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Africa: Colonialism alive and well after 50 years of independence · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

2010 will mark the fiftieth year of francophone African countries’ independence from Belgium and France.  While official celebrations are under way, debate is simmering on blogs in North, Central and Western Africa.
A Moroccan blog, Planète Non Violence, links the colonial past to the current state of affairs [fr ]:
Le constat de ces 50 ans est accablant. D’abord, pour les anciennes puissances coloniales, elles n’ont fait que reculer pour mieux perpétuer leur domination. Comme l’avait exprimé, autrefois, Ahmed Ben Bella : « le colonialisme est sorti par la porte, pour revenir par la fenêtre ». Pour continuer à garantir des bénéfices juteux à leurs entreprises, les anciennes puissances coloniales nous maintiennent sous tutelle, et soutiennent des régimes anti-démocratiques, pourvu qu’ils soient serviles. Passé sous silence les centaines de milliers de morts et de familles détruites, le pillage en règle des ressources, le renforcement du pouvoir arbitraire de la féodalité au détriment des pouvoirs de la jama’a (communauté) ; oubliée la longue nuit coloniale, dont nous continuons, à ce jour, à en subir les affres.
Avec le Congo, la Belgique obtient des matières premières peu  chères.
L’Europe est dévastée […], c’est donc les États-unis qui dirigent. Opposés au colonialisme les américains auraient  pu donner l’indépendance aux populations congolaises, néanmoins Washington est  farouchement opposé à tout régime communiste et sait que la propriété privée  n’existe pas dans la culture africaine. Ainsi Washington préfère garder un  pouvoir colonial belge, le temps qu’un mouvement africain libéral apparaisse  …Suivront l’abolition du fouet, pour le clergé, les gradés de la force publique  et les auxiliaires de l’administration…Face à ces mouvements nationalistes  l’administration belge commence à comprendre qu’elle va perdre leur colonie.
La  Belgique avait ratifié l’article 73 de la Charte des Nations unies, qui prônait  l’autodétermination des peuples.
Belgium's plan was actually to decolonize over a time frame of… 30  years :
… Le professeur belge Antoine Van Bilsen publia, en 1955, un  document intitulé Plan de trente ans pour l’émancipation politique pour  l’Afrique belge.
L’indépendance du Congo n’est pas un cadeau des Belges  !
Les souverainistes congolais sont clairs, pour le cinquantenaire de  l’indépendance du Congo au 30 juin 2010: le discours de Patrice Emery Lumumba ou  rien !
Going further, award-wining writer Alain Mabanckou, a French citizen born in the Republic of Congo, links France colonial past  to the current and raging debate on “national identity”  in France:
De  toute évidence le débat, sans le nommer, ne cesse de tourner aussi … autour du  thème de l’immigration (en particulier postcoloniale) et de ses conséquences sur  l’« identité nationale », ….
Leopold Chendjou from Cameroon nails it in his public letter to French Président Sarkozy (to be continued): 50 years of independence, a Cameroonian writes to Nicolas Sarkozy [Fr]:
… Le racisme au cœur de la République  …Tout comme vous, Monsieur le Président, les Noirs de nationalité  française sont issus de l’immigration.
From Chad, Juliette is calling for a boycott of France’s  project to have all its former colonies parading the Champs Elysées in Paris during Bastille Day military parade on July 14,  2010 [fr] :
Boycottons le projet francafricain du cinquantenaire des  indépendances !…Nous avons donc besoin d'un groupe de personnes opposantes (ou  d'organisations), originaires des pays souffrant des méfaits de la  Françafrique…
In  Africa, people are also showing their opposition. On Saturday, February 13,  President Wade of Senegal spoke at the opening ceremony launching several weeks of celebrations ending on April 4th (Independance Day) in an almost empty stadium:
On Saturday, February 13, President Wade of Senegal addressed a nearly empty stadium at an independence celebration / Picture posted by @rignese on Twitter (http://twitpic.com/12zxbe)

author: Anna Gueye


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Anguilla: Elections Results · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Corruption-free Anguilla reflects on the country's recent elections: “I am happy with the election results.  I have no doubt that the Anguillian electorate has spoken loudly and clearly.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Barbados, Canada: Sentencing Today  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The convicted murderer of a Canadian tourist is to be sentenced today – Barbados Free Press is “hoping he rots in jail until he draws his final breath.”


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Bolivia: Carnaval Celebrations Suspended Due to Bad Weather · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In the city of Trinidad, Bolivia, Carnaval celebrations were postponed due to heavy rains [es] in the regions reports the blog from Radio Patujú.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Burqa Strains Multicultural Australia · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Since the proposed bans on the wearing of the burqa in France, the issue has been simmering in the Australian blogosphere.  An Australian radio shock-jock, and ex-police officer, drew criticism recently over his opposition to the wearing of the burqa in public.
Michael Smith argued that bank staff and shop assistants are concerned with possible criminal misuse. He also suggested that young children are frightened by encounters with women wearing the “full-on burqa”, comparing it to “kids crying, getting the fright of their lives when seeing Santa Claus”. A radio interview with Smith can be heard at Michael Smith Meets the Press.
When the French bans were proposed during the middle of 2009, Canberra journalist Virginia Haussegger argued on her blog for its prohibition on the grounds of gender equality:
By covering herself in a burka, a woman is relinquishing the right to express herself as a female. She is agreeing to suppress her own sexuality.
There is no place here for the burka. Australians must rally to have the burka banned.
Ban the Burka
Anna Greer at The Punch blogs about, “human rights and social justice issues and … the state of the world”. She has a totally different take on women’s rights:
No matter what you think of Islamic veiling one thing is for sure – criminalising the women who wear the burqa or niqab is only going to render them more invisible.
…This selective concern for women’s rights is merely a way for people to articulate their racist nationalism and it’s an attitude that can be found through all levels of society – in the general populace, in the media, in the government.
Anna finishes with a touch of irony:
Imposing dress codes on people in order to oppose the imposing of dress codes on people is completely counterproductive, but as I outlined above, that’s not the real reason these laws are being considered, is it?
Burqa ban is about our fears not their oppression
Smith’s views were probed at Andrew Landeryou’s online site VexNews:
It’s a scary debate that Smith has started at one level because vilifying people on religious grounds or for their religious customs that don’t harm others can be a slippery slope.
… Part of the complexity is that some Muslims – and other religions for that matter – wear hair-covering as part of their religious tradition. Presumably no one other than the bigoted have an issue with that.
Hopefully the legitimate issue of canvassing security concerns in banks or other vulnerable areas that could be terror or robbery targets won’t be confused with the agenda of those who wish to vilify one of the world’s great religions.
BURQA BAN BANK BRAWL: Radio host says no face covering in banks but is he race-baiting?
In a longer article at Online Opinion, Sadanand Dhume, the author of My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with an Indonesian Islamist, canvasses both sides of this emotive issue. He concludes with a positive view of the French debate:
In the end, though the French brand of in-your-face secularism may come under criticism by both Muslims and Western liberals, the country’s experience holds valuable lessons for the rest of the world.
France has not suffered a major terrorist attack since a spate of bombings in the 1990s linked to the civil war in Algeria. And in a 2006 Pew poll of Muslim attitudes, France was the only major European country where nearly half of Muslims felt they were citizens of their country before being members of their faith. (In Germany, Britain and Spain, overwhelming majorities claimed a primary allegiance to Islam.) Ultimately, this record more than anything else will guide French policy on a sensitive subject.
The French burqa ban: culture clash unveiled
Fortunately  ‘bigots’ do not have the support of the mainstream Australian political parties. Nevertheless, there was some disquiet recently when Tony Abbott, the leader of the Federal Opposition, raised the question of minority rights and multiculturalism:
Migrants would be more popular if minority leaders encouraged them to adopt more mainstream values and abide by the law, he said.
”The inescapable minimum that we insist upon is obedience to the law,” Mr Abbott said. ”It would help to bolster public support for immigration and acceptance of social diversity if more minority leaders were as ready to show to mainstream Australian values the respect they demand of their own.”
Obey the law at least, Abbott tells migrants

author: Kevin Rennie


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Cambodia: “Please don’t walk through the mass grave” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Anne Elizabeth Moore posts a picture of a signpost from Cambodia which reads: “Please don't walk through the mass grave”

author: Mong Palatino


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China: Amateur short film satirizes internet censorship · Global Voices
Robert Woo

Famous amateur film-maker, Hu Ge, has recently made a new satirical piece on the Internet censorship in China. The 7-minute piece, ‘Animal World: the Home-living Animal’ is styled as an animal-planet type of documentary and has attracted hundreds of thousands of views in a matter of a few days. The piece presents to the audience the so-called ‘home-living animals’, who are in fact China’s tens of millions of netizens.
宅居动物的外形酷似人类，长着人类那样大大的眼睛和耳朵。他那奇特的生活方式至今还让人们叹为观止。表面上他们各自为阵、互不往来，但实际上他们通过一种叫网络的东西，互相联系。
对于其他动物而言，幽深的网络往往难以捉摸。这里充满的各种危险。在地球上，没有比神秘的互联网更可怕，更不利于生物生存的地方了。但是，对于宅居动物来说，这里，却是天堂。
The film portrays various common patterns of using the Internet. For instance, we see a ‘female home-living animal’ who runs a private textile business simply by utilizing her computer all day; a male flirts with his potential lover by showing off his muscle in front of the computer camera while elsewhere a naked male surfs the Internet while tucked up inside his blanket.
In the film, the ‘human beings’ are portrayed as paternalistic figures who lovingly protect the home-living species by weeding out unhealthy material on the Internet.
曾有一度，网络上的色情，和不良信息，使他们的身心受到了伤害，但现在，他们受到了来自人类的无微不至的关怀和保护。
One form of this ‘care and protection’ is shown when a male home-living animal is on the verge of tears, when his enjoyment of an unexpectedly violent scene taken from the film Hero has been interrupted by a full-screen warning message
Han Han, the tremendously popular blogger who is famous for his witty criticism of authority, is cast in the film as a male home-living animal afflicted with ‘Compulsive Thinking Disorder’.
思考强迫症,是一种普遍存在于宅居动物中的疾病。这只雄性每天都要花大量的时间去思考各种各样的问题。这种病，不但具有极大的危害性，而且，还具有一定的传染性。因此，人类采取了一切可能的措施，来保护这些可爱的小动物。
In the film, we see that Han finishes writing a blog, but it is forever stuck in the ‘under review’ phase until his computer finally crashes. What happens to another home-living male is far worse. After he finishes an article, a team of plainclothes police break into his room and carry him away.
The Home-living Animal has a resemblance to another amateur film, The War of Internet Addiction, which touches on the recent ban on the World of Warcraft game. But for many people, it is seen as a powerful criticism of control in general and has attracted at least millions of views. Up to now, both of these films have curiously survived the Internet censorship.

author: Robert Woo


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China: The Party’s Policies are yakexi · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C. Custer from ChinaGeeks blogs about a new buzz word, yakexi, in Chinese Internet community. It is an Uyghur word for good and recently used to praise Chinese policies in the Spring Gala. But the word has been re-iterated to mock at the political propaganda.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Colombia: Slogans During Election Season · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

With the upcoming legislative elections in Colombia set for March 14, 2010, campaign signs and other ads are showing up across Colombia. Juan David Escobar of the blog Reticente [es] took out his camera to capture some of the slogans that are being used in the ads.


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Ecuador: Saraguro Culture Blog · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Ecuadorian blogger Angel Gualán recently unveiled his new blog called Mashi Angel [es] where he will continue to write about the Saraguro culture.


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Guyana: Visiting Kaieteur · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Lifespan of a Chennette blogs about Guyana's Kaieteur Falls.


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Haiti: A Month Later · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The time has come for each Haitian wherever you are, and whoever you are to take a stand, and say ‘NO’ to the bureaucracy that worsens the situation in Haiti right now”: A month after the earthquake in Haiti, Wadner Pierre posts his impressions.


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Honduras: Supporting Local Tourism · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Honduran singer-songwriter and blogger Guillermo Anderson is a big believer in how local tourism can help his country. He writes in a recent post called “There's This Little Hotel,” in his blog and re-published with permission that “to be able to create a tourism of this flavor is to believe in the essence and beauty of our country. It is about believing that all communities can benefit. It is about believing and having confidence that we in Honduras have more than enough to succeed without having to leave for foreign lands to seek out our futures.”
Photo by Jose Luis Duron and used under a Creative Commons license.
Anderson also has friends in the tourism industry in his country.  However, they do not work for the large chains, but instead have worked hard to build their small businesses. Here, Anderson describes their work:
Contestan el teléfono llevan los libros y después de una llamada, manejan el Van y dejan al cuidado de la oficinita a su compañera. Salen a atender sus turistas y hablan  tres idiomas, conocen de historia, cultura y a veces el nombre y propiedad de cada planta en el camino. Cargan en sus espaldas cayacs, grandes balsas inflables, equipos de Canopy, de escalar, hieleras con frutas para sus clientes y aún así logran mantener una sonrisa y amabilidad para los turistas fascinados con nuestra flora y fauna y la belleza natural que nos rodea.
He adds more description about their work of building the tourism industry in Honduras:
Tengo amigas que con grandes esfuerzos han logrado convertir una casita en un colorido rincón o pueblo de mi país en los hotelitos y pensiones más acogedores del mundo. Amigos que que como magos, crean con piedras, bejucos, troncos y flores y con gran gusto y amor las decoraciones más creativas. La rueda de una carreta olvidada se convierte en una hermosa mesa para degustar el aromático café que una Sra. del pueblo sabe tostar, un viejo caracol se convierte en un tesoro y un cayuco que el mar dejó olvidado en la arena, en el macetero de flores tropicales más hermoso que ojos jamás han visto.
However, Anderson notes that the economic crisis has had a drastic effect on his friends in the tourism industry. Due to the lack of customers, many of these hotels have had to close. Yet, some of them have remained opened due to the sacrifices made by their owners. He speaks directly to Honduran readers:
Si este verano hay hondureños que a pesar de la crisis están pensando hacer turismo aunque de manera modesta, quiero que piensen en las pequeñas operaciones y en estos lugares y que además de acogedores son lugares que creen en nuestro potencial , que creen en nuestra gente , en nuestra cultura y son pequeños nidos de esperanza.
Anderson summarizes about the role that Hondurans can take to ensure that places like the ones described above remain open and able to showcase the beauty of the entire country:
Nosotros debemos ser los promotores más entusiastas de nuestro país. Sirva este medio para sugerir lugares y  promover ese “hotelito “que conocemos en un hermoso rinconcito de Honduras donde nos atendieron bien y comimos un plato nacional que no habíamos probado antes. Esa pequeña agencia donde un tipo amable nos llevó a conocer una hermosa caída de agua y aprendimos sobre plantas y animales o donde vimos una celebración tradicional que nos hizo apreciar mas nuestra cultura ; Visitar y apoyarlos será un gesto de amor a un país que hoy tanto lo necesita.


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India: Managing Mountain Waste · Global Voices
Rezwan

Caroline At India Climate Solutions writes about some “creative and passionate individuals committed to changing the waste cycle” in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh in India.

author: Rezwan


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India, Pakistan: A Pakistani In Mumbai · Global Voices
Rezwan

Jehan Ara, a Pakistani entrepreneur and blogger who writes at In The Line Of Wire, is visiting Mumbai and shares her reactions.


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Japan: Cool bizz campaign · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Neojaponisme blogs about conflicts and challenges surrounding the cool bizz campaign in Japan. The campaign encourages white-collar workers to work sans jacket and tie in the summer months to reduce dependence on air conditioning.


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Morocco: To Valentine or Not to Valentine? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

In Morocco, as in many countries, celebrating Valentine's Day has caught on as a modern expression of love.  In major cities, storefronts stock candy hearts and teddy bears, but, as blogger Robin du Blog points out, the Moroccan media doesn't always encourage the celebration.  In a post entitled “La Saint-Valentin Halal,” the blogger writes:
[Au Maroc] un simple bécot peut toujours les mener droit au panier à salade mais, marketing oblige, des jours durant, à l'approche du 14, sur les vitrines, des cœurs rouges virevoltent et flamboient à l'unisson.  Alors, parce que cette date s'est inscrite dans le calendrier et que l'on est à l'affût des événements sur lesquels faire réagir les auditeurs, la Saint-Valentin a pris également sa place dans les programmes radiophoniques.  Au petit déjeuner du 14, donc, dans le cadre d'une de ces émissions interactives lors desquelles les auditeurs sont invités à téléphoner pour faire connaître leur point de vue sur l'un ou l'autre des sujets traités, l'animatrice d'une des radios locales les plus écoutées lance celui du jour : l'amour, on l'aura compris.  Mais alors, tout en rappelant qu'on est à la Saint-Valentin et que la Saint-Valentin est la fête des amoureux, ne voilà-t-il pas qu'elle nous livre en préambule une superbe tirade où elle nous dit ceci : 1/ la source de l'amour ne serait autre que l'amour porté à Dieu ; 2/ il n'est pas de plus bel exemple en matière d'amour profane que celui de l'engagement affectif du Prophète à l'égard de Khadija, sa première femme ; 3/ c'est de ce modèle que les amoureux – amoureux légaux dûment unis par la charia, at-elle bien pris soin de préciser – devraient avoir la bonne idée de s'inspirer.
The blogger continues explaining the discussion on the radio show and the implications of the imported Valentine's Day in Morocco, concluding: “L’amour, c’est l’amour, point. Qu’on nous laisse, ne serait-ce que l’espace d’un jour, le concevoir libre de toute barrière” (“Love is love, period.  Let us leave, if only in the space of one day, this idea free from any barriers”).
Peace Corps Volunteer oclynn in morocco expresses surprise at the recognition of the holiday at her post in a rural part of the country:
So I decide to go down to the Coop this morning, a little later than usual-didn’t really have any specific business to do, but had told Zahra that I’d come by. Glad I did. She greets me with questions about today’s holiday. Huh? You know, the American Holiday today. Huh? Geez, I just found out yesterday that it’s President’s Day Weekend on Skype w/Jo, but why would Zahra know about that? Then she’s asking, isn’t there a holiday of the heart today? OHHH. Valentine’s Day. Yes! Duh, Lynn. She’s wishing you Happy Valentine’s Day! Thanks! Mind you, this is a Coop of all unmarried women. I didn't give any other description of the holiday. Decided I like the idea of a Holiday of the Heart.
Some Moroccan bloggers are heavy into the holiday.  L'Cassetta, a music blog, offers a cornucopia of romantic music from around the globe, saying:
Que vaut l’amour sans la musique ? Que vaut le fait d'aimer si pendant cette sensation on ne prend pas gout dans l'accompagnement vers la jouissance musicale ?  Que vaut le fait de dire que la musique est bonne quand on n'a pas un jour vécu la souffrance qui émane des mots, des paroles ; des notes ? On a toujours dans la tête une de ses chansons slow, cette superbe chanson qui mélange bonne mélodie et paroles bien ciselés.  Aimer donc n'est qu'entre autres le fait d'accompagner le bonheur a coté de la souffrance.
Last but not least, need a place to celebrate Valentine's Day 2010?  Casawaves just might have the answer.  Poking fun at the oft-made comparison of the film Casablanca to Morocco's largest city of the same name (the two, in reality, have little in common), the blogger writes:
Pour la Saint-Valentin, « pourquoi ne pas déclarer votre flamme en 2010 à Casablanca au Maroc. En effet pour un voyage en amoureux à la Saint-Valentin 2010, cette ville offre un incroyable dépaysement ».
Au début, en lisant cette offre publiée sur un site d’actualité internet j’ai cru à une farce, voire à un poisson d’avril légèrement précoce. Mais non, il s’agit bien de fêter la Saint-Valentin dans notre métropole.
At first, reading this offer posted on an Internet news site I thought it was a joke, even an April Fool's joke slightly early.  But no, it is good to celebrate Valentine's Day in our city.

author: Jillian C. York


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My Name is Khan – Cultural Politics in India · Global Voices
Archana Verma

Poster image courtesy Wikipedia
This post is not about the Bollywood film ‘My Name is Khan‘, but the way it is perceived in India and the US and why. A look at the Hindi blog-posts related to this film reveals an interesting fact – that the reactions to this film have more to do with the cultural politics in India than with the aesthetic value of the film itself.
In the US, Shah Rukh Khan's recently released film “My Name is Khan” is doing well because it portrays the scenario in the West after the tragic events of 9/11 and attempts to show how Muslims in the US are perceived by the Americans. This portrayal draws from Khan's own experience at the Newark Airport last year when he was profiled for secondary interrogation by the airport authorities. This incident caused uproar in India and finally, the US Ambassador in New Delhi had to issue a statement to say that the causes of this incident will be investigated. The film narrates a similar story of an autistic Muslim in the US, who is harassed by the police after 9/11. To add an additional autobiographical touch to the film, his character in the film loves a Hindu woman. It's well-known that Shah Rukh Khan's wife in real life is a Hindu woman. Because of the growing unease with the Muslim population amongst the Western people of Europe and North America after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and later, this film has been well-received in the US and has managed to fetch 1 Billion Indian Rupees for its global distribution rights from the Fox Studios.
In India, this film ran into problems on the eve of its first screening  in Mumbai with the fundamentalist Hindutva faction Shiv Sena. I reported this in my blog ‘The World Around Me‘ :
As I write this, Maharashtra government has made large-scale security arrangements today afternoon, and some 2000 Shiv Sena members have been arrested as they tried to disrupt the film screening.
Some of the Hindi blog-posts on this topic show several streams of thoughts.
Vijay Prakash Singh from New Delhi opines [hi] after watching this film that this is an ordinary film, but is gaining popularity because of the controversial environment in which it was released. He says that Shah Rukh Khan is influenced by the Western mode of thought and hence, he has dealt with an issue that is of interest to the Western audience. According to Singh, this film has consciously attempted to create sensation and has used all elements for this purpose. Besides, it is to this film's advantage that India has degraded parties such as Shiv Sena, which created a scene on an unimportant issue and provided additional popularity to this film it didn't deserve. Moreover, Khan also has the support of the ruling party, which immediately sent its police forces to arrest the trouble makers. According to Singh, this same police force was nowhere to be seen when the North Indians were being killed by the same Shiv Sena.
In this context, BBC Hindi started a discussion [hi] by asking  the readers whether they support the idea that Indians should be friendly towards Pakistan or that Shiv Sena's attitude is right. Out of the many responses, Jamshed Akhtar from Lucknow says that Pakistan has always deceived India but Shah Rukh's attitude is right because a good player should be supported regardless of nationality. Rajiv from Allahabad says that although Muslim players and actors are popular with Hindus, some of them try to play the victim to gain popularity.
Nitish Raj in his blog post  published before the release of the film says [hi] that Shiv Sena took this stand to make its presence felt because its’ popularity is waning now but their opponents seem stronger than them.
It is important to mention here Tarun Vijay's article which powerfully brings out the pathos of the Kashmiri Hindus who have lived a life of sufferings as refugees in their own country and who can't talk about their victimization because of the partisan politics that exists today. This is another dimension of portrayal of a community in India.

author: Archana Verma


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Myanmar: Half a million cyclone victims still homeless · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

According to the International Organization for Migration, there are still 500,000 people who are homeless in the southwest part of Myanmar two years after a powerful cyclone hit the country.


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Nepal: Solidarity With India · Global Voices
Rezwan

“When India suffers, Nepalis share the pain” says United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal. The blog talks about the recent terror attack in German Bakery in Pune, India, where approximately 70 Nepalis used to work.


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Pakistan: Let The Kites Fly · Global Voices
Halima Khan

Kite flying on the edge. Image by Flickr User nomi49, used under a Creative Commons License
In many parts of Pakistan, especially in Lahore, traditionally people used to celebrate the Basant (spring) festival by flying kites. But this tradition has been under the wire for a while. In 2005 a Pakistani lawyer contended in a Lahore court that Basant was not just a Hindu ritual but a lethal game. Other very significant objections included, use of deadly strings which resulted in the death of children and disruption in power transmission. Following the trial, the Lahore Court banned kite flying in Punjab province.
Every year when it is time for flowers to bloom and for spring to make its grand long-awaited entrance unconsciously, Basant is all everyone is thinking about. Many understand why the government deems it necessary to wage this war against the harmless kite, but everyone still wants it.
Recently the debate came alive after the Lahore High Court had set aside a writ petition which aimed to lift the ban on kite flying and the ruling observed that it was a dangerous activity. Raza Rumi at Lahore Nama still hopes that the ban will be lifted:
“Hope that this festival will come back to Lahore. We strongly protest against this policy decision. Pakistan cannot be made a safe haven for roaming terrorists and suicide bombers while the peaceful citizens are denied the opportunity to celebrate a festival that is so deeply a part of our culture.”
Hamza Ahmed Qureshi at Lahore Metblogs thinks otherwise:
“The hue and cry raised by a certain section of the society on the recent banning of Basant by the Lahore High Court compels me to bring forward my point of view.
These people mourn for the loss of a cultural event which attracted thousands of foreigners from all over the world. In the prevailing geopolitical situation, I hardly think that a bunch of colorful kites would be able to lure an already fear stricken foreigner to a death trap. Moreover this cultural loss might be a matter of concern for a handful of socialites and five-star hotels but not for the common man.”
However, Momekh points out:
“The ban on basant is silly. Loss of life and loss of the ever-so-present WAPDA supply are not reasons at all. And here’s why: the loss of life is not because the kite-flying itself is dangerous. Kite-flying has been around for some time.”
Momekh goes on to explain what made Basant a controversial matter. The blogger clarifies what issues the authorities should be addressing instead of canceling an event:
“The murderous streak now automatically tagged with Basant itself, has been introduced through the development of stronger string. A lot of people think that it is the razor-like solution that the string is soaked in that causes the string to be a knife-on-the-loose. Although the sharpness is part of the reason, the main reason is that the string itself is very strong. [..]
It is the combination of ultra-strong string with razor-sharp solution (a.k.a. manja) that makes the string a killer.”
If the government could set some rules and regulations against the use of such strong strings for this cultural and traditional event, this entertainment could for once not be made a matter of conflict. However the ban is very much there because of the new court ruling.
In this circumstances, the Pakistani kite flyers are even considering to take their kite flying to neighboring India. Despite the ban one can see hundreds of kites on Lahore's sky, which shows its popularity.
A private TV channel reported that 75% population of Punjab, the hub of Basant celebrations, wants kite flying. But the government and the judiciary do not plan to give in to the consensus of the masses. There are reports that the police forces are all set to make sure that the defiance of this ban does not go unnoticed or unpunished. No doubt this will break many peoples’ hearts.

author: Halima Khan


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Peru: Police Officer Protest for Higher Salaries · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

De la Selva su Web On [es] admires the protest of Peruvian police officer Edward Casas, who protested in front of the Ministry of Economy, demanding higher wages for all police officers.


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Russia: Avatar & North Caucasus – Fiction vs Reality · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user burtin posts this comment (RUS) about Avatar: “Interesting that people cry [as they watch] Avatar – while reports from Chechnya and Ingushetia leave them totally indifferent. Even though archetypally the same is happening there – only the people are real, not [computer-generated]. […] If this were happening in the Soviet times, the film would've been banned because it resembles reality. And now this isn't necessary – reality is of no interest whatsoever. […]”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Human Rights Activists’ Blogs · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A list of links to Russian human rights activists’ blogs (RUS) – at Human Rights in Russia (hro.org).


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Singapore Airshow 2010 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Beyond SG posts pictures of the 2010 Singapore Airshow


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Singapore: Military robotics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A blogger questions the decision of the Singapore Armed Forces to purchase hardware dealing with military robotics


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Singapore: Minimum wage · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tan Kin Lian from Singapore argues that a minimum wage will reduce disparity of income in the country


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“SOS Internet Indonesia” · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

Indonesian internet users are on the move to save the internet from “repressive” regulations crafted by the Ministry of Communication and Information (Depkominfo).
Last February 11 the ministry website published a press release stating the agency's firm stance against the increasing cases of public misconduct on the Internet. It was also mentioned that the Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo), Tifatul Sembiring, wishes to regulate Internet Multimedia Content in the country.
The draft [id] regulation suggests that Mr. Sembiring will appoint a group of 30 people who will join the Multimedia Content Screening team. The team's works will include the filing of reports on websites suspected of having “bad” content, verifying these reports, imposing  fines, revoking permits, etc.
The draft regulation is purportedly against pornography and gambling but it may also target social networking sites and other online media tools which are are seen as today's powerful tools in educating the  public about free speech and freedom of expression, as well as advocating good governance and democracy.
The “draconian” draft is being opposed by Mahfud MD, the head of the Constitutional Court, who claims that the regulation would be  considered as unconstitutional [id] because it violates press freedom.
Speaking to Global Voices author, blogger and IT expert Enda Nasution said that the draft regulation doesn't reflect the people's interest.
“Indonesia is currently the freest country in the region, when it comes to freedom of expression and we want to keep it that way…
“Indonesia's Firewall is the last thing we want and need right now, we'll fight for an open and free internet. This draft is a half baked regulation and a remains from 2006 administration. Having it now is a
reactive efforts and pointless. Indonesia need a more comprehensive and well thought law when it come to Internet”.
Picture on Facebook page
Facebookers who opposed the draft pooled their opinion at SOS Internet Indonesia Facebook page. The page now has more than 9,000 members.
Nurina Nurinaa:  peraturan ini dibuat hanya untuk melindungi beberapa pihak yang “ketakutan” terhadap masyarakat yang mulai ekspresif dan mulai melek internet.. kenapa nggak cabut aja semua layanan internet dan kita semua pake telepon benang biar makin semrawut sekalian… dikit-dikit haram, dikit-dikit dilarang.. benernya ini negara apa penjara sih? >.<
Budi Lesmana:  Pemerintah gak mau capek, RPM ini bukti dari malasnya pemerintah, dia gak mau capek2 ngurusin masyarakatnya satu2, makanya yg diincer content providernya.
Ancilla Irwan:  secara konsep, program internet sehat memang baik. namun sungguh, bila ditilik lebih dalam mengenai konten dari rancangan peraturan yang dimaksudkan, rasanya masih perlu deskripsi yang lebih jelas biar tidak sekedar menjadi ‘dirigen’ untuk ‘mengatur suara'…
Andreas Febry:  “…Rancangan Peraturan Menteri untuk membatasi konten multimedia bertentangan dengan ide besar untuk membangun masyarakat berbasis pengetahuan…” http://bit.ly/9DZrFR
Twitterers pool their opinions on #tolakrpmkonten (reject Ministerial Regulation draft on internet content).
@kennedymuslim: Si Tiffie slm ini sok legowo thd kritik di Twitter, pdhl diem2 bkn RUU utk menjerat pengkritik. Main blkg
@vindoarga: pak @tifsembiring ,jangan ubah indonesia menjadi seperti iran atau china #tolakrpmkonten
@Irmanski: Digaji k duit pajak masi aja gatau diri! Bikin RUU bukannya mengakomodir malah mengkebiri! #tolakrpmkonten
Concerned Indonesian netizens are encouraged to send an e-mail to the officials of the Ministry of Communication and IT before the regulation is endorsed on February 19.
Update: Following the outcry from the Indonesian citizens regarding Communication and IT ministery's regulation, President Yudhoyono made a statement at the State Palace on Thursday designated to all ministers, obliging them to report regulation draft to him through his cabinet secretary or state secretary.
The President was also encouraged a more democratic mechanism and to deal with the people with more sensitivity prior to announce any regulation to avoid future uproar.  Following the statement, on Friday Minister of Communication and IT Tifatul Sembiring told the press that he intends to revize articles which clearly against civil liberties. However, he won't drop the highly critized regulation draft.

author: Juke Carolina


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Sri Lanka: World Bank And Web Censorship · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Will the World Bank indirectly support web censorship in Sri Lanka?” asks Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT For Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) blog.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Tuesday  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian bloggers post photos from the Carnival Tuesday festivities.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Saving Carnival  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

B.C. Pires links to a column by Mark Lyndersay, which,  “if listened to, could rescue Trinidad Carnival for photographers; or at least stave off the death of yet another of its vital organs”, while other Trinidadian bloggers comment on the government's decision “to award sole rights to distribute coverage of major Carnival 2010 events to its own media house.”


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Russia: When Politicians Go Online  · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Censorship and prosecution against oppositional bloggers are not the only possible threats to the blogosphere and social media in Russia. The active usage of blogosphere as an instrument of political promotion and governmental PR may significantly weaken the trust of public in social media and damage credibility of blogs as sources of independent information.
The wide discussion that questioned the place of blogs in Russia has begun when a governor of Kirovsk region Nikita Belyh wrote [RUS] in his blog that he declined an offer from a Russian PR agency to develop and promote his online diary:
В мою пресс-службу одна довольно известная PR-контора прислала  коммерческое предложение по созданию и ведению блога губернатора. То  есть моего блога. Не удержусь и процитирую избранные места: «На  декабрьском Госсовете, посвященном “Электронному правительству”,  президент фактически дал понять представителям госструктур, что в  ближайшем будущем политические деятели, не присутствующие на постоянной  основе в интернет-пространстве, не будут восприниматься как серьезные  претенденты на высокие позиции», «Сегодня у Вас есть уникальная  возможность выйти на новый уровень освещения деятельности Администрации  Губернатора, с помощью работы с платформой livejournal.com,  тем самым способствовать росту авторитета и доверия к Губернатору  Кировской области Никите Юрьевичу Белых».“
The full text of the offer, which was also published in Belyh’s blog [RUS], included the prices for development and management of a blog. It costs 163,000  rubles (approx. $5,500) to set up a blog. And it costs 84,000 rubles (approx. $3,000) to manage the blog. The promotion will cost 199,900 rubles ($7.000). The promotional activities include paying other bloggers who have more than one thousand “friends” to publishing information about the blog and distribute the links to the blog across various platforms.
Evgeny Puchkov at FPG-Media PR agency confirmed [RUS] to a Russian newspaper “Vedomosti” that the blog promotion deals were offered to many politicians including high-rank officials in local and municipal offices. He also said that about 15 of those who got the offer expressed their interest in FPG-Media services.
The above-mentioned offer to the governor is not just an anecdote. It is an inication of a significant shift in the state of the Russian Internet.
“The government officials will conquer the Internet in 2010,” claimed [RUS] Shamil Yusupov from the Russian PR sector news portal Sostav.ru.
As we know, the Internet proved its political efficiency through few stories (e.g. abandoned hospital [ENG] or nursing home [ENG]) when social movements were very effective in achieving their goals.
“Many governors and mayors started to adopt blogs as a channel for communication with public a long before Russian president decided to open his own Livejournal blog,” Russian Forbes magazine wrote. “But after that, a movement of governmental official to the Internet became a very wide phenomenon.”
Forbes recently published the rating [RUS] of the most popular Livejournal blogs created and managed by Russian officials. According to the rating, the most popular bloggers-government officials are the President Dmitriy Medvedev (1) followed by the Deputy Head of the Kirovsk region government Maria Gaidar(2), the governor of the Permsk region Oleg Chirkunov (3), the governor of Kirovsk region Nikita Belyh (4) and the Chairman of the Council of Federation Sergey Mironov (5).
Many of those popular bloggers holding government positions come from the same regions where blogs are actively used by local governors (e.g. Perms and Kirovsk). Moreover, the governors use their blogs to present bloggers who work for their administration.
Ekaterina Egorova, a president of Nikkolo M group that provides political consulting, explained [RUS] to Russian Forbes the nature of the blogosphere popularity among Russian politicians:
Спрос большой, и он нарастаетРяд политиков и чиновников стали  копировать Медведева. Есть политические фигуры, которые посредством  блога создают психологическое поле, на котором пытаются вырастить новый  интерес к своей фигуре, как, например, Татьяна Юмашева. И это в  определенном смысле удается.
However, the meaning and consequences of “blogepidemy” among Russian politician is very debatable. Livejournal blogger turbinsky wrote [RUS] in response to the blog post by the Governor Belyh about the blog promotion offer:
Ничего удивительного. В России очень много губернаторов, но очень  немногие из них могут грамотно два слова связать, не говоря уж о  мыслях:))) И уж тем более далеко не каждый из них обладает литературным  даром, подобным вашему. Простор для развития бизнеса:))) таких вот ПиаР  контор. Почему нет? Особенно за бюджетные деньги )))
“Is it legitimate to manage private blog with public money?”asked [RUS] mt6561.
“It’s very easy. It will be enough to say that it’s not private but work blog. Moreover, our officials know how to use money from governmental budgets,” answers [RUS] neo50nick.
“The statement by Medvedev created an entire market,” concludes [RUS] propovednick.
The head of the PR firm pu4kov denied [RUS] the accusations that he used the President Medvedev appeal to go to the Internet for accumulation of public money.
“We don’t talk about governors’ PR and don’t try to manipulate the Russian president’s statement but we talk about effective information cooperation on the Internet, which can be good for a concrete governor and region, by providing a new channel for communication with population,” he explained.
This explanation hasn’t convinced many bloggers and journalists.
“The president’s intent to raise an Internet literacy of governmental officials turned to be a subject for speculation,” summarizes [RUS] Russian newspaper Gazeta.
“I am very glad that I manage my blog by myself. I save so much money for our budget,” noted the Governor Belyh.
But he represents a small minority of politicians who write their blogs themselves.
“I'm afraid to even think how much money we spend for managing Dmitry Anatolievich's [President Medvedev – G.A.] blog,” wrote [RUS] LJ user pogorsky
Some bloggers claimed [RUS] that PR firms managing blogs is against blogs’ nature:
Блог – дело личностное. В том числе и для политика. Хочется в блоге  видеть не столько губернатора- но человека. Для Губернатора есть оф.  сайт, эл. почта., приемная, обращение граждан и прочее, прочее, прочее. Не хотелось бы чтобы блоги превращались в официальные закостенелости.
But probably the most significant concern is that the broad movement of Russian officials into Livejoural and other social media platforms will  significantly change the face of the Russian blogosphere. Unlike TV, which is controlled by the government, the blogosphere is considered to be the most independent media platform. Expanding the artificial and unnatural presence of the government officials – including bloggers motivated by governmental goals and don’t even write the blogs by themselves but hire PR firms to do it  – may “poison” the Russian independent public sphere.
A Lenta.ru columnist Anna Vrazhina wrote [RUS] an open letter to the President Medvedev where she called to defend Livejournal.com from a wave of Russian politicians and protect the Russian blogosphere from becoming a strictly political tool.
Я вам не как гражданка президенту пишу, а как блогер  блогеру. Мы с вами оба старые интернетчики, вот я и хочу у вас спросить:  зачем, ну зачем, Дмитрий Анатольевич, вы сказали на этом злосчастном  Госсовете в декабре, что не будете назначать на ответственные должности  людей, которые… как там было… “не присутствуют на постоянной основе в  интернет-пространстве”?
Дмитрий Анатольевич, вам же самому еще в этом интернет-пространстве  жить! <…>
Дмитрий Анатольевич, я вас по-блогерски прошу: не надо их  интернетизировать. Ну пожалуйста. Оставьте нам хотя бы “Яндекс” ЖЖ. Чтоб хоть туда ЭТИ не лезли.<…>
Короче, Дмитрий Анатольевич, я вас очень прошу, дезавуируйте  как-нибудь это свое заявление, а? А то и так уже в блогосфере от  имен-отчеств да от “уважаемых друзей” ни вздохнуть, ни пё… ой,  извините.
To conclude, Dmitry Anatolievich, I really ask you to do something to neutralize your statement. We can’t breath due to increase of those “respectful friends” on the blogosphere…
This case may present a new model of the Internet regulation when independent platforms are not restricted, censored or limited by government per se. However, an active governmental penetration gradually leads to diminishing trust to the blogosphere as an independent and valuable source.  The active usage of PR tactics may cast a shadow over entire blogosphere when every popular blog may be suspected as propaganda and considered to be not a private diary but a promotion platform for political or commercial purposes.
A blogger d_fedot wrote [RUS]:
Ещё в прошлом году эксперты отмечали снижение доверия  читателей к официальным новостям, всё больше юзеров пытается черпать  информацию из неофициальных источников, которые кажутся более правдивыми  и откровенными. К таким в первую очередь относится и ЖЖ.
Интересно, что многие пользователи ЖЖ настроены категорически против  коммерциализации в любом её виде, считая блогосферу каким то закрытым  личным пространством. Я же считаю это закономерным развитием блогов в  России. Жаль лишь, что после обнародованного предложения, доверия к  журналам публичных людей, а тем более политиков, которые будут  появляться в будующем, не будет.
Indeed, there is nothing wrong with the fact that politicians want to have blogs. But a combination of active penetration of officials due to the president's statement with active use of PR tools can lead to the situation when the Russian blogosphere loses its status as a source of authentic, independent and relatively credible information. To some extent, the first who lose in this situation are politicians themselves. The attempt to use the blogosphere as another PR platform destroys the space that provided a real opportunity for development of new dimensions of political identity and new kind of interaction with people.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Africa: Is Anglophone African Literature foreign? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Is Anglophone African Literature foreign literature?,” Kenyan blogger Keguro asks: “What makes literature “foreign”? And how does the designation “African” function?”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Armenia: Eurovision blog · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Despite the controversy following Sunday's national song contest to determine Armenia's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, Norway, still lingering, the successful entrant, Eva Rivas, has launched a blog to accompany her bid at http://eva-rivas.livejournal.com/.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Homophobia Hall of Shame · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following even more examples of homophobia in the media in Armenia, Unzipped: Gay Armenia has started a Homophobia Hall of Shame. In the first new posting for the list, the blog details the homophobia of the head of one major local radio station and advises international donors to choose wisely who they support in Armenia.


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Azerbaijan: Urban development · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on the continuing construction boom in Baku, Azerbaijan. The blog says that new urban development in the city is haphazard and is starting to adversely affect the old part of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.


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Bahamas, Haiti: Migration Debate · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The level of ignorance, fear and hate-mongering surrounding the Haitian migration to the Bahamas is astounding – especially when one considers the fact that Africans living in Haiti achieved the first successful slave revolt in history against one of the world's most advanced nations”: Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit weighs in on the debate around the issue of Haitian migration.


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Bangladesh: A Documentary On A Trans-gender Teenager · Global Voices
Rezwan

Canadian filmmakers Sébastien Rist and Aude Leroux-Lévesque writes in their blog about the making of “Call Me Salma”, a documentary on a Bangladeshi trans-gender teenager. Here is a trailer of the documentary.


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China: Critical Masses and Shifting State-Society Relations in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The China Beat has an essay based on the script of a talk Ying Zhu gave at Google’s New York offices on February 12, 2010, discussing the relation between the rise of critical mass and the shifting state-society relations in China.


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Cuba: Educational Autonomy · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In these two years since Raul Castro came to power, expulsions for ideological reasons have continued – and are on an upward course – in the centers of higher education”: Generation Y blogs about evictions in Cuban universities.


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Ghana: Model oaf African Self-Sufficiency · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Part III of Chris Lydon podcast series, Ghana Speaking: “We are making the full village rounds here in Aburanza, near Cape Coast, with a strong-minded, strong-willed modern chief. From furniture works to dress-making class to palm-nut oil pots, Dr. Kofi Sam is barking out variations on his evangelical theme…”


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Ghana: The music of Koo Nimo · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Listen to Ghanaian guitarist Koo Nimo: “Ghana’s guitar treasure Koo Nimo has the air, it’s been well said, of an “Ashanti Segovia, proud of his heritage and of the instrument he has adopted.” He also reminds you immediately of the cellist Yo-Yo Ma.”


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India: 3G Disaster · Global Voices
Rezwan

“We should have had 3G services in India 3-4 years ago. But we took a detour to giving more 2.5G licenses since that could enrich the powers that make decisions by a few billion dollars,” informs Indian blogger and entrepreneur Rajesh Jain.


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India: Media May Boycott IPL 2010 · Global Voices
Rezwan

South Asia Fair informs that Indian news channels and media “have decided to boycott the 3rd edition of the Indian Premier League 2010 after both parties failed to reach a consensus for their differences.”


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Jamaica: Honouring Nettleford · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tallawah notes that “the University of the West Indies (UWI) is set to establish The Rex Nettleford Foundation for Caribbean Cultural and Social Studies” in honour of its late Vice-Chancellor Emeritus.


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Japan: A Typical Day · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Matt Alt translated a diagram that shows the exaggerated schedules of a “normal” person versus that of a “NEET” (Not Employed, in Education, or Training).

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: Iceland from a Japanese viewpoint · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

hey11pop published pictures of the breathtaking Icelandic landscape taken during the blogger's last trip in the region.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Japan: Sapporo Snow Festival 2010 · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

At Pinktentacle some pictures of the amazing snow sculptures realized and exhibited at the Sapporo Snow Festival (in the northern island of Hokkaido).


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Kenya: Church abuses need to be investigated · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Njamba discussses church abuses in Kenya: “The Catholic church in Kenya needs to be Investigated of sexual abuses. I know of Cases in Githunguri Diocese where a priest Impregnated two schools girls.”


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Kenya: TV presenter in cult claims controversy · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Nairobi is buzzing with news of a TV news anchor who denounced her family, dumped her fiance and quit her job thanks to a US televangelists who gave orders via mail,” reports Hot Secrets.


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Russia: Bloggers Discuss Utilization of Old Books · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Libraries are throwing away old books due to old age and lack of readership, literary critic Alexander Zhitinski reported [RUS]. A library in Saint-Petersburg had to throw away all the books published before 1999. Mistreatment of books provoked a heated  discussion online [RUS] while  mainstream media ignored the subject.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Bloggers Remember Rock Legend · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Ilya Kormiltsev's LJ-avatar
On February 4, 2010, Russian bloggers celebrated the sad date. Ilya Kormiltsev [ENG], one of Russia’s most talented and controversial poets and songwriters, died of spine cancer three years ago. Back in 2007, Kormiltsev’s death became the first and the most publicized death on RuNet (Russian Internet).
Bloggers remembered him years after posting and re-posting his poems and songs, admiring his talent as well as non-conformism, respecting  his thirst for freedom of expression and active civil position.
Kormiltsev’s success story began in the the 80s in the city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) [ENG]. Kormiltsev became famous for working as a songwriter in the band “Nautilus Pompilius” [EN], one the legendary rock bands during Perestroika [EN] and later Post-Soviet period.
Kormiltsev’s songs were aimed against the communist regime, although this criticism was wrapped in sophisticated poetic forms and go unnoticed during the era of the Soviet censorship. In 1999, radio “Nashe” published “Top 100 Best Russian Rock Songs of the Century” [RUS] rating where seven out of 100 songs were written by Kormiltsev.
In the 2000's Kormiltsev quit his songwriter career and started a publishing house “Ultra.Kultura” [RUS]. As a professional interpreter, he translated and published works of the most controversial authors of the contemporary time (both Russian and foreign): William Burroughs [ENG], Ernesto Che Guevara, William Gibson [ENG], Huey P. Newton [ENG] and others. Ultra.Kultura’s books covered such radical topics as drugs, pornography, racial issues, crime, etc.
In November 2006, during the trip to London, Kormiltsev started feeling sick. In his last blog post, he wrote [RUS]:
ЛИЧНАЯ ПРОСЬБА. Никто не едет в Лондон на днях? Надо отвести лекарства. Мне.
Couple of months later, in January 2007, he was diagnosed with spine cancer. It was too late to help Kormiltsev. His friend, music critic Boris Barabanov, wrote [RUS] that Kormiltsev suffered not only from his sickness but also from the absence of the Internet and the ability to write “something important” to his readers. Kormiltsev’s last post gathered 1,720 comments. Desperate to find any information on their idol, fans were leaving messages of grief and sorrow in the comments section. Some people were asking questions about his lyrics and poems, hitting the last chance to hear author’s interpretations.
Kormiltsev’s death became one of the most discussed events in the blogosphere, newspaper “Kommersant” reported.
Right now, Kormiltsev’s LiveJournal account has a status “Memory Journal.” Any further comments are closed but the journal’s content is open to everyone. The last post in his journal was written by his friends and repeated Kormiltsev’s last words:
Был потрясен тем, что я вам так дорог, и что вы прониклись таким участием к моей судьбе. Огромное спасибо за поддержку. Постараюсь ответить всем лично.
But he never did. Three years after Kormiltsev’s death, bloggers were posting his portraits, favorite poem extracts and the last interviews.
Blogger A.Monach wrote:
для меня всегда было загадкой, как так человек может зацепить сотни мозгов и заставить петь миллионы свои песни, при этом почти вообще не используя рифмоплетения. Одинаково жестко с его уст слетала “социалка”, “политинформационное творчество”, любовь – смерть, которые всегда ходили в его произведениях рядом, разврат и боль, божественное и дьявольское и тд…
Regul_leia wrote:
Говорят, художник чувствует нить времени тоньше, чем все остальные и предугадывает ее. А поэт – как родитель над колыбелью малыша – нашептывает песню, по которой новый человек учится говорить и понимать мир.
All_decoded commented on regul_leia’s post:
Но если Вам нравится Кормильцев (а это нормально !) Вы начинаете диссидентствовать по отношению к сегодняшней власти


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Russia: More People Watch Video Online · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Russian Internet TV daily audience grew 45 percent since last year and now consists of 1.39 million people watching TV programs online, “RUmetrika” reported.

author: Vadim Isakov


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South Korea: Little Manila · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

CINA collects local news report on the gentrification pressure in Seoul city on Little Manila, the marketplace for domestic migrants.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Beyonce & Beyond · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

B.C. Pires shares a humourous perspective on the Beyonce concert, happening later today in Trinidad.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Uganda: Pastor show gay porn in church · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“A pastor seeking to bolster Uganda’s anti-gay laws which already make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment screened gay porn in a packed Kampala church Wednesday in a bid to drum up support,” writes Frethought Kampala.


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US Bloggers On The Case Of Kidnapping Haitian Orphans · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

Children from Maison Des Enfants de Dieu orphanage fill the jump seats in a Travis Air Force Base, Calif., C-17, Jan. 23, preparing to head the United States to meet with their adoptive families. Image from Flickr by DVIDSHUB. Used under a Creative Commons License
As Haiti slowly treads on the path to recovery and rebuilding, there is a sense of renewed concern for the countries children-especially the orphans. Various news agencies have been reporting on child traffickers targeting vulnerable children in the country, including this report at CNN.
The orphan debate has a lot of US connections because the arrested church group was American and a lot of the orphans were destined for USA if adoptions continued. On the US blogosphere, the opinion on the missionaries seems to be divided, and the attitude of the US Department of State is also being questioned.
At the legal blog Right Juris, blogger Ryan questions the State Department's handling of the situation. In the light of facts that have emerged-that 22 out of 33 “orphans” the missionaries were trying to get to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic have living parents, and the group did not have necessary permission and documentation to take the children out of country; the State Department has decided to take the “hands off” approach.
“No matter what happens the US Missionaries Charged with kidnapping Haitian orphans appear to be stuck in Haiti for quite some time. They will be there even longer if the State Department doesn’t help try and secure their release, or a transfer of the case to The United States. The question though is should the State Department intervene? What do you think? Should this group be tried and convicted of kidnapping? Should the U.S. government press for their release? Did the group really have only good intentions when they attempted to flee the country with 33 Haitian children? I would love to hear your thoughts.”
Brazen attempt of the missionaries to go through their mission, without ever seeking necessary permission in the United States or in Haiti has raised doubts.
Paul Shepard at the blog Black Spin says that the missionaries have a tough road ahead.
“While their hearts might have been in the right place, their heads were clearly out of commission in trying to pull off such a dangerous stunt without informing government officials in the United States or Haiti about what they were doing.
No one doubts some orphans in Haiti today would be better served by moving to loving families in other countries, but that kind of effort takes time and coordination with local officials.”
Te-Ping Chen at Change.org, questions the children focused relief effort in Haiti. In her thought provoking post titled “When ‘Charity’ in Haiti Kills Children”, Chen examines the effect the missionaries’ arrest is having on volunteers who want to travel to Haiti to help.
“…Since the missionaries were arrested last month, the misbegotten travails of ringleader Laura Silsby & co. have had a chilling effect on doctors, aid workers and government officials (you know, the people who have a legitimate mission in helping Haiti with the recovery process) trying to save the lives of critically injured Haitian kids.
Now, the New York Times is reporting that 10 children have died or become worse while waiting for authorization from newly skittish authorities to get on flights out of the country for treatment.
Prior to the Americans’ arrest, every day, an average of 15 injured Haitian children were getting airlifted out of Haiti onto U.S.-bound flights. Since Silsby & co. bobbed onto the scene, though, only three children have been evacuated for treatment in the U.S. on private flights….”
Chen joins a growing list of people, including some very well known names, who are asking whether is it an act of kindness to remove Haiti's children from the country in search of better life. Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson has criticized the missionaries for the brash attempt, saying that “True charity would have been to help those families care for their children — not to put them in a bus and drive them away. “
Marc Herman at a previous post in Global Voices noted that surprisingly the voice of Haitian themselves has been muted on the orphans issue. He also highlights a sudden rise of interest on Haitian children after the earthquake.
Late Wednesday evening, a Haitian judge ruled that 8 of the 10 missionaries be release immediately. They will soon be flown back to the United States, leaving behind Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter. Sisby is the group's leader.
The already fractured public opinion in the blogosphere is sure to get more intense over the surprise release of the 8 missionaries. There will also be speculation over why 2 missionaries-Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter are still being held, beyond the official explanation that the judge wants to investigate why the pair had traveled to Haiti before the devastating earthquake last month. It seems that Haiti's children will once again be on the spotlight.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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Ada Lovelace Day 2010 · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Ada Lovelace Day is an international initiative striving to increase content about achievements of women in technology and science, named after the world's first programmer Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852), Lord Byron‘s daughter, also famous as a character in the seminal steampunk novel The Difference Engine by Gibson & Sterling. A pledge drive is currently under way: participants take an obligation to post about geek heroines on their blogs on March 24. More info on Twitter via hashtags #AdaLovelaceDay and #ALD10.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Africa: Hidden Thoughts & Emotions on Love among African Bloggers · Global Voices
Njeri Wangari

14th February, better known as Valentine’s day , the love mood was not only felt on the streets of Nairobi by the many red flowers, ladies dressed in all manner of red clothes, and offers in every shop; The Sunday dailies were awash with stories of lovers with  advertisements taking most of the space with the aim of giving one ideas on how to spoil their lover on that day.
A Valentines day heart
The story was no different online.
Njeri  who also calls herself La Femme reveals how she got flowers from her man, a surprise which she didn’t expect.
Valentine's Day is today. Happy Valentine's Day. It was a good day. I got flowers yesterday from Mr. Man. They were gorgeous and the message on the card was sweet. I absolutely loved them. Funny (or not so funny) thing is that Mr. Man had convinced me that he wasn't going to get me anything for Valentne's Day. I was straight up bummed. But later he said that he had to tell me that so that I wouldn't ruin the surprise. Yesterday was a happy day, I was animatedly excited. Thanks babe for the flowers:)
I got him a book. I hope he'll like it. I think he will, and a Valentine's Day card.
Reading her post, one can clearly tell that she is the reason why the day has never failed to disappoint.
P.K.W- Proud Kikuyu Woman’s valentine day was not such a joyful one, the man that sent her a card, wine and chocolate and who wants to marry her is not the man that she sees herself spending the rest of her life with.
The thing is that I’m already thinking of how to end it with the Man, because I don’t see his clan bringing goats and cows (actually these days it’s their equivalent in Kenya Shillings) to mine in exchange of me. We had agreed that the walk down the aisle can be done several years down the line, or even never, as long as the legal thing had been done so he’s not left free to ‘buy’ as many wives as he can afford. We had even set dates for the initial unofficial Meet the Family visits last December, before I suggested that we postpone for a later, unspecified date.
The day leaves her wondering if she will ever get married, turning 32 this August and the chances getting slimmer.
Inari  Media  chose the day to encourage the single ladies not to rush to ‘put a ring on it’.
Her article that lists all the privileges that a woman will lose if/when she agrees to a man’s proposal can easily make one change their mind. But as she warns at the beginning of the article, she herself might just be tripping up the isle  of a registry office at some point in future.
No matter how much lip service either party pays to equality between the sexes, studies have shown that women will still do the bulk of the housework amongst co-habitating heterosexual couples. Not only that, but where health and earnings are concerned,  marriage will actually be of greater benefit to a husband than to a wife. Should a woman have the temerity to breed, she will be the parent expected to manage the bulk of the childcare too. Even if they return to work after maternity leave, they will find themselves on the “Mummy Track,” possibly demoted, but definitely sidelined from greater career progression. Some unfortunate women even find themselves dismissed, and consequently find it difficult to find an employer willing to take on a woman with responsibilities outside the office.
Daniel Ngari  choose to focus on polygamy by using King Solomon, South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma and our individual goals as his reference points.
His is an interesting exploration of our faults in marrying and sticking to our goals to the end yet we are all quick to judge those in polygamous marriages.
Tamaku who runs the Diary of a Gay Kenyan chose to celebrate his on 13th with his love George preferring not to risk being admonished on Sunday 14th.
A South African Blogger, pessimist Incarnate  observed that there was a lot of vibrations on Valentines day according to Seismologists all around the world.
“I definitely felt the Earth move last night,” said Dawn Jarvis of The American Seismological Institute. “The mattress was bouncing and the springs were squeaking and it rocked my world……..”
While none of the affected could offer any explanation for the increased seismic activity, it should be noted that there was a definite correlation in the intensity of movement to the amount of chocolates, flowers, and Lacey red lingerie which were found in each home of those interviewed,
It is still on this lovers day that the Malawian president Bingu Wa Mutharika engaged his newly found love, former Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, Callista Chapola Chimombo at a colourful ceremony in the country's Capital City, Lilongwe.

author: Njeri Wangari


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Africa: Views on HIV pandemic lack logic · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Simon argues that there is no logic in the received view of the HIV pandemic: “Something I have always found mysterious about UNAIDS’ view (it's something of a received view) of the course of the HIV epidemic is that they estimate that the number of new infections peaked in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) some time in the mid 1990s.”


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Azerbaijan: Breaking down stereotypes · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines blogger Arzu Geybullayeva comments on her audio interview conducted over Skype with Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor for Transitions Online. The blog says that communication is possible, living together is possible, breaking down existing barriers is possible and [that] this a message [it] would give to all non-believers in peace and reconciliation.


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Bangladesh, India: The Relationship Between Water Crisis And Migration · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sowmya Suryanarayanan at Strategic Foresight opines that the lack of freshwater resources in Bangladesh “is a massive threat and will remain a primary reason for cross border migration in the future.”

author: Rezwan


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China: A satirical guide for Fifty Cents Party members · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C Custer from ChinaGeeks translated a satirical guide for Fifty Cents Party members (paid online commentators) on the many methods they can use to respond to criticism.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Online poll manipulated? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated a forum post on a QQ.com online polling on GMO food. The writer noticed that within 2 hours at 2.am, the polling result changed from 36% pro VS 64% against to 50% pro VS 41% against GMO food.


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Ghana: African programmers developing games for iPhone · Global Voices
Mac-Jordan

Programmers, Eyram Akorfa Tawiah from Ghana and Wesley Kirinya from Kenya are co-founders of Leti Games, a Ghanaian start-up building games for the iPhone and other gaming platforms. Their names would soon become a household one soon after their release of the iWarrior from Leti Games.
According to Eyram Tawiah [developer/programmer],
the iWarrior is a casual game with great African art and sounds. With its simple intense game play, it puts you in the role of protecting your village from Africa's most feared wild animals. From the thundering Elephants, the camouflaging Lions, the swift Cheetahs, silly Hyenas and others, experience the wild on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Eyram is a product of the KNUST from Kumasi and Meltwater Foundation where he was a Teaching Fellow inspiring others and also working on his projects. I booked for an interview immediately I heard of iWarrior’s release but couldn’t get the chance as he was busy sorting other issues out. Luckily for me, I got hold of him online yesterday even though he seems busy; he was able to grant me this interview which answers all my questions about their [his] game release.
Below is the full text of my interview with Eyram Akofa Tawiah [EAT]:
Mac-Jordan [MJ]: What got you started in programming?
Eyram Akofa Tawiah [EAT]: It is funny but my love for games actually got me serious with programming. I wanted to make my own game for the comics I used to draw back in the days.
MJ: How would you describe your programming style / what languages you are ok with?
EAT: I’m very conversant with all programming languages for now. I work with programming principles but not the language. I design and implement in any language that I find can do the job right for me but I’m very comfortable in .NET (VB, C#), PHP, java and Objective C.
MJ: What software do you use most for your works?
EAT: I use Microsoft Office applications and the IDE's. I prefer the Mozilla Firefox and Safari browsers because they are very safe to use.
MJ: What would be the first thing I would find when I enter your room?
EAT: (laughing at this question) upon entering my room, you will find my girlfriend’s portrait picture on the wall, a desktop computer on a table in the hall, my laptop [either in my bag or on the table].
MJ: What would I find in your laptop bag?
EAT: My MacBook Pro, my phones and if possible a PSP [PlayStation Portable]
MJ: Who is your best Movie Actor/Actress in Ghana? Have you watched any Ghanaian movies lately?
EAT: To be honest with you, I don’t watch Ghanaian movies. No reasons for that though. I think, I watched “Perfect Picture” and I liked it. Apart from that, I can’t say anything on movies from Ghana.
MJ: As a programmer, I believe you have a sense for music. What is your choice of music?
EAT: I have a wide range of music I listen to but on my heavy rotations; I have Classics, Hymns, Country music, Hip-hop & Hip-life. I’m beginning to have a thing for this generation of Afro-pop music coming from the youth of Ghana.
MJ: What books have you been reading over the past week?
EAT: As a matter of fact, I’ve been programming over the past week so I never got the time to read any books yet except lookups in some programming books and blogs online for info’s and many more…
MJ: What particular challenges do you face as a programmer in Ghana?
EAT: Constant outage of electricity, slow internet speed and the most annoying of all, internal politics in organizations.
MJ: How do you see the future of Programming & Developing in Ghana?
EAT: [sighing] hmmm…  I would say, very bright. Almost everyone is barely a programmer these days and I like the idea of helping friends out whenever they are faced with any challenges. Information Technology is fast becoming the order of the day so I see, developing/programming leading in all facets. I’m very active in the Ghana Developers Group and also share a lot of info to members.
MJ: Are you currently working on any projects?
EAT: Currently, I am working on 2 games due next month. The iWarrior and its j2me version [kijiji] are already out. There’s another multiplayer game due next month.
MJ: Which other programmers inspire your work and why?
EAT: A lot of them do. I like programmers like John Carmack; CEO of ID Software, Erik Hersmann of Afrigadget and Whiteafrican… Locally, a lot of my colleagues inspire me. I learn from anyone and also share with anyone irrespective of sex, race, ethnicity, color or background.
MJ: What has been the best advice given to you by another programmer?
EAT: Don’t be selfish at what you know; be willing to share. Sharing helps you to know more. The more you share, the more you know.
MJ: What advice would you share with programmers starting out?
EAT: My advice to up-coming programmers is for them to take programming seriously. They should do it for a good cause. They should be passionate about it, because after all they would see it as another language but not a curse.
MJ: How are iPhone users without App Store accounts supposed to get a copy of the iWarrior Game from Ghana?
EAT: Currently, you can get the iWarrior through the app store on iTunes. As a consolation, please consider signing up as a beta-tester for our next games and you will get the games to play pre-release. You can also download the game from iTunes App Store
MJ: Tell me something nobody knows about you and want them to know..
EAT: Games are a great way to relax. It is a continuous mind teaser, and is also a very profitable avenue for business in the world. Africans should not look down on it because it forms one of the biggest economy boosters in the developed countries. In the US, the game industry is bigger than the music and the movie industry combined. Africans can make it big in this industry. It takes determination and perseverance and a little bit of networking to accomplish though.
MJ: Your final words…
EAT: I wish to see more game developers in Ghana and Africa soon. It’s fun to make games and a good way to understand programming faster. If anyone is interested in it and wants someone to talk to or share thoughts with, I’m always there to help.
MJ: Thanks a lot for your time and I really appreciate it loads.
EAT: You are always welcome, Mac-Jordan. I’m very happy to see Ghana Blogging Group going places and I know, you are very active on that. Keep it up and do feel free to contact me if you want to move your blog to your own domain. I’m ready to help anytime.
According to Erik Hersmann of WhiteAfrican blog,
iWarrior is an excellent first game on the iPhone platform from two highly talented and creative African game developers. I expect that there will be lot of good games and other applications coming from this team over time – both on the iPhone and other platforms. It's a game to be proud of and one that I hope a lot of others will buy.
Photo Credit:  iTunes.

author: Mac-Jordan


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Guatemala: Into the Capital City · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Kara Andrade of New Maya writes about her recent trip into Guatemala's capital city, and writes “I grew up with a fear of Guatemala City as this monolith of chaos that swallowed up people…”  However, at the end of the day, she came away with a different view of the city.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Haiti: Moving On  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The men and women of Haiti are strong and ready to show the world that they can rebuild their country”: Wadner Pierre says that Haitians are ready to move on post-earthquake.


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Haiti: Reading the Reports · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands republishes segments of a report on HIV infections in Haiti, while Haiti Vox links to a story on “who's getting the first Haiti contracts”, saying: “It's important for us to widely circulate this information, and to HELP Haitian groups who may want to apply…it's also important for Haiti watchers who are promoting transparency and equity and want to make sure Haitian community groups get a share of the pie…”


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Iran: Cyber Islamic Militarism on the March · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

The internet is usually touted as a space for dialogue and peaceful exchange, but in the case of Iran, the political conflict has also morphed into new forms of online “warfare” where the most powerful weapons are those that silence free speech.
Below, are three major initiatives – both failed and successful – that we could call innovations in militarism on the internet.
Political hacking
The Iranian Cyber Army is just one example out of several militant Islamic initiatives that have only grown more fervent since the elections in June 2009. This hacker group is perhaps the strongest Iranian or Iran-related militant Islamist project on the internet. They have successfully targeted websites in several countries, illustrating that the internet truly has no borders, and that even big-name websites can be fragile against unknown attackers.
The army’s victims go beyond the usual targets such as independent Iranian news websites like Zamaneh or Green Movement ones like Jaras and Kalameh. On December 18 2009, they were able to bring down the international micro-blogging site Twitterr. The service had been used by many Iranian protesters to make news headlines. The message left by the group during the one hour that Twitter was hacked illustrates their ideology:
THIS SITE HAS BEEN HACKED BY IRANIAN CYBER ARMY iRANiAN.CYBER.ARMY@GMAIL.COM
U.S.A. Think They Controlling And Managing Internet By Their Access, But THey Don't, We Control And Manage Internet By Our Power, So Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples To….
NOW WHICH COUNTRY IN EMBARGO LIST? IRAN? USA?
On its own website, the Iranian Cyber Army has left several messages and warnings, including that foreign servers are no guarantee of safety for Iranian sites and blogs; that personal information about site owners will be divulged; and they have also issued a special warning to pro-Green website Mowjcamp. Finally, they threaten that a virtual attack is considered a first step, but they do not expand on further steps.
For unknown reasons, the Iranian Cyber Army also hacked the popular Chinese search engine, Baidu in January 2010. Many online commenters guessed that it had to do with expressed support for the Iranian Green Movement by Chinese netizens.
A failed blogging expansion project
At the end of 2008,  The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) made an historic announcement to launch 10,000 blogs in support of the paramilitary Basij forces. IRGC’s official publication, Sobh Sadegh, wrote that the IRGC considered the Internet and other digital devices including mobile SMS as a threat to be controlled. It announced that the 10,000 blogs would promote revolutionary ideas. The IRGC considers the Internet an instrument for  “velvet revolution” (non-violent overthrow of government by foreign influence) and warned that enemy nations have invested in this tool to topple the Islamic Regime. The project never came to fruition, but it would have been the biggest military blogging project.
Crowd sourcing identities
In March 2009, the IRGC cracked down on several groups who had set up anti-Islamic and pornographic Internet websites. Around the same time, the organized-crime-fighting unit of the IRGC  launched a website named Gerdab (meaning ‘vortex’) where news and photos of arrested people were published. During the post-election protests in 2009, Gerdab published photos of protesters, and asked the Iranian public to help identify them. Islamist militants were crowd sourcing information in the virtual world to target real people.
The Iranian Cyber Army shares  some charateristics of Gerdab, but their is no real evidence of an official connection between the two. Iran's official news/propaganda agency, IRNA once claimed that the Iranian Cyber Army were a project of the IGRC, but this has never been confirmed. It is not known who the hackers are nor where they are based, only that they target “Iranian opposition websites”.
Two Iranian bloggers who asked to remain anonymous even speculated that the Iranian Cyber Army could be based in China or be helped by Chinese hackers, and that targeting Baidu may have been an attempt to blur this.
The death of dialogue
The dream of the internet is that it could become a virtual environment where Islamists and non-Islamists could dialogue instead of shooting each other. We've seen small instances where it has happened. For example, once about three and half years ago, Islamist and non-Islamists Iranian bloggers debated online the pros and cons of martyrdom. Today, the emphasis on both sides is on beefing up both virtual and real world elimination.
It's only fair to mention that supporters of the Iranian opposition have employed similar attack methods. A group that calls itself The Green Cyber Army targeted a a Basij militia website (moghavemat.ir) in 2010 and has threatened others; several pro-opposition bloggers have uploaded photos of people alleged to be undercover security agents; and the hacking of state websites by anonymous groups is ordinary business.
The victims of all this activity are not only the hacked websites, but the future potential for communication and greater understanding between Iranian citizens online.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica, U.S.A.: R.I.P. Rex · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Labrish and Repeating Islands republish The New York Times’ obituary on the late Jamaican educator and choreographer, Rex Nettleford.


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Kenya: Walk Thru Black History Month in Nairobi · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Walk Thru Black History Month will take place in Nairobi on February 27, 2010: “To honor Black History Month 2010, Paa Ya Paa has invited two distinguished African-American scholars from International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH) to further enlighten us about our mutual cultural, historical and spiritual heritage.”


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Macedonia: Official Website of Skopje Old Bazaar · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Archaeological Diary informs [MKD] about the opening of the official website [MKD] for governmental Program for Revitalization of the Old Bazaar in Skopje, one of the most significant cultural treasures from the Ottoman period. Archeologist Vasilka Dimitrovska notes that for true revitalization, one has to work on providing content and events that would bring the visitors back into the area, because “the city's spirit consists of people also, not just architecture.” (via Ping.mk)


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Mexico: Critique of the Media Coverage of the “Narco War” · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Daniel Hernandez of the blog Intersections critiques the media coverage of Mexico's “Narco War” and provides examples of some recent cases.


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Russia: Torrents.ru Is Suspended  · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

The major Russian torrent (files exchange) service torrents.ru has been suspended due to investigation of copyright violations, RIA Novosty reported. The service continues to work via another domain.


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South Africa: Dare to be wise, Mr. President · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Discussing South African politics on Thought Leader, Suntosh writes, “Dare to be wise, Mr. President”: But wait — was Zuma trying to hide his immaturity in matters of national governance by ensuring his cabinet would create the façade of a mature president?


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Sri Lanka: The Impending General Elections · Global Voices
Rezwan

Serendipity opines on the impending general elections in Sri Lanka.


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St. Lucia, Grenada: Water Crisis  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands reports on water woes in the Caribbean territories of St. Lucia and Grenada.


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What Is Indian Culture? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Gaurav at The Undercover Indian Blog asks “what is Indian culture” while discussing the onslaught of bollywood culture, which is “beamed into every Indian house”.


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Africa: When language reflects life · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Language does reflect life as Miquel observes: Of course, many people here in Côte d'Ivoire keep insisting that the word for pen is “bic” instead of “stylo” or to grab a “Lotus” (a local brand) instead of a “tissus”…


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Belarus, Poland: Situation With the Union of Poles  · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Updates on the tensions between Belarus and Poland – at Belarus Digest: here, here, and here.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Belarus: State TV Accused of “Ripping a Whole Sitcom” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belarus Digest reports that while the Belarusian government explains the recently-introduced internet regulations by the need to fight copyright law violations, the state-run TV is now being accused of “ripping a whole sitcom”: “In the CBS original, shown on E4 in Britain, the main character are called Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, Raj and Penny; in Belarus they are called Sheldon, Leo, Hovard, Raj and Natasha.”


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Belarus, Ukraine: Yanukovych from Yanuki · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belarus Digest writes about the “Belarusian roots” of Victor Yanukovych, the winner of Ukraine's presidential election, and about the Belarusian village of Yanuki, the birthplace of Yanukovych's father: “Currently there are only two families live in Yanuki. Both of them are Yanukovichs.”


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Bulgaria: “The Bulgarian Guantanamo” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Maya Markova of Maya's Corner posts videos and translates parts of the documentary The Bulgarian Guanatanamo, by Bulgarian journalist Ivan Kulekov. (An earlier GV roundup item on this issue is here.)


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Colombia: The Closure of Cambio Magazine · Global Voices
Lully Posada

On February 8th, a day prior to the celebration of Day of the Journalist, the Colombian magazine “Cambio,” [es] (Change) which was dedicated to investigative reporting and denunciation, was temporarily closed. The magazine was founded in 1994, but three years ago was bought by the Publishing House El Tiempo, which owns the largest newspaper in Colombia, and whose largest shareholder is the “Planet Group” from Spain. Now, the magazine restarted operations and will no longer be weekly, but rather monthly, and will cover various topics with a focus on entertainment.
The Publishing House canceled the management contracts with editors María Elvira Samper y Rodrigo Pardo, and informed them that the decision was made due to economic reasons because the magazine was barely sustainable. These two journalists have stated on different occasions, that the cause of the magazine's closure was politically motivated.
In every issue of “Cambio,” there were acts of denouncement of such gravity that they became an important part of the citizens’ concerns. Among the many allegations, there were revelations of abuses by the former Minister of Agriculture, Andrés Felipe Arias, who was close to President Álvaro Uribe, and the program “Agro Ingreso Seguro,” (Secure Agricultural Income) which assisted farmers, but allowed Arias to distribute large sums of money to a group of businessmen who had contributed to the Presidential electoral campaign.
In recent weeks, this investigative journalism and denouncements had raised concerns and even outrage from Foreign Ministry officials for the disclosure of details about last year's agreement between the governments of Colombia and the United States to establish 7 United States military bases in Colombia.
The news of the magazine's closing caused surprise and dismay among journalists and traditional media, as well as reactions in the blogosphere, especially because they do not consider the economic reasons as being a valid argument for taking the magazine off the market.
Daniel Ramos of the digital magazine Equinoxio [es], provides his analysis called “Metamorphosis,” with the following paragraph:
Una de las utopías políticas más famosas (y necesarias) en Colombia es aquella que prodigó el ex presidente Turbay Ayala por allá a finales de los setenta del siglo pasado: “Hay que llevar a la corrupción a sus justas proporciones”. La corrupción es un cáncer que mina y daña cualquier posibilidad de buen gobierno. Uno de los ingredientes básicos para alcanzar esta utopía es la existencia de medios críticos, proactivos, investigativos y eficaces, como la revista Cambio. El lector atento puede anticipar ya la conclusión de esta crónica utópica a manera de grafiti: Sin Cambio la corrupción en Colombia no se acabará nunca.
One of the most famous (and necessary) utopias in Colombia is the one lavished by former president Turbay Ayala during the late 1970s: “One must take corruption to its fair proportions.” Corruption is a cancer that undermines and damages any possibility of good governance. One of the basic ingredients for reaching that utopia is the existence of critical, proactive, investigative, and effective media, like the magazine Cambio. The attentive reader can already anticipate the completion of this utopic chronicle as graffiti: Without Change (a play on words referring to the magazine Cambio, which means Change in Spanish), corruption in Colombia will never end.
In this regard, journalist Víctor Solano on his blog ¿Comunicación? [es] refers to the question that he asked Samper, Cambio's former editor, at a journalism forum,(to which was held at the Javeriana University in Bogotá:
Una vez terminadas las exposiciones pude hacer la segunda de las preguntas recibidas y allí aproveché para soltar una bomba, una revelación ante ese auditorio: “María Elvira: Supe de buena fuente que aproximadamente las 6:30 p.m., Luis Fernando Santos (presidente de CEET, propietaria de revista Cambio) le confesó a Rodrigo Pardo las verdaderas razones del cierre de la revista, que tenían que ver con la incomodidad que producían las investigaciones que hacía la revista entre algunos de los miembros de la Junta Directiva; a las 7:25 p.m., eltiempo.com publicó una versión totalmente diferente en la que aducía los problemas financieros ¿Cuál cree que de estas dos va a ser la versión que perdure en la memoria de los colombianos?”…
Siento que el público quedó frío en ese momento y todas las miradas pasaron al rostro de María Elvira que contestó con vehemencia: “La extraoficial. No pueden creer que la gente es boba”. María Elvira siguió argumentando sobre una gran cantidad de pistas que la dejan totalmente convencida de que las verdaderas causas del cierre tienen que ver con motivaciones ideológicas”.
Once the presentations had ended, I was able to ask the second of the questions and I took the opportunity to drop a bomb, a revelation to the audience. “(to) María Elvira (Samper): I found out from a good source that at approximately 6:30 p.m., Luis Fernando Santo (president of CEET, and owner of the magazine Cambio) confessed the real reasons for the closing of the magazine to Rodrigo Pardo, it had to do with the discomfort for some members of the Board of Directors because of the investigations that the magazine produced; at 7:25 p.m., eltiempo.com [es] published a totally different version [es] that alleged the financial problems. Which of the two versions will be the one that lasts in the memory of Colombians?
I sense that the audience froze at that moment, and all eyes went to the face of María Elvira, who replied with vehemence: “The unofficial. I cannot believe that people are stupid.” María Elvira  went on to argue about a large number of hints that left her totally convinced that the true cause of the magazine's closing had to do with ideological motivations.
The Facebook group “Active Absention as a Complaint – Do Not Vote in Reelection Referendum [es]” which makes a statement against the closure of investigative denouncement:
Que el cierre de la Revista Cambio obedece a motivos económicos, esa excusa oficial no es creíble! (…)  El cierre de la Revista Cambio es un mensaje para los medios de comunicación y sus periodistas.  El mensaje de fondo de esta decisión es que ser INDEPENDIENTE, decir lo que se piensa y cuestionar el poder puede conducir a la muerte profesional.
That the closure of the magazine Cambio because of economic reasons, the official excuse is not credible! (…) The closing of the magazine Cambio is a message to the media and its journalists. The underlying message of this decision is that being INDEPENDENT, saying what you think, and questioning power can lead to professional death.
Finally, Jaime Restrepo of the blog Atrabilioso [es], reveals his perspective, contrary to the previous three opinions:
Dicen que José Obdulio Gaviria logró el cierre de la revista Cambio.  Sin embargo, a una empresa no le interesa cerrar un área rentable…  el grupo Planeta no es la excepción.  (…) El cierre de Cambio es una decisión empresarial que tiene que ver con los pobres resultados económicos y no con supuestas presiones políticas.
They say that (politician and advisor to President Uribe) José Obdulio Gaviria was able to close Cambio magazine. However, a company is not interested in closing a profitable activity … the Planet Group is no exception. (…) The closure of Change is a business decision that has to do with the poor economic performance and not to alleged political pressure.
So on this year's Day of the Journalist in Colombia, celebrated on February 9, many feel that a shadow was cast on freedom of speech.

author: Lully Posada