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Argentine Pope: Bergoglio and the ‘Slum Priests’ · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

Although many around the world admire him for not using official vehicles or for traveling by bus to visit poor neighborhoods, Argentines remember former cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – now Pope Francis – for his work at the “villas miseria” –slums located in the country's large urban settlements.
The blog Bajando lineas [es] comments on Bergoglio's visits [es] to the slums:
El cardenal es un gran enamorado de esa religiosidad popular, dicen los curas, y cuentan que es bastante común que, durante las peregrinaciones juveniles a Luján, sea Bergoglio el confesor que se instala, sin que los jóvenes peregrinos lo sepan, en la basílica.
Tampoco es raro, dicen, que llegue de improviso a un comedor popular o a la fiesta de una Virgen en alguna de las barriadas donde trabaja el equipo.
The Cardinal loves popular religiosity, say the priests, and they say that it is quite common that during youth pilgrimages to Lujan the confessor Bergoglio arrives to the Basilica without the young pilgrims knowing.
They say it is also not uncommon for him to arrive at a popular cafeteria or a celebration of a Virgin in one of the neighborhoods where the team works.
The current pope pushed for the creation of “slum priests” (priests who work in slums) while he was in Argentina. Maria O'Donnel in La Vanguardia shares [es] their work:
Estos curas, muchos de ellos nacidos y criados en familias de clase media acomodada, reivindican la cultura de los barrios que habitan. Pelean contra la estigmatización, rescatan la solidaridad, las colectas ante cada muerte para que nadie sea privado de un velatorio digno, la alegría que no se rinde ante la adversidad y todo eso quieren defender ante la mirada que sienten prejuiciosa del afuera. Por eso hablan de integrar, antes que de urbanizar.
Villa 31, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Image from  Flickr user christoph.wesemann, under a  Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Father Ismael Ojeda's blog [es] refers [es] to the relationship between slum priest ‘Father Pepe’ and former cardinal Bergoglio:
[…] el padre Pepe considera a Bergoglio «un amigo y un padre espiritual»: «Fue él quien me mandó en 1997 a Villa 21», al frente de un «equipo de sacerdotes» en una parroquia extrema, situada en una tierra de compra y consumo de drogas. Cuatro sacerdotes para cuarenta mil personas: «Gracias a él, a su presencia, hemos conseguido desarrollar muchos trabajos de prevención y recuperación». Gracias a la intervención del arzobispo, Di Paola se ha salvado: «Me la habían jurado, él me protegió».
[…] father Pepe considers Bergoglio “a friend and a spiritual father”: “It was he who in 1997 sent me to Villa 21″ in front of a “team of priests” in an parish far away, located in a land where people buy and consume drugs. Four priests for forty thousand people: “Thanks to him, his presence, we have developed many prevention and recovery initiatives.” Thanks to the intervention of the archbishop, Di Paola has been saved: “I felt threatened, and he protected me.”
In the post “Francisco, the pope from the confines [of the city]” [es] , Eduardo Casas [es] summarizes the work of Bergoglio as cardinal:
El Papa Francisco se lleva lo mejor del Cardenal Jorge Mario Bergoglio para el ministerio de Pedro: sus viajes en el subte de la ciudad de Buenos Aires; sus visitas a la Villa 31; su presencia en las cárceles, su aliento a las escuelas, sus palabras a las enfermos de VIH, su paso por  la Compañía de Jesús de la ciudad de Córdoba; su conversaciones con los cartoneros y las víctimas de la trata; su capacidad de respeto, escucha y cercanía, su actitud conciliadora, su apertura ecuménica, su capacidad de dialogar y de decir las cosas tal como su conciencia lo dictaba y mucho, mucho más que sabemos y también otras que ignoramos.
Pope Francis takes the best of cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Peter's ministry: his commuting on the subway in the city of Buenos Aires, his visits to the Villa 31, his presence in prisons, his encouragement for schools, his words for HIV patients, his work through the Society of Jesus in the city of Cordoba, his conversations with cardboard collectors and victims of human trafficking, his ability to respect, to listen and his closeness, his conciliatory attitude, his ecumenical openness, his ability to dialogue and to say things just like his conscience dictated and much, much more than we know and more that we ignore.
Finally, this video from Telefe Noticias [es] highlights Bergoglio's work at Villa 31.

author: Laura Schneider


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Chinese Authorities Cancel Indie Film Festival  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

The Yunnan Multi-Cultural Festival, one of the most important platforms for independent documentary film in China, has been cancelled by authorities without offering an explanation. Cui Weiping, social critic and professor at the Beijing Film Academy, expressed her disappointment on Sina Weibo. She thinks cancellation of this sort of film forum is leading to the killing of the country's soft power. CHINA MEDIA PROJECT has more details.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Abby Liu


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Djibouti: Arrests follow ‘Democratic’ Elections · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

Several opposition leaders were arrested [fr] in Djibouti, a small, but strategically important country in the Horn of Africa, after demonstrations which followed the February 22, 2013 general elections. The elections saw yet another victory for the party in power, the People's Rally for Progress. President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has ruled since 1999, received 80% of votes cast, leading to allegations of fraud on a massive scale. The arrests followed the demonstrations about allegations of massive fraud [fr]. According to the Djiboutian League of Human Rights organisation and the International Federation of Human Rights, 90 people were retained in the famously tough Gabode Central Prison. Arrests were still continuing at the time of writing, April 2013.
Spokesperson for opposition party Union for National Salvation, Daher Ahmed Farah, was sentenced [fr] to two months in the same closed prison for calling for rebellion after the election results were announced.  The following video shows fighting in the streets between opposition demonstrators and the police (via Dillipress):
Elections in Djibouti have still not resulted in a real political alternative for power. Ismaïl Omar Gelleh has been president of the republic since April 9, 1999, and his ideologically conservative party, the People's Rally for Progress, has been in power since the country gained independence.
James Schneider from Think Africa Press has always believed that the elections only gave the appearance of democracy:
His most recent re-election, in 2011, came after he changed the constitution to be allowed to run for a third time; the vote took place without election observers and Guelleh won practically unopposed after the opposition withdrew citing harassment and the unfair nature of the poll [..] Guelleh’s illusion will have worked, at least in the short term: he will still have power but now with the veneer of a parliamentary opposition.  Indeed, many people have much to gain from the electoral illusion. But sadly, this group is unlikely to include most ordinary Djiboutians. After all, you cannot improve freedom, development and wellbeing with illusions alone.
Djibouti European Quarter via Wikimedia – Public Domain
The party in power is contesting these allegations of fraud. Abdi Ismail Hersi, head of the independent National Electoral Commission, has stated that the elections took place in a transparent manner. This verdict was shared by a Malian commentator from the African Union, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, who stated:
The citizens of Djibouti were able to carry out their civic duties in total transparency.
On its facebook page [fr], the opposition party reported that arrests [fr] of opposition members were still continuing in the city of Arhiba:
A Arhiba, la journée du dimanche 7 avril a vu l'arrestation musclée avec force brutalité d'Abdo Mohamed Ahmed et Houssein Mohamed Kamil avant d’être conduits tous deux au centre de Nagad. Puis c’est vers 2 heures du matin dans la nuit du dimanche 7 au lundi 8 avril que la police a procédé à de nouvelles arrestations directement aux domiciles des individus pour tirer de leurs lits au moins trois hommes dont les noms ont été révélés : Abdo Ibrahim Mohamed, Abdo Ali Bouha et Abbatte Gadid Merito.
The strategic position of this country in the Horn of Africa makes Djibouti a significant ally for Western countries including France, its previous colonial power, in the fight against the pirates and Islamic terrorists of the region.
President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (right) and Donald Rumsfeld (left), 2002 via wikimedia Public Domain
Luke Lythgoe of Think Africa Press explained how this background makes it difficult for Western countries to criticise the current government:
Djibouti may be a country few in the West know about, yet Western foreign policymakers have placed disproportionate emphasis upon the tiny nation as a strategic base for their operations in the Horn of Africa – particularly in combating piracy and the militant Islamists al-Shabaab in Somalia. Perhaps understandably, considering the higher profile crises on its doorstep, the West has treated Djibouti as little more than a tool in its arsenal – as a military base, launch pad for drone strikes, or venue for regional diplomacy – rather than a situation worth addressing in its own right.

author: Rakotomalala


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Big Money and Sex Talks Shock in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

It’s a story about sex and money, but what catches the attention of many Chinese netizens is the “beyond imagination” gap between the country’s rich and poor.
Offbeat China reports on a bizarre dispute on Sina Weibo between Internet celebrity Guo Meimei and members of Sports Car Club (SCC) about “who is richer” that stemmed from a group sex party.
The SCC members accused Guo of trading sex for money at the party. Guo denied, saying that she is too rich to have to sell herself, and posted a picture of herself with 10 casino chips worth RMB 5 million. In response, two SCC members showed off  their bank balances of over RMB 3.7 billion and over RMB 9.9 billion.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Haiti: Too Fragile to Shoulder the Blame  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Can I get an A-MEN?
When it comes to an analysis of the country's aid management failures, kiskeácity admits she couldn't have said it better than Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Honduras’ Indigenous Reject Hydroelectric Project · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Simply put, this dam is a death sentence to the indigenous communities that have lived here for generations.
Indigenous communities of Rio Blanco, Honduras, blocked the main access road to the “Agua Zarca” hydroelectric dam on April 5 to demand the closing of the project. Construction is already underway, even though the communities “were not adequately consulted nor allowed to participate in the process leading to the project,” as Joshua Nichols reports for Intercontinental Cry.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Macedonia’s Media Law Lacks Media’s Input · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) explains [en] why Macedonian journalists are demanding an open debate “on the scope and the contents” of the draft Law on the Media (via @Macedonia_en):
[…] It was prepared, in its entirety, by the Government and is offered today to the public to give its comments and suggestions as a final and closed concept. […] we do need changes in the legislation to incorporate the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive and we need improved and strengthened implementation of the existing legislation. Any expansion of the scope of the regulation needs to be preceded by a serious debate on the very need to introduce new regulation. […]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Margaret Thatcher’s Top Five China Moments · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Pete DeMola from Beijing Cream reviews Margaret Thatcher's China policy by looking into her five most significant moments and positions in China, including 1. fell down the stairs at the Great Hall of the People; 2. advocated against the Great Firewall; 3. lobbied against serving sea slugs and shark fins to senior-level cadres; 4. bonded with senior-level Chinese officials in 1977 over a shared contempt toward trade unions; 5. lamented sadness at the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China.


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Russian Censors Partially Acquiesce to Wikipedia · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Russian Internet censors at Roskomnadzor have reversed a decision to ban Wikipedia's entry for “cannabis smoking,” following a reexamination of the article after a new round of edits by Wikipedian volunteers. In a statement [ru] on its website today, April 10, 2013, Roskomnadzor announced the unbanning, though at least nine [ru] other Wikipedia articles apparently remain on the RuNet blacklist.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Turning Point for Sri Lanka’s Muslims? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sunanda Deshapriya at Groundviews opines that “the judicial case related to the violent attack on Muslim owned Fashion Bug head office and warehouse in Pepiliyana, 10 km away from Colombo, is destined to be a turning point in Muslim Rights in Sri Lanka.”

author: Rezwan


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Tunisian Graffiti Artists Fined, Most Serious Charges Dismissed · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

A Tunisian court in Gabes, in the South East of Tunisia, fined graffiti artists Oussama Bouagila and Chahine Berriche, 100 Tunisian Dinars [approximately 63 USD], for “writing, without permission, on public property” today [April 10, 2013]. However, the court dismissed the most serious charges of “breaching the state of emergency” and “publishing fake news that could disturb public order”.
Last November, Bouagila and Berriche were caught by police as they were drawing a graffiti that says “the people want the poor's rights.” The two young men are members of the street art group Zwewla [ar] [“the poor” in Tunisian dialect], known for drawing graffiti in support of the underprivileged and the poor.
In a statement, the support committee for Zwewla, described [fr] the verdict as a “symbolic victory for free expression”:
Photo Via Zwewla Facebook Page
Caricature by Nidhal Ghariani
Le Comité de soutien #FreeZwewla est fier de cette victoire symbolique et annonce des initiatives et actions qui auront lieu prochainement afin de réunir l’argent demandé et de régler cette amende.
The support committee #FreeZwewla is proud of this symbolic victory, and announces that a number of initiatives and actions will take place soon to collect the needed sum of money and pay the fine

author: Afef Abrougui


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U.S. Food Safety Groups Urge for Veto of ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Monsanto seed crop. Photo by Paulito B on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The controversial so-called “Monsanto Protection Act” was approved by U.S. Congress on March 24, 2013. It has been said to protect genetically modified seeds from litigation regardless of the effects on the health of consumers.
Named the Farmer Assurance Provision, it is a rider slipped into spending bill HR 933. Though it will only be active for six months until the bill expires on September 30, it has raised alarm among activists.
The bill has been accused of being approved without the knowledge of most senators. The woman responsible for passing the bill was Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, who is currently the Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman. Activists from Food Democracy Now and the Center for Food Safety are directly blaming her for her role in allowing this law to be approved without prior review from the Agricultural or Judiciary Committees.
Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety, Andrew Kimbrell, released this statement:
“In this hidden backroom deal, Senator Mikulski turned her back on consumer, environmental and farmer protection in favor of corporate welfare for biotech companies such as Monsanto.”
An apology  was later released on her Official Website:
“Senator Mikulski understands the anger over this provision. She didn’t put the language in the bill and doesn’t support it either.  As Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Mikulski’s first responsibility was to prevent a government shutdown. That meant she had to compromise on many of her own priorities to get a bill through the Senate that the House would pass. She will continue to fight for a regular and timely Appropriations process and other valuable priorities, including food safety.”
As was reported in the Washington Times, the act is mainly viewed as a victory for companies such as Cargill, Monsanto, Syngento Corp and other affiliated PACs that have donated $7.5 million to members of Congress since 2009, and $372,000 to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Food safety activists and concerned citizens are outraged. Over 250,000 voters signed a petition directed at President Barack Obama opposing the act last week, which reads:
“I urgently request that you veto HR 933. I am outraged that the “farmer assurance provision”, Section 735, currently included in HR 933, was not struck from the Continuing Resolution spending bill passed by Congress.”
Food Democracy Now released an official statement condemning the bill.
“The so-called ‘biotech rider’ was included in budget legislation that won final approval from the House, avoiding a shutdown of the federal government on March 27, when the current funding was set to expire. The provision was slipped into the legislation anonymously and explicitly grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture the authority to override a judicial ruling stopping the planting of a genetically modified crop.
“If leadership in Washington, D.C. can betray the public behind closed doors, it’s time that the American public gain the right to transparency about what they are eating and feeding their families every day.”
And farmers organized by Food Democracy Now held a rally  in front of the White House.

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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Venezuela: Fire Consumes Part of Canaima National Park · Global Voices
Jessica Carrillo

For a week, one of the world's most precious green lungs has been burning. The Canaima National Park in Venezuela's southern Bolivar State, has been blazing out of control.
A combination of drought, wind and a lack of personnel have made the task of extinguishing the flames virtually impossible, and over 1,200 hectares of the sixth largest national park in the world have been consumed.
Although the fire in Canaima, a world heritage site, has been raging for over a week [es], netizens had not spoken of the event until today, after it emerged that the  fire had reached the  tepuy [es], or tabletop mountain, where the Angel Falls are located.
It is not only the environment which is being affected by the fire. The area's indigenous community have spent a week engulfed by smoke and are calling for help from the government, with the respiratory tracts of the oldest and youngest suffering the consequences.
Many Twitter users have lamented the events, but not without calling out the indolence of the Venezuelan state and that of Venezuelan politicians in general.
Photo by pilot Raul Arias, shared widely across social media.
Luis Alfredo Osorio (@LuisOsorio_22) [es] points out that neither of the presidential candidates, Nicolas Maduro and Henrique Capriles Radonski, have mentioned the ecological tragedy:
@LuisOsorio_22: Se nos está quemando Canaima y los políticos bien gracias @hcapriles  @NicolasMaduro
@LuisOsorio_22: Canaima is burning, thanks a lot, politicians @hcapriles @NicolasMaduro
Elsewhere, Alexa Garcia B (@AlexaBrit) [es] shows a similar discontent with the behaviour of the authorities. She is in no doubt that this lack of concern is due to the electoral campaign:
@AlexaBrit: Que lamentable lo que está ocurriendo en parte de Canaima y el Auyantepuy… Y el gobierno? en campaña, las autoridades? en campaña.
@AlexaBrit: Such a shame what is happening in parts of Canaima and Auyantepuy… And the government? Out campaigning. The authorities? Out campaigning.
The coordinator of the national parks institute (Inparques) in the western sector of Canaima, also secretary of the indigenous authority, Josval Simon, said to El Universal [es] newspaper that Sunday went by without any effort to extinguish the flames, as the helicopter equipped with the Bambi Bucket system, belonging to REDI, the Integral Defence Region of Guayana, was withdrawn on Sunday. He then decried the fact that the airship from publicly-owned enterprise Corpoelec, which had been lending assistance, left on Saturday afternoon, having used up its authorized flight hours.
In light of this statement, Twitter user @enigmasPRESS [es] criticises the purchase of arms and defence equipment by the State, which does not have sufficient resources to extinguish the fire in Canaima:
@enigmasPRESS: ¡Patria Querida! Llegaron 100 carros antimotines. Llegaron misiles. Incendio Canaima 1 semana sin apoyo aéreo.  http://goo.gl/3YTc4
@enigmasPRESS: Dear Country, 100 anti-riot vehicles have arrived. Missiles have been shipped in. Canaima has burned for a week without aerial support. http://goo.gl/3YTc4
Photograph by pilot Raul Arias, widely shared across social networks.
Unsurprisingly, the incident did not escape the country's political polarisation, and Twitter users spoke from their own political positions.
Emanuel Bermudez (@emax4) [es] was certain that the opposition would blame the current interim President, Nicolás Maduro, for the fire in the country's southern region:
@emax4: Incendio en Canaima y la culpa es de Chávez pues… Perdón de Maduro….. :S Tontos!
@emax4: Fire in Canaima and Chavez… sorry, Maduro….. is to blame….. :S Idiots!
On the other hand, Javier J. Ugas (@JJ_ugas) [es] believes that Nicolás Maduro will try to evade his responsibility pointing instead to the United States:
@JJ_ugas: Mas de 1.200 hectáreas de Canaima afectadas por incendio incluido el Auyantepuy donde está el salto Angel. Ya Maduro dirá q es culpa de EEUU!
@JJ_ugas: More than 1.200 hectares of Canaima affected by the fire, including El Auyantepuy where the Angel Falls are located. Maduro will say it's the US’ fault!
But the consequences run far beyond the political. The devastation wrought by the flames could take up to a hundred years to heal. At least this is what biologist Rodolfo Castillo, executive director and president of the organisation Bioparques, stated to the Correo del Caroní [es] newspaper. In his words:
Los suelos de esta zona son pobres, la vegetación tiene poco alimento y al quemarse son vulnerables a las próximas lluvias, al viento, por lo que su recuperación, en las mejores condiciones, podría tardar entre 50 y 100 años”.
The soil in this area is very poor, with limited nutrients available for the vegetation, and now, having been burnt, they are vulnerable to the coming rains, to the wind, all of which means that recovery, under the best circumstances, could take between 50 to 100 years.
For Twitter user Jose Rafael Camejo (@joserafael) [es] , however, the incident will not have a large impact, and he criticises those who question the authorities’ handling of the fire:
@joserafael: Hay opositores que se comportan como Maduro: bruuuutos. Un incendio en Canaima es imposible controlar. Además después llueve y crece todo.
@joserafael: There are members of the opposition who are acting like Maduro: stupidly. It's impossible to control a fire in Canaima. Plus, soon it will rain and everything will grow again.

author: Jessica Carrillo


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Zambian Activist Arrested After Speaking Out for Gay Rights · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

A gay rights activist was arrested in Zambia after he appeared on live television arguing that the country, which criminalises homosexual acts, should respect same-sex relationships.
Police arrested Paul Kasonkomona on April 7, 2013 as he left the private Muvi TV studios after saying in an interview that gay rights were like any other form of human rights, to be respected at all cost. He was charged the next day with “inciting the public to take part in indecent activities”.
Kasonkomona remains in police custody, despite his supporters warning that the health of the HIV-positive activist could deteriorate in jail.
The YouTube video below posted by Muvi TV shows plains-clothes officers arresting Kasonkomona:
Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Zambia, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. An overwhelming 98 percent of the country disapproves of homosexual behavior, according to 2010 Pew Research Center poll.
Kasonkomona's arrest came a week after four all-male couples, four Zambians and four foreigners, attempted to get married in the Zambian capital city of Lusaka.
Gay and HIV activist Paul Kasonkomona (with raised hand). Photo courtesy of Zambian Watchdog.
The official in charge of the registry, Henry Kapata, told a local newspaper in a story republished by citizen media website Zambian Watchdog:
They were waiting on the queue and I didn’t know what they wanted until they entered my office. They were all men, dressed normally. [They told him point blank] We have come here specifically to register our marriages. […] I was shocked that such things can happen in Zambia. I told them that we don’t register gay marriages in Zambia. The Marriages Act Cap 50 of the Laws of Zambia and even the Constitution is very clear about that.
The attempted marriages attracted condemnation throughout the country. Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu, acting president at the time of President Michael Sata’s visit to China, reiterated at a church function the government's position on homosexuality, saying:
As a nation and government, we will not accept foreign misdemeanors because we have never known same marriages of man to man, or woman to woman and the bible does not allow. We would better remain poor as a nation than to accept some of these norms perpetuated by people with money who want to destroy our society.
Church officials also balked at the men. Zambia is officially a Christian nation, according to its 1996 national constitution.
Reverend Pukuta Mwanza of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia called homosexuality an “inhuman and unnatural practice” and urged the government not to bend on its hardline position, writing in a letter to the country's head of delegation of the European Union:
We urge our Zambian government not to succumb to your pressures in seeking to interfere with the internal affairs of our sovereign nation by promoting the so called ‘human’ rights that are contrary to our fundamental Christian values and our rich African and traditional beliefs and practices which abhor those practices you are seeking to promote.
One reader on Lusaka Times website, The Only Living Jay, reminded the now ruling Patriotic Front government that it had a more open stand on homosexuality when it was the opposition party before the 2011 elections, writing:
When in oppozition, the PF waz accuzed of habouring homosexual ideaz in the meetingz they had with some Western Diplomats. It would be interesting to hear what the oppozition will say this time around. Human rights violation??
This non-issue of homosexuality must be handled very carefully with a level-headed approach. To go on rampage arresting the so called gayz or pro-gay activists may have ghastly consequencez. Remember Zambia iz not an island. What exactly doez the constitution say or not say?
Commenter Panda used an anti-gay slur while encouraging Zambians not to give up their anti-homosexuality stance, even if it means losing out on aid from countries more accepting of the sexual orientation:
Hon Lungu has spoken very well. Please country men and women, lets all unit and speak with one voice on this matter. These “homos” might go to the extent of withholding their aid (Like Obama promised) and we wil be suffer a few consequences in our hospitals, schools etc; but let us fight for what we as a nation want. Problem will come in when some people are prepared to bow th these “homos” for a bowl of soup.
However, some Zambians have no problems with homosexuality. Commenter Mushota on Lusaka Times wondered why anti-gay campaigners want to impose their religious beliefs on everybody else. The main argument that Zambians use against homosexuality is that God created a man and a woman:
Mr Lungu [Home Affairs minister], Why victimise them the same argument can be made for homosexuals . Since the beliefs of religious conservatives (generally) are not their beliefs, doesn’t that violate homosexuals’ freedom of religion? We are all entitled to our own beliefs, but we should not expect everybody else to conform to them. Same sex marriage has no logical impact on the everyday lives of religious Zambians but You denying same sex couples the right to marry does have a direct impact on the everyday lives of homosexuals. Marriage may be a religious issue for many but the fact is, we also have civil marriage, which has absolutely nothing to do with religion. Religious groups and churches have every right to deny same sex marriage in their parish, but You have absolutely no right to deny it
Another commenter writing on Zambia Watchdog wrote (the site does not have permanent links for individual comments):
People are so quick to preach about what is right and wrong yet if we were to see the wrongs they have done, we would run away. Some people on this bolg [sic] have rapped [sic] children, men or women and yet they critisize [sic] gay people. Who is more wrong a child molester or a gay person who minds his or her own business. The bible says a lot of things such as thy shall not steal, thy shall not commit adultery, honour thy mother and father etc. Yes there is a right and wrong but who are we to say what is and what is not. […] By the way I too have Gay friends like Mweemba and some not all, happen to be the nicest people you can ever meet. What they do in private should have nothing to do with how we perceive them.
Reacting to a story about the police's refusal to release the activist, commenter Counselor congratulated him for his courage:
very brave of you Mr Paul Kasonkomona… one day Gay Rights will be recognized even in Zambia and the whole world at large. Its takes more than bravery to come out as homosexual in African society.
Hitting back at the church for its stand on homosexuality, blogger Miss Bwalya (@missbwalya) wrote on Twitter:
@MissBwalya: Wake me up when Church bodies unite in their call to end the ungodly acts of rape, stripping of women and child molestation.
Another Twitter user, Lwanga Mwilu (@lwangamwilu), captured the polarization that goes on among Zambian netizens when discussing gay issues:
@lwangamwilu: The tensions between free speech and hate speech ever so magnified in the gay rights debate #Zambia

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Bahamas: Limericks for Thatcher · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

She has to be admired for her ability to transform her country…as a middle-class woman in the conservative party.  But I remember apartheid, and…how she almost destroyed the British university system, and…made Britain unwelcoming.
Blogworld writes limericks in commemoration of the Iron Lady.


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Every Minute Six Patients are Diagnosed with Cancer in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

It's official. The ‘plague’ of cancer is at the center of a major public health crisis in China.
Six patients are diagnosed with cancer every minute, that's 8,550 new cancer patients every day, according to the 2012 China Cancer Census (2012中国肿瘤登记年报) [zh]. The report states that 13 percent of these cancer patients will die.
Many believe the rapid increase in cancer rates is a result of environmental pollution from the last few decades of intense growth in China.
The Cancer Census report was published in January 2013, but didn't receive much coverage. Chinese media were busy focusing on the National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
On April 7 and 8, however, the report was repackaged as a public health crisis [zh] by various news outlets, eliciting strong and often emotional debates on China's major social media platforms.
A commentator called Tulao 8 (@土魯8) [zh], from Guangzhou, said on Sina Weibo:
中国是个癌变化的国家，每分钟确诊6人得癌症，这是个可怕的数字，也许这就是中国老百姓唯一能享受到30年改革开放的成果。有些人沾沾自喜，眼前的一切都是他们成就出来的；有些人挣扎在死亡边沿，他们并不知道谁是真正的凶手，也许有部分人知道，也只能无可奈何地让秽浊慢慢地侵蚀掉他们的躯体。
China is a cancer country. Every minute six people are diagnosed with cancer. This is a terrible figure. This is the fruit that ordinary people can enjoy after 30 years of open door policy and reform. Some people are happy about the situation and they see everything as their achievement. Some people are struggling with death and they don't know who is the murderer. Some know who do this to them but can't do anything to stop their bodies from being slowly eaten by the filth.
A map of China's ‘cancer vllages’.
Environmental authorities in China had already confirmed the existence of so-called ‘cancer villages‘ [zh], with 3000 toxic chemicals identified and found across China (excluding data from autonomous regions such as Tibet, Xinjiang and Qinghai.)
Chinese media has reported as many as 459 cancer villages. It is not unusual to find a 10 percent incidence of cancer in these villages [zh]. The worst case is in Zhai Wan Cun in Hubei province; there the cancer rate is 80 times higher than the national level [zh]. The village only has a population of 3000, but more than 100 people with cancer died there between 2003-2006. The average cancer rate in developed countries is around 3 percent.
Beyond these staggering figures, many micro-bloggers painted the real situation in their cancer-ridden communities.
A blogger calling himself ‘Better to be poor at home’ (@在家貧亦好) on Sina Weibo described [zh] :
清明回乡祭祖，了解一些情况，两个村都有很多癌症患者，因癌症去世的，一个村是五个一个村六个，且多为30至50岁的青壮年，这确实是个怪现象，村民们说是年岁不好，但在农村出现大量癌症患者绝对有问题，有关部门应该就这个问题展开详细的调查才是！
I visit my home village during Qingming festival, the two villages nearby have many cancer patients and many have died because of cancer. The first village has 5 and the other one has 6. Most of them are between 30-50, so this is quite odd. The villagers blame ill fortune, but something must have gone wrong for so many cases to appear in the rural villages. The authorities should investigate the cause.
Another calling himself ‘Red leaves on the mountain’ (@山山紅葉), from Tai An City in Shandong province, said [zh]:
我们泰安早就被各种工厂包围了。我们村都被某电铝厂逼的集体搬迁了，上访都被拦下来了，好多电视台的记者都被政府领导摆平了，我们村的地再也不能种出粮食了，只能包租给工厂。哎~癌症人数爆发式增长。
Our Tai'an city has been surrounded by factories. Our villages have been forced to move because of the construction of a aluminum factory. They tried to petition but were stopped. The television reporters have been pressed by government officials. Our land is no longer suitable for growing crops and can only be rented to factories. The number of cancer patients has increase in an explosive manner.
Deng Fei (@鄧飛), an activist who campaigns against water pollution in China by asking people to document polluted rivers, re-posted [zh] a private message sent to him by an online friend:
#一名网友来信#邓老师，今天看见您发起的关注地下水污染，眼泪掉下来。我少小离开家乡，在上海打拼，我的亲人依然生活在潍坊与平度交界处，如今几乎每家都能讲述一个关于癌症的凄凉故事，我妹妹的公婆在去年同时被查出癌症，公公已去世，婆婆尚在治疗中。我代表世代生活在那片土地上的乡亲叩谢您。
#Letter from an online friend# Teacher Deng, tears come out when I see that you have raised concern about the pollution of underground water. I left my home village to Shanghai when I was very young but my relatives are still living near Weifang and PIngdu in Shandong province. Now every family can tell a story about cancer. My sister's parents in law were both diagnosed with cancer last year. Now her father-in-law has passed away but mother-in-law is still receiving treatment. I would like to thank you for what you have done to the people in that piece of land.
Cang County in Hebei is an example of a region with high cancer rates, and has suffered in the past from high levels of underground water pollution. Charles Xue (@薛蛮子), an investor highlighted [zh] the news:
#河北沧县红豆水污染案有感#沧县环保局长在网民一片骂声中下台了。化验结果是污染超标70倍！化工厂污染长达23年。村里有确诊的癌症30例其中26例死亡！村民反复申诉，从环保部到省环保厅层层文案下转，验水结果居然是水质合格？!而且是年年合格?中国655城市400个靠地下水供水。我们怎么办?我们的孩子呢
#Comment on the “red bean” pollution incident in Cang County in Hebei# [note: the underground water in the region has turned red and the head of environmental department claimed that the water was not polluted, he said that when red beans are boiled with rice, the rice turn red.] The head of Environmental Department in Cang County has finally been sacked because of netizens’ criticism. The report came out and the residue of chemicals has exceeded 70 times the safety standard. In the village, there are 30 diagnosed cancer patients and 26 of them have died. The villagers have been protesting but all these years, all the reports from the county to the province's environmental departments said that the water quality is safe?! How can they pass the water quality test every year? Among 655 cities in China, 400 depend on underground water supplies, so what can we do? What can our kids do?
Another commentator called ‘Little Dadada’ (@小达达哒) blogged about [zh] the cancer death toll in Fuzhou city from Fujian province.
【癌症杀手，榕城不可承受之重！】而作为占全省人口19.31%的首府福州市，每年因癌死亡人数超过1.1万，死亡率位居全国中小城市中首位。
[Cancer the killer and the unbearable heaviness of Fuzhou city] Fuzhou City constitutes 19.3% of the population of Fujian province, and the annual death toll from cancer patients is more than 11,000. The cancer death rate has topped all the middle to small size cities in the country.
A user called ‘Huihui Da'（＠回回達）concluded [zh] by noting sarcastically that:
那是,天天和猪肉汤,鸡汤鱼汤,吃毒馒头,工业菜是毒豆芽,天天雾霾怎么不得癌
Well, We drink pork soup [refers to dead pigs in Shanghai river], eat poisonous bread, toxic sprouts produced by industrial farming, breathe in toxic smog. Of course we have cancer.


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Croatia’s Sports Lesson for Ukraine · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukraine, with its population of 45 million people, has much to learn from Croatia, population just over 4 million, in terms of organizing affordable and accessible sports activities for children.
This is one of the conclusions that Denis Oleinikov, a Ukrainian businessman who lives in Croatia with his wife and two children, has recently shared in a Facebook post [ru] comparing the attitudes towards sports in Ukraine and in Croatia. Oleinikov received political asylum in Croatia – which he now calls his “new, cozy and friendly home” – following the 2011 crackdown on his goods-on-demand company that had been printing t-shirts with slogans mocking the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
First, Oleinikov compared the demographics and financial resources of the two countries:
[…] Ukraine has a much higher level of urbanization. We live predominantly in large cities – which means that it is possible to build [sports facilities] that would accommodate […] hundreds of thousands of people. […]
In Croatia, people live mainly in small towns. […] Our town's population is 10,000 people. There are only about 30 kids my son's age there – [in Kyiv], there'd be more kids his age in just two streets [of any given neighborhood].
In Ukraine, there are [large industrial corporations] that fund not just professional clubs, but also “corporate” sports facilities of a rather high quality. My daughter [played tennis] a couple of times at the gym that belongs to the [Odessa-based] Shustov Cognac Factory – they have tennis courts and a swimming pool there, and all is up to the mark. The whole Croatian region doesn't have a swimming pool [that could compete with Shustov's].
Local [Croatian] oligarchs are poor beggars compared to their Ukrainian counterparts. […]
Next, he did a quick assessment of how the two countries fare against each other in sports:
[…] Football, FIFA rankings: Croatia – 9, Ukraine – 48.
Basketball, men: Croatia – 16, Ukraine – 50.
Basketball, women: Croatia – 21, Ukraine – 61 (shares this position with Rwanda and Madagascar).
Handball, men: Croatia – 10, Ukraine – 28.
Handball, women: Croatia – 18, Ukraine – 22.
Ukraine is ahead of Croatia only in winter sports, which isn't surprising as much of Croatia lies in the subtropics :). And not in all winter sports, too – Croats are ahead of us in alpine skiing. […]
Croatia wins bronze medal at Handball World Championships. Photo by Pau Barrena, copyright © Demotix (26/01/13).
Oleinikov kept wondering about Croatia's enviable athletic achievements. Then, when his little son got a chance to spend a week at a free-of-charge sports camp organized by his school during spring break, he understood what the key to Croatia's success must have been:
[…] We would drop our son off at 8 AM and pick him up at 3 PM.
The city provided sports facilities and lunch […]. Sports federations provided the coaches […]. A children's sports psychologist was invited from [Croatia's capital] Zagreb.
And FOR A WHOLE WEEK the kids have been joyfully trying different types of sports, for free: football, basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, ping-pong, karate, fencing (!!!), yachting (!!!), bocce… that's it, I guess.
[…]
In our “village” (by Ukrainian standards, it wouldn't even be the biggest one), 100 percent of children are involved in extracurricular sports activities. […]
Oleinikov sees a lesson for Ukraine here – and for Ukraine's opposition politicians, too:
[…] It shouldn't cost too much to reproduce it all in Ukraine. […] Schools and some municipal organizations could provide gyms. Dinners can be organized somehow as well.
What's needed is that someone has the need to do this. Even if the state doesn't give a damn.
Enthusiasts, volunteers, activists.
Finally, one camp like this would bring five times more loyal supporters (from the parents’ ranks) to the respected opposition politicians than ten protest rallies would. Only this camp has to be organized every six months for five years in a row – and not just once three months before the election […].
Some of Oleinikov's readers (and he has over 2,750 Facebook friends and followers) weighed in on the situation with sports in Ukraine – showing little or no optimism, however.
Aleksandr Yaremenko wrote [ru]:
Denis, children's sports barely exists in our country now. It is either the “elite” types of sports that parents pay huge amounts of money for […], or it's pure enthusiasm of [state-funded] coaches who survive on peanuts from the not-so-rich parents.
Alex Gureev wrote [ru]:
People in the well-to-do Europe tend to forget the Ukrainian realities a bit too quickly. Here, people are busy just trying to SURVIVE! They cannot be bothered with sports and other attributes of the well-to-do West… We've had more than one attempt to apply the [theory of “small deeds”] – and, in most cases, these attempts failed after just a couple of months… ((


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Ethiopia Accused of Ethnic Cleansing Over Mass Amhara Evictions · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

Thousands of ethnic Amharas in western Ethiopia are being expelled en masse from the country's Benishangul Gumuz region, where many have settled, in what some are condemning as a campaign of “ethnic cleansing“.
Ethiopia has been divided into nine ethnically based and politically autonomous regional states and two chartered cities since 1996. The Amhara people, reportedly including children, pregnant women, and the sickly, are being uprooted to a rural area of Ethiopia's Amhara region, which contains their historical homeland.
Human rights advocates say the deportation is illegal according to Ethiopian and international law. Ethiopian authorities have maintained that these claims are unsubstantiated, saying that they have been moving and resettling indigenous and local farmers in the name of villagization programs.
This isn't the first time Ethiopian officials have forced Amhara people to move to another region. A reported 22,000 Amharas were evicted from southern Ethiopia and their homes confiscated in 2012.
A report by Ethiopian Satellite Television in March 2013 and made available on YouTube [amh] quotes opposition party leaders condemning the eviction.
Many Ethiopians are opposed to the government policy of the rural population's mass eviction. An online petition, demanding the government stop the resettlement campaign, had 1,919 signatures at the time of this post's publication on April 11, 2013.
The petition page, which is addressed to Dr. Chaloka Beyani, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, and many other Ethiopian government high officials, reads:
According to the information that I have, the eviction is poorly organized and is marred by several cases of human right violations. This petition is in protest of this eviction and is intended to get the plight of these voiceless Ethiopians to the attention of the Ethiopian government and international rights organizations. Please sign the petition and invite your friends to sign as well. This is the least we can do to show our solidarity with Ethiopians who are being victimized by a misguided and irresponsible policy.
Jawar Mohammed, a political analyst and blogger, theorized on his Facebook page about the reasons behind the mass evictions of the Amharas:
Its my view that the mass eviction at this time has well calculated political agenda and is being hatched by the real power holders. By instigating attack on vulnerable Amharas who reside outside their regional state, the regime would like to stir ethnic victim-hood sentiment. This is meant to force Amhara political leaders to resort to open ethnic partisan advocacy, which would undermine their pan-Ethiopianist narrative. What does the regime benefit from this?
Since the 2005 election, the TPLF [Tigray People's Liberation Front, one of Ethiopia's political parties and the real dominant player in Ethiopia politics although the ruling party is Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)] has been trying hard to transform its ethno-nationalist narrative to that of statist nationalism. That is it wants to justify its continuous rule by presenting itself as guardian of the Ethiopian state and its historical legacy. However, before it can achieve that, it has to displace the previous claimant–the Amhara elites. Hence such surgical attack on their ethnic brethren would eventually force Amhara elites to embrace ethno-nationalism and give up the throne of Ethiopian nationalism to the new claimant- Tigrean elites.
The sad thing is while the rulers experiment with all kind of dirty tricks to prolong their days in palace, innocent and poor farmers struggling to survive on a dollar a day income are pushed around. Making these farmers homeless at the time when people are barely surviving at their home due to the unbearably high cost of living is a heartless crime that sets a dangerous precedent, that must be condemned by everyone, in regardless of who we are or what political opinion we have.
Blogger Ephrem Eshete asked  [amh] Ethiopians to strongly denounce the evictions:
ሊወገዝ የሚገባው ተግባር መነሻው ምንም ይሁን ምን፣ የክልሉ ፓርቲ ከማንም ጋር ይስማማ አይስማማ በነዚህ ዜጎች ላይ የተደረገው ተገቢነት የሌለው ነገር ነው። የዜጎች በአገራቸው ውስጥ የመዘዋወር፣ የመኖር መብት እንዲህ በጥቂት የፓርቲ ሹመኞች መወሰኑ የሚያስጨንቅም የሚያስደነግጥም ምልክት
This action should strongly be denounced. The parties administering their respective regional states might have agreed on terms [for evictions] but it is wrong regardless of the reasons for the uprooting of these citizens of Ethiopia. It is alarming as well to know Ethiopian citizens’ rights to movement in their country is decided by political party officials.
Abraha Desta, an activist based in Tigray, Ethiopia identified [amh] three reasons for activists to support the Amhara people:
ሰዎች ከቀያቸው በሃይል (በግፍ በዘርሓረጋቸው እየተለዩ) ሲፈናቀሉ (ሲባረሩ) የከፋ የሰብኣዊ መብት ጥሰት ነው። ዜጎቻችን (ወገኖቻችን) ሲፈናቀሉ የሚደርሳቸው ኢኮኖሚያዊ፣ ማሕበራዊና ስነልቦናዊ ቀውስ (Helplessness) መገመት ኣይከብድም። ሁሉም ኢትዮዽያ ሊተባበራቸው ይገባል፤ መንግስት ይህን ተግባሩ እንዲያቆም ተፅዕኖ ማድረግ ኣለብን።
እኛም እየተፈናቀሉ ካሉ ሰዎች ጎን መሰለፍ ያለብን ይመስለኛል። ምክንያቱም (1) ወገኖቻችን ናቸው። እኛ ኢትዮዽያውያን ያልደረስንላቸው ማን መጥቶ ይረዳቸዋል? (2) ዛሬ በኣማራ ተወላጆች እየተፈፀመ ያለው ግፍ (ኣሁንኑ ካልቆመ) ነገ በእያንዳንዳችን እንደሚፈፀም ማወቅ ይኖርብናል። (3) የማፈናቀል ተግባሩ የብሄር ፖለቲካ ችግር ኣባብሶ የጥላቻ ፖለቲካ ስር ሰዶ የኢትዮዽያ ሀገራችን ኣንድነት የሚፈታተን ይሆናል።
The following should be our reasons to stand by the sides of our fellow citizens: 1) The people are Ethiopians, so if we are not standing by their side who is going to support them? 2) If what happens to the Amharas does not stop here by now we should know that tomorrow it is going to happen to everyone. 3) These acts might inflame ethnic politics which might turn into hate politics that will jeopardize the integrity of Ethiopia.
However, Mesfin Negash warned [amh] that these acts should not be taken as acts of a certain ethnic group against another ethnic group but rather acts of people who don’t have any sense of decency:
የዛሬ አፈናቃዮች በብሔረሰብ ካባ ለመደበቅ ቢሞክሩም ሕግ ፊት የሚቀርቡበት ቀን እንደሚመጣ አምናለሁ። ተፈናቃዮዩቹ በሙሉ የአማራ ብሔር ተወላጆች ቢሆኑም አፈናቃዩ ወገን ግን የየትኛውም ብሔር ወኪል እንዳልሆነ እናስታውስ፤ አደራ። ግፈኞቹ፣ መዝባሪዎቹ፣ ወሮበሎቹ፣ ሆድ አደሮቹና ዘረኞቹ አፈናቃዮች ብሔራቸው “ነውር” ነው። ነውረኞች።
Today’s culprits of these mass evictions are trying to paint their acts and hide under ethnicity, but I believe a day shall come when these people will stand before a court of law. Though the evictees are Amharas, we should believe the perpetrators are not representatives of a certain ethnic group. Please be reminded that the ethnicity of wrong doers, looters and racists is indecency!
Correction: An earlier version of this piece included an image from the petition site that we believed was from 2012 of evicted Amharas. The image has since been deleted, a reader traced the original image to this article published in 2010, according to which Amharas in the image are seeking loans. Apologies for the error.

author: Endalkachew Chala


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Hating on Russia’s Protester Chess Master · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Dissidents have fled Russia for as long as there has been a Russia from which to flee. Earlier this week, April 7, 2013, activist Ilya Yashin startled many when he announced [ru] on Twitter that protest figure and former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov had abandoned his leadership position in the oppositionist group “Solidarity,” and likely decided to emigrate. Later that day, Kasparov wrote [ru] on LiveJournal to confirm his departure from Solidarity and deny any decision to leave Russia, chiding Yashin for spreading such misinformation. According to the old chess master, he's lost all patience with Solidarity's close ties to political party RPR-PARNAS, which he fears will drag Solidarity into unethical and strategically disastrous participation in Russia's corrupt elections system.
Garry Kasparov in Paris, France, 30 March 2012, photo by PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE, CC 2.0.
The next day, Yashin responded [ru] to Kasparov, apologizing for the mixup, but maintaining that Kasparov's exit could have been executed more professionally (and perhaps in person). Vladimir Milov, a former Solidarity activist and well-known Kasparov critic, chimed in [ru] after Yashin with a scathing attack on Kasparov's (supposed) cowardice, pettiness, greed, and hypocrisy. Chief among their disagreements is the need and wisdom of participating in formal elections, which Milov considers a necessity for the opposition and Kasparov believes only perpetuates the regime's reputation for semi-democracy.
Milov also accused Kasparov of having de facto emigrated from Russia already, given that Kasparov spends roughly half the year in his Manhattan penthouse and hasn't attended an unsanctioned demonstration in Russia in over five years, despite regularly calling on others to do so.


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Jamaica: Folklorist Olive Lewin Dies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp notes the passing of Jamaican folklorist and author, Dr. Olive Lewin.


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Pediatricians Strike in Russian Republic of Udmurtia · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

A blogger in Izhevsk, the capital of Udmurtia (a republic located between Tatarstan and the Ural Mountains) has been single-handedly trying to bring attention to a story that has been all but ignored by mainstream RuNet. Starting in early March, Andrey Konoval [ru], an Izhevsk-based journalist, activist, and former deputy, has written over 20 blog posts covering the ongoing battle of local doctors and nurses working at Izhevsk's state-run outpatient children's hospitals against Udmurtia's health ministry.
Anonymous doctors on “Action” website. Funny, yet not very confidence-inspiring. Screenshot, April 10, 2013
The healthcare professionals in question are members of a medical workers union called “Action” [ru], which was formed late last year [ru], with the mission of “Stopping the Collapse of Healthcare.” (Judging by its official website, “Action” appears to be quite radically inclined, and perhaps a bit too self-consciously hip. One image used to illustrate an article is of doctors wearing Guy Fawkes masks — a visual reference to the anarchic hacking collective Anonymous. Another image portrays two children wearing scarves tied to cover their mouths in rioter fashion.) Izhevsk pediatricians and members of “Action” picketed the local government in December, 2012, lodging grievances, including [ru] complaints about low pay, institutionalized overtime, and forced work at “secondary stations” (local outpatient offices with no permanent staff).
Anarchist children and “Action – Izhevsk” logo. Screenshot, April 10, 2013
While the government appeared to agree to address these grievances during talks [ru] with the picketers on January 31st of this year, workers saw no tangible action since that time. Konoval reports [ru] that:
[…] прошедший месяц показал, что никакой реальной работы с администрацией поликлиник чиновники не провели и проводить не намерены. […] В больницах, по-прежнему, пытаются принудить людей к работе на втором участке (не трогая, правда, уже активистов, а кое-где и повысив оплату этой дополнительной нагрузки), зарплата в целом не только не повысилась (в сравнении с прошлым годом), а даже снизилась за счет 1) инфляции, 2) задержки выплаты “стимулирующих”. 3)и введения системы “штрафов”
[…] the past month has shown that bureaucrats have done no real work with hospital administrations, and aren't planning to. […] Hospitals are still trying to force people to work at a secondary station (not touching, though, the activists, and in some places raising the remuneration of this extra workload), on the whole pay has not only not increased (in relation to last year), but actually decreased due to 1) inflation, 2) delay in the payment of “bonuses”. 2) and institution of a systems of “fines”
Apparently [ru], Udmurtian healthcare authorities do not release enough funds to pay everyone a “stimulating” bonus, prompting hospital administrators to increase the rigors of performance review in order to withhold bonuses. Without these extra funds, the doctors in question are paid [ru] the equivalent of approximately 500 USD per month. (Konoval believes [ru] that this is being done in order to speed up the transition of patients into private healthcare.)
These developments have forced the activists to carry out their threat of launching a so-called “Italian strike” (also known as “work-to-rule”), a type of worker action where rather than simply refusing to work, strikers precisely fulfill every letter of law and regulation in order to cause a slowdown and to the detriment of daily business [ru]:
Это переполнило чашу терпения педиатров. Сейчас только закончилось собрание актива медицинского профсоюза “Действие”, которое длилось шесть часов – с 12.00. Мораторий на “итальянскую забастовку”, который был принят на время эпидемии гриппа и переговоров с чиновниками, решено аннулировать.
This was the last straw for the pediatricians. Just now, a meeting of the “Action” activists has finished — it lasted for six hours, from 12:00. It has been decided to annul the moratorium on an “Italian strike”, which was accepted for the time of the flu epidemic and talks with bureaucrats.
This type of action can be particularly attractive since it does not require coordination with the authorities. According to a statement by the strike committee [ru], as reported by Konoval, the upshot is that during the strike doctors will spend 13-20 minutes per child, instead of the usual 5-6 minutes. They will also refuse to work overtime (usually anywhere from 2-6 hours).
Originally [ru] the strike was planned to last from April 2 to April 9, 2013, and 34 people were to be involved, affecting over 15,000 children in Izhevsk. However, between the announcement in late March and the start of the strike, many of the participants were intimidated into backing down. Konoval describes [ru] the pressure:
Репрессии развернулись и на уровне поликлиник, где людей опять же запугивают словами о якобы незаконности “итальянской забастовки”, пытаются найти компромат на активистов и оформить нарушения. […] Во всех трех больницах людей вызывают по одному на проработку и пытаются заставить подписать отказ от “итальянской забастовки”. […] В 5-й поликлинике после оказанного административного давления детский врач Татьяна Семенова почувствовала себя плохо (проблемы с сердцем) и была вынуждена с сегодняшнего дня уйти на больничный.
Repressions were also at the level of the hospital, where people are being frightened off by the supposed unlawfulness of the “Italian strike”, and they are trying to dig up dirt on the activists and issue violations. […] In all three hospitals people are being called in one at a time, and being made to sign a rejection of the “Italian strike”. […] In Clinic #5, after the administrative pressure exerted on her, pediatrician Tatyana Semyonova started feeling unwell (heart problems) and had no choice but to go on medical leave.
As a result, at the start of the strike only 11 doctors [ru] in two of the hospitals ended up participating. Nevertheless, the cause is not a complete failure. Since the authorities failed to address the strikers’ complaints, on April 8 the committee decided to continue the strike indefinitely, with the option of going on hunger strike if there are no talks by April 15, 2013. Konoval also reports [ru] that the strike has attracted additional participants from other city hospitals.
While the story has been picked up by some online publications, as well as local newspapers, it is oddly absent from the usual opposition blog and Twitter circuit. Unfortunately, although healthcare is a potentially unifying issue, such regional news frequently end up in a blind-spot on the RuNet.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Petitioning North Korea to Stop Nuclear Threat · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

As war rhetoric intensifies every day in Korean peninsula and even nuclear threats were made by North Korea, an online petition by ICAN was posted on Change.org, urging North Korea and heads of the Six-Nation Talks to return to the negotiating table.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Putin Unfazed by Topless Protest in Hannover · Global Voices
Daniel Alan Kennedy

On Monday, 8 April 2013, Putin's tour of a trade fair in Hannover with German Chancellor Angela Merkel took an unexpected turn when three members of the controversial Ukrainian feminist and self-described “sextremist” organization FEMEN [en] staged a half-naked protest [photo gallery] aimed at the Russian president. Their bodies painted with anti-Putin slogans in English and Russian, the protestors rushed the President and Chancellor screaming “F**k the dictator!” before security dragged them away.
FEMEN's unconventional and confrontational style of protest has been the topic of controversy in both the West and Russia. However, from the very beginning, many were more intrigued by Putin's reaction to the protests than anything else.
President Vladimir Putin is accosted by a Femen demonstrator. The writing on her back reads “Go f**k yourself, Putin”. Photo courtesy http://femen.org/
Many on the RuNet were particularly struck by one widely distributed photo, in which the Russian President appears to smile and give two thumbs up, while Merkel looks on in shock. Neiswestnij [ru] claimed Putin's “duckface” reminded him of “Yeltsin in his last days in the Kremlin”. Within hours humurously photoshopped versions appeared online:
One example of the many Putin-FEMEN-related photo-edited satires widely and anonymously distributed online.
When asked about the events at a press conference [ru] later that day, Putin stunned some by expressing his overwhelmingly positive reaction to the protest.
Что касается акции – она мне понравилась. В принципе мы знали о том, что такая акция готивится. Скажите спасибо украинским девушкам. Они вам помогли раскрутить ярмарку… Секьюрити работают очень жестко. Такие здоровые лбы навалились на девчонок. Это.. мне кажется, что неправильно. Можно было бы и помягче с ними обращаться.
As for the protest, I liked it. We basically knew such a protest was being prepared. Say thank you to the Ukrainian girls. They helped you promote the trade fair… The security guards were a bit rough—such big lugs launching themselves at these girls. This is… it seems to me, wasn't right. They could have dealt with them more gently.
While Putin clearly enjoyed the display of “sextremism”, reaction to FEMEN's latest protest was primarily negative, leading to an unusual consensus between the RuNet's liberal and conservative factions.
эти девушки, конечно, такие же феминистки, как и Pussy Riot. Ни те, ни другие не имеют никакого отношения к борьбе за равноправие полов. Просто слово, которое считается у наших теток и дядек почти матерным, им как бунтарям понравилось.
These girls, of course, are feminists in the same way Pussy Riot are. Neither one, nor the other has any relation to the battle for gender equality. [Feminism] is just a word that our aunts and uncles consider almost profanity, and these rebels like it for that reason.
Pro-kremlin blogger lera-vad [ru] was also not amused:
Забавно, конечно, но скоро эти абсолютно больные на голову тетки уже на детских утренниках голосискаться будут. Им бы в стриптизерш переквалифицироваться, на праздниках олигархов выпрыгивать из торта.
It's all very funny, of course, but soon these sick-in-the-head chicks will be flashing their breasts in children's matinees. They would be better of retraining as strippers and jumping out of cakes at oligarch's parties.
While many were entertained by Putin's reaction, some found his subsequent comments distasteful in light of how the Kremlin handled the Pussy Riot affair last year. Twitter user sangdrag [ru] was quick to point out what he saw as the President's hypocrisy:
Продажные СМИ наперебой хвалят путина, дескать добрый, пожалел пославших его на х+й Фемен. Что же он, крыса лживая, Pusse Riot не пожалеет?!
The mercenary media are all vying to praise Putin, saying how kind he is to pity Femen after they told him to go f**k himself. So why doesn't this lying rat pity Pussy Riot?!
While FEMEN issued a statement [en] denying Putin had any advance warning of the protest, the President's nonchalant reaction to the whole affair lends a certain credence to his claim to the contrary. Twitter user sovprezident [ru] posited the theory that the Kremlin could have hired the protesters, and warned Putin in advance. Members of FEMEN have been called agents provocateurs before, notably after cutting down a Christian cross with a chainsaw [en] at the height of the Pussy Riot scandal. Regardless of how much the Kremlin knew in advance, it is hard to deny that Putin emerged from what could have been an embarrassing affair looking far better composed than his detractors—whether that's the result of innate PR instincts or something more sinister is anyone's guess.

author: Daniel Alan Kennedy


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Southeast Asia Lionizes ‘Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher · Global Voices
Aim Sinpeng

A snapshot of reactions across Southeast Asia to the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher provides a rather solemn albeit positive reflection on the Iron Lady.
Thatcher, who died on April 8, 2013 at the age of 87 after a stroke, was Britain's first female leader and the first woman to lead a major Western power. The merits of her economic and social reforms, put into place over the course of her 11 years in office, remain a source of debate.
To start, a humorous photo mix-up in Thailand. Channel 5, a state-owned television, mistakenly showed a picture of Meryl Streep, as opposed to Thatcher, causing much confusion among Thai viewers. A stream of online reactions to this embarrassing saga spread across the cyberspace, prompting Channel 5 to release an apology on its Facebook page.
Thailand's state-run TV showing actress Meryl Streep as former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Saksith Saiyasombut believed the mistake was a result of a quick Google picture search:
Obviously, this was the result of a quick Google picture search and taking the next best picture that showed up. But it does beg the question whether or not this will be the last time that a TV newsroom will make such a (admittedly hilarious) mistake and confuse the real world figures with the actors playing them – we probably can expect to see future mix-ups like Hellen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II or Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela!
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Photo from Wikipedia
On a more serious note, references to the “Iron Lady” from countries with female prime ministers concluded that their leaders seem to lack the “iron quality” that Thatcher had. Chuvit Kamolvisit, a Thai MP, called Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra a “Puppet Lady” who has a lot to learn from Thatcher. Noom Maung Non wrote:
Margaret declared war with Argentina to protect the Falklands, which were far far away from England. But in [the Thai] case, the Khao Praviharn belongs to us Thai but Yingluck wants to give way to the Cambodians.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Dave Llorito wrote a piece in 2007 aptly titled “Gloria Arroyo is no Thatcher” arguing that while the former president of the Philippines tried to implement Thatcherite policies, she ultimately failed because “Arroyo lacked the soul” of the Iron Lady.
In Indonesia, a Jakarta Post reader mourned the loss of an important world leader and wished that his country could have a leader like Thatcher:
…someone with that sort of valor, the sort of dominant spirit that is not afraid. We need a piece of iron to smash corruption and inconsistency in this country.
Singapore, on the other hand, seems to have no shortage of iron-type leaders. Thatcher herself confessed on her first visit to Singapore in 1985 that Lee Kwan Yew was among the few world leaders she most admired for his leadership calibre.
Some Singaporeans agree. LesMISERABLES wrote on the Courtyard Cafe that what Thatcher did to the world paled in comparison to what Lee Kwan Yew did for Singapore. Sammyman said:
How to compare the immortal with the mere mortal like Thatcher?!?
Others disagree. User steffychun wrote on forum Sam's Alfresco Heaven:
Both are neoliberal. But Lee is dictatorial. Thatcher won elections freely.
Likewise, Johnny333 claimed:
Under LKY (Lee Kuan Yew) true unions did not exist. NTUC is nothing more than another PAP (Singapore's ruling party) organisation.
Writing on the philosophy and politics blog Philolitics, seamus23efc preferred Thatcher over Lee:
Despite me disliking both Maggie and Harry, who would I choose?
Definitely not the one who outlawed protests, freedom of speech and assembly, who engages in smearing campaigns against opposition politicians and showing disrespect to them and the ones that wages war indirectly with the working class with salaries higher than President Obama’s.
If I could choose between these two people, I would go for Maggie.

author: Aim Sinpeng


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Tajik Blogger Urges to Stop ‘Topless Jihad’ · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

The Ukrainian feminist group Femen has recently staged ‘topless jihad’, a series of bare-breasts demonstrations near mosques across Europe. Tomiris, a female blogger from Tajikistan urges [ru] Femen's activists to do something more useful:
[D]o something useful. Stop sticking your breasts there where they may offend people. And don't stand in the way of real feminists doing their noble job.

author: Mahina Shodizoda


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China Pulls ‘Django Unchained’  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Chinese cinemas cancelled all screenings of Quentin Tarantino's “Django Unchained” last minute on April 11 due to “technical reasons”. Netizens think the theme on freedom is the main reason for the cancellation. Journalist Wu Yonggang wrote[zh] on Sina Weibo, which translated as:
The technical issue is a small problem, the bigger problem is the core theme of fighting for freedom.[The authorities] are scared of its influence.

author: Abby Liu


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Uruguay Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Uruguay has become the second Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage.
Lawmakers in Congress passed the bill, which defines marriage as “the permanent union between two people of the same or opposite sex,” by a wide margin on April 10, 2013, with 71 of 92 votes in favor. The country's upper house of the Senate approved the proposal last week.
President Jose Mujica, who has pushed for the bill, is expected to sign it into law in the next two weeks.
Uruguay is now the 12th country in the world to approve same-sex marriage and the second in the region after Argentina, which legalized it in 2010.
Supporters gathered inside and outside the legislative palace to celebrate. Journalist Fabian Cardozo shared a picture of crowds cheering after the vote:
Photo shared by Fabian Cardozo (@facardozo) on Twitter.
The Movement for Popular Participation, a political party that belongs to the ruling left-wing party Broad Front, shared a photo album [es] on Facebook with more pictures.
Photo shared by Movimiento de Participación Popular on Facebook.
Twitter users from other countries congratulated and thanked Uruguay for the move, such as Pedro Zerolo (@Pedro_Zerolo) from Spain:
Thank you, Uruguay. 12th country to approve marriage equality. Photo shared by @Pedro_Zerolo on Twitter.
Netizens also shared reactions under the hashtag #matrimonioigualitarioUY (equal marriage Uruguay) [es].
Uruguayan Twitter user Teodora (@t_odora) [es] wrote:
@t_odora: hoy fue de esos días q hay q festejar sin cuestionarse, la lucha da resultados, el trabajo de hormiga vale la pena #matrimonioigualitarioUY
@t_odora: today was one of those days that you have to celebrate without questioning yourself, the struggle brings results, hard work pays off #matrimonioigualitarioUY
While musician German Bernardez (@GodFatter) [es] shared:
@GodFatter: A partir de hoy me siento todavía mas orgulloso de ser uruguayo. Uruguay aprueba el #MatrimonioIgualitarioUY Un país cada día mas justo
@GodFatter: Starting today I feel even prouder to be Uruguayan. Uruguay approves #MatrimonioIgualitarioUY. A fairer country every day.
User @colowolman [es] added:
@colowolman: La verdad es que ya era hora que el Parlamento hiciera algo que pueda mejorar esta sociedad #matrimonioigualitariouy
@colowolman: The truth is that it is about time that the Parliament does something that can improve this society #matrimonioigualitariouy
Despite positive responses online and on the streets, not everyone in the country was celebrating. El Espectador reported [es] that the Catholic Church in Uruguay argued that “the law is ‘a further setback’ in a legal system that ‘has founded its existence’ on the ‘respect and protection’ of the family institution, a ‘constitutional basis of our society.’


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Caution as Yemen Hands Diplomatic Immunity to Top Military · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

The presidential decrees many Yemenis have been awaiting have finally come as Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Wednesday April 9, 2013, removed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh‘s son Ahmed, the head of the Republican Guard, and appointed him as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Saleh's nephew Ammar, the deputy intelligence chief, was appointed military attache in Ethiopia, Ammar's brother, Tareq Yahia, head of the Presidential Guard, was appointed as military attache in Germany. General Ali Muhsin Alahmar, Yemen's second most powerful man during Saleh's reign, was also removed from his post and appointed as adviser to the president for military and security affairs. Removing Saleh's relatives and Ali Muhsin from power has been an major challenge in restructuring Yemen's military, and an obstacle to the transitional government.
Yemenis reactions:
Carlos Latuff Cartoon of Saleh's published in 2011
Ibrahim Mothana happily tweeted:
@imothanaYemen: Now we can really call it military restructuring! #Yemen
@imothanaYemen: Wondering how the backlash to president's Hadi decrees will look like this time? #Yemen
Atiaf Alwazir commented:
@WomanfromYemen: Just b/c General Ali Mohsin will leave his post doesn't mean he wont have “influence” in #Yemen; Saleh also left his post.
@WomanfromYemen:
Many ppl excited about new Pres decree, yet hardly anyone assessed background of new Generals or potential impact on balance of power #yemen
Farea Almuslimi said:
@almuslimi: Finally Hadi does what hundreds of thousands of #Yemenis voted for him to do so; Decrease the source of headache in their lives for decades
@almuslimi: Today would have been totally perfect if Ali Mohsen was also sent abroad as a diplomat. I doubt #KSA wld have allowed #Hadi to do it though
Summer Nasser cautiously tweeted:
@SummerNasser: There is one thing I learned from Yemen's politics: never be too excited about anything. Instead, be neutral.
@SummerNasser: Why are you all so happy? He (Hadi) is OBLIGATED to fix the country. We make it seem like he's doing us a favor. #Yemen
Blogger Afrah Nasser tweeted:
@Afrahnasser: The new decrees do #Yemen no good at all. What Yemen needs is justice. For God's sake, why Yemen can't enjoy justice?!!
@Afrahnasser: The bloodshed #Yemen's uprising gone through should never be forgotten nor forgiven. Never. Let alone all the bloodshed we saw thro history.
Non-Yemenis Reaction:
Letta Tayler from HRW tweeted:
@lettatayler: #Yemen shakeup = new diplomatic immunity for 3  #Saleh kin: Tareq in #Germany, Ahmed Ali in #UAE, Amar in #Ethopia.
@lettatayler
Seems Ali Mohsen got what he wanted and already had from #Yemen shuffle but will Ahmed Ali enjoy running for prez from UAE?
Adam Baron, a freelance journalist, in Yemen tweeted:
@adammbaron: Many seem to see Ali Mohsen as gaining the winning hand in tonight's reforms; remains in country, saves a great deal of face. #yemen
He added:
@adammbaron
This, by the legendary Aretha Franklin, does a decent job of summing up what many in #Yemen are wondering right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HwF8VoyKU4 [Who's zoomin’ who]
Laura Kasinof tweeted:
@kasinof: it used to be that Saleh’s foes were appointed to #Yemen embassies abroad. now reversal is happening and Salehs are appointed as ambassadors
Correspondent Elizabeth Dickinson tweeted
@dickinsonbeth:
Yemen pulls the classic ‘neutralize your rival by sending him on a cushy ambassador-ship abroad’ move http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/ousted-yemen-president-salehs-son-named-uae-envoy …
Journalist Iona Craig, who is based in Yemen, commented:
@ionacraig: So, big military changes overnight. Why are Yemen Presidential decrees released on US time? i.e. in middle of the night here. #justasking
Many of the Saleh's now not only enjoy domestic immunity but also diplomatic immunity. One wonders will the new diplomats be representing the “elected” president or the “leader”? As for Ali Muhsin, who remains in Yemen, many are cautious of his new role. And as usual with every presidential decree in Yemen, there is apprehension mixed with jubilation. One never knows who is really ousted and who is still in power, only time will tell. One can only hope that with these major changes, Yemen is finally going to experience more security and stability to rebuild it's economy.

author: Noon Arabia


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China Puts Ancient Buddhist Temple on Chopping Block · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Local Chinese authorities, in a bid to preserve parts of the historic Silk Road trade route, have ordered the destruction of another historic site standing in the way.
Xingjiao Temple in Xi'an, which holds the remains of 7th-century Buddhist monk Xuan Zang, will be partially demolished to make room for greenery as part of the local government's plan to apply for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site title for portions of the Silk Road in Shaanxi province. About two-thirds of the temple buildings are set to be razed by the end of May 2013.
Some historical relics, including Xuan Zang's portraits, are to be removed. Local authorities rejected an appeal from the monks to keep the temple.
China's state religious affairs bureau has called for an investigation of the planned demolition.
The news triggered [zh] outrage on China's most popular microblogging site Sina Weibo, with users criticizing authorities for neglecting the historic value of the temple. Writers, celebrities and online personalities joined the online protest, calling for a stop to the demolition.
Wang Yunxia, the director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage Law from People's University, speculated [zh] that history and culture were being used by the local government as a tool to make money:
Main gate of Xingjiao Temple in Xian. Photo by blogger Guozi.
借着申遗的势头大搞拆迁，推动房地产开发或许才是当地政府的真实意图。
Behind the vigorous demolition in the name of applying for the title of World Cultural Heritage Site, perhaps the true intention of the local government is to promote real estate development.
“Liuxiao Lintong”, an actor known for his role as the Monkey King in the 1988 TV series “Journey to the West”, which was inspired by the monk Xuan Jang's journey to India, called for [zh] more support from higher authorities:
埋有玄奘大师灵骨的西安兴教寺正面临大规模拆迁，当地政府给出的拆迁原因是丝绸之路联合申遗的需要，据说是投 资建设“兴教寺佛教文化旅游景区建设项目”，我的佛友宽池法师作为寺院住持阻止无效，网民们都在呼吁我给予关注，事关重大，我作为一个演员真诚地希望国家 宗教局等有关机构及领导出面协调。
Xingjiao Temple, where the bones of [Tang Dynasty] Buddhist Master Xuan Zang are buried, is facing the danger of large-scale demolition. The reasons given by the local government is the need to apply for the title of World Cultural Heritage Site for the Silk Road. It is said that the plan is to invest in a “Xingjiao Temple Buddhist Cultural Tourism Scenic Area construction project”. My Buddhist friend Master Kuanchi, as abbot of the temple, has tried to put a stop to this with no results. Netizens are calling for my support. I think this is an important issue, as an actor, I sincerely hope that the relevant authorities and the leadership of the State Bureau of Religious Affairs stands up to deal with this issue.
Investor and online personality “Xue manzi” [zh] criticized:
古刹存世一千多年，你们这些人为了几个臭钱，怎么敢出这种唐宗宋祖成吉思汗不敢想的主意，毛泽东的史无前例的文化大革命挖了孔坟也放过了玄奘！老汉坚决反对！支持的大力转！微博之民意显灵吧
These ancient temples have survived for a thousand years. For the sake of some stinking money, you dare to do this? Even Genghis Khan didn't think of this when he conquered China. Mao Zedong's unprecedented Cultural Revolution destroyed many Confucian tombs but left Xuan Zang alone! I am firmly opposed to the demolition! If you support me, please forward my post! Let microblogging public opinion prevail.
Art gallery director “Shuai mindan” echoed [zh]:
强大的房地产可以冲垮任何文明遗迹，悲催也
Powerful real estate can wash away any remains of civilization, how sad!
News commentator Yang Jinlin wrote [zh]:
我不能不说，我们中华民族的世界遗产，不是麦当劳，更不是仿古一条街，请不要用全球化、功利化来阉割我们5000年的文明。如果有人要把申遗当成提款机，如果有人让申遗变成毁遗，我们就像大师兄那样大闹你的天庭.
I have to say, the world heritage of our nation is not McDonald's, or a fake antique street. Please do not use the excuse of globalization or pragmatism to destroy 5,000 years of civilization. If anyone wants to use the application for the title of World Cultural Heritage Site as a cash dispenser to ruin cultural heritage, we will protest against it.
Strategic investment expert Yue Chuanbo analyzed [zh] the deeper problems that have led to the temple's demolition:
这是权力与资本在中国野蛮生长的一个表现。当失去了道德，而权 力本身又几乎不受制约的时候，权力和资本就会沿着有利于私人的路径放浪狂奔，它们不在意破坏一切，包括人们的物质家园和精神家园。民众要通过广泛的发声， 形势正义的声势；而高层需要道义的觉醒。
This is a manifestation of uncontrolled power and capitalization in China. When morality is lost and power is uncontrolled, power and capital will go unbridled for the purpose of its own benefit. They do not care about the destruction of anything, including people's material homes and spiritual homes. Netizens need to rise up with a wide range of voices calling for justice; executives need a moral awakening.


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China Yanks ‘Django Unchained’ from Theaters · Global Voices
Owen Guo

Chinese censors abruptly pulled the Oscar-winning film “Django Unchained” from the country’s theaters on its premiere day in an unexpected about-face after the film's week-long promotion in China.
The move was so hasty that one Beijing cinema reportedly saw the film come to a halt one minute into its screening on April 11, 2013, and audiences were offered ticket refunds. The film's importer, the China Film Group Corporation, cited “technical problems” it has yet to specify.
Censorship of the Chinese film industry is not unusual. China’s State Administration of Radio Film and Television revealed in a 2006 regulation that it would ban films that “promote obscenity and violence” and as a result, footage containing “adult content” would be cut out before they are screened in theaters.
American director Quentin Tarantino‘s “Django Unchained“, which tells the story of a freed slave who travels across the United States to rescue his wife from a plantation owner, has faced criticism for its frequent use of graphic violence. The film, which was released December 25, 2012 and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Waltz, was well received overseas, earning 256 million US dollars outside the United States.
So the disappearance of “Django Unchained” seemed in line with the country's censorship standards, with the film's nudity and flagrant violence suspected as the reasoning behind the suspension. What baffled observers, however, was that even though its content was edited beforehand, including deleting blood splattering scenes and changing the color of the blood, the film was still removed,according to Chinese media reports.
The suspension and a likely pending ban of this much anticipated film obviously came as a disappointment for many Chinese moviegoers.
Xue Yidao [zh] from Beijing lamented on the most popular Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo:
Poster for Django Unchained. Image by Flickr user @Film_Poster(CC BY-SA 2.0).
在三里屯美嘉看第一场《姜戈》，刚看了1分钟，停了！！工作人员进来说广电总菊和院线都来电话说要推迟！！谁能告诉我这他妈是什么情况！！！
I was watching the premiere of “Django Unchained” at MegaBox in Sanlitun, after one minute, it was stopped!! Cinema staff walked in saying the the State Administration of Radio Film and Television and other cinemas called to order a suspension of the movie !! Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on!!!
Zhou Liming, a prominent Chinese movie critic, he offered his terse condolences on Weibo:
Django Chained Again
Global Times newspaper editor-in-chief, Hu Xijin, also weighed in [zh]:
<被解救的姜戈>突然紧急暂时停映，这个行动本身对国家政治带来的损害，要远远大于一旦没把“有害 镜头”剪干净有可能带来的损害。现在体制内缺少在一些敏感节点上敢于对上请述真情、并以此避免决策不当的人。或者是体制的确不鼓励这样做。一些奇怪决定在 各地和部门频出，最后埋单的都是政府公信力。
The sudden suspension of “Django Chained”, the harm that this action itself brings to politics far exceeds the harm that would have been caused by not censoring the offensive scene. We now lack people within the system who dare report the truth to leaders on some sensitive issues so that misjudgment could be avoided. Or perhaps the system does not encourage doing so. Some odd decisions so often emerge from different places and different ministries, what will be at stake in the end is the government's credibility.
Chinese censors in the past few years have put a stop to films that carry political overtones. In one example, Chinese director Lou Ye was banned from making films in China for five years after his “Summer Palace“, which supposedly upset authorities with its setting against the backdrop of the 1989 Tiananmen student movement, premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2006.
A netizen named Fenng indicated [zh] on his Weibo that the freedom promoted in “Django Unchained” might be the reason behind the suspension:
关于电影《被解放的姜戈》 ，估计在某些人眼里，这片子宣扬了姜戈作为奴隶的反抗意识和觉醒，一直被奴隶主奴役和压迫，突然手里有了枪，为了自由和爱情而反抗。这他妈多危险啊。
The movie “Django Unchained”, perhaps in some people's eyes, this movie promotes Django's awareness to protest as a slave, a long suppressed slave suddenly has a gun, he fights for love and freedom. How freaking dangerous that is.
In response to his message, “Johnny Zhang 86″ from China's central province Henan wrote [zh]:
广电干脆规定只准只进口朝鲜的电影～
Why doesn't the State Administration of Radio Film and Television mandate that we only import films from North Korea~
Jiazhuang Zai Niuyue also challenged [zh] the suspension of the movie:
为什么出现长时间裸女镜头的抗日神剧能在电视黄金时段播放，而「被解放的姜戈」只有短短几秒钟的男性生殖器镜头却不能在电影院放？为什么编造历史纯属意淫的抗日神剧能放，讲不愿做奴隶的姜戈杀死奴隶主的电影却不能放？
Why the anti-Japanese TV dramas can be aired in primetime with footage of nude women, but “Django Unchained” was not allowed to be screened in theaters with only seconds of male genitals? Why can the anti-Japanese TV dramas with fabricated content be aired whereas a film telling the story of a slave killing his owner to get rid of slavery can't be played?

author: Owen Guo


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Racism Remarks in the NYT Land Cuban Intellectual in Trouble · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

[All links are to Spanish-language pages except where otherwise indicated.]
Cuba's intellectual circles are buzzing over an incident that occurred a little more than a week ago when author and intellectual Roberto Zurbano denounced racism in Cuba in the opinion section of The New York Times [en]; his words apparently cost him his position as editor of the publishing house Casa de las Américas.
According to the article, Zurbano believes that:
el sector privado goza ahora en Cuba de cierto grado de liberalización económica, pero los negros no estamos en posición ventajosa para aprovecharnos de ello. Heredamos más de tres siglos de esclavitud durante la era colonial española.
The private sector in Cuba now enjoys a certain degree of economic liberation, but blacks are not well positioned to take advantage of it. We inherited more than three centuries of slavery during the Spanish colonial era.
However, the most controversial element was, in fact, the headline The New York Times gave to the article: “For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn't Begun.”
In a post published on the blog of the Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, Guillermo Rodríguez Rivera commented:
La Revolución Cubana no solo inició la lucha contra el racismo y la discriminación sino que puede decirse que nunca esa lucha había sido tan a fondo como en ese momento de nuestra historia.
The Cuban Revolution not only launched the struggle against racism and discrimination, it can be said that never has the struggle been as far-reaching as it was in this period of our history.
The controversy, which opened up public debate on racial discrimination on the island, soon moved away from the issue of racism and the truth or fallacy of the arguments, and
Roberto Zurbano. Photo: Jorge Luis Baños (Reproduced with the author's permission)
focused instead on what blogger Rogelio Díaz Moreno called the “administrative and professional retaliation against a person whose work stems precisely from his ability to think.”
In a post dedicated to Beyoncé's visit to Havana, Carlos Manuel Álvarez, a journalism student, pointed out:
La semana pasada, un tanto más a la sombra, algún decisor liberó –esto es un eufemismo- a Roberto Zurbano de su cargo de Director del Fondo Editorial de Casa de las Américas, pues el New York Times publicó un artículo suyo sobre el racismo en Cuba. El artículo yerra en más de un punto, pero a Zurbano le asiste ese derecho.
Last week, with slightly less fanfare, an unknown ‘decider’ relieved—this is a euphemism—Roberto Zurbano of his duties as editor of the Casa de las Americas publishing house, after the New York Times published an article of his on racism in Cuba. Zurbano's article erred on more than one point, but that is his right.
In a post published on the blog Observatorio Crítico, the Cuban researcher and blogger Rosa Muñoz Kiel, based in Germany, commented:
Hace apenas dos días le comenté a un amigo en Facebook que “me gustaría, por la salud del debate, que Zurbano no sea removido de su puesto por atreverse a decir algo o dejar que NYT dijera algo que no ha gustado a muchos, es el tipo de consecuencias que estamos acostumbrados a ver, pero que no considero sanas, ojalá esta vez me equivoque y no suceda.
Barely two days ago, I commented to a friend on Facebook that “I would like, in the interest of healthy debate, for Zurbano not to be removed from his job for having dared to say something or for letting the NYT say something that a lot of people didn't like; these are the kinds of consequences we are used to seeing, but ones I do not consider healthy, hopefully this time I will be proven wrong and it won't happen.”
For his part, Rogelio Díaz Moreno elaborated on his position in his post entitled “The right to be wrong, is that also racist?:”
Se sabe lo ilustrativo que resultan las tomas de posición, y ahora están por verse unas cuantas. Ya sabemos que muchos intelectuales critican a Zurbano y ejercen con ello su propio y muy respetable derecho pero, ¿defenderán el principio del debate crítico constructivo, sin censuras humillantes ni represalias inicuas? ¿Nos percatamos todos, verdaderamente, cómo están en juego principios importantes, como el derecho de sostener la lucha contra las lacras de las discriminaciones; de trabajar por este fin ya sea de manera autónoma o integrada, y azuzar a las instituciones estatales cuando estas flaqueen en el cumplimiento de este deber?
Taking a position is indicative of many things, and we are only going to see more of that kind of thing. We already know that many intellectuals are critical of Zurbano and they have every right to be, but will they also defend the principle of constructive criticism without humiliating rebukes or unfair reprisals? Do we all truly appreciate that important principles are at stake, like the right to continue the fight against the scourge of discrimination, to work towards that end either independently or in concert with others, and to put pressure on government bodies when they fall short of their duty in this respect?
The Regional Network of Afrodescendants in Latin America and the Caribbean, Cuban Chapter (ARAC), clearly stated its position [en] of strong support of “free expression of ideas for all of its activists, as part of the fundamental liberty of expression in our society as a whole.”
Moreover it declared its opposition to “any institutional or individual process or method, of an obstructive or repressive character, against any participant involved in such controversies that has personally elected to express his or her opinion or reasoning.”

author: Elaine Díaz


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Egypt: Prime Minister Prescribes Smurf Diet · Global Voices
Rayna St.

Hesham Qandil, Egypt's Prime Minister, is an illustruous expert in healthcare issues as attested by, e.g. his insightful comments about ‘dirty boobs breastfeeding’. The Prime Minister delivered another priceless advice to Twitter users, this time about a healthy diet:
“Doctor Smurf prescribes cakes, pies and smurfberries as part of a healthy diet.” Screenshot from Qandil's tweet

author: Rayna St.


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Greek Government Shutters Athens Indymedia · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

A leading alternative news site in Greece, Athens Indymedia announced it was being suppressed by Greek judicial authorities, along with two radio stations, and provided a Tor link [el] for alternate access. Potmos asserted on the significance of the site for independent news in Greece:
@potmos: Fast and accurate info posted on Athens Indymedia led to life sentence for cop who murdered 15yo Alex. Grigoropoulos in 2008.
The site had been hosted on Athens Polytechnic servers, and had become a frequent point of contention in the past, as right-wing politicians campaigned to close it down, accusing it of anti-state incitement. Conservative MP Adonis Georgiadis, who has led the latest calls to shut the site down even congratulated [el] the Public Order Minister Dendias in a tweet. Athens Indymedia was also blocked in September 2012 [el], and its administrators were arrested.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Haiti: CARICOM Should Speak Up  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Appalled by the “legal immunity” that the United Nations appears to have in the country's cholera epidemic, Kevin Edmonds says that it's high time Caribbean leaders speak up for Haiti.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco