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Brazil’s Racism Problem Front and Center After Black Teen’s Brutal Beating · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

The young boy tied to the lamp post with only a piece of newspaper to cover himself.
[All links lead to Portuguese-language websites unless otherwise noted.]
A 15-year-old black teenager was found sitting on the ground at Botafogo beach in a central area of Rio de Janeiro completely naked and with a bicycle lock around his neck chaining him to a lamppost on February 1, 2014.
Unfortunately, it is not an isolated case, as attacks by groups of “vigilantes” have become somewhat common in Rio de Janeiro.
Activist Yvonne Bezerra de Mello, who discovered the minor, wrote on her Facebook profile that she was preparing to sleep when a friend who was driving by on Rui Barbosa Avenue called her to say he “saw a young boy bruised, naked and tied to a pole by a bicycle lock. He was beaten by a gang of bikers that often steals on my street.”
She called the firefighters to release him and he was then taken to the hospital. She, in turn, began receiving threats.
In a statement to police, the young man said he had been chased by a group of about 30 men on motorcycles armed with at least one pistol while walking with three friends (two escaped) to take a swim in the sea. He was then beaten, stripped naked and chained to the pole. The 15-year-old has been on the streets of Rio for at least two years since he was caught stealing an electric drill from a family neighbor and being forced to leave his home.
Police believe those responsible for the attack are the “Flamengo vigilantes”, who attack and torture whomever they consider to look suspicious; they are also accused of assaulting gays. About 15 suspected members of the group were arrested by the police.
“Any odlCartoon by Carlos Latuff. Free to use
Journalist Rosiane Rodrigues, writing for Afropress, criticized Bezerra de Mello's for taking a photo of the victim and posting it on Facebook rather than just calling the fire department and an ambulance. In her opinion:
A cena chocou. É possível que o motivo da consternação tenha sido o local da ação e não a ação em si. Sim. Um menino, amarrado ao poste, em uma rua da Zona Sul do Rio de Janeiro, não é um fato comum. Meninos, amarrados em postes, baleados, espancados, violentados não cabem na paisagem da Zona Sul da cidade. Essas devem ser imagens periféricas, cotidianas das favelas, dos subúrbios. Imagens de barbárie que já não chocam nem causam espanto aos olhos dos que estão – e devem continuar – à margem.
O “menino amarrado ao poste”‘ deu sorte. Ele poderia estar morto. Se assim fosse, seria mais um a entrar para a estatística da barbárie cometida diuturnamente nos becos e vielas em todo País. Imagens de corpos violados, machucados, inertes… reflexos distantes de uma realidade encoberta aos olhos sensíveis de uma parcela da população que teima em não querer enxergar: a indústria do genocídio da juventude preta e pobre.
The scene was shocking. It is possible that the reason for the consternation was the location of the incident and not the incident itself. Yes, a boy tied to a lamp post in a street in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is not a common occurrence. Boys chained to lamp posts, shot, beaten, raped do not fit in with the landscape of the city south. These should be peripheral, everyday images of slums, suburbs. Images of barbarism that no longer shock or cause astonishment in the eyes of those who are – and should continue – at the margin.
The “boy tied to the post” got lucky. He might have been dead. If so, he would be the latest to join the statistics of barbarism committed incessantly in the alleys and lanes throughout the country. Images of bodies violated, hurt, inert… distant reflections of a reality hidden from the eyes of a sensitive population that insists on not wanting to see: the industry of the genocide of black and poor youth.
Activist Caio Almeida warned on Facebook of the danger of the formation of a “fascist militia” in Rio de Janeiro, like the so-called “vigilantes”, and added that “what is going on in the Flamengo neighborhood is very serious”:
Esses caras agridem homossexuais, ambulantes que não concordam com o preço cobrado pela cerveja, usuários de maconha ou negros sozinhos. Em suma, tocam o terror para garantir que o bairro deles sejam para os ricos, brancos e com os mesmos hábitos sociais(e até sexuais!) que eles.
These guys attack homosexuals, hawkers who do not agree with the price charged for beer, marijuana users and blacks alone. In short, they play on terror to ensure that their neighborhood belongs to the rich and the white with the same social habits (and even sex habits!) as them.
According to the assaulted boy, all of his assailants were white “playboys” except one who was brown.
“Southern USA, 20th century / Brazil, 21st century. Racism always camouflages itself as ‘justice’ to act.” Mock-up by Paul Henry Jr.
Activist Paulo Henry Jr wrote on Facebook that even if the man was really responsible for thefts in the region, the attitude of beating and humiliating him “does not cease to be brutal”, and that it should be up to the police to investigate the veracity of the charges and take him to trial. He added:
Mas a Ku Klux Klan versão brasileira que de tão cômoda nem sequer precisa usar capuz e lençóis, age livremente sem ser perturbada fazendo nas ruas a sua maneira aquilo que considera justiça.
But the Brazilian version of the Ku Klux Klan, which feels so comfortable that it doesn't even need to wear hoods and sheets, acts freely undisturbed on the streets, going their own way with what they consider to be justice.
Similar cases have occurred recently. A few years ago in the Botafogo neighborhood of Rio, bikers stripped a black man naked and left him on the pavement under the scorching sun after they accused him of trying to steal a motorcycle, described John Batista Damasceno. Firefighters helped the bikers take off the man's clothes, and a municipal guard witnessed the scene without intervening:
The role of the media in spreading the horror
Outrage over this most recent case would have been smaller had it not been for the intervention of TV anchor for “Jornal do SBT” Rachel Sheherazade, known for her conservative comments. On primetime, she said:
“Num país que sofre de violência endêmica, a atitude dos vingadores é até compreensível”, disse a apresentadora. “O Estado é omisso, a polícia desmoralizada, a Justiça é falha… O que resta ao cidadão de bem, que ainda por cima foi desarmado? Se defender, é claro”. E finalizou: “O contra-ataque aos bandidos é o que chamo de legítima defesa coletiva de uma sociedade sem Estado contra um estado de violência sem limite”.
“In a country that suffers from endemic violence, the attitude of the avengers is even understandable,” said the anchor. “The state is absent, the police demoralized, justice flawed… What is left for the good citizen, who moreover was unarmed? Defend themselves, of course.”. She concluded: “The counterattack to the thugs is what I call collective self-defense of a stateless society from a state of violence without limits.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at89CynMNIg
The reaction was immediate, both in support and against. Businessman Vinicius Duarte commented on Facebook:
Quando um telejornal de grande audiência permite que se faça apologia a um crime (sim, ~cidadão de bem desarmado~, acorrentar bandidos ou inocentes nus em postes é CRIME), é sinal que a barbárie está vencendo o jogo.
When a news program with a large audience allows an apology for a crime to be made (yes, you ~disarmed good citizen~, to chain bandits or innocents to lamp posts is a CRIME), it is a sign that barbarism is winning the game.
The profile of social collective Pedra no Sapato, making a pun on the name of the presenter, stated that Sheherazade outdid herself with her statements:
[ Cheira a Nazi ]
Defendeu a ação da milicia carioca que prendeu o adolescente ladrão e negro num poste com uma tranca de bicicleta no pescoço, o espancou e o deixou nu. Acha normal, natural algo assim. Afinal, já que vivemos em estado de barbárie, não custa nada nós mesmos começarmos as nossas, né? Ninguém esta defendendo os atos de banditismo do moleque, agora chamar de ‘compreensível’ e ‘legítima defesa’ uma barbaridade dessas é sinal de que essa mulher não tem um pingo de humanidade!
(Smells of Nazi) [a play with the sound of words Sheherazade]
She defended the action of Rio militia who chained the thief and black teenager to the lamp post with a bike lock around his neck, beat him and left him naked. She finds it normal, something like that is natural. After all, since we live in a state of barbarism, it costs nothing to start our [own barbarism], right? No one is defending the banditry of the boy; but saying that a barbaric act like this is “understandable” and “self-defense” is a sign that this woman doesn't have a shred of humanity!
Mock-up made by activist Julio Ferreira: “‘Good citizen’ was the name of KKK's newspaper”.
Student Mosiés Teixeira demanded that Sheherazade “be liable for the blunder issued in primetime” and that those who supported it should “reflect a bit before issuing opinions full of catchphrases that are just polished stupidity.”
According to the Union of Journalists of Rio de Janeiro, the punishment will come. The union and its Committee on Ethics not only expressed their disgust, but also demanded that the National Federation of Journalists take action “in this and other cases of human rights violations and of the Code of Ethics of the Brazilian journalists, which occur routinely in broadcasting programs in our country.” The Union of Journalists of the Federal District also declared their disgust with Sheherazade's statements and added that they will ask a prosecutor to act.
The Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) announced that it also will demand punishment for the presenter.
For activist and journalist Rodrigo Mariano, Sheherazade “reached a level that she now supports murderers openly on national television. And the girl shares the same profession as me, you see. She took the oath she swore and reversed it. She wiped her ass with her diploma, certainly.”
After all repercussions, SBT issued a note stating that the journalist does not represent the opinions of the channel. Sheherazade using airtime on “SBT Journal” tried to explain herself, saying that she was “on the good side, the side of the angels”, which is:
uma crítica da violência. Eu defendo as pessoas de bem deste País, que foram abandonadas à própria sorte, porque não tem polícia, não tem segurança pública. O que eu fiz não foi defender a atitude dos justiceiros. O que eu defendi foi o direito da população de se defender quando o Estado é omisso
a critique of violence. I defend the good people of this country, who were abandoned to their fate because they have no police, no public security. What I did was not defend the attitude of vigilantes. What I defended was people's right to defend itself when the state is absent
Rachel Cheherazade. Image for publication from SBT.
In other words, Sheherazade maintains a view that, for activist Robson Fernandes, “is tradition among the Brazilian conservative right” and consists of “making a Manichean division of society between ‘good citizens’ and ‘bums’.”
He added:
Nessa crença que divide a sociedade entre “bons” e “maus”, os primeiros seriam pessoas “cidadãs” que “pagam impostos”, “respeitam as leis”, “lutam para vencer na vida” e se dizem “incapazes” de cometer qualquer crime ou dano contra outras pessoas e também contra animais não humanos. E os segundos seriam inimigos da ordem, ameaçadores da vida alheia, preferidores de “caminhos fáceis”, como a criminalidade ou o recebimento de benefícios financeiros pelo Estado, sendo muitos deles autênticos demônios do mal que deveriam ser presos, torturados pela polícia e/ou mortos.
In this belief that divides society into “good” and “bad”, the former would be the “citizen” who “pay taxes”, “law-abiding”, the ones who “struggle to succeed in life” and are said to be “not able” to commit a crime or harm other humans and non-human animals. And the latter are enemies of order, threatening the lives of others, those who prefer the “easy path”, such as crime or to receive financial benefits from the state, many of them being authentic evil demons who should be arrested, tortured by the police and/or dead.
Military police officer from the state of Bahia and contributor to Global Voices Danillo Ferreira made it clear:
Nenhuma violência deve ser celebrada. Tentativas violentas de vingança e “resposta” a outros atos violentos apenas alimentam os ciclos de violência.
No violence should be celebrated. Attempts of revenge and violent “response” to other violent acts only feed the cycle of violence.
A petition that so far has more than 50,000 signatures was created to demand punishment for the journalist. A Facebook event was created to humorously ask for the replacement of the news programme anchored by Sheherazade by the popular Mexican series “Chaves”, whose main character “has much to teach us about tolerance and equality.”

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Jamaican Dancehall Artiste Deported from Dominica · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

“You're not welcome here”.  That's the message the Dominican government is sending to Jamaican dancehall artiste Tommy Lee (real name Leroy Russell), who has been prevented from entering the island, where he was scheduled to host a concert.  Lee is known for his Gothic Dancehall style, which bases itself on dark subject matter.  The move is the latest of several high profile immigration controversies in the Caribbean, several of which have involved Jamaican citizens. In this instance, the issues of censorship and free speech were also being widely debated on social media.
According to the Dominican authorities, Tommy Lee was considered a security threat:
‘Pursuant to advice received, government had concerns for public safety. The decision to deny entry was intended as a preemptive action and also to provide an opportunity to exhaust all efforts to clarify information received,’ the statement said.
Many religious leaders were opposed to Lee's performance, citing what they considered to be dangerous lyrics:
The Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches (DAEC) had been calling for a boycott of the concert here, featuring Sparta, whom it claims glorifies Satan during his performances.
A spokesman for the group, Bishop Michael Daniel, speaking on the state-owned DBS radio Monday, said he was pleased that the concert did not occur as had been planned.
He said while the churches played no role in the detention of Sparta, their prayers had been answered.
On Instagram, Lee himself posted video of his supporters in Dominica outside the police station:
Some Dominicans tweeted to show that they did not support their government's actions:
@TommyLeeSparta im a dominican and christian…and i dont approve of this situation everybody has their rights and this is violiation of it
— Marisa Jno baptiste (@marisabazil) February 24, 2014
@TommyLeeSparta if they didnt want u here dey should have notified u long time and not let it get this far..dispise this government at times
— Marisa Jno baptiste (@marisabazil) February 24, 2014
#Spartan Soldiers. Them hold up our boy #Tommy Lee in Dominica, we cya take that like dat we have to stand up against them duty ways
— Sheriss Telemaque (@youngtrapstarz) February 24, 2014
Tyrone Christopher argued that Tommy Lee's rights must be protected, whether you like his music or not:
I am disgusted by the glee with which people are talking about Tommy Lee's rejection from Dominica on some phony basis. 1/2
— Tyrone Christopher (@Tyrone876) February 24, 2014
Remember, if his rights are flouted, yours aren't as secured as you think they are.
— Tyrone Christopher (@Tyrone876) February 24, 2014
Some Twitter users referred to the controversial Shanique Myrie case and the Caribbean Court of Justice's involvement:
Tommy Lee, CCJ 4 realz? I only asked as a joke yo. Shanique Myrie part 2. But what's up with rulings being unenforceable? #PayItOvaBarbados
— Jammy (@linjashm) February 26, 2014
But yet still, they strip-searched Tommy Lee, denied him access to his lawyer, and detained him UNLAWFULLY for hours.
— Di. (@chocol8drop_) February 24, 2014
I am in full support of @TommyLeeSparta taking this case to the CCJ.
— Di. (@chocol8drop_) February 24, 2014
On the other hand, some netizens seemed glad that Tommy Lee was denied entry:
tommy lee has been banned by Dominica from entering the country… Praise The Lord
— minister of rôme. ♆ (@KevzSehSuh246) February 24, 2014
Tommy lee is sing shite, Dominica obv think so and don't want ya in them country, why the France you wanna sue someone for their rights?
— minister of rôme. ♆ (@KevzSehSuh246) February 24, 2014
The world is still somewhat Godly… Tommy Lee was denied entry into Dominica… Nobody likes a damn demon
— Ammesha Samuels (@BrandMeshy) February 24, 2014
This Twitter user was amazed – and a tad amused – that the Dominican government was getting criticized for banning Tommy Lee…
Dominica is the best ever lol. Tommy Lee not allowed entry so Skerrit should resign?
— Island Storm (@Johnny_D767) February 24, 2014
…while these were bemused by the government's justification for their action:
Dominica says they detained Tommy Lee in the "interest of the nation". I can't with this entire region. LOL
— Ryan Smith (@ryanapsmith) February 24, 2014
#Dominica need to explain how Tommy Lee is a security risk. As far as I see the man is only trying to make a living.
— Guru Dude (@gravyflex) February 24, 2014
Some argued that Tommy Lee was ultimately to blame for his deportation:
branded yourself as Uncle Demon or Nephew Demon… take what you get
— Arvel The Linchpin (@ArvelLinchpin) February 24, 2014
lets not start calling Caricom a farce because Dominica detained Tommy Lee & will be sending him home.
— Arvel The Linchpin (@ArvelLinchpin) February 24, 2014
Others were confused as to how Tommy Lee was allowed to leave Jamaica in the first place – and why he would want to go to Dominica knowing that protests against his concert were already happening:
If Tommy Lee is under investigation for Lottery Scamming why was he able to leave Jamaica in the first place…
— Ammesha Samuels (@BrandMeshy) February 24, 2014
"@rjrnews: Dance hall artiste Tommy Lee deported from Dominica. http://t.co/azGoNn7gB1"–How they even let him leave JA when he out on bail
— The Good Twin (@SunnydMEtv) February 25, 2014
Mi know mi read it in the gleaner a few days ago that Tommy Lee wasn't welcome in Dominica,so y him still go there & denied entry#Dominica
— Hrh Robert Ferguson (@fergiebuzz) February 26, 2014

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Matthew Hunte


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Lahore Brigade Working To Solve Civic Problems · Global Voices
Rezwan

The first meetup of the Lahore Brigade members took place on Sunday, 23 February, in Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The brigade consists of civic hackers – software developers, designers, urban mappers who will be working to solve civic problems in Pakistan. Code for Pakistan and Technology for People Initiative partnered to launch the Lahore Brigade.
Code For Pakistan blog reports:
All the attendees introduced themselves and also proposed potential solutions to civic problems, pertaining to the areas of health, transportation, education, and governance. Some of the participants expressed interest in some of the projects that had been created at the Lahore Civic Hackathon. The ideas were all captured, followed by a rigorous discussion of them. A couple of Brigade Project Mentors were also present and they, like everyone else, expressed their interest in certain ideas. 6 promising project ideas or areas were agreed upon by the group.
Here is a collection of Tweets on the first meetup. According to the Appjuice, the group will be meeting every two weeks.

author: Rezwan


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Mozambican Tech Woman Talks Local Impact of Social Networks · Global Voices
Tomás Queface

This Portuguese-language interview was originally published by the Mozambican citizen media platform Olho do Cidadão (Eye of the Citizen) on July 10 2013.
Ludmila Maguni (@_mwaa_ on Twitter and Instagram)
At a time when more and more Mozambicans are utilising the Internet as a way to show the world their local reality, as well as to share with their locality what is happening in the world, we spoke with Ludmila Maguni, an influential Mozambican on Twitter, who speaks about the impact that social networks are having on Mozambican society.
It is estimated that just 4.8 percent of the 25 million Mozambicans have Internet access, according to 2012 data. In Mozambique, the Internet and social networks provide a space for greater openness of expression. In terms of press freedom, the country was placed at number 73 in the report published by the Reporters Without Borders organisation in 2013 (the recently launched 2014's report puts the country six places down, at 79).
Ludmila is the head of the Department of Information Systems of the Ministry of Science and Technology in Mozambique. But just like the majority of Mozambicans with access to the Internet, she uses the web for information, socialising and entertainment. On Twitter she is known as @_Mwaa_. She was born in Maputo, but identifies herself as cosmopolitan, or in other words, a citizen of the world. As described on her profile, she is “1st Mozambican, 2nd African, 3rd Citizen of the World”. She posts in both Portuguese and English.
Ludmila argues that the reason social networks have found success in Mozambique is that the people feel free to interact with each other and to share information:
Quando falamos de redes sociais, a primeira coisa que nos vem a cabeça são as redes sociais que usamos no dia a dia pela internet, mas penso que não podemos nos esquecer que naturalmente os seres humanos sempre se organizaram em grupos, e as redes sociais sempre existiram. E penso que é por isso que as redes sociais eletrônicas tem tanto sucesso hoje em dia, porque naturalmente sentimos vontade de nos comunicar uns com os outros, de partilhar informação, etc.
When we talk about social networks, the first thing that comes to mind are the social networks we use every day on the Internet, but we should not forget that human beings always organise themselves naturally into groups, and that social networks have always existed. And I think that this is why the online social networks are so successful today, because we always feel a natural desire to communicate with each other, to share information, etc.
And thanks to social networks, citizens have gained the courage to debate the country's affairs in an open and candid manner:
Os Moçambicanos estão a usar esta plataforma para expressarem os seus sentimentos (bons ou maus) sobre o nosso pais, sobre o que está acontecendo na vida política do país e no dia-à-dia. Todos nós como cidadãos temos uma palavra a dizer sobre o que quer que seja, penso que com a capa das redes sociais muitos ganham coragem e conseguem realmente dizer o que lhes vai na alma.
Mozambicans are using this platform to express their feelings (good or bad) about our country and about what is happening in the political world and in everyday life. As citizens, we all have something to say, no matter the topic. I think that through social networks, they are able to find the courage to say what is really on their mind.
Ludmila believes that social networks can, in some way, serve as a bridge between citizens and the government:
Conheço alguns países em que através do Twitter, Facebook, blogs, os governos usam estes instrumentos para estarem mais próximos do cidadão, gostaria que em Moçambique também fosse assim.
I know that in some countries, politicians use Twitter, Facebook and blogs as tools to reach out to the citizens and I would like it to be like this in Mozambique too.
During the month of December Ludmila was involved in organising the third edition of Hackathon, which took place in the city of Maputo and whose objective was to promote the development of smartphone apps to respond to the specific needs of the market.

author: Tomás Queface


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Mushrooms, France’s Latest Food Trend · Global Voices
Marie Bohner

Edible mushroom? Who knows. Pavlinajane on Flickr CC-BY-2.0
[All links lead to French-language websites unless otherwise noted.]
As a result of both the economic crisis and the need to eat healthier, the worldwide trend of eating local products has also gained ground in France, and at the center of the movement is the mushroom.
A Google blog searched returns 708,000 hits for the word “mushroom”, proof of the blogosphere's fascination for the fungus. Cristau de Hauguerne, an early pioneer of the trend, waxes poetic about her affinity for mushrooms:
Dès que la neige eut fondu, que la pluie cessa et que le soleil put enfin réchauffer les pentes, les cèpes d'été en surprirent plus d'un dans la hêtraie-sapinière. Quelques sujets en prélude fin juin, mais, loin de faiblir, sans l'ombre d'un orage, l'activité mycélienne s'intensifia graduellement dans le courant du mois de juillet, aestivalis entrainant même pinophilus dans sa fureur de vivre. Après deux années d'indigence, au faîte de l'été, de par leur abondance ces cèpes conférèrent finalement aux sous-bois de hêtres l'allure de la grande pousse automnale.
As soon as the snow had melted, the rain had stopped and the sun had finally warmed up the slopes, the summer porcini mushroom showing up in the beech-fir forest came as a surprise to many. An early smattering appeared towards the end of June, but, with no hint of a storm in sight, mycelial activity thrived and proliferated uninterruptedly, intensifying gradually throughout July, pinophilus kind bringing the aestivais kind with it in its eagerness to spread out. After two years of acclimatization, at the height of summer the abundance of porcini lent the beech woods the appearance of a full autumn flush.
Although the mushroom has had its longstanding enthusiasts, it has recently acquired a more significant status among the general public: like wine or seasonal fruit and veg, it is highly valued both in the mind and on the plate, associated with a better lifestyle and close proximity to local farmers.
The most recent edition of the magazine We Demain published on 13 February even argued that “mushrooms are the new elixir of life“.
Local vs. imported
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) photo by Kozumel on Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0
However, this movement sometimes contradicts itself. On the one hand, it emphasizes local cultivation, whilst on the other hand, it glamorizes the exotic promise of imported mushrooms. These days, Asian mushrooms, such as shiitake or enoki, adorn the shelves of French supermarkets alongside the common or garden variety button mushroom.
Shitake carries all the virtues usually associated with mushrooms: anti-aging and anti-cancer properties, the source of three different B-vitamins, etc. The Réseau Biloba blog expounds on the numerous virtues attributed to this fungus:
Le shiitake est riche en fibres alimentaires; substances qui ne sont pas digérées par l’organisme. La majorité des fibres du shiitake sont sous forme insoluble, fibres qui contribuent particulièrement à maintenir une bonne  fonction intestinale. De plus, une alimentation riche en fibres peut participer à la prévention des maladies cardiovasculaires et du cancer du côlon, ainsi qu’au contrôle du diabète de type 2 et de l’appétit.
Shitake is rich in dietary fibre: substances that are not digested by the organism. The majority of the fibre contained in shitake are insoluble, thus contributing to maintaining a healthy transit. In addition, nutrition that is rich in fibre may help prevent heart disease and cancer of the colon, as well as control of type 2 diabetes and appetite.
So is this mushroom consumption just a fad, a con or a fabulous discovery? Absolutely Green blog published a pertinent post:
A l’origine, on suppose que ce sont les Chinois qui ont découvert ce champignon, il y a plus de 6 000 ans. (…) Et pourtant, ce sont les Japonais (…) qui le diffusèrent à travers l’Asie, à partir du 11ème siècle. Plus qu’un aliment, le shiitake était envisagé comme une sorte de végétal miracle, augmentant la longévité, améliorant vigueur sexuelle et endurance physique. Encore de nos jours, cette réputation lui colle à la peau et fait débat.
En comparaison, les Occidentaux se sont initiés tardivement à cette culture : il a fallu attendre les années 1970, alors que les Etats-Unis décrétaient un embargo sur les champignons vivants en provenance d’Asie, pour que des producteurs s’y attèlent. Et, encore de nos jours, les Européens restent frileux : quelques initiatives en Hollande et en France se comptent sur les doigts de la main.
It is thought that this mushroom was first discovered in China more than 6,000 years ago. But the Japanese are responsible for its propagation throughout Asia, from the 11th century onward. Far more than a mere aliment, shitake was considered to be a sort of herbal miracle, promoting longevity, improving sexual performance and physical endurance. To this day, it is stuck with this much-debated reputation.
Westerners, in comparison, were introduced to this culture much later: It wasn't until the 1970s when the United States placed an embargo on live mushrooms imported from Asia, that production really took off. Even today, Europeans are still hesitant and there are only a handful of ventures in Holland and France.
Note that shitake does not come cheap, as demonstrated in the detailed comparative study published by Virginie on the same blog post. Nonetheless, for those who have had the chance to taste it, shitake is particularly tasty, especially if simply sauteed with a splash of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper.
The art of picking and preparing mushrooms
Boletus edulis – Cèpe of Bordeaux. Photo by caitphil on Flickr – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Closer to home, there are many mushrooms within reach for any would-be hunters. Hunting for chanterelles, morels and Bordeaux porcini belongs to the same back-to-earth, back-to-basics movement as the pursuit of shitake's benefits.
The occasionally hunter, however, would be well advised to read up on the subject in order to avoid great or even disastrous inconvenience. According to the Ministry of Health, 546 cases of mushroom poisoning were registered in 2013. Pickers must also beware of the areas they forage in, which are sometimes regulated.
Furthermore, mushrooms are known for their surprising capacity to concentrate environmental pollution, explained in this French-language video:
Hand-picked wild mushrooms become the centerpiece of a meal for guests, and can be prepared in a large variety of ways, ranging from the very simple to the very complicated. In her blog Papilles et pupilles, Anne shares the quintessence of the Bordeaux porcini:
C’est le roi des champignons locaux, à côté de lui nul n’est à la hauteur. (…) Les coins à champignon comptent parmi les secrets les mieux gardés que l’on ne partage que sur son lit de mort.
No other mushrooms can compare to this one, it is the king of all local mushrooms. The best mushroom spots are among the most fiercely guarded secrets, shared only on one's deathbed.
Top chefs recommend scores of recipes for wild mushrooms. From cream of morel and white mushrooms to pig trotter pancake with shallots and black truffle, there is something for all tastes, for vegetarians and omnivores alike.
Here is a simple recipe for raw porcini from a famous chef:
The chef explains the process as follows:
Separate the heads from the tails of the porcini and chop into fine slices.
Put the chopped porcini in a bowl and season with olive oil.
Add salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, and if you have it, truffle juice. DO NOT use truffle oil.
Add the basil leaves and stir. The salad should be bright.
Season with salt, pepper and olive oil.
For Cristau de Hueauguerne, one burning question remains, even in the middle of winter:
Alors que nous sommes rendus au milieu d'un hiver méconnaissable, se dessine en sous-sol la future saison des champignons, qui ne connaît pas de trêve, et, quoi que cela s'avère fort difficile et hasardeux, nous sommes déjà nombreux à nous demander quelle sera la teneur du millésime 2014.
Whilst we are in the middle of a unprecedented winter, the next mushroom season is taking shape in the subsoil, and even though this may seem risky or even rash, many of us are wondering what the 2014 millesime (year of harvest)  has in store.

author: Marie Bohner


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PHOTO: South Korean Labor and Civic Groups Stage Strike · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Timed with the start of President Park Geun-hye's second year in office, about 40 thousand South Koreans (police estimate 15 thousand) held protests across the country. The demonstration, spearheaded by Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, calls halt to a clampdown on labor groups, the government's move towards privatization of public sector and cover-up of the presidential election manipulation scandal. Prominent citizen journalist Media Mongu tweeted a photo of the protest (embedded below). More photos can be found in the union's Facebook page [ko].
국민파업. 서울광장 안입니다. 꽉 찼습니다. pic.twitter.com/ZwdJ9AFlYh
— 미디어몽구 (@mediamongu) February 25, 2014
General strike, at the Seoul City Hall Plaza. It is fully packed.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Trinidad & Tobago: Concerns About the What’sApp Purchase · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In reaction to Facebook's recent purchase of What'sApp for US$19 billion, ICT Pulse shares some points about which “tech and app developer communities worldwide should be mindful.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Yanukovich’s Fabulous Palace Familiar to Russians · Global Voices
Nina Jobe

Yanukovich's presidential palace, where dreams came true. (And then crashed back to Earth.) Images mixed by Kevin Rothrock.
When Viktor Yanukovich fled Kiev last week, he left home in a hurry. The crowds of ordinary civilians and journalists who later flooded the abandoned presidential palace, on the other hand, took their time, marveling at an opulence even Yanukovich's sharpest critics found shocking. When the first visitors arrived, they encountered a skeleton crew of guards, who actually led journalists on a tour of the property, inviting them to take photographs [ru] in order to “reveal how Ukraine's President lives.”
Popular Russian photo-blogger Ilya Varlamov gained access to the grounds, photographing various sights on the 140-hectare property. There was a private zoo filled with animals both domesticated and exotic. The garage hosted a collection of expensive classic cars. Docked at the shore of a private lake, a galleon served as a restaurant. And, of course, there was a private golf course. Ukrainians piled into the mansion to see their taxpayer money at work. An open invitation [ru] went out over Twitter inviting people to come and see the palace with their own eyes.
Yanukovich's floating 19th hole. The galleon restaurant.
Curiously, the Russian blogosphere’s response was largely muted. Russians, admittedly, are already familiar with examples of their own politicians’ wealth and bad taste, as photos of their residences regularly leak onto the Internet. Vladimir Yakunin, president of the state-run company Russian Railways, starred in such a scandal last year, when anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny published materials [ru] on Yakunin's 70-hectare property outside of Moscow.
With this history in mind, one of Varlamov’s readers joked that Yakunin must envy Yanukovich's bigger mansion:
Ни в коем случае не показывайте эти кадры Якунину.
Don't see these photos to Yakunin.
Another Russian blogger, Oleg Kozyrev, reminded reader about a remark by Vladimir Putin in 2008, when he referred to himself as a galley slave.
Теперь понятно, что Путин имел в виду, когда говорил, что он раб на галерах. Вот галера Януковича
Now it is clear what Putin had in mind when he said that he is a galley slave. Here is Yakunin’s galley.
Lenta.ru journalist Andrey Kozenko tweeted:
А вообще посмотрел фотографии из резиденции – у всех казнокрадов ужасно плохой вкус
— Andrey Kozenko (@akozenko) February 22, 2014
Generally speaking, after seeing photographs of the residence, [I have to say]: all embezzlers have horrible taste.
Long lines to gaze upon Yanukovich's riches.
Journalist Alexander Plushev observed on Twitter:
Интересно, сколько людей у нас поехали бы поглазеть в Ново-Огарево. Скажем так, при соответствующих обстоятельствах.
— Plushev (@plushev) February 22, 2014
I wonder how many of our people [Muscovites] would go to Novo-Ogarevo [Putin’s residence outside of Moscow]. (Let’s just say, if the appropriate circumstances arose.)
Vladimir Varfolomeev jokingly replied:
@plushev а что, уже на экскурсии записывают? эх, опять я из-за своего отпуска всё пропустил.
— Владимир Варфоломеев (@Varfolomeev) February 22, 2014
Hold on now—are they already taking reservations for tours? Damn. Once again, I've missed everything while on vacation.
Andrey Davidov offered the following novel solution:
@Varfolomeev @plushev можно создать электронную очередь
— Андрей Давыдов (@davydov_a) February 22, 2014
You could create an electronic queue management system.

author: Nina Jobe


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Brazilian Activist’s Video Satire Censored After Globo TV Claims Copyright · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

“No censorship”: William Bonner and Patrícia “Correta” in “the video that Globo doesn't wan't you to see”.
[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages unless otherwise noted.]
A video posted on Facebook skewering TV giant Globo Television Network's nightly news program for inaccuracies has been removed from the social network after Globo claimed copyright infringement, according to the video's author, Brazilian activist and filmmaker Rafucko.
The video montage, published online on February 18, 2014, took on an editorial from Globo's main TV newscast “Jornal Nacional” (National News) to expose their manipulation of information about protests that have rocked the country since June 2013. In the video, the activist posed as journalist Patricia Poeta (in his humorous version, Patricia “Correta”, meaning “correct”) and corrected the comments of her fellow journalist William Bonner. Both are news anchors for “Jornal Nacional”.
Among the corrections are the role of Globo's journalism in the coverage of the death of cameraman Santiago Andrade during a demonstration in Rio de Janeiro [en]; the false accusations made by newspaper O Globo against State Representative Marcelo Freixo alleging that he was involved with protesters who were accused of killing the cameraman; the network ‘s insistence on calling protesters “thugs” or “vandals”; and its attempts to equate the defensive violence of the protesters with the violence of the military police, which is responsible for 75 percent of attacks against journalists, according to the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism.
In just eight hours, the satire had attracted more than 40,000 views, and many viewers republished it on other platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. However, many of these versions were also censored at the request of the Globo Network, the activist said:
Quem baixou, pode repostar! Em breve reposto, com o slogan: “o vídeo que a Globo não quer que você veja”. Vai ser sucesso. Já é.
Whoever downloaded it can repost it! Soon, I'll repost it with the slogan: “the video that Globo doesn't want you to see.” It will be a success. It is already.
On the same day, Rafucko protested on his blog against what he considered to be censorship:
Não é à toa que um dos gritos mais ouvidos nas manifestações diz “a verdade é dura, a Rede Globo apoiou a ditadura (e ainda apóia)!”
Na última semana vimos a emissora dedicar extensas reportagens e editorias para versar sobre a liberdade de expressão. Desde o início das manifestações, a Rede Globo utiliza sistematicamente imagens de coletivos de mídia independente sem dar créditos ou pedir prévia autorização.
Entretanto, meu vídeo satirizando o Jornal Nacional foi retirado do ar menos de 12h após sua publicação. O papo dos “direitos autorais” eu dispenso.
No wonder that one of the most heard chants in the demonstrations says “the truth is hard, Globo supported the dictatorship (and still supports it)!”
Last week, we saw the broadcaster devote extensive reports and editorials to the subject of freedom of expression. Since the protests began, Globo systematically uses pictures of independent media collectives without giving credit or asking permission.
However, my video satirizing “Jornal Nacional” was taken down less than 12 hours after its publication. All this chit chat about copyright, I dismiss it.
Activist Pedro Ekman criticized Globo Network and commented on the copyright issue:
A Globo é a maior censora da internet brasileira. A retira conteúdos alegando ter direito autoral sobre eles. A Lei de Direito Autoral determina que é LIVRE o uso de pequenos trechos de obras protegidas por direito autoral para fins de crítica e sátira. Mas respeitar leis nunca foi muito a prática da Globo, vide 1964.
Globo is the largest Brazilian Internet censor. It removes content claiming to have copyright on them. The Copyright Act states that it is FREE to use a small snippets protected by copyright for the purposes of criticism and satire works. But respecting laws was never Globo's practice, see 1964 [the year the dictatorship began in Brazil, with the support of Globo].
Journalist Bruno Natal added on his blog:
Nos EUA, por exemplo, essa alegação mambembe de violação de direitos autorais não colaria, porque lá existe uma lei chamada Fair Use (Uso Justo), que permite a reprodução de qualquer material protegido desde que dentro de um contexto pertinente, o que claramente é o caso aqui. Afinal, como o Rafucko pode criticar o editorial sem mostrá-lo?
Isso pra não entrar no âmbito da liberdade artística, antes que alguém venha dizer que ele não precisava mostrar o vídeo, mas bastaria citá-lo (quem escolhe a forma é o artista).
Só tem um nome pra isso e vc sabe qual é.
In the US, for example, this shoddy claim of copyright infringement wouldn't stick because there exists a law called Fair Use, which allows for the reproduction of any copyrighted material within a relevant context, which is clearly the case here. After all, how can Rafucko criticize the editorial without showing it?
That, to not go into artistic freedom, before someone comes to say that he need not show the video, but suffice to quote him (who chooses the way is the artist).
There is only a name for this and you know what it is.
The next day on February 19, Rafucko thanked his followers for republishing the video. In the same post, he stated that before being censored the video had reached 500,000 views online, becoming the most watched of his filmography, and added:
Quando se fala pela liberdade, toda tentativa de repressão e censura amplifica nossa voz.
Original video censored.
When speaking for freedom, every attempt of repression and censorship amplifies our voice.
Tatiane Rosset commented on Youpix blog:
Como a internet não é boba nem nada, existem outros meios para assistir o viral, onde Rafucko interpreta Patrícia Correta (piadinha) corrigindo o colega de bancada durante o editorial. Um deles são as várias repostagens feitas no próprio YouTube (uma já tinha mais de 400 mil views quando foi retirada, e outra está em 190 mil).
A outra, é claro, é através do Vimeo. Porque, por algum motivo, todos as pessoas com o ~~rabo preso~~ no país esquecem que o YouTube é o principal, mas não o único meio de veicular vídeos online
A censura, pedida pela Rede Globo por “infringir direitos autorais”, levanta o questionamento: Até onde a liberdade de expressão rola online? O universo digital é realmente livre?
As the Internet is not stupid or anything, there are other ways to watch the viral video in which Rafucko plays Patricia Correct (little joke) correcting her fello anchor during the editorial. One of them are several reposts on YouTube itself (one already had more than 400,000 views when it was withdrawn, and another is at 190,000).
The other, of course, is through Vimeo. Because for some reason, all the people who are ~~compromised~~ in the country forget that YouTube is the leading platform, but not the only means of publishing online videos.
The censorship requested by Globo for “copyright infringement” raises a question: How far does freedom of expression go online? Is the digital universe really free?
The video can still be watched at YouTube and Vimeo.


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Caribbean: How the Media Shapes Perception  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Venezuela and Haiti have been facing anti-government protests. However, the international media’s escalation of the Venezuelan crisis and their complete silence when it comes to Haiti, raises some important questions about the United States’ inconsistency in upholding the values of human rights and democracy.
Kevin Edmonds calls out the mainstream media.


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Chechen Dictator and Russian Nationalist NOT Taking Over Ukraine · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Yin and Yang of Russian trollitics, highly unlikely bedfellows Leader of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and nationalist blogger Egor Prosvirnin. Images remixed by author.
Time and time again Russian Internet users and Russophone mass media prove that they will fall for any hoax, no matter how bizarre or unbelievable. It's not as if it is the first time someone took the fake Twitter account of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov for the real thing. @KadirovRussia [ru] was started before the real Kadyrov joined Twitter and quickly gained a following. These days, however, almost everyone is aware that although Kadyrov does tweet at his own account, @rkadyrov [ru], he mainly uses it to link to his favorite social networking platform, Instagram [Global Voices report].
Nevertheless, multiple bloggers, forum users, and online media outlets were taken for a ride with a recent tweet by @KadirovRussia:
Едем с Просвирниным на “поезде дружбы” поддерживать русских в Крыму.
— Рамзан Кадыров. (@KadirovRussia) February 26, 2014
Prosvirnin and I are riding the “friendship train” to support Russians in Crimea.
Crimea is a primarily Russophone region of Ukraine currently protesting the change of power in Kiev. Crimeans are afraid that nationalist Ukrainians will infringe on their culture, and many Russians share their fear, stoked as it is my mainstream Russian media. A beach paradise not far from where the Sochi Winter Games took place, it is also home to a Russian naval base, and is currently a pressure cooker of ethnic tension between Russians, Ukrainians, and Crimean Tartars. Not a day passes that there aren't rumors of Russia deploying troops or Kiev sending its own militia to the region. The most recent development [ru] is that armed men have occupied a regional administration building and hung Russian flags from it.
In this climate the announcement that the gruff Chechen leader has joined causes with nationalist blogger Egor Prosvirnin (of Sputnik & Pogrom fame), who has been vocally advocating for Crimean independence [ru] for the past several days, fell on fertile ground. Never mind that Prosvirnin harshly mocks and lambastes Kadyrov, the news was reported by several Ukrainian outlets, including Ukrainian Komsomolskaya Pravda [cache], Obozrevatel [ru], and Korrespondent [cache], with commentary noting the increasingly violent climate in Crimea. Kadyrov's alleged involvement must have been particularly troubling — it was the Chechen “Vostok” Battalion that was in the lead during Russia's 2008 armed conflict with Georgia over the breakaway province of Abkhazia.
Prosvirnin himself was amused with the confusion, writing [ru]:
Разбудили звонком с НТВ, спросив, правда ли мы с Кадыровым едем в Крым. Спросонья ступил и сказал, что они там совсем что ли ебу дались, и уже повесив трубку понял, что НАДО БЫЛО ВСЕ ПОДТВЕРДИТЬ.
Was woken up with a call from NTV, asking if its true that Kadyrov and I are going to Crimea. I was still dozy and stupidly said that they were out of their f*cking mind, but as I hung up I realized that I SHOULD HAVE CONFIRMED EVERYTHING.
He said that the news might have scared the Crimean Tartars who are currently against any talk of secession. Later he also joked [ru] that Kadyrov has agreed to take charge of the western Ukrainian province of Lviv.
Chechen “Vostok” Batallion troops at a Crimean beach, or what it might look like if they were. Images remixed by author.
Meanwhile, the real Kadyrov has actually sounded off about Ukraine [ru] on his Instagram account:
Получаем информацию, что у проживающих в этой стране соотечественников появились серьезные проблемы с сохранностью бизнеса и личной безопасностью. Мы никогда не претендовали на чужое, но и своё защитим. Следует четко осознавать, что не дадим в обиду чеченцев и других россиян, где бы они не находились.
We have received information that our countrymen living in that country are having serious problems with safety of their businesses and personal safety. We have never wanted what isn't ours, but we will protect our own. It needs to be clearly understood, that we won't let Chechens and other Russians come to harm, wherever they may be.
A troubling statement — perhaps more troubling than any fake news of rapprochement with Russian nationalists.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Chinese Netizens React to Ukraine Revolution · Global Voices
Abby Liu

While the current Ukraine revolution has many Chinese asking: “When are we going to take to the streets?”, netizens also learned from Ukraine that democracy isn’t the answer to all problems. Law professor Dong Zhiwei, a long-standing advocate of constitutionalism in China, called the anti-government protests in Ukraine a “coup” that is more of a clash between different power groups than between democracy and authoritarian rule. Offbeat China has more details.

author: Abby Liu


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How the Portuguese Influenced Indian Cuisine · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Sorpotel. Photo by Flickr user gcmenezes (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
The Portuguese established a colony in India at the beginning of the 16th century. Portuguese India was ruled first from Cochin, and then Goa. Over the next four centuries, Portuguese control spread to various parts of India, mostly along the west coast of the country, but also in the northeast in Bengal.
During this time, the Portuguese left their mark on certain Indian cuisines in two ways: by introducing new ingredients to India – including spices that are seen as an essential part of Indian food today – and by introducing Portuguese dishes that then were adapted to Indian culinary techniques and tastes.
The strongest Portuguese influence was of course in Goa, which Portugal ruled until 1961. In particular, Goan Catholic cuisine has a distinct Portuguese flavour. Blogger Hilda Mascarenhas describes the famous Goan dish pork vindaloo:
The name “Vindaloo” is derived from the Portuguese dish “Carne de Vinha d’Alhos” which is a dish of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The Portuguese dish was modified by the substitution of vinegar (usually palm vinegar) for the red wine and the addition of red Kashmiri chillies with spices, to evolve into Vindaloo. The alternative terms are Vindalho or Vindallo. Traditional Goan Pork Vindaloo is intensely flavored with fragrant spices and does not include potatoes. No celebration and festive occasion is complete without the Goan Pork Vindaloo. It is enjoyed with the most popular and loved accompaniment, Goan sannas, which are prepared with toddy! This speciality is served with pride in every Goan home at Christmas, New Year and Easter.
Gavin Harvey adds:
Vindaloo started as a vinegar and garlic based stew made with pork or other meat but when introduced to India it got revamped with various spices and chillies. Potatoes were also added to the dish and “alhos” became “aloo” (Hindi word for “potatoes”) – so soon people assumed potatoes were a necessary ingredient of this dish.
Further down the coast from Goa is the city of Mangalore, and Mangalorean Catholic cuisine has many similarities with Goan Catholic cuisine. A pork dish common to both is sorpotel (or sarapatel), originally from the Alentejo region of Portugal. At the Goan Recipes blog, Glenn writes:
The word ‘sarapatel’ literally means confusion, probably referring to the mish-mash of ingredients of pork heart, liver and even pork blood!
Bandel cheese. Photo by Flickr user Manidipa Mandal (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Moving to the other side of India, some Portuguese influence can be seen in Bengali cuisine as well. Rangan Datta gives us the history of a special kind of cheese:
Originating from the erstwhile Portuguese settlement of Bandel (about 50 km north of Calcutta), Bandel Cheese is perhaps one of the last traces of Portuguese cuisine in Bengal. The Portuguese influence in Bengal dates back to the late 16th century. Almost a century after Vasco da Gama reached the West Coast of India the Portuguese started making their inroads into Bengal. […] It was the probably the Portuguese who introduced the art of cheese making in Bengal and in spite of all odds the technique has survived over centuries. The Bandel Cheese introduced by the Portuguese was probably made by the Mogh (Burmese) cooks under Portuguese supervision. […] This variety of unripened cheese is made from cows milk and comes in two versions plain and smoked. First the the curd is extracted from the cows milk by using lemon juice. The cheese is then shaped and drained in perforated pots. The plain variety is of milk-white colour and comes in disc shapes of about an inch diameter and quarter of inch thickness. The smoked variety comes in the same shape and size but has a crispy brownish crust covering the soft milk-white interior.
Zoe Perrett notes:
The Portuguese influence on Bengal was not pure. Having gone to Goa first, many of the new introductions were delivered with a distinct Western Indian accent, or, indeed, were dishes the Portuguese purloined directly from that small state. The Portuguese also proffered Bengal bounty from travels further afield; fruity beauties like pineapple, papaya, guava, and the lychees from the Orient. Where Goa absorbed the influences, blending Portuguese techniques and dishes with local spices, in Bengal, many of the Portuguese-provided ingredients have retained their own clear identity. Mogh cooks soon mastered Western baking methods; displayed today in Calcutta’s prolific puffs and pastries, and perhaps also in the use of white flour for ‘luchis’ (a Bengali bread).
Kulkuls. Photo by Flickr user Amanda Fernandes (CC BY 2.0).
The Portuguese left a legacy of sweet as well as savoury dishes in India. Kulkuls, or kidyo, are a type of sweet eaten by Goan and Mangalorean Catholics at Christmas. Aparna Balasubramaniam describes them:
Kulkuls are made by deep-frying inch long bits of sweet dough moulded/shaped into small curls (like butter curls) which are often also coated with a sugar glaze which dries out. The kulkuls tend to resemble small worms, hence the name “Kidyo” in Konkani, the language spoken in Goa. If you do not to think of them as “worms” you can think of them as shell-shaped. I like to think that the name Kulkul/Kalkal comes from the rattling sound of these little treats jostling one another when they’re shaken in sugar syrup or maybe in the tin in which they would be stored. Kulkuls are made during Christmas in Goa and are an important item in the Kuswar (a collection of Goan Christmas-time treats), and are distributed to neighbours. They’re also taken along to give away during “obligatory” visits to friends and family. […] Someone pointed out the Kulkuls are actually a variation of the Portuguese Filhoses Enroladas, which is a roll or curvy noodle-shaped Christmas-time sweet that is deep-fried and sugar-glazed. So it is possible that Kulkuls were brought to India by the Portuguese.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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It’s Music Freedom Day on March 3! · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

19 musicians killed, and 7 abducted. 18 music creators imprisoned. These are just some of the reported cases of injustice against musicians recorded by the human rights organization Freemuse in 2013. On March 3, the annual Music Freedom Day will draw attention to the rights to free expression of musicians everywhere. The program is expanding daily on Musicfreedomday.org with concerts of exiled musicians, radio broadcasts, and much more in at least 17 countries.

author: Solana Larsen


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Mayoral Elections in Ecuador: Setback for the Government? · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

As the first unofficial results for the local elections in Ecuador came in, it appeared that the ruling party, PAIS Alliance, had suffered a defeat, losing the races for mayor in at least the country's two major cities [es]. In Quito, the capital, Mauricio Rodas [es] of the SUMA-Vive party beat the PAIS Alliance incumbent, Augusto Barrera, by almost twenty percent of the vote. In Guayaquil, the largest city, current mayor Jaime Nebot will be entering his fourth term in office, having beaten PAIS Alliance candidate Viviana Bonila [es] by twenty-three percent.
Gráfico de exit poll de Market para alcaldía de Guayaquil y Quito. #eleccionesEC pic.twitter.com/QNDTPwAtBA
— El Universo (@eluniversocom) February 23, 2014
Graph of a Market exit poll for the Quito and Guayaquil mayoral elections
Further results confirmed and compounded the government's loss. PAIS Alliance's mayoral candidates were rejected by voters in all of Ecuador's five largest cities [es] — Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Manta, and Santo Domingo — not to speak of their defeats in smaller municipalities.
Twitter was alight with reflections on the reasons for PAIS Alliance's loss:
AP pierde en Quito porque pusieron a ministros, asambleístas y acólitos a fustigar y confrontar a ciudadanos por pensar diferente.
— JoseM De Oliveira (@chemadeoliveira) February 23, 2014
AP [abbreviation for Alianza PAIS or PAIS Alliance] lost because they made its ministers, Assembly members and acolytes criticize and confront citizens for thinking differently.
Quito no pierde nada.. Empieza a ganar su espacio libre de la política sucia que empieza a hacer AP.. Recuerda eso #Burrera
— Christian Efrain (@smileceam) February 23, 2014
Quito hasn't lost anything… It's gaining a space free from the sort of dirty politics that AP practices… Remember that.
Actualización: AP pierde Gquil, Quito, Cuenca, Machala, Manta, Portoviejo, Loja, Duran, Milagro y Ambato. La soberbia fue castigada.
— Andres Z. (@andzambrano) February 23, 2014
Update: AP has lost Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Machala, Manta, Portoviejo, Loja, Duran, Milagro and Ambato. A slap to their pride.
Grandes lecciones para Rafael Correa; 1 No es invencible 2 La publicidad no es todo 3 La prepotencia es negativa. 4 La patria chica existe
— Henry Raad (@HenryRaad) February 23, 2014
Big lessons for Rafael Correa [president of Ecuador]: (1) You aren't invincible, (2) Publicity isn't everything, (3) Arrogance is a bad thing, (4) Don't forget about the patria chica [home regions or hometowns]
Although shortly before the elections President Correa could boast a high approval rating [es], it seems that his personal involvement in the campaign, especially in Quito, had a counterproductive effect.
Correa accepted [es] the results and declared [es] to the newspaper El Comercio that three errors had been committed in the campaign: “First, being associated with poorly performing municipal administrations; second, the form that campaigning took on as the race progressed; and third, the sectarianism of government attitudes.”
But not everyone agreed on Twitter:
El presidente Rafael Correa identifica 3 errores en Quito: en la Alcaldía, en la campaña y en la actitud sectarista. ¿Y su intervención?
— Dimitri Barreto (@ECdimitri) February 24, 2014
President Rafael Correa identified three mistakes in Quito: with the mayoralty, with the campaign, and with the sectarian attitude. And what about his intervention?
Lecciones para Correa: 1. La simpatia y los votos NO siempre son endosables. 2. Los errores se pagan caro 3. El pueblo castiga en las urnas
— Alfredo Carranza C. (@AlfCarranza) February 24, 2014
Lessons for Correa: 1. Likeability and votes can't always be bestowed by endorsement. 2. Errors are expensive. 3. The people deal out punishment with the ballot box.
However, PAIS Alliance didn't lose everywhere. In the elections for provincial prefects, for example, PAIS Alliance won eleven prefectures [es] out of twenty-three, two more than at the last elections in 2009. There is still not complete data on the winners of all mayoral races in Ecuador, but it is expected [es] that PAIS Alliance will end up with the highest share of mayors in the country.
#EleccionesEC así avanza el conteo para PREFECTURAS. pic.twitter.com/VdIEKAztiQ
— Vinicio Macas (@MacasEspinosa) February 24, 2014
Here's how the tally is progressing for the prefectures
The elections generally unfolded quite tranquilly, excepting a few scattered incidents [es]. The National Electoral Council's problems with its rapid counting system [es] and with the updating of election data caused frustration, as these issues impeded the calculation and publication of accurate results for cities across the country.
#EleccionesEC No hay datos ordenados del conteo rápido http://t.co/SNGYwddya8 pic.twitter.com/KZ45ukkYTL
— ElComerciodeEcuador (@elcomerciocom) February 24, 2014
No data from the rapid counting system
Twitter user Elector Ecuador noted that on election day a hashtag related to PAIS Alliance had been “promoted” on Twitter, in other words that the party paid for more visibility on the site. However, this apparently does not constitute a violation of the electoral code.
#EleccionesEC El día de votaciones, @35Pais pautó en Twitter la etiqueta #TodoTodito35 http://t.co/dt4jmp5GNd
— Elector Ecuador (@ElectorEcuador) February 24, 2014
On election day, @35Pais promoted the Twitter hashtag #TodoTodito35
Mauricio Rodas, mayor-elect of Quito, will take office May 14.
Mauricio #Rodas: “ Hoy el gran triunfador es la democracia” http://t.co/y5NXToVxfb #EleccionesEc pic.twitter.com/XKkvZsFt6T
— Diario El Telégrafo (@el_telegrafo) February 24, 2014
Mauricio Rodas: “Today the big winner is democracy”

author: Juan Arellano


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NASA’s New Photo of North Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Any international readers interested in North Korea would probably come across at least once this famous photo of Korean peninsula from NASA demonstrating a stark difference in the light emission of two Koreas at nighttime. NASA finally updated a new satellite image and it is ‘even more dramatic than the monochrome NASA satellite image of old’, writes North Korea Tech blog. The blog also introduces a video version of the image which shows North Korea in context with the rest of East Asia.


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One Third of Pregnancies Are Unintended in Burkina Faso · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Social Researchers at L’Institut supérieur des sciences de la population (High Institute of Population Science) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso published a report entitled “Grossesses non désirées et avortements au Burkina : causes et conséquences” (The causes and consequences of Unintended Pregnancies and Abortions in Burkina Faso). The report highlights a few important statistics [fr]:
-A third of all pregnancies are unintended, and one third of these unintended pregnancies result in an abortion.
-The size of the desired family is on average of 6 children in rural areas, against 3 in Ouagadougou.
-Between half and two thirds of women who seek abortions are going to traditional practitioners who do not have the required medical skills.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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[Photos]: Kolkata’s Street Dog Doctor · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kaushik Sengupta, a self-taught social documentary photographer, is the creator of a photo essay featuring Mr. Sandip Karan of Kolkata, India. Mr. Karan is known in his area as ‘street dog doctor’ because of his caring love for street dogs. Till-to-date, he has rescued and treated around 2500 street dogs in his own locality and adjacent areas. The photo essay can be found in his website, in Galli Magazine and in the Invisible Photographer Asia website.


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Saving Primate Lemurs  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Mother lemur and her offspring by Tambako on Flickr CC-BY-2.0
A group of researchers from Madagascar, Canada, UK and USA published a detailed report in Science that alerts on the possible extinctions of 90% of the known lemurs of Madagascar following the prolonged political crisis in the country.  One of the researcher, Christoph Schwitzer,  explains to the Scientific American the dire consequences of such threat:
lemurs have important ecological and economic roles, and are essential to maintaining Madagascar’s unique forests through seed dispersal and attracting income through ecotourism.
Another researcher, Ian Colquhoun, explains what can be done to protect the unique Malagasy ecosystem in which the lemurs can thrive:
We highlight three key ways to save lemurs: community-based conservation management, the long-term presence of researchers at field sites, and ecotourism.


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Savory Momos, Sweet Sel Roti and 5 Other Delicious Nepali Delicacies  · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Nepal, a land of diverse culture and tradition, has its own unique dishes that leave the taste buds craving for more. The delicacies presented here have been selected from hundreds of mouth-watering recipes originating from the high mountains to the Nepalese plains.
1. Sel roti
The famous Nepali crispy doughnut (sel roti), a must during the Tihar or Deepawali festival, is prepared from rice flour.
See NepaliMom’s instructions to cook the doughnuts:
2. Gundruk
Gundruk, a popular dish among Nepalis, is prepared by fermenting and drying leafy vegetables, namely mustard and radish leaves. The blog Nepali Local Food explains how to cook gundruk ko jhol (soup).
Gundruk ko jhol (soup)
Serves 6 to 8
Gundruk/Sinki 50 g
Onion 1 chopped
Tomato 1 chopped
Dry red chili 2 pods
Turmeric powder 1/2 Tablespoon
Salt 1 Teaspoon
Method: Soak Gundruk/Sinki in water for 10 min. Heat oil and fry chopped onions, tomatoes, chilies. Drain up soaked Gundruk/Sinki and fry, add turmeric powder and salt, and put 2 cups of water. Boil for 10 min, and serve hot with cooked rice.
3. Momo
A typical serving of momo with sesame yellow sauce and red ginger chilli sauce in Nepal. Image from Wikimedia Commons by Kushal Gayal. CC BY-SA
Momo, a type of Tibetan dumpling, is so popular among Nepalis that it could be considered the country's top dish. The ubiquitous restaurants selling the dumplings generally stuff it with minced buffalo meat, chicken, mutton or vegetables.
Check out the step-by-step momo cooking guide in the Taste of Nepal blog. Or watch a YouTube video posted by Pucca syanu showing how to cook them:
4. Chhoila
Chhoila, a favourite dish among the Newars of Kathmandu Valley, has become popular throughout the country. Generally made from buffalo meat, the burnt version called “haku chhoila” (black chhoila) is very tasty. Check the We All Nepali blog for details of cooking chicken chhoila.
Watch Babus Cooking demonstrating chhoila preparation:
5. Chatamari
Chatamari, also called Nepali pizza, is a kind of rice crepe made famous by the Newars of Kathmandu Valley. The blog We All Nepali offers details on how to prepare it.
See how chatamari is made in this YouTube video by Marc Wiens:
6. Bagiya
Bagiya is a healthy and delicious dish made from rice flour savoured especially during the Deepawali festival in eastern Terai of Nepal. It is a special to the indigenous Tharus. While Tharus in eastern Nepal prefer flat bagiya with lentils, the Tharus in western Nepal prepare bagiya in a tubular shape without lentils, explains the blog Voice of Tharus.
Learn how to make it via Voice of Tharus:
Soak the rice is soaked in water and mill it in a dheki, the traditional rice milling machine. The taste of the flour ground in a dheki is many times better than the one ground in a rice mill.
Sift the flour and fry it in an iron cauldron (Don't add oil and keep in mind not to burn the flour).
Mix warm water to the flour and knead enough to prepare a tender dough.
Steam lentils and add spices, ginger, mustard oil and salt to it.
Make round dumplings out of the dough. Bore a hole, put the mixture of lentils and spice and flatten it with the palms at the middle and leave both the ends protruding out.
Steam the dumplings over a clay pot of boiling water.
Serve the steamed bagiya with chutney or vegetable curry.
7. Sidhara
Sidhara cakes. Image via author courtesy Voice of The Tharus blog
Sidhara is prepared from taro stem, turmeric, and dried fish. The aroma is pungent and the taste bitter, but still it is one of the delicacies eaten by the Terai dwellers especially indigenous peoples like the Tharus, Danuwars, Musahars and others.
The blog Voice of Tharus details the cooking of Sidhara:
Gather the Dedhna and Ponthi varieties of fish. Both the varieties are found in abundance in the paddy fields and public water sources.
Dry the fishes on sun. It will take few days to dry perfectly.
Gather Kachu (taro – Colocasia) stems and cut them into small pieces. Wash them thoroughly.
Grind or mill the dried fishes, together with the colocasia stem and turmeric, and make small cakes.
Leave the cakes to dry on the sun for 10-15 days and after that it store in a dry place for future use. Your sidhara is then ready to cook and eat.
To cook the sidhara, crumple and break the cakes into tiny crumbs. Fry the pieces of sidhara in mustard oil together with onion, green chillies, radish and spices. Add water and salt to taste.
Garnish the dish with green coriander leaves and serve with puffed and beaten rice.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


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Uruguayan President José Mujica Rejects “Foreign Interference” in Venezuela · Global Voices
Guillermo Vidal

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his Uruguayan counterpart, José Mujica, in 2013. Photo published by Secretaría de Comunicación on Flickr under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Uruguayan president José Mujica declared his opposition to any “foreign interference” in the current volatile situation in Venezuela, where the government and the opposition are involved in a bitter conflict. In an interview with TV channel Telesur, the head of state expressed his solidarity with the government and people of Venezuela and urged respect for the Venezuelan Constitution.
“Today I want to express the wish that within the framework of the Venezuelan Constitution, which, if respected, is ample – possibly the most ample in Latin America – a peaceful solution to the conflict can be found,” said Mujica, adding that “the weakest end up paying the price” in violent conflicts.
He ended his statement with a call to avoid external intervention in the conflict, appealing to reason as a way to mediate tensions: “Staying prudent in tense moments is a recommendation that should be kept in mind. Again, I emphasize my hope that no one will interfere with events in Venezuela.”
The official Twitter account of the Presidential Secretary of Communication [es] posted a summary of President Mujica's interview on the channel Telesur:
#Mujica reafirma solidaridad con el gobierno, las instituciones y el pueblo de Venezuela http://t.co/rNdXfk25VZ
— Sec. Comunicación (@SCpresidenciauy) febrero 19, 2014
Mujica reaffirms his solidarity with the government, institutions, and people of Venezuela.
On February 14, the National Political Bureau of the Broad Front, Uruguay's governing party, released a statement [es] against the violent situation in Venezuela, calling it “an attempt [by radical sectors of the political opposition] to destabilize the constitutional government.” The Broad Front urged the nations of Latin America to remain strong and alert.
On February 17, the National Executive Committee of the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP) also voiced their opinion [es] on the situation in Venezuela, showing their concern about the conflicts taking place in its sister nation. The members of the MPP expressed their solidarity with the people and government of Venezuela, reaffirming their confidence in a peaceful and democratic solution to the unstable situation, placing the responsibility on the most conservative sectors of the Venezuelan right. They also emphasized their solidarity with the victims of the conflicts and their families.
The protests began in the state of Táchira on February 4, initiating a surge of violence that spread to other cities, including the capital. The conflicts have left at least 13 dead [es] and hundreds injured and detained.
For his part, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro blamed right-wing groups for the incidents and called on his backers to show their support of the government.
Colombian journalist Javier Arana [es] voiced his appreciation for the Uruguayan president's diplomatic speech:
‘Pepe’ Mujica, el célebre presidente de Uruguay, admirado por su aplomo y gestos de paz, muy diplomático frente a la violencia en Venezuela.
— Javier Arana (@arana_javier) febrero 20, 2014
‘Pepe’ Mujica, the renowned president of Uruguay, admired for his tact and peaceful overtures, very diplomatic in face of the violence in Venezuela.
Communications strategist Jorge Ruiz Crespo [es] also shared his opinion on Mujica's speech:
Cuidado pueblo, reprochable la violencia en #Venezuela pero deben solucionarlo ellos, cuidado Latinoamerica que… http://t.co/qLnO5LizZi
— JorgeRC (@jorgeruizcrespo) febrero 20, 2014
Careful, people: the violence in Venezuela is objectionable, but they need to solve it themselves. Be careful, Latin America…
Elisa Escovar (@elisaescovar [es]) commented:
El tipo más honesto de este continente es Pepe Mujica: el único q se ha pronunciado a favor de #Venezuela
— Elisa Escovar (@elisaescovar) febrero 25, 2014
Pepe Mujica is the most honest guy on this continent: the only one who has spoken out in support of Venezuela.
Mujica's statement against foreign interference in Venezuela gave rise to questions and criticism of the presence of Cuba in that country. User @Rerr1 [es] commented with irony:
La injerencia externa es golpista en Venezuela dice #Mujica, se referirá a los helicópteros y tropas de élite cubanas tal vez?
— 13M Es lo que hay (@Rerr1) febrero 20, 2014
Mujica says that foreign interference in Venezuela would be a coup, maybe he's referring to the Cuban helicopters and elite squads?
Simon José Antonio (@BolivarOfficial) [es] stated categorically:
Presidente Pepe Mujica rechazó “cualquier injerencia del exterior” en Venezuela. / Solo se acepta la de Cuba.
— Simon José Antonio (@BolivarOfficial) febrero 20, 2014
President Pepe Mujica rejects “any foreign interference” in Venezuela. He only accepts interference from Cuba.

author: Guillermo Vidal


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27 Brazilian Songs Against Police Violence · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazilian journalist and activist Carlos Carlos posted [pt] a list of the most important “Brazilian songs that denounce the police” on his blog, Bola e Arte. He explains:
Now it is trendy to make lists, right? and amid so many useless lists, Bola e Arte blog has prepared a selection of (Brazilian) songs of all genres (rap, samba, rock, reggae, funk etc…) with direct denouncements of arbitrary actions of police corporations. With so many sharp denouncements, could it be that these are all lies??? Or an effective reality, especially in the peripheries across Brazil (and the world)??
I dedicate this list to the mothers of Movimento Mães de Maio [Mothers of May Movement, that was created after the death of around 500 young people in a police action in the state of São Paulo, May 2006], who have lived (and still live) through these coward, discussing injustices! We're together until the end, against gray rats!!!
The list comes at a time when a widespread debate in Brazil has been sparked by violence in massive protests, following the latest wave of demonstrations that has swept the country since June 2013.
The song below “Who polices the police?”, by “Zumbi Somos Nós”, is one of the 27 tunes that the collaborative list already includes:
More suggestions can be added in the comments section of Bola e Arte blog.


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“A Trip He Will Not Forget”: Russian Man Flies to Tajikistan By Mistake · Global Voices
Iskandar

A Russian man was shocked today after finding himself in Tajikistan instead of southern Russia where he thought he arrived. The news about the passenger who got on a wrong flight has caused many people to laugh.
According to news agency Asia-Plus [ru], Yevgeny Samoshkin was travelling from Yakutsk to a southern Russian city of Kurgan via Moscow. At an airport in Moscow, the 19-year-old student bought a ticket to a wrong destination – the town of Kurgan-Tyube in southern Tajikistan. Without double-checking his ticket, Samoshkin boarded the flight and arrived in Tajikistan. The interesting thing is that the young man did not realize he was in a foreign country before exiting the airport.
Курьез. Вместо Кургана в Курган-Тюбе http://t.co/QNjCVQE5FC
— Radioi Ozodi (@RadioiOzodi) February 28, 2014
Fail: To Kurgan-Tyube instead of Kurgan http://t.co/QNjCVQE5FC
Russian guy tries to fly to Kurgan, ends up in Kurgan-Tyube: http://t.co/n3xuOyk3jK He sees 1000s of Tajiks and thinks he's still in Russia. — Christian Bleuer (@ChristianBleuer) February 28, 2014
This guy must have been shocked after landing at Tajikistan's Kurgan-Tube instead of Russia's Kurgan http://t.co/hvq34ps5Su
— Only in Tajikistan (@onlytajikistan) February 28, 2014
вместо кургана в курган-тюбе? серьезно? чувак, что ты курил перед вылетом?
— Парвиз Хамдамов (@mr_parvizon) February 28, 2014
Kurgan-Tyube instead of Kurgan? Seriously? Dude, what did you smoke before the flight?
он бы еще опомнился, когда перешел афганскую границу
— Парвиз Хамдамов (@mr_parvizon) February 28, 2014
Would've been fun if he came to senses when crossing the Afghan border [Kurgan-Tyube is not far from the frontier]
Наш Жека летел в Курган, а попал в Таджикистан o_O XD Звезда всех якутских и российиских новостей :-D
— Вероника Аммосова (@VeronikaAmmos) February 28, 2014
Our [man] was flying to Kurgan but fund himself in Tajikistan o_O XD. He is now the star of news reports in Yakutsk and throughout Russia :-D
Путешествие, которое он не забудет http://t.co/MveTRLZO4A
— Gay Tajikistan (@gaytajikistan) February 28, 2014
A trip he will not forget http://t.co/MveTRLZO4A

author: Iskandar


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GV Face: Beyond Gangnam Style – Censorship and Korean Pop Music · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

It has been called South Korea's “greatest export.” PSY's K-pop song Gangnam style is the most watched video on YouTube.
But behind the glamorous facades and big paychecks, it's not all fun and romance until South Korea's censors have done their work.
Our managing editor Solana Larsen talks to our Korean language editor Yoo Eun Lee on the growing popularity of K-pop worldwide.
Yoo Eun is also  the creator of the website K-pop Decoder.
We ask her what she thinks makes K-pop special? What has the impact of K-pop been on culture, fashion and music in South Korea? And whether she thinks K-pop's global success would have been possible without social media and YouTube.
Feel free to ask more questions below.


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Honduras Launches Online Dictionary of Indigenous Languages · Global Voices
Silvia Vinas

A dictionary of Honduran indigenous languages was recently released online [es].
Honduran newspaper Tiempo [es] explains that this dictionary “registers the equivalent [words] in Spanish, chortí, garífuna, isleño, miskito, pech, tawahka and tolupán, languages that make up the country's linguistic heritage.”
For example, a search for the Spanish word for bead, “pan” [es], gives the following result:
Bread
Baked food made with flour.
Ch. b’or.
G. fein.
I. bread.
M. bred.
P. síra arinayoka.
Ta. wan busna / brit.
To. sen

author: Silvia Vinas


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Kazakhstan’s Charyn Canyon · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

Charyn Canyon. Image by Sergei Terekti, used with permission.
Sergei Terekti presents [ru] a photo essay about his recent trip to Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan's own smaller version of the Grand Canyon in the United States:
The main canyon is about 150 kilometers long; the Charyn River crosses it. Multiple gorges, valleys, and smaller canyons surround the Charyn Canyon. One of the main [attractions] here is the Valley of Castles where rock formations have been crafted by water, wind, and soil erosion over millions of years. When you get to the Valley of Castles, you feel like you are at an architecture [exhibition] featuring masterpieces of biotech and neo-organic architecture of the past and present. Styles vary from Muslim shrines and minarets to Christian Orthodox cathedrals…

author: Mahina Shodizoda


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Lebanese Blogger Discusses Women’s Rights with First Lady · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Lebanese blogger and Saint-Joseph University student Mario Macaron sent an open letter addressed to Lebanon's First Lady, Wafaa Sleiman, on the issue of Women's Rights. The issue of women's rights in Lebanon has recently resurfaced in the wake of the murder of Roula Yaacoub, Manal Assi and Christelle Abu Chakra by their own husbands as well as the surprising controversy surrounding Jackie Chamoun's past photoshoot. Despite its reputation for being a liberal haven in an otherwise conservative region, Lebanon has a shockingly poor record when it comes to Women's Rights. This lack of basic rights has translated itself from time to time into local grassroots movements but, some would argue, it has never reached the momentum it's currently at. A massive protest by KAFA (enough) NGO is expected on March the 8th and will be the subject of a special Global Voices Coverage.
The exchange went as follows:
Madame,
Je suis étudiant libanais à Paris, j’ai eu l’honneur de faire partie de la délégation que vous présidiez à Tunis en Novembre 2010 à la conférence des droits de la Femme Arabe, et comme plusieurs j’ai fiévreusement applaudi votre discours prônant et défendant les droits de la Femme dans ce coin du monde. Vous considérant comme l’emblème institutionnel de la Femme libanaise, c’est à vous que je m’adresse, même si votre mandat touche bientôt à sa fin, peut-être mes propos résonneront dans les coulisses féminines.
Madame, il est vrai qu’en vous écrivant je me retrouve d’ores et déjà dans  une situation compromettante : un homme prêchant à la Première Croyante sur un sujet annexé dans les annales du quotidien. Pourtant Madame, chaque fois que l’humiliation et parfois même le sang des femmes de notre pays font l’entête des journaux et la une des médias, j’ai honte et me demande qu’est ce qu’il manque encore aux libanaises, connues pour leur fort tempérament, de prendre les choses en main. Faudra-t-il attendre qu’à l’image de Beyrouth mère, nos dames se retrouvent sans foi ni espoir, et que surgissent des extrémistes qui noieront vos revendications dans du politiquement incorrect ?
Ne pensez vous pas qu’il est temps que vous dirigez les femmes du Liban vers une révolution tant attendue ? Ne croyez vous pas qu’il est temps d’imposer vos droits qu’aucune loi ne prévoit encore ? N’est il pas temps que deux libanaises jouissent de droits égaux même si elles sont de rites différents ?
Vous ne menez pas votre combat seul Madame, tout homme digne de l’éducation d’une mère libanaise demeure indigné et révolté face aux injustices commises à votre égard et en son nom.  Ces hommes, même si écrasés par une minorité retentissante de par sa misogynie croient en une société où le sexe ne différencie que biologiquement.
Toutefois, ce ne sont pas les hommes qui lanceront les manifestations pour vous, ils le feront avec vous certes, mais admettons que, du côté de chez nous, les droits de la femme ne sont pas, hélas, une affaire d’hommes. Heureusement d’ailleurs, notre Parlement et même nos gouvernements à majorité masculine ne peuvent pas vanter leur efficacité.
Madame, si vous invitiez chaque grand-mère, mère, fille, sœur, copine, fiancée ou amie à cesser d’être Femme pour un jour,  un seul, si vous décidiez toutes de faire la grève à notre société faussement machiste,  je crois Madame que non seulement vous feriez voter vos droits, mais vous pourriez même diriger notre pauvre Liban à bon port.
Nous sommes tous fruits de Femmes, et « ce que Femme veut, Dieu le veut »
Veuillez croire, Madame, en mes sentiments les plus respectueux.
Mario Macaron
Dear Mrs. Sleiman,
I am a Lebanese student studying in Paris. I had the honor of being part of the delegation that you lead in Tunis in November 2010 at the Conference on the Rights of the Arab Woman, and like many I feverishly applauded your speech advocating and defending the rights of women in this corner of the world. Considering you as the institutional symbol of the Lebanese Woman, it is to you that I address myself. Despite your term coming to an end, I hope that these words would resonate with feminine sympathizers.
Madam, it is true that by writing to you I already find myself in a compromising situation: a man preaching to the First Lady about a daily topic. And yet, every time humiliation and sometimes even the blood of our nation’s women make the headlines, I feel ashamed and wonder what needs to be done before Lebanese women, known for their strong character, take matters into their own hands. Do we have to wait until, as Mother Beirut, our women find themselves without faith nor hope? Do we have to wait until the extremists drown your demands in the discourse of political correctness?
Don’t you think that it is time to lead Lebanese women towards a much-anticipated revolution? Don’t you think that it is time to impose your rights, rights that are not covered by existing laws? Isn’t it time that two Lebanese woman benefit from equal rights regardless of their sects?
You are not fighting on your own, Madam. All men worthy of education by a Lebanese Mother remain indignant and outraged in the face of all those injustices committed to you in their name. These men, even though crushed by a rising misogynist minority, believe in a society where gender differentiates only biologically.
That being said, we shouldn’t expect men to organize protests for you. They would do it with you, of course. But let’s admit it; women’s rights aren’t, unfortunately, men’s business. Luckily, that means that our parliament and even our male-dominated governments cannot boast their effectiveness.
Madam, if you invited every grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, girlfriend, fiancée or friend to not being a Woman for one day, just one; if you all decided to go on strike against our falsely-macho society, I think that not only would you be able to vote for your rights, but you can even lead our poor Lebanon towards save shores.
We are all fruits of the womb, and “Whatever a Woman wants, God wants it.”
Please accept, Madam, my most respectful sentiments.
Mario Macaron
A week later, the First Lady replied:
Monsieur Mario Macaron
J’ai lu avec intérêt la lettre ouverte que vous avez voulu me transmettre à travers les réseaux sociaux. Je voudrais vous remercier et saluer vos collègues de Béryte – l’écho des Cèdres, la revue des étudiants de la Faculté de Droit et de l’Institut de Sciences Politiques de l’USJ, qui l’a publiée sur sa page web.
Vous savez que la femme libanaise est confrontée à nombre de défis. Dès les premiers jours du mandat du Président de la République le général Michel Sleiman, j’ai pris comme engagement de défendre sa cause dans tous les domaines et ce, dans le cadre de la Commission Nationale de la Femme Libanaise (CNFL) que je préside, et en collaboration avec les associations et mouvements sociaux pour les droits des femmes, de notre société civile si active. Cette cause n’est donc pas négligée. D’autant plus qu’elle est amplement soutenue par le Président de la République lui-même.
Vous m’appelez à une révolution, et je salue votre proposition. Toutefois une révolution, moi je ne l’entends pas dans le sens de l’effervescence d’un jour qui finirait aussi vite qu’un lever de soleil, mais dans le sens d’une mobilisation de solidarité effective et durable à laquelle je ne cesse d’appeler. Une mobilisation de solidarité agissante de ceux et celles, comme vous et vos collègues, sont animés de bonne volonté à poursuivre la démarche d’amélioration de la situation de la femme libanaise, déjà entamée dans la législation, les milieux du travail, la société….
Grâce à une pareille mobilisation vigilante, nous parviendrons, ensemble, à mettre fin aux injustices et aux inégalités que vous prélevez.
En vous renouvelant mes remerciements, veuillez croire, Monsieur, en mes meilleurs sentiments.
Wafaa SLEIMAN
Première Dame du Liban
Dear Mr. Macaron,
I have read with great interest the open letter which was addressed to me via social media. I want to thank you and salute your colleague at Beryte – l’echo des Cedres, the student journal of USJ’s Faculty of Law and Institute of Political Science which published it on its website.
You know that Lebanese women face numerous challenges. Since the very first days of the mandate of the President of the Republic, General Michel Sleiman, I have taken as my personal task to defend their cause in all areas within the framework of the National Commission for the Lebanese Women (CNFL) that I currently preside over in collaboration with Women’s Rights NGOs and Social Movements that are part of our very active civil society. This cause is therefore not neglected, and is especially fully supported by the President of the Republic himself.
You call for a revolution, and I welcome your proposition. However, a revolution the way I view it is not a spur of the moment phenomenon that ends shortly thereafter. It is an effective and lasting solidarity mobilization which I have continuously called for, a mobilization of active solidarity by those, like your colleagues and yourself, that are motivated by the good will to follow the path of progress of the Lebanese Woman’s situation, already started in legislation, the work place, society…
Thanks to such vigilant mobilization, we will succeed, hand in hand, to end those injustices and inequalities that you talk about.
Let me again thank you and please accept, Sir, my warmest sentiments.
Wafaa SLEIMAN,
First Lady of Lebanon

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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Macedonians Prepare to March Against Poverty in Skopje · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Macedonia is one of Europe's poorest countries, with an estimated 30 percent of the population living in poverty and a similar percentage of its people are out of work. The country even ranked as the most miserable in the world on The Economist's 2012 Misery Index, which ranks countries by unemployment rate plus inflation rate.
Two Macedonian non-governmental organizations, Platform Against Poverty and 8th of September, are trying to do something about it. They are organizing a March Against Poverty in the capital city Skopje for March 1, 2014 at 11:55 under the symbolic title “5 minutes to 12.”
The march is being organized and promoted through a Facebook event page and a blog by the same name, as well as under hashtags #5до12 and #5do12 on Twitter. It will end in an open air concert dubbed the Concert for Dignity.
“5 minutes to 12″ flyer explains the march route: Parliament, Government and Jadran Square.
The organizers of the march explain [mk] their reasons on the official website:
Одговорот е многу едноставен, затоа што граѓаните имаат потреба од тоа. Овој настан ги повикува да се приклучат и да ја подржат иницијативата сите оние кои живеат во сиромаштија, но и оние кои сакаат да застанат на страната на народот и да зборуваат во името на оние кои немаат глас
Нé радува и тоа што граѓаните почнуваат да прашуваат „зашто треба да излезат“, а не инструирано да се движат по маршови за оваа или онаа тема.
Ние преку овој марш сакаме да покажеме дека граѓаните живеат се полошо и полошо, дека ниту една влада досега не придонела за унапредување на нивниот квалитет на живот. Дека статистиките кои ни ги презентираат за економски раст и раст на социјалните трансфери не се реални, граѓаните живеат во беда и сиромаштија. Воедно, сметаме дека сите претходни биле успешни и добри настани затоа што секое излегување на народот на улица значи и кревање на гласот за подобар живот.
The answer is simple: because the citizens need it. This event calls upon all who live in poverty, but also those who want to stand on the side of the people and speak in the name of the voiceless.
We are glad that citizens have started asking “why should we go out,” and are not just joining marches by directive.
Throughout the month of March, we want to show that citizens live worse [than before], that no government so far has contributed to the improvement of their quality of life. That the stats presented to us about economic development and increase of social transfers are not real, that citizens live in misery and poverty. We also consider all previous events successful and good because every time the people go out in the streets they raise their voice for a better life.
Prior to the march, the organizers have been conducting research [mk] with focus groups and organizing public debates to get feedback and information from the people. They strive to get public support so they can initiate changes to the Law on Social Protection and debate in the Parliament for ensuring a decent minimal income for all.
To aid in the promotion and give a voice to the voiceless, several students from the Skopje Faculty of Dramatic Arts made videos in which they read portions of statements from the survey.
The monologue in the above video [mk] is transcribed and translated below:
Јас сум самохрана мајка и имам две деца. Не сум вработена и зимам социјална помош три илјади денара. Кај нас е срамота да кажеш дека си сиромашен – сите ќе ти се смејат. Едноставно, нема да те прифанат. Тоа и за децата е лошо. У која установа да отидеш, никој нема да ти помогне. Толку години се влечам по социјално, по секакви установи… Никој не ти помага. Само ти викат чекај, чекај… и цел живот ќе помине у чекање. А децата па нема шо да јадат. Тие деца треба да јадат нешто. Ќе тргнат еден ден у школо. Треба да ги облечеш нешто. Само полошо си праеш за себе ако кажеш дека си сиромашен. Ја шо да праам со тие две деца и со тие три илјади денара. Со шо да ги ранам? Шо да ги облечам?
I am a single mother of two. Unemployed, I take social benefits of 3,000 denars [about 67 US dollars]. In our place it is shameful to say you are poor – everybody will laugh at you. Simply, they won't accept you. This is bad for the kids too. No matter which institution you go to, nobody will help you. I spent years dragging in the social welfare, in all kinds of institutions… Nobody helps. They just say wait, wait… and all your life passes waiting. While the kids have nothing to eat. Those kids need some food. They will also need to go to school. You'll need to clothe them in something. You only make the matters worse if you say you are poor. What should I do with those two kids and those 3,000 denars. What should I feed them? What clothes can I buy?

author: Filip Stojanovski


text:
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author: Rezwan


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I have been a hooved La Diablesse, a bolt of lighting, Thumbelina, Blight, and one of the Israelites leaving Egypt, among others. There was always some glitter involved. Glitter is to carnival as mud is to J’ouvert.
creative commess explains her love of the sparkly stuff.


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Mahina Shodizoda

The Vienna-based opposition blog Chronicles of Turkmenistan reports that police in northern Turkmen town of Dashoguz raid cafes and restaurants in search of women out for the evening. According to the blog, single ladies and women dining without their husbands are taken to police stations. Chronicles of Turkmenistan alleged back in November 2013 that similar raids were carried out in the country's capital, with women detained and forcibly tested for sexually-transmitted infections and narcotics-use as part of the authorities’ effort to curb prostitution.