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Dima Al Khatib Remembers Hugo Chavez  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Some liked him, others hated him, but the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez held a special place in the heart of Arab journalist Dima Al Khatib. As Al Jazeera's Latin America bureau chief, the Syrian-born Palestinian journalist developed a close relationship with Chavez during her 10-year stay in Caracas. Al Khatib, who is now teaching in Dubai, reveals more about this bond in a series of tweets following his death on Tuesday [March 5, 2013].
In addition to her tweets, Khatib went back to the studio to give a series of interviews on Chavez.
On Twitter, she explains [ar]:
تعرفت على الراحل أوغو تشافس في سبتمبر أيلول ٢٠٠٢ في كاراكاس، أي قبل أكثر من ١٠ سنوات. أجريت معه ٥ لقاءات خاصة ورافقته في ترحاله حول العالم
@Dima_Khatib: I got to know Hugo Chavez in September 2002 in Caracas, more than 10 years ago. I conducted five exclusive interviews with him and traveled with him around the world
She adds:
#ذكريات_تشافس كنتُ الصحفية الأجنبية الوحيدة، وأحياناً حتى الصحفية الوحيدة على الإطلاق التي كانت ترافق تشافس في ترحاله داخل فنزويلا وخارجها
@Dima_Khatib: I was the only foreign journalist, and sometimes and only journalist at all, who has accompanied Chavez on his travels in Venezuela and abroad
And says:
#ذكريات_تشافس كلما رآني كان يقول : السلام عليكم ، بالعربية
@Dima_Khatib: Every time he met me, he would say Al Salam Alaykom (Greeting: Peace be on you) in Arabic
Many recalled Khatib's closeness to Chavez. Tunisian journalist tounsiahorra tweets:
تذكرت لقاءكما انت وشافيز في مقر الجزيرة…. ذلك الود والبساطة التي جمعتكما. الصحافية والزعيم جنبا الى جنب دون بروتوكولات
@tounsiahorra: I remembered your meeting with Chavez at Al Jazeera's headquarters [in Doha, Qatar]. Friendship and simplicity joined you. The journalist and the leader, side by side, without any protocols
Khatib shares many tidbits of information about Chavez on her Twitter account, which has become popular during the Arab uprisings. She asks:
@Dima_Khatib: Who would have thought that Fidel Castro would stay.. and Hugo Chavez would go ?
Dima Al Khatib speaks to Al Jazeera about Chavez following his death on Tuesday. Photograph from Khatib's Instagram
In response to a question on whether people in Venezuela like him, Khatib responds:
@Dima_Khatib: Many do. Others don't. But yes he is a popular guy. You either love him or hate him. Very polarising
In another tweet, she wonders whether Arabs too are polarised in their opinion. She reasons:
نعم أعرف .. نحن العرب محتارون .. نحزن أم لا نحزن على رحيل تشافس؟.. هو دعم فلسطين كما فعل قليلون في عصرنا، ثم لم يدعم الثورات العربية
@Dima_Khatib: Yes, I know. We Arabs are confused. Shall we feel sad or not on Chavez's departure? He has supported the Palestinian cause like very few in this era. And then again, he did not support the Arab uprisings.
On her memories with Chavez, Khatib is debating writing a book.
قد أكتب يوماً ما عن تجاربي مع تشافس .. والأحاديث التي دارت بيني وبينه عن قضايا كثيرة .. على مدى عشر سنوات .. وقد لا أكتب .. لا أعرف صراحة
@Dima_Khatib: I might one day write about my experiences with Chavez and the conversations we had over many issues.. over 10 years .. and I might not. I honestly don't know.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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French Magazine’s 50 People Shaping Japan · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Interest for Japan is at its peak among readers in France [fr] despite the Asian nation's gloomy economic outlook. Therefore, French Magazine ZoomJapan [fr] has featured 50 Japanese people that are transforming the archipelago; from architect Kyohei Sakaguchi―who established what he calls “independent government”―, to dancers, activists, business entrepreneurs, and journalists. The compilation is available online in French, Japanese and in English.
Written in collaboration with Rakotomalala

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Global Voices is Awesomely Gender-Balanced · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

The Guardian Data Blog shares research by J. Nathan Matias, Irene Ros and Adam Hyland for their Open Gender Tracker that shows Global Voices women have written half of all stories, almost no matter how you slice the data.

author: Solana Larsen


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Green Patrol Cleans Up Slovakia · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

The area near the main train station in Bratislava doesn't look too neat [sk]. Nor do other neighborhoods. Some people refuse to accept it passively, however. Next month, the Green Patrol (Zelená hliadka; sk) initiative, led by Matúš Čupka, will celebrate its second anniversary. Through targeted cleaning actions, Green Patrol aims at highlighting the problem of garbage in public areas and motivating citizens to pay more attention to the environment in which they live (see photos). Bratislava's Green Patrol community has already inspired people in other parts of Slovakia (e.g., here and here; sk).

author: Tibor Blazko


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Haitian Artist’s “Soliloquy of Chaos” · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Haitian-American painter Sophia Domeville is starting to make waves in the art world. Last year the abstract impressionist (who earned a B.F.A. from the College of New Rochelle) held her first solo exhibition, “Soliloquy of Chaos.” Right now Domeville is one of thirty artists selected to exhibit along side Janet Taylor Pickett for Art in the Atrium's “Generation Next”. (The exhibit closes on March 8th.) In addition to her painting, Domeville is also busy with non-profit work, specifically a mentorship program. She spoke to Global Voices about her artistic career, her community work, and her future plans.
Global Voices: What inspired you to become an artist in the first place?
Sophia Domeville: I started painting when I was 5 years old. First it started with my obsession of drawing on ALL of the walls within my home. In kindergarten, I was introduced to water colors and remember creating my first art work. I specifically remembered mixing colors just to get the right shade of green for the leaves on my tree, adding orange to the yellow of the sun and a dash of white to the sky.
I didn’t realize it was something I loved until my freshman year in high school. While all of the other students were drawing geometric, I was experimenting with contrasting shades [and] adding depth to my shapes. I personally didn’t think anything of it but my art teacher noticed. She suggested I switch my major from English to Art. Funny thing, at first writing was my passion; I created short stories since elementary school but would bind my own handmade books with ribbon and draw an elaborate illustration as the book cover. I took Advanced Art for the next 3 years in high school.
This truly became my passion when I entered my first year within The College of New Rochelle, School of Arts & Science. Being away from my dad, having the room to just be myself without any restrictions, being advised by one of the best art departments I know and just creat[ing] into wee hours of the morning, helped carve out my craft immensely. I actually still remember drawing on 6ft by 6ft parchment within the halls of [the] dorm, feverishly creating the images that were in my head. The title of my piece was, “Black Skin, White Mask”…at 18 I was discussing racism, sexism and the masks we as a people wore on a daily basis just to survive within this world.
SD:  My influences have always been my Haitian Culture, music, my family and how I view the world as a young woman.
“Re-Connection”
In what way(s) has your artistic vision evolved?
SD:  I have been drawing, painting and creating from the time I learned how to read and write. My vision evolved from understanding [how] the world around us affects our point of view as human beings, researching the topics of Nature in connection with the human body, breaking down the image on the societal views of Black Women, discovering Love for the first time, to using my Art as a tool that can help cultivate the world around me.
SD: My Soliloquy of Chaos was my first exhibition after 8 years of not creating.
Soliloquy discussed my experience at age 28 when I finally decided to pursue my passion back into the Arts, discovering myself, falling in love for the first time, losing my home, the fear of not having financial stability and understanding my purpose as an Artist.
SD:  Generation Next is a huge annual event held by Art in the Atrium a nonprofit volunteer’s arts organization that exhibits African American fine art throughout Northern New Jersey.  This year I was selected to be one of thirty artists exhibiting alongside featured artist, Janet Taylor Pickett for Art in the Atrium, Inc.’s 21st anniversary exhibit.
“Repercussion”
“All Matter”
SD:  My work habits and techniques are quite unusual. I paint when I am inspired, emotional, in love, curious or angry. There is no set formula or structure to my art because it really is quite organic and never forced. I prefer painting between the hours of midnight to 4:00 AM ever since I was in college and that nocturnal habit [is] with me years later.
SD: I am now slowly becoming connected to the Artists within the Caribbean community as I connect more to my Haitian Culture and traveling outside of the Tri-State Area.  I learned [that] the Caribbean [has] a lot of influence within my work through the usage of colors, shapes and techniques.
?
SD: Halls That Inspire (HTI) [is] a nonprofit organization that uses art as a means to encourage and uplift youth. Using a ‘hands-on’ approach, this four-week intensive program teaches youth leadership development, along with the art techniques needed to beautify the halls of their schools and other facilities. By using positive messages that reflect academic excellence, self-pride, and anti-bullying as a focal point, youth are better able to resonate with who they are, and how they are connected to their communities and schools.
I am the current Vice President and will step down to transition as their new Executive Director this summer, overseeing all art projects, working with numerous schools throughout the country and implementing our new programs.
My passion [for] giving back to the community granted me an opportunity to become [a] mentor/teaching artist and one of the founding members of herDIVASpot, a non-profit entity that promotes the value and self-development of school aged young ladies.
To continue my connection with Haiti, I also oversee an Art program through Art Day Celebration, a program which cultivates and empowers impoverished and underprivileged children through the arts in Haiti, where last summer I had the opportunity to teach 150 children from three different orphanages about the power of art.
GV: How has new media impacted your career as an artist as well as
your non-profit work?
SD: New media has a HUGE impact within my career as an artist and non profit work. The age of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and more can be quite overwhelming as an upcoming Artist who is doing pretty much the majority of the work alone. So it calls for alot of assistance from friends, scheduling and [most] importantly, self reflection. I try not to get too sucked into the world of social media but it has helped greatly with pushing my work to a much broader audience.
SD: Kara Walker has always made a HUGE impression on my work since I discovered her at age 18. I am fascinated by her usage of silhouettes, drawings, playing on shadows and bringing the taboo topics on slavery to the forefront. She has also remained relevant and fresh for a number of years while showcasing her work in major museums. I hope to one day do the same and possibly meet her in understanding her view as a Female Artist.
“Intuition”
SD: My plans? To somehow create an opportunity to live and teach in South Africa or Ghana for 6 months to a year. I will continue [to] push myself as an artist, travel outside of the country to showcase my work, take on photography, printmaking, experiment on raw materials such as leather, cloth, rope and more. I am looking to deconstruct my usage of canvas and push the envelope on the idea of female identity with my new exhibition titled, ‘The Diary of a So-Called Woman’.
In the end, I will continue my work as a philanthropist, work with various schools both domestic and international, by introducing the importance of Art back into the schools and changing every community I encounter.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Jamaica, Barbados: Class & Justice · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

When I said let’s focus on substance rather than style or appearance it hadn’t yet occurred to me that in this case style IS the substance or a substantial part of what’s at stake.
Active Voice blogs about a landmark case involving a Jamaican who was subjected to a cavity search on arrival in Barbados – and how the issue of class is playing a role in the hearing.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Japan: Where Does My Money Go?  · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

A group of coders and concerned citizens have launched a Where Does My Money Go? [ja] website to explore tax spending in the city of Yokohama. With cooperation from the city, volunteers participated in a hackathon to brainstorm how to creatively showcase the city's tax spending. On the heels of Yokohama's website, Where Does My Money Go? websites were created for Chiba City, Kita-Nagoya City, Sendai City, and Fukuoka City available [all links ja] to explore online. Building websites such as these are not easy – there is no standard format for data that local governments provide, and sometimes sets are provided in PDF.


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Omar Banuchi Finds His Niche in the Puerto Rican Web (Part II) · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

*This is the second entry in a series about digital art by Puerto Rico's Omar Banuchi. Here you find the first in the series.
From the start comics presented the perfect partner for a childhood spent indoors. A quiet, introverted boy that didn't leave the family apartment much could easily connect with the stories of superheros capable of supporting the weight of the world on their shoulders and achieving great super-human deeds.
“Mine was a world of comics”, was one of the first things he said to me when I met him.  “Since I was 9 years old I have been collecting them. I remember the death of Superman completely consumed me, it was a huge, high-profile event of that era and it made a huge impression on me”.
visual
In many ways it is in this world where he still immerses himself, although with time his affinity to superheroes has become increasingly idiosyncratic. As he continued playing and experimenting with his tablet, his technique became increasingly refined. His first steps were on the internet, where he assumed the role of photographer in his social circle without even realizing it.
The exhibition “Kriptonita” mixed the ‘everyday’ with Banuchi's obsession with superheroes.
“I started to do this in a moment when I had lots of spare time. I was obsessed with playing with my new little toy tablet”, he told me. Banuchi, in the same way as the superheroes that he follows, lives a double life: in the afternoons he deals with the telephone at a call centre, and at night he draws. “Basically my modus operandi was to see the profile picture of a buddy or a girl that I liked on Facebook and then draw him/her and post the pictures on my wall. Little by little the message spread and people started to pay me to draw their friends or pets in order to put it as their profile picture”.
These unexpected commissions gave him the confidence needed to launch his first exhibition. “Kriptonita” [es] was presented in 2010 in La Respuesta, a Santurce club that has been converted into an essential space for independent art and music in San Juan. The title couldn't be clearer: those illustrations printed on glossy paper took the shape of protagonists from comics such as Batman or the Justice League as a central theme. The superheroes of the pieces however, didn't match the all-powerful images of them as seen in the commercial series.
“On the walls of the main room there were a few pieces that captivated my attention immediately”, Beto Torrens told me. “They were the classic photos of people hanging out at a party- everyone has taken or appeared in a similar photo at some point-, but all of the characters were superheroes. These figures in such an everyday environment provoked, for me, a lot of curiosity”.
For Banuchi the exhibition evolved naturally. “May is the month of geekdom: superhero films start showing in the cinema, we have the Comic Con (Comic Convention) here in Puerto Rico, and I wanted to make a superhero exhibition during this month too”, Banuchi commented.  “Basically I started to look for photos of some of my friends and then I painted superhero costumes on top of them”.
The showing earned him new fans, some of them with a profile bigger than the average. “I bought two pieces from him”, Torrens recalled, who then approached him requesting that Banuchi join his gallery. “Benicio del Toro bought 5 pieces”, he added.
“Kriptonita” has become a recurring event, and it is no longer just a show for Banuchi. A year ago he did it again [es], selecting work from other artists. And this year, in order to return to commemorating the month of May geekdom he is going to do it again, but this time it will be the last edition.
“I want it to be a trilogy and that's it”, said the budding curator, “as if it were the special edition of a comic”.
by “Day”
Outside of the superfriends drawings, Banuchi still wanted to make comics. That is how his most intimate project came to light. However, the autobiographical series “Días” [Days], would never have existed if it hadn't been for a fundamental connection.
“'Días’ started after meeting Rosaura on the internet, nearly two years ago”, he told me of Rosaura Rodríguez, who didn't delay in becoming his closest collaborator. They both remember the way in which they met, like the type of plot that could be found in an independent Rom-Com.
“She added me on Facebook and asked me to draw her a cat”, he told me, “and then she made a drawing for me, so we became friends just like this. Until we discovered we lived next door to one another”.
Rodríguez, in her defence, has a slightly different memory, as usually happens. “He had been annoying me on Facebook. Little by little we started becoming friends, and seeing as we're neighbours we ended up making a comic between the two of us”.
Each edition of “Días” might look like a comic about nothing in particular. But there is a constant narrative that the two artists are developing. Far from the unexpected turn of events seen in Spiderman and Superman, the gaze is turned towards the artists themselves. Each panel of the comic is a mirror of their life in which they document their friendship as well as depicting their generation, and in passing they added a Puerto Rican entry from the confessional graphic novel tradition such as “Ghost World” by Daniel Clowes or “True Story, Swear to God” by Tom Belland.
For Rodríguez the project “had to be a comic. It's the only way to bring together introspection in a straight up matter. That has led us to becoming good friends. We are an artistic team and so we labour against the time limitations and deadlines that we put on ourselves. We have to produce something every month together and this has been pretty intense”.
Looking back at the comic's first volume, recently completed after a year and a half, can bring a voyeuristic pleasure, just like rummaging in the drawers of someone you barely know but yet whose personality is extremely familiar. In one edition to the next there are storylines that are repeated: ideas about the world that are evidently obsessed over by a boy and girl in their twenty-somethings navigating the romantic, creative and professional hurly burly that comes with this decade.
“There are topics that you are going to see across the whole series: work, relationships, pets”, Rodríguez commented. “We have developed a certain style and already we have people that follow us”.
“Días” has also moved closer to the current Puerto Rican comic, where the diversity of stories and styles is uniting many different artists under one community.
“It's true that this current generation is really relaxed, there isn't much rivalry”, Banuchi observed. “We're all mates. Other people are making their comics, like Pernicious Press and SodaPop Comics, who get in touch with us when they are doing some activity. Slowly we're creating a scene”.
*Images are published with the artist's permission.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Palestine/Syria: A Tale of Two Women  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Palestinian blogger Budoor Hassan shares the story of two women in this blog post – Nariman Tamimi in Nabi Saleh, a tiny village north west of Ramallah in the West Bank and Maha Ghrer in Bustan Al-Qasr, a neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria.


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PHOTO: No Chavez in Greek Politics · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

“This is the difference…So simple…”.
Photo via Facebook timeline.
After Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's death, St. P. Theodoridis published this photo on his Facebook timeline, which has gone viral among Greek netizens, with over 5,000 shares in just one day.
The top picture shows Hugo Chávez, and the bottom pictures show Greek politicians Evangelos Venizelos (leader of PASOK, on the left) and PM Antonis Samaras (leader of New Democracy, on the right).
Mr. Theodoridis comments below the picture [el]:
For those who haven't understood yet…the meaning of being a revolutionary [leader]

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Tips On Writing About Demographics · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

How many people? Demographics Revealed, a new blog of the Population Reference Bureau and the Population Association of America offers advice on how to write about demographics.


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A Zimbabwean Salute to Hugo Chavez · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Zimbabwean blogger Takura Zhangazha salutes the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez: “In mourning Chavez from Zimbabwe and from Africa it is key that we remember him for his principled global leadership example and his people centered policies and politics.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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All About Social Curation · Global Voices
Rezwan

Gaurav Mishra explains social curation and describes how Media, organizations and brands can curate contents to drive social engagement.

author: Rezwan


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Changing Attitudes on Child Marriage in India · Global Voices
Rezwan

Most child marriages in the world take place in South Asia and rural sub-Saharan Africa. In rural India, 47 percent (UNFPA report) of girls get married before the age of 18. The Indian state of Bihar has the highest number of child marriages at 69 percent.
Urmila Chanam shares a story of a child bride in India:
This is the tradition in this part of India. Children are married off when they should still be playing with toys. Boys and girls enter matrimony without knowing what marriage means. Their childhood and any life aspirations they might have had are extinguished by this age-old tradition. No one challenges it because it has become the norm. [..]
Though Indian law has made child marriage illegal, it is still reported widely from the rural parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgar, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh. Though some other third world countries practice child marriage, India alone houses one-third of all child brides.
Girls dressed as young bride and groom for an awareness campaign against child marriage. Agartala, India. Image by Reporter#24728. Copyright Demotix (7/3/2012)
There are also religious reasons for early marriages. The high court of the Indian state of Karnataka has recently ruled in a child marriage case that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 (PCMA) has overriding effect over the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law, where the marriage of a girl child is allowed once she attains puberty.
According to the PCMA act marriage below 18 for girls and 21 for boys is prohibited. Rural girls and boys who are poor, have little or no education and bonded by traditional social norms and values are most likely to get married early defying the legislations. But that is always not the case. Maharashtra has one of the highest numbers of child marriages. Video Volunteers at Youth Ki Awaaz reminds:
Fifty-two per cent of married women in Maharashtra admit to consummating their marriages before the age of 18, a government’s District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3) report reveals. This is happening in a so- called ‘progressive’ state of Maharashtra, the family controls a girls life and reproductive decisions.
But the situation is changing. IndiaUnheard (Video Volunteers) Community Correspondent Rohini Pawar interviews two girls who recently saw their friend getting married. Both are thankful that it wasn't them:
Twelve women, who had all been married as children, participated in this video speaking out against child marriage. This video and project was the beginning of Video Volunteers’ Community Video Unit Program:
The above video was screened in many villages on wide screen projectors.
Child marriages in India are a part of the larger social construct which is not commonly flagged as a problem. Neha, a blogger from New Delhi, writes:
Although the UN has been working hand in hand with the government of India to raise awareness, strengthen law enforcement and invest in the education of girls, many of our leaders still consider child marriage as a solution to protect girls from sexual atrocities like rape.
According to UNFPA if current levels of child marriages worldwide continue, every single day 39,000 girls will marry too young.


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Education vs. Reality in Bolivia · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

On his self named [es] blog, Eduardo Bowles reports [es] on changes to Bolivia's education system. According to the new school programme: “in elementary school there won't be any failed students. According to the new education trends, children should not be educated in a competitive environment”. As part of his analysis, he argues:
The idea is to set up a collaborative environment, where there is compassion, mutual collaboration and other very important values, no doubt about it, but [these values] are not actually related to our daily reality.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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Former Brazilian Minister’s New Party Mixes Sustainability, Social Media · Global Voices
Elisa Thiago

A former Brazilian presidential candidate and famous environmentalist is leading the charge for the creation of a new political party in the country, one that seeks to use the Internet as a tool for action on sustainability issues.
Former Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva officially launched her Sustainability Network in the capital Brasilia on 16 February, 2013, to a crowd of around 1,700 people, including supporters, founders and ideologues. The network aims to collect the required 500,000 signatures by September 2013 to become legally recognised as a political party.
The network was born from a movement created on social networking sites in the wake of Silva's 2010 presidential campaign. In the elections that followed [pt], Silva received a total of nearly 20 million votes with the Green Party (PV), which secured her third place and caused the elections to go to a second round, a fact which came as a surprise to the Workers’ Party (PT), having firmly believed that the dispute would be resolved in the first round with Dilma Roussef's victory.
Silva's candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic in the 2014 elections depends on the new party becoming operational by October 2013, which, in turn, not only depends on collecting the signatures, but also on publishing the constitution in the Official Federal Gazette (which occurred on 26 February, 2013) and court approval [pt – all links].
Brasilia – Former Senator Marina Silva speaks at the launch of her new party. Photo from José Cruz/Agencia Brasil (CC BY 3.0)
The Sustainability Network's political manifesto [pdf, pt], released at its launch, stands at just over five pages and was drafted by party founders and ideologues, including Heloísa Helena, João Paulo Capobianco [pt] and Walter Feldman [pt].
Acreditamos que as redes, como forma de agregação e organização, são uma invenção do presente que faz a ponte para um futuro melhor. (…) Pois é em rede com a sociedade que queremos construir uma nova força política, com alianças alicerçadas por uma Ética da Urgência, tendo como horizonte a construção de um novo modelo de desenvolvimento: sustentável, inclusivo, igualitário e diverso.
On the Internet, comments following the party's launch were predominantly against the initiative, notably pointing out that Silva's movement declared it is “neither for, nor against, [the political status quo.]” On Luis Nassif's blog, commenter Carlos Afonso Quintela da Silva [pt] wrote:
Screenshot of the website BrasilEmRede.com.br [pt]
[A Rede Sustentabilidade] Irá “pescar” aqui e ali afiliados nas outras legendas. Certamente os insatisfeitos. Ou seja mais uma legenda para reunir os oportunistas e deserdados pelos seus ex-correligionários. Vai ser a cara de tantos outros já existentes.
[Sustainability Network] is going to “hunt” here and there for members from other parties. Certainly the unsatisfied ones. That is, yet another party bringing together the opportunists and those excluded by their former colleagues. It will be the same as so many others.
After Silva appeared on the television programme Roda Viva [pt] on 18 February, 2013, to clarify many points relating to the movement, including the matter of being “neither for, nor against [the political status quo]”, online criticism began to soften.
Another commenter, Roberto de Santana Conceição [pt], wrote that he was impressed with the interview:
[…] Marina parabéns pela entrevista, já estava decepcionado de ser Brasileiro, de ser gente, acredite, sei do poder das palavras tão usadas pelos grandes líderes políticos e religiosos, mas senti que poso [sic] voltar a votar, espero não me decepcionar.
Mas não se esqueça, vivemos num Pais que a corrupção viro [sic] tradição e a batalha será árdua.
[…] Marina, congratulations on the interview, I've been disillusioned about being Brazilian, being human, believe it, I know the power of the words used by the great political and religious leaders, but I feel like I can go back to voting, I hope I won't be disappointed.
But don't forget, we live in a country where corruption has become a tradition and the battle will be hard.
Taking issue with the formation of Silva's party, Amaro Doce made the following observation in his post reproduced on the blog Luis Nassif Online [pt]:
Nada decepciona mais nesse partido da Marina Silva do que a negação da luta política dos mais fracos e da pregação ao conformismo submisso aos mais fortes.
Nothing is more disappointing in Marina Silva's party than denying the political struggle of the weakest and preaching submissive conformism to the strongest.
He then mentioned the declared support for the Sustainability Network from Maria Alice Setúbal, heiress and shareholder of the bank Itaú Unibanco, and Guilherme Leal, Silva's 2010 vice-presidential candidate and owner and president of cosmetics company Natura:
É a “utopia sonhática” do Itaú, da Globo, do bilionário neoliberal dono da Natura. É a sustentabilidade reacionária e conservadora. Os bilionários mandam, eles são os “sábios” conselheiros, orientadores e ideólogos de um hipotético governo, cuja REDE Marina se encarregaria de manter conectados os brasileiros, obedientes à ordem dominadora moldada por eles. Todos conformados, igual aos dominados no filme Matrix. Semelhante aos primeiros 502 anos da história do Brasil.
It is the “visionistic utopia” of Itaú, Globo, and the neo-liberal billionaire owner of Natura. It is reactionary, conservative sustainability. The billionaires control, they are the “wise” advisers, mentors and ideologues of a hypothetical government, where Rede [Sustainability Network] headed by Marina would stay connected with Brazilians, obedient to the dominating order shaped by them. All conforming, just like those dominated in the Matrix film. Similar to the first 502 years of Brazilian history.
Following the same rationale, that of denying political struggle and socialist ideals, Sonia Maria de Gouveia commented on Revista Sustentabilidade [pt]:
O escritor Homero temia as imperfeições da palavra escrita, devemos, então, ter em mente o quão problemáticos são os textos escritos quando analisamos as ideias da ex-senadora e evangélica, de um lado ela tem um forte pé da nas ideais socialistas e favor dos pobres, de outro precisa cativar os jovens e pessoas sem ideologia comuns em nossa época, logo repudia sua formação socialista [em] prol do projeto pessoal de poder. A derrocada do socialismo apenas causou sofrimento ao mundo, no qual vemos a teoria da prosperidade obliterar qualquer preocupação social mais profunda.
The writer Homer feared the imperfection of the written word, so we should bear in mind how problematic written texts are when we analyse the ideas of the former senator and evangelical, on one hand she has a firm footing in socialist ideals and favours the poor, on the other she needs to attract youth and people without a common ideology in our era, soon departing from her socialist training for the sake of personal power. The collapse of socialism caused only suffering in the world, in which we see the principle of prosperity obliterate any deeper social concern.
Previously, Reinaldo Azevedo related the following in his blog linked to Veja magazine [pt]:
Neste [16 de fevereiro de 2013], [Marina Silva] reuniu os “marineiros” para dar largada à criação da legenda que não é nem oposição nem situação, mas “posição”; que não é nem pragmático nem utópico, mas “sonhático”… Estava no melhor da sua forma, e isso quer dizer, então, que ninguém entendeu quase nada do que ela disse, mas todos acharam genial
On [16 February, 2013], [Marina Silva] brought together her supporters to launch the party that is neither for, nor against [the political status quo], but “positioned”; that is neither pragmatic nor utopic, but “visionistic” (sic)…She was at the top of her game, and by that I mean no-one understood barely anything she said, but everyone thought it was brilliant.
From Silva's speech at the Network's launch, the blogger highlighted the sentence below:
Estamos vivendo uma crise civilizatória e não temos o repertório necessário para enfrentá-la.
We are living in a civilisation crisis and we don't have the repertoire needed to face it.
He did so in order to critique her “apparent reactionary nature”:
Quando alguém diz que “vivemos uma crise e não temos repertório”, afirma, de modo oblíquo, que, nas crises passadas, o tal repertório existia. O que parece “progressista” no discurso de Marina é, no fim das contas, regressista. Ela tem saudade de um passado que nunca houve.
When someone says that “we are living in a civilisation crisis and we don't have the repertoire”, it is implied that this repertoire existed in prior crises. What seems “progressive” in Silva's speech is, at the end of the day, regressive. She longs for a past that never was.
Green Party Registration, Venâncio Notary Office, 2000, Brasilia, Federal District. Photo from Luiz Alves on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
On the other hand, taking a stance in favour of the new party's formation, blogger Paulinho [pt] stated:
[A]o contrario de muita gente, que acha um exagero 30 partidos políticos no Brasil, creio que deveria ter pelo menos o triplo, uma vez que nosso país hoje, passa de 200 milhões de habitantes, sendo que 80% deles, são eleitores, portanto não acredito que 30 partidos políticos, representam suficientemente todas as correntes de pensamento no país.
Unlike many people, who think having 30 political parties in Brazil is excessive, I believe there should be at least three times this, since our country now has more than 200 million inhabitants, with 80 percent of them being voters, meaning I don't think 30 political parties sufficiently represent all the schools of thought in the country.

author: Elisa Thiago


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How Using Twitter Can End Your Political Campaign in Russia · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Earlier this week, a judge in Krasnodar disqualified [ru] a politician running for city council, after determining that his campaign materials infringed on the copyrights of three popular Internet social networks: Twitter, Facebook, and Vkontakte. What exactly was this man’s crime? He ran a black-and-white newspaper advertisement that included the three websites’ logos, indicating that voters could find more information about his campaign online. (He was also convicted of baiting voters with implied promises of free legal aid.)
The guilty party, one Gennady Ufimtsev, is a member of the opposition party Just Russia, and he joins Anatoly Ovechko, a fellow city council aspirant from the Communist Party, whose candidacy was also canceled by Judge Viacheslav Riadnev of the Leninskii Raion Court [ru] in Krasnodar. (Ovechko allegedly broke campaign finance laws by spending a whooping one thousand dollars [ru] over the mandated ceiling.)
Picture of Ufimtsev's controversial campaign ad. Screen capture from YouTube. 4 March 2013.
Though it may be hard to believe, Ufimtsev’s newspaper ad might very well violate the strict letter of Twitter’s brand display policy. Twitter offers its official trademark in four different color schemes (this is the company’s third design, adopted in June 2012, featuring only a minimalistic cartoon bird silhouette). In Ufimtsev’s campaign materials, he published the cartoon logo from Twitter’s second design, which Twitter’s current guidelines technically define as a “don’t.”
While Ufimtsev has Judge Riadnev to thank for his conviction and elimination from city council contention, he undoubtedly would also wish to extend his gratitude to rival candidate Rinat Galliamov, a member of the new party “Cities of Russia” (a government-friendly vehicle, probably designed [ru] to spoil the solidarity of the opposition vote). Galliamov is the man who brought the suit to court. And the “enemies list” doesn’t end there! In a March 6 blog post [ru] on LiveJournal, Ufimtsev singled out Maxim Burlachko, a United Russia candidate running for city council, who happens to be the son of Krasnodarskii krai’s elections commission chairman.
If Judge Riadnev was indeed trying to clear the Krasnodar city council election of any pesky opposition candidates, he appears to have acted a day too soon. As it happens, the verdicts against Ufimtsev and Ovechko don’t take effect until March 11—one day after the city council vote [ru]. (It appears that the plotters failed to account for the International Women's Day holiday on March 8.) In other words, both candidates can currently stand for election this weekend. If either wins a seat, however, the election results would be disqualified as soon as Riadnev’s ruling takes effect on Monday.
Not ones to be discouraged, Krasnodar’s legal officials are expediting the appeals process (though Ufimtsev and Ovechko have yet to petition for one), sending the original verdicts to a higher court for consideration tomorrow, on Saturday, March 9. This will allow another judge to uphold Riadnev’s ruling and keep the two candidates off the final ballot.
In connection with this case, online portal The Caucasian Knot spoke [ru] to local GOLOS representative and human rights activist Mikhail Veligodskii, who pointed out that it’s only natural for competing politicians to do everything they can to weaken (or even remove) their opponents. The real challenges, he suggested, are Russia’s “strict electoral laws and problems with the independence of judges.” Heading to the polls on Sunday, Krasnodar voters will have to ask themselves who among the remaining candidates offers solutions to these and other issues facing the region.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Archetypes of Iranian Internet Use · Global Voices
Farid

The Iran Media Program at the Annenberg School for Communication, present a new study: “Fights, Adapts, Accepts: Archetypes of Iranian Internet Use” by Arash Abadpour and Collin Anderson.

author: Farid


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Blogger to Ahmadinejad: Watch ‘The Godfather’  · Global Voices
Farid

Hossein Derakhshan, a jailed Iranian blogger, wrote a letter to President Ahmadinejad and advised him to watch The Godfather movie and learns lessons from it. The blogger said Ahmadinejad had a “thirst to serve people but now it seems he has thirst for power”.


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Benin Journalist Gets Three Months in Prison · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Jolome News notes that the International Federation of Journalists has denounced the sentencing of Ms. Berthe Cakpossa to three months in prison and a fine of 500.000 francs CFA (the equivalent of $1,000 US) for insulting Boni Yayi, the Head of State. Ms. Cakpossa is the director of a private television chain, Channel 3. The channel broadcast Mr. Lionel Agbo's press conference, who was a former technical advisor to the Head of State. He has made accusations relating to those close to the president. The blog notes that [fr]:
In a democracy, it is not the role of the Press to censor the comments of political players.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Malaysians Support Army Offensive Against Sabah ‘Terrorists’ · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

Several armed men from the Philippines entered the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah, in Borneo on February 9, 2013. They were part of the ‘royal army’ of the self proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, who claims to be the heir to the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu.
Since then, the situation has become a political and diplomatic issue for both Malaysia and the Philippines, with several shootouts leading to deaths on both the Malaysian security forces and the rebels. In a press release, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that ‘Malaysia considers this group as terrorists following their atrocities and brutalities committed in the killing of Malaysia’s security personnel, two in Lahad Datu and six in Semporna, Sabah.’ The rebels have called for a ceasefire, but that proposal was rejected by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who demanded for an unconditional surrender instead.
Malaysians have been quite outspoken on the issue, taking a united stand in wanting the invaders out of their country, like Jan:
Map of Sabah and the standoff in Lahad Datu. Photo from Wikipedia
This is our land our sovereignty and our dignity. The intruders killed our serviceman first while our government been so kindly for you. Two deadline been given and yet you stayed stubborn. I supported my Prime Minister decision to crush them with our might. I’m not Najib fan and neither voted for his party, but he is my PM and supported his decision on this matter. And I believed most Malaysian if not all supported his decision regardless any political party.
Opposition politician Lim Kit Siang called for all Malaysians to stand behind the Prime Minister’s handling of the issue:
The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stand of unconditional surrender for the Sulu militants deserves the support of all Malaysians.
All Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political affiliation, are united as one in giving full endorsement to all necessary measures by the government and the security forces to end the month-long battle against Sulu militants.
Monyet King thought that enough restraint has been shown, and praised the Malaysian armed forces:
We are a civilised nation and our forces acted in a very professional manner. The restrain shown during the first two weeks is commendable. They did the right thing. Instead of rushing to shoot “intruders”, they gave the intruders ample time to leave or give up. If you understand the history and socio-political situation in the Sulu and Celebes sea region, you will know that the situation is a lot more complicated with long-term implications. Shooting people isn’t exactly the best solution. Although many Malaysians ridiculed our forces for being “too soft”, they did the right thing by engaging in diplomacy first. Only when diplomacy failed, did they bring out the battering ram.
The issue is particularly controversial as the Malaysian government pays an amount of money to the Sulu Sultan's heirs annually, a payment it considers as a cession payment on its claim over Sabah, while the heirs consider it rent. The Philippines also has a territorial claim over Sabah.
The Nutbox asserts that the thoughts of the people of Sabah should be taken into account:
Sabah is not merely a piece of private property but a territory whose people have been granted the right to self-determination. While the United Nations-sponsored commission that found that the Sabahans desired to federate with Malaysia in 1963 may have been questionable to the Philippine and Indonesian governments then, the fact remains that Sabah has chosen to be part of the Malaya-Singapore-Sarawak federation and that the people of Sabah see themselves today either as Sabahans or Malaysians and not as Filipinos or Sulu subjects.
On Twitter, many Malaysians have reacted similarly:
@nazerim Despite the perceived failures of the politicians, I have 100% confidence in our armed forces to resolve the Sabah intrusion
@LisaSurihani Sabah's terrible unfortunate happenings is so upsetting. The uncivil resort in using armory n the bloodshed. My prayers r with u Sabah :'(
@ernamh Sabah has over 12 trillion cu ft of gas reserves. And you question why Kiram family & Philippines find the state so attractive?
@kawansetia Jamalul Kiram III needs to understand that we don't want a ceasefire. We want those Sulu terrorists to get well away from Sabah. #LahadDatu
@fadzmie You intrude into our country and now you want to dictate terms? In Sabah they say Palui Kau Ini.
@syahredzan There is absolutely no indication that the people of Sabah wants to be governed by Kiram III or by the Philippines. So to me, that's that.
@AnasZubedy 1Malaysia means that if 1 small corner is attacked by baddies, d entire country will come to defend it. Dari Perlis hingga ke Sabah :)

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Saudi Court Sentences Reformists to 10 and 11 Years in Prison · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

This post is part of our Special Coverage:  Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia
Earlier today, March 9 2013, the Riyadh Criminal Court issued its verdict against the two prominent reformists and human rights activists Mohammad al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid, after being prosecuted for “breaking allegiance to the ruler and his successor” and “trying to impede the country’s developments”. al-Qahtani was sentenced to 10 years in prison and al-Hamid was sentenced to 5 years in prison in addition to completing his previous sentence (7 years, released after a year with a royal pardon). The judge stated that their presence outside prison was “dangerous” and ordered their immediate arrest. In addition, the judge ordered dissolving the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Associations (ACPRA), and confiscating all of its propriety immediately. The defendants have a right to appeal the decision within 30 days.
al-Qahtani and al-Hamid's trial started in June 2012, separately and secretly. After the first hearing, the judge merged both cases but he insisted that it shall remain behind closed doors. The two activists refused, saying that it was a political trial, and publicity was their only grantee for justice. By the fifth hearing, the judge finally capitulated, turning it effectively into a public trial.
al-Qahtani (right) and al-Hamid (third on right) right before the session. via @DrRAYQ
Last night, al-Hamid tweeted [ar]:
إلى الإخوة المتشائمين والمشفقين من #محاكمة_حسم لئن سجنا فهو والله نصر كبير جدا للمشروع ومن السجن تشعل الشموع
@Abubelal_1951: To my brothers who are pessimist and pitiful about the ACPRA trial: if we get imprisoned, it's a huge victory for the project and from prisons candles are lit.
Today's session was attended by over 130 supporters, in addition to correspondents from Al Jazeera, Sky News and some national newspapers. The courtroom was filled with over 30 special force members. Outside, al-Hamid came early to collect attendees’ signatures demanding the dismissal of the Interior Minster Mohammad bin Nayef, and the repeal of all secret trial sentences.
Activist Waleed Abualkhair tweeted:
سحب الأقلام بالإضافة الى الجوالات وعدد الحضور وصل الى ١٠٥ حتى الآن بحسب الكشف وهناك ٣٠ لم يسجلوا
@abualkhair: They took our pens and mobile phones. According to the list, the attendees are now 105, there are 30 who haven't registered yet.
Some activists did not manage to enter. Hood al-Aqeel tweeted:
الان في داخل المحكمه وقد منعت من الدخول للقاعه بحجه عدم وجود أماكن فاضيه !!!
@h_141: I am in the court. They did not allow me in saying that there are no free spaces!
In the verdict, the judge said that al-Qaida and ACPRA are the two sides of the same coin. Moreover, he stated that coercive rule is legitimate. Mohammad al-Abdualkreem reported:
توصل القاضي إلى بطلان نظرية العقد الاجتماعي ومنافاتها لعقيدة المسلم، وجواز التغلب والتوريث والتعيين واعتبارها من أصول السلف
@alabdulkarim0: The judge concluded that the social contract theory is invalid and contradicts with the Muslim faith, and that coercive ruling, hereditary monarchy and appointment are fundamental to Islamic practice.
Back in May 2011, al-Qahtani participated in a Women2Drive campaign, demanding lifting the ban on women driving. Apparently, this led the judge to mention something about it in the verdict. Twitter user Jihad Abdullah tweeted:
القاضي قبل قليل يتهم القحطاني بأنه يركب سيارته وزوجته تقود السيارة ومعهم اجانب يتجولون داخل الرياض، طيب هو حر وزوجته وش دخلك ! #محاكمة_حسم
@CheJihad: The judge just accused al-Qahtani of riding his car with foreigners while his wife is driving. Well, he and his wife are free, you have nothing to do with it!
Twitter users noticed that the trial hashtag was filled by automatically-generated, repeated messages that attack the two activists and accuses them of treason. Mishari AlGhamdi tweeted:
نفس العبارة تكتبها عشرات المعرفات الوهمية .. شغل رديء .. حتى شغل التطبيل و التدليس خربه الفساد
@mishari11: The same statement is being written by tens of fake accounts. Poor job. Even kissing up and fraudulence were doomed by corruption.
This post is part of our Special Coverage:  Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

author: Anas Soliman


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Hissene Habre Victims’ Long Road to Justice · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Jacqueline Moudeina writes on Pambazuka.org about the inauguration of a special tribunal in Senegal, to bring Hissene Habre, former dictator of Chad, before the courts [fr]:
“Being a victim, is a condition in which we languish without the ability to recover, as long as justice has not been served. The suffering is endless and what occurs, is a loss of dignity. The legal battle, so that an authority may take charge and judge the crimes of the victims’ former torturers, was for them a long and painful road. Each new development, each new delay, every error and politico-judicial farce carried out by the former Senegalese government, was but a fresh wound for the victims. After 22 years, more than two decades after the fall of the Habre regime, it continues to rub salt in their wounds”.


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A Hackathon at the White House · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Catherine D'Ignazio attends the first hackathon ever held at the White House and writes about it on MIT Center for Civic Media.


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Business Over Politics For Africa’s Chinese · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Nan Chen, a Chinese American working in Nairobi, interviewed some Chinese expats and local Kenyans about China's business culture in Africa (via Tea Leaf Nation):
For Chinese expats, business comes first and politics second. The upcoming Kenyan elections matter only to the extent that they impact business. While among my western colleagues, these elections represent a momentous political situation with human rights implications, the Chinese (though not unconcerned with potential elections violence) find the politics disruptive of business.

author: Oiwan Lam


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FIFA Beware! Journalist Teams Up with Brazil’s World Cup Victims · Global Voices
Pública - Agência de jornalismo investigativo

This article, by Andrea Dip, is part of Agência Pública's special coverage of #CopaPública [pt] and was originally published January 11, 2013 under the title “Fifa tremei! Andrew Jennings encontra o movimento popular brasileiro” [pt].
What could be more dangerous than an investigative journalist who digs deeply and isn't afraid to announce what he discovers for the world to hear?
When that investigative journalist joins forces with popular movements.
Photo from the Preliminares meeting at Fora do Eixo House, in São Paulo.
In December 2012, Copa Pública (Public Cup – a journalism agency Pública's team leading investigations on the World Cup) in partnership with the network Fora do Eixo [pt] (Out of Alignment), promoted a day of lectures and discussions about the Brazil's preparations for the 2014 World Cup, which the country will host. The meeting at Fora do Eixo House in São Paulo opened the festival of idea-exchange called Preliminares [pt], which involved gatherings at various points in the city from December 8 through 16, 2012.
Specialists in diverse areas, members of popular movements, residents who have been or will be removed from their homes, opinion makers, and students came together to discuss the Cup and its promoter, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
British journalist Andrew Jennings closed the night by speaking about the federation, which he has exhaustively investigated for years.
Andrew Jennings meets the Brazilian popular movement.
Jennings gave details and names of those involved “in FIFA’s dirty game” — “shaming every one of the crooks — which is even more important,” he emphasized.
The journalist also took the opportunity to learn, conversing with representatives from popular movements such as Articulação Nacional dos Comitês Populares da Copa (National Articulation of the Popular Committees of the Cup), which has mounted important resistance to the abuses committed during preparations for the mega-event, as well as with victims of forced evictions.
“Fiquei muito satisfeito com a mistura de ativistas e vítimas que se uniram para lutar contra empresários, especuladores, políticos e bandidos. Eu gostaria de trabalhar com eles no futuro” diz Jennings. “Para mim não foi apenas uma reunião, foi uma chance de começar um trabalho conjunto contra esses bandidos para os próximos 18 meses”
“I was quite satisfied with the mix of activists and victims who united in the fight against corporate owners, speculators, politicians, and crooks. I’d like to work with them in the future,” said Jennings. “For me, it wasn't just a meeting, it was a chance to begin a joint effort against these crooks for the next 18 months.”
On the lectures concerning evictions, Maracanã, and the World Cup General Law, Jennings explained he wasn't surprised that “workers have been victimized by big money, something that happens in all the countries that have hosted mega-events.” But he thinks Brazil has the opportunity to turn things around:
Com a qualidade das pessoas que estavam naquela reunião, vocês podem lutar contra eles. Vi boas pessoas, determinadas, inteligentes, criativas.
With the quality of people who were at that encounter, you can fight against them. I saw good, determined, intelligent, creative people.
The best weapon against the FIFA bosses, he says, is booing:
Acho que vocês têm que praticar para vaiar o Blatter: Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. Vaiem os empresários, os políticos, a prefeitura, filmem e disponibilizem na internet! Eu quero ouvir o som das vaias brasileiras aqui na Europa! É uma arma maravilhosa e de graça!
I think you have to practice booing Blatter (Joseph Blatter, current President of FIFA). Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Boo the corporate owners, the politicians, the municipal governments, film it and get it out on the Internet! I want to hear the sound of Brazilian boos here in Europe! It’s a wonderful weapon and it’s free!
Watch some interviews with Andrew Jennings from the event:
Video editing: Rede Fora do Eixo / Subtitles: Jessica Mota


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Four Deaths in a Conflict in Xinjiang · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Josh from Xinjiang: Far West of China followed a conflict incident took place in Korla, Xinjiang on March 7 in which at least 4 people have been killed, with up to 13 others possibly injured.


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How India Should Approach Website Blocking · Global Voices
Rezwan

In recent months blocking of urls has been much debated in India. Nikhil Pahwa at MediaNama, who is not fond of blocking content on the Internet, suggests how India should approach website blocking.


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Niger: How Nomads Navigate the Desert · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Adouma Alghoubas writes about the life of nomads in the desert of Niger [fr] :
Nomadic people do not have the technological means at their disposal to get their bearings, but what they do have is knowledge of astronomy, inherited from their ancestors. They navigate their way as they travel by looking at the stars. At first nightfall, it is the Pleiades constellation (“the ladies of the night” in Tamajeq) and Orion ( “the guide” in Tamajeq) that shows them the way East. Then, it is Venus (tezzug wulli aka “goat milking” in Tamajeq) that points them to the West.


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Taiwan Denies Entry to Anti-Nuke Visitor Ahead of Protest · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

A German man who marched in an anti-nuclear protest two years ago [zh] in Taiwan was detained at Taiwan's international airport and denied entry [zh] into the country on March 8, 2013, a day before protesters planned to hold a large-scale anti-nuclear demonstration there.
Daniel Andres Helmdach is scheduled to be deported from Taiwan, a suspected consequence of his participation in an anti-nuclear demonstration in Kaohsiung on April 30, 2011 [zh] while he was in Taiwan working as a volunteer on conservation projects.
This is not the first time that Taiwan has zeroed in on the participation of foreigners in anti-nuclear activities in Taiwan, where the recent construction of the fourth nuclear power plant in Taiwan has been met with strong criticism because of security concerns. Two Japanese people from Fukushima were warned by the country's immigration office [zh] immediately after they gave a speech at an anti-nuclear demonstration on April 30, 2011.
Photo from International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) Taiwan which Helmdach had participated in 2011.
The country's premier, Yi-Hua Chiang, has called for a referendum to be held on the construction of the Fourth nuclear power plant in August 2013.
After becoming aware of Helmdach's detention, Helmdach's friend Rui-Guang Huang put out a call for help on his Facebook page:
我們的好朋友今天傍晚入境台灣旅遊，在桃園國際機場被擋在外面不得入境，原因是他兩年前來台灣時，觀察紀錄我們的環境教育活動，結果竟被標記，在未被告知的情形下，此時此刻被擋在機場準備送回德國。
Legislator Shu-Fen Lin called the head of the immigration office and requested them to explain the deportation of Daniel. The immigration office said [zh] that the National Security Council made the decision in 2010 that should a foreigner conduct anything not described in his or her visa, the person would be denied entry to Taiwan three years.
Helmdach worked as a volunteer in Taiwan for one year during 2011 through arrangements made by the International Culture Youth Exchange (ICYE). Rui-Guang Huang explained the nature of Helmdach's volunteer work at that time:
協助麟洛教會莫拉克風災社區重建工作、參與台南社大海灘廢棄物監測及相關環境關懷行動，在台期間認真學習，並善盡國際志工責任，充分配合服務單位的工作需要，並無任何不當行為。
After the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, Daniel studied issues related to nuclear power and walked with his friends from the Community College in Tainan City during the anti-nuke demonstration [zh] in Kaohsiung on April 30, 2011. Soon after the demonstration, special agents visited the Community College in Tainan City and the Tainan branch of ICYE, but they did not mention anything about Daniel's involvement in unlawful activities.

author: I-fan Lin


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The State of Torture in the World in 2013 · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]:
“A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to Italy, by way of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bolivia. From authoritarian regimes to democratic countries, none are exempt from criticism on the topic. In 2013, torture remains as endemic, omnipresent and multi-faceted as ever”.


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Ecuador: One Year Since the Detainment of ‘The 10 from Luluncoto’ · Global Voices
Daniela Gallardo

March 3, 2013 marks one year since the Sol Rojo (Red Sun) operative was carried out, in which 10 Ecuadorian citizens accused of threatening the security of the State were detained.
As we reported earlier, “the 10 from Luluncoto” lost their freedom when they were on their way to debate the policies of the Ecuadorian government in a house in the south of Quito. The police found notebooks, diaries, posters of Che Guevara, and newspapers in their possession, which were considered subversive material.
Initially, 9 of the 10 received pre-trial detention, and Fadua Tapia, who was pregnant when the operative was carried out, was put under house arrest. At the end of 2012, the Ministry of the Interior [es] announced publicly that the evidence found confirmed subversive activity by the detainees, such as preparation for armed combat, handling firearms, a basic course in anatomy, a basic course in chemistry, physical military preparation and the preparation of a raid on facilities.
On December 19, 2012 the Habeas Corpus request was awarded [es] to 7 of the 10 detainees, and on January 4, 2013 the First Court of Constitutional Guarantees denied the Habeas Corpus request [es] of 2 of the detainees.
Last January 21 La República (The Republic) [es] published on its YouTube channel (LR larepublicaenlinea) [es] a report about the reopening of a hearing against the detainees:
Paulina Recalde (@PaulinaRecalde) [es] published an image on Twitter with public opinion statistics from Quito and Guayaquil about the case of the 10 from Luluncoto:
@PaulinaRecalde: Entre quienes conocen caso #Los10deLuluncoto, 60% uio/gye cree que tendrán derecho a defensa y juicio justo; 34% que no pic.twitter.com/530B324p
@PaulinaRecalde: Among those who know about #Los10deLuluncoto (the 10 from Luluncoto) case, 60% (average of Quito and Guayaquil) think that they will have the right to a defense and a fair trial; 34% do not pic.twitter.com/530B324p
Graphic taken from Twitter user @PaulinaRecalde
Key to graph: Do you think that those accused in the “10 of Luluncoto” case will be guaranteed the right to a defense and a fair trial, yes or no? Dark blue: Yes, Purple: No, Yellow: Doesn't know, Light blue: Didn't answer
On February 13 another hearing of the case was resumed [es], and on the 26th of that same month El Telégrafo (The Telegraph) [es] reported that the judges of the Third Criminal Court of the National Court of Justice (CNJ) [es] ruled one year of prison for the 10 from Luluncoto, who were accused of attempted terrorism. The news was also made public by other media outlets, such as La Hora [es], El Mercurio [es], Teleamazonas [es] and La República [es[.
El Universo (The Universe) [es] reported that the 10 from Luluncoto were convicted because of article 160.1 [es] which says: “Those that, individually or as associations, as guerrillas, gangs or terrorist groups, commit crimes against the common security of the people will receive the punishment of definite incarceration lasting four to eight years”, a different level of criminal offense than the one that their lawyers defended them against for more than a month.
The lawyer and investigator of Human Rights, Adriana Rodríguez Caguana [es], published an open letter against the sentence of the 10 young people from Luluncoto [es] on Facebook, with the option of joining it by writing your first name, last name and profession. After the media published the sentence that was ordered against the accused, various reactions were seen under the hashtag #10deLuluncoto [es]:
Angelo Salazar (@an6elo) [es] made public his approval of the sentence:
@an6elo: #10deluluncoto no tolerancia pa terroristas q explotan bombas en mi país e invitan al levantamientos EN ARMAS!! presos, presos!!1año es poco
@an6elo: #10deluluncoto no tolerance for terrorists that set off bombs in my country and invite ARMED uprisings!! imprison them!!1year is little
Eliana Urquizo Lopez (@eliana810) [es], on the other hand, showed his disapproval:
@eliana810: Los #10deLuluncoto acusados de ser terroristas y los de #AlfaroVive [grupo armado ecuatoriano, que se autodenominaba de izquierda revolucionaria y marxista-leninista] trabajan en el gobierno. Que alguien me explique la lógica de esto.
@eliana810: The #10deLuluncoto are accused of being terrorists and those from #AlfaroVive [an Ecuadorian armed group [es], who called themselves revolutionary leftists and marxist-leninists] work in the government. Someone please explain this logic to me.
Pablo Piedra (@Pabloarturo81) [es] wrote his opinion about the case:
@Pabloarturo81: La sentencia a los #10deluluncoto busca proteger a los responsables del gobierno ante una futura demanda en el #SIDH [Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos] contra #Ecuador
@Pabloarturo81: The sentence of the #10deluluncoto is looking to protect those in the government who will be responsible when faced with a future suit by the #SIDH [Inter-American Human Rights System] against #Ecuador
Paola Criollo (@paocriolloa) [es] supports the 10 from Luluncoto:
@paocriolloa: Mi apoyo y solidaridad a los#10deLuluncoto xq somos ciudadanos comunes viviendo justicia sin derecho,justicia d peones.#ridiculogobiernoRC
@paocriolloa: My support and solidarity for the#10deLuluncoto because we are fellow citizens living with justice not based on the law,the justice of powerless servants.#ridiculogobiernoRC
The newspaper La Hora (The Hour) (@lahoraecuador) [es] published some photographs of the demonstration that took place in favor of the case of the 10 from Luluncoto:
@lahoraecuador: Familiares y amigos de Abigaíl Heras y Cristina Campaña, #10deLuluncoto, realizan plantón en la cárcel de mujeres.pic.twitter.com/BTQi954l2M
@lahoraecuador: Family and friends of Abigaíl Heras and Cristina Campaña, #10deLuluncoto, stage a demonstration at the women's jail.pic.twitter.com/BTQi954l2M
Photograph taken by Twitter user @lahoraecuador
The demonstration [es] took place outside the Inca women's jail in the north of Quito on March 3. Citizens have been watching the case closely, especially on social networks, and they await the timely liberation of Abigaíl Heras and Cristina Campaña, two of the accused that have already spent a year in jail.

author: Daniela Gallardo


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Hungarian Bloggers Take Student Union To Court · Global Voices
Atlatszo.hu

Students from the Faculty of Law at ELTE University in Hungary sued the faculty's student union after they denied a freedom of information (FOIA) request. The students wanted to know who received bonus payments from the union's monthly budget of around $3,300. They wrote on their blog ÁJK HÖK Figyelő (Faculty of Law Student Union Monitor)[hu] that the student union head unilaterally decides on bonus payments. The initiative of the law bloggers gained support of the Hungarian National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information as well, and their first court hearing [hu] attracted some 30 members of the public.


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Is the ‘China Dream’ Really a ‘Strong Military Dream’ ? · Global Voices
Tea Leaf Nation

This article by Rachel Wang originally appeared on Tea Leaf Nation on March 8, 2013 and is republished as part of a content sharing agreement.
On March 3, an article entitled “Focusing and Building up a ‘Strong Military’ Dream” appeared on the front page of the PLA Daily. At first glance, the article appeared to be a typical propaganda piece, appropriate to publish during China’s Two Sessions, the meeting of China’s congress. The article was replete with slogans like, “Obeying the Party is the soul of a stronger military,” and “Working hard and efficiently is an important sign of solid work.” On a deeper level, however, it may be a political piece echoing the unveiling of the national budget on Tuesday, in which China estimated it would 720.2 billion yuan ($114.3 billion) on its military in 2013, which represents an increase of 10.7%.
Chinese flag by Flickr User Herr_Bert (CC: AT-NC-SA)
The concept of the “Strong Military Dream” might have bigger implications – it could represent the China Dream. A day after the PLA Daily article was published, an article entitled “The China Dream is a Strong Military Dream; a Great Nation Must Have a Strong Military” appeared on several big-name websites, including huanqiu.com, the Chinese-language edition of the Global Times. The article pointed out that the “‘China Dream’ is not a ‘Dream of Riches,’” and that, “On the political world stage, a rich nation is not the same as a strong nation.” The main thrust of the article was that the China Dream was one of a strong nation – and a strong military.
Around the same time as these articles were publicized, China Central Television’s 24-hour English news channel promoted a topic of discussion [zh] on Weibo:
#中国梦#大声说，勇敢做，让你的中国梦不再仅是个dream！梦想无关大小、不分贵贱；可以被现实打压，却不能被失望扼杀；可以遭遇不公，却不能放弃正直；与其咒骂，不如祝福，与其抱怨，不如改变。你的梦想，对中国很重要！央视英语新闻频道CCTVNEWS，携全球记者，记录中国梦，分享世界梦。参与#中国梦#互动，随手拍我的梦，@CCTVNEWS，转发最高的50个梦想，将在有一亿多海外用户的CCTVNEWS播出，向世界秀出你的ChinaDream！
#CHINA DREAM# ‘I have a dream!’ At no other time in history have the Chinese people so openly declared their hopes, their dreams, and their vision of a better future. Millions inside China are nurturing their China Dream, while millions of people outside China are fascinated by life here. Share your China Dream with the world and inspire others!
A short movie entitled “China Dream,” which was made up of individual portraits, was also produced. While the state media was trying hard to push positive statements like, “I want our country to be courageous, and have the vision, and wisdom to overcome difficulties,” reactions to the movie and the China Dream rhetoric in general showed that most Chinese Web users were not buying in. Instead, the phrase gave rise to skepticism, sarcasm, and complaints. One Weibo user with the handle @Paradise Bird 128 (天堂鸟128) wrote [zh]:
我的梦想是在讨论中国目前的状况时不被请喝茶。
My dream is that I will not be invited to ‘drink tea’ [slang for being summoned to meet with government officials] while discussing contemporary Chinese issues.
Another called @If Milk Tea (如果奶茶) commented [zh],
以我仅知的那点外国历史，当一种梦想上升为可以用一个国家作为前置定语时，这种梦想必然伴随着大股的移民潮，比如American Dream。今天两会上一些一本正经喊着要拥护实现中国梦的代表委员们，我觉得可以查一下，有多少人或其家属已经提前实现了美国梦
According to my basic knowledge of foreign history, when a dream is attributed to a nation, this dream must be accompanied by a huge wave of immigration, as with the American Dream. We could check with Two Sessions representatives, who are calling for us to protect and realize the China Dream, and ask how many of them or their relatives have already realized the American Dream.
Web users also took the opportunity to comment on the disparity between the state-promoted “China Dream” and their own unrealized hopes. User @Zhou Yiting (周旖婷) wrote [zh],
空气清新点，水质卫生点，食物放心点，奶粉安全点，航班准时点，路面畅通点，油价低一点，税收少一点…不要那么多，只要一点点…I have a dream,just a dream…
Cleaner air, healthier water, safer food, safer baby formula, on-time flights, unimpeded roads, lower gas prices, lower taxes…not a lot, just a little…I have a dream, just a dream.
State media promoted its dream, but failed to define it concretely. According to one article, achieving the China Dream entails “unswervingly following the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving national development and socialist modernization in a peaceful and civilized way.” Weibo user @Ji Jiaqing (籍佳婧JJJ) felt it was just another empty slogan:
怎么觉得最近频繁出现的新闻词汇＂中国梦＂有点虚，这是模仿American dream？连我都没办法保持根正苗红了
Why do I feel like the recent popular news catchphrase ‘the China Dream’ is a bit hollow, is this an imitation of the ‘American Dream’? Even I can’t stand by the Party this time.
The cold reception that the “China Dream” got from its target audience shows a certain disillusionment with the government’s ability to make dreams come true. Most discussion of these dreams involved calls for new governmental involvement or regulations. As Weibo user @Yu Jianrong (于建嵘), a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with over one million Weibo followers, commented [zh]:
美国梦是指美国人的梦，保障个人权利是基础；中国梦是国家的梦，强化国家权力是前提。
The ‘American Dream’ represents the dreams of each American, and it is based on the protection of individual rights; the ‘China Dream’ represents the dream of the nation, which is based on re-enforcement of the state’s power.
Harsh realities and a lack of upward mobility might constitute a couple of the reasons that it is difficult to define the “China Dream.” Perhaps an editor from the Henan Business Daily put it best:
中国大陆有钱有权的，最高梦是美国梦，最低梦是香港梦。没钱没权，带点奶粉都是梦。
In mainland China, for the rich and the powerful ones, the biggest dream is the ‘American Dream,’ while the smallest is the ‘Hong Kong Dream.’ For someone with no money or power, even bringing back baby formula is a just dream.

author: Tea Leaf Nation


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Moldova Without Government: What’s Next – East or West?   · Global Voices
Diana Lungu

On March 5, Moldova’s Parliament passed a no-confidence motion, dismissing [ro] the country's pro-European three-party coalition government led by Vlad Filat, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. The 54 votes in favour of the motion came from the Communist Party, the ruling coalition's member Democratic Party and several independent MPs. The government fell amid allegations of corruption and deep rivalries within the ruling Alliance for European Integration (AIE). While the three parties that formed the government on two subsequent occasions have still to figure out a way out of this deadlock, the Communist Party has played out as the overall winner and has high hopes of making a comeback to power.
Vlad Filat, the dismissed Prime Minister. Photo by Alexander Savinov, 2009 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Just a few weeks earlier, Moldova seemed to be the greatest hope on the European Union’s Eastern borders.
Now, the post-Soviet state might be thrown back into the eternal Russia-Europe power game and is headed for a serious political crisis. The Constitution states that if the Parliament fails twice within the next 45 days to reach an agreement to form a new government, it will be dissolved and the country could face early elections, a much-too-frequent exercise in the young state’s history.
Voices from Brussels immediately called on Moldova’s political elite to further pursue integration with the European Union.
The blogosphere seems to have grasped the behind-the-scenes party politics that led to the dismissal of Vlad Filat’s cabinet of ministers.
Sorin Hadârcă writes this [ro] in a piece entitled “Absurdistan”:
Today I sat and enjoyed the wonderful play “The Dismissal of the Government,” orchestrated by the Democratic Party. I was shocked by the cynicism of some politicians who, in order to cover up the traces of a crime, did not hesitate to sacrifice the Moldovans’ chances to a decent life.
The author refers to a recent scandal that broke out [ro] when the Liberal Democratic Party demanded the resignation of the Prosecutor General (an appointee of the Democratic Party), who, together with other high-profile members of the government, is alleged to have been involved in the cover-up of a young man's hunting-related shooting death. This resulted in party-driven revenge moves by the Democratic Party, which in turn launched investigations of power abuse against ministers appointed by the Liberal Democratic Party.
Andrei Fornea brings the same line of thought to the public attention. He asks [ro]:
Do you really believe that the Government was dismissed because it did not fulfill its action plan, or because it built bad roads, or because it did not raise salaries or pensions? Of course, not. So all that is left is to enjoy the fact that an oligarch has demonstrated his real capacities…
Supporters of Moldova’s pro-European path are cautious of the country’s reform agenda. Denis Cenușă writes [ro]:
It seems that there is no voice that can convince the Moldovan oligarchs that any step back can lead to another 5-10 years wasted for reform and advancement to a level compatible with the status of an EU candidate country.
Igor Casu fears [ro] that Moldova might lose its European direction:
… all the three parties of the AIE have but to lose from the anticipated elections, and by extension and more important, the Republic of Moldova as whole has to lose, and will fall back into the sphere of the Russian interests, and the West will turn its back for an indefinite time.
The Civic Platform “Acțiunea 2012″ is concerned [ro] that the Communist Party, which ruled the country between 2001-2009, could return to power:
An eventual Communist government will reengage in politics against all citizens of the Republic of Moldova, just to divert Chișinău's European orientation towards failed geopolitical projects.
Nicolae Ciobanu believes [ro] that the only solution is a new leader:
We need a Hero who would achieve complete order in this country, a Hero who would release the poor people who stole small things from prisons, so that they can feed their families, and fill up [these prisons] with the ruling cheats and beasts, of which there are many, far too many for such a small country. We need a Hero who will bring the country out of the ruin and in line with the rest of the developed states.
One thing is clear: the citizens, on the streets or online, are tired of watching the same politicians repeating the same mistakes.
Journalist and blogger Andrei Cibotaru writes [ro]:
This Alliance has tried everything: anticipated elections, a referendum, a presidential crisis, an algorithm, a motion… I think no one until now has tried so many pirouettes in Moldovan politics. If they bring it back to life one more time, I will be forever convinced that I’m very stupid in politics.
After the government's dismissal, the Moldovan journalists’ first reactions on Facebook were also not too hopeful.
Viorel Mardare wrote [ro]:
When I was entering the shower, there was still a government. I came out of the shower – the government is gone. Tomorrow I will be afraid to wash myself.
Daria Gvindjia wrote [ru]:
Well, now it is clearly time to leave. If I could catapult myself away from this country, I would. Somehow, I've become completely unpatriotic.
Lina Grau quoted [ro] her 10-year-old daughter:
My daughter, 10 years old, after I explained what's happening in the country: “Don’t these people understand that if they fight, the entire nation suffers?”

author: Diana Lungu


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British Security Firm Profits from Mali War · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Ramzy Baroud writes [fr] about the conflict in Mali on Pambazuka:
British security firm G4S will rake in enormous profits due to the crisis taking place in Mali, Libya and Algeria. Recognized as the biggest security firm in the world, the group was downgraded at the time of the Olympic Games in London last year, as a result of its inability to meet the terms of a government contract. However, with the growing instability in Northern and Western Africa, it is expected that the firm will make a strong recovery in the near future.


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Of Ginger and Other Delicacies · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Ronald Hill, on his blog Sueños del Caribe [es], shares an episode that took place [es] in a restaurant where he saw two traders exchanging opinions about samples of ginger.


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Omar Banuchi Finds His Niche in the Puerto Rican Web (Part III) · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

*This is the third, and last, part of the series about the digital art by the Puerto Rican Omar Banuchi. Here you can read the first and the second parts.
The neighbouring room to Omar Banuchi's bedroom is nearly empty, save for an occasional framed piece that remains lying in the corner.  It was here where the artist brought me to have a look at his work throughout the years.  It's inevitable, the pornographic drawings are the first that catch your attention: girls indulging in oral sex, group sex scenes; these are the markers of the first era of his work, where the imaginary element of his comics combined with the hard core aesthetic.  Superheroes and money shots: a sensitivity characteristic of nerd art and masculine fantasies, whether it be in Brooklyn, Berlin or Rio Piedras.
“Omar's images feel kind of porn,” the singer Eduardo Alegría would mention to me later. With his extensive career in performance, experimental dance and as one of the principal singers and composers of the iconic group of post-pop Superaquello, Alegría is the closest there is to an elder statesman on the local scene.  The first pieces of Banuchi that he saw captivated him, and he ended up recruiting the young artist for his new musical project, Alegría Rampante, the group he has with musician Harry Rag. Here you can view the video of “Esquina Periferia” by Alegría Rampante, with illustrations by Omar Banuchi:
“When you look at his art you feel as if you were looking at something that you don't know quite what it is,” he continued.  “It's like the fascination of finding old photos in a dumpster without knowing who the subjects are, and you end up creating a story in your head of what you are seeing.”
The end result of the collaboration between the two can be seen in “Se nos fue la mano,”  a series of singles by Alegría Rampante complimented with videos, concerts and drawings reminiscent of the fragmented stories created by Banuchi. “For each song that he makes, my work is to create an image that goes with the single. He is supposed to release a song every two months, and already he has released three,” explains Banuchi.
In songs such as “Esquina Periferia,” “Hotel Puercoespín” and “Un cuarto más pequeño,” the sensitivities of the musician and the artist meet.  In the process you can glimpse a sort of generational overlap of two creators characterised by their rare vision, yet ironic and vulnerable at the same time.
Digital STIGMA
Banuchi's career path can be seen in the transformation that his illustrations have had in the last five years.  The technique has been refined, and the topics point towards an increased maturity.  Due to their closeness, Rosaura Rodríguez has had a front row seat in viewing this growth.
“He worked on nudes before, with stronger sex scenes,” she said.  “His art was more sexual and a little more pop. Now it continues to be pop, but he has gone in the direction of portraits, and of superheroes doing everyday things.”
The sophistication in the images, which increasingly are more narrative, was what most attracted Eduardo Alegría since the beginning.  “They have a colourful, vibrant, polished quality,” he said.  “Part of what makes something pop is the feeling that it has a finish, like a well-made product”.
Despite his success, Banuchi still regularly comes across preconceptions of the digital medium, as if the technology that he uses makes him less of an artist.
“The medium does create a little bit of stigma,” he told me the last time we met.  “There are times when the gallery owner has said to me ‘try to make a painting.’  But I don't like this opinion that since my drawings are not paintings they are not considered art.”
The gallery owner that requested this of him understands his dilemma perfectly.  “There was a moment when I challenged him, and he made two acrylic pieces, but he did not translate well outside of the digital sphere,” Beto Torrens told me.  The challenge was motivated by collectors who tend to be older and are unable to accept that a piece that exists as a digital archive can be of the same level as a  painting or silk-screen printing.
“That's when I realised his essence,” added Torrens.  “I told him ‘keep going with your original vision and your designs, someday people are going to realise the value that your pieces have.’”
All of this means little to nothing for a series of drawings that find themselves at home in so many different spaces. Though some of the pieces may be printed as limited editions that are bought by collectors, many of them never leave the screen. His drawings are moulded to the singles of Alegría Rampante and eventually will be the album's sleeve.  The illustrations are shown in the same way through the pages of “Días,” and -possibly- on the walls of Benicio Del Toro. Although the art of Banuchi –personalised and witty- seems to mirror the creator, this mirror is not limited to a particular form.  Why create limitations if this diversity also reflects his lifestyle and the people who share his art?
“I like being a digital artist,” he concluded telling me the last time we met.  “I like that it's the current medium of my work.”
*The images are published with the artist's permission.


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Peru: Riding with Grandpa · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Peruvian blog Te voy a contar [es], by Elizabeth Lino Cornejo, posts a short story [es] with a mix of humor and nostalgia, where the narrator recalls when he used to go to school every day in his grandfather's car, where he and his siblings rode “very comfortably, lying down over our bellies, with our legs all elongated and relaxed, and we all exaggerated the jolt the car made upon braking”. He ends up by telling:
Tomorrow we will get him [grandfather] into a car, a roomy and long one, into a funeral hearse very much alike and just as majestic as the one he used to get us into to take us to school.


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Video: Police Brutality at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

A video shot at the iconic Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on March 2, 2013 involving participant Jamie Jackson has sparked claims of police brutality. There were more than 1.6 million views in the first week of this version, taken by a press photographer for the parade, which shows Jamie being thrown down on the concrete and kicked by a police officer.
The event celebrates LGBTQI: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex.
Each year tens of thousands take part in the parade and festivities and spectators number in the hundred of thousands.
Sydney's gay and lesbian community celebrate Mardi Gras 2013
Photo by Andrew Hill, copyright © Demotix (2 March 2013)
Socialist network Solidarity questioned how far the campaign against homophobia has come:
Police and some media are using a new video showing Jamie’s altercations with police beforehand to justify the violence they later used. But nothing justifies throwing a small man to the ground so hard and cracking his head against the pavement. Nor does the new footage explain why on earth police had detained Jamie in the first place. Allegedly he swore at police, an offence so widely regarded as ridiculous it is often thrown out of court. The offences he has been charged with only occurred after he was apprehended.
Kate was typical of the initial twitter reactions and posted the video on her tweet:
@kateausburn: What the hell is this @nswpolice? A cop assaulting a young man at Mardi Gras, + telling ppl not to film? Disgraceful.
ABC Radio National journalist and key member of the Oz twitterverse, Mark Colvin, observed:
@Colvinius: Interesting how social media and smartphone video are putting police on the back foot
In fact the legal profession was also trying to use the power of social media. Chris Murphy, the lawyer for the arrested man, did some crowd sourcing of his own:
@chrismurphys: My firm now acts for Jamie Jackson.If you're a witness or have info pls email help@murphyslawyers.com #MardiGras
Two events were quickly organised in response to the video. One was a demonstration on Thursday, March 7 that attracted hundreds of protesters. The other was a community forum organized through twitter by a local parliamentarian Alex Greenwich MP:
@AlexGreenwich: Did you experience issues with police at Mardi Gras? Please join my community & Police forum next Thursday http://www.eventbrite.com/event/56269162… … #nswpol
There has also been support for the police with allegations that Jamie Jackson was resisting arrest. There is more video in this news report.
Nathan Lee’s blog take has detailed comment, which concludes:
Anyhow, hopefully this can all get left to the investigation now and the trial by social media can put its outrage back in the box for a bit.
Leanne Michele was also supportive of police.
@cutiepie33346: I had an amazing time at Mardi gras its a pity that is tarnished by an incident I have nothing but praise for nsw police they were great
The Sydney mardi gras began in 1978 with confrontations with police. As the official website recounts:
The first march took place on Saturday 24th June 1978 at 10pm and it was met with unexpected police violence.
It is a safe bet that the police contingent marching in the parade were glad not to get caught up in the trouble.
Sydney Mardi Gras police contingent 2013
Image courtesy: Zsoolt – flickr, NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license

author: Kevin Rennie


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US Attorney General Praises Saudi Reforms  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

US Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. is in the Saudi capital Riyadh – where he praised judicial reforms in the kingdom.
On Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran writes:
The day before Holder’s press conference a Saudi court in Riyadh sentenced two prominent human rights activists to long jail terms and travel bans. Based on local media reports, there was no mention of the trial in the press conference.
For more on the activists’ trial, check out our Special coverage.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Rebels Attack in Central African Republic  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

RJDH -RCA reports that [fr]:
According to multiple NGOs in the region, the cities of Mobaye and Bangassou are under attack by dissident rebels of the Sekela coalition in the Central African Republic. No confirmation has been given yet by the government. Bangassou's phone network is currently cut off.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Should Alcohol be Legalised in Libya?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Libyan netizens are debating whether alcohol should be allowed in the country – after more than 50 people have died from drinking methanol-tainted home-made alcohol in Tripoli. Another 470-plus people have been taken to hospitals for treatment, prompting a heated discussion on why lifting the alcohol ban would introduce legislation, which will in turn prevent such wide-scale tragedies from happening again.
Both drinking and the sale of alcohol are prohibited in Libya but a locally brewed concoction called bokha is sold on the black market. According to the Libya Herald:
Instances of people dying as a result of drinking bokha, often distilled from figs, or being blinded are not uncommon although rarely reported. There were several deaths last year.
Bokha is sometimes laced with methanol to increase its alcoholic content.
On Twitter, Khadija Ali writes [ar]:
إذا كان هناك أي شيء لنتعلمه من الحوادث المثيرة للقلق مع الكحول هو أننا لا يمكن أن نستمر في الهروب من مشاكلنا #ليبيا
@KhadijaMAli: If there was anything we should learn from the incidents which raise concern regarding alcohol is that we cannot continue to run away from our problems
Nairouz says:
كارثة التسمم والموت بسبب الكحول كارثه وطنية دفع ثمنها الغالي شباب وشابات فى مقتبل العمر #ليبيا
@Rouznai: The alcohol poisoning and death is a national tragedy which young men and women are paying the price for
And Mohamed Mesrati adds:
@MohamedMesrati: Among people who died by the poisoned alcohol in #Libya rebels fought against Gaddafi during the revolution! Shame!
Talk online is that some doctors have refused to treat patients because drinking alcohol is un-Islamic – and those who consumed the alcohol deserved to die. On those, Mojahed Bosify says:
الاطباء الذين رفضوا معالجة متسممي الكحول هم اطباء الموت وعار على المهنة ويجب فصلهم طال الزمن او قصر..#ليبيا #طرابلس #كحول
@mojahedbosify: The doctors who refused to treat those who were effected with alcohol poisoning are doctors of death and a shame on the profession. They should be sacked
Rana Jawad opens a can of worms when she asks:
@Rana_J01: Is it time / is there social&political willingness to openly discuss alcohol consumption in #Libya? Wld legalising prevent deaths? Discuss..
Suilman Ali Zway responds:
@ILPADRINO0: The Hypocrisy (whether it was religious or social) of our society will prevent us from having an honest open debate about the matter
And Mohamed Eljarh explains:
@Eljarh: Majority in #Libya will refuse any form of legalization of alcohol consumption in #Libya even those who consume it & have always done.
Omar Mukhtar provides a solution:
@Libyan_Republic: Legalize alcohol. tax it and put these criminals out of business.
The criminals he refers to in this tweet are the manufacturers and peddlers of the home-brewed alcohol – bokha.
Further Reading:
Mohamed Mesrati published a two-part article on alcohol in Libya last month in online Libyan newspaper Al Kaf, in Arabic, which is available here and here.