text:
Equatorial Guinea: Dictatorship Seeks Entry in Portuguese Language Community · Global Voices
Ana Lucia Sa

On July 20th 2012 the Maputo Summit will take place, in which a decision will be taken on Equatorial Guinea's entry into the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), an intergovernmental organization that links eight Portuguese-speaking nations, and three associate members, by a common language and shared cultural features. In June 2011 we reported on the issues raised by various bloggers in the Portuguese-speaking world who questioned whether the CPLP would “ignore human rights“.
A year later, to mark the 70th birthday of President Teodoro Obiang (who has been in power since 1979 following a coup d'état which deposed his predecessor and condemned him to death), we review the situation once again. While on the one hand various initiatives have emerged against what is considered to be the instrumentalisation of linguistic ties, the “petrodictatorship” and the failure of Obiang's regime to comply with the orienting principles of the CPLP, on the other there are those who are in favour of the country's admission.
President Obiang. Equatorial Guinea Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010. Photo by nozomiiql on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 20.0)
One example is the Movement Supporting Equatorial Guinea as a Member of the CPLP [pt] (MAGE), which alludes to historical events which linked Portugal to part of the territory of Equatorial Guinea in the 15th century, and whose aim is to “collect the greatest possible number of signatures of citizens from all member states” in support of the admission of Equatorial Guinea as an effective member of the CPLP, so that they may be presented to the CPLP's Executive Secretary.
As Clavis Prophetarum from the blog Quintus confirms [pt], “the issue of Equatorial Guinea's eventual admission to the CPLP is very controversial, and has been since almost the very first day”:
A CPLP ganharia influencia e presença no mundo com esta adesão? Sim, mas a um preço demasiado alto. A CPLP só pode aspirar a ser o ponto de partida para aquilo que desejamos: uma União Lusófona, se mantiver o respeito aos seus próprios estatutos, que consagram o respeito pelos Direitos Humanos e pelo são exercício democrático. A Guiné Equatorial pode aderir (e deve) desde que respeite ambos os conceitos. Se o regime tem assim tanto desejo em aderir então que faça como fez a União Europeia para com a Turquia: que exija o cumprimento destas regras básicas. Uma Guiné Equatorial respeitadora dos Direitos Humanos e da Democracia é bem vinda. A atual, não. Nem que fale português.
"A future country named TOWER OF BABEL is on the horizon". Image from the blog Las Locuras de Jamón y Queso (used with permission).
The writer and dissident Juan Tomás Ávila [pt], in an interview for the newspaper Público on June 1st 2012, reprinted on the blog O Linguado [pt], is also decisive:
Nos meus artigos na imprensa estrangeira, falo da situação política, o que me permite, nos livros, falar de outras coisas, contar histórias. E muitas transportam-nos para Annobón. Lá, a língua materna é o fadambo, um crioulo de origem portuguesa.
Esse foi um dos aspectos apontados para justificar uma entrada da Guiné Equatorial na Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP). A Guiné Equatorial já tem estatuto de país observador, agora quer ser país-membro com plenos direitos. (…)
O país também faz parte da francofonia e para isso aprovou o Francês como língua oficial. O Português foi aprovado por decreto presidencial. Essas duas línguas juntam-se ao Espanhol, como línguas oficiais. Qual o sentido que isso faz?
Quando ele [Obiang] tenta entrar nestas instituições, quer branquear a sua imagem e organizar eventos para dizer que é um líder muito importante.
It is not only Equatorial Guineans who are questioning the motives for Teodoro Obiang's regime's desire to belong to the CPLP. In Cape Verde, Abraão Vicente declares himself to be [pt] “completely against the admission”, and adds:
confio que a grande maioria dos cabo-verdianos que acreditam nos valores universais da humanidade também se objectam. As razões da minha oposição são muito pragmáticas: Guiné Equatorial é um regime ditatorial, o seu presidente Teodoro Obiang Nguema é acusado não só de desviar elevadíssimas quantias dos cofres do Estado como também é acusado de executar sumariamente todos os seus oponentes. A família Obiang neste momento é alvo de investigação na França e em vários outros países do mundo por transacções de avultadas quantias, compras de propriedades, obras de artes e outros bens sem justificativos devidos da origem do dinheiro. Enquanto isso milhar e milhares de cidadãos desse país morrem à fome. O regime instalado na Guiné Equatorial é feito do sangue e da miséria de milhares de cidadão e as tais reformas nas quais o nosso PM [Primeiro MInistro] se baseia para apoiar a entrada desse país na CPLP são apenas fachada.
In Portugal, the blog Free Equatorial Guinea [pt] was born from a group of citizen's wish to raise awareness of certain facts about this country which are not published in the mass media, such as the death sentence handed [pt] to a Malian citizen in May 2012, when the abolition of the death penalty would be expected in order for Equatorial Guinea to join the CPLP.
Following the example of the 2010 actions, and taking into account the current context, a petition was launched on June 4th 2012, promoted by platforms in Brazil, Cape Verde, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe, calling on the Heads of State and of Government of the CPLP to deny Equatorial Guinea's entry to the institution:
não permitam que a Dignidade Humana seja penhorada ao aceitarem a admissão da Guiné Equatorial como membro de pleno direito da Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP). Este país não reúne as condições para esse efeito. Trata-se de um país onde não há espaço para a democracia, para a liberdade, para a igualdade, para os direitos humanos, para a justiça social e onde a adopção da língua portuguesa como (terceira) língua oficial não resulta da história, da expressão cultural ou vontade do povo. A admissão deste país à CPLP, nas actuais condições e face aos princípios que esta Comunidade propugna, nomeadamente nos seus Estatutos, descredibilizará e manchará irremediavelmente a reputação e a respeitabilidade da CPLP na comunidade internacional.

author: Ana Lucia Sa


text:
Gabon: Civil Society Leaders Arrested Prior to New York Forum Africa · Global Voices
Julie Owono

News website Koaci.com [fr] reports that Marc Ona Essangui, of the civil society organisation ‘Ca suffit comme ça’ (Enough is enough) and other Gabonese activists were arrested this morning in the capital Libreville. They were planning to hold a ‘Forum of the indignants‘ [fr] to counter the New York Forum Africa, held in Libreville from June 8 to 10, 2012, where business and political leaders will discuss the development of the continent. Jean-Eric Nziengui Mangala, spokesman of the Minister of Interior, explains to AFP [fr] that the demonstration was forbidden.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Julie Owono


text:
India, Bangladesh: Water Disputes and Teesta River Diplomacy · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers between them. Despite setting up a Joint River Commission for water management as early as 1972, tensions between the countries on how to share resources recently came to a head in a dispute over the Teesta River. At stake are the lives of countless people from West Bengal and Bangladesh who depend upon the river for survival.
To date, only one comprehensive river pact has been signed by India and Bangladesh – a 1996 bilateral treaty that established a 30-year water-sharing arrangement between the two countries. This was set to change in September 2011 when India’s Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, was due to sign a pact with his Bangladeshi counterpart regarding access and use of the Teesta River.
Aerial View of the Teesta River. Flickr photo by Prato9x (CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The Teesta – which has its source in Sikkim – flows through the northern part of West Bengal in India before entering Bangladesh, where after coursing through about 45km of irrigable land, merges with the Brahmaputra River (or Jamuna when it enters Bangladesh). In 1983, an ad-hoc water sharing agreement was reached between India and Bangladesh, whereby both countries were allocated 39% and 36% of the water flow respectively. The new bilateral treaty expands upon this agreement by proposing an equal allocation of the Teesta River.
However, the deal fell through when the then newly elected Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, refused to approve the treaty, fearing that the loss of higher volume of water to the lower riparian would cause problems in the northern region of state, especially during drier months.
The river Ganges, flowing through Hrishikesh, India. Flickr Photo by Sanj@y (CC-BY-2.0)
Given that water is a state issue in India, and that Banerjee’s political party, the All India Trinamool Congress, is a key coalition partner of the ruling central government, the deal could not go through without her approval. While a large section of the Bangladeshi populace as well as the Indian media vilified her rigid stance, her opposition to the terms of the treaty was not without its share of support.
In May 2012, during a visit to India, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Ms. Dipu Moni, warned that bilateral relations would be complicated if India fails to deliver on the Teesta water-sharing agreement.
Despite this pressure tactic, the treaty remains a slow burner as India continues its efforts of domestic political consensus building. However, the Indian Minister for External Affairs, S.M. Krishna tried to diffuse tensions and assured Bangladesh that India remains committed to an early solution on the issue of sharing Teesta waters.
Jamuna (Brahmaputra) river in Bangladesh. Flickr photo by bengal*foam (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Bangladesh also wants a quick resolution to the issue, and may even be willing to soften their stance because of mounting pressure at home to get the deal done.
Bangladeshi journalist and blogger Farid Ahmed writes:
It is apparently quite clear now that…Bangladesh for now has failed to ensure that India inks a deal…to share water of common rivers, mainly Teesta … Now it is Bangladesh which has to do what it should have started long ago. Apart from traditional diplomacy, they should have transmitted the feelings of its public to those on the other side of the border. The sky is locked for Dhaka as no Bangladeshi channels are broadcasted by Indian cable operators… Most Indian newspapers were supportive for Bangladesh’s cause on Teesta. That’s a positive side. What about engaging with West Bengal’s public?
Nevertheless, looking beyond the political rhetoric, West Bengal’s concerns about water security for its northern region cannot be overlooked and need to be allayed. India is already beginning to feel the strain on its water security given the ever rising demands for more water for its burgeoning population. According to a 2010 report ‘Water Security for India: The External Dynamics’ published by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA):
India is facing a serious water resource problem and as trends suggest, it is expected to become ‘water stressed’ by 2025 and ‘water scarce’ by 2050
Both countries, therefore, need to develop a well thought out, balanced treaty that will enable equitable sharing of the waters of the Teesta, thereby enhancing bilateral ties and reducing the possibility of water conflict.

author: Aparna Ray


text:
India: Blogger Gets A Take Down Notice For Exposing Corruption · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kracktivist informs that blogger Vidyut Kale of aamjanata.com had received a take down notice for an article being defamatory. In the alleged post the blogger exposed financial corruption of some influential persons.

author: Rezwan


text:
India: The Colonial Bungalows Project · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kiruba Shankar has started a photography project titled Colonial Bungalows, in which century old residential bungalows (British, French and Portuguese) in India will be photographed and documented.


text:
Iran: 1970s Pop Musician Toofan Ataee Dies in Los Angeles · Global Voices
Sara Sg

Toofan Ataee, an Iranian pop musician of the 1970s, known as Toofan or 2Fun, died of lung cancer on Tuesday 5 June, 2012, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His music was extensively popular before the Islamic revolution in Iran, but was banned after Islamic Revolution in 1979.
On the event of his death, social networks were trending in a nostalgic re-sharing of his hit love song from 1978, titled ‘khoda-ye Asemoon-ha’ (God of heavens) and tribute messages such as “God of the Heavens is gone” or “He has gone to God of heavens”.
Afarideh, in his Facebook status [fa], recounts his affection for the song as a child:
الان با خبر شدم از تو سایت ها که ( طوفان ) به علت بیماری سرطان در گذشت خیلی دلم گرفت یاد آهنگ ( خدای آسمون ها ) افتادم یادمه که بچه گیم ها خیلی این آهنگ رو دوست داشتم اون موقع واقعا نمیدونستم عشق چیه اما یادمه که اینقدر این آهنگ برام جذاب بود و من رو تحریک کرد که برم و درباره عشق اطلاعات جمع کنم این رو جدی میگم با این که نوع موسیقی که کار میکنم هیچ ربطی به هم نداره اما دوست داشتم واقعا به نظرم حیف شد مرد همه ازش خاطره خوب داشتن
The author of ‘Words from the bottom of the heart’, Dara Irani, draws on the image of the artist from the years most of us have not been around to remember, in a blog post [fa]:
تقدیر بر این است که از هنرمندان فقط وقتی یاد کنیم که از دنیا رفته اند.دردوران کودکی درآن سالهای فراموش نشدنی ۱۳۵۰ ترانه «خدای آسمونها خدای کهکشونها »ورد زبان کوچک و بزرگ بود. طوفان با آن موهای فرفری و گروه موزیک که داشت ترانه های قشنگی می خواند که البته معروفترینش هم همین بود […] حالا دیگر بین مانیست چون رفته است پیش خدای آسمونها !همان خدایی که می خواست به دادش برسد و آخرش هم به دادش رسید و او را با خودش برد تا ما به یکباره به یادمان بیفتد..
Because of the severity of his condition, a ceremony was held in his honour a week ago in Los Angeles, with a lot of United States-based Iranian celebrities attending to pay homage to this icon.
Here [fa] is Shabahang TV's five minute coverage of his death and the tribute ceremony, including an interview with Toofan.

author: Sara Sg


text:
Kyrgyzstan: Politician Slams Mini-Skirts and Tracksuits · Global Voices
Saikal Nogoibaeva

Last month, during a parliamentary session, Kyrgyz member of parliament (MP) Tursunbai Bakir uulu proposed [ru] to ban the wearing of short skirts and tracksuits in the Parliament building.
Member of the Ar-Namys (Dignity) party, former ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic, and a presidential candidate at the 2011 elections, Bakir uulu has become a regular talking point among netizens due to his ceaseless legislative initiatives, the majority of which are conservative in nature and mindful of Islamic norms.
Within the space of less than a year, he has initiated a law banning [ru] the advertisement of international marriage agencies on television and in newspapers, called [ru] for ceasing the celebration of Valentine's Day (claiming that it causes mental disorders and suicide among young people), and wrote a bewildering letter to the newly elected president, Almas Atambayev, referencing knights, dragons, and allegedly rigged elections. In 2009, he also insisted [ru] on the installation of a lie detector in the parliament.
The building of Zhogorku Kenesh, the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan, in Bishkek. Image by Flickr user Ben Paarmann (CC BY 2.0).
His latest concern, it seems, is clothing – or rather lack of it. As he announced [ru] during the session on May 17, 2012:
Сейчас в перерыве в коридоре передо мной шла девушка в мини-юбке. Я бы не смотрел на это, но если бы я не смотрел вперед, то мог споткнуться и упасть.
Girls and women frequently wear short skirts in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. In rural areas, and particularly in the more conservative and religious communities of the country's south, short skirts are a very rare occurrence. Tracksuits, on the contrary, are popular all over the country as everyday casual wear.
Bakir uulu's comment triggered a string of sarcastic responses from netizens. In a comment under a Kloop.kg news report on Bakir uulu's statement, journalist Ulukbek Akishev wrote [ru]:
Пожизненные отмазки депов насчет того, что им мешает работать и запреты на это…
Also commenting on the news report, Gulmira added [ru]:
Задумались бы, ПОЧЕМУ в здании парламента могут ходить девушки в коротких юбках и парни в спортивных костюмах! Не думаю, что серьезные специалисты могут позволить себе надеть на работу подобное.
Quoted in another article, Azimbek Beknazarov, a former parlimentarian who was no stranger to controversy during his own time in the legislature, said [ru]:
Турсунбаю Бакир уулу нечем заняться? Да пусть все ходят в чем хотят, это личное дело каждого человека.
Another respondent quoted in the article, Azis Abakirov, lamented [ru]:
В стране полно проблем, которые необходимо решать. Но депутатов волнует стиль одежды.
Without really describing how short skirts affect parliamentary work, Bakir uulu was able to table a motion banning both short skirts and tracksuits in the parliament. The reaction of female MPs has been ambiguous. Some female MPs, such as Shirin Aitmatova, confessed [ru] that they prefer wearing short skirts and that Bakir uulu's strict dress-code suggestions would mean them having to change their dressing style. Others supported Bakir uulu’s proposal, stating that a formal dress-code should be strictly followed in governmental agencies.
However, a representative of a Bishkek-based feminist group, Selbi Jumaeva, criticized this initiative by claiming that it violates freedom of expression and demonstrates that “a man thinks that he can control the woman’s body”. She suggested [ru]:
Депутатам лучше вкладывать свое время и ресурсы на разработку норм, которые бы предотвращали и защищали женщин от сексуальный домогательств и гендерной дискриминации на рабочем вместе, в том числе в парламенте.
Nevertheless, under the same article on Kloop.kg many netizens spoke in support of the initiative, but were generally more concerned by sports tracksuits than short skirts. BahaiO said [ru]:
…если в Парламенте ходят в спортивках, это показывает насколько им пофиг на имидж Парламента!
Others expressed hope that such a measure will help improve the professionalism of the MPs, whose sport-suit wearing aids have been involved in brawls in the country's main assembly in the recent past. Valeriya Melnichuk suggested:
Personally, I am for such a prohibition. I think parliamentarians need to look professional, so that Kyrgyz society as well as international community take them seriously. But there is a counterargument – if they want to promote an image of democracy and freedom of choice – their style may indicate how far the democracy went in Kyrgyzstan, so that deputies can wear whatever they want to the parliament hearings… However, it undermines their image and few people may take their style as freedom of choice and not simple carelessness and absence of professionalism. So, the conclusion, they should not wear sports clothes and miniskirts…
Bakir uulu’s insistence on a harsher dress-code control in the parliament building has already achieved some results. A week after his remarks on the issue, on May 23, journalists accredited in the parliament were banned from attending parliamentary sessions in T-shirts and jeans.
The press service of the parliament has clarified [ru]:
Убедительная просьба соблюдать вид одежды, соответствующий установленным требованиям в здании Жогорку Кенеша (запрещается входить в здание Жогорку Кенеша в футболках, джинсах, шортах, спортивных костюмах и т.п.
With sportswear already being actively discouraged, it may only be a matter of time before short skirts follow suit, so to speak. And, despite the criticism leveled at Bakir uulu and his legislative initiatives by feminists and liberals, it seems certain that the colourful lawmaker will continue to provide plenty of fodder for debates on social issues outside the parliament, on online forums and social networks.

author: Saikal Nogoibaeva


text:
Photos of Colossal Churches in South Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean churches are being widely criticized for building huge church buildings. One net users posted photos of colossal churches. The church appeared in the last photo has recently created controversy for re-routing subway exits for their convenience.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


text:
The Evolution of African Social Welfare Systems · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

This post is part of our special coverage Global Development.
Considering the debate generated by healthcare reform in the United States and the gradual withdrawal of the French state from public-funded social action, one might think that social protection is an endangered idea. On the contrary, the right to security is an  integral component of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 22) and an important part of the Millenium Development Goals (MDG), as conceived by the United Nations.
For the majority of African countries, social welfare systems are still evolving. Each African government has chosen a system specific to its culture, with varying degrees of success, but all recognize the necessity of protecting at a minimum the most vulnerable populations.
An insufficient social protection system
Assane Fall-Diop summarizes the struggles that are still needed to achieve a real social welfare system in Africa [fr]:
La protection sociale est devenue un thème obligé des débats électoraux en Afrique. En Côte d’Ivoire et en République démocratique du Congo, la Constitution ou la loi font même de l’assurance-maladie un objectif prioritaire. Cependant, l’essor de l’économie informelle et la faiblesse politique et financière des Etats handicapent les réalisations concrètes [..] En Afrique, « seulement 5 % à 10 % de la population active bénéficie d’une couverture sociale », selon l’Organisation internationale du travail (OIT), qui note une dégradation de la situation au cours des vingt dernières années. L’organisation souligne que « près de 80 % de la population n’a pas accès aux soins de santé de base ».
End of the month pension queues. Clermont Township, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa by HelpAge on Flickr (CC-license-BY).
Lambert Gbossa, deputy director of the International Labour Organization's Regional Office for Africa, explains why he thinks that social welfare is in decline all over the continent. The force of informal economy is, in his opinion, one of the principal causes [fr]:
d’abord, une poussée démographique galopante qui produisit chaque année des cohortes de primo-demandeurs d’emplois; ensuite, une crise économique grave proche de la récession qui a réduit à néant les capacités d’absorption du secteur moderne; enfin, la poussée de l’exode rural obligeant bon nombre d’individus à venir «bricoler» dans les villes. Ainsi, la population active atteint plus de 40 pour cent dans l’ensemble des pays, avec un taux d’accroissement de plus de 4,5 pour cent, légèrement supérieur à celui de la croissance démographique. Au rythme actuel d’évolution des données sur la population active et sur la population salariée, le taux d’occupation des travailleurs salariés pourrait n’être plus que 2 à 3 pour cent au maximum dans les 25 prochaines années. Comme cette population est la seule à bénéficier d’un système organisé de sécurité sociale, il y a ainsi une dégradation prévisible de la rentabilité sociale du système de couverture.
Unequal progress across the continent
Steps have been taken to mitigate this lag in the development of a social welfare system for Africa. The Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) wants to see concrete measures to elevate and reinforce the social contract between states and their citizens. The APSP recommends [fr]:
tout programme doit être conçu à partir des structures existantes, y compris les systèmes classiques de protection sociale. En parallèle, la Plateforme insiste sur le fait que les défis de l’intégration régionale et notamment ceux liés à la portabilité des droits sociaux ne pourront être surmontés qu’à la condition que l’évaluation des réalités et opinions locales et nationales s’accompagne d’approches régionales et continentales
However, Lambert Gbossa is concerned about the danger represented by the willingness to provide a standard welfare system without considering the specificities of each region and without a participatory dialogue [fr]:
..la question de la réforme de la protection sociale dans les pays d'Afrique se pose avec acuité, elle s’est cantonnée à l'intérieur du système actuel et a rarement essayé de s'intégrer dans une politique globale. Le résultat de ce cantonnement est non seulement une marginalisation de l'immense majorité de la population mais surtout, la perpétuation d’un modèle extraverti et parfois incompris qui a fait de la protection sociale au profit du secteur formel l’essentiel et non le complément d’une problématique plus conforme aux identités. Les schémas très techniques et parfois très formels sont conçus en dehors des populations et n’ont pas été conformes au plan national de développement intégré..
Some successful implementations
Before Mali was shaken by the current political crisis, the country had made considerable progress with regard to social protection and healthcare coverage. This video of a project to improve the treatment of diabetes in Mali by the NGO Santé Diabète Mali, shows an example of social action with a strong impact on healthcare coverage:
Mandatory health insurance was established in Mali in 2010. This program enabled better protection for poor and marginalized populations, but did not reinforce the two other pillars of social welfare in Mali: the development of production infrastructure and the consolidation of structural adjustments. Funding remains one of the major obstacles affecting the sustainability of these social programs.
The foundation for social welfare in Burkina Faso meanwhile is currently being built. The basic principle of a social protection system rests on two essential tools: services and transfers. Olivier Louis dit Guérin defines these tools [fr]:
- Accès géographique et financier aux services essentiels : eau, assainissement, santé, alimentation, éducation, logement, épargne, assurance
– Transfert sociaux versés aux enfants, personnes âgées et personnes actives disposant d'un revenu insuffisant pour les services essentiels mentionnés précédemment.
In a study comparing the social welfare systems of Rwanda and Burundi, Solidarité Mondiale offers the following conclusions on social welfare in these two neighboring countries [fr]:
L’étude comparative des systèmes de protection sociale du Rwanda et du Burundi a clairement montré que le Rwanda a déjà réalisé des pas importants dans ce secteur clé qui sont aujourd’hui portés par une forte volonté politique et bénéficient d’un encadrement soutenu de la Cellule Technique d’Appui aux Mutuelles de santé au sein du Ministère de la Santé. La complémentarité fortement encouragée par les pouvoirs publics entre le système étatique de protection sociale, actuellement en pleines réformes, et les systèmes communautaires des mutuelles de santé extrêmement avancés au Rwanda, constituent un atout très important du processus de renforcement et d’extension des systèmes de protection sociale [..] Le Burundi, à la suite d’une guerre prolongée, n’a pas pu renforcer les systèmes existants de protection sociale en vue de leur extension au secteur informel et rural. Néanmoins, à certains égards, certaines initiatives privées ont fait des avancées remarquables dans ce domaine. le Burundi devraient l’inciter à privilégier des systèmes de protection sociale à forte participation populaire, s’il veut en garantir l’appropriation et la durabilité. En effet, la tentation peut être très grande de mettre rapidement en place un système de couverture universelle largement soutenue par les bailleurs de fonds externes.Le retrait de tels bailleurs peut rapidement conduire à la catastrophe comme cela a déjà été le cas pour certaines provinces du pays.
This post is part of our special coverage Global Development.

author: Rakotomalala


text:
Ukraine: “Friendly” Euro 2012 Grassroots Initiatives  · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

These “friendly” grassroots initiatives are meant for those football fans who are traveling to Ukraine for Euro 2012, which begins today: Friendly Ukraine, an umbrella “community of friendly and hospitable people [who] offer free help to our guests: accommodation, transfers from airport to city, guidance, translation and information services” (RFE/RL story); Rooms 4 Free (on FB): “people from all over Ukraine who wish to invite you to our homes for FREE and celebrate the joy of football together!”; I Can Help U (speak English in UA); free walking tours of Kiev with English-speaking guides (on FB); Euro-2012: Media Hospitality!.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Zambia: Netizens Speak Out Against Police Brutality · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same and this is true with the Zambia Police Service.
When President Michael Sata was in opposition he and his cadres used to be victims of a brutal police service at the hands of the then ruling MMD but when he was elected as president just over eight months ago, he made a lot of changes in the police, among them naming a female inspector general of police, creating 10 positions of commissioners equivalent to the number of provices, six of whom were women. Zambians thought this was the turning point for the police service. Today, however, the same brutality is being meted on the opposition.
Victim of police brutality against opposition party cadres. Picture via @Bradleychingobe's Twitter page.
Recently, the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) took to the streets to protest against the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mutembo Nchito, whose airline, Zambian Airways in liquidation, allegedly owes the government-run Development Bank of Zambia over K14 billion or US$2 million. It is the result of the litigation of this case that one Supreme Court Judge and two high court judges were suspended and a tribunal set up to investigate them.
The Zambia Police Service under the command of Lusaka Province commissioner Charity Katanga who had warned the UPND that they would hold the demonstration at their own peril, battered the cadres who took to the streets of the capital city.
Netizens took to various social media networks to condemn police action with one warning that Ms Katanga would be the first Zambian official to be hauled before the International Criminal Court.
The Zambia Bulletin, a citizen run news website, quoting a Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) official, reported:
‘’We are particularly surprised that the commissioner of police for Lusaka province conducted herself like a highly rewarded cadre in the way she came out regarding the demonstration and the illegal orders she was giving to her officers to brutally attack the youths who were protesting yesterday’’
Commenting under the same story on Facebook, Peter Mpande, quoting what she apparently said on a private TV station, questioned the use of the phrase “battlefield”:
That she would not allow demos without her permission and those intending to demonstrate without a permit will meet her in the battle field. Battle field? Citizens exercising their right to assembly and free expression are to be met by the police on the battlefield?
The Zambia Centre for Inter-party Dialogue (ZCID) issued a statement condemning police heavy handedness in dealing with the unarmed demonstrators:
The Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue (ZCID) wishes to express its concern over the brutal manner in which the police handled a peaceful demonstration by unarmed members of the opposition United Party for National Development. The violence exhibited by the police towards unarmed citizens was not only uncalled for but also excessive. The Zambian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to expression. It is not debatable in all progressive democracies that peaceful demonstrations are an acceptable mode of expression. The police in this case must not make it a habit to stifle people’s rights with impunity and arrogance.
Kay Love, commenting on a story on the Zambian Watchdog website, called for the indictment of Ms Katanga by the ICC:
[…]Take this Katanga to the International Court of Crimes(ICC) so that she can be taught what justice is.
Katanga woman, you have broken our faith,trust and hearts to brutaly torture the an [sic] armed youths.
Why would you even deny them a permit when they clearly stated that they were going to protest against Mr Nchito?
I total agree, this woman should be taken to ICC as soon as possible so that she can be set as an example for disrespecting the right of an armed citizens to hold peaceful protests.
May God look into your sins Ms Katanga for shedding blood of innocent youths.
[..] The ICC will deal with you as individuals Ms Katanga and all those police who used force of violence. You have shed innocent blood and its in your hands for the rest of your life.
I even wonder what you will explain to God on judgement day. If you won’t go to heave, we ask where you will be?
Mwanza Zycall, contributing on the Zambia People’s Parliament Facebook page, wrote:
Mr Speaker Sir, the brutality of the PF government against unarmed sons and daughters of this great country just goes to show how much we need a 50% + 1 clause in the election of a president.
Mr Speaker, we have a minority government representing just about 43% of Zambians and in order to rule over the 57% who do not want it, it resorts to violence, unleashing party thugs dressed in police uniforms to brutalise unarmed peaceful civilians seeking to exercise their right to protest.
Mr Speaker, when a government resorts to using violence against its own citizens it shows how unpopular and scared it is of citizens.
By this very act, the unpopular tribal regime has passed a vote-of-no confidence in itself. I beg to move Mr Speaker.
Tweeps also took to the micro-blogging site to vent their anger against police brutality.
@creepcops: Zambia. MT @phirimiza Thought we changed gov't to [fix] police brutality & corruption I'm embarrassed…the police is still the same under PF
Another tweep was disgusted that anybody could justify the brutality the police unleashed on unarmed citizens:
@Bradleychingobe: Victim of police brutality & I hear there are people justifying this abuse of human rights. Sickening #Zambia http://lockerz.com/s/215164471
One tweep reported the battering of a journalist at the same protest march:
@Tumfweko: Police BATTER QFM Journalist In Break-Up Of UPND ‘PEACEFUL’ Demonstration http://fb.me/20aUzB1OK
*Thumbnail image: One of the three suspended judges, High Court Judge Philip Musonda. Photo courtesy of statehouse.gov.zm.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


text:
Africa: US Military Initiatives Lack Transparency · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Cassidy identifies problems with US military initiatives in Africa:”Current military and counterterrorism initiatives in and assistance to many countries in Africa – and, in particular, those in East Africa – lack transparency and congressional oversight. Though sources at the National Defense University have, for example, estimated related assistance to Kenya at as high as $300 million per year, it’s difficult to find more than around $35 million publicly documented.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Croatia: President Josipovic Uses Facebook to Invite IT Investor Group · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Over the past century, the countries of Southeast Europe have been labeled using a plethora of shady and mysterious terms. Everyone seemed to have their definition of what were most often called “the Balkans” – mostly negative, sometimes even frightening. All that and more is a part of this region’s history and always will be, but a new age has long since dawned in Southeast Europe and much of the world has failed to notice this. Yet, new labels now adorn this strange and exciting region. “Innovation,” “conversation” and “investments.” All in all, the word of the day seems to be “entrepreneurship.”
The new unity of the region began through the people. Even in the late 90s, armed with computers and 56K dial-up Internet connections, some entrepreneurs, researchers, reporters and writers began the first regional collaborations, long before any long-term diplomatic treaties and economic agreements were signed. With Web 2.0, the common cultures, common languages and, often, common problems of the citizens of the region quickly surfaced among users of various popular social networks.
Recently, an unrelated project was devised by 500 Startups, an international group of IT seed investors. The project, dubbed Geeks On A Plane (GOAP), aims to travel the world to look for start-ups and interesting start-up regions to invest in. As Southeast Europe is one of the most active populations on social media today, users here quickly took to networks in the past days to discuss this region’s potential in relation to GOAP and soon enough Twitter saw a large number of regional users calling on one of the founding partners of the project, Dave McClure, to bring GOAP to Southeast Europe.
No surprise there, right? In fact, this is a very typical activity on Twitter. But what happened next is not only atypical for the politicians of this region, but of governments globally. It would seem someone from the Croatian President’s office picked up on this buzz and on Saturday morning Croatian President Ivo Josipovic made an official statement on the topic addressing Dave McClure and GOAP – on his official Facebook fan page. Really. Here it is, Ivo Josipovic’s status update on Facebook:
Dear Dave McClure,
New Europe (or, as some call it, “Eastern Europe”) has been a hotbed of startup innovation over the past few years. Southeast Europe, in particular, (or, as some call it, “Balkans”) has attracted investor interest, both from international funds such as Seedcamp but also from local angel groups. Now, with Croatia next in line to join the EU in July of next year, there has never been a better time for GOAP to come calling. A thriving startup community and the perspective of EU membership will turn the attention of many investors to the region – there's no reason why GOAP should not be in the vanguard of this trend!
I would like to personally invite you and the GOAP crew to Zagreb on your Eastern Europe tour this Autumn. Here you will find a dynamic startup community, a political administration that is increasing its support for entrpreneurship and a warm welcome not only from Croatians but also from our friends in the region – Slovenians, Serbs, Bosnians and others.
Looking forward to greeting you in Zagreb soon, I send you my kind regards.
Ivo Josipović
President of Croatia
Needless to say, the statement went viral throughout the regional online world within an hour and Dave McClure soon responded with a comment on the status update to say: “Wow… I’m honored, and speechless”. Mr. McClure, a highly successful serial angel investor with extensive global experience in the IT and ICT industries, was a little more candid in his Twitter comment on the statement:
Holy crap: President of Croatia just invited me 2 hang in Zagreb, via Facebook: http://on.fb.me/Mut9sV #MindBlown #GOAP
But the story only begins there. Notice President Josipovic’s powerful diplomatic message at the end of the statement – “a warm welcome not only from Croatians but also from our friends in the region – Slovenians, Serbs, Bosnians and others” – clearly speaking in the name of regional entrepreneurship and collaboration. Fans from across the region went wild. Literally. Entrepreneurs from Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other countries shared the status update on Twitter and Facebook, applauding the Croatian President’s fresh Facebook move. It’s safe to suppose that Mr. McClure and his GOAP colleagues will be making a stop in the region and paying attention. After all, what better way of showing that a region is ready for innovation and development than by having a president send out an invite to investors on the Web?

author: Danica Radisic


text:
Egypt: Spies Ads Feed Distrust In SCAF · Global Voices
Ammoun AAY

On June 7, two videos featuring advertisements aired on Egyptian State TV and private channels have been uploaded by YouTube user Marooofriday, warning Egyptian citizens of talking to foreigners who may want to harm the country's interests.
First ad – Screenshot from the YouTube video (07/06/2012)
The first ad portrays a group of young Egyptians who are being approached by a “foreigner” in a cafe, and to whom they start complaining about the political situation in Egypt.
The second one shows a man filling a job application online, providing personal information [English transcript for both videos here]. After commenting, the voice-over ends with the same slogan; “Every word has a price. A word saves a nation.”
A Twitter account apparently expressing the views of the Egyptian Military explained the reasons of such a campaign:
@Military_Secretمعنى الإعلانات الإستخباراتية | لا لصداقة أي شخص يبني علاقته معاك على أساس معرفة أحوال البلد ، لأنه في الخطوة الجاية حيستخدمك عشان يعرف الأهم
@Military_Secretالموساد الإسرائيلي على موقعه بالانترنت عارضين وظائف شاغرة وطالبين معلومات الشخص عشان يبدأ الجهاز بتتبعه ، ولذالك قامت مصر بحظر الموقع
Egyptians immediately reacted on Twitter under the hashtags #Really [Arabic hashtag #ريلي ] and #إعلان_الجواسيس [which translates to the Spy ad].
Many Twitter users ridiculed the ads:
@DaliaEzzat_ State media fail. They don't want us talking to foreign strangers. “Really!” #Conspiracytheoristsgalore
@Amristo Dear Mossad and CIA! Kindly be informed that your plots against SCAF are exposed. Sincerely, Egypt State TV.
@egyfanzعاجل : اجتماع سري بين المخابرات الامريكية والاسرائيلية وذلك لبحث تغيير طريقة عمل الجواسيس في مصر بعد كشف التليفزيون المصري لهم
@EhabEltorky الامن فى البلد فى الضياع والسياحة واقعة وشيكولاتة تويكس سعرها زاد بس احنا مش بنقول على تويتر عشان ديه اسرار البلد
Others, however, took the matter more seriously and blamed the military regime for aiming to feed the feeling of insecurity that could lead to the election of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik during the second round.
@shamshunaلكي يزرع الخوف من التحدث ف السياسه في قلوب الناس مره اخري
@TheBigPharaoh State TV's “spies” commercial does nothing except destroy Egyptians’ well known hospitality and kindness towards foreigners.
@NPSusa This sounds like the ads US ran during WWII, “Loose Lips Sink Ships”. Does SCAF think Egypt is at war with the world?
Blogger Zeinobia expressed her worries in a blog post:
I fear that this ad is an introduction for a campaign against human rights activists and journalists from abroad so they will not cover the upcoming crackdown against the Muslim brotherhood as well revolutionary powers and groups if Shafik is elected as a president.
Well everything comes with a price, the media convinced the public in Egypt that the Muslim Brotherhood will destroy the tourism industry because of their conservatism and now we will see how the tourism will flourish with xenophobic TV campaigns and upcoming security crackdowns against activists and political opponents.

author: Ammoun AAY


text:
Ethiopia: Father of Ethiopian Jazz Honored · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Ethiopian jazz giant Mulatu Astatke has been honored by the world-renowned Berklee College of Music. Mulatu, often dubbed as the father of Ethiopian jazz, was presented honorary doctor of music degree yesterday from the university’s president Roger H. Brown at 2012 commencement,” Arefe reports.


text:
India: Netizens Respond To Anonymous India’s Protests · Global Voices
Rezwan

Last month global hacking movement Anonymous sent a communique to Indian government protesting the recent court ban on sites like Torrent & Vimeo and hacked some websites including the Supreme Court of India. They continued to hack more websites and posted a message to web users, asking them to organize protests against “web censorship” in India on June 9, 2012.
Anonymous so far has organized or instigated many “Occupy” protests around the world against censorship and abuse of power. The most popular of these protests has been the Occupy Wall Street protests in the US.
This dramatic YouTube video calls for a non-violent protest in India on the 9th of June, 2012.
In a press release published in the Anonymous Operations website 18 Facebook events across several Indian cities were listed calling netizens to join. They also published directives for the protest and guides to prepare Anonymous masks. The messages reiterated that being anonymous in a peaceful protest does not mean that they are doing something illegal. Anonymous India also sent an open letter to the government.
Nikhil Pahwa at Medianama opines:
Anonymous India’s activities do help: they increase awareness of India’s war on the Internet, both by the government through legislation and censorship, and by movie producers and copyright owners through takedown notices and John Doe orders.
Meanwhile they continued to attack more websites like MTNL. Nikhil in above post also recognizes that Anonymous India’s takedown actions could Be counterproductive:
These attacks could lead to the undoing of a lot of work done by activists for Internet freedom. [..]
Activities that bring more information on the blocks to light help strengthen the case for more specificity in court orders by highlighting misuse by copyright owners and ISPs, and also for modification in the IT Rules. Taking down sites weakens it.
Oxblood Ruffin (pseudonym) in a guest post in Kafila says:
Anonymous is a public relations pandemic with an exaggeration problem, not a treacherous horde. It’s time the press learned the difference.
Ruffin also wonders whether Anonymous India can get the job done:
The simple answer is no. The Indian government won’t listen to a single word they say. In fact, Anonymous India has given authorities ammunition to tighten up the IT Act even further in response to their actions. Getting press can be good for the ego but it can set back the objective.
Anonymous India sent a reply to Ruffin stressing that they are doing it so that people like Ruffin could write freely in the Internet:
We would also like to ask him before this movement how many Indians knew they were victims of internet censorship? Government was secretly imposing censorship through ISPs with more than 400 content filter requests made to Google. He says we can’t change anything. We say we’ve educated the people about the wrong doings of the government already and more is going to happen. They will see how their elected government is taking away their freedom of speech, freedom of expression and privacy in the same of censorship.
Today a number of Indian Internet activists listened to the call of the Anonymous operations and held protests in several Indian cities against growing censorship of internet by their government. Young activists wearing anonymous masks were seen demonstrating in sixteen cities including Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. The turnout was low but they could spread their message via Twitter hashtags like #OpIndia #OccupyMumbai etc. The Anonymous group also attacked the websites of www.cert-in.org.in and www.india.gov.in and these were down most of the day.
Hoezaay was in one such protest in Azaad Maidan, Mumbai and shares his experience in a blogpost:
I’m completely against ridiculous censorship of the Internet, so i decided to go support the cause and and check out what was going on. [..]
Most of the people there had their heads and hearts in the right place. They knew what they were doing there and what they were protesting against. [..]
I love what Anonymous is doing but i don’t support taking down government websites, mostly because our people probably didn’t even know they had these websites till they went down. If Anonymous can, please help us expose and take down the corrupt. That would be much more effective.
Please check his post for some photos of the protest.
Here are some reactions from Twitter:
@UtkarshaKotian: RT @SupraMario: At #OccupyMumbai, Azad Maidan. Less than 100 people have showed up. http://t.co/PjMqLvrc
@maemariyam: #OccupyMumbai may have been mellow but a lot of strong opinions were flying around about censorship, govt, legality & internet geeks.
Image via Twitpic by @mahafreed
@red_devil05: RT @MTVNoiseFactory: #OccupyMumbai Azad Maidan, 4pm. #OccupyDelhi India Gate, 5pm. #OccupyKolkata South City Mall, 4 pm. #OccupyPune Shivaji Nagar, 4pm
@emescube: This cop says..if you guys came here through online world…do your protest online. He just couldn't understand what #opindia is all about.
@emescube: Shouting it out loud. ‘Against Internet Censorship’ at #Opindia Hyderabad. http://t.co/jPrEovoa
You can follow more Tweets on the protest here.


text:
Living with HIV in Kazakhstan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

On the Kazakh photo blog Vox Populi, Gulnar Bazhkenova presents a powerful photo essay [ru] with the stories of people living with HIV/AIDS in Kazakhstan. These individuals have decided to disclose their HIV status and show their faces in order to “send a message that they are normal people and that there is no danger in communicating or being friends with them”.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


text:
Saudi Arabia: No to Fundraising for Syria · Global Voices
Salah Almhamdi

Saudi religious scholars used Twitter as a sounding board to express their frustration at being banned from raising funds for Syria.
Fundraising for the Syrian opposition with its political and military wings has been gathering momentum around the world through many charities. The pace of fundraising has also accelerated since Houla Massacre. At the same time the Saudi authorities decided to ban fundraising for Syria. Kuwait, on the other hand, intensifed fundraising efforts. Saudi Islamic preachers tweeted the ban of fundraising for Syria and netizens expressed their anger over the surprising move.
Saudi Sheikhs Ban Syria Fundraising
Members of the Scholars’ Committee to Save Syria   were all officially asked by the authorities to stop their fundraising for efforts for Syria. Saudi preacher Muhammad Al-Arifi tweeted [ar]:
Fundraising poster in Saudi Arabia showing the local numbers of the Committee to Save Syria
Ali Badahdah narrated his own story:
Hassan Al-Homaid said:
The following video from arrrkd features testimonies from various Arab Islamic preachers about the Syria fundraising campaign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlM-LePb0WU&
Netizens’ Reactions to the Ban
Abdularahman Alrashed tweeted:
Saudi Sheikh Abdulaziz Tarefe tweeted his support for the Syrian rebels saying:
Youssef Al-Hajeri tweeted:
Mohamed Al-Hodaif added disobediently:
Egyptian author Fadel Soliman replied angrily to the ban decision:
Mohamed Al-Hajeri tweeted:
Saudi Islamic preacher Salman al-Ouda encouraged people to donate:
Meanwhile, journalist Hassan Hassan explained the true reason behind the ban:
@hhassan140: #Saudi banned #Syria fundraiser for 2 reasons: campaign organised by clerics; who said no need to wait for states, there're “ways” to help.

author: Salah Almhamdi


text:
Saudi Arabia: Protests to Free Detainees Held Without Trial  · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is believed to have thousands of detainees who were not allowed access to trials and many of them do not even know their charges. The families of detainees have been working the past months through social media to spread the word and have finally decided to take their cause to the street. @e3teqal, an account on Twitter, published information about the protest right before it started to avoid a heavy security turnout.
Days before the protests, the account posted this invitation which showed drawings of detainees the way the Palestinian prisoners were symbolized in a late social media campaign:
The account also posted a photograph confirming the participation of the detainees’ children in the protest:
The protest happened in Sahara Mall in the capital Riyadh and another took place in Al-Qasim region. Those are few pictures of the Riyadh protest posted by the same Twitter account mentioned above:
This picture from Al-Qasim protest was posted by @e3teqal too:
Sign reads: Haila Al-Qasir was sentenced to 15 years in jail for calling for justice, is that fair? We stand in solidarity with our brothers in Riyadh; we could not come because our male guardians are in jail.
A few videos of the protests were posted on YouTube by user islamicps07. Here are two of them:
News of arrests was published online soon after the protests.
Also read:
Saudi Arabia: “Release Our Detainees or Put Them on Trial!”

author: Mona Kareem


text:
Tajikistan: Sharia Replaces Secular Law · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Blogger Kayumars Ato writes [ru] that Sharia, or Islamic law, is gradually replacing secular law in Tajikistan. Excessive red tape and corruption in the country's courts increasingly lead Tajiks to consult Islamic leaders for guidance in disputes relating to marriage, divorce, and inheritance.


text:
Tajikistan: After Being Banned, ‘The Dictator’ Movie Goes Viral · Global Voices
Musharraf

Less than a month after being banned in Tajikistan, Sacha Baron Cohen's latest spoof blockbuster, ‘The Dictator‘, has become one of the most searched for movies in the country's DVD stores. Tajik blogger Harsavor (Donkey Rider) writes [ru] that in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, people shopping for pirate DVDs these days most often ask for ‘The Dictator’.
The movie was banned in late May, officially for not fitting the “local mentality” or for not having a good enough “profit potential”.
Tajik netizens are unanimous in suggesting that ‘The Dictator’ owes its sudden popularity in Tajikistan to the official ban. After a Tajik news website reported [ru] about the authorities confiscating ‘The Dictator’ pirate DVDs from sellers, one reader comments [ru]:
чушь полнейшая…глупо изымать из проката нелицензированные диски просто потому, что после искусственно разведенного ажиотажа желание посмотреть этот фильм и все ниже перечисленные будет еще сильнее, а интернет еще ни кто не отменял. фильмы вышедшие в мировой прокат буквально через неделю появляются на торрентах пусть и в плохом качестве их можно с легкостью скачать – самому посмотреть и друзьям дать […]. запретный плод всегда сладок и приятен!
One Facebook user, Abdumannon Sheraliev, writes [tj] on the ‘Platforma‘, a Tajik discussion forum on news and politics in the country:
Ачаб масъулине мо дорем! Хар хидмате ба давлат мехоханд кунанд ба хидмати хирсона табдил меёбад. Хамин падарлаънати “Диктатор”-ро агар манъ намекарданд, шояд касе намоиш хам намедод. Агар намоиш медоданд, шояд 0,1 фоизи мардум тамошо мекард […]. Акнун чунон карданд, ки онро хама мехоханд бинанд.
Another Facebook user, Jasur Ashurov, comments [ru], also on the ‘Platforma':
Глупо! В Таджикистане всего 4 кинотеатра, где показывают лицензионное кино: 2 в Душанбе, 1 в Курган-Тюбе и 1 в Худжанде. Ну сколько человек посмотрели бы этот фильм в четырех кинотеатрах? Тысяча человек максимум. А теперь о фильме говорят все и все хотят его посмотреть. Наверняка теперь “Диктатор” станет самым ходовым фильмом в местах продажи пиратских DVD и самым скачиваемым фильмом в Таджикистане.
Tajik blogger Salimi Ayoubzod analyzes international media reports covering the ban of the movie in Tajikistan. Concerned about the negative publicity for the country caused by the ban, he writes [tj]:
Ман ёд надорам, ки дар ду-се соли охир дар ягон мавзӯи марбут ба Тоҷикистон расонаҳои ҷаҳон ин гуна таваҷҷӯҳ […] нишон дода бошанд.
Although the officials would not admit it, ‘The Dictator’ has most likely been banned because they were afraid that Tajiks who watch the movie will draw parallels between the film's General Aladeen, the despotic ruler of the north African rogue state Wadia, and their own autocratic and election-rigging ruler who has been in office since 1992. The movie has also been banned in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

author: Musharraf


text:
Brazil: Deeper Media Coverage of Belo Monte Dam Needed · Global Voices
Priscila Kesselring

This post is part of our special coverage Dossiê Belo Monte (Belo Monte Dossier) [pt] and Forest Focus: Amazon.
A lot of information is shared everyday around the world about controversy surrounding the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric powerplant in the Amazon. At the same time, however, it is unclear how well circulated the concerns of those to be directly affected – the river-dwellers, ‘caboclos‘ and indigenous peoples – by what some have labeled ‘pharaonic’ construction work.
For Verena Glass, journalist and communications coordinator for the social and environmentalist collective Movimento Xingu Vivo Para Sempre (Movement [River] Xingu Alive Forever) [pt], “Belo Monte is not a matter for Brazilians only, as it deals with human rights violations”.
In April 2011, after several traditional communities complained to the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Commission on Human Right (IACHR) asked the Brazilian government to immediately suspend the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam project in order to safeguard indigenous rights. Since then, mainstream media has started giving more attention to the coverage of the events related to Belo Monte.
Protesters against the Belo Monte dam, Altamira. Photo by K. L. Hoffmann copyright Demotix (19/08/2011)
More than a year after the request was sent, the final report of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations about the situation in Brazil was presented [pt] on May 30 in Geneva. Among five of the highlighted concerns of the participating countries, the report enumerates the effects of large-scale construction work on the forced removal of the populations, and stresses the need to improve the protection of the indigenous and Maroon peoples.
Given the circumstances, Glass stated that international media is covering the events in Belo Monte more effectively than national media, as well as promoting a deeper debate, one that makes it onto the radar of the United Nations.
Action against journalistic sloth
Glass believes that some phenomena spurs media coverage of the Belo Monte Damn, leading to greater awareness and mobilization. One such example is musician Sting's efforts to protect indigenous rights through the NGO that he founded, Rainforest Foundation. One such example is musician Sting's efforts to protect indigenous rights through the NGO that he founded, Rainforest Foundation.
Anthropologist and economist Betty Mindlin pondered:
O aumento dos protestos pelas redes sociais contra as obras no Pará me alegram muito e é importante que grandes nomes estejam participando das discussões da Amazônia.
The media has a great responsibility in the formation of public opinion, she said, but the scholastic education of the Brazilian population should also address Belo Monte's environmental and social issues. Mindlin believes in the viability of economical development allied to social justice. However, in order to accomplish it, social movements must take strong action above all in Brazil and trigger the interest of the students. “This critical view must exist since the early days”, emphasized the anthropologist.
About 150 families from neighborhoods that will be flooded by the construction of the Belo Monte dam were violently evicted by police in Altamira, Brazil. Photo by K. L. Hoffmann copyright Demotix (17/06/2012)
According to Glass, there is a lack of precise and comprehensive information about the individuals who will be affected by the Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (Growth Acceleration Program, PAC) project. She said she considers that the distortion and misinformation concerning the social impacts of the dam are the result of a simplistic choice between good and evil, which ends up representing a “Manichean” view on traditional and river-dwelling communities.
Leonardo Sakamoto [pt], a journalist, PhD in Political Sciences and professor in the Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-SP), highlighted:
As pessoas das grandes cidades brasileiras olham para a Amazônia como sendo, de um lado, habitada por ‘bons selvagens’, e, de outro, um vazio demográfico,
According to Betty Mindlin, we live in a divided society in which there are myths both good and bad, such as that the Amazon is uninhabited, which ends up favoring destructive occupations of the territory.
Photographing a photographer in Rio Madeira, Porto Velho, Rondônia. Photo by Guilherme Jófili on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
On the other hand, Leonardo Sakamoto stated that nowadays there is still a lot of passion for the rights of the people, mainly the indigenous, and many forget the submission of those people to the capital. “Those individuals are flesh and bones,  they have interests”, emphasized the journalist, referring to the promises of reward made by Norte Energia (the company in charge of the construction work) to the local population. That way, said Sakamoto, having a Manichean approach is easier for journalists as it does not require thinking and finding the facts:
O jornalista é fruto do que ele vive e por isso reproduzimos os mesmos erros de cobertura do passado.
For both Sakamoto and Glass, media should show that what is wrong in the region is not good against evil. “What there is is not all good”, said Sakamoto. Both journalists believe that in order to give a voice to the alternatives arising beyond the “good and evil” agenda about Belo Monte, a critical discourse must be developed, taking into account individual circumstances and opinions. The easiness and shallowness of producing a superficial and sporadic news piece,  as most of the mass media vehicles do, doesn't ensure it.
Belo Monte as a spearhead
Aerial view of the hydroelectric powerplant of Santo Antônio, Madeira river, Rondônia. Photo by Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento PAC on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant follows the energy model of President Dilma Rousseff's government and will cost the public treasure around R$ 30 billion [approximately USD$ 14.75 billion] – one of the biggest investments in the history of the Brazilian Development Bank.
PAC also includes dams of Madeira, Jirau and Santo Antônio rivers, with the latter having its two turbines in operation for two months. Meanwhile, with a budget twice as big as Santo Antônio's, Belo Monte may become the spearhead for planning other constructions.
As the journalist from the collective Xingu Vivo Para Sempre, Glass said:
Dependendo da resistência em Belo Monte, o governo vai pensar se vale a pena construir em outros lugares.
Journalist and sociologist Lúcio Flávio Pinto also questioned the media's coverage of the dams. On his blog Cartas da Amazônia (Letters from the Amazon), he stated [pt] that the attention of the media and the opinion of the Brazilian people is taken to paroxysm before it can lead to an action:
Quando o momento de intervir se apresenta, está desatenta, já perdeu o interesse, passou para outro item da agenda.
He suggested that instead of focusing only on the issue of Belo Monte, mainstream media should follow the Santo Antônio hydroelectric dam on the Madeira River, Rondônia, in operation for almost two months, and concluded:
Uma vez tornadas prontas e acabadas, os que a vinham acompanhando partem para outro front.
It is still unknown if the goals of recent protests against Belo Monte are practical or only in defense of a cause that will soon disappear. The superficiality and distortion by the Brazilian press only increase the uncertainty about the case. Sakamoto advocated for a “trench journalist” to take a deeper look at the everyday perspectives and real interests of the Amazonians.
This post is part of our special coverage Dossiê Belo Monte (Belo Monte Dossier) [pt] and Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Priscila Kesselring


text:
Colombia: Governor of Antioquia Denounces Death Threats · Global Voices
Lully

On June 7, during a press conference via Twitcam, Governor Sergio Fajardo of Antioquia announced [es] that his security is at risk. Authorities told him on Saturday, June 2, that someone “wants to kill you”. Fajardo said that intelligence services have taken action and that an investigation is underway. The governor's name became a local trending topic on Twitter [es].

author: Lully


text:
Cuba: Symposium Against Homophobia, for Inclusion and Diversity · Global Voices
Rafael Gonzalez

The acceptance of others is one of the great challenges that contemporary societies face. Since 2008 in Cuba, a symposium against homophobia has been held in May with activities against all types of discrimination related to gender identity and sexual orientation.
The event is coordinated by the National Centre for Sex Education (Cenesex) [es] – the country's main official promoter of the recognition of sexual diversity and gender equality. Its main objective is “to contribute to the education of the whole society, with an emphasis on the family, respecting the right to free and responsible sexual orientation and gender identity as an exercise of equality and social justice.”
In several cities, especially in the host city this year, Cienfuegos, parades, festivals, films, plays and art exhibitions were held to promote respect for sexual diversity and the fight against homophobia.  The writer Virgilio Piñera (1912-1979), who was silenced in the 1970s due to his homosexuality, was also honored.
Parade accompanied by conga music and stilts in the central Avenue 23 in La Rampa, during the Fifth Cuban Day against Homophobia, 12 May 2012.  Photo:  Courtesy AIN FOTO/Omara García Mederos
For the fifth consecutive year, Street 23 in central Havana was host to a conga (Cuban folk dance) which brought together hundreds of people with different histories and motivations.  Many people from the academic world and civil society discussed the the topic homosexuality in meetings, panels and debates, and in particular they discussed the the vulnerability associated with HIV.
As expected, the Cuban blogosphere was the center of heated debates. In the blog La isla y la espina [es], Rey Alexander Rodríguez Cureux presents one of the recurring issues being talked among Cubans since the celebration of the 5th Symposium Against Homophobia:  the date on which the symposium is held.  The Symposium is held on the same date as the Day of the Peasant.
Cureux says in his blog that in the homophobic and chauvinistic national discourse this coincidence would be translated as “screwing the peasant's day to have a day celebrating homosexuals.”
The post concludes:
Quizás se debe insistir en la homogeneidad de la celebración. En que no palidezca en las provincias, después de una celebración nacional. En que antes, durante o después de ella, los medios de comunicación se hagan eco del suceso ‘social’, no en la ‘red de redes’, de acceso limitado.
Que se entienda que es un llamado a la unidad, a través del respeto.
Maybe one should insist that everyone takes part in the celebration. That the provinces do not pale in significance in comparison with a national celebration. So that, before, during or after the event the media can speak of a'social’ success, not just in some networks or places with limited access.
One must understand that this is a call for unity through respect.
Francisco Rodriguez Cruz, blogger, journalist and one of the most outspoken activists of gay rights movement in Cuba, devoted several posts to the topic in his blog PaquitoeldeCuba [es] dedicated mostly to LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed) thematics. In a post dated 30 May [es] he talks about of the warning raised by an activist about a book recently published in Cuba that makes pejorative references to homoseuxality. The call to remove the book from sale motivated many commentators to criticise the attitude, which he believes is an unforgivable act of censorship.
One reader dubbed as “the Reporter” commented on his post:.
Ve a la televisión y machaca al autor, pisotéalo, arráncale los pelos pero él tiene todo el derecho de expresar su opinión.
Another post [es] addresses the panel discussion that took place in Cienfuegos, where on the same day as the symposium a famous ex-baseball player publicly acknowledged the existence of gay players in Cuba and the difficulties they face due to the homophobia that prevails in the sport.
‘Sí conozco muchos atletas, y en mi deporte el beisbol, que tienen inclinación por personas del mismo sexo, pero no lo demuestran producto de ese mismo ambiente. En el deporte no se admite, dentro de los mismos atletas, ese ambiente que a veces no está acorde con un juego de beisbol o cualquier otro deporte’, dijo el antiguo pelotero.
Cuánto sufrimiento e injusticia padecerían esos deportistas que en el béisbol o en otras disciplinas, tienen que ocultar su orientación sexual, no pueden hablar y mostrar sus afectos y sentimientos como el resto de sus compañeros o compañeras, bajo pena de recibir burlas y rechazo, y en casos extremos, hasta la separación de sus equipos.
‘Yes, I know many athletes within baseball who have same-sex preferences, but they do not show it.  In this sport it is not accepted, the environment they find themselves in is not consistent with a baseball game or any other sport,’ said the former player.
These athletes suffer so much in baseball or in other sports – they have to hide their sexual orientation, they cannot speak and show their emotions and feelings like the rest of their teammates. They face being the subject of ridicule and rejection, to the point, in extreme cases, of being expelled from their teams.
Due to the interactive characteristics of blogs, recently it has been the participants who take over the discussion and direct the post towards areas that have little to do with the original post.  At one point, comments in Paquito's blog discussed the controversial visit to the United States of the Cenesex director Mariela Castro.  Her relationship with the leading figures of the country (she is the daughter of President Raúl Castro) came under scrutiny and her defence of sexual diversity was questioned, especially as she is known as “the little princess” by some members of the opposition.
The website Café Fuerte [es], known for its critique of the Cuban government, recognized the positive step made by the country in publishing an editorial [es] in the Granma newspaper (official organ of the Cuban Communist Party).  In this editorial, the journalist and health specialist José de la Osa explains the motives behind the celebration of the Symposium Against Homophobia in Cuba.
Café Fuerte shows how in the same newspaper that once in the 1970's referred to homosexuality as an “ideological deviation”, now, almost four decades later, promotes the acceptance of difference.  This policy is consistent with what was recently approved during the First National Conference of the Cuban Communist Party (CCP) – which explicitly rejects all forms of discrimination based on skin color, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and territorial origin, and states that they are contrary to the Constitution and laws of the island.
Mariela Castro stated that the CCP National Conference, held last January, left her with an “ambivalent feeling.”  “I was left dissatisfied because I had hoped for a deeper discussion and that we could participate in these dialogues,” she said.  She added however that the objectives of the CCP “are general guidelines” that mark the path for a way of working “deeper”.
Various blogs have discussed the challenges the Cuban government faces in recognizing the legal equality of non-heterosexuals.  Along this tortuous path is the bill that would amend the Family Code to give way to laws such as the legal union between same sex couples.  After years of waiting, the bill has not yet been brought before the National Assembly for discussion, although since 2008 it is a part of a legislative plan of the Ministry of Justice.  Mariela Castro has referred to the “obstacles” this bill has confronted.
However, the LGBTI movement considers the administrative approval of sex change operations in 2008 to be a major victory.  This move has generated controversy by some that believe that the Cuban government should not spend resources on issues that they believe to not be “life threatening.”

author: Rafael Gonzalez


text:
Egypt: Is Mubarak Dead?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Is ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak dead? This question is being raised on social networking sites for the umpteenth time. Here is how Twitter users reacted to the latest round of rumours.
According to news reports, Mubarak is “slipping in and out of consciousness.” The news comes days after Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of protesters during the Egyptian revolution, which brought an end to his 32-year rule.
Activist Rasha Abdulla announces:
@RashaAbdulla: Strong rumors of #Mubarak’s death. #Egypt
Fellow activist Hossam El Hamalawy reacts:
@3arabawy: Whether Mubarak is dead or alive, we still need to overthrow the workplace Mubaraks http://is.gd/DQKdGP #RevSoc
And Marwa Elnaggar reminds us:
@marwame: #Mubarak isn't a person. Mubarak is a regime. Rumor has it the person is sick & dying. Fact is, the regime is alive & kicking. #Egypt
Meanwhile, journalist Tom Gara suspects foul play. He writes:
@tomgara: Given how zealously Egyptian authorities used to guard news of Mubarak's health, aren't these recent leaks transparent attempts at spin?
In 2008, Al Dustour's editor-in-chief Ibrahim Essa was jailed for speculating about Mubarak's health.
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Egypt: Sexual Harassment as a Weapon Against Dissent? · Global Voices
Rayna St.

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
June 8 was “Determination Friday” in Cairo, and people gathered at Tahrir Square in protest against verdicts from former president Mubarak trial. Fewer remained for the anti-sexual harassment protest starting at 6pm, a clear stand against increasing sexual harassment female protesters suffer.
Blogger Mina Naguib gives a brief wrap-up of the slogans raised at the demonstration:
“صوت المرأة مش عورة ، صوت المرأة ثورة ثورة” – Women’s voice isn’t a sin, Women’s voice is a revolution.
“التحرش مش هيفيدك .. جرب تانى هقطع إيدك” – Sexual harassment won’t benefit you, try again and I’ll cut off your hand.
“إبعت هات متحرشين .. مش هنطاطى ولا هنلين” – Bring more harassers, we won’t bow or soften”
Shortly after the peaceful gathering started, it was violently attacked by a mob of hundreds of men. A storm of outraged and worried reactions followed the announcement and didn't stop even after everything was over:
@Psypherize: The #EndSH march was attacked. We acted. Now its over. End of story. #Tahrir
@Zeyadsalem: I am really saddened by the news about attacking the march against sexual harassment at #Tahrir
@MoeSolitary: It bugs them that the people are in power when it comes to Tahrir premises, it KILLs them that WOMEN are in power today. #Tahrir
@sotsoy: Why is there a need to attack and violate women? I really don't get it. parents obviously didn't raise them right.
@Reem_Abdellatif: I've literally heard men look at women protesters & say: “What do they want? F***ing stay at home. They deserve to be broken” #Egypt #Endsh
@SameralAtrush: Utterly disgusting scenes on Talat Harb off tahrir, women has to be protected inside small clothes store, then spirited into cab
Reactions during and after the chaotic situation revived the painful question about sexual harassment in Egypt:
@spelllz: 96.7% of Egyptian women & 86.9% of foreign women – didnt seek police assistance because because no one would help them #EndSH
@spelllz: 62.4% of the males confirmed that they have perpetrated and/or continue to perpetrate one or more of the forms of harassment #EndSH
@spelllz: 49.8% being ogling women's bodies, 27.7% whistling and shouting comments, 15.9% shouting sexually explicit comments, #EndSH
@spelllz: 15.4% phone harassment, 13.4% unwanted touching of women’s bodies, 12.2% following and stalking, 4.3% exposed or pointed out his penis #EndSH
This time, however, reactions were also strongly politically tainted. Assaults seem to be on the rise [ar] in the last months and numerous human rights organizations have expressed strong concern [ar] that such violence affects women participation in political activities on the ground.
Feminist studies centre Nazra notes [ar]:
تعرب المنظمات الموقعة أدناه عن قلقها البالغ من ارتفاع وتيرة التحرش الجنسي والعنف ضد المتظاهرات في ميدان التحرير والشوارع المحيطة به منذ اندلاع موجة الاحتجاجات الأخيرة في أعقاب إعلان الحكم في قضية مبارك يوم السبت الثاني من يونيو 2012. ويأتي القلق من معدلات العنف غير المسبوقة، والتي أجمع شهود العيان على حدوثها، دافعا البعض إلى الاعتقاد أنها ممارسات عمدية لإقصاء النساء من محيط التظاهر والاحتجاج.
Such a position is given credit:
@deena_adel: I'm one of the many, many females who stopped going to Tahrir almost completely because I'm too exhausted to deal with the sexual harassment
@MaliciaRogue: This increase in harassment & attacks on women looks like the little brother of rape during wars.Aims at destabilizing & discouraging #endSh
@MonaBassel: What will a guy benefit when he sexually harasses a woman? It's like they are trying to break us. #endSH #egypt
In his blog “Informed Comment”, Juan Cole discusses this possibility after the attack:
Pro-Shafiq ruffians have broken up news conferences and attacked a women’s conference a couple of weeks ago when I was in Cairo. That is, some activists suspect that the women were assaulted not because they are women but because they are revolutionaries continuing to threaten the prerogatives of the Mubarak elite. If women, then Coptic Christians, then other groups can be peeled off from the youth revolutionaries, they fear, the movement could be much weakened.
Philip Brennan takes a more determined position in favor of the fear sexual harassment is possibly used as a weapon against dissent:
The use of sexual assault at political protests serves two biopolitical purposes: it makes such protests a very unwelcome environment for female protesters and discourages their participation while making many male protesters feel helpless in the face of government brutality, again, in order to discourage their participation as well. It is a tactic of fear, terrorism, used by the state against its populace.
Merna Thomas called for caution:
@mernathomas: please dont dismiss the attacks on the anti-harassment protest so easily.There is no evidence tht it was hired thugs/regime tactic. #endSH
In an attempt to prevent reactions sliding into the “men-hate-women” rhetoric that recently sparkled a huge debate, Egyptian journalist Mohammed Abdelfattah tweeted:
@mfatta7: Instead of venting your hate against an entire gender, recognize that women paid their lives across history for rights. #endsh
As pointed above and echoed by various people, sexual harassment goes totally unpunished in Egypt, and even worse, women are blamed for being violated:
@yarakhairy: i don't want to live in a country where i get blamed when someone else harasses me! #endSH
Although written before the Friday's attack, a post by Mohamed Kassem entitled “Why Do You Never Blame Me?” addresses this question in gloomy terms turning to the whole country:
Dear Misr [Egypt],
[…]
I don’t consider myself a bad person; it’s how men are created, it’s inevitable and no one is in a position of changing our human nature. God molded men with a hungry appetite, so how does that make it our fault? My appetite growls, and I have everything I need in front of me, so why not give it what it asks, and why not please my needs? After all, they pretty much ask for it.
[…]
Talking about society, I remember the time our Army stomped a women and ripped her clothes off. There were plenty of protests; I didn’t quite understand why they were so angry about it though. What difference is there between the army and I? I tend to tear women’s clothes nearly everyday, no-one blames me, why do they blame the army then, for an act they silently accept from each and every one of us, every singly day?
[…]
Sometimes though, I watch irrelevant tv shows, like the one Yosra was leading role in. Portrays how much we truly are hated for attacking the vulnerable category of women. And this is where the reason I write you this letter comes. I noticed through such TV-shows/movies, and through a couple of articles I read in hidden columns in newspapers that I really am considered a bad person. I really am viewed as putrid as a speck of dirt on a crystal clear glass of cold, ice water. I don’t understand, I really am confused, and I actually sense an urge to find the answer to a question I have longing to find out through no-one but my people, my society and my leaders:
Why do you hate me, if you never blame me?
Yours,
An Ordinary-Egyptian-Rapist
Mohammed Yahia pointed to an interview [video, ar] on television in which women who were harassed spoke about their experience:
@MohammedY: Dream 2 has an interview with several girls who were attacked today during the sexual harassment march. It's v disgusting #EndSH
A call was also launched to gather images and video materials from the attack. Meanwhile, the human rights organization Nazra For Feminist Studies has a hotline where victims of sexual harassment can get psychological support and help.
Also read:
Egypt: March to End Sexual Harassment Attacked
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Rayna St.


text:
Iran: #RememberIran in election anniversary · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Iranian users in Twitter are sharing their ideas, memories, and feelings about Iranian 10th presidential election in June 2009, which resulted in protests called The Green Movement under the hash-tag #RememberIran. There are some tweets reminding that two protests leaders have been under house arrest for 480 days.

author: Hadi Nili


text:
Kenya: The State of Social Media · Global Voices
Collins Mbalo

Mark Kaigwa is a Kenyan communications consultant working with brands, businesses and nonprofits across Africa helping them use media across mobile and web technology to impact Africans. He blogs at mark: my words.
Collins Mbalo (CM): Tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are and how long have you been blogging or interested in the social media space?
Mark Kaigwa (MK): I've been involved in digital projects in a number of capacities over the past 5 years. I joined Twitter in '08 among other social networks and grew my interest from a passive recipient to an active participant of social media in Africa. Now I work as a consultant across traditional and new media. I've been blogging for over 4 years now as well.
Mark Kaigwa. Photo by Suzanne Lehn (@osusanna)
CM: You recently served as a judge in the inaugural bloggers association of Kenya (BAKE) Awards, is there anything in particular you would like to share about the blogs, the content, the readership and the public response?
MK: I was honoured to serve as a judge and thank the team at the Bloggers Association for the opportunity. I must say that the quality of content nominated was outstanding. There were undiscovered gems that I believe will become shining lights in the blogosphere in the months and years to come. The rest of the judges would agree with me in saying that the content excelled in variety, language, character and creativity. Happy to have been part of a process to bring that to the spotlight in one of Africa's growing hotspots of technology.
CM: As a content creator do you follow any blogs and or maintain a policy as to which types of blogs to follow?
MK: I certainly do for my work at Afrinnovator and AfricanDigitalArt respectively. Not to mention guest posting and doing columns for a range of online publications. With this in mind I follow numerous blogs and authors across the web across a range of interests. I think it would be difficult to do this without also taking part in using a social bookmarking service. For me I use Diigo, Delicious and ifttt. This way whether or not I subscribe to a blog I'm able to revisit why I picked that piece of writing or content and use it or cross-reference it later. Interests range from innovation, management consulting, business, design, leadership, African film & animation.
CM: There are a lot of new blogs coming up of late what is your take on their content, appeal and or relevancy in the Kenyan context?
MK: I think the intent is in the right place. We should stimulate and motivate more Kenyans to turn into consumers more than creators.
CM: Has corporate blogging come of age in Kenya?
MK: Definitely not. It hasn't even set itself on the starting line, in my opinion. Companies have been quick to rush into social media when for some you'll find that they're not even well established in search engines. Priorities in digital communications are warped and expectations can be unrealistic in terms of what a business will get out of interacting with customers. Blogging is a powerful tool for business and lead generation and yet I'm surprised most digital consultants are quick to build Facebook pages and Twitter accounts as opposed to making websites that convert prospects to consumers and evaluating what social means to the business as a whole.
CM: Blogging Incumbents versus Newcomers: has there been a significant change in the manner of blogging in the two groups and who best reflects the spirit that the Kenyan blogging fraternity should embrace?
MK: I'd say it's a good mix at the moment. Movements like POWO (Poets and Writers Online) are doing a great job of bridging the gap between the two and getting established voices and people who've maintained the elusive consistency behind top bloggers to share their work, ideas and give practical advice to up and coming bloggers. I did a session where I advocated for “lazy man's blogging” which was how I referred to the quick-and-dirty blogging I would do with images, text and video on my Posterous blog. That's an example of taking all the misconceptions I had about blogging and giving the practical aspect in a simple way to an audience of new bloggers.
CM: Do you believe that there is need for a bloggers’ code of ethics?
MK: I believe the entire discussion on public disclosure is one yet to be had and there's plenty of questions as blogging gains prominence in Kenya that need to be addressed. The code of ethics goes beyond just disclosure to set a clear standard for bloggers as they interact with brands, businesses and communications agencies. If someone has a conflict of interest, is being paid or receiving gifts or gains from a source, they have an ethical imperative to declare that to their audience and the public. Also this code of ethics dictates the terms of engaging fellow bloggers and subject matter.
CM: How would you describe the state of the Kenyan blogosphere now? If there has been growth, what would you attribute it to and is there room for improvement?
MK: The present in the Kenyan blogosphere is promising indeed. We have a nascent Tumblr.com movement that's picking up locally. Also we've had microblogging pick up steam especially with Twitter locally prompting people to get familiar with consuming content and reading articles and other local/international content sources. There has also been investment in several content & media start-ups such as Ghafla! in entertainment and PesaTalk in business. However long form writing and blogging and platforms such as Blogger by Google or WordPress as much as they've grown still need people to switch from micro-blogging and consumption to content creation. Testament to this growth has been the formation of BAKE’ to represent the interests of this growing community.
CM: Do you feel that blogging has been accepted as a credible and influential source of information and news in Kenya?
MK: Definitely. We've seen bloggers hosted on television to air out differences some weeks back not to mention getting their material referenced and quoted by traditional media (at times without attribution from the journalists.) That said, blogs are a double-edged sword and so you'll find that there are some sources that exercise freedom of speech to the fullest extent and this at times has been at the expense of the subject or people they have discussed. Many in traditional media feel the threat of the blogosphere since it is completely out of their control and has an impact on search engines which everyone going online frequents. It's yet to be looked at as one of their greatest opportunities.
CM: What has been the Kenyan experience in terms of social media and microblogging platforms such as Twitter and Facebook? Is this the new frontier in blogging?
MK: The advent of those two social networks can't be understated. Kenya, along with Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana over the past 2 years are some of the markets where Facebook has occasionally beaten search giant Google as the number 1 most visited site in the country. This trend is more present in emerging markets and developing countries and shows the power of social media in these territories and across the world. Twitter's popularity has seen it grow steadily to guesstimates of +300k registered users. This is also being pushed on by adoption among popular media and social personalities not to mention politicians. I think blogging platforms like Tumblr and Posterous pose a most interesting new avenue for blogging and we've seen over time WordPress adopt some of the social features that have made Tumblr a global success. For Kenya the new frontier is lowering barriers to access and create content from feature phones and basic phones. Twitter for SMS is great, but how we take on the challenge of blogging is a whole new question.
CM: In your opinion, do you believe that Kenyan Bloggers have the necessary freedom to fully express themselves as they should or is there room for improvement?
MK: I believe they do. We've had political bloggers emerge who share their points of view and though there has been some reproach brought to some, the atmosphere favours freedom of speech online. Self censorship may be a topic that should be discussed but at present Kenya's outlook is positive.
CM: What are some of the main challenges and or limitations that Kenyan bloggers face?
MK: Monetizing content, consistency and topics remain factors concerning Kenyan bloggers. However, looking into the future one area still remains unaddressed. Technology is still a factor and perhaps functional literacy could be considered one of the challenges. The persistent and committed blogger, who isn't in a position to own a laptop, may occasionally visit a cyber cafe and type out a blog post or borrow one to create content. However, outside of the cyber cafe and universities or offices with the power of the smartphones in people's pockets and their ability to create and blog on the go it remains a challenge to make this the primary source of content creation. The advent of the undersea cables, the preparation for LTE (4G) and the great coverage in mobile network signal and competitive data pricing mean this is unexplored territory.
CM: What role if any will Kenyan bloggers play in next year’s elections?
MK: In my opinion, many bloggers don't seem as captivated by politics or the electoral process though it may just be that we are still some way off from March 2013. In general, there are a handful of those who choose to blog about the electoral process, but that's not to say each blogger doesn't have their own opinion. Politics is often viewed through the lens of traditional media sources and online with mainstream media websites and news segments via YouTube.
If we look at bloggers today, most seem to pick niches and topics of their interest and politics stirs few of them. Citizen journalism however is the dark horse that's yet to fully emerge in a single and strong platform. Interesting developments in this space include Al Jazeera's Sauti Project. Undoubtedly there will be a role to play in next year's election and it may surprise us that it comes from citizen journalism than from individual bloggers.

author: Collins Mbalo


text:
Myanmar: Department of Historical Research Website · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Myanmar's Department of Historical Research has a new website which provides access to documents and studies about the history of the country

author: Mong Palatino