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Everybody’s Favorite Irreverent RuNet Community Goes to War (Against Itself) · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Lentach has a bad day. Image edited by Kevin Rothrock.
One of the RuNet’s hippest, edgiest, occasionally racist, and thoroughly irreverent news communities is on the rocks. “Lentach,” an online group that started as a social-media playground for journalists at an independent news website, succumbed to infighting earlier today, when the community’s original creators locked out its editors, accusing one in particular of cozying up to suspicious, Kremlin-connected figures, and sacrificing the group’s principles.
The editor in question is Mark Shein (real name: Valery Markov). Lentach’s founders, Igor Belkin and Andrei Konyaev, say they are responding in part to Shein’s plans to launch a network of Vkontakte communities that will aggregate local news and entertainment stories. The project, called “Seichas” (“Now”), is being developed with Anton Gangnus, the director of the regional media network “Urban Rooms.” To complicate matters further, Andrei Konyaev (who now questions Gangnus’ involvement in the project) was initially announced as as an advisor working for Seichas. According to private correspondence leaked by the hacktivist collective “Anonymous International,” both Gangnus and Urban Rooms collaborated in the past with the Kremlin official Timur Prokopenko.
But what is Lentach? In March 2014, a week after the chief editor of the popular news website Lenta.ru was fired, control over Lenta.ru’s community page on Vkontakte was transferred to several of the group’s biggest fans. The community page never technically belonged to Lenta.ru, having started as an independent initiative by the website’s new-media producer, Igor Belkin, who developed the community with other Lenta.ru staff for no additional pay. The decision to transform the group page into a “community of fans” was reportedly one of the last managerial decisions by chief editor Galina Timchenko, whose ouster was accompanied by mass resignations and marked the end of Lenta.ru’s fiercely independent reporting.
Andrei Konyaev (left) and Igor Belkin. Photo: Facebook
Taking control of Lentach's page on Vkontakte, where the group has its largest following, Konyaev published the following message to subscribers, declaring today to be a “day of silence” for the community:
Привет, меня зовут Андрей Коняев.
Игорь Белкин и я — создатели этого паблика. И я расскажу вам историю.
В марте 2014 года разогнали «Ленту.ру» и мы отдали паблик группе подписчиков, одним из участников которой был Марк Шеин. […]
Мы хотели покинуть сообщество совсем, но Шейн уговорил нас остаться на правах «наблюдательного совета», который следит за курсом паблика, но не вмешивается в его работу.
С нашей стороны договоренность выполнялась: мы никогда не лезли в редакционную политику. Мы не вмешались, когда из паблика были удалены все (за исключением Марка) читатели из группы, которой мы отдавали изначально «Лентач». Мы не задавали вопросов и не требовали объяснений, не получали денег. Мы ни разу не порицали публично редакционную политику «Лентача». Мы прикрывали «Лентач» своей репутацией и именами, которыми Марк пользовался при всяком удобном случае.
Со временем «Лентач» стал попадать в непонятные истории. Ситуация стала критической после недавней блокировки «Лентача» администрацией «ВКонтакте». «Лентач» нарушил правила, однако, вместо того, чтобы признать свою неправоту, Марк объявил о переезде «Лентача» на Фейсбук. Конфликт был настолько серьезный, что нам пришлось вмешаться.
Наконец, последней каплей стала вот эта история. Лентач объявил о создании собственного проекта региональных сообществ «Сейчас». В это же время стало известно, что некая компания под названием «Оператор Региональных Медиа» (на 30% принадлежит Марку Шейну) вложит в развитие проекта большие деньги. Выглядело это не как инвестиция, а как продажа «Лентача» отдельной компании с неочевидными источниками финансирования.
Мы попытались поговорить об этом с Марком и рассматривали вариант, в котором мы уходим из «Лентача» и перестаём прикрывать все это своими именами. Не получилось. Идеи и принципы, на основе которых мы передавали сообщество, больше не действуют. Марк Шейн сделал очень много для развития этого сообщества, никто никогда не сможет у него этого отнять. Но стремления Марка лежат сейчас в другой плоскости. Мы, как основатели, не видим другого выхода, как освободить Марка от его обязательств по «Лентачу». С сегодняшнего момента он не имеет к этому паблику никакого отношения.
С командой, которая осталась после него, мы будем разговаривать и решать, как жить дальше. Да, кто-то останется, кто-то уйдёт. «Лентач» поменяется, но мы готовы к этим изменениям. Потому что цель всех этих изменений — развития проекта, его идей и его ценностей.
Hi. My name is Andrei Konyaev. Igor Belkin and I are the creators of this group. Now let me tell you a story.
In March 2014, Lenta.ru was broken up, and we gave this community away to a group of hardcore fans, one of whom was Mark Shein. […] We wanted to leave the community entirely, but Shein convinced us to stay as a “supervisory board” of sorts, to monitor the group’s direction, but without interfering in its work.
We held up our end of the arrangement: we never once meddled in editorial policy. We didn’t interfere when Mark took sole control over the community, pushing out everyone else who'd been entrusted with Lentach. We didn’t ask questions, we demanded no explanations, and we received no money. We’ve never once publicly criticized the editorial policies at Lentach. We lent Lentach our reputations and our names, which Mark used at every opportunity.
Over time, Lentach started finding itself at the center of strange developments. The situation became critical when Vkontakte’s administrators recently blocked the community. Lentach violated the network’s community rules, but instead of admitting his mistake, Mark announced that Lentach would move to Facebook. The conflict was serious enough that we had to intervene.
The final straw was when Lentach announced that it is creating its own project of regional communities called “Seichas” (“Now”). At the same time, it became known that a certain company by the name of “Operator Regional Media” (30 percent of which is owned by Mark Shein) would be investing big money in the project’s development. Except this looked less like investment than the sale of Lentach to a private company with suspicious funding sources.
We tried to talk about this with Mark and find an option where we’d leave Lentach and no longer lend our names to the group. But it didn’t work out. The ideas and principles we had in mind when we transferred the community are no longer being observed. Mark Shein has done enormous work to develop the community—no one can ever take that away from him. But Mark’s ambitions now lie elsewhere. As Lentach’s founders, we see no other option but to relieve Mark of his duties in the community. From this moment, he will not be involved in Lentach in any way, shape, or form.
We will talk with the team [at Lentach] still remaining, and we’ll decide where to go from here. Some people will stick around. Others will go. Lentach will change, but we’re ready for these changes. Because the purpose of all these changes is the evolution of the project, its ideas, and its values.
Mark Shein. Photo: Facebook
Lentach's editorial staff, including Mark Shein, still control the group's other social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram, where the following message has appeared:
Привет, у нас тут довольно неприятная история. Хотя, наверное, обычная история рейдерского захвата. Во «ВКонтакте» нам, естественно, свою позицию высказать не дали, так что выскажем её так.
После распада «Ленты.ру» её сообщество во «ВКонтакте» было передано читателям, но формально права создателя были у Игоря Белкина и Андрея Коняева. Мы не обращали особого внимания на это, поскольку полагали, что это не имеет значения. Они нам казались людьми честными. Но всё оказалось не совсем так. Оказалось, что они изначально планировали забрать себе сообщество. И именно с этой целью они по сути украли имущество «Ленты.ру». А теперь украли второй раз.
Два года они не мешали редакции. Мы вырастили сообщество с 300 тысяч до более чем миллиона читателей, подняли ежемесячный охват с миллиона до 7 миллионов человек. А несколько месяцев назад они пришли к редакции за деньгами. Требовали от нас суммы, которых у нас просто не было. Угрожали в противном случае уволить всю редакцию. Мы пытались договариваться, не выносить эту неприятную историю в публичное поле. Но они решили, что проще будет просто забрать то сообщество, что мы вырастили.
Бог им судья. На данный момент вся редакция исключена из админки во «ВКонтакте». Никаких переговоров по судьбе редакторов с нами не ведется и не велось.
Что же касается тех «сомнительных» проектов, о которых они пишут. Ну это вообще смех, потому что к ним имеет непосредственное отношение сам Андрей Коняев, который участвовал в них с момента появления. Он сам подтверждает это в «Ведомостях» и РБК, вполне себе авторитетных источниках. Очень странно называть собственные проекты сомнительными.
Что мы будем делать? Ну, во-первых, хотелось бы выслушать мнение «ВКонтакте». Согласно правилам «ВКонтакте», сообщество принадлежит тому, кто владеет контентом в нём, а у нас авторские права на 14 тысяч единиц контента, которые принадлежат нам. За последние два года Андрей Коняев и Игорь Белкин не сделали ничего. Во-вторых, мы, конечно, будем судиться. В-третьих, у нас еще остаётся фейсбук и твиттер, там мы не прекращаем работу. В-четвёртых, хотелось бы услышать мнение «Ленты.ру» по поводу того, что их сообщество, оказывается, не передавали читателям, а забирали себе бывшие сотрудники.
Hey, we’ve got a rather ugly story here (though it’s probably a run-of-the-mill hostile takeover). On Vkontakte, as you can guess, we didn’t get a chance to explain our position, so we’re doing it here.
After the collapse of Lenta.ru, its community page on Vkontakte was handed over to its readers, but formally speaking the group’s creator rights remained with Igor Belkin and Andrei Konyaev. We never paid much attention to this, assuming it didn’t matter. They seemed like honest guys. But things didn’t quite turn out that way. It turns out that they planned from the start to take the community for themselves. And that is precisely the reason they stole Lenta.ru’s property [the community Lentach]. And now they’ve stolen it a second time.
For two years, they haven’t interfered in our editorial policies. We grew the community from 300,000 to more than 1 million readers, and raised our monthly reach from a million people to 7 million.
A few months ago, they came to us for money, demanding an amount that we simply didn’t have, threatening to fire the whole editorial staff, if they didn’t get it. We tried to come to an agreement, and to keep this ugly story from getting out into the open. But they decided that it would be simpler just to seize the community that we’ve grown.
Let God judge them. At this moment, the entire editorial staff has been locked out of the administrative controls on Lentach’s Vkontakte page. We’ve heard nothing about the fate of the community’s current editors.
As for the “questionable” projects [Konyaev and Belkin] have mentioned: it’s all ridiculous. Andrei Konyaev himself is directly tied to these projects, and he’s been involved from the very start. He confirmed this to [the newspapers] Vedomosti and RBC—two sufficiently reputable publications. It’s very strange to call your own projects questionable.
So what are we going to do? Well, first, we’d like to hear what Vkontakte thinks. According to the network’s rules, a community belongs to whoever owns the content featured in the community, and we own the rights to 14,000 pieces of content [published on Lentach]. For the past two years, Andrei Konyaev and Igor Belkin haven’t created a thing. Second, of course we’re going to sue. Third, we still have control over Lentach’s accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and we’re not ceasing our work there. Fourth, I’d like to hear what Lenta.ru thinks about the fact that their community, it turns out, wasn’t turned over to its readers, but was seized by former Lenta.ru employees.
In a follow-up post, Shein announced that he is resigning from his position at Lentach, saying he only played an “administrative role.” He says he hopes this will convince Konyaev and Belkin to transfer control of the Vkontakte page to the other editors, though, in a parting shot, he says he's confident that Lentach's original creators are “concerned only with money.”
Unfortunately for Shein, Vkontakte's spokesperson has already weighed in, siding with Konyaev and Belkin, stating that the creators of any community on the website retain the exclusive right to moderate the group's list of administrators.


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Filipinos Call on China to Do a #Chexit in the South China Sea · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Filipino fisherfolk stage a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Manila. Photo from Pamalakaya
Filipino netizens and activists are a demanding a “Chexit” — that China pull out of their country's territorial water — after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines against China’s claims in the South China Sea (known in the Philippines as West Philippine Sea).
The international court held China accountable for violating the Philippines’ right over its exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf as stipulated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China is claiming over 90 percent of the West Philippine Sea under its so-called “nine-dash line”, encompassing water falling under the jurisdiction of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
The ruling questions some of China’s actions such as preventing Filipino fishermen and ships from entering the disputed waters, destroying the marine environment, and building artificial islands in Philippine territorial waters.
The Philippines lodged the case against Chinese incursions over its territories with the international court in 2013. However, China has refused to participate in the hearings and has announced that it will not honor the tribunal’s decision.
The term #Chexit was coined by Filipino activists in a play on the term #Brexit, which refers to last month’s vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.
Filipino activists used the #Chexit slogan while holding protest rallies in front of the Chinese Consulate in the Philippine national capital Manila in the days leading to the ruling.
#Chexit protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Manila. Photo from the Facebook page of Mon Ramirez
The #Chexit hashtag has gone viral on various social media sites and became a worldwide trend on Twitter. Filipino netizens are weighing in on the international tribunal's verdict and its implications:
Here's that Filipino protesters hat in full glory from @AFPphoto. Will the headgear stakes be upped by Beijing? pic.twitter.com/TGNQNMLefK
— Tom Hancock (@hancocktom) July 12, 2016
China's 9-dash line theory is without legal, historical and moral basis. #CHexit
— Neri Colmenares (@ColmenaresPH) July 12, 2016
9 things about China's 9-dash line
1. Fake
2. Fraud
3. Scam
4. Sham
5. Bogus
6. Phony
7. Counterfeit
8. Forged
9. Fabricated#CHexit
— Tonyo Cruz (@tonyocruz) July 12, 2016
International law prevails over unfounded sovereignity claims.Do not claim & destroy our maritime resources. #CHexit https://t.co/ebqdzgtXXh
— Mahar Lagmay (@nababaha) July 12, 2016
West Philippine Sea is legally, politically and historically ours.
The hell with China's imaginary 9-dash line, #CHexit now!
— Jamjam? Pinpin! (@jamcaholic) July 11, 2016
this is not just about the Philippines, China is also claiming the territory of Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. #CHexit
— ★ Mishane★ (@aMaeXing) July 13, 2016
NOW: #CHexit protest now heading to Chinese Consulate. pic.twitter.com/9hW7WRe8ZY
— Pamalakaya Pilipinas (@pama_pil) July 12, 2016
Protest today a the Chinese consulate in the PH, hours before tribunal ruling. #CHexit pic.twitter.com/tyP0PxOs4d
— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) July 12, 2016

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Foreign Intervention in South Sudan Unlikely, Despite Calls for Action · Global Voices
Ayo Awokoya

Hopes for peace and stability exhibited during an independence celebration were short lived. Public domain image / original by Jonathan Morgenstein / USAID on Flickr
With the signing of an agreement last August, the people of South Sudan were promised a resolution that would ensure peace and stability. But the dream of a unified and stable country appears to be more and more a mere dream, as clashes between the Sudanese People Liberation Army and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-In Opposition grow increasingly common and instability escalates.
In 2013, Africa's newest nation was plunged into civil war when President Kiir removed First Vice President Riek Machar on December 15, after accusing him of planning a coup. The conflict has been marred by ethnic undertones, as both leaders enjoyed the support of their respective tribes. President Salva Kiir is a Dinka, while Riek Machar is an ethnic Nuer. (Dinka is the largest ethnic group in South Sudan, and the Nuer tribe is the second.)
In February 2016, Kiir re-appointed Machar as his first vice president. By July 7, however, fighting erupted in the capital city, Juba, where forces loyal to Kiir fought with troops pledged to Machar. The clashes marked the first violence since the signing of last year's peace deal, and reportedly left hundreds of people dead.
Many now fear that this violence is the harbinger of another devastating civil war.
As South Sudan's government fails to end the fighting, many in the country are looking to the international community for intervention. Reports from the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and various human rights groups detail numerous war crimes committed by both troops on both sides of the conflict. Troops on both sides also stand accused of carrying out acts of mass rape, forced cannibalism, and the use of child soldiers.
Since the violence started in 2013, more than 2 million civilians have been displaced and a reported 4.6 million are on the brink of starvation. The economy, which relies heavily on the export of oil, has suffered enormously, as a result of oil prices falling worldwide. Just last week, the latest violence is believed to have displaced thousands more people.
With the country on the brink of a new disaster, many people have taken to Twitter, asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to intervene on behalf of the South Sudanese people.
Moses Gathecha wrote:
#Juba we cant have this madness all the time about #SouthSudan.They need to fix their leadership. Where is @ICC ?
— Moses Gathecha (@Gathexah) July 10, 2016
Sir Alex tweeted:
It's an ignominy that Africa's youngest nation is back to war. Maybe the Big Brother and ICC needs to swing in to bring peace.#SouthSudan
— Sir Alex (@SirAlexMatere) July 10, 2016
Some leaders, including Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, have been calling on African countries to withdraw from the ICC. Twitter user Meshack Omega, on the other hand, argued that now is not the time to disengage, saying South Sudan is evidence that Africa countries must remain members of the ICC:
Unstable countries and greedy leaders like those in South Sudan are the reason African nations should not leave ICC
— Meshack omega (@Elmesh) July 10, 2016
In February, members of the African Union (AU) backed a Kenyan proposal to withdraw from the ICC, complaining that it unfairly targets African leaders.
During his inauguration ceremony in May, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said he no longer supports the ICC, calling it “a bunch of useless people.” US, Canadian, and European delegates walked out of the ceremony, following these remarks. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity, also attended the ceremony in Uganda.
Since its establishment in 2002, the ICC has opened inquiries involving nine nations, eight of which target African nations: Kenya, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, and Mali.
The Ugandan journalist Joseph Burite hopes there will be a new indictment by August:
The warlords of SS have extended their deliberate killings to foreigners. I see ICC indictments by end of August. #SouthSudan
— Joseph Burite (@JosephBurite) July 12, 2016
Tony Watima complained about the AU's complacency:
South Sudan has put a very strong case on why Africa needs the ICC. AU was mandated to establish a hybrid court but has been complacent
— Tony Watima (@Watimz) July 12, 2016
Mark Kersten, a fellow at The Munk School of Global Affairs, questioned AU's silence about South Sudan:
Sad but true: #AfricanUnion working on recommendations to threaten “withdraw” from #ICC but *utterly & *completely silent on #SouthSudan.
— Mark Kersten (@MarkKersten) July 11, 2016
Both South Sudan's president and its vice president should face the law, tweeted African Women:
#SouthSudan: ICC should start investigating both South Sudan President & Vice President for Genocide & Crime Against HUMANITY
— African Women (@WAELE_ARCELFA) July 11, 2016
Karani said Salva Kiir and Riek Machar are “Africa's most wanted war criminals”:
South Sudan leadership of Kiir and Machar are Africa's most wanted war criminals. Over to you ICC pic.twitter.com/em4xn2SKuY
— Karani O ☄ (@erwoti) July 10, 2016
Josh Kariuki, however, thought of a hybrid court solution:
@WafulaCharles @CyrusKublai my silver lining is Hassan Habre's trial.
Also looking forward to Hybrid Court of #SouthSudan
I gave up on #ICC
— #PeaceInSouthSudan (@joshkariuki) June 22, 2016
Kariuki's observation refers to the trial at the Extraordinary African Chambers, a special hybrid criminal court in Senegal that was set up to try former Chadian President Hissène Habré. The court found him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced him to life imprisonment. It was the first time one country prosecuted another country’s former leader for war crimes.
The ICC's ability to intervene in South Sudan is limited, however, due to South Sudan's refusal to sign to the Rome Statute (a requirement for the court to have any authority over a sovereign nation). Another alternative would be a resolution by the UN Security Council drafted to permit the ICC to hold an inquiry and thus investigate any possible war crimes.
In an opinion piece reportedly penned by both Kiir and Machar for the New York Times, they argued against the need for a trial, advocating instead for a “truth-telling exercise” that focuses on reconciliation, rather than persecution. Machar's aide has since claimed that Machar did not author the text.
Without the cooperation of the South Sudanese government, in any event, it will be difficult for the ICC to play any role in South Sudan, despite what many Twitter users say the country needs.

author: Ayo Awokoya


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Macedonian Protesters Reject Government’s Eurobond Bid to Borrow Its Way Back from the Brink · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

“Special police forces successfully rescue the Ministry of Finance from a dangerous girl carrying lipstick.” Photo by Vančo Džambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
Demonstrators in Macedonia's so-called “Colorful Revolution” have rejected the government's bid to increase the country's foreign debt, spurring further protests.
In early July, the Macedonian government announced plans to issue a new Eurobond in the amount of 650 million euros ($720 million), claiming that the move would boost investment. Representatives of the opposition party SDSM as well as the movement known as the “Colorful Revolution” are criticizing the plan, saying that the loaned money will be wasted on corruption as long as the current government remains in power.
A post on the Colorful Revolution's Facebook page declared:
Нема правда кога јавниот долг вртоглаво расте. Секој граѓанин на Македонија веќе должи по 2200 евра, а режимот сака да го задолжи за уште 330 евра, во очајнички обид да продолжи да владее криминално.
Нема да дозволиме! Не прифаќаме државата и граѓаните да тонат во долгови! Не ги признаваме долговите на расипниците!
Protest! There is no justice when the public debt keeps doubling. Every citizen in Macedonia already owes 2.20 euros [$2.40], and the regime wants to put everyone in more debt—another 330 euros [$365]. This is another desperate attempt by this criminal government to keep ruling this country.
We will not allow it! We will not allow the country and its citizens to be drowned by more debt! We do not recognize the debts of these people who squandered the state's money!
A Eurobond is a special kind of foreign debt that a government issues to “investors,” meaning creditors. The creditors are entitled to receive the full amount of the loan at a given date, and in the meantime they collect interest payments. The interest-included total cost of Macedonia's new 10-year Eurobond is estimated to 1.1 billion euros ($1.22 billion).
A meme from a Facebook album informing the public about the amount and obligations of all the Eurobond issued by Macedonian government. Source: Facebook page “Javen dolg” (Public Debt). Used with permission.
On social media, Internet users have shared memes based on statements like “not in my name,” warning potential creditors that they and their children will not honor the debt incurred by party boss Nikola Gruevski's government. An online petition on Change.org, declaring “As a responsible citizen, I don't recognize this debt and renounce any obligation to return it,” had attracted more than 3,100 signatures at the time of this writing.
On July 12, thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Skopje against the new debt, under a banner reading “1.1 Billion Reasons for the End [of the Regime]!”
“1.1 Billion Reasons for the End” banner at a “Colorful-Revolution” protest on June 11, 2016. Photo: F. Stojanovski CC BY.
The protesters tried to reach the Ministry of Finance, but special police forces blocked all entrances towards the central area of Skopje. (The Ministry of Finance is located next door to the lavish eight-story seat of the ruling party, VMRO-DPMNE.)
Police guarding a passage under a building in Skopje. Photo by Vančo Džambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
The whole area was under virtual siege, with tenants in some of the buildings forbidden to enter or leave their own homes. Police officers didn't explain or try to justify their decision to place limits on locals’ freedom of movement.
Overnight, protesters refused to disperse, despite efforts by the police to end the demonstration, and demonstrators ultimately managed to break through the police cordon. Officers then withdrew and allowed protesters to approach the perimeter of the Ministry of Finance.
Outside the Finance Ministry building, activists met a group of their compatriots who had managed to circumvent the police blockade by passing through garages, This group had been surrounded by police, staging a sit-in. When both groups fused, chanting and singing songs (including Macedonia's national anthem), together they painted an exposed wall of the Ministry of Finance.
“A special court for a special Mafia!” read a sign in front of Ministry of Finance in Skopje. Photo: F. Stojanovski, CC BY.
After the protest, many of the participants commented that there was some confusion among the police. For instance, even after the blockade was dismantled, a police squad continued to “defend” a corridor within a building, refusing to let protesters pass.
Public debt is something of a taboo topic in Macedonia. As the government has struggled to maintain economic growth over the past decade, the country has increasingly relied on foreign loans to finance its state bureaucracy. Critics complain that subsidies ensure the current government's electoral success by promoting the loyalty of key voting blocks.
Anti-corruption NGOs also claim that much of Macedonia's public spending is laundered and stolen, including the inflated expenses for large taxpayer-funded projects like Skopje 2014, which costs an minimum estimated 640 million euros ($708 million). According to the investigative journalist Xhelal Neziri, at least 5 billion dollars (4.5 billion euros) have been taken out of the country thanks to corruption during the last decade.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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‘Playing for Change’ Promotes Peace and Inclusion Around the World Through Music · Global Voices
Marco Sarmiento

Four members of the School Music Network (Red de Escuelas de Música) based in Medellín, Colombia, are taking part in ‘The Land of Forgetfulness’ (La tierra del olvido) in one of the boroughs of Medellín. The video from which this screenshot is taken can be found on Playing for a Change's YouTube account.
Playing For Change‘s objective is to unite people through music. It is a cultural project that connects musicians all around the world by using emblematic songs.
According to its creator, filmmaker and producer Mark Johnson, the idea occurred to him in New York:
About 10 years ago I had an experience in NYC that opened my eyes to the power of music. I was on my way to work at a recording studio in NYC and I was in the subway station when I witnessed two monks painted all in white wearing robes. One of the monks was playing a nylon acoustic guitar while the other monk was singing in a language I didn’t understand. I witnessed a subway platform full of people and no one got on the train: everyone was listening to this amazing music.  Some people where smiling while others where crying but everyone was deeply connected to the music. I got on the train and headed to work and I thought to myself the greatest music I had ever heard was on the way to the studio and not in the studio. I realized great music and art are just moments in time and they exist everywhere. We can use the energy from these moments to connect people.
His effort to bring people from different cultures, ethnicities, religions and political backgrounds together through music began to take shape in March 2005 with what is considered one of the best songs of the 20th century — ‘Stand By Me’ by Ben E. King. American singer Roger Ridley sang it in the streets of Santa Monica in California, and afterwards, Mark added other voices and sounds recorded in Barcelona, Ireland, South Africa, India, Nepal and the Middle East. At the time of writing, the video had more than 90 million views online.
Two years later in 2007, he created the foundation of the same name:
Our mission is to create positive change through music and arts education. As one of our students in Nepal stated, “Music is an indispensable part of life – you cannot live without music.” We couldn’t agree more. At the Playing For Change Foundation, we live our lives by this principle and apply it to everything we do.
The organisation's inclusive message has reached a wide range of countries. In 2010, Mark went to Colombia to record Carlos Vives’ song ‘La tierra del olvido’ (The Land of Forgetfulness) with backing from the Americas Business Council, which was created in 2008 to encourage cultural development in the Americas.
According to Playing for Change:
This video features over 75 musicians across the country of Colombia. Throughout our journey we have learned that music is the greatest tool for healing broken countries, cultures and hearts. With this video we set out to unite and inspire the people of Colombia so they can move forward from years of conflict and create a positive future.
Their success led them to try again in other countries, and in 2012 they went to Mexico to record ‘México lindo y querido’ (Beautiful and Beloved Mexico). They aimed to support Cauce ciudadano (Citizen Channel), a civil society organisation that works with youth to combat the country's violence.
The following year, Playing for Change arrived in Argentina to support an environmental campaign called ‘Dejá tu huella: una Reserva con más Reservas’ (Leave Your Mark: A Reserve with More Reserves). The chosen song was called ‘Carnaval toda la vida’ (Lifelong Carnival) by a ska band called Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.
Erzo Bueno, who produced the video, said:
Es un honor colaborar con la preservación de los bosques nativos y  creemos que la música tiene la fuerza necesaria para unir a la gente en torno a esta causa tan noble.
It's an honour to get involved in the preservation of these native forests. We believe that music has the power to get people behind this worthy cause.
Playing For Change is still creating connections in Latin America today. In 2015 they returned to Colombia to support the orphanage Betsalem in their project to create a music school, which they are then hoping to replicate in other parts of the country. On 24 September 2016, they will celebrate Playing for Change Day, which will unite musicians and music lovers alike through 46 events taking place in 21 countries in support of the different projects that the organisation is involved in.
On the organisation's YouTube account, there are many more versions of their songs from all over the globe, as well as testimonies from their participants.

author: Marco Sarmiento


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Ugandan President’s Leisurely Roadside Phone Call Inspires the #M7Challenge on Twitter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A photo posted on Facebook by Presidential Press Secretary Don Wanyama showing Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni speaking on the phone by the roadside.
Twitter has exploded with funny memes after a photo appeared online showing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni sitting on a chair by the roadside to make a call. His motorcade, which was on the way to a public event, stopped for about 30 minutes for him to make the call.
Presidential Press Secretary Don Wanyama posted the photo on his Facebook page with the following message:
On the way from Isingiro District yesterday where he'd presided over the World Population Day celebrations, President Museveni stopped at Kyeirumba Village to make a phone call. Curious residents gathered to look at the President, who after 30 minutes on phone, briefly interacted with them. They thanked the government for tarmacking the road linking Uganda to Tanzania through Isingiro.
Some people wondered whether the photo was part of a plan to divert attention from the news of the release of main opposition politician Kizza Besigye, who was in jail for two months facing treason charges.
But the #M7Challenge was too strategic to overshadow the release of Besigye dominating the internet 😊😊
— Daron (@bartlettdaron) July 13, 2016
The hashtag #M7Challenge has been used to show images of Ugandans and other people around the world taking calls by the roadside. President Museveni is nicknamed M7 because of the sound of his name. Other Twitter users have been posting edited photos mocking the president.
It is not yet known who Museveni was speaking to or the subject of the conversation.
One Twitter user suggested that Museveni was speaking to leaders in South Sudan, where troubling violence has erupted:
#M7Challenge : It is possible M7 was having a “Let my people go” discussion with the leaders of #SouthSudan.
— Frank Hook (@FrancisHookDF) July 13, 2016
Museveni has ordered the Ugandan army to evacuate Ugandans living in South Sudan following recent clashes in the capital, Juba.
Rosebell Kagumire warned #M7Challenge participants not to try this stunt:
Don't try this at home. First contact the #M7Challenge wealth creation team 😝😝 pic.twitter.com/Jzrh3H2d1q
— Rosebell Kagumire (@RosebellK) July 12, 2016
Fredrick Tumusiime shared an alleged advert for a local television station in Uganda:
Before @ntvuganda takes down the tweet☺ #M7Challenge pic.twitter.com/wwJG8xzcmD
— Fredrick Tumusiime (@tufre80) July 12, 2016
Other Twitter users carried their office chairs outside to make a call:
@nbstv #M7Challenge pic.twitter.com/coKcBOWkpi
— Nimu Githahu (@wairimugithahu) July 13, 2016
Mathias Wandera showed Museveni taking a call on the moon:
Hehehh 😂😂. Sevo going places. Now he's on the moon. Hater gonna say its photoshop. #M7Challenge pic.twitter.com/L5NT5r6gdI
— Mathias Wandera (@Nva_Kampala_23) July 13, 2016
The challenge, observed AutoblogKE, is a good tip for drivers:
haha guys who can pull the best #M7Challenge ?? i think it would be a good way to say STOP TEXTING/CALLING WHILE DRIVING
— AutoblogKE (@AutoblogKE) July 13, 2016
Omara Ronnie took his #M7Challenge photo at a footpath to show respect to all road users:
All are roads… showing respect to all road users. My #M7Challenge @UNRA_UG @roadsafety @KagutaMuseveni pic.twitter.com/3gd16lnFjv
— Omara Ronnie (@Ronnie_Ug) July 13, 2016
iAfrikan showed the Portuguese national team celebrating their Euro2016 while Museveni is busy on the phone:
“Haters are going to say it's photoshop”
📷 @mwanjalouis #M7Challenge pic.twitter.com/m1CPiPJF6u
— iAfrikan (@iafrikan) July 12, 2016
Mathias Wandera posted the image of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe kneeling infront of Museveni:
Museveni memes continue for another day?? Heehe 😂😂. Cool lets do this. #M7Challenge pic.twitter.com/ma6oHhKxp9
— Mathias Wandera (@Nva_Kampala_23) July 13, 2016
Ory Okolloh Mwangi highlighted the following image featuring a character from Game of Thrones
Runner up. 😂 #M7Challenge pic.twitter.com/52yyzDsCoB
— Ory Okolloh Mwangi (@kenyanpundit) July 12, 2016
Kids were not left out:
#M7Challenge has taken up another twist… pic.twitter.com/sZ8naXDKqd
— Ayella (@AyellaBryanLama) July 13, 2016
Meanwhile, Michael Kwambo is waiting for his turn at the challenge:
Guys…please let me know when its my turn for the #M7Challenge ..let me patiently wait… pic.twitter.com/NbeoXDCH1E
— Michael Kwambo ™ (@michaelkwambo) July 13, 2016

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Welcome to Mozambique, Where the Government Will Soon Have 450 New Security Cameras Aimed at You · Global Voices
Dércio Tsandzana

Front cover of the newspaper Canal de Moçambique. Photo: Dércio Tsandzana
According to one of Mozambique's most trusted newspapers, Canal de Moçambique, the government has begun installing 450 security cameras in the cities of Maputo and Matola, as part of the “National Ordonnance on Intercepting Information” project, which reportedly includes plans to wiretap the general public. (Earlier this year in May, Global Voices wrote about Mozambique's controversial plan.)
According to Canal de Moçambique, the government contracted “Msumbiji Investment Limited” to carry out the massive installation, without receiving any alternative offers for the procurement order. The company, moreover, belongs to former President Armando Guebuza's son, who subcontracted the Chinese firm “ZTE” to perform the actual work, says the newspaper.
Egídio Vaz, a prominent analyst and social media activist, was indignant about the situation:
(…) Há mais de dois meses que temos vindo a ler notícias sobre os grandes negócios destes laboriosos filhos do herói da pátria. O meu estado de espírito piorou. Isto é mau. Mas existe uma cura para mim. ESQUECER.
[…] For more than two months, we have seen news of the big deals of these industrious sons of the fatherland’s hero. My mood has worsened. This is bad. But there is a cure for me. TO FORGET.
Schauque Spirou addressed the possible consequences of installing surveillance cameras throughout Maputo and Matola, recalling what happened in Brazil:
Estamos a acordar aos poucos ou estamos a ser sonecados e não sabemos…mas que o Big Brother esta em ação, não parece haver dúvida… a noticia avançada pelo Canal de Moçambique sobre as câmaras de vigilância, penso que não são de se levar ao de leve: fora a “adjudicação” da mesma…
No Brasil, já se fala de indústria de multas, pois as câmaras de vigilância nas avenidas de São Paulo, são usadas para flagrar “motoristas da FORMULA1″….mas o dinheiro que geram tais multas esta a criar desconfiança dos mais avisados.
We are slowly waking up, or we are sleeping and unaware… but there is no doubt that Big Brother is in action… the information given by Canal de Moçambique on the security cameras—I think that it should not be taken lightly: except the “tendering” of that kind…
In Brazil, there is already talk of a “fines industry”, since the security cameras in the streets of São Paulo are used to catch “Formula 1 drivers”… but the money generated by these fines is causing mistrust among the most aware.
According to Canal de Moçambique, however, the government might have legal grounds for awarding the surveillance contract without a public competition, given that the country's procurement law treats certain national-security concerns as an exception. But this still wouldn't justify the decision to award the contract to Guebuza’s son, given the possible conflict of interest.

author: Dércio Tsandzana


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Ethiopia Locks Down Digital Communications in Wake of #OromoProtests · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

Photo published on EthioTube page titled “Pictures from Oromo Protest – Winter 2015″. No attribution or further context appears on the site.
When students in Ginchi, a small town 75 km west of Addis Ababa, organized a demonstration in November 2015, US-based opposition media activist Jawar Mohammed, began posting minute-to-minute ‘live’ updates of the protest on his massively popular Facebook page, which has over 500k followers.
What started as a small-scale student protest over Ethiopian government's plan to expand Addis Ababa into adjacent farm lands of Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest constitutionally autonomous state, evolved into a series of largest and bloodiest demonstrations against Ethiopian government in a decade leaving at least 400 people killed, many more injured, and thousands jailed.
Along with Jawar’s live updates about the protests on Facebook, netizens saw a flood of digital photos, videos, blog posts, and tweets on other social media platforms coming from inside Ethiopia, mostly under the hashtag #OromoProtests.
For over a decade, the Ethiopian government has been violently cracking down on protesting students in Oromia, but these incidents have never garnered the online attention they did this time around. With scant coverage by foreign media from the front lines, and silence and misinformation coming from Ethiopia’s largely pro-government media outlets, the Internet emerged as the main channel used to disseminate information about protests. Jawar’s Facebook page and Twitter feed became the official-yet-unofficial story of the protest, leading diaspora writers to identify Jawar as a key shaper of public opinion on the events.
Though these networked communication dynamics are commonplace in many parts of the world, they are novel in Ethiopia, where Internet penetration hovered just below 5% in 2013, which is the last time that Internet access data was collected there by the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency.
The steady stream of #OromoProtests content triggered various attempts by the government to limit digital traffic and block telecom services in Oromia.
In a bid to quell the growing role of social media in magnifying the stories of protests and to regain the upper hand, Ethiopia’s state-owned telecommunication monopoly EthioTelcom blocked social media platforms including Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger in Oromia for at least two months. Around the same time, EthioTelecom also announced plans to begin charging customers for using popular voice over internet protocol (VoIP) applications such as Viber, Facebook messenger, Skype, and Google hangouts.
According to local media reports, EthioTelecom plans to enforce a new price scheme for VoIP data usage by deploying technologies that will more heavily regulate data plans and what kinds of apps operate on devices of each subscriber active on EthioTelecom network. In an unprecedented move, EthioTelecom also announced a plan to track, identify and ban mobile devices that are not purchased from the Ethiopian market. This move will allow EthioTelecom to keep a track of exactly what data is being sent to and from each subscriber active on the network. It remains unclear exactly how this technology will work, but it unquestionably demonstrates EthioTelecom's intention to take full political advantage of its monopoly.
Despite being one of the poorest countries in terms of Internet penetration in Africa, #OromoProtests garnered wall-to-wall coverage by the US based Ethiopian diaspora satellite television stations, particularly OMN and ESAT. Both stations picked various stories of #OromoProtests from social media and rebroadcast them to millions of Ethiopians living off the grid of mobile phone infrastructure.
To top all this off, on the heels of the protests, the parliament passed a stringent computer crimes law that looks very much like an effort to criminalize protest-related online speech and to more effectively utilize digital communication as a tool of public surveillance.
In a critical piece about the new law, the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote,
Ethiopia's prosecutors have long demonized legitimate uses of technology, claiming in court that the use of encryption, and knowledge of privacy-protecting tools is a sign of support for terrorists….By criminalizing everyday actions it ensures that anyone who speaks online, or supports online free expression, might one day be targeted by the law…. [This regulation] will intimidate ordinary Ethiopian citizens into staying offline, and further alienate Ethiopia's technological progress from its African neighbors and the rest of the world.
According to reports, the new legislation further limits already-diminished digital rights such as freedom of expression and privacy, criminalizing and levying severe punishments for defamatory speech online. The legislation also obliges service providers to store records of all communications along with their metadata for at least a year.

author: Endalkachew Chala


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Japanese Fans Are Over the Moon for This Russian Figure Skater’s ‘Cosplay’ Performance · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Evgenia Medvedeva. Screencap from video widely shared on social media.
A Russian figure skating star has captured the hearts of Japanese skating fans and “otaku“ (anime and manga aficionados) alike with her performance dressed as the popular cartoon character Sailor Moon.
As reported by news site Meduza, Evgenia Medvedeva's televised performance at the 2016 “Dreams on Ice” show in Japan on July 10 quickly went viral on Twitter and other social networks.
旧アニメの変身バンクと重ねてみたけどもうメドべちゃんがセーラームーンだった。こんなにセラムンを愛してくれてありがとう pic.twitter.com/B0kJYW5ugF
— フク@出張で多忙 (@Fuku_shiorin) July 12, 2016
Here's Medvedeva-chan, doing the old-style Sailor Moon transformation I've see countless times. Medvedeva-chan, thank you indeed for loving Sailor Moon so much!
“Chan” is a diminutive ending in Japanese used when someone or something is endearing.
Just 16 years old, Medvedeva has already racked up a long list of medals — the Russian skater is the 2016 World Figure Skating champion, the 2016 European champion, the International Skating Union 2015 Grand Prix Final champion, and the 2016 Russian national champion.
pic.twitter.com/546Wo0LM1D
— Evgenia Medvedeva (@JannyMedvedeva) April 8, 2016
Dreams on Ice is an annual figure skating exhibition held in Japan, where the sport is popular even in summer. The exhibition attracts top figure skating talent from Japan and from all over the world, and this year Medvedeva was invited to perform.
For some Japanese fans, it was like a dream come true:
メドベージェワちゃんが本物過ぎる件。 pic.twitter.com/diIJczSGTA
— ネガソニック・モンマゴウ・ウォーヘッド (@monmago) July 2, 2016
Medvedeva-chan (as Sailor Moon) is just like the real thing!
(The title of the newspaper article reads, in part, “She's the queen of the ‘miracle jump.'”)
Even prior to performing as Sailor Moon in Japan, Medvedeva posted frequently on Twitter about anime. Here she tweets about the character Sebastian Michealis, from the animated series Black Butler.
done. Which next? pic.twitter.com/0FdgFYhb60
— Evgenia Medvedeva (@JannyMedvedeva) May 25, 2016
Here, Medvedeva poses at an anime convention with a cosplayer (a contraction of “costume roleplay,” referring to someone who wears a costume to represent a fictional character) dressed up as the character Howl, from the 2004 animated movie Howl's Moving Castle.
Мечта ребёнка исполнилась pic.twitter.com/ts80ZfRf93
— Evgenia Medvedeva (@JannyMedvedeva) March 7, 2016
Childhood goal accomplished.
Medvedeva also appeals to her Japanese fans to help bridge the cultural divide. In this tweet, she asks for help translating some fan art.
Please translate anybody pic.twitter.com/dssugOEE0N
— Evgenia Medvedeva (@JannyMedvedeva) April 5, 2016
It turns out the fan art above depicts Medvedeva, on the right, quoting from Sailor Moon to nonplussed Japanese figure skating superstar Asada Mao (Medvedeva became famous in Japan after quoting the anime earlier this year to Japanese media). The fan wonders if Asada, who is unfamiliar with popular Japanese anime series Lupin the Third, would even be familiar with the more arcane details of Sailor Moon.
The subtext of the fan art is that Medvedeva loves anime, and her new Japanese fans love her for that as much as they enjoy her skating.

author: Nevin Thompson


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Russian Athlete Branded a ‘Traitor’ for Competing in Rio Olympics · Global Voices
Fabrice Deprez

Darya Klishina. Photo: Jens-Olaf Walter / Flickr / CC 2.0
Internet users in Russia are ganging up on long jumper Darya Klishina for agreeing to compete in the Rio Summer Olympics under a neutral flag. Many on the RuNet believe the athlete's decision is unpatriotic.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced on Sunday that it had rejected nearly every Russian athlete’s applications to participate in the Rio Olympics, the latest episode in a long series of scandals surrounding doping in Russian sport. One, however, was spared: Darya Klishina, who lives and trains in the United States and should now be able to compete in Rio under the neutral, Olympic flag.
The announcement has generated an intense debate on the Russian Internet as well as in the media, centered around whether or not Klishina was a “traitor” of her native country. In particular, the fact that Klishina thanked the International Association of Athletics Federations (who rejected all the other Russian athletes) in her Facebook post announcing her participation in the Olympics has raised a barrage of criticism.
Pro-Kremlin outlet Life (formerly Life News) quickly compiled a selection of comments from Klishina’s post. Though most comments actually lean towards supportive, Life chose to emphasize those most critical towards the athlete, with one user asking why someone living in the US “considers herself a Russian athlete.”
The debate spun beyond the Facebook comments, however. On Twitter, a picture shared by a journalist from the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid and comparing Klishina to Russian soldiers who fought for Germany during World War II quickly made the rounds, having been retweeted over 600 times at the time of writing.
“Русские солдаты! В немецком плену вас ждет горячее питание, отдых и медобслуживание” pic.twitter.com/jFLuJ0ah5e
— Дмитрий Смирнов (@dimsmirnov175) July 11, 2016
In a parody of propaganda leaflets dropped over Soviet lines by the Germans during World War II, it asks Russian athletes to “follow the example of Darya Klishina, your compatriot” and “renounce the shameful Russian flag.” To make the matter even clearer, Dmitri Smirnov, the journalist, added as a comment: “Russian soldiers! Hot meals, rest and medical care await you in German captivity!” (See above.)
Eduard Limonov, an ultranationalist writer and politician who used to oppose Vladimir Putin but now supports him, also criticized Klishina’s decision on Twitter, saying that she should refuse to participate in the Rio Games.
Клишина должна бы отказаться от участия в О.Играх, из чувства солидарности с недопущенными спортсменами. Позор ей, если не откажется!
— Эдуард Лимонов (@edvlimonov) July 10, 2016
Klishina should refuse to participate in the Olympics out of solidarity with the [Russian] athletes who were rejected. Shame on her if she doesn’t!
In an interview to the official website of the Russian Athletics Federation, Klishina defended herself, saying that she had been training in the United States for three years already. “Insulting me and calling me a traitor is wrong, I believe,” she said.
Not all reactions were negative: Tatyana Lebedeva, a former athlete and Olympic champion who now sits on the Council of the Athletics Federation said she fully supported Klishina's decision, according to Russian news outlet Sport Express. “If she wants to compete under a neutral flag, she has every right to do so,” Lebedeva said, adding that “we all know that Dasha is Russian.” In a non-representative poll, published by Russian news outlet Gazeta.ru and answered by more than 8000 people, 66% of respondents said they did not think Darya Klishina was a “traitor.”
Arguments about an alleged lack of patriotism on the part of Russian athletes or celebrities have been frequent in Russia, especially since the annexation of Crimea and the war in Eastern Ukraine that began in 2014.
The national soccer team's defeat in the Euro 2016 championship, two years before the World Cup that will be hosted in Russia, has prompted a petition calling to disband the team. Gazeta.ru interviewed the creator of the petition (which has already gathered over 800,000 signatures), who argues that the team should be disbanded because the players showed “a lack of patriotism.”
Another recent example is the story of Russian musicians who participated in a music festival in Latvia. Their participation created a small media storm after 78-year-old Soviet and Russian poet and music writer Ilya Reznik accused them of being “traitors.” “This lack of principles and this desire to earn money eventually leads to those ‘small betrayals'”,  Reznik told the Life news outlet. In an interview with the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, he further explained his position:
Латвия сейчас – это НАТО и базы. Там живут наши русские неграждане. Их не могут сделать гражданами. Они [власти] сносят российские памятники. И я считаю, что это [поездка на фестиваль в Юрмалу] просто беспринципно.
There are currently NATO bases in Latvia. This is where our Russian noncitizens live, they cannot become citizens. This is where they are removing Russian memorials. And so I think this [going to the Yurmala festival] means they have no principles.
Russian sports nevertheless remain the main point of tension. Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared that Russia would not boycott the Olympics, but urged Russian athletes to “use all the [legal] tools at their disposal” to fight the ban decision.
Update: After the IAAF decision and the heated online discussions about Klishina's status, the International Olympic Committee said that Russian athletes who got the IAAF's permission to attend the Olympics would be allowed to compete under the Russian flag at the Rio Games. According to a statement from IOC President Thomas Bach, Klishina would also be able to compete under the Russia national flag should she be officially selected by the Russian Olympic Committee.
The 2016 Summer Olympics is slated to start on August 5, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

author: Fabrice Deprez


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The Fascinating World of Cold War-Era Hungarian Cartoons · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

A screenshot from the cartoon “Gustav Wants to Marry.”
Though Hungary found itself behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War (1947-1991), the country still managed to export high-quality animated cartoons.
The Iron Curtain is a term used for the imaginary border that divided Europe into two antagonistic blocs, separating the socialist countries of the Warsaw Pact — the Soviet Union and its satellites East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary — from the rest of the world, including the non-aligned socialist Yugoslavia.
Being behind the Iron Curtain meant limited freedom of movement, sharing of ideas, and privacy, as well as centrally planned markets resulting in low living standards. After the bloody suppression of the 1956 uprising, Hungarian leadership gradually allowed some elements of free market economics and some freedoms to be reintroduced, resulting in a bit more relaxed rule — compared to USSR — known as Goulash Communism.
Artists took advantage and began producing a plethora of well-regarded animated cartoons. Take a look at three examples below.
The humorous cartoon “Gustav” (Hungarian Gusztáv, 1961-1977) or “Gustavus” was one of the few widespread cultural exports from Hungary. It commented on aspects of daily life, including the country's overwhelming bureaucracy, and darkly satirized other themes, such as feeling dissatisfied with one's life.
Besides politics, Hungary's cultural exports were limited by the uniqueness of Hungarian language. Gustav relied on “silent movie” techniques, with minimal use of text, which added to its universal appeal.
Gustav left a lasting legacy in all countries that were exposed to its charms, from the Baltic to the Adriatic. One might say that its clumsy protagonist achieved cult status, maintained today thanks to the short cartoons’ presence on  YouTube and other video sharing platforms.
During the second half of 20th century, the mainstream perception of animated cartoons in Central and Eastern Europe was that they were entertainment for children, and most of the production was indeed aimed at this audience. (This perception possibly allowed some authors to ‘smuggle’ in some adult themes.) State TV networks showed cartoons during family-friendly time slots. For instance, in Yugoslavia, this included daytime with the last slot at 7:15 pm, before the evening news.
Considering the communist focus on the future, content production for children was not a trifling matter in socialist countries. The states allocated significant resources to general education and youth entertainment, including literature and film.
The “Hungarian Folk Tales” series of cartoons is a prime representative of this trend. Originally called “Magyar népmesék,” it featured top notch retelling of folk tales, often involving ingenious use of 2D animation techniques.
The folktales include narration, and they were dubbed into local languages in all countries of export, including the United States (see example above). The series originated in 1978, and is still broadcast across the world. As a result, many internet users have uploaded versions recorded from TV broadcasts in their countries.
The 13-episode animated series “Mikrobi” (1971) presented the adventures of a human family that travels through space, helped by the eponymous friendly robot.
A typical Mikrobi scene.
Aimed at younger audiences, “Mikrobi” also left a mark on popular cultures in countries where it was shown. It did not achieve the rank of “Gustav,” but people who had been children at the time still recall some of the catchphrases.
Unlike the “Folk Tales,” online versions of Mikrobi are not as common, and finding them requires knowledge of Hungarian websites or techniques for in-depth searching. For instance, a Macedonian blog specialized in retro TV presents one episode, dubbed in Macedonian.
This post presents just a small sample of the illustrious history of Hungarian animation. There's much more where all this came from — don't hesitate to explore further.


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After the Nice Attack, a Chance for Us to Respect the Pain Everywhere, Together · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Cimiez borough in Nice by Patrice Semeria – Public Domain
I was born in Nice, France where my parents worked for a couple of years before going back to Madagascar. I learnt to walk with my grandpa in the Arènes de Cimiez, a park located on the hill side of the city. And I was with him in the park as a three-year-old when he first had the first of the strokes that would take his life a few years later.
As I watch the devastation caused in that city during last night's Bastille Day celebrations, by a madman who drove a truck into a crowd of thousands, killing at least 80 people, my mind reels with the images of children, women and men running and screaming as a monster truck careened toward them at full speed.
The families of victims, residents, colleagues are waking up this morning angry and sad, struggling to grasp the reality of loved ones lost and a city in shock. This is now the third attack on French soil in the space of about 20 months. A day of mourning has been declared, and the state of emergency that was imposed after the November attacks has been extended for another three months (It was scheduled to end on July 26). This is also one of the many mass killings that have taken place around the world in just a few months.
Before we get into the why, the who and how this could have been prevented, here is a plea for us to just slow down a bit with the analyses and the hot takes. Let us not try to understand or find a solution to a massive problem that affects the whole globe—not just yet. Let us not try to compare the scale of the various tragedies, the amount of pain people feel. Let us, for now, respect the pain. The pain everywhere.
I grew up in Madagascar. Whenever a tragedy strikes there, the process is almost always the same: family and friends come together to care for the deceased, dressing them as best as they can to prepare them for their journey onward. Then families and loved ones gather and spend the whole night conversing, just being together. The only topics of conversation allowed are shared memories: no why, no ifs, no buts…
A view along the “Promenade des Anglais” in Nice at night by W. M. Connolley – CC BY-SA 3.0
The city of my birth is hurting, so I am hurting, even though I have spent most of my adult life elsewhere. I was back in Nice around this time last year. I did not visit the Promenade des Anglais, where the tragedy occurred, but I walked around the borough nearby and took in the beauty of the flower market and the view from the hillside.
Now I can only think of the devastation in the same areas, and of my godmother who is probably now attending to the wounded. I think of friends like Global Voices colleague Abdoulaye, who returned to his flat a few minutes before all went to hell. Maybe only Le Gorafi, the french version of The Onion, has managed to capture properly how all of this feels, posting just one word on its front page: Non.
The social dynamics of Nice have always been a bit complicated and hard to comprehend. While the city is a known worldwide as a tourist spot on the French Riviera worldwide, the city has never been particularly friendly to foreigners or minorities. We don't know how the aftermath of this attack will unfold, but we can hope for unity in the midst of the healing process. I am well aware that acts of terror have devastated many parts of the world recently, from Baghdad to Baton Rouge. Most of us know these days how it feels to lose someone/something dear for reasons that we do not fully understand. We are not all that different from that respect.
But please, today, let us just stay in the now. Let us respect grieving families and friends and in so doing, let us also pay tribute to the other tragedies before. This is how we begin the healing process, together.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Following Protests, the Macedonian Government’s Eurobond Plan Comes to a Screeching Halt · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

‘Colorful revolutionaries’ singing the Macedonian national anthem to the police cordon in front of Ministry of Finance during a protest against the new Eurobond on July 11, 2016. Photo by Vančo Džambaski, CC BY-NC-SA.
Two days after Macedonians staged a massive protest in Skopje against new foreign loans, the process of issuing a controversial Eurobond has been stalled.
The Macedonian government has been trying to acquire fresh capital by issuing a Eurobond, a type of credit sold on the European banking market. According to the prime minister, the loan in the amount of 650 million euros ($724 million) is needed to ensure payment of salaries to the bloated state administration and pensions for retirees — key voting blocs that would enable the ruling parties to stay in power in the next elections.
The interest-included total cost of Macedonia's new 10-year Eurobond was estimated to be 1.1 billion euros ($1.22 billion). The government is also frequently borrowing millions of euros from domestic lenders.
On July 14, Reuters produced two news items about the Macedonia Eurobond. In the first, the agency reported that the repayment period had been lowered from 10 to seven years. This caused additional outrage, as a shortened repayment period would give the economy less time to recover enough to be able to shoulder the burden.
Compounding the problem is the fact that the deadline for repayment of other loans incurred by the current right-wing government during its 10-year rule is also approaching fast. Twitter user Parg0 noted just a portion of those debts:
Кој има грам акал ќе замине до 2020
270 милиони евра – доспева во 2020
500 милиони евра – доспева во 2021
650 милиони евра – доспева во 2023
— Парго (@parg0) July 14, 2016
Any half sane person would leave this country by 2020:
– 270 million euros [$300 million] – deadline in 2020
– 500 million euros [$557 million] – deadline in 2021
– 650 million euros [$724 million] – deadline in 2023
The second Eurobond news broke that evening, with Reuters reporting that the issuing of the Eurobond had been “delayed” because its legality came into question. The banks in charge of selling the bond, called lead managers (Citi Bank, Deutsche Bank, Erste Bank and Societe Generale CIB), had received a letter by the opposition party SDSM, written by former Deputy Minister of Finance Kire Naumov, citing legal arguments implying future problems regarding the repayment of the loan.
Overnight, some media outlets that are critical of the government published opinion pieces and quotes by economics analysts asserting that the whole Eurobond deal was off and arguing that it is a sign that the government has lost international support.
In November 2015 during his time in office as deputy minister of finance, Kire Naumov managed to lower the amount of debt incurred by a previous Eurobond from over 500 to 270 million euros (without the int. Naumov, a member of the opposition, was placed in the post because of the Przino Agreement, a deal that was overseen by the European Union and the United States in 2015 to end political crisis in Macedonia and ensure fair elections.
According to that agreement, an opposition deputy minister had veto power in cases of new debt, forcing the government to negotiate with the opposition. But Naumov was replaced in May with a ruling party member.
The Ministry of Finance issued a statement in response to Naumov's letter claiming the Eurobond deal is “crystal clear” and that the opposition is harming the country.
At the moment of writing, it is unclear whether this is just a delay or another victory for the political opposition, the ‘Colorful Revolution’ movement against government corruption and mismanagement and the other related stakeholders. All of them claim they are trying to prevent Macedonia from sinking further into a debt spiral, similar to what happened to neighboring Greece several years ago.
“Enough of new debt and stupid ‘investments'” Facebook page photo reading “Hospital, school, kindergarten, water cleaning plant, waterworks. We get into new debts to pay salaries and pensions, while investing 18 million euros into a Ferris Wheel? No more debts and stupid ‘investments'!”.


text:
In China, Protests Against the South China Sea Ruling Skip the Streets for Cyberspace · Global Voices
Owen Guo

U.S. Navy and Republic of Singapore ships steam through the South China Sea in 2008. PHOTO: Public Domain from the US Navy via Wikimedia Commons.
The message arrived at 7:14 pm on July 12.
“The Hong Kong editors would like you to go to the Philippines Embassy today and see if there are protests,“ my colleague had written. “Are you free?”
As my iPhone buzzed, on my laptop Xinwen Lianbo, arguably the most-watched news show in China, was displaying a meticulously drafted government statement. Read out word-by-word live to the nation by a Chinese state TV anchor, it denounced a long-awaited international ruling that had just slapped Beijing in the face.
Less than an hour before, my iPad screen had flashed with news alerts that quickly became China’s PR nightmare: an international tribunal had dismissed Beijing’s expansive claims over the South China Sea, where China has been locked in a bitter territorial fight with a number of South East Asian countries. The ruling on the case, which had been brought by the Philippines in 2013, quickly put China on the defensive.
“I’m heading out now,” I replied. As if responding to a disaster reporting assignment, I hastily threw my notebook, phone and wallet into my bag and ran out to catch the taxi I’d booked online a few minutes before.
There was less traffic than I anticipated. Before my taxi driver could finish his rant about how China must act tougher in the South China Sea, we’d arrived at the road leading to the Philippines Embassy in Beijing. What I saw was a familiar scene: the police had already cordoned off the area, in anticipation of potential protests.
All quiet near the Philippine embassy the evening of the announcement of an international tribunal's ruling disputing China's claims over the South China Sea. “. . . this time people were flooding China’s social media.” Photo by the author.
But no sign of a rally. Pedestrians, cars, electric scooters passed by without appearing to notice the presence of the police, who numbered about a dozen. The only other journalist there was the China correspondent for NOS, the Dutch national broadcaster, whom I’ve worked with in the past.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Not a single protester ever showed up, maybe because people were either just leaving work or arriving home for dinner. After notifying my colleagues that no protests were taking place, I flagged down a taxi. On my way home, I tweeted: “Police have cordoned off the Philippines embassy in Beijing in anticipation of protests. No sign of protests yet.”
As I scrolled through my WeChat moments in the taxi, I was inundated by a cascade of online commentary, some of it with ultra-nationalistic overtones. Unlike the 2012 anti-Japanese protests that erupted in a number of Chinese cities in reaction to the Diaoyu Islands dispute, and had at times turned violent, this time people were flooding China’s social media, their protests loud and explicit.
The online comments were overwhelmingly dismissive of the court ruling. They ranged from vocal support for the Chinese government, which has labeled the arbitration a farce, to calls for a tougher stance from the government and mockery of the Philippines.
“The South China Sea belongs to China!” many declared. A tongue-in-cheek comment widely shared on social media: “I’m willing to donate all my ex-boyfriends to fight in the South China Sea if a war were to break out.”
Some people’s animosity towards the Philippines took the form of racial slurs. A cartoon circulating online depicts China as the “papa” and the Philippines a “banana” nation. The cartoon shows the “papa” slapping a smaller sobbing banana-eating man, with the caption:” You’re just a guy selling bananas, how dare you fight with me over the South China Sea!”
Some Chinese have called for a boycott of imports from the Philippines. Official data shows bilateral trade between China and the Philippines amounted to 45 billion USD last year, a 2.7 percent increase over the previous year.
Surrounded by China to the north, and a number of South East Asian countries, the South China Sea covers an area of around 4 million square meters. An estimated 4 trillion USD worth of goods passes through its waterways annually. The area is also rich in oil and gas deposits.
Beijing has been building artificial islands and airstrips in contested areas, claiming it has the right to do so because it’s Chinese territory. China says its sovereign right to the sea derives from ancient maps. Other nations, including the Philippines, accuse Beijing of using its economic and military clout to seek dominance in the region.
Map showing territorial claims in the South China Sea. Public Domain.
Meanwhile, nationalism in China has grown under President Xi Jinping, as he routinely promotes his “Chinese dream”, which envisions a stronger China both economically and diplomatically. Ask ten Chinese, and nine will tell you unequivocally that the South China Sea belongs to China.
By July 14, the hashtag ##China can’t lose even one dot## was the top trending topic on Sina Weibo, generating six million comments that were viewed by 390 million users. The “dot” reference is related to the nine-dash line China uses to demarcate its claim to most of the South China Sea.
A few hours before the July 12 ruling, a Singapore-educated Chinese friend, a critic of his own government, had sent me a message on WeChat: “Is there going to be a war in the South China Sea? Why I find myself hating the US more and more? ”, referring to American intervention in the South China Sea dispute. “Enough with these clown countries,” he added. “If necessary, China should beat them, we need to be tougher.”
The US, which has navy bases in the Asia-Pacific region and is an ally of the Philippines, doesn’t officially take sides, though it has vital interests in the region as it pursues its “Asia pivot” foreign policy.
Prior to the ruling, US destroyers had been patrolling the contested waters as part of what one US official described as the US Navy’s “routine presence” in the region.
To many Chinese, naturally, the US presence in the region is not welcomed. Earlier this year, I approached a homebuyer through a real estate agent in Beijing for an interview for a housing story. After the buyer learnt I worked with a US newspaper he refused to talk. “Americans are the biggest troublemaker in the South China Sea!!” he shouted in anger.
Back in the street near the Philippines Embassy in Beijing, I noticed a middle-aged woman stop to chat with policeman. In a low voice, she asked him: “Does the US have a role in this too?”
Noticing me standing close by, the policeman turned to me. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I’m with the press,” I replied.
“Please leave,” he said. “There’s nothing much to see here.”
Owen Guo works for a US newspaper in Beijing.

author: Owen Guo


text:
Indian YouTube Channel Conquers the Hearts And Minds of Millions Across the World · Global Voices
Rezwan

Screenshot from Children's Youtube Channel Chu Chu TV
Have you ever noticed what your toddler is watching online, when you hand them a screen in order to enjoy a little respite from the demands of parenting? If your child is like most, their eyes are likely glued to recycled popular rhymes pouring from the mouths of cartoon characters singing catchy tunes. Have you ever wondered why your kids happily spend so much of their childhoods watching these videos?
Recently, India's third-largest YouTube channel, Chu Chu TV, with nearly 5 million subscribers, drew attention on social media with the release of a new report analysing what makes the channel so popular. Launched in 2013 by an Indian entrepreneur named Vinod Chander, Chu Chu TV is now the most-watched YouTube channel in Asia Pacific and the second-most watched children's “edutainment” channel in the world. The channel has also amassed more than 5 billion views with just 115 videos in approximately three years.
My daughter is probably responsible for a major chunk of number of views. Chu chu TV rhyme zone! #GokhaiGayu https://t.co/oJpBdJI20I
— Kuhn-Al (@meaninist) July 13, 2016
Tell me about it!! My night time ritual with little muchkin is CHU CHU TV without fail https://t.co/SEcllurZZ3
— anubha sinha (@anubha_sinha13) July 13, 2016
No wonder. I see every toddler watching #ChuChuTv on the phone. Great idea. https://t.co/XljNR2IGfK
— Sakshi Joshi (@sakshijoshi85) July 13, 2016
Why so busy baby? 😍 #chuchutv pic.twitter.com/zL5N7XjoVB
— aadctheparadox (@AnglcAmrDlCrz) June 7, 2016
Toddlers love repetition and soon begin to interact with a story they have experienced several times. Chu Chu TV mainly deals with popular nursery rhymes and they introduce kids to early phonetic skills with colours, music, and beats. The videos help develop children's speaking and hearing skills and improve vocabulary and accent with repetitive syllables and tone. The rhymes also enhance kids’ imaginations by narrating stories that children can picture in their minds.
The videos also avoid the negativity many rhymes posses. In ChuChu TV’s version of the Humpty Dumpty video, for example, Humpty gets back up from the fall, learns a lesson from his mistake, and moves forward with confidence.
Camille Peters, who lives on the island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, writes on Facebook:
The smile I get from my daughter when I put on Chu Chu TV for her, am tired of the show but am happy she likes it because she really learn alot from it.😃😃😃😃she's even repeating some words from it,so thumbs up to that!!! #carissaquietmode #herloveforlearning #herfavouriteshow #myhappychild #cantbtiredwhenshelearning
British blogger Karen at Missing Sleep writes how Chu Chu TV helped her son grow:
I do feel we would have benefited from ChuChu TV though with youngest especially as he was more of a reluctant learner unless something seemed very fun and captivating for him. He tends to switch off otherwise, so I really want to introduce as many parents to ChuChu TV as possible who might have challenging pre-schoolers like I did and are in need of a little learning inspiration to pass the time.
The channel also encourages good behaviour, such as the importance of sharing and telling the truth. A blogger at Champa Tree, for instance, writes how her son was inspired by a video on Chu Chu TV:
One day I watched him listening to a very interesting rhyme on the channel. It was about brushing your teeth. And, you won’t believe what followed soon-after. He went straight to the bathroom and picked up his little, blue toothbrush and started rubbing it against his gums.
However, the repetitive rhymes can be annoying for other people at home.
Why yes son I want to watch the same thing again for the millionth time…#momneedsabreak #chuchutv #saveme
— MamaShelby (@scossey1990) June 6, 2016
@sanchayan @hankypanty I can hear CHU CHU TV SURPRISE!! even in my nightmares.
— Rituparna Chatterjee (@MasalaBai) July 13, 2016
In an interview with TubeFilter, Vinod Chandar mentioned that Chu Chu is the nickname of his daughter, Harshita. He said the channel's success lies in its focus on “quality”:
We concentrate on quality rather than quantity. We work hard on each and every aspect while creating a video which includes concept creation, lyrics, music, graphics, animation and then the final edit. We just don’t compromise and the results are showing.
How much screen time children should have on a daily basis is hotly debated. The average American child, for example, watches more than four hours of TV a day—twice the limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Watching television at excessive rates deprives children of much-needed physical exercise. However, if you allow restricted screen time with quality content, experts have found that kids can develop some good skills. Moreover, as any parent guiltily knows, screen time (watching television, and using tablets and mobile phones) is probably the cheapest and most reliable form of babysitting available to most moms and dads.

author: Rezwan


text:
Painkiller Jokes, ‘Who Cares?’ and Other Chinese Reactions to the South China Sea Ruling · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Left: “China – not a single dash less.” Image distributed by China Daily in response to the South China Rule. Right: “China – not a single pill less” by Badiucao.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague recently dealt a diplomatic blow to China when it rejected its use of a “nine-dash line” to claim sovereignty over large parts of the South China Sea.
As anticipated, China's state-controlled media outlets immediately spoke out against the tribunal's judgment, saying Beijing would neither acknowledge nor accept the ruling. And on Chinese social media, patriotic netizens posted a nine-dash map to echo the government stance with the caption: “Not a single dash less.”
While others simply asked: South China arbitration, who cares? The video below was one of several that circulated among overseas mainland Chinese:
The Philippines filed the case in the international tribunal in January 2013. In dispute were China's claim to exclusive maritime rights over the Paracel Islands (claimed by Vietnam, China and Taiwan); the Sarborough Shoal (claimed by China, Taiwan and the Philippines); and the Spratly Islands (claimed by China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei). China justifies its actions with the so-called nine-dash line, which extends its jurisdiction to within 50 nautical miles off the coasts of the Philippine islands of Luzon and Palawan, an area that the Philippines has exclusive maritime rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) .
The tribunal ruled that the disputed land are either rocks or low-tide elevations such as reefs that cannot sustain human life; as they do not qualify as islands, they don't give their owner extensive rights over the surrounding waters.
It also said China's interference with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration, as well as its construction of artificial islands within 200 nautical miles off the coasts of the Philippine mainland islands, have violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights.
The judgment was viewed as a huge diplomatic setback for Beijing. The implication is that other countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, which all have a stake in the South China Sea, now have a legal basis to complain about China's economic and military activities in the disputed sea.
The history of Beijing's maritime sovereignty claims go back 70 years to before the Chinese Civil War and the creation of today's People's Republic of China. In 1947, the Republic of China (ROC) used an eleven-dash line to justify its claim to some of the islands in the South Sea, which had been occupied by Japan during the Second World War and handed over to the ROC after fighting stopped.
Two years later, the communists defeated the nationalist Kuomintang forces, and founded the People's Republic of China. They stuck by their predecessor's claims and later changed the eleven-dash into nine dashes in the early 1950s to bypass the Gulf of Tonkin as a gift to their North Vietnam communist neighbor.
Online, there weren't many comments calling for extreme nationalistic protests or military actions. In fact, most posts were attempts in some way to salvage China's reputation amidst its diplomatic disaster:
谈判是和平解决争端的态度，只有美国、日本这些犯贱的小人才巴不得打起来，因此，咱们爱国是没错的。有的同胞一味地说要武力征服，是不够冷静的。今年，南方洪水、又碰到大台风，这南海局势，美国跟韩国又勾结坑害中国。大家更要冷静！中国一点都不能少！
The Philippine people were demonstrating outside China's embassy, but the Philippine embassy in China was under protection from Chinese police. This is the difference between a strong state and small state. China does not owe the world anything, but this world has never been gentle [to China].
Negotiation is a peaceful means to resolve conflict. Only the hideous US and Japan want to see war. Hence, it is right for us to be patriotic. But some fellows who keep calling for military conquest are not calm enough. This year, we have flooding and Typhoon in the South, the U.S put up a trap for China. We have to stay calm. China shall not lose a single dash!
The attempt to save face is more conspicuous in a number of videos called, South China Arbitration, Who Cares?, which is circulated among overseas mainland Chinese’ social circle like the one on top.
Among Chinese communities outside of mainland China, much of the commentary pointed the finger at Chinese President Xi Jinping's lack of diplomatic skill. On Twitter, @tom2009cn said:
南海局势本来不用搞到这个尴尬的地步，本来在几个岛礁的设施已令美国非常愤怒，而习近平一定要亮剑，把整个国家推向战争的边沿。结果南海仲裁使得中国在南海所有权益都被打上非法的印记，这是赔了夫人又折兵。这是习近平的“古巴导弹危机”，全世界都在看中国如何动作，这是跳入别人挖好的陷阱，愚蠢！
— 王冰 (@tom2009cn) July 13, 2016
[China should not] face such embarrassment concerning the South China Sea. The facilities on the few islands have already agitated the US, but Xi Jinping insisted on waving his sword and bringing the country to the verge of war. Now the arbitration has put an illegal stamp on China's exercise of its rights in the South China Sea. This is a serious defeat. It is another version of the Cuba missile crisis. The whole world is watching China fall into the trap. So stupid.
In February 2012, China's diplomatic stance regarding the South China Sea was that “no country including China has claimed sovereignty over the entire South China Sea.” Yet as clashes over fishing vessels escalated, China, Vietnam and the Philippines all stated that they held the rights to the disputed sea.
In April 2014, China started building Mischief Reef, which is located in the Spratly Islands, into an artificial island, and in August of that years, a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a US Navy surveillance aircraft.
In February 2016, satellite images showed China was manufacturing land on Tree Island and North Island in the Paracels, and again Chinese jets intercepted a US surveillance aircraft in May.
China's economic and military activities have already disrupted the unity among Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries. Now that Beijing has lost its legal ground, the whole world is watching how it will react to the crisis. Simply saving face cannot ease the pain; political cartoonist Badiucao suggests taking painkillers instead — nine, to be exact, and “not a single pill less”:
#badiucao cartoon for #SCS #Hague #SouthChinaSea Time for some painkiller pic.twitter.com/Hyh3k6ALNn
— 巴丢草 Badiucao (@badiucao) July 12, 2016

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Women Struggle Against Violence in Kyrgyz Society, But How Many Men Will Help Them? · Global Voices
Sagipa Chorobekova

A Kyrgyz girl near the ancient heritage site Tash-Rabat. Wikipedia image.
Meet Daniar Aitman, Kyrgyzstan's unlikely — read ‘male’ — hub for stories posted under the “I am not afraid to speak” (#яНеБоюсьСказать) hashtag, an anti-gender discrimination and anti-sexual violence campaign that began in Ukraine and has filtered into other parts of the former Soviet Union.
Or maybe it should not be a surprise that Aitman, who describes himself as a feminist, has spearheaded the Kyrgyz arm of this campaign, after collecting for over a year stories from female victims of harassment and discrimination on his Facebook page.
With harassment of women pervasive in the Central Asian country and many male public figures openly discriminatory towards the opposite sex, speaking out comes at a greater cost for women than for men, a fact Aitman himself readily acknowledges.
In an interview with Open Asia Online Aitman explained the reason for his feminist activism that has seen some male Facebook users accuse him of working as an undercover agent of the West employed to destroy Kyrgyzstan's traditional values:
Это звучит ужасно, но я рад, что родился мужчиной. Женщина в Кыргызстане стоит дешевле скотa. За кобылу обычную нужно заплатить не меньше тысячи долларов. Кобылу sapiens можно запросто средь бела дня приволочь с улицы и запрячь ее пожизненно (или пока не надоест) в своем хозяйстве, задобрив сватов коробкой тошнотворных конфет, парой дрянных китайских рубашек и ящиком паленой водки… Ежегодно в Кыргызстане похищают тысячи женщин. По оценкам исследователей до трети молодых кыргызских матерей были украдены. Кого могут воспитать изнасилованные женщины, преданные своими семьями и обществом? Только следующее поколение дикарей, рабов и жертв.”
It sounds awful, but I’m glad that I was born a man. A woman in Kyrgyzstan is valued less than cattle is valued. You pay at least one thousand dollars for a mare. A mare sapiens [referring to a woman] can be dragged off the street in broad daylight and harnessed for life (or for as long as she is useful) […] Annually, thousands of women are bride-kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan. According to the estimates of researchers, every third young mother in Kyrgyzstan was bride-kidnapped. Who can these women, raped, betrayed by their own families and their own society, possibly raise as children? Only the next generation of savages, slaves and victims.
Located in the heart of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has a population of six million people, with women making up over half of the population and many working-age men finding jobs abroad.
On the surface, women have come a long way during a 25-year independence fraught with political upheaval.
In the wake of the shame of boasting one of the world's few all-male parliaments in 2005, a gender quota mandating that at least one-fifth of seats in the legislature be taken up by women was put in place.
And in 2010, after the country's second revolution, Kyrgyzstan became the first country in Central Asia to have a female president in the form of multi-lingual diplomat Roza Otunbayeva.
But from unequal pay through bride-kidnapping and pervasive domestic violence, there are a number of gender-related challenges in the country that are rarely discussed, never mind addressed.
Aitman's Facebook posts — subject to hundreds and sometimes thousands of shares, have gone some way to filling that void.
Typically, before the “I am not afraid to speak” campaign that Ukrainian activist Anastasiya Melynchenko is credited with beginning earlier this month, the posts were mostly testimonies of women who had got in touch with Aitman privately and requested anonymity.
Now, in the spirit of Melynchenko's campaign, many of the posts are non-anonymous testimonies.
Elina Turalyeva's testimony: They hunt you, whether you are dressed in a mini skirt or a maxi skirt, just because you are a member of the weaker sex in a deserted place, where there are no witnesses.
In sixth grade, a classmate and I were returning home from school. Behind us there was a suspicious man, who began to call out: “Young girl, can we get to know each other?”
Listen, we were 12-years-old, how can we “get to know” a man of around 30? We started to run through the area where we lived.
I took hold of my friend's hand and went into a local store. We closed the door behind us and looked through the window. The man was standing and waiting nearby.
You cannot imagine how much fear you are feeling when you are afraid to continue up a road and you are only 120 meters from your house.
I waited for him to leave, but he did not go away. The saleswoman at the store started yelling at us.
I told her [why we closed the door] but she did not care. After about 10 minutes we decided to leave and run home, but he continued to follow us. My friend and I parted company and we ran toward our homes.
When I finally got home, I locked the door and looked through the peephole to make sure this bastard was no longer lurking. I called my friend to make sure she was all right.
After that the walk home from school was full of terror, knowing that even the presence of a mosque in your neighborhood would not shame these hungry bastards.
Aitman's activism — both in writing his own thoughts on patriarchy in Kyrgyzstan and by amplifying the stories of women that have faced abuse — has reaped both praise and criticism in abundance.
One post that he wrote on his blog collected angry responses of male Kyrgyz commenters from his wall or from the comments section under articles written by him:
Эй, блогер.. что ты будешь делать с девками, продающими себя на улицах и в саунах, как ты их с улицы уберешь, если сам под каблуком ходишь? Эй, кыргызские джигиты, если надо, берите по две, по две берите! Пусть лучше в хозяйстве будут работать, чем на улице себя продавать!
Hey blogger… what will you do about the girls that sell themselves in the saunas and on the streets? How will you take them off the streets when you yourself are living under their heel? Kyrgyz men, if you need to, take two [women]! Better that they work as housewives than sell themselves on the street!
It makes no sense to narrow all Kyrgyz men, all Kyrgyz women into any particular category.
Many Kyrgyz families — including in rural areas where the bride-kidnapping phenomenon is most widespread — are paragons of love and respect.
But the prevalence of patriarchy makes it especially important that men as well as women join the call to end systematic sexism and sexual violence in all walks of life.
Writing under one of Aitman's posts one reader wrote:
“….В нашей стране много традиций и обычаев, которые граничат с идиотизмом, но остались еще интеллигенты, которые знают ценность женщины и любви, и я надеюсь Ваша пропаганда ценностей и уважения даст плоды и повлияет на нашу мужскую молодежь и вложит понятия любви к женщинам….”
In our country there are many traditions that border on idiocy but there are still intelligent people, who know value of women and love, and I hope that your propagation of these values and respect [towards women] will help influence our male youth and instil this understanding of love towards women.
But in a column for StylishKG magazine reposted on his Facebook wall, Kyrgyz diplomat and academic Jomart Ormonbekov reflected on how the “I am not afraid to speak” (#яНеБоюсьСказать) campaign had not resulted in many other examples of male feminist activism of the type embodied by Aitman:
Как обычно у нас это бывает еще одна нужная инициатива скатилась до чисто биологического противоборства между полами. Пока #ЯНеБоюсьСказать набирает обороты, в сети женские голоса возмущены молчанием мужских. Возмущение понять можно. О таких вещах говорить вслух в нашем двуличном обществе, как минимум, неприлично, а сказать громко и о себе требует мужества, долгих терзаний и, возможно, поздних сожалений. Поэтому от мужчин ждут, даже и не действий, а хотя бы слов сочувствия и сожаления, но в ответ лишь тишина, или жалкие попытки пошутить.
Мужское молчание не связано с тем, что нам все равно. Мы жадно читаем каждый пост, каждую историю. И нам стыдно. Стыдно, что не смогли предотвратить. Стыдно, что бессильны. Стыдно, что причинили боль. Мы читаем каждое слово, и мы узнаем себя, или брата, или друга. И нам еще больше стыдно, потому что мы боимся сказать.
As usual, another much-needed initiative has led to a purely biological standoff between the sexes. While #ЯНеБоюсьСказать gains prominence, women voices online are indignant at the silence of their male counterparts. That indignation is understandable.
In our bifurcated society it is considered indecent to speak out. To speak aloud and of your own experience requires courage, entails agony and might even cause you to regret later on. For that reason, men should share in solidarity [with women speaking out] words of sympathy and regret, but so far there has only been silence and feeble attempts at humour.
This male silence is not connected to the fact we do not care. We greedily read every post, every story [of the campaign]. And we are ashamed. Ashamed we could not prevent [the violence]. Ashamed of our powerlessness. Ashamed we caused harm. We read every word and we find ourselves, or a brother, or a friend. And we are even further ashamed, because we are afraid to speak.

author: Sagipa Chorobekova