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South Korea: Belated Response to Toxic Gas Leak Affecting Thousands · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In the small South Korean city of Gumi, the authorities’ slow response to a toxic gas leakage disaster has prompted angry reactions from citizens.
On September 27, 2012, a chemical factory containing eight tons of toxic acid, exploded and resulted in a massive gas spill, creating a serious health hazard for thousands of villagers. South Korean authorities only began evacuating villagers on October 6, some ten days after the event.
The gas leaked from the plant explosion is hydrochloric acid, a highly toxic chemical that can damage the lungs, bones and the nervous system. The official number of affected villagers tops 600 people, but several thousand more are believed to have been exposed to fallout from the leakage and are in need of immediate treatment.
It was the villagers who begged the government for evacuation; the affected area was not designated as ‘special disaster zone’ until the third day of the gas spill.
Netizen outrage
Netizens have lambasted the government's belated response, city authorities’ incompetence and the mainstream media's silence on this critical issue. Twitter users have uploaded photos of farmland in the affected area.
This photo (copyrights uncertain) taken from well above the sea level, shows a vast area turned brown as the plants have died from the toxic chemical leak.
The images below shows vine and melon trees in the city rapidly dying:
Vine trees, nearly dead, turned brown, Twitter photo uploaded by @b0u7e6, the photo has been shared also in citizen media, Wiki Tree site.
Many cracks can be seen in the surface of melons and the leaves and trees have turned yellow, Twitter image uploaded by @v1004v, the photo has been shared also in citizen media, Wiki Tree site.
Photos and testimonies have been shared on citizen media site, Wiki Tree, such as the comment below [ko]:
‘불산 누출’ 구미 봉산리 주민 300명, 마을 떠나기로 http://i.wik.im/87774  피해 상황이 눈덩이처럼 커지고 있습니다. 현재까지 2000명 가까이 병원 진료를 받은 것으로 나타났습니다.
Hydrochloric acid leakage has made 300 villagers in Gumi city, Bongsan-ri [name of the district] leave their homes. http://i.wik.im/87774 The damage has snowballed with the loss getting bigger and bigger. Two thousand have been hospitalized so far.
Twitter user @iron_heel wrote [ko]:
구미 불산가스 누출 사고 이후, 옥계 등 구미 아파트 단지 부근 노점에 할머니들이 팔던 채소를 주민들이 더 이상 구매하지 않는다는 소문이 돌고 잇습니다. 그만큼 불산 가스 노출된 구미 지역 농산물에 지역주민들이 민감하게 반응한다는거죠…
After the gas leak, news has been floating around that villagers no longer buy the vegetables old ladies used to sell in front of some apartment complexes such as Ok-gye. It's telling that villagers have started reacting sensitively to the farm products exposed to the acid gas.
@judybyun commented [ko] after linking to another famous citizen news site, OhMynews’ article:
아직 치료도 못 받은 주민도. 여론에만 신경쓰고 주민들 방치하는 구미시 꼴불견. 주민들만 패닉상태 RT@ohmynews_korea 떠나는 구미 시민들…”우리 건강 아무도 안챙겨줘”http://bit.ly/TebHBH
It is just so hard to watch villagers who still havent received proper treatment and the Gumi city authorities doing nothing for them other than minding what the outsiders are saying over the issue. It is only the villagers who are panicking out. RT @ohmynews_korea Gumi villagers leaving their places, saying “no one cares about our health” http://bit.ly/TebHBH
And also expressed disbelief on how the authorities have kept this case silent for several days:
세상에… 쉬쉬하다 도시하나를 날리겠네[…]
Oh my goodness. They could easily have blown up a city whilst busy keeping this things under the radar […]
On the same day the evacuation was ordered, a Twitter photo of South Korean president at an Italian coffee shop in Seoul's poshest neighborhood, leisurely sipping coffee was uploaded. Many have retweeted the photo below, most of them angrily criticizing [ko] him for not visiting the city and checking up on the emergency situation.
President at a coffee shop with the First Lady, Twitter image uploaded by user @mutation_H
The gas spill made national headlines and caught people's attention only a week after the incident actually happened. Net users have lashed out hard at the mainstream media's silence and lackluster coverage.
Kim Yong-min, one of the hosts of the popular political podcast show, Naggomsu, tweeted [ko]:
내가 사는 동네에 참사가 나 피해가 커지는데, 권력에 장악된 언론이 우물쭈물하며 보도하기를 기피한다면 그래서 관이 부동자세라면… 소설이 아니라 현실입니다. 구미 보세요. 언론장악은 그래서, 민생파탄과 직결됩니다.
Let us imagine if my village had an incident and the damage was getting bigger, but the media controlled by the power hesitated to report on the incident. And due to their lack of coverage, the [local] government does not even bother to move the slightest bit… That is not just a scenario for a fiction novel, but a reality taking place in Gumi. That is why the domination of media by power directly leads to suffering and collapse of [ordinary] citizens.
@jinmadang explained [ko] the political context. Gumi has been a conservative stronghold where the ruling Saenuri party's candidates have an easy win in most elections. The upcoming presidential election is in December this year.
구미가 왜 비상상황에서 홀대받는지 아세요? 텃밭이기 때문입니다. 잡은 고기 밥 안주는 것과 비슷하달까요. 거기가 표가 안나오는 지역이면 달려가서 달콤한 대책 내놔도 벌써 내놨지요. 이번엔 몰표라는 어리석은 짓 안하기를 바랍니다.
Do you know what Gumi is being ignored and not treated as the top priority emergency issue? Because the city is a safe ground that has been loyal to the ruling conservative party: You never feed the fish you caught. If that place had voted against the ruling party, they would hurriedly visit the place and came up with some plans packaged in sweet words. I really hope the villagers don't make the dumb mistake of single-handedly voting for conservative party– again this time.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Swaziland: The Princess show-stopper ‘virginity dance’  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Welcome DLAMINI writes about ‘virginity dance’ in a post published on swazilive.com:
Her Royal Highness Princess Sikhanyiso performed her show-stopper ‘virginity dance’ under floodlights yesterday as the 2012 Reed Dance Ceremony progressed into the twilight

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Taiwan: Indigenous Amis Musical Performed at National Theater · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

Indigenous culture has become more and more important in the Taiwanese performing arts scene. The recent Amis musical, “La Michael“, has been performed at the National Theater, a primary national performing arts venue in Taiwan and a landmark at the center of the Taipei city.
The musical was presented by an independent music company, Taiwan Colors Music Co. in September 2012 led by a famous Amis singer, Suming, and many young Amis performers.
The cultural crossing of Amis and Michael Jackson
In the Amis culture, the name for a group of young people becoming full-grown is decided by the elder in the village. During the coming of age ceremony, the young adults are given a new shared name, which is usually decided based on the important event in that year. For example, the group of Amis people in 2000 were named “La Millennium”.
The story of “La Michael” describes a group of young Amis people who try to convince their elders to name them “La Michael” so as to commemorate Michael Jackson's death. However, since the elders do not consider Michael Jackson a very important person, these young people need to prove his importance by winning a national dance competition with their team name, “La Michael”. Below is a video uploaded by Catherine Lin showing one of the dance numbers in “La Michael”:
The Amis singer in this musical, Suming,  commented on one of his Facebook photos after the musical [zh]:
我是部落青年的一份子，也是在都市裡為著夢想打拼的年輕人，接觸著傳統文化，也接觸著流行音樂，生活，試著讓這些看似很衝突的事情，可以有很剛好的結合.
Photo of the performance “La Michael”, via the Facebook page of “You haven't given me a toast for a long time”.
On her self-titled blog Annpo highlighted [zh] the charisma of mixed culture in this musical:
整場表演最讓人血脈噴張的部分, 就是所有學生在大跳傳統舞蹈後, 突然接了場急劇張力的black & white表演, 全場嗨翻. 他們知道外面的世界有什麼, 也知道自己有什麼, 那麼他們才知道自己是誰, 也才知道怎麼結合雙方的優勢 [..] 雖然製作單位沒說, 節目單沒說, 但我猜想’麥克傑克遜’知所以變成主題, 除了他的音樂舞蹈是流行的標記外, 麥克傑克遜本身不也是在文化認同中徘徊, 而後結合變奏的一個代表? black & white正是經典…’拉麥克’正也是藉著那個黑白麥可, 再次針對文化認同對話後, 一次精彩的演譯.
Photo of the performance “La Michael”, via Facebook page “You haven't given me a toast for a long time”.
Dr. Cheng-Liang Tsai, an anthropologist living in an Amis village, explained the importance of this dance culture in one famous Amis village, A’tolan, from an anthropologist’s viewpoint in his thesis,
these Amis young people have been creating an alternative style of body exhibition which comes from a complex interplay among global hip-hop music, Amis socio-cultural concepts, and pan-indigenous identity.
by means of collective body exhibitions, dance is a socialization process for Amis youth. Not only does it revitalize the age-grade organization system of Amis society, but also represents a sense of belonging to an age set, village, and to an ethnolinguistic group that is Amis people.
This is the second indigenous musical presented by Taiwan Colors Music Co. Their first musical, ‘You have not toasted to me for a long time (很久沒敬我了你),’ was led by many famous Puyuma singers two years ago in the National Musical Hall.

author: I-fan Lin


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Responsibilities of Photographers · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

If you are unable to distinguish yourself from dozens of rapacious competitors…
If you are unable to successfully negotiate the right to deliver finished files that demonstrate value to a client…
If you are unable to negotiate terms that retain your legal right to the work you create…
…stop pissing in the pool and go get a day job.
Veteran journalist Mark Lyndersay gives advice to photographers.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Tunisia: General Strike in Thala  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Twitter, Tounsia Hourra (Free Tunisian) says [ar] there is a general strike in Thala, in the province of Kasserine, today [October 8, 2012]. The protest is against rising unemployment and neglecting the maintenance of the city.
@tounisiahourra: اضراب عام في تالة ( ولاية القصرين ) اليوم احتجاجا على ارتفاع معدلات البطالة واهمال صيانة المدينة
@tounisiahourra:A general strike in Thala (province of Kasserine) today in protest against the rising rate of unemployment and neglecting the maintenance of the city.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Ukraine: Communist MP’s Facebook Account Suspended, Then Restored · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

Maksym Savanevsky of Watcher.com.ua wrote [uk] that the Facebook account [ru] of Yevgeniy Tsarkov, a Ukrainian Communist MP, was blocked on Oct. 5, following Tsarkov's scandalous remarks during a political talk show. Tsarkov said [ru] that the Soviet NKVD had not done enough to get rid of the Ukrainian nationalists. A popular Ukrainian Facebook user Roman Shrayk [ru, uk] urged other users [ru] to report Tsarkov's account:
We could not kick him out of the [TV] studio, let's get him off Facebook.
Tsarkov's account was restored on Oct. 6.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Venezuela: A Country in Suspense · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

The blog Tráfico Visual, dedicated to the expansion of the contemporary art movement in Venezuela, published the reflections of Roldán Esteva-Grillet in the text that accompanies the exhibition ‘Country in suspense’. Esteva-Grillet developed several ideas that seek to contribute to the political understanding of contemporary Venezuelan art.
The photographs of the pieces that illustrate these points can be seen in the blog [es].

author: Laura Vidal


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Venezuela: Chávez Era to Extend for Six More Years · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

This post was written in collaboration with Jessica Carrillo [es].
After the most contested and intense elections of the last decade, Venezuela will add six more years to the administration that began in 1999 with Hugo Chávez Frías. The traffic on social networks, particularly on Twitter, was extremely intense, especially moments before the official announcement of the results.
From the side that supports the President, tweets express joy and satisfaction, while those who support Henrique Capriles share mixed feelings of disappointment with deep convictions that changes are possible in the future.
In a detailed reading, the image of a country cut in two is even sharper than before. The separations between different strata of society remain part of the general disocurse.
Hugo Chávez supporters during campaign rally on June 11, 2012, in Caracas. Photo by Sergio Alvarez, copyright Demotix.
Adriana (@SombreroRojo) [es] says:
@SombreroRojo: Sigan! sigan el discursito de inclusión tipo: tierruos [apelativo despectivo usado contra la gente que vive en los barrios], brutos, analfabetas. Tendremos Chávez como… 30 años mas? sí, facil!
@SombreroRojo [es]: Go on! go on with your inclusion discourse: tierruos [derogatory name used against people living in poor neighborhoods], brutes, illiterate. We can have Chavez for… 30 more years? yes, easily!
Meanwhile MariAzul (@Mariazul84) [es] writes:
@Mariazul84: Asi con desprecio, con asquito, con arrogancia y todo, se tienen que calar que los tierruos les elija el presidente a la “gente nice”.
@Mariazul84 [es]: Like that, with disdain, with disgust, with arrogance and all, they have to accept that the tierruos choose the president for the “nice people”.
User @Racksonador [es] calls for a stop to alarmist discussion:
@Racksonador: Y dejen de estar diciendo que van a matar a la gente o que los mataran y que se van a ir del país. LISTO SE ACABO #ElcomandanteSeQueda
@Racksonador [es]: And stop saying that people are going to get killed or that you are going to get killed and that you are leaving the country. IT'S DONE #ElcomandanteSeQueda (The commander is staying)
On the side of the opposition there is gratitude for Henrique Capriles and his campaign, criticism towards the President's opportunism, and allegations of serious irregularities that go back to the days of the campaign.
Similarly, many also call fellow Capriles supporters to reflect on the results, to continue the fight, and to take into account that while victory was not achieved in this election, the leaders of the opposition now have an organized group that will allow for cohesive and more efficient work in the years to come.
Fedosy Santaella (@Fedosy) [es] writes:
@Fedosy: Capriles seguirá sirviendo, yo seguiré escribiendo. Mi país es mi país. No soy menos venezolano, ni soy menos escritor.
@Fedosy [es]: Capriles will continue serving, I will continue writing. My country is my country. I am no less Venezuelan, and no less a writer.
Moraima Guanipa (@haticos) [es] says:
@haticos: Reconoceré el triunfo de Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías pero jamás aplaudiré la forma ventajista, abusiva y manipuladora con la que se impuso.
@haticos [es]: I will recognize the victory of Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías but I will never applaud the opportunistic, abusive, and manipulative way in which it was imposed.
User @upallove [es], meanwhile, expresses her disappointment in the results of this and of past presidential elections:
@upallove: En Argentina gano Cristina. En México gano Peña Nieto. En Venezuela gano Chavez. En Latino América gano la ignorancia.
@upallove [es]: Cristina [Fernández de Kirchner] won in Argentina. Peña Nieto won in Mexico. Chávez won in Venezuela. Ignorance won in Latin America.
Andrea (@DynamiteAndre) points out, like many others, her concern over the use of guns during the celebration:
@DynamiteAndre: “¡VIVA CHÁVEZ!” seguido del sonido de muchos tiros seguidos. No, amigo chavista. No vas a poder convencerme de que esto está bien.
@DynamiteAndre: “LONG LIVE CHÁVEZ!” followed by the sound of shots in a row. No, chavista [Chávez supporter] friend. You won't be able to convince me that this is OK.
After sifting through the numerous exchanges that took place during the night of the election, an idea seems to creep up as part of the debate: the need for mutual recognition to overcome the long separation of social classes, and the need for self-criticism from each of the players. Luis Carlos Díaz (@LuisCarlos) [es] points to this need that stands out as a result of this election:
@LuisCarlos: Empieza la competencia por el reconocimiento del otro
@LuisCarlos [es]: The competition for the recognition of the other begins.
Luis Carlos also highlighted a fact for reflection by all political tendencies:
@LuisCarlos: El presidente Chávez gana por cuarta vez una elección presidencial y tendrá un periodo 1999-2019
@LuisCarlos [es]: President Chávez wins a presidential election for the fourth time and will have a 1999-2019 term.
From the side supporting Chávez, Gabriel López (@GaboVzla) [es] says:
@GaboVzla: El triunfo que ya todos conocemos merece tambien profundas reflexiones,que sin duda vendran.Hoy,a celebrar y a fortalecer nuestra democracia
@GaboVzla: The victory that we all already know about also deserves profound reflection, which will surely come. Today, let's celebrate and strengthen our democracy
Many questions remain unanswered and many more opinions will fill the discussion this week in the Venezuelan blogosphere.


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Venezuela: Election Day Tweets and Hashtags  · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

If Venezuelans had to choose a favorite social network, they would most likely pick Twitter. And indeed, this medium has been the most used to discuss the presidential election of Sunday, October 7, 2012.
Under different hashtags occupying the Trending Topic list in the country, Venezuelans comment, discuss, debate, report and share.
But beware, Venezuelans are skilled Twitter users. If you want to follow the election, a hashtag could lead you to unexpected tweets. Discussions in 140 characters require ingenuity, and Venezuelans know how to play with the limited space.
Venezuelans in queue in Caracas to vote during October 7, 2012, presidential election. Photo by Alejandro Rustom. Copyright Demotix.
Under #HoyGanaChávez (Chávez wins today) many supporters of President Hugo Chávez announce their vote, invite others to participate and gear up for results that, they say, will be favorable:
Jorge Amorin (@Jorgeamorin) [es] invites his followers to participate:
@Jorgeamorin: Cual es nuestra tarea ahora? Si aún quedan compas sin votar, pues a votar. Y ayudar a nuestros testigos en todos los centros #HoyGanaChávez
@Jorgeamorin [es]: What is our task now? If you still haven't voted, go vote. And help all our witnesses in all voting centers #HoyGanaChávez
Carlos Ernesto (@Ernesto_Vzla27) [es] highlights the work of the National Electoral Center:
@Ernesto_Vzla27: Ver a quienes ayer criticaban ferozmente al Poder Electoral votando, ya es una victoria revolucionaria. #HoyGanaChávez
@Ernesto_Vzla27 [es]: Seeing those who fiercely criticized the Electoral Power voting, is already a revolutionary victory. #HoyGanaChávez
Fabrizia Polverini (@Mimipolverini) [es] shares:
@Mimipolverini: No me queda duda de que mi primer voto fue por mi Patria, por los niños, por todos los logros de la revolucion #hoyganachávez
@Mimipolverini [es]: I have no doubt that my first vote was for my Country, for the children, for all the revolution's achievements #hoyganachávez
Edu Carvajal Avila (@Edu_Carvajal) [es] points out:
@Edu_Carvajal: #HoyGanaChávez … ¡NO!, y gana#VENEZUELA, hoy ganamos todos! esta noche no habrá pueblo derrotado, el único derrotado es Capriles
@Edu_Carvajal [es]: #HoyGanaChávez … NO!, #VENEZUELA wins, today we all win! tonight there won't be a defeated people, the only defeated one will be Capriles.
However, this hashtag has also been used by supporters of the opposition, like Erika (@ErikaDLV) [es]:
@ErikaDLV: #HoyGanaChávez un pasaje a CUBA sin retorno! Porque aqui ya no lo queremos,14 años son suficientes! Queremos un pais unido! #HoyMeDesquito
@ErikaDLV: #HoyGanaChávez [Today Chávez wins] a no-return ticket to CUBA! Because we don't want him here anymore, 14 years is enough! We want a united country! #HoyMeDesquito
Other hashtags in favor of Chávez are #ElMundoConChávez (The world with Chávez) and #TodosNosotrosConChávez (We are all with Chávez).
On the side of the opposition, the most popular hashtag refers to Henrique Capriles’ slogan “There is a path” (Hay un camino” in Spanish) and to the long lines at voting centers: #NoEsUnaColaEsUnCamino (It is not a queue, it's a path).
Arturo G. Villarroya (@ArturoGVilla) [es] says:
@ArturoGVilla: Ánimo a todos los venezolanos que tienen aun que esperar para votar, que no se vayan a casa, merece la pena esperar. #NoEsUnaColaEsUnCamino
@ArturoGVilla: I send my encouragement to all those Venezuelans who still have to wait to vote. Don't go home, it is worth the wait. #NoEsUnaColaEsUnCamino
Another hashtag used by those who will vote for the opposition is #HugoChávezFríasTeQuedan2Días (Hugo Chávez Frías you have two days left). Under this hashtag many comment on the urban violence that drives them to want a change in the national administration.
User @Sr Sugestivo [es] writes:
@Sr Sugestivo: ¡Porque quiero caminar por Caracas en la noche y vivir al día siguiente! #VotemosDePrimeroXCapriles#HugoChávezFríasTeQuedan2Días
@Sr Sugestivo [es]: Because I want to walk through Caracas at night and live the next day! #VotemosDePrimeroXCapriles (Let's vote for Capriles) #HugoChávezFríasTeQuedan2Días
Meanwhile, news site @PlanetaUrbe [es] tweets a video shared by Gabriel Torelles [es] and quotes:
@PlanetaUrbe: #HugoChávezFríasTeQuedan2Días [VIDEO] “En Caracas hay más muertos que en Bagdad” @anarkyoow.ly/edrdF
@PlanetaUrbe: #HugoChávezFríasTeQuedan2Días [VIDEO] “In Caracas there are more dead that in in Baghdad” @anarkyo ow.ly/edrdF
The pace is fast and information is varied. Trending Topics change in minutes and they not only include comments predicting the results, but also reflections from both sides, attacks, recommendations for voting, reports about abuses and irregularities, and also rumors, something that many see as a typical custom of these days. One discussion easily leads to another, as most tweets are generally published with more than one hashtag.
The next Trending Topics will appear in the hours to come and they will surely include comments about the election results, expected by most to be released late into the night.


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France, World Bank to Help African Nations Negotiate Mining Contracts · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Franc Zone monetary cooperation agreements, the President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, and the French Minister of Finance, Pierre Moscovici, have published a joint text advocating the establishment of an initiative to end “the excessive exploitation of Africa’s reserves” [fr].
Following this address, a press release from the World Bank stated that they have created a fund to help African countries better negotiate the exploitation of their natural resources. This measure seems to formally highlight not only failures of African governments to profit from their resources but also the disproportionate benefits obtained by international operators.
An urgent need for fairer deals
That this measure aims to ‘promote fair and equitable trade contracts’ is the main information to take from this joint address. But the press release also makes reference to an often controversial past between France and its former colonies.
Mr Ouattara stated that [fr]:
Nous entendons lutter contre le décalage qui demeure, trop souvent, entre une vision datée et pessimiste de l’Afrique et le dynamisme économique actuel du continent. L’Afrique du XXIème est en mouvement, en croissance, riche de ses réserves naturelles et désireuse de démocratie. [..] La relation entre la France et l’Afrique doit pour cela être redéfinie, comme l’a souhaité le Président de la République française.
Video of the meeting between Ouattara and Moscovici, uploaded by AbidjanNetTV.
In Togo, République Togolaise commented on the project and noted that [fr]:
Dans leur tribune, Alassane Ouattara et Pierre Moscovici appellent de leurs voeux une relation redéfinie entre la France et l'Afrique, après des décennies de liens ambigus, parfois teintés de corruption, entre Paris et ses anciennes colonies.
In Jeune Afrique, Stéphane Ballong, citing Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa, noted the failure of African Governments [fr] to date and gave more details on the content of the Aid Fund for fairer contracts:
“Un ministre des mines ou des finances ne dispose pas forcément des ressources nécessaires pour employer l’expertise la meilleure au monde pour négocier des contrats équilibrés.” Il s’agit donc d’essayer de combler cette défaillance en fournissant  aux pays d’Afrique, l’assistance technique nécessaire (ressources financières et humaines) pour obtenir de meilleures conditions contractuelles [..]
He added [fr]:
Cinq grands domaines devront être couverts  par ce fonds : les conseils juridiques pour améliorer les modalités contractuelles des investissements dans les industries extractives, en amont les diagnostics sur la capacité institutionnelle des États, l’aide technique relative aux risques sociaux, les conseils pour des politiques publiques visant à développer des pôles de croissance en amont et en aval de l’industrie extractive. La France s’est engagée à apporter une contribution de quelque 15 millions d’euros qui seront repartis entre la Banque mondiale et la Banque africaine de développement.
Kailo Mines, Democratic Republic of the Congo by Julien Harneis on Flickr (CC-license-2.0)
A measure against the growing influence of China in Africa?
Many observers have suggested that these measures are targeted to counteract the growing influence of China in Africa [fr]. Philippe Hugon, Research Director at IRIS (Institute for International and Strategic Relations) did not fail to note the irony [fr] of the situation:
Dans le fond, les relations que la Chine entretient avec l'Afrique ressemble avec ce qui se faisait en France il y a une trentaine d'années : des liens forts dans le champs du politique, une non dissociation des liens public/privé et une importante corruption. Le tout sans être très regardant sur les situations environnementale et sociale.
Bacary Gill in the Democratic Republic of the Congo noted the different development styles [fr] of France and China in Africa:
La Chine a été un moteur pour la construction d'infrastructures. Elle fait également renaître des projets jugés insuffisamment rentables par les entreprises occidentales. Mais, certaines industries africaines naissantes ont été touchées par la concurrence chinoise, et la population locale ne bénéficie pas toujours de l'effet d'aubaine de ces nouveaux projets, en raison d'un taux insuffisant de “local content”, c'est-à-dire d'embauche et de sous-traitance locale. [..] Malgré des liens forts avec un certain nombre d’États africains, la France a eu tendance, sur le long terme, à se retirer de ce continent. Le poids des investissements, la présence militaire, tous les indicateurs vont dans ce sens.
For all that, this initiative seems to indicate that France is not counting on letting China expand its influence without resistance. An interview with Mr Moscovici on Jeune Afrique confirmed France’s desires.
The French Finance Minister said [fr]:
L'Afrique subsaharienne ne représente que 3 % des exportations et des importations françaises, avec à peu près 14 milliards d'euros d'importations et 12 milliards d'exportations. C'est trop peu. Je ne veux pas critiquer la Chine, je trouve cela désuet. C'est en réorientant le partenariat entre la France et l'Afrique vers l'investissement que nous trouverons de meilleures réponses. En aidant nos entreprises à mieux appréhender le risque, qu'elles tendent à surévaluer ; à aller de l'avant, en donnant une priorité au secteur de l'énergie où nous avons une grande expertise. Nous n'avons pas à avoir peur des Chinois.
In Madagascar, the role of China in the exploitation of the country’s natural resources, in particular illegal rosewood, has been discussed in detail.  However, the role of France in the Madagascar political crisis of 2009 has made local observers weary of French initiatives to help Africa.
Regarding this, Lalatiana reported on the difficulties for Francophone Africa [fr] after colonisation, and received this comment from Rajo Rajaonarivelo (in the comment section):
Il est indéniable que les français ont voulu implanter des modèles de gouvernance et des gouvernants qui servent leurs intérêts dans les pays anciennement colonisés. Mais, comme on dit, it takes two to tango, il faut bien que nos gouvernants soient d’accord. Etait-ce le cas ? à nous tous d’y répondre. Sur un autre plan, avant la colonisation et même quelques années après, nous avions atteint l’auto-suffisance en riz. Il y a même eu des années où Madagascar en exportait. Aujourd’hui, nous sommes obligés d’importer 200 000 à 300 000 tonnes par an. Je ne pense pas que la France ou le Royaume-uni ait un quelconque intérêt là-dedans.
There seems then to be consensus that African countries need to better understand how to negotiate the exploitation of their natural resources. If this measure actually leads to fairer contracts, it is doubtful that anyone will be concerned that it was conceived with specific geopolitical objectives in mind.

author: Rakotomalala


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Barbados: Supporting Growth in Culture · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

The Concerned Creative Citizens Group expressed its concerns with a new bill in Barbados which is supposed to provide “incentives to encourage sustainable growth in the cultural sector” but may be more of a “revenue earner for the government,” and received a response from a Barbados Underground “family member”.


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: Local Elections 2012 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An Aussie in Bosnia writes – here and here – about the Oct. 7 local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Related Twitter hashtags [bo, en] are #IzboriBiH and #IzboriBiH_RSE; the latter refers to Radio Slobodna Evropa, which runs this elections liveblog [bo], quoting [bo] Kenan Efendić (@Kenoslaw), among others:
The highest turnout in elections in B&H since 2002. Minor number of invalid ballots. No charges of [vote] theft. And that's important.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Brazil: Speaking Out About Hydroelectric Plants and the Amazon · Global Voices
João Miguel Lima

This post is part of our special coverage Dossiê Belo Monte (Belo Monte Dossier) [pt] and Indigenous Rights.
[All links lead to sites in Portuguese, unless otherwise stated]
Aiming at generating electrical energy for residential and industrial consumption, the Brazilian government is constructing a series of hydroelectric powerplants in the Pantanal and Amazon areas, such as the Tapajós river power plant and the Teles Pires river power plant, among others.
According to the consortium Norte Energia, responsible for the construction of the controversial Belo Monte plant, energy consumption has been growing in the country and the power plant “is the guarantee that this demand can be met”, reinforcing the argument of development in the country.
Like the Belo Monte project, the São Luiz do Tapajós plant project (in the Tapajós river) and the Teles Pires plant project (in the Teles Pires river, which flows into the Tapajós river) have been challenged in court for failing to have adequately consulted local people and for misguided integrated environmental assessments. They have also been accused of carrying out deforestation and agricultural advancement.
Here you have the second part of our interview series with Sany Kalapalo [en], a young indigenous activist from Xingu.
Global Voices (GV): Considering the current challenges, how do you see the future of forests and the indigenous people that inhabit the Amazon area?
Sany Kalapalo (SK): Como sempre nós indígenas do Xingu falamos: “Homem Branco acha que é dono da natureza e pode fazer o que quiser com ela, mas uma hora a mãe natureza não aguentará mais e se vingará”.
O único interesse desses mega-corruptos de construir uma mega-usina como Belo Monte é dar lucro para as empresas iluminantes, ou seja os ricos ficarem mais ricos e os pobres ficarem mais pobres. Se o governo estivesse realmente interessado e preocupado com o desenvolvimento do país, implantaria redes de energia onde estão faltando e beneficiaria aquelas regiões que sofrem apagões. Nós, indígenas, não somos contra a energia em si, somos contra o projeto e a maneira como estão sendo desenvolvidas essas hidrelétricas, prejudicando o meio ambiente e os povos locais. Principalmente a hidroelétrica de Belo Monstro (Belo Monte), que afetará múltiplas famílias pobres e povos indígenas. Pra quê construir uma usina que só vai gerar eletricidade por duas estações do ano?, porque nas outras estações o rio Xingu costuma ficar na seca. Durante isso, como fica usina?? E como fica a eletricidade na sua casa ou na sua empresa?? Pense nisso. Brasil tem capacidade de gerar uma energia limpa e justa para o povo brasileiro. Sabe qual é futuro dos povos locais? Inundação, perda de casas, perda de plantações, perda de identidade, ou seja, perda de tudo e com certeza miséria na certa, e isso é o que o governo quer, [verdade] nua e crua.
Por isso que eu não chamo Belo Monte de Desenvolvimento, pois chamo de Sub-destruição ou total destruição, tanto para indígenas quanto para não indígenas, e para o meio ambiente.
Sany Kalapalo (SK): As we indigenous people from Xingu always say: “The White Man thinks he owns nature and can do whatever he wants to it, but there'll be a time when Mother Nature won't take it anymore and will retaliate.”
The only interest these mega-corrupt people have in constructing huge power plants such as Belo Monte is to generate profit for electricity companies, so the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. If the government was really interested and worried about the country's development, it would implant energy networks where they are missing; networks that would benefit those regions that are experiencing blackouts. We, the indigenous population, aren't against the energy itself, we are against the project and the way that these hydroelectrics are being developed, damaging the environment and local people. Especially the Belo Monster (Belo Monte) that will affect multiple poor families and indigenous people. Why construct a power plant that will only generate electricity two seasons of the year? For the other two seasons the Xingu river is usually dry. And what about the power plant? What about the electricity for them and the company? Think about it. Brazil has the capacity to generate clean and fair energy for the Brazilian people. Do you know what the future is for local people? Flooding, loss of homes, loss of crops, loss of identity… loss of everything, and misery for sure. That is what the government wants- that is the cold, hard [truth].
That's why I don't call it Developmental Belo Monte. I call it Sub-destruction or Total Destruction, both for indigenous people and non-indigenous people alike, not to mention the environment.
Jose Carlos Arara, the chief of the Arara tribe, discusses the negative impact of Belo Monte on the people who depend on the Xingu River for their livelihoods. Photo by K. L. Hoffmann copyright Demotix (August 13, 2011)
GV: National and international NGOs have been criticized as being “enemies of Brazil”. Members of the Xingu Vivo para Sempre Movement suffered from the same accusations. Which organizations do you think are doing a good job in the region?
SK: Conheço os idealizadores do Movimento Xingu Vivo para Sempre e os ativistas, inclusive são nossa principal parceria atualmente. Tenho ouvido muita coisa em relação ao Xingu Vivo. Na verdade, os governantes querem iludir e tentar persuadir o povo brasileiro dizendo que [eles] são inimigos do Brasil, e assim enxergar eles com os outros olhos, como invasores, e não levar em consideração o que eles reivindicam, que é proteger a natureza ao pedido dos índios, já que não somos ouvidos no nosso próprio país. Essa é a jogada do governo, sendo que o lobo mau de verdade são eles do Governo, que sempre querem tampar o olho do povo pra não ver o podridão que andam fazendo pelo país. E um movimento que está ativo desde o início de 2011 e que acordou Brasil para a luta de novo, em apoio ao movimento Xingu Vivo para Sempre, é o Indígenas em Ação (MIA).
SK: I know the creators and activists of the Xingu Vivo para Sempre Movement, who are also currently our main partners. I've been hearing a lot stuff about Xingu Vivo. Actually, the governors want to delude and try to persuade Brazilian people by saying that [they] are enemies of Brazil, and in this way make them see them differently, as invaders, and not taking their claims into account; that is that they want to protect nature at the request of the indigenous population, since our voices are not heard in our own country. This is what the government is doing, when they are the real “big bad wolves”; they always want to close people's eyes so that they don't see the mess that they have made in the country. Another movement, that has been active since early 2011 and woke Brazil up to fight again in support of the Xingu Vivo para Sempre movement, is the Indígenas em Ação Movement.
GV: Since 2011, the mobilization and court decisions have been successful in stopping the Belo Monte plant, but soon another court decision could authorize the resumption of work. Is it time to accept the plant construction as a fact or is it still worth fighting against it?
SK: Fico feliz que de 2011 pra cá a mobilização contra Belo Monte aumentou muito, acredito que por causa das grandes manifestações que organizamos e realizamos aqui em São Paulo pelo Movimento indígenas em Ação (MIA) com apoio do Xingu Vivo para Sempre, e por todo o Brasil, juntamente com o movimento Brasil pelas Florestas, que luta pela melhoria do novo Código Florestal. Nós indígenas estamos decididos a lutar, como sempre fizemos todo esse tempo. Se os construtores querem sangue do índio, vão ter. Se isso é o que o juiz branco quer, nos contrariar, o massacre de 512 anos vai continuar, sabe por quê? Os povos indígenas do Xingu não aceitam ser assassinos da natureza como esses governantes.
SK: I'm glad that since 2011 the mobilization against Belo Monte has increased a lot. I believe this is because of the huge protests we organized and carried out here in São Paulo for the Indígenas em Ação Movement with the support of the Xingu Vivo para Sempre movement, and indeed all over Brazil with the support of the Brasil pelas Florestas Movement, which fights for the improvement of the new Forest Code. We indigenous people are determined to fight, as we have done all this time. If the constructors want indigenous blood, they will have it. If this is what the white judge wants, to fight against us, the massacre that has lasted 512 years will continue, you know why? The indigenous people of Xingu don't accept being murderers of nature as these governors do.
On October 20, 2012, at 2 PM, a protest is planned against the Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant in front of the United Nations office in São Paulo. The goal is to ask for support from the UN for the problems related to the Xingu river.
This post is part of our special coverage Dossiê Belo Monte (Belo Monte Dossier) [pt] and Indigenous Rights.

author: João Miguel Lima


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Côte d’Ivoire: Employees of Health Institutions Strike after Four Months without Pay · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

S.B comments on the start of health workers’ indefinite strike in Abidjan. On Connection Ivorienne, he states [fr] that:
From the total no-fees for healthcare initiated by the state of Côte d'Ivoire after the end of the post-electoral crisis to free selected healthcare services, employees of certain health institutions have yet to receive their salary in a regular manner. What's worse is that their manager did not get any payments for the past 16 months.


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Egypt: Remembering Maspero; Waiting for Justice to be Served  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptians recalled the tragic events of the Maspero massacre today, vowing to avenge the blood of martyrs and keep the revolution going. On October 9 last year, 28 Christian Copts were killed and another 200 injured when the army attacked protesters outside the Egyptian state media headquarters Maspero.
Among those killed was 19-year-old Mina Daniel, who is now a symbol of the Egyptian revolution's martyrs.
Dalia Ezzat reminds us:
@SaliaEzzat_:  #Maspero is not just Mina Daniel.It's every Egyptian soul lost,wounded+betrayed by the atrocities committed by SCAF&state media.#neverforget
SCAF stands for the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took the reigns of the country following the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak after 18 days of massive protests against his 32-year rule.
Mina Daniel's mural..We will never forget, shared by Adam Taylor-Awny on Twitter
Adam Taylor-Awny shares a photograph of a mural which features Mina Daniel. The Arabic reads: “The martyr of freedom” and “You will remain in our hearts.”
@Adamtawny: Today we remember #Maspero and renew our pledge to fight for justice. #Therevolutioncontinues http://twitpic.com/b2hp7f
No Justice Served
As for justice, Heba Morayef tweets:
@hebamorayef: There will never be accountability for the military’s crimes in Egypt until military officers can be tried by civilian courts #Maspero
@hebamorayef: Human rights lawyers appointed to the Morsy Fact-Finding Committee to look at Maspero withdrew after judge refused to fully investigate
Mina Naguib adds [ar]:
مش هنسى العرص يوم ما قال لو كنا عايزين نقتل كنا قتلنا 200 ولا 300 لكن اللى سايق المدرعة كان خايف .. نفسى اشوف اى حد بيتحاكم بجد فالبلد دى!
@MinaNaguib90: I will never forget the bastard who said if we wanted to kill we would have killed 200 or 300 but the armed vehicle's driver was afraid. I would love to see someone seriously put on trial in this country
Meanwhile, a march was held today from Shubra to Maspero, in memory of the martyrs. Ragia Omran writes:
@rago_legal: Funeral procession marching from Shubra to Maspero in memory of our martyrs. Those who killed them under scaf rule. We demand justice
Mustafa Najeh shares this scene from the march:
A scene from today's march to Maspero  shared by @Mad_Darsh on Twitter
Salama Moussa sees the Maspero anniversary as yet another opportunity wasted by newly elected president Mohammed Mursi. He tweets:
@salamamoussa: Mursi missed a golden opportunity to be a true leader of Egypt.Denouncing #Maspero in clear terms&issuing statement would have done wonders
And Erin Cunningham adds:
@erincunningham:  As far as I can tell, no statement from presidential office, @Ikhwanweb or @FjpartyOrg today on #Maspero. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
And last but not least, Nelly Ali says:
@nellyali: Also”F*** U” to any who say”at least Egyptian army aren't like Syria!” #Maspero is proof of otherwise.its not numbers dead that determine it
Further Reading:
A firsthand account: Marching from Shubra to deaths at Maspero by Sarah Carr
Egypt's Mina Danial: The untold story of a revolutionary by Yasmine Fathi


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France, Africa: Black Fashion Week Marred by Visa Problems  · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

Two renowned African fashion designers and several models have been denied entry to France for Black Fashion Week October 2012. Black Fashion Week was created by Senegalese fashion designer Adama Paris to show the world the diversity and influence of African creativity on contemporary fashion and has been held in Dakar, Senegal for the past ten years. The first show outside Dakar took place in Prague in November 2011, since then, it has travelled from place to place.
Black Fashion Week 2010, Dakar by Seneweb ( CC-license-2.0)
Samba Doucouré wrote [fr] on StreetPress :
La “Black Fashion Week” a donc la particularité d’être itinérante. Elle se déplacera en novembre prochain à Montréal (Canada), en attendant Bahia (Brésil) et Bratislava (Slovaquie).
However, whoever travels also needs a Visa, which was a sticking point for the two renowned designers and the several models who were denied permission to enter France.
Black Fashion Week 2010, Dakar by Seneweb (CC-license – 2.0)
The designer Mame Fagueye Bâ finally obtained her Visa and gave a press release [fr], several excerpts from which can be read on her Facebook page:
… Nous avons gagné ensemble et je vous le dois !
Je pourrai donc faire défiler ma collection à “Black Fashion Week” à Paris le 6 octobre 2012. Notre détermination à communiquer une injustice et de lutter ensemble pour la faire reculer …
… Je voulais également vous sensibiliser sur le fait que nous allons travailler en direction du Ministère de la culture sénégalais, dans le cadre des accords internationaux notamment entre la France et le Sénégal pour une meilleure reconnaissance des ambassadeurs culturels et artistiques de chaque discipline.
… We won together and I owe it to you!
I will therefore be able to show my collection at ‘Black Fashion Week’ in Paris on October 6, 2012. Our determination to communicate an injustice and fight together to get rid of it….
… I wanted to also raise awareness about the fact that we going to be working with the Senegalese Ministry of Culture, within the scope of international agreements, notably between France and Senegal, for better recognition of the cultural ambassadors and artists from each discipline.
Here is a video of the Mame Fagueye Bâ fashion shows by youtube user bbaabbccful:
The second case, which unfortunately has not yet been resolved, is that of the Malian designer Mariah Bocoum Keita, sister of respected singer Inna Modja, who has been held up in Mali. The designer wrote an open letter [fr] to the Malian French Embassy, several excerpts from which are below:
Permettez-moi de vous exprimez ma stupéfaction face au refus qui m’a été signifiée pour ma demande de visa court séjour ce Mercredi 3 Octobre auprès du service des visas de votre ambassade au motif que les informations communiquées sur l'objet et les conditions de séjour ne sont pas fiables.
… j’ai résidé de façon permanente sur le territoire français plus précisément de 1993 à 1999 années au cours desquelles j’ai suivi des cours …. A la fin de mes études, je suis rentrée au Mali…
… Par ces temps de fort taux d’immigrations clandestines, je puis comprendre que cette décision puisse être motivée par une suspicion légitime. Mais au vu des documents présentés et des raisons que j’évoque ici, vous conviendrez avec moi que je n’en ai aucunement le profil visé.
Let me express my amazement to the Visa Department of your Embassy at the refusal of my short stay Visa application this Wednesday, October 3 on the grounds that the information provided on the purpose and conditions of stay were not reliable.
… I have resided permanently in France, specifically from 1993 to 1999, during my studies… At the end of my studies, I returned to Mali…
… During this time of high rates of illegal immigration, I can understand that this decision may be motivated by legitimate suspicions. But in the light of the documents submitted and the reasons discussed here, I am sure you will agree with me that I do not fit this profile.
Despite these challenges, it seemed that all designers and models eventually made it to the event.

author: Anna Gueye


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France: Online News Association Votes Rue89 “Best Foreign Site” · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

Our partners and friends at Rue89 [fr] won the Online News Association (ONA) prize for “General Excellence, Non-English” in San Francisco last weekend. Pierre Haski, co-founder, tells of the adventure [fr] that is Rue89. Launched in May 2007, it became a great success based on the concept of “Information from 3 Voices”. Global Voices, a partner of Rue89 since 2009, would like to sincerely congratulate the entire team. We are very proud of them for receiving this award.

author: Claire Ulrich


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Got a Question for Jimmy Carter? · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is accepting questions on Facebook and Twitter (#CarterQA) as part of a commemoration of the Carter Center’s 30th anniversary of “waging peace and fighting disease worldwide”. President Carter will be answering by video on October 19, 2012.

author: Solana Larsen


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Iran: Green Movement’s Leaders Under House Arrest For 600 Days · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Here is a video film about Mehdi Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi, two Green Movement‘s leaders, who have been under house arrest for 600 days. Several Iranians in this video praise these two leaders’ courage.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Kyrgyzstan: Lake Son-Kul in Photos and Prose · Global Voices
Asel Tursunbekova

The lonely beauty of Lake Son-Kul has long caught the imagination of foreign visitors to the landlocked Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan. Situated on an elevated, treeless mountain plateau (3,016 metres about sea level), its verdant meadows are used by shepherds of the country's Kochkor, Naryn and At Bashi regions as feeding grounds for livestock in the summer months.
When plying their trade up at the ‘Last Lake’, these pastoralists live in yurt camps, renting a portion of the traditional felt dwellings out to stray tourists, and brewing up gallon upon gallon of Kumyz (fermented mare's milk) to pass the time. But at the beginning of October when the grazing season ends, when yurts are packed up and the herders head for their permanent homes, Son-Kul fades back into myth, its existence recalled only by the surreal photography and inspired prose of the travelers who visited its shores.
Father, daughter and son row in Lake Son-Kul. Image by Kirsten Styers, used with permission.
In honor of the tradition of Son-Kul-inspired creativity, Global Voices Online requested permission to use the photos of Kirsten Styers, a Bishkek-based American ex-pat and the author of the blog Ivory Pomegranate and the writing of Palmer Keen, a freelance writer and contributor to the Kyrgyz tourist magazine the Spektator.
Depending on the weather, the surface of the lake changes its color from blue to green and even orange tint. Locals of Naryn province say it is not unusual for the lake to see four seasons in a day, and unprepared tourists setting out lightly-clothed on horse trails organized by the Kochkor Community Based Tourism (CBT) group are frequently shocked when their lakeside trot is disturbed by storms of biblical proportions.
Nevertheless, as Kirsten notes in her blog, Son-Kul is still a Kyrgyzstan ‘must do’, even if it isn't as comfortable as the more famous and tourist-friendly Issyk-Kul:
I had never been to Son-Kul, which is one of those necessary Kyrgyzstan experiences. It’s the kind of thing where if you don’t go to Son-Kul after living in Kyrgyzstan for more than two years, people judge you. “Oh, so did you ever leave Bishkek in those two years? What were you doing the whole time?”
Although the journey is arduous, it is worth it. As Palmer Keen recalls in the Spektator:
As we all silently considered the logistics of milking a wild yak, Yusuf coerced our steed upwards, ascending through the thinning air to Son-Kul’s lofty heights over 3000 meters up. After passing stubborn shelves of ice and herds of sheep traipsing through wildfowers, we found ourselves in a new kind of paradise: beyond the expanses of alpine meadows, Son-Kul lay like some kind of mountain mirage, snow-capped peaks reflected in its calm waters. We made our way to the cluster of yurts by the shore, the only sign of life for miles around.
There is little in the way of malls and clubs up at Lake Son-Kul. Image by Kirsten Styers, used with permission.
Once up there, an evening by Son-Kul's shores epitomizes… coldness. Keen writes:
After a dinner of brined lamb, the sun sank below the mountains, leaving behind a pink sky and a chill that threatened to become chillier still. Coming to terms with the fact that isolated mountain beauty arrives at a frosty price, we bundled up with jackets and stood by the lake-side, all shivers and smiles, watching the light fade in the refection of Son-Kul.
When it gets truly chilly, it is time to hit the yurt. In season, the yurt owners rustle up a good breakfast. Just don't expect any vegetables. Keen remembers:
When I awoke next, it was to the sound of a woman gathering silverware from a cupboard in our yurt, a healthy reminder that I was sleeping in someone’s home, not some private suite. Noting the rooster’s sonic absence, I  realized that the locals had long since been up. Outside, the sun’s rays had already warmed the pastures, and our host family was busy preparing breakfast for the sleepy folk. Joining Yusuf and our host babushka in the yurt beside our own, we hungrily devoured our oily eggs and the fresh bread and jam that had been spread about the table.
Apricot and raspberry jams glow in the yurt-light. Image by Kirsten Styers, used with permission.
Despite the fact that Son-Kul is treeless, its high altitude and variable climes give rise to a number of rare flora and fauna. And, in addition to the sight of edelweiss sprouting in alpine gullies, visitors may also see several different species of ducks, cranes, storks, mergansers, bald-coots, plovers, falcons, golden eagles, and even shags, while deer, foxes and marmots also frequent the plateau. In season however, it is the cattle, sheep and horses of the herders that dominate the plain.
A procession of cattle on Son-Kul's shores. Image by Kirsten Styers, used with permission.
Finally, the lofty lake also opens up a veritable treasure trove to the amateur astrologist at night. Palmer Keen concludes:
That night, our stomachs full of lagman [Central Asian noodle dish] and our souls full of the romantic optimism of travel, we stood by the shore, yurts in the distance, and looked up at the milky way, all cloudy and brilliant. As satellites circled across the sky, they seemed somehow lost. Surely they must have taken a wrong turn to end up here, in a place that felt like some hidden frontier, like the last place on earth. Arcing off into the distance, they left us alone by the lapping shore, thinking that oddly selfish thought; together, with the people who sometimes call the place home, we had Lake Son-Kul all to ourselves.
Night sky over Son-Kul. Image by Kirsten Styers, used with permission.
N.B The rest of Kirsten Styers’ Son-Kul photos can be found here. In addition to snaps and blogs on a range of Kyrgyzstan-related subjects, Styers writes a very entertaining weekly piece called Kyrgyz Music Friday, showcasing the country's popular music via YouTube videos.

author: Asel Tursunbekova


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Libya: Blackberry Services Back · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Journalist Jenan Moussa tweets from Libya:
@jenanmoussa: Wut a great surprise! Blackberry services have been resumed in #Libya. I am tweeting for first time since rvltn from my phone.


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Panama: President Martinelli Partially Vetoes Copyright Bill 510 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Panamanian newspaper La Prensa reports [es] that President Ricardo Martinelli has partially vetoed the controversial copyright bill 510. According to La Prensa's report, the National Assembly approved the changes sent by President Martinelli on October 5.
Chris Fawcett (@ChrisFaw) [es], who has been following the bill closely, tweets:
@ChrisFaw [es]: We asked for a partial veto, we got a partial veto. Now, BEWARE: only 1 of the 5 articles has been modified! There's more to go! #Ley510 #Panama

author: Silvia Viñas


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Puerto Rico: Boxer Orlando Cruz Is Proud to Be Gay  · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

Puerto Rican boxer Orlando “The Phenomenon” Cruz (@ElFenomenoCruz) has become the first boxer in history to openly declare his homosexuality while remaining professionally active in the sport.
In statements made to USA Today, Cruz said:
I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career. I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.
The affirmation made by Cruz, who is currently the number four featherweight boxer in the world, was no small matter. The boxer, who also competed in the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, is active in a sport whose world has traditionally been perceived and constructed as one in which hypermasculinity and heteronormativity are the norm, denying space to other forms of sexuality.
Boxing and fighting blog En la pelea [es] praises Cruz's decision:
Boxer Orlando Cruz. Photo taken from his Facebook page.
Mientras esta es obviamente una historia del boxeo, esta también es una historia que le dolera a la cultura de los deportes de combate ‘macho‘ y muchas veces ‘homofobica‘. Las declaraciones de Cruz no solo necesitaron de coraje  si no que servirán para ser un mejor rol a seguir al ser la cara de una cultura que no siempre es aceptada en estos deportes.
While this is obviously a story in boxing, it is also a story that hurts the culture of the “macho” and oftentimes “homophobic” combat sports. Cruz's declarations did not only require courage but will also serve to make him a better role model as the face of a culture that is not always accepted in these sports.
Ociogay [es] emphasizes the fact that Cruz decided to make his sexual orientation public in the middle of his career instead of at the end, as was the case with other athletes:
El valor que ha tenido Cruz es loable, ya que los ejemplos de anuncios homosexuales que se han dado en el deporte de élite han estado más cerca del final de la carrera de los deportistas. Ejemplos hay muchos, como el jugador de rugby Gareth Thomas y la estrella de la NBA John Amaechi. Sin embargo, Orlando Cruz lo ha hecho en activo, con 31 años de edad, y en un momento deportivo más que bueno.
The courage that Cruz has had is commendable, since the examples of homosexual announcements that have been given in the high-ranking sport have been close to the end of the athletes’ careers. There are many examples, such as that of rugby player Gareth Thomas and NBA star John Amaechi [es]. Nevertheless, Orlando Cruz has done it while active, with 31 years of age, and when he is at a very good athletic moment.
Obviously, reactions on Twitter were aplenty and, overall, showed support for Cruz's decision:
@dnlmolina: Orlando Cruz, el púgil que acabó de un “gancho” con la homosexualidad en el boxeo elconfi.de/9-106757
@dnlmolina: Orlando Cruz, the boxer that just threw a “hook” at homosexuality in boxing elconfi.de/9-106757 [es]
@zute1971: Boxer Orlando Cruz tells the world he is gay. I am not sure how the boxing world will react, but I for one have much respect. Applause!
Puerto Rican LGBT activist Yoriye Irizarry also expressed himself on Twitter:
@CyborgYoryie: Estamos en todos lados, Orlando Cruz, merece apoyo, imagino debe ser dificil salir del closet en el mundo del boxeo. primerahora.com/boxeadororland…
@CyborgYoryie: We are all over the place, and Orlando Cruz deserves support. I imagine that it must be difficult to come out of the closet in the world of boxing. primerahora.com/boxeadororland… [es]
Pop star Ricky Martin, who also made his sexual orientation public in 2010, tweeted messages of support to Orlando Cruz:
@ricky_martin: @ElFenomenoCruz Felicidades boricua por tu valentía! Qué contento estoy por ti! Mucha fuerza! Mucha paz para ti y los tuyos! Abrazos!
@ricky_martin: @ElFenomenoCruz Congratulations, boricua, for your bravery! I am so happy for you! I wish you so much strength, so much peace for you and your loved ones! Hugs!
Poster with a quote from Orland Cruz affirming his pride to be a boxer and a gay man. Photo taken from Cruz’ Facebook page.
In the end, Orlando Cruz, upon seeing the number of people who expressed their support upon his coming out, tweeted the following message:
@ElFenomenoCruz: Buenos Dias Puerto Rico y New York y toda parte del Mundo Gracia por sus apoyos los quiero de todo Corazon su amigo Orlando Cruz.
@ElFenomenoCruz: Good morning Puerto Rico, New York, and the rest of the world. Thank you for your support. I love you all from the bottom of my heart. Your friend, Orlando Cruz.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Trinidad & Tobago: Corruption and the Rule of Law · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Recently, the rule of law has been taking a beating by this PP government. With the now infamous section 34, things have come round to another galloping dictatorship, and […] we can see how that corruption of power has changed the characters of those whom we viewed as pillars and exemplars of our society.
Jumbie's Watch writes about governance and the rule of law in Trinidad & Tobago.


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Venezuela: Post-Election Reflections  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

This post is part of our special coverage Venezuela Elections 2012.
Emotions ran high on Sunday night after the official results of the October 7, 2012, presidential elections were released. President Hugo Chávez was re-elected with 55.14% of the vote, while opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles, obtained 44.24%, as reported by Venezuela's National Electoral Council [es].
Part of the country celebrated the continuation of the ‘Bolivarian Revolution‘ under Chávez, while the other side lamented another electoral loss.
Chávez supporters reflect
Tamara Pearson in Venezuelan Analysis refers to Sunday's results as “an imperfect victory.” She writes that despite the celebratory mood among Chávez supporters on Sunday night, she felt “a bit down”:
because over six million people supported, by voting for Capriles, selfishness (he had focused his campaign on Venezuela ending its solidarity with other countries) and the destruction and sale of their country.
She goes on to analyze why the gap between the opposition and Chávez is narrowing. From her perspective, “the opposition will come out of these elections emboldened” so “the revolution can't lie down and relax”:
If we don’t beat corruption and bureaucracy in the next period, we could lose this revolution. Now that the presidential elections are over, we have two main questions: How will we deepen the revolution, and will it survive?
Supporters of President Hugo Chavez during the presidential elections on October 7, 2012. Photo by Alejandro Rustom. Copyright Demotix.
Antonio Aponte, from the blog Un Grano de Maíz [es], congratulates fellow Chávez supporters for the victory, but also looks at future challenges for the Bolivarian Revolution. He also analyzes the narrowing distance between government supporters and the opposition:
[…] de un 26% de diferencia en las elecciones presidenciales del 2006 pasamos a un lánguido 10%.  Perdimos casi 20% de nuestra votación, los análisis preliminares indican que los perdimos en los sectores pobres y sin aumentar la votación en los sectores de clase media.
[…] from a 26% difference in the presidential election of 2006 we have moved to a weak 10%. We lost almost 20% of our votes. Preliminary analysis indicates that we lost in low-income sectors and didn't gain votes from middle class sectors.
Why the decline? The answer lies in the essence of socialism, without understanding it we are destined to fail: Socialism is the essence of love, of fraternal relationships, of the sense of belonging to society. Capitalism has as its essence selfishness, individual solutions. That is the foundation of the battle, selfishness in a fierce fight against love, and that is where our efforts must be directed.
He concludes that ‘revolutionaries’ must urgently acquire a ‘culture of discussion': “A revolution that doesn't discuss, dies”:
El estudio, la discusión, deben ser las tareas principales de la sociedad. La ignorancia es contrarrevolucionaria. ¡Viva Chávez!
Study, discussion, must be the main tasks of society. Ignorance is counterrevolutionary. ¡Long live Chávez!
Reflections from the opposition
Many opposition bloggers followed Capriles’ campaign closely, with enthusiasm for what seemed to be the right moment for a change in Venezuela. They quickly reacted to the results, sharing their sadness and disappointment, but also looking forward with self-criticism.
Blogger Alex Boyd says he “never expected a different outcome”. He shares a map of the results and adds a note about electoral fraud:
Hugo Chavez trounced the opposition candidate again. Six years on, Chavez still is the choice of the majority of my countrymen. And that's OK, I don't have a problem with that. The good thing about it is that Henrique Capriles, Leopoldo Lopez, Ramon Guillermo Aveledo et al buried the phantom of electoral fraud in Venezuela. By claiming, repeatedly, that the system had been sufficiently audited, and that the opposition had managed to place witnesses in 100% of voting centres nationwide, there is no room for further entertaining the thought of fraud.
Manuel Silva from the blog No solo con la palabra [es] thinks that one of the worst things the opposition has done throughout multiple electoral processes is not being prepared for a defeat. However, Silva argues that the opposition's loss is not a political loss:
Aquí se perdió porque […] la mayoría de los venezolanos se identifica con esta forma de gobernar. Nosotros estamos dispuestos a aceptar el abuso y el atropello como forma de vida, naturalizamos la inseguridad, nos conformamos con la miseria, aceptamos gustosos vivir como lo hemos hecho en los últimos años: odiándonos.
Here we lost because […] the majority of Venezuelans identify with this form of government [Chávez]. We are willing to accept abuse and trampling as a way of life, we have made insecurity something natural, we have settled for misery, we have accepted gladly to live as we have done in recent years: hating each other.
Meanwhile, according to blogger Mirelis Morales Tovar from Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es], the opposition hasn't learned enough:
hay muchos que deben mirar un poco más allá. Venezuela no es Caracas, no es La Lagunita ni mucho menos Twitter. Somos un país divido en partes iguales y debemos aprender a mirar el otro lado.
There are many who need to look a little further. Venezuela is not Caracas, it is not La Lagunita nor Twitter. We are a country divided in equal parts and we must learn to look to the other side.
Alejandro Tarre [es] argues that the opposition must be ready and willing to continue offering an alternative for Venezuelans, considering that “politics, like life, is not stagnant but fluid” and that in December Venezuelans will vote for mayors and governors:
La masa opositora está ahí; el reto es simplemente sacudirla hasta sacarla del estupor en el que se encuentra para luego movilizarla. Se ha dicho mucho que, después de su estupenda campaña, Capriles está en una posición ideal para asumir el liderazgo opositor y blindar la unidad. Pues bien, ahí tiene su primer reto. Ahora más que nunca necesitamos a nuestro rock star animando a la gente y recorriendo el país para apoyar a los candidatos a alcaldes y gobernadores.
The opposition mass is there, the challenge is simply to shake it out its stupor to then mobilize it. Much has been said that, after his great campaign, Capriles is in an ideal position to take lead the opposition and shield the unity Well, here is his first challenge. Now more than ever we need our rock star encouraging people and touring the country to support candidates for mayors and governors.
These are only a few of the thoughts from opposing political sides after the most intense and contested presidential election in years. More reactions have also been shared on Twitter, the citizen media platform of choice for most Venezuelan netizens.
This post is part of our special coverage Venezuela Elections 2012.


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Arab World: The Plight of Syrian Refugee Girls    · Global Voices
رامي الهامس

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
As the Syrian Revolution continues, its consequences continue to affect refugees who have fled the violence in the country, especially women who are paying a double price as victims of violence in these armed conflicts.
In a patriarchal and male chauvinist culture that constantly abuses the weakness of the woman for its own interests, Syrian refugee girls in Jordan, Libya, Turkey and Lebanon are subject to the pressures of forced marriages from Syrian or other Arab nationals under the pretext of protecting their virtue at any price.
Within this context, news on Syrian refugee girls forced marriages or even campaigns to marry them off to “protect their virtue” have gone viral on social media. The Facebook Page “Syrian Women with the Revolution”, created originally to support the revolution in Syria, has received many “marriage demands” from young Arabs wishing to tie the knot with a Syrian refugee so as “to protect her honor.”
For example, Rami [ar] from Jordan posted:
مرحبا انا رامي من الاردن عمري 25 وارغب في اازواج من فتاة سورية ونا واللة جاد جدا وارغب في الستر والحمدلله عندي بيت وراتبي منيح والحمدلله
Hello, I am Rami, 25 years old from Jordan. I'd like to marry a Syrian girl. I swear I am very serious and I wish to protect the honor. Thanks to God, I have a house and my salary is good. Thanks God
In response, many Syrians revealed their extreme irritation and anger over the abuse of the conditions of refugee families through such marriage contracts and bargains. On the other hand, the phenomena reached Libya, where Syrian refugees talked about Libyans knocking on their doors, looking to marry girls in exchange for money.
Taken from “Syrian Women with the Revolution Page” where we can read: Is this is how we are being rewarded? By you buying our sisters from the refugees camps? Shame on you and on your sense of honor. The Liberated Kfarnabl 04/09/2012
Helal Samarqandy wrote [ar] on Facebook:
أقلها هلا ركزت في دعمهن للحصول على ضروريات الحياة ثم اطلب يدها حرة إن أردت، أما استغلال تشردهن وفقدان ضرورات الحياة لديهن فلست بخير من بشار.
لعن الله من لا يحركه الا فرجه.
The least you can do is support them to have the basics of life and then propose to her when she is free if you want but as to exploit their displacement and their lack of the basics things for life, you are no better than Bashar. May God curse the one whose brain is between his legs.
Nbares Blog asserted the existence of secret bureaus for “honor marriages” with Syrian girl in Benghazi, where Syrian refugees speak of Libyans knocking the doors of Syrian families looking to marry from young girls in addition to the existence of offices working discretely.
Meanwhile, Libyan Affairs [ar] entitles its post “A double suffering for Syrian Refugee Girls …. a war tearing the homeland and marriage proposals that are closer to forced marriages”:
…دكاكين أبو حمد، [ وهو رمز لـ”تاجر نساء” في الأردن والجزائر وليبيا والعراق اختاره أحد الكتاب السعوديين الذين انتقدوا ظاهرة استغلال السوريات اللاجئات من قبل خليجيين وعرب] العربي المتدين الذي يتاجر بالنساء معززا بفتاوى الفقهاء، بدأت انتشارها مع اشتداد الحرب في سوريا، وسرعان ما وجدت زبائنها من الشباب والشيوخ راغبين في الزواج بالسوريات، “لسترهن” أو للتكفل بهن من منطلق أنهن لاجئات لا عائل لهن….. وغالبا ما يتم الزواج بالسوريات اللاجئات بمهور زهيدةحيث لاتملك عائلة العروس إلا القبول نظرا لظروفها الصعبة وبحثا عن “السترة” وحرصا على شرف البنات والعائلة.
We shall not accept humiliation or disgrace. This is opportunism. From “Syrian Women with the Revolution” Facebook Page and the dialogue translates into: – Marry me in Halal and I shall take you and your family from the camp – You left everything and brought victory to Islam by abusing Syrian refugee girls
The shop of Abu Ahmed [” Symbol of the pimp” in Jordan, Algeria and Iraq named by a Saudi writer who criticized the abuse of Syrian refugee girls by Gulf and Arab nationals … ], the Arab patriotic, the religious who trade women based on the fatwas [religious edicts] of clerics, started to spread with the intensification of the war in Syria and quite soon, it found its clients among youth and old men desiring to wed to Syrians so as to protect their honor or to take care of them because they are refugees without any provider. Very often, these women are married with quite a cheap dowry and the family of the bride can only but accept given their dire conditions and looking for “protection” of the girl's honor and her family.
Within the framework of a campaign to support Syrian refugee women in Syria's neighboring countries, some young Syrians created a Facebook page entitled “Refugees … not captives” [ar] whose mission is summarized as follows:
لحماية حقوق المرأة السورية..
لمحاربة امتهان قيمة المرأة السورية..
لدعوة المجتمع الأهلي ورجال الأعمال لدعم المرأة السورية..
لاجئات لا سبايا.. لأن السوريات انتفضن لأجل كرامتهن لا ليكونوا بضاعة رخيصة في سوق النخاسة تحت مسيمات الزواج والسترة..
شاركونا في دعم حملة ” لاجئات لا سبايا
For the protection of the Syrian women rights
For fighting the humiliation of the value of Syrian women
To call the civil society and businessmen to support Syrian women
Refugees not captives, because Syrian women have rebelled for their dignity so not to become cheap goods in the slave markets under the names of marriage and honor. Join us in supporting “Refugees not captives Campaign”
Moayad Skaif [ar], one of the campaign's founders, wonders on his Facebook page:
دعوات الخليجيين للزواج من سوريات تعني أنهم ينظرون إلى نسائنا كسبايا ولكن بالمال.. إنه سوق نخاسة.. لإرضاء نزواتهم الجنسية وتحسين نسلهم على حساب كرامتنا وبعناوين فضفاضة..
أيها السوري اليتيم.. صرت قشة في قلب الريح..
The calls of Gulf nationals to marry Syrian women means they look at our women as captives but with money… it is a slave market, to satisfy their sexual impulses and enhance their lineage on the expense of our dignity and with bright titles … ohhhh you poor Syrian orphan … you have become a straw in the heart of history
Interviewed by the electronic magazine “Zaman al Wasl” (The times of communication) [ar], he wonders:
إذا كانت النخوة والرغبة في المساعدة هي الدافع الحقيقي لدى راغبي الزواج فلماذا لم يهب هؤلاء إلى ستر الصوماليات أو السودانيات من أهل دارفور؟….وإذا كانت الدوافع انسانية بحتة كما يزعمون فليدعموا الشباب السوري الذي أجبرته الظروف على أن يظل أعزبا وهو لاجئ لا يجد قوت يومه.
Cover Page of “Refugees … Not Captives” Facebook Page
If chivalry and the desire to help is the true motive of the marriage seekers, why don't they protect the honor of Somali or Sudanese women in Darfur as well? If the motives are purely humanitarian as they claim, let them support young Syrian males whose conditions have forced them to stay single being refugee and unable to find his daily bread.
…تهدف الحملة التي أطلقتها الناشطة السورية مزنة دريد تحت شعار( لاجئات لا سبايا) إلى توعية أهالي الفتيات ضد مخاطر هذا الزواج المغلف بعناوين دينية وقيمية اجتماعية، وتوجيه رسالة لبعض الشباب الخليجي والعربي ممن يعتقدون أن الزواج من سوريات طريقة معقولة للمساعدة بأن السوريين يرفضون المساعدة بهذه الطريقة، لأن المخاطر التي قد تترتب على هذا النوع من الزواج تتطلب رفضه.
The campaign launched by the Syrian activist  Mazna Duraid under the title “Refugees not Captives” aims to raise the awareness of the girls parents on the risks of such a marriage covered with religious titles and social values but also to address a message to some of the young people in the Gulf and the Arab World who think that marrying Syrian women is a way of helping, that the Syrians reject such a help because the incumbent risks of such a marriage requires its refusal.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

author: رامي الهامس


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China: ‘Are You Happy?’ · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

During a recent national holiday news story feature called “Are You Happy”, broadcast by Chinese state-run television station Central Television (CCTV), reporters were filmed asking ordinary people questions including, among others, whether or not they were happy, and what happiness meant to them. Some the quite literal answers have quickly drawn the attention of netizens noticing the somewhat inadvertent, and often hilarious, satirical nature of some responses.
Stories with dark humour
One particularly popular episode featured a migrant worker offering the brilliantly deadpan rejoinder, “I am a rural migrant worker, don't ask me.” Later in the exchange, responding to the question, “Are you happy?” (translated as “Ni Xing-fu ma?”, which sounds like “is your surname Fu?”) the elderly worker answers blankly, “My surname is Zeng!”
What these absurd exchanges demonstrate, however, is just how irrelevant a question about a completely abstract notion is to a rural worker struggling with the very real travails of day-to-day living. (See 1'08” of the Chinanews360 YouTube video below.)
http://youtu.be/01Jg1k9oiTQ
The following is a brief transcript of the video:
Working woman: I am happy. Happiness is to earn money for kids. Oh I am in your camera.
Salesman: Going to work is good. Making money is quite happy, right? But the stock is falling though…
Retired woman picking vegetable in the pavement: I am quite happy. My salary is low but I am happy. I have put my daughter through university. Now she graduates from a Master's degree, with a good job. I can only tell you this. Everyone has dissatisfaction. Now relatively speaking I am happier. It is better to sit outside. Home is too stuffy. I will clean up.
Rural migrant: I am a rural migrant worker, don't ask me. My surname is Zeng.
One Chinese micro-blog website transcribed [zh] the second episode, featuring an interview with a 73 old man who, tiring of the reporter's insensitive questioning, finally responds with his own, derisive, question (starting from the reporter raising his voice):
【cctv问73岁捡瓶子的老人：“你幸福吗？”】问：您今天收了多少瓶子了？答：73岁。问：您收了多少个瓶子了？答：我现在（靠）吃了政府的低保，650块一个月，政府好。记者：您觉得幸福吗？老人：我耳朵不好。记者大声：您幸福吗？听到吗？老人：听到了，就想折腾下你，我都靠捡瓶子活了，你说我幸福吗
I have bad hearing, the old man said. Screen capture from CCTV.
[CCTV asked a 73-year-old who lives on picking bottles [from the trash]: “Are you happy”] Reporter: How many bottles have you picked up today? Answer: [I am] 73 years old. [one bottle equals RMB 0.1] Reporter: How many bottles have you picked up? Answer: I depend on social security to live. RMB 650 (about USD 100) per month. Government is good. Reporter: Are you happy? Old man: My ears are bad [I have bad listening]. Reporter yelling: Are you happy? Can you hear me? Old man: I can hear you, just want to give you a hard time. I live on picking up bottles. Answer for me, am I happy?
The micro-blogger subsequently offered his own answer [zh] to the question:
【假如有SB记者问我幸福吗】我会说，全世界有200多个国家地区，看病自己花钱的有20个，网络屏蔽的有4个，有户籍制度的3个，开政治课的有2个。教育产业化的1个，计划生育的1个，由外国人爹妈决定自己命运的国家有1个，以上都存在的国家仅有一个！20%的世界人口养活50%的官员。你说幸福吗
[If some stupid reporter asks if I am happy] I say: there are more than 200 countries in this world, about 20 of them have to pay fully for their own medical expenses, about 4 of them have Internet blocks, about 3 of them have household registration systems, about 2 of them have mandatory political education, 1 of them has their education industrialized, 1 of them has a compulsory one-child policy, 1 of them has their country's destiny decided for some foreigners’ dads and mums. Only 1 country has all the above features! 20% of the world population feeding 50% of the civil servants in this world. Are you happy?
Tiny Zhu described [zh] the third episode:
在郑州某火車票代售处，記者问一正排队买票的18岁大學生：「您最遗憾的是什么？」小伙答：「高考低了十来分。」記者問：「您最想要什么？」小伙答：「女朋友。」記者再問：「那么，這十年您遇到最坏的事呢？」小伙答：「接受你采访，队被人插了。」
Near the Zhenzhou train station ticket office a reporter asks an 18 year old university student: Any thing you feel regretful about? Youth: Just need 10 more marks for my high school examination result. Reporter asks: What do you want most? Youth answers: A girlfriend; What's the worst thing that happened to you in the past ten years? Youth answers: This interview… someone just jumped the queue.
So why are so many netizens seeing a serious side to the CCTV feature? Below are some explanations [zh]:
时事评论员-小魏：：当你还在为孩子的学费发愁的时候，你幸福吗？当你生病，高额的医疗费还没有着落的时候，你幸福吗？当你看着威严高大的政府办公楼，你还没有一个家时，你幸福吗？当你知道,偏远地区还有那么多孩子吃不饱饭的时候，你幸福吗？，，，央视，你“幸福吗”？假如你“幸福”，央视你真的很无耻！
News commentator, Xiao Nei: When you are worried about your children's school fees, will you be happy? When you are sick and don't have money for the extremely high medical costs, will you be happy? When you see all these huge government buildings erected in front of you while you don't have your own home, will you be happy? When you know that some kids in remote areas are still living in hunger, will you be happy?…. CCTV, are you happy? If you are “happy”, you are shameless!
卓卓ER: 事实就是，我吃个饭还怕地沟油，喝口奶还怕有三聚氰胺，走个路怕被飚车的富二代撞死大吼一声“我爸是李刚”。不怕你人民代表戴”三个表“，就怕写个微博回个帖子还被“查水表”。一辈子买不起房子就算，就怕拆我大屋建起高楼万丈。已经无奈你的贪污受贿，就怕你问我幸福吗？“幸福你大爷的，幸福你妹”
Zouzou-ER: The fact is when I am eating, I am worried about the ditch oil (recycled oil）and the melamine milk （polluted milk that causes kidney disease). When I am walking, I am worried about being hit by second generation rich who will yell out: My Dad is Li Gang after he ran me over. I don't care about the three represents, but I am obstructed by the restricted number of responses for my post under Weibo's monitoring system. I would accept the fact that I can't afford to buy an apartment in my lifetime, but am afraid that my humble home would be demolished for high-rise buildings. I feel so helpless about your corruption, please don't ask me further if I am happy? Where is our f–king happiness?
海上撞船，高速烧车，滑坡埋人，景区砍人，这个国庆太疯狂…最关键还有她妈一群傻逼到处问人家幸福不幸福！艹！为遇难者默哀。
Firework sister: Boat crashed. High speed rail on fire. Landslide burying lives. Touristic site robbing people. This national day is too crazy… The key is some stupid people still go around and ask people whether they are happy. This is a time for condolence.

author: Oiwan Lam


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France: World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

The first edition of the World Forum for Democracy is currently taking place in Strasbourg, France (5-11 october, 2012). The theme of the forum is “Bridging the map: democracy between old models and new realities”. You can follow the discussions under the Twitter hashtag #CoE_WFD. Director of International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Global Voices author Jillian C. York was a panelist at the debate about “Media resposability and potential to foster democracy”, and acclaimed A Tunisian Girl blogger and activist Lina Ben Mhenni was awarded the “Alsatian Prize for Democratic Commitment” [fr].

author: Suzanne Lehn


text:
Lesotho: Defence Force Top Brass Facing Court Charge  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Commenting a post on lestimes.com about the the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) top brass facing a court charge after they allegedly ignored a High Court order to accept a junior soldier’s sick leave application, KOTOPE writes:
The answer to all this mess is very simple, LESOTHO DOES NOT NEED ARMED FORCES WHO ARE VERY VERY EXPENSIVE [TO] MAINTAIN, all we need is a MILITARY POLICE joaloka bo Swizerland who would at least benefit the Country by fighting crime and stuff.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Mexico’s Indigenous Languages in Cyberspace · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The blog Native Box shares an English translation of an article originally published in Vanguardia [es]: “Indigenous Languages of Mexico: Rescued, Alive, and Facing Challenges in Cyberspace”.


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Peru: Poet Antonio Cisneros Dies · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Antonio Cisneros, the Peruvian poet laureate, died on October 6, 2012, at 5:30 in the morning. An article [es] in the daily El Comercio spoke about his involvement in the “1960s generation” of Peruvian poetry and the various awards he received: “National Poetry Prize, Casa de las Américas Prize (1968), the Gabriela Mistral Prizel (2000), Iberoamerican Letters Prize José Donoso (2004).” Furthermore, “he was named Gentleman of the French Order of Arts and Letters. On June 8, 2012 he received in Santiago, Chile, the Pablo Neruda Latin American Poetry Prize.”
During his life, Cisneros published various collections of poems. Some of the best known collections are: Real Commentaries of Antonio Cisneros (1964) (“Comentarios reales de Antonio Cisneros”), Ceremonial Song Against an Anteater (1968) (“Canto ceremonial contra un oso hormiguero”), As a Fig Tree on a Golf Course (1972) (“Como higuera en un campo de golf”), The Book of God and the Hungarians (1978) (“El libro de Dios y de los húngaros”), Monologue of the Chaste Susana and Other Poems (1986) (“Monólogo de la casta Susana y otros poemas”).
In the following YouTube video from 2009 from the magazine Otra Gaceta (Another Gazette), we see Cisneros reading three of his poems:
Cisneros was also a journalist [es], a translator, a professor, and an important promoter of culture [es] in his country. However, in interviews he always mentioned that the most important thing in his life was not literature but his five grandchildren. His colleagues remember [es] him as a joker, a great friend and footballer [es]. “Toño”, as he was known by his loved ones, was writing [es] a collection of poems about his family. The Minister of Culture has stated [es] that he will be sure to honor the life of this great poet.
The poet Marco Martos spoke about [es] Cisneros’ poetry that “had the capacity to demonstrate pain without tears. [..] within his verses there is an intensity, a river of thought.”
The literary critic Ricardo González Vigil states: “He had an ironic point of view, with his feet on the ground, that never stops connecting to the criollo [local] humor. And that allowed him to demystify the grand constructions and stereotypes of the poetry of the past,” and added: “He had a more elliptical, suggestive, caustic way of treating language, it is not as verbose as many others.”
In the following video recorded in 2011 by Bolivian writer Juan Claudio Lechín, we can enjoy parts of an interview with Antonio Cisneros:
Writer and literary critic Gustavo Faverón remembers Cisneros and tells a few anecdotes about him, also commenting [es] on his literary style:
Fue ideológica y estéticamente complejo: en sus libros se reúnen elementos muy disímiles: un marxismo heterodoxo; una suerte de utopía garcilasista que si bien a veces vira hacia lo aristocratizante, otras veces se introduce felizmente en lo popular; un afán constante de mestizaje cultural; un historicismo preocupado y punzante; una poderosa unción religiosa que sólo es contenida a veces por la ironía, y una forma única de revisión de los diversos modelos del clasicismo y del barroco que jamás, pese al tono de parodia, se permite la simplificación de descartar o malbaratear esos modelos.
Su poesía no solo está atravesada de ideologías que al común de nosotros nos parecerían contradictorias. También es una consciente reflexión sobre ellas y sobre el asunto mismo de la ideología. Uno de sus poemas más bellos se aproxima al tema de manera conmovedora (porque una de las maravillas de Toño fue su capacidad de conmover profundamente con la discusión filosófica, de convertir la discusión filosófica en lo que nunca debe dejar de ser, finalmente, es decir, en una discusión sobre nuestras propias pequeñas vidas).
It was ideological and aesthetically complex: his books brought together dissimilar elements: an unorthodox Marxism; a sort of Garcilasista utopia that while sometimes veers towards the aristocratic, happily introduces the popular; a constant desire for cultural crossbreeding; a concerned and biting historicism; a powerful religious unction that is only at times controlled by irony, and a unique form of revision of diverse models of classicism and the baroque that never, despite a tone of parody, allows for the simplification of rejecting or squandering those models.
His poetry does not only cross the ideologies that seem contradictory to us. common people. It is also a conscious reflection about these ideologies and the issue of ideology itself. One of his most beautiful poems deals with the issue in a moving way (because one of the great things about Toño was his capacity to profoundly move others with his philosophical discussion, to convert philosophical discussion into what it should never cease to be, in other words, into a discussion about our own little lives.
The writer Patricia de Souza also remembered Cisneros [es] with nostalgia on her blog Palincestos:
Siempre he seguido los libros de Toño, son esas personas que acompañan y que llevamos siempre presentes, sin pensar que un día morirán- Por eso, cuando me dijeron que estaba muy enfermo, y que se había traslado a casa de su madre, pensé que resistiría, que volvería ver a Toño y su sonrisa pícara, que volvería a oír sus comentarios demoledores, y a reírme o a conversar con él. Pero no, eso es solo en la imaginación y ahora es el tiempo de duelo
I always have followed Toño's books, it's those people who come and we carry with us always, without thinking that one day they will die- For this reason, when they told me he was very sick, and that he had been taken to his mother's house, I thought he would resist, that I would see Toño again with his naughty smile, that I would hear his devastating commentaries again, and laugh and talk with him. But no, that is only imagination and now it is time to mourn.
In the next video from YouTube user ChilePoesiaTv recorded in 2001, Cisneros reads a poem and later talks about poetry:
The blogger Manolo Ignacio Malpartida from Bitácora Hedonista shares [es] his feelings about the poet:
Viajero, sibarita, e hincha del Sporting Cristal, hablaba con pasión y escribía como hablaba. Alguna vez pude presenciar su ronca voz que se hacía notar en alguna feria del libro peruana, aquellas adonde yo solía ir, varias veces sin comprar nada, sólo para corroborar que habían otros locos como yo que malgastaban el poco dinero en libros; me hacía sentir mejor.
La muerte de un artista sea pintor, cantante o escritor es ya de por sí triste, pero cuando un poeta se va la tristeza es mayor todavía.
Descanse en paz maestro.
Traveler, sybarite, and supporter of Sporting Cristal, he spoke with passion and wrote like he spoke. A few times I heard his notable hoarse voice at a Peruvian book fair, the kinds I used to go to, many times without buying anything, only to confirm that there were other crazy people like me that wasted the little money they have on books; it made me feel better.
The death of an artist, whether a painter, a singer or a writer is already sad on its own, but when a poet passes the sadness is even greater.
Rest in peace master.
Ecuadorian writer Eduardo Varas remembers Cisneros in his blog Libros, Autores y Riesgos [es] (Books, Authors and Risks):
La sonrisa del fantasma es la del capitán del barco. Bebe. Nos dice que bebamos. El dolor del estómago desaparece por arte de magia y sentimos que si él bebe un pisco, nosotros también podemos hacerlo. Habla. El ánimo crece. Todo se hace más grande a su lado. Todos somos más grandes a su lado. Pregunta de dónde somos. Respondemos. Pregunta sobre poetas de aquí. Nos habla del ridículo de la monarquía que nos define. Nos escucha atentamente. Su voz es fuego artificial. Habla por quienes no hablamos. Por la noche, con el alcohol ya convertido en bandera para muchos, el fantasma dice que el pueblo lo aclama en las calles. Hace reír a otros, nosotros escuchamos los rezagos. El fantasma es vida, vida pura. La vida más viva de todos.
The smile of a ghost [es] is the captain of a ship. He drinks. He tells us to drink. The stomach pain magically disappears and we feel that if he drinks a pisco, so can we. He talks. The mood grows. Everything gets bigger beside him. We are all bigger at his side. He asks where we are from. We respond. He asks about poets form here. He talks to us about the ridiculousness of the monarchy that defines us. He listens to us carefully. His voice is like fireworks. He speaks for those of us who do not speak. At night, with alcohol as a flag for many, the ghost says that people acclaim him in the streets. He makes everyone laugh, we listen to the remnants. The ghost is life, pure life. The most vivid life of all.
Antonio Cisneros [es] leaves a great legacy in Peruvian literature. Responsible in part for the entry of the contemporary Anglo-Saxon poetic influence into the national poetry, his poems transcend the apparent simplicity with which many of them are written, to make us reflect on the “great heavenly questions” (“grandes preguntas celestes,” just like the title of one of his books.
As one more example of his art, we leave with you a video from 2001 that allows us to better appreciate his personality, as well as his humor and poetry.

author: Juan Arellano


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Slovakia: Comparing the Income of Roma and Non-Roma Neighbors · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

According to the World Bank's Policy Advice on the Integration of Roma in the Slovak Republic [en, .pdf], published in July 2012, “there are about 320,000 people or 72,000 [Roma] families [in Slovakia] and the population is estimated to grow at about 1.8% per year, which means about 1,200 new Roma families are formed each year.”
This large and fast-growing community is marginalized, however, and its situation is critical, in many cases comparable to that in the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia:
[…] only 20% of working age Roma men and 9% of Roma women have jobs, compared with 65% of working age men and 52% of working age women in the general Slovak population. These rates are low also for regional standards: they are less than half those found in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Romania. Moreover, wage levels among the Roma who do have jobs are on average half of those earned by the general population. […]
[…] Dire employment conditions among marginalized Roma in Slovakia translate into unusually large gaps in per capita GDP between Roma and the general population. Among the general Slovak population, average per capita GDP is approximately Euro 13,000 per year, placing Slovakia among the richest 25% of countries in the world. At the same time, the average per capita output of Slovak Roma is only Euro 1,400 per year. After accounting for purchasing power, GDP levels found among Slovak Roma are, once again, equivalent to levels observed in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia belonging to the poorest 25% worldwide. Another way of seeing this gap is that monthly per capita output among the general Slovak population is similar in magnitude to the annual per capita output among Slovak Roma. […]
The World Bank's recommendations look very simple. To put it shortly, improve the situation, and it will get better for everyone:
[…] Roma integration is indeed in the national economic interest of Slovakia. Slovak GDP would be Euro 3.1 billion higher if Roma would have the same employment opportunities and wage levels as non-Roma. […]
On October 7, SME newspaper published a graph [sk] from the report (found on p. 14 of the .pdf document), with details on the incomes of the Roma and non-Roma neighbouring households in Slovakia:
Comparison of income sources, Roma and non-Roma neighboring households. (Source: Policy Advice on the Integration of Roma in the Slovak Republic, The World Bank.)
The income of a Roma family (which, on the average, has more children than a non-Roma family) is €528 per month – of which €172 come from child allowance, €132 from social assistance, €130 from earnings related to employment, €46 from pensions, €44 from unemployment benefits, and €4 from labor activities other than employment.
Their non-Roma neighbors have a monthly family income of €773, which consists of €488 in earnings related to employment (the minimal monthly wage in Slovakia is €327), €111 – pensions, €101 – child allowance, €52 – social assistance, €18 – unemployment benefits, €1 – labor activities other than employment.
Among other things, the World Bank recommends “maintaining a strong safety net” for the poorest individuals. On the other hand, the report notes that “in the Slovak Republic, perceptions that the unemployed are not motivated to find work are particularly strong, with two-thirds of respondents claiming that the unemployed are not seeking employment. Furthermore, 40% report that social benefits make people lazy.”
In January 2012, Global Voices published a text on the “‘work vs money’ dilemma” in Slovakia: the netizens’ comments translated in it reflect some of the typical attitudes and thinking on the issues of unemployment and safety nets, and also offer useful insight on why the “perceptions” mentioned in the World Bank report exist in the Slovak society.
Below is another set of netizens’ views on the complex issues brought up in the World Bank report, selected from the discussion that the Oct. 7 SME article has generated.
mum:
[…] it is necessary to say that we here at the bottom have no idea how many millions of Euros from the EU funds and similar resources to address the Roma case the politicians have already poured into their own pockets.
ius resistendi et contradicendi:
What do you want to say by this? That it is necessary to give them [the unemployed Roma] more – or that it is necessary to tax normal working families more?
pepo:
To make it clear, I'm a Gypsy [sk: Cigan]. In my life, I have not asked for and never got any financial aid. […] All my life I've had to make at least twice an effort than a member of the majority would.
KAROL:
Statistics says that when you are working you have 250 Euros more than when you are not working – it's not very motivating.
dagupan:
So, for spending 320 hours per month at work together (two working persons) our state gives an extra bonus of €240 [the difference between the Roma and non-Roma family incomes]. This is, as far as I know, 6 Euros per day per worker. […] Why would asocials go to work under these conditions? It would be stupid.
julius:
It is also necessary to add costs, not just revenues.
Rent = 0, water = 0, heating = 0, electricity = 0, gas = 0, travel = 0, garbage disposal = 0, municipal taxes = 0
So I conclude that an average Slovak family has much less money for food, clothing, hygiene and so on than an average Roma family. And yet they have to work for it.
TimmyA:
This is completely misguided thinking. This ‘rescue’ network is the cause why many talented Roma women get no chance to study. Just when the girl is 15 – papa commands that it is necessary to earn and girl is forced to give birth to get child allowance.
My mother was teaching all her life and mentioned that she had a lot of talented Roma girls, but when they came to the age when they could give birth, family forced her instead of high school to end up on maternity leave. To support something like that is totally counterproductive.
MilankoWww:
Statistics and racist prejudices have a common foundation. When it is said that “they have a greater income from children and a smaller one from work” – this is supposed to be the statistics that helps to understand the problem. When it is said that “they live off state support and allowances” – it is racism and it should not be, because it overlooks individuals.

author: Tibor Blazko