastly, youth activist leader Vencer Crisostomo lists down some concrete steps that the Aquino regime can do, instead of mere photo releases and denials, to stop accusations of Noynoying:
Stopping oil price hikes, implementing genuine land reform, significantly raising wages, imposing a moratorium on tuition and other school fee increases, ending impunity and human rights abuses, standing up against US intervention, and ending foreign plunder and mining of the country's natural resources, among many others.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russia: Kenyans at Pro-Putin Rally Identified As Moscow Circus Acrobats · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011/12.
A month ago, the video of a group of Kenyan men who allegedly participated in the pro-Putin rally at Luzhniki on Feb. 23 received much attention [ru] on the RuNet.
For opposition-minded netizens, the presence of the young Kenyans at the pro-Putin rally confirmed yet again that much of the support for the Russian PM was not genuine. It also provided them with something of a comic relief: “International conspiracy” was part of the title of activist Igor Drandin's video post [ru]; “Putin is a politician of intergalactic scale, even Kenya supports him,” wrote [ru] LJ user cuduyc in a comment to Drandin's post; “the representatives of international Putinism are very impressive,” wrote LJ user pier_luigi, commenting on LJ user panzicov's photo post [ru].
The state-controlled NTV channel included [ru; approx. 5:20-5:45] the footage of the Kenyans in its controversial film about the recent opposition protests, implying that their appearance at the pro-Putin rally had been arranged by the opposition to discredit the regime.
Despite all this publicity, the Kenyan men have remained anonymous, just like most other, less conspicuous participants of the various rallies that took place in the past few months. In a comment to Drandin's post, LJ user bereg_solnca expressed the general assumption as to their possible identity:
Poor African students working hard for 750 rubles [$25]?
However, one blogger – Alan Butaev (LJ user butanti), a circus clown performing with the Butanti Comic Company – recognized the Kenyan men in the Feb. 23 video as the acrobats who were brought to Moscow from Kenya in 2011 by the Russian circus authorities, to hone their skills and have them later perform here. Because of the sorry financial state of the Russian circus and the hardships that local Russian circus artists are facing, this was not seen as a welcome initiative [ru] by some in the Russian circus community. LJ user butanti wrote [ru] on Feb. 24:
Exactly a year ago, I wrote [a post, ru] on how the leadership of the RosGosTsirk company (the Russian State Circus) had bought a number of Africans so that they, with their [extra-hard work and superhuman endurance], brought the Russian circus from the state of crisis […] at last.
Of course, replacing Russian artists for Africans is a brave innovation, modernization and reform, no doubt about it.
Needless to say, that [RosGosTsirk couldn't care less] about its own unemployed compatriots.
[…]
It hasn't even been a year since that blissful period when RosGosTsirk brought the Kenyans to Russia to teach them the circus craft, and today the enthusiastic bunch of these dashing African guys is out at the Feb. 23 rally in support of that one candidate for the post of the President of Russia. […]
In a comment to his own post, Butaev wrote [ru]:
I think it's a totally idiotic initiative to gather the Kenyans for the rally that they have nothing to do with whatsoever.
It doesn't matter who and for which purpose had gathered the Kenyans: the authorities or the opposition. Either way, it's disgusting.
In the past, students of the circus college used to earn extra cash by acting in movies, taking part in various concerts and performances.
Now, alas… they are earning money by dragging around banners and posters at rallies and marches.
The Kenyan acrobats performing at the Moscow Circus on March 23, 2012. Photo by Veronica Khokhlova
Andrei Provotorov re-posted Butaev's text [ru] on his blog at the Radio Echo of Moscow site. User tereza2011 left this comment on Feb. 26:
Turns out that not only “our mental asylum is voting for Putin” – but also the Kenyan one. Though it is obvious that they wouldn't have managed to make the posters by themselves – [their Russian isn't that good].
At the RusCircus.ru forum, user Yahia wrote […]:
The story of the Kenyans turned out to be very funny. They should have given this money [paid to the Kenyan acrobats] to those [Russian circus artists] who are unemployed, should have sent them on vacation to Kenya… They've got the most delicious coffee there.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011/12.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Senegal: The Provisional Tally of the Presidential Elections · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

The provisional tally of the second round of the presidential elections were published on March 27: The incumbent candidate Abdoulaye Wade is projected to have obtain 999,556 votes which is about 34.2% of the votes. Macky Sall was elected with about 1,909,244 votes which amount to 65.8%. The percentage of voters was about 55%. On his blog, Mr. Boombastic PIO [fr] lists the townships that A. Wade won [fr] during the elections.  The elections that seem to have been a referendum on his term as a head of state.

author: Anna Gueye


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Trinidad & Tobago: Bloggers Question Relevance of “Congress of the People”  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

With the defection of San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray to the camp of the United National Congress (UNC), two political bloggers in Trinidad and Tobago are questioning the continued viability of the  Congress of the People (COP) as a separate entity.  The Congress of the People began as a break-away party from the United National Congress, but the two entities came together to contest the 2010 parliamentary elections – and won – ousting the incumbent People's National Movement (PNM).
The coalition People's Partnership government is still in office, but Coudray, who is the current mayor of the southern city of San Fernando (a major hub) and former candidate for the San Fernando West seat on a COP ticket, was elected as one of the deputy leaders of the UNC at the party's recent internal elections. Coudray received a total of 7,635 votes, defeating runner-up and Minister of Health Fuad Khan by 2307 votes.
Initially, Phillip Edward Alexander felt that the defection itself was not of great significance but that the responses from the leadership of the COP were quite revealing – at least as it relates to the state of the party:
In my view Marlene Coudray is spent political capital and were it not for the cold wet slap of embarrassment to the COP may not have even made news. The big story here is the gaping inconsistencies in every position taken by the COP since the announcement, and the lack of real leadership in response.
Alexander's assessment of the COP's status within the People's Partnership was grim :
Now the COP is caught again like a deer in the headlights, stuck for choice, not sure who to blame or how to remain valid in a UNC government still cleverly disguised as a partnership to fool those who could only support a UNC government second hand through another Party. That the UNC is comfortable with this arrangement shows how important the hold on power is to them, but that the COP is okay with it shows how little self respect still remains in the Party.
A few days later, the blogger hypothesized that what he dubbed “Marlene-gate” may have been a strategic move on the part of the UNC:
The UNC claims that they did not ‘poach’ Marlene Coudray and they are right; on the contrary to the COP's claims, what happened was the UNC's advanced team (in preparation for the next general elections) had long made a deal with her and were grooming her to be used in Point Fortin…against incumbent PNM Paula Gopei-Scoon. (sic) This was why she was approved as a Mayor in a UNC dominated Council, and, were it not for this would have been rejected out of hand when initially proposed.
Alexander also considered an alternative plan:
The reason for the accelerated program and the ‘snatch and grab’ manner in which she was secured in the the bosom of the UNC is because of a strong rumor that the San Fernando East constituency [currently held by former Prime Minister Patrick Manning of the PNM] may soon be up for grabs. The Party needs to ‘sanitize’ her quickly with its (UNC) members, and what better way than to add her to Kamal's (Moonilal's) slate for the upcoming internal elections? If and when that by-election is announced, she will be announced as the UNC candidate to contest that seat as the deal has already been done.
Rhoda Bharath thought that the COP's response was weak, and an indication of its limited influence within the government:
Prakash Ramadhar trying to sound firm, but not too firm…because I think he fraid if he upset the Rani he might loss he Government Wuk…..so he saying that the poaching act could…maybe….might…affect the Partnership!
After the party's internal elections on March 25th, Bharath linked to a mainstream media article which documented longstanding difficulties between Coudray and the COP, commenting:
…after all that bluster and grand charge from Joseph Toney and Prakash Ramadhar this week; and all the comments about how the ‘poaching’ of party members by the UNC is a dangerous thing etc…and Marlene taunting Prakash to say she is not an egg, she can’t be poached (10 pts to Marlene with that inaccurate response to a word whose meaning she unclear on)…is to wake up this morning and find out that is more than the pestle in the mortar and that COP’s relationship with Marlene Coudray very complicated and shaky since 2010.
The blogger then advised her audience to be wary of what Coudray's election says about the UNC's base:
Keep an eye on the Coudray folks, from troublesome mayor, to troublesome COP member, too…follow where I going with this…keep an eye on it. I still find it hard to understand how after joining the party a week away from its internal elections Marlene managed to drum up over 7000 votes….are we saying that UNC members vote for slates and not for the policies and values that the individual stands for?

author: Matthew Hunte


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Trinidad & Tobago: Divisive Politics  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

The Eternal Pantomime is critical of what she considers to be divisive politics on the part of the ruling government, which “has also sought to promulgate the good old colonial stand-by practice of divide and rule to ensure that it keeps its party base solidly behind it and in support of all its policies, good or bad…because at the end of the day everyone knows that the UNC on its own doesn’t seem like an inclusive party.”


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Algeria: 2012 Election Watchdog launched by Internet Activists  · Global Voices
Samy Boutayeb

With the upcoming Algerian Legislative Election scheduled for May 10, 2012, one of the many elections taking place in 2012 [fr] within the continent of Africa, a collaborative website called Nahrag [ar] has just been launched by internet activists. Putting the case for more transparency in an election threatened with widespread boycott, the creators are using a collaborative map tool called Ushahidi (Swahili for ‘witness’). This map will be updated to include descriptions by Algerian citizens, exposing any irregularities which might occur during the  election. There are 42,000 polling stations in the country.

author: Samy Boutayeb


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Argentinians Ask to #Freethebooks  · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

New restrictions on the importation of books have spurred outraged on social networks in Argentina. With Regulation 28/2012 [es] (created on February 28, 2012), the Argentine Ministry of Economics and Public Finance [es] has, via the Secretariat of Internal Commerce, stipulated new measures that will apply to the importation and national manufacture of commodities that contain printer ink, as well as shellac and lacquer, for the graphic industry.
The measure includes books, which means that although Argentina has its own graphic industry, it also covers the importation of those books that are not edited on the national level. Foreign publications will have to certify that the ink used in graphic products does not contain more than 0.06% lead.
Book fair in the streets – Photo: Laura Schneider
Hernan Casciari [es], Argentinian writer and journalist based in Barcelona, received a call from a Spanish radio station along with many questions, as he comments on his blog [es]:
Querían saber por qué, desde hoy, los argentinos no podemos recibir publicaciones literarias extranjeras, ni revistas científicas, ni novelas, ni ensayos, ni cualquier tipo de libro, en nuestros domicilios particulares, ni en nuestras universidades, ni en nuestros laboratorios.
Diego Tirelli shows his astonishment in the blog Según el cristal con que se mire [es]:
Sólo faltaba el aislamiento cultural (no me digas que van a prohibir los Simpsons!!! Se pudre). Llegó (nooooooooooo). La última decisión de Moreno, que frenó la importación de libros y su compra por Internet, es una de las más autoritarias que tomó la democracia argentina (no frenó la compra en internet, frenó la impostación. El libro lo podes leer en un ebook reader fabricado en Tierra del Fuego). Los pretextos que respaldan esa decisión son embusteros
Diego continues [es]:
Los libros no son de consumo masivo, es cierto, pero son un símbolo de la libertad.(los libros son un simbolo de libertad. Frase que va a mi Top Ten de bolufrases históricas) ¿Sabe la Presidenta que las restricciones a los libros (y, por lo tanto, a la cultura y al conocimiento) son una vieja expresión del oscurantismo político? ¿Aspira a que ese sea el legado de su presidencia? Los libros aparecen, así, como otro enemigo en la larga saga presidencial de batallas culturales y de guerras políticas
Early on March 26, the hashtag #liberenloslibros [es] (#freethebooks) started trending in Argenina.
User @arrietakevin [es] writes:
No se dan cuenta que nuestra presidenta le convienen mas a los analfabetos que educación, #LiberenLosLibros
Lari Gahan (@larigahan) [es] reacts in a similar way:
ahora retienen libros? no logro entender, de que les sirve!! ah si cierto, una población mas ignorante.. dejame de joder #liberenloslibros
Nik Gaturro (@nikgaturro) [es] also comments on the government's role:
En el tema editorial, este gobierno está dejando una pésima impresión. #LiberenLosLibros
Meanwhile Paula Campo (@pabula1414) [es] tweets:
Este pais es gracioso, nos preocupamos del + 0,06% de plomo en tintas de libros y no de la mineria a cielo abierto. #LiberenLosLibros
In a recent radio interview, Alberto Cassano, researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) [es] — an organization dedicated to promoting science and technology in Argentina — commented [es]:
A mí no me preocupa mi problema personal, me preocupa la faltante de libros en inglés que son utilizados para el estudio. Es decir, que junto a la faltante de medicamentos, también faltan libros extranjeros”. ……”yo creo que estas políticas atrasan. Les recuerdo que los libros se traducen al español luego de 6 u 8 años. Los científicos suelen comprar los libros en el idioma de origen o se atrasan 8 años”.
On April 19, like every year, the International Book Fair [es] will be held in Argentina. This year it will count on the presence of international invitees like Eduardo Galeano, David Grossman, Stephen Holmes, and other distinguished authors [es]. Some Twitter users, like Dante Augusto Palma (@palmadante) [es], have already approached a new controversy, writing:
Los que creen que lo de #liberenloslibros es una opereta para politizar Feria del Libro como se hizo el año pasado son muy bien pensados
Finally, remembering a quote from Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, Claudia Elizabeth Sosa(@clausclaude) [es] tweets:
“Nada enriquece tanto los sentidos, la sensibilidad, los deseos humanos cómo la lectura.” Mario Vargas Llosa. #LiberenLosLibros

author: Laura Schneider


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Armenia: US Ambassador urges free, fair and credible elections · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ambassador Heffern's Video Blog's comments on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia. Posted on the U.S. Embassy's YouTube Channel, the American diplomat stresses the need for free and fair elections, details some of the changes introduced in the electoral code, and urges the government, opposition and civil society to ensure the proper conduct of the May vote.


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Bolivia: Promoting Internet Connectivity in the ‘Real’ and ‘Virtual’ World · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Mario R. Durán from Palabras Libres [es] lists the recent accomplishments of a group of activists that make up the Facebook group “Más ancho de banda para Bolivia” (“More Internet Bandwidth for Bolivia”). The group recently held the first National Meeting to Promote Connectivity in Bolivia [es], and some of its members are meeting with government officials to talk about issues related to the Internet.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Brazil: Thoughts on Access to Science on Document Freedom Day · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

In the Document Freedom Day, March 28, Brazilian blogger and professor Ladislau Dowbor writes [pt] about open access to science, and questions the price of information. He also shares his views on the role of professors in the face of intelectual property, and an article about an online boycott by 8,209 researchers who are seeking to set academic research free.

author: Sara Moreira


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Chile: Blogging About Government Transparency in ‘El Vaso’ · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ciudadano Inteligente, an organization that aims to make Chilean politics more transparent, has created a blog titled ‘El Vaso’ [es] to inform and promote a discussion about technology and government transparency. Readers are invited to contribute [es] content.


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Cuba: Who will the Pope Support? · Global Voices
Rafael Gonzalez

At 2:00 p.m local time on 26 March, Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Santiago de Cuba, making this the second visit by a Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church to the Caribbean island in 14 years.
For several days, the area surrounding the capital's Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square) has been swarming with builders, sound engineers,  security officers, tourists and curious locals. In the middle of the square, opposite the stern faces of the guerrilleros, Camilo Cienfuegos and Ernesto Che Guevara, and sheltered by the monument to the National Apostle, José Martí, lies the podium from which the Pope will address his Havanan parishioners on Wednesday March 28.
Amongst so much activity, the deployment of the police is striking, especially in a society that is not used to constant police presence. Where before there was one uniform, now there are three, in neighborhoods and areas considered “troublesome” there are special police troops and the streets are teeming with cars like never before.
The Pope in Cuba. Photo by Ismael Serrano. Photo republished with permission from Cubadebate.
With the arrival of “His Holiness,” everyone is on their best behaviour. The country's leadersip appeals to the common ground between Marxism and Christianity [es] and asks the population to give Benedict XVI a respectful and warm welcome. Meanwhile, factions of Cuban dissidence make their political demands [es].
The internet, especially Twitter, has become a battleground for Cuban dissidents and government supporters. Currently the hashtags #papacuba (Pope Cuba)  and  #benedictocuba (Benedict Cuba) are being used intensely by each side in order to transmit their messages to a wider audience.
The majority of users welcomed the arrival of the Pope:
@lisinamibia: #BenedictoCuba ya esta(sic) al pisar tierra cubana, la alegría es grande en el pueblo de Cuba, bienvenido su santidad.
@juliob14: En #Cuba no encontrarán niños mendigando en la calle. Todos estudian gratuitamente. Ese es mi país. #BenedictoCuba
@Laguantanamera: Te espera un pueblo honesto, honrado, trabajador!!! #BenedictoCuba
Many of those who supported the #PapaCuba hashtag retweeted @yoanisanchez‘s tweet:
#cuba Muchos impedidos de salir de sus casas, otros arrestados en calabozos policiales, teléfonos cortados, advertencias hechas #PapaCuba
@mijailbonito: Cubavisión Internacional intenta vincular pensamiento de #PapaCuba con pensamiento de la “revolución” #cuba
@diariodecuba: pésima realización televisiva. Miles de personas en la carretera hasta Santiago. ¿Cuánto ha costado esa movilización? #PapaCuba
Up to now, besides the Pope's previous statements, he has not supported either side. What is undeniable is that, without intending to,  Twitter is hosting a highly political atmosphere, in which every gesture will be carefully analysed by the other side.
Thousands of people will congregate in the streets of Havana to welcome Benedict XVI, who will officiate a mass on Wednesday March 28.
What is next? We'll have to wait and see.

author: Rafael Gonzalez


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Guadeloupe: A Cuban-born Mulatto, Mayor of Paris · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

Guadeloupean blogger B.World Connection posts about the release of a book about the first non-white Mayor of Paris, who accomplished much towards secularity and social progress in the 19th century French Republic, yet fell into complete oblivion until now.

author: Fabienne Flessel


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Macedonia, Kazakhstan: Triumphal Arches to Celebrate 20 Years of Independence · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

The leaders of two former socialist countries have chosen the same architectural devices – triumphal arches – to mark the two decades of their states’ divorce from the larger unions. Kazakhstan celebrated 20 years of independence from the USSR, and Macedonia – from the SFRY.
On December 16, 2011, while the government security forces were breaking down the Zhanaozen strike by shooting the protesting miners, the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the Triumphal Arch “Mangilik El” (“Eternal Earth”) in Astana, as part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence. As stated on the YouTube channel of Prime Minister Karim Massimov:
The Triumphal Arch that was constructed on the initiative of the President became another symbol of Kazakhstan's independence.
On January 6, 2012, the Prime Minister of Macedonia Nikola Gruevski opened the “Porta Macedonia” in Skopje (“porta”=”gate” in Latin and Macedonian). This triumphal arch was scheduled for unveiling on September 8, 2011, the actual 20th anniversary of Macedonia's independence, but construction delays had affected the timing. Nevertheless, the unfinished arch was used in the grandiose celebration (1, 2, 3, 4), which was then repeatedly shown on state TV, and at the welcoming ceremony for the national basketball team returning from the European Basketball Championship.
Porta Makedonija. Photo by Darko Nikolovski, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
During his 30-minute speech [mk], the Macedonian PM gave a much-commented-on statement [mk] that he personally had been the instigator and the chief backer of the Skopje 2014 project, which would leave an unavoidable mark in history.
He first thanked [mk] all the opponents of this “good, high-quality, useful project which has no downsides” – the opposition, those who disagree with him, the NGO sector:
…who with great passion and devotion strive to blacken this project, hoping that this would also negatively reflect on me and my collaborators, the current administration. This is a way for the artists to gain greater glory and escape anonymity after their deaths…
I do not say this cynically or ironically, if someone understands me that way. The greater the interest about a piece, in the sense of more critique and humiliation, in fact increases the motivation and the concentration of quality of that work…
Nikola Gelevski, an independent publisher and founder of the critical-thinking portal Okno, commented [mk] that the “discrete admission that he is the author of the most charlatan project in the history of Macedonia (according to me) was the only positive thing in the typically boring (and extremely) demagogic speech” by the PM.
Analyzing the speech, Gelevski noted:
The triumphal arch was the most controversial element of the Skopje 2014 project. Many of its critics noted that it was superfluous and obsolete. The arch in Astana stands 20 meters tall, symbolizing the 20 years of independence. The Skopje arch is 21 meters tall, and no explanation has been provided in this regard.
The price of the Kazakh arch was not publicly disclosed in the news reports, while the Macedonian counterpart cost EUR 4.4 million. The everyday uses of the structure include selling souvenirs and providing space for weddings (or shooting ‘fancy’ wedding photographs) on the observation platform.
Blogger Sead93 noted [mk]:
A few days ago the “Porta Macedonia” was officially opened in Skopje. After hundreds of reruns of the broadcast, this is not exactly news, but there's still something to add:
With all due respect to the one who named it Porta Macedonia, but this time I think they should have listened to the people, who use the name “The Triumphal Arch,” which is no accident. This is not just about the plain visual similarity with some-other-arches-from-some-other-countries and cities, but about the need to articulate triumphalism present in our daily lives. The nation needs an imprint, a space for canonizing or standardizing this triumphalism.
Namely, besides serving as an arch for triumphal marches of athletes, artists, scientists, laureates and other worthy citizens, the arch would be ideal for triumphal marching of our [Gastarbeiter] returning to visit the homeland. They could use it to parade their fancy cars (regardless of whether they own them or are just renting them to show off during vacation) and all their glitter. Imagine the view, and the astonishment, the sighs, the inspiration you would get from the successful emigrants. The prospective brides could easily eye a groom, and vice versa. This could be our Fashion Channel runway… Practical and profitable for all…
The linguistic assertion was proved by Zoriv, in his post [mk] praising the arch:
…the name does not correspond to the architectural work, but that is least important. The important thing is that the city of Skopje has acquired a structure that provides it with a new face and symbolism as the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Debates about its aesthetics will rage among the architects… As a citizen of Skopje… I feel joy while looking at it, with a remark and question, was the middle of economic crisis the right time to build this – time will tell.
Responding to the implications stemming from the connection between Kazakhstan and Macedonia, Zoriv listed a number of other arches around the world, trying to show that building such monuments is quite normal: the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Siegestor in Munich, the Wellington Arch in London, Narva in St. Petersburg, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. He did not omit the tallest of them all, too – the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang.
On Facebook, members of the ruling party tried to prove that raising triumphal arches was not an anachronistic practice related to despotic regimes with imperial ambitions, by sharing a photo of the Millennium Gate arch built in 2008 in the democratic USA, disregarding the fact that that “kitschy McMonument that bespeaks a cultural inferiority complex for all the world to see” (comment by an architecture forum user quoted by the LA Times) was funded through private donations, not with public money.
Even when questions of possible corruption and kickbacks by the developers are not taken into account, the issue of whether the money invested in Skopje 2014, and especially the arch, is well spent keeps popping up as the majority of the Macedonian population sinks deeper into poverty, and there's less money in the state budget for basic infrastructure services.
For instance, Twitter user Banekoma posted this collage of contrasting photos of the arch and the state of the main children's hospital, part of the main clinic, part of the dilapidated public health system.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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‘Mujeres Construyendo’: Empowering Women, One Blog at a Time · Global Voices
Silvia Vinas

“Una bloguera es, ante todo, una mujer valiente, que se atreve y se compromete. ¿Por qué? Porque a través de su blog se expresa, dice lo que piensa, siente, lo que es. Si tiene miedo de hablar o darle cuerpo a sus ideas, enfrenta ese miedo y lo supera.”
- “¿Quién es una bloguera?”, Mujeres Construyendo
A female blogger is, first and foremost, a brave woman, one who dares and one who commits. Why? Because through her blog she expresses herself, she says what she thinks, what she feels, what she is. If she is afraid to speak of or shape her ideas, she confronts this fear and overcomes it.
- “¿Quién es una bloguera?” [es] (Who is a female blogger?), Mujeres Construyendo
Women make up almost half of Latin America's Internet users. However, in spite of their high web-presence, women are mainly content consumers. Mujeres Construyendo [es], the first platform for female bloggers in Spanish, wants to transform Hispanic women into creators, not just consumers, of internet content.
Its founder, Claudia Calvin, answered some questions about this platform and community of Hispanic female bloggers.
Global Voices: How and when was Mujeres Construyendo created?
Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo surge como proyecto en el 2008, después de un tiempo de haberme hecho bloguera. Su origen se encuentra principalmente en mis andares por internet y después de descubrir una realidad que llamó profundamente mi atención: que las mujeres de habla hispana que participamos en internet seguimos transmitiendo en este espacio una creencia profundamente arraigada en nuestra cultura. ¿Cuál es? Aquella que nos inculcaron de niñas y en la que nos decían que “calladitas nos veíamos más bonitas”. Descubrí que nuestra participación como blogueras era muy distinta a  la participación de las blogueras estadounidenses: ellas en la actualidad representan casi un 60% de los blogueros en su país y las blogueras en internet de habla hispana representamos un escaso 27%. Cuando inicié Mujeres Construyendo, la cifra era más desalentadora aún: 15%.
Busqué afanosamente un espacio de convergencia de mujeres blogueras, un espacio que no fuese un directorio, sino un lugar de convivencia, una comunidad como tal. Al no encontrarla, decidí hacerla, y así es como surge Mujeres Construyendo.
Hablé con unos amigos desarrolladores y lograron darle vida a esta idea que tenía en mi mente. La plataforma Mujeres Construyendo surge como tal en el 2009.
Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo came about in 2008, after a period of establishing myself as a blogger. It came from my internet browsing and the discovery of a reality that really caught my attention: Spanish speaking women who contribute to the internet continue to transmit a profound belief that is deeply-rooted in our culture. What was it? The belief that has been instilled in us since we were girls, the idea that “the quieter we are, the more beautiful we are”. I discovered that our contributions as bloggers were very distinct to that of American women. They currently constitute almost 60% of bloggers in their country and Spanish speaking female bloggers make up just 27%. When I began Mujeres Construyendo, the figure was even more discouraging… 15%.
I frantically looked for a space where female bloggers could get together, a space that wasn't a directory, but rather a place of coexistence, a community, as it were. After failing to find this, I decided to make it myself, and that is how Mujeres Construyendo came about.
I spoke with some developer friends and they managed to bring the idea I had in mind to life. And so the Mujeres Construyendo platform sprung to life in 2009.
GV: What is Mujeres Construyendo's mission? What does it want to achieve with this female blogging platform?
CC: El objetivo de Mujeres Construyendo es que las mujeres aprendamos a hacer uso de las nuevas tecnologías y las herramientas que brinda internet para empoderarnos, crecer, desarrollarnos. Los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento para nosotras: nos permite comunicar lo que hacemos, pensamos, visualizamos y participar en un diálogo central en el nuevo espacio público, que es internet.
Hemos participado más como observadoras y consumidoras de contenido que como proveedoras y en este espacio vacío se está perdiendo una enorme oportunidad para construir una realidad que refleje nuestros intereses y manera de entender y participar en el mundo, tanto en el ámbito de lo social, como lo político y empresarial, y ni qué decir de lo personal y familiar.
Las mujeres vivimos muchos tipos de marginación en el mundo, no necesitamos sumar una más a las existentes: la digital.
CC: The objective of Mujeres Construyendo is for women to learn to make use of new technologies and tools that the internet offers in order to be empowered, to grow and to develop. Blogs are empowering tools for us – they enable us to communicate what we do, what we think, what we see. They allow us to participate in a central dialogue in the new public space, the internet.
We have been more involved as observers and consumers of content than providers. We are missing out on a great opportunity to construct a reality that reflects our interests and way of  understanding and participating in the world, in a social sense, as well as a political and business sense, not to mention the personal and familial.
Women deal with many types of marginalisation in society, we don't need to add digital marginalisation to those that already exist.
GV: Why is it important for women to have a blog?
CC: Como mencionaba anteriormente, los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento en la medida en que posibilitan que las mujeres puedan comunicarse, expresar, proponer y dialogar en internet y con ello contribuir a la definición y construcción de una realidad que refleje sus intereses y visión. Las voces de mujeres en la blogósfera son importantes porque son el reflejo de la mitad de los habitantes del planeta y en el medida en que sean actores sociales, políticos, voten, consuman, tomen decisiones y vivan de manera cotidiana los diversos contextos de su entorno (desde violencia, hasta crisis económicas, pasando por desastres naturales o guerras) su voz es importante. Son actores de la vida cotidiana y su visión y mirada cuentan, valen, reflejan una circunstancia. Su silencio resulta -sin que ellas mismas los sepan- cómplices de realidades sexistas o que marginan y en la medida en que paulatinamente vayan apareciendo y expresando su voz…irá cambiando el entorno. El silencio jamás ha sido socio del empoderamiento.
GV: How many women have a blog on Mujeres Construyendo?
CC: La comunidad de Mujeres Construyendo está constituida por la plataforma Mujeres Construyendo (www.mujeresconstruyendo.com) y las redes sociales a través de las cuáles se conecta su comunidad. La suma de personas conectadas a esta propuesta y a este espacio suma hoy cerca de 9 mil personas.
GV: What is the profile of the women who blog on Mujeres Construyendo?
CC: Cabe decir que participan hombres y mujeres en nuestra plataforma. Somos un espacio incluyente y consideramos que no se puede hablar de equidad partiendo de un principio de exclusión, por ello, las voces masculinas son bien recibidas. La mayoría, estamos hablando de más del 96%, son mujeres. Su perfil es principalmente urbano, de entre 25 y 45 años, en su mayoría de México, España, Argentina, Venezuela y Estados Unidos. Quiero destacar a una de nuestras blogueras más activas, y que inclusive ha sido entrevistada en televisión: Bertha, una extraordinaria mujer de 82 años que nos enseña que no hay edad para seguir aprendiendo y que las herramientas digitales son poderosas y permiten a las personas seguirle dando sentido a su vida.
GV: What will 2012 bring for Mujeres Construyendo?
CC: Empezamos el año con el pie derecho, estrenando nueva casa y nuestro nuevo sitio nos permite interactuar mejor, conocernos y convivir de manera más cercana. Detrás de esto hay trabajo y compromiso y queremos consolidarnos como un espacio central para que las mujeres participen, tengan voz y con ello contribuir con nuestro grano de arena no sólo a su empoderamiento, sino al fortalecimiento de la democracia. Queremos incrementar el número de blogueras participando y vinculadas a nuestra comunidad, estamos trabajando en ofrecer herramientas a las blogueras que les permitan fortalecer su presencia y cumplir sus objetivos, sean estos personales, familiares, profesionales. Detrás de este trabajo hay alianzas y proyectos que podrán ver en un futuro muy cercano y del que con gusto les platicaremos en su momento.
Muchas gracias por su interés en conocernos y ojalá a través de Global Voices más mujeres se animen a sumar su voz a nuestra comunidad. Juntas podemos hacer una diferencia.
CC: We're going to start the year off on the right foot. Opening a new house and our new site will allow us to interact, get to know each other and live together in a closer way. Behind this there is work and dedication and we want to consolidate it into one central space so that the women who participate have a voice with which they do their bit, not just towards their own empowerment, but also towards strengthening democracy. We want to increase the number of female bloggers who participate within and are linked to our community so we are working on offering tools to the female bloggers that enable them to strengthen their presence and achieve their goals, whether these be personal, familial or professional. Behind this work there are aliances and projects that will be seen in the very near future, about which we'll talk about nearer the time.
Thank you very much for your interest in getting to know us and hopefully through Global Voices more women will be encouraged to add their voice to our community. Together we can make a difference.
Claudia is also a blogger [es] and she tweets under @LaClau [es]. You can follow Mujeres Construyendo on Facebook [es], Twitter, [es] YouTube [es], and LinkedIn [es].

author: Silvia Vinas


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Nicaragua: Film on Consequences of Leaked Sex Videos Seeks Crowdfunding · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

An award-winning team of producers and actors is coming together in rural Nicaragua to make a movie on the consequences of young people making an intimate video which then becomes public by mistake.  They are looking for extra funding to cover costs on location in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and all the money raised will be spent locally.
Screenshot from the Broken Screen Fundraising Video
The film, La Pantalla Rota (The Broken Screen) is the second film made in Nicaragua by the local independent film and video production company Camila Films. Last year, they released the first Nicaraguan film in 20 years, La Yuma, about a young girl who wanted to become a boxer: it became a hit nationally with jam-packed theaters and bringing more money in than Hollywood blockbusters screening at the same time.
Internationally, it was invited to dozens of festivals and has won more than 15 different awards. But this hasn't been enough to kickstart the Nicaraguan film industry, and that is why Frank Pineda and Florence Jaugey of Camila Films are turning to crowdsourcing to assist their funding, as Ms. Jaugey tells in the following indiegogo campaign video:
This second film is in the same line and aims to fill this void of identity caused by the absence of audiovisual production. Again we wanted to watch and talk about the world we live in. We were inspired by true facts, trying to find a definitely contemporary story to tell, set in the universe of young people.
This time we decide to turn our eyes towards country life, the northern lands, the country of cowboys, where predominant values are deeply rooted to land, tradition and a patriarchal model. In parallel with rural life, we wanted to venture into the cyber world, which governs social relationship of youth in the 21st century.
The campaign wishes to raise at least $35 000 USD to cover expenses on location for filming during January 2013, such as food for the actors, salaries for extras, props, scenery, accommodations and other needs: this money would stay within the community of Matagalpa.
Following is the trailer for La Yuma, the previous award-winning Nicaraguan film by the same director:
You can show your support for the film by collaborating in the funding process through the IndieGoGo page, by sharing the campaign through your social networks – both online and offline, by sponsoring the film through your business or enterprise and by writing about the project and spreading the word.


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Pakistan: Demand for Independence of Sindh  · Global Voices
Aamir Raz Soomro

It was not long ago that a bill was tabled in the US Congress in support of giving Balochistan – the land of the Baloch – the right to self-determination against their ‘forced accession’ into Pakistan on March 27, 1948. The day is still mourned as a Black Day throughout the Baloch land, including parts of the provincial capital, Quetta.
In the year 1971, the erstwhile East Pakistan had already witnessed a bloody independence war with Pakistan, which culminated in the creation of the country now known as Bangladesh – it was a real bloody war since hundreds of thousands of people were massacred in this ‘genocide’ to crush the Bengali freedom-fighters.
In the present times, however, it is not just Balochistan which has the separatist sentiments, but Sindh under the leadership of Mr. G.M. Syed, has also been fighting for independence soon after the creation of Pakistan. From the platform of various nationalist political parties, Sindhis demand separation from Pakistan and creation of proposed, Sindhudesh, the Land of Sindhu (River Indus). They support their demand with the arguments that, 1., the British had invaded the independent Sindh and, 2. that they have a distinct rich history and secular culture which dates back 5,000 years.
Blog Citizens Media Alternative Voice Junction relates that:
Before 1843, Sindh had, as a sovereign state, signed a treaty with the British Raj, allowing the latter’s ships to pass through the River Sindhu. The Raj, in return, had to pay taxes to the Sindh government. Karachi port and  the Indus River had thus served as an important route for the British army in their war in Afghanistan.
When the British left India creating separate states namely India and Pakistan, Sindh had joined Pakistan on conditions mentioned in the Lahore Resolution of 1940, the base document for the country’s creation. However, since the conditions were not fulfilled, Sindh argues, they have a moral and legitimate choice of withdrawing from being part of the Pakistani federation (also part of the said resolution). Pakistan celebrates the 23rd of March every year to commemorate the event.
Mr. Syed was the first to move the resolution in favour of the newly proposed federation, Pakistan, in the Sindh Assembly for the first time; ironically enough, he pioneered the Sindhi separatist movement calling out for complete independence of Sindh soon after the proposed country was created.
There have been many clashes with the Pakistani state, demonstrations and rallies in favour of an independent Sindh — the latest show of the Sindhi separatist sentiments on a large-scale public platform was on the very day of March 23 when hundreds of thousands of Sindhis from around the province gathered in Karachi and chanted the anti-Pakistan slogans:
AK Chishti also tweeted what was heard at the Tibet Center, Karachi:
@AKchisti: “Thumjo desh, Mujho desh, Sindhudesh, Sindhudesh” at 23rd March at heart of #Karachi.
The rally, titled the Freedom March, was quite an impressive crowd (considering it was anti-state and was being held in Karachi (Sindh), the most important city of Pakistan, which has gradually become more of an alien land to Sindhis after the creation of Pakistan 1947) and was organized by the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), one of the biggest Sindhi nationalist parties.
Being an eye-witness of the event, I followed the event and live-blogged it on Twitter. Here is the view of the crowd.
Freedom March by JSQM for Independence of Sindh
Zafar (@sindhixafar) tweeted:
#JSQM#JeaySindh organizes #FreedomMarch in Karachi to reject #Sindh‘s every affiliation with #PakistanMurdabad#23March#Sindhudesh
In another tweet, Zafar summed up the event at the outset in a tweet saying:
“Happy Pakistan Day” changed into #PakistanMurdabad, millions of people demanded #Sindhudesh in #JSQM rally of #FreedomMarch #23March
Where representatives of many media sections were present and were covering the event live, the news was either blocked or under-reported in the most mainstream electronic Urdu media channels.
The participants, on return from the March, would ask their Facebook friends if the event was covered by the media. Ashique Solangi posed a direct question on Facebook:
سنڱت! ڏيو خبر ڪلھ اردو ميڊيا ڪوريج ڪئي آزادي مارچ جي يا نه؟
Friends, did the Urdu media cover the Freedom March yesterday or not? (sic)
Mr. Nisar Khokhar, a veteran journalist, posted a picture of the March coupled with the following comment (in Romanized Sindhi):
Sindhian Paraan karachi mein Big show karre 23 March wari Qaradad khe rad kayo wayo..per Urdu ain english media coverage mein total Blackout karre cahdiyo…..Sindhyo Jaaago..
Ravez Junejo, a blogger, expressed his concern over the media's not covering the freedom march as:
Mainstream #Urdu language media of #Pakistan denying news coverage to thousands strong #FreedomMarch of native Sindhis in Karachi! #Shame
The rally was so massive that it was sure to disturb the city’s normal traffic routes – major arteries witnessed sever traffic jams at the time the Freedom March rally passed through.
On the one hand, this massive show of rejection of the Lahore Resolution, which means blatant rejection of Pakistan, was well received by those pro-independence Sindhis; on the other, it boggled the opponents of the Sindhi nationalism and the Pakistani state. And, that’s why, conspiracies followed to defame the rally soon after it culminated, and media reported MQM chief Altaf Hussain saying that people stuck in the traffic jam were looted by the participants of the Freedom March.
However, the news could not get much importance and was soon ignored by the Pakistani media as well, although Mr. Hussain even reached out to the President of Pakistan to take notice of the issue. He did!
Mr. Aziz Narejo, a Texas-based political analyst and blogger, observed:
According to Sindhi press & a news story in daily Times, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Muhaz (JSQM)'s “Sindh Freedom Rally” in Karachi today. It was no doubt a major event in Pakistan where a nationalist party gathered the people in large numbers & called for independence of Sindh. It was historic event. But the so-called national media is seen to have ignored or downplayed the event. Some media has even given it a negative look. This must be strongly condemned.
Mr. Bashir Khan Qureshi, chairman, JSQM, made the major speech at the Freedom March and claimed that he entire Sindhi nation was with him when they demand independence from Pakistan. He said that Sindh had joined the federation of Pakistan based on the Lahore Resolution, which states that the joining states, including Sindh, would be sovereign and independent.
Giving out their message to the world – Freedom
Mr. Qureshi also quoted that Sindh contributed to the 80% of the total federal budget including 69% of natural gas and 75% of oil in the country. What it gets is injustice. This was his clear message.
Urdu and Sindhi versions of the transcript of his speech can be found on the given links, respectively:
The main points of his speech included that Pakistan had become an “icon of religious extremism and terrorism”, where the Sindhis are ‘peace-loving’ nation believing in ‘religious coexistence’.
Calling upon the international community, he put forward the 5-point agenda and requested to help Sindh and Balochistan get independence from Pakistan which, according to him, is their right by all standards.
Nevertheless, the newspapers of the next day, i.e. March 24th, carried a good coverage of the JSQM's freedom march, both, in paper and online. Not to mention the strong coverage by the Sindhi channels and newspapers, reports by The Express Tribune, Daily Times, Pakistan Today, and BBC Urdu are worth noting here.

author: Aamir Raz Soomro


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Sri Lanka: How Should We React To Beggars? · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Puppeteer invokes the debate “how should we react to beggars?” How do we know they are sincere or professionals?

author: Rezwan