text:
Ecuador to Implement Charges for Private Copying Levy · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Image from Shutterstock. Copyright: S_L
UPDATE: Since the original publication of this article in Spanish, there have been no significant changes to the information reported, except that the list of products to be taxed by the Levy was publicized on Facebook [es] by the association Usuarios Digitales (Digital Users).
[All links lead to Spanish language pages, unless otherwise noted.]
A proposal put forward by the Ecuadorian Institute of Intellectual Property (IEPI) would impose an additional tax of 4%-10% on the importation of all music and video players, such as cell phones, personal computers, and tablets, as well as storage devices (CDs, DVDs, etc).
Faced with rumors and varying opinions about the proposal, known as Compensated Remuneration for Private Copying (RCCP), or private copying levy, the IEPI released a statement on December 10th explaining that the proposed measure is not a tax and that it falls under the provision of the current Ecuadorian Intellectual Property Law. The statement emphasizes that the current law already establishes the RCCP in its articles 105 to 108, so the project they are working on has to do with the implementation of the RCCP, as well as the distribution of the compensation that is collected. The IEPI added:
Se desinforma cuando se afirma que existe un impuesto a descargas, o un cargo tributario dirigido al Servicio de Rentas Internas, al Servicio de Aduanas o directamente al IEPI por cada descarga que se realiza. Eso es falso y contiene una intencionalidad deliberada para confundir a los usuarios.
It is mistaken to claim that there exists a tax on downloads or a fiscal tax going to the Internal Revenue Service, Customs Service, or directly to the IEPI for each download that takes place. This is false and is intended to deliberately confuse users.
Roberto Aspiazu, executive director of the Ecuador Business Council and the Ecuadorian Telecommunications Association (ASETEL), is one of those who has made clear his rejection of the measure, saying that it is only a different name for a tax of 4% for cell phones and other devices.
In an interview with local media on the subject, Aspiazu criticized the contradictions of the Ecuadorian government: “We will end up with a 24% tax. Brazil, which produces electronics, has a 16% tax, but that is in order to protect its industry. We, who have no industry, are raising the tax to 24% and then claiming that we want public policy that facilitates access to mobile Internet.”
JJ Velasco, writing for ALT1040, compares this measure to similar laws in Mexico and Spain (the Sinde Law [en]), and explains that it is not a tool of dissuasion, but rather a collections process whose original model dates back to around 2007. This model assumes that everyone is pirating and therefore increases the cost of devices that can be used for such activity. Velasco continues:
En estos años el escenario ha cambiado mucho y la oferta de contenidos legales es enorme y sigue estando a buen precio. Spotify sigue su expansión por Latinoamérica (acaba de aterrizar en Chile y Colombia), Google ofrece música a través de Google Play, Apple también ofrece música a través de iTunes y, gracias a Netflix, también podemos encontrar películas y series en streaming legal; con tanta oferta multidispositivo ¿en serio van a imponer un canon a los dispositivos? El Gobierno defiende la medida porque supone una fuente de financiación para los artistas ecuatorianos pero, realmente, tiene un impacto directo sobre el usuario final.
In these years, the situation has changed significantly: the availability of legal content is enormous and continues to be affordable. Spotify is continuing its expansion in Latin America (it just made its debut in Chile and Colombia), Google offers music via Google Play, Apple also offers music through iTunes, and, thanks to Netflix, we can also legally stream movies and TV shows. With so many multi-device options, are they really going to impose a levy on these devices? The government defends the measure because it would be a source of funding for Ecuadorian artists but, in reality, it has a direct impact on the end-user.
On the blog Derecho en Bicicleta, the anonymous author lists several reasons that s/he believes justify his/her opposition to this project: first, it is unconstitutional, and second, it contradicts the concept of the social knowledge economy, which was defended by the President of Ecuador himself. Regarding the unconstitutionality of the project, the blogger argues that it violates Article 287 of the Ecuadorian constitution, explaining:
La remuneración por copia privada es una tasa creada en una ley de 1998, que establece la obligación de que un particular (el importador o fabricante) pague a otro particular (la sociedad recaudadora creada por los artistas) por algo que no han acordado mutuamente: es una imposición. Puede comprenderse que el Estado imponga la obligación de pagar impuestos, pero es irracional que una ley obligue a un privado pagar un valor a otro privado, sin que haya mutuo consentimiento. Por esto es clave enfatizar que quien recibe el canon digital no es una entidad pública: no es el Estado, es un particular. Es esto lo que lo hace (a mi juicio) inconstitucional.
The private copying levy is a tax created in a law from 1998, which establishes the obligation of one party (the importer or manufacturer) to pay another party (the collections society created by the artists) for something that has not been mutually agreed upon: it is an imposition. It is feasible for the State to impose an obligation to pay taxes, but it is irrational for a law to require a private entity to pay a given amount to another private entity without mutual consent. For this reason, it is important to emphasize that the recipient of the private copying levy is not a public entity: it is not the State, but a private entity. This is what makes the levy, in my opinion, unconstitutional.
Various discussions on the topic can be found on Twitter under the tags: #Impuestospordescargas (Taxes on downloads), #pagoSINreproducir (I pay WITHOUT copying), and #noalcanon (no to the levy). Below are several highlights from the Twitter debate.
Efrén Guerrero speaks out against benefiting a dubious group of Ecuadorian artists:
Aqui que cada quien se gane el pan con su trabajo. No siendo compensado por no poder competir en el mercado. #noalcanon
— Efren Guerrero (@auraneurotica) December 6, 2013
Everyone should earn their living through their work. Not by being compensated for not being able to compete in the market.
Diego Cevallos put together a Storify with tweets on the subject:
Canon por “Remuneración compensatoria por copia privada” http://t.co/ZRp3mpsaTA #storify #noalcanon #iepi
— Diego Cevallos (@diegocevallosn) December 6, 2013
Levy for “Compensated Remuneration for Private Copying”
Carlos Correa of Creative Commons Ecuador shares a video conference with Santiago Cevallos, the National Director of Copyright and Derivative Rights of the IEPI:
hangout con @pscevallos del @IEPI_ecuador sobre #NoAlCanon http://t.co/HRxoi6pyzU
— calú (@calu) December 13, 2013
video conference with Santiago Cevallos of IEPI.
Mauricio Becerra argues that the anti-pirating measures should be focused elsewhere:
#PagoSINreproducir se inventan esto para no tocar a quien sabe quien…les da tanto miedo ir contra los verdaderos piratas.
— Mauricio Becerra (@mauricioxavier) December 12, 2013
They're inventing this to avoid dealing with who knows who… they're so afraid of going up against the real pirates.
Finally, Guillermex of the blog The Wild Children suggests that we should keep in mind the old saying “Innocent until proven guilty,” and then reflects:
Mientras el resto del mundo se vuelve loco por compartir y poner la música disponible y al alcance de todos; mientras en otras regiones, los computadores, laptops, tablets y todo aparato tecnológico se liberan de aranceles; mientras en todo el planeta tierra, los artistas suben a internet su material para que sea escuchado grateche; aquí, en el país de la revolución, hacemos todo mal y todo al revés.
While the rest of the world goes crazy sharing and making music available and accessible to everyone; while in other regions, computers, laptops, tablets, and all sorts of technology become free from taxes; while all over planet Earth artists are uploading their material to the internet to be listened to for free; here, in the country of the revolution, we are doing everything wrong and backwards.
For the time being, the result of this proposal is that internet users are putting forward a comprehensive discussion about the copyright model and casting doubt upon the government's proposal regarding digital media and the society of knowledge. Let's wait and see how the discussion develops.

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Nigerian Governor Reportedly Pays Bloggers for Meet-Up · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

In a rather unprecedented move, the government of Ekiti State in Nigeria invited some bloggers and social media enthusiasts to meet with the state Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who is up for re-election in early summer this year, with the aim of giving Nigerian bloggers a direct opportunity to assess the developmental strides in the state and also to engage the governor.
A group photograph of delegates at the #Ekiti State Social Media/Bloggers Interactive Forum with Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State (middle with wine red cap). Photo by Olumide (@gboukzi). Used with his permission
As was appropriate for a social media meet-up, the forum was announced via the Ekiti State government's Twitter handle. Some celebrated the state government's recognition of social media and blogging.
I am proud of Governor Kayode Fayemi for showing the world that Bloggers matter! I wish I was there in Ekiti myself
— J.J, Omojuwa (@omojuwa) February 8, 2014
Others took issue with the news that that bloggers who attended the event were paid 50,000 Nigerian Naira (about 307 US dollars).
Given that ‘brown pocket envelope’ syndrome has been the bane of traditional journalism in Nigeria and many of the bloggers are avouched critics of the government and any waste of public funds, conversation online zeroed in on the perceived double standards.
When politicians how press conferences, they give out brown envelopes. Foreign journalists usually refused. What's that tell you?
— bmc! (@ba55ey) February 11, 2014
Public commentator Feyi asked:
Erm, let me try again – Bloggers who attended the Ekiti event with Fayemi, were you paid? Was it for reimbursement? Or per diem?
— F (@DoubleEph) February 10, 2014
Influential Nigerian political Twitter commentator Chike did the arithmetic of double standards:
3. If Ekiti paid out N50,000 to 60 bloggers, that's N3,000,000 which is 3 times Akpabio's [Godswill Akpabio is the Governor of Akwa Ibom State] much derided “Mr. Biggs money” [Mr. Biggs is a fast food outlet in Nigeria] (N1,000,000).
— Mwalimu (@cchukudebelu) February 10, 2014
Mr Ebube D Patriot, a member of the ruling party, posited:
Our bloggers just did the same thing they accuse Maku & Abati for [Labaran Maku is the Minister of Information while Reuben Abati is the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity]. They criticized media tours. But when Ekiti offer came, story changed
— Mr Ebube D Patriot (@akaebube) February 10, 2014
Sports journalist Temisan said:
You blog about government wastes, get invited to a government Q&A, & collect money? Newsflash: y'all have chopped state funds o! Blog well.
— Temisan Okomi (@temiokomi) February 10, 2014
But some tweets were just sarcastic. For instance, Emeka, a government party tweep, said:
TBH, I don't believe Fayemi would be that mean to give them just 50k…
— Emeka (@iamtenseven) February 10, 2014
Nonetheless, not everyone was partisan in their analysis of the meeting. Mr Mobility (@Mister_Mobility), a mobile content curator, speaker and blogger, wrote the following post:
[…] a government has recognised the power of bloggers and social media and have created an opportunity to engage. This is a good move. We can expect more state governments to follow suit…
Some people are rightly bothered that such a forum is just another avenue to push government propaganda. Yes; that is likely so. But here is how it works. Invited bloggers are under obligation to report exactly what they see and hear – even if it is propaganda…
I have no idea whether or not the invited individuals were paid for the exercise, but I would hope that they were! People expecting bloggers not to be paid are odd. None of them work for their employer or clients for free…
When someone is hosting you and maybe also paying you, there is the question of how objective you can be. This is where people who understand business have no problems. They can separate issues. As mentioned above, news reporting is different from writing opinion. Separate the two and there are no issues…
Hosting a bloggers’ forum is no more unethical than calling a press conference or having a TV media chat. It is the same thing. Only the platform is different. There is nothing unethical about the Ekiti State Government hosting a social media or bloggers forum.
Others saw the forum as a good thing. On Twitter, Nedu was surprised by the uproar about the meet-up:
Wait wait wait, is anybody here grumbling about Fayemi inviting bloggers to Ekiti to assess his works and report their findings? Really?
— Nedu (@Nedunaija) February 8, 2014
One blogger who attended the event endorsed the governor for re-election:
I am impressed by how prudent and transparent Kayode Fayemi has been in the execution of projects in Ekiti State. Contracts are awarded at very modest and verifiable amounts, an example being the laptop project in which each unit costs about N60,000. […]
Kayode Fayemi has done well over the past three years and I urge the good people of Ekiti to give him a chance to continue the good work he has started by voting him as their governor for a second term. I urge them to be vigilant and hold him accountable at all times. As he goes about his campaign, visiting cities, towns and villages in the state, he will make promises and commitments, and they must hold him to these from day one of his second tenure.
My name is , and I endorse  for a second term as governor of
Another user neither supported the Ekiti bloggers meeting nor the traditional media good governance tour by the Minister of Information Labaru Maku. But he did not begrudge the bloggers who honoured the invitation:
Do I have a problem with Maku and Ekiti tours? YES! Are the media( Bloggers/mainstream) wrong to accept invitation? Hell NO!!!
— Otunba Bamidele (@emma_dele) February 7, 2014
However, other members of Nigerian social media and blogosphere had other problems with #JKFeedback, as the meet-up's hashtag was called. For instance, Twitter user Mr. Kermit argued that bloggers are not needed for the people of Ekiti to assess the government's pace of development. The citizens of the state can see it for themselves:
Are we implying that the people of Ekiti land don't know development when they see it? So the bloggers will know explain development to them
— Mr Kermit #JustBinIt (@ossai007) February 7, 2014
This same line was toed by O'Femi:
Bloggers are now the people Ekiti who are to validates the performance of Fayemi. I'm gerrit you all.
— O'Femi || #JustBinIt (@femiTRIPP) February 7, 2014
Opinion River thought it was mere window-dressing by the Ekiti State government:
Will those bloggers tour the Ghettos in Ekiti??? Will they tour villages too. Or is their scope of Assignment limited to the capital only
— opinion_river (@opinion_river) February 7, 2014
Anther user called it was shameful:
For gov fayemi to invite bloggers to the ekiti state is a show of shame….
— GEJ/2015 (@donwani007) February 9, 2014
Attai predicted newspaper headlines:
Headline in some Nigeria Newspapers 2moro be like>>>>Nigeria Bloggers endorses Ekiti State Governor 2nd Term Ambition.
— Attai (@Dacosta9110) February 9, 2014

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


text:
Self-Censorship in Hong Kong Claims Another Popular Radio Host · Global Voices
inmediahk.net

China is ranked 175th while Hong Kong is ranked 61st in the World Press Freedom Index 2014 released by Reporters Without Borders.
“Hong Kong's media independence is now in jeopardy”, Reporters Without Borders pointed out in its 2014 World Press Freedom Index. The conclusion echoes the Committee to Protect Journalists’ special report on the practice of self-censorship in Hong Kong, in which Hong Kong legislator Claudia Mo commented:
Self-censorship – it's like the plague, a cancerous growth, multiplying on a daily basis […] In Hong Kong, media organizations are mostly owned by tycoons with business interests in China. They don't want to lose advertising revenue from Chinese companies and they don't want to anger the central government.
In the past ten years, a large number of newspapers columnists, editors, radio and television talk show hosts have been sacked because of their critical stance towards the Hong Kong and Beijing governments. The situation has worsened in the past two years, thanks to the new leadership of Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) adoption of a hardline position on “ideological battle”, which upped the political pressure on media organizations in Hong Kong. The political interference is exercised through replacement of senior news editors and the withdrawal of advertisements by pro-Beijing corporates.
The latest example of the poor state of affairs is Commercial Radio Hong Kong (CRHK), which sacked its most popular radio host, Lee Wai-ling, on February 12, 2014 without providing any reason. Back in November last year, Lee was forced to switch from a morning program to an evening program under the excuse of program improvement. Despite the pressure, she vowed to keep her voice heard over the radio. But now she has been silenced, as depicted by Lam Sui-bun's political cartoon.
Ng Chi-sum, a former phone-in host for Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), whose contract was discontinued in 2011 in spite of his popularity, pointed out that such “program rearrangements” are a kind of political punishment and humiliation. He shared his experience:
2004年我從香港電台早上烽煙調到黃昏，類似理由，聽過很多了。香港人收聽台的習慣，晨早上班前是黃金時段，聽眾最多，影響力最大，是兵家必爭之地。調到黃昏，聽眾立刻減少一半，擺明是要削弱你的影響力，如此調動，對節目主持人是懲罰，甚至是悔辱。
我被調到黃昏節目，絕不好過，為了平衡，他們找了幾個極左派來做我的拍檔，每次做完節目，都筋疲力盡 […] 還有向廣管局和電台的投訴攻勢，長官會不時刻意拿給我看，左派報紙一年五、六十篇的大批判文章，卻不聞不問，不發一言，不澄清不辯駁一個字都不回應。這擺明是要羞辱你，等你頂不住而辭職。
Back in 2004, I was switched from the morning to evening phone-in program at RTHK with similar excuses. Hong Kong residents are used to listening to the radio in the morning before they leave home for work. This is the peak hour with the most listeners and thus has the strongest influence [on public opinion]. It is a time slot that everyone wants to compete for. The switch will cut the audience by half and so is a move to reduce your influence. It is a punishment or even a humiliation for the host.
Political cartoon depicting sacked radio host Lee Wai-ling. By Lam Shui-bun.
After I was moved to the evening, to balance the pro-Beijing voices of my co-host, I was extremely exhausted. […] In addition, I had to face all manners of complaints and attacks. My boss would hand me the articles written by the pro-Beijing newspapers to me. They published 50-60 articles within one year to discredit me. But my boss never spoke up to defend me. All these gestures are to humiliate you and to force you to resign.
Chan King-fai, a current affair commentator, observed that the political tolerance of the Beijing government has continued to shrink to the extent that even moderate critical voices have to be eliminated:
李小姐絕非火爆主持，而是擅長提問、「收風」和拆局，相比10 年前「青筋暴現」的名嘴，溫和太多了吧。同一份落差和驚訝也曾發生在較早之前，即吳志森被港台「封咪」之際：與之前的名嘴相比，「吳志森」猶如謙謙君子。但今天，隨着標準不斷滑落，他也成了必須被拔除的「眼中釘」。
Miss Lee is not radical. Her style is to raise questions, present insider views and analyze the political situation. When compared with the “hot-tempered” host ten years ago, she is too moderate. The same fate happened to Ng Chi-sum, who is like a gentleman. However, the standard [for censorship] keeps lowering and they have to be eliminated as well.
Blogger “hkcritics” asked what society could do to defend itself:
換個角度說，就是我不交代，你能把我怎樣﹖這是一個明確的信號－現時社會所有對政府施加的壓力都不能構成威脅。
被看扁了，但我們還有什麼施壓的板斧﹖包圍政總三百六十五日﹖參與佔中﹖李慧玲事件讓我們看到的香港的絕路，或者是一個溫度計，告訴我們溫水煮蛙的年代完結了，水已到沸點，政府可以對鍋裡的青蛙肆意蹂躪了。
To address the issue from another angle, even if I [the commercial radio] do not give any explanation, what can you do? This is a sign – regardless of the pressure that the public imposes on the government, it doesn't constitute a threat.
We are being looked down, what else can we do? Siege the government building for 356 days? Join the occupy central campaign? What we see here is a dead end. The thermometer tells us that the frog is no longer in warm water, the water is boiling and the government can do whatever it wants to the frog.
Lee Wai-ling talked about the political pressure Hong Kong media organizations are facing during a press conference.
Sacked radio host Lee Wai-ling believed that the incident is political in nature in a press conference on February 13. According to inmediahk.net's Facebook live-cast, Lee believes that:
她的事並不是單一事件，從《明報》換總編輯、《信報》，到《AM730》及《蘋果》被抽廣告可見。她期望香港人會醒，看清楚外面發生什麼事。今日還沉默的話，明日便會被集體沉默。
What happened to her is not a single issue. It is related to the replacement of Ming Pao's chief editor and Hong Kong Economic Journal's political reporter team, the withdrawal of commercial ads from AM730 and Apple Daily. She hope that Hong Kong people would wake up and see what's happening to the society. If they choose to remain silent today, tomorrow they have no choice but remain silent.
While some suggested that online new media can be an alternative to mainstream media, as big corporates start to withdraw advertising from independent news organizations, whether or not the commercial model of local new media initiatives can survive is in question. As for the voluntary based citizen media model, so far very few have had the resources and organizational backup to produce original news and investigative reports. Once Hong Kong's mainstream and conventional media organizations have fallen, the online media will be further ghettoized and marginalized.


text:
The Iconic Trinidadian Film You’ve Never Seen  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

An image from Bim the movie, courtesy SHARC Productions; used with permission.
The 1970s saw the release of two important indigenous Caribbean films: Jamaica’s iconic The Harder They Come, starring musician Jimmy Cliff, which still takes some measure of credit for introducing reggae music to the world, and Bim, which explores race, politics and working class challenges in colonial Trinidad.
If you’ve never heard of Bim, far less seen it, that’s all about to change, thanks to the power of social media.
Pat Ganase, who has had a long career in journalism, publishing and communications in Trinidad and Tobago, has started a Facebook page called “BIM the movie” in an attempt to ignite online discussion about the film and the issues it deals with.
“I decided it was time for the first all-Trinidad film to have a Facebook fan page,” Ganase says. “It was the first film that didn’t just use our environment as a location and our people as exotic natives or extras. It is a film with a story that is authentic…and ours.”
Fellow journalist and writer Raoul Pantin collaborated on the script. The actors were all local. So was the majority of the film crew. The early fusion soundtrack was composed by Andre Tanker and performed by some of the country’s most outstanding musicians, including Mungal Patasar. But most importantly, it was a Trinidadian story.
Ganase is friends with Suzanne Robertson (who co-produced the film with her late husband Hugh, an American who edited the Oscar-winning film Midnight Cowboy) and says that even back then, the couple saw a bright future for the film industry in Trinidad and Tobago.
“The first Trinidadian film company was SHARC,” she explains, “named for Suzanne, Hugh and their children (Antonio and Anna) Robertson. Bim—and SHARC—probably failed then, for the same reasons that film, as a viable industry, is not succeeding today. There is a failure to appreciate it as a productive industry that can employ many, many people and bring returns on investment through distribution.”
As Ganase notes, the challenges for young filmmakers today are the same: “Funding, institutional support, distribution and marketing. The film industry is not a solitary art, which is why it is an Industry with a Capital I.” But the sense of déjà vu does not stop there—it extends itself to societal challenges as well. While the film marked a particular time in Trinidad and Tobago's history, addressing attitudes towards issues such as racial identity, Ganase believes  its lessons are still relevant. “Maybe it can tell us something about ‘crime’ in our society,” she offers. “It certainly has something to say about young men who grow themselves up, without father or family.”
The plot follows the main character Bhim (initially pronounced Beem) Singh, whose father, a union leader for workers in the sugar cane fields, is killed on the day of his sister’s wedding. Bhim leaves the only life he knows in rural Trinidad to live with his aunt and her ne’er-do-well husband in Port of Spain, Trinidad's capital city. From the get-go he's an outcast, and is soon drawn into a life of petty crime, working for an underworld type who re-christens him Bim. Meanwhile, the winds of political change are blowing. Bim seizes the opportunity, crushes the son of the man who killed his father and gets himself elected as head of the sugar cane workers’ union. His victory is short-lived, however, and his demise comes rather quickly, as a result of alcoholism.
Upon its release, the film was not panned by critics, but it didn’t quite get rave reviews either. The New York Times critique in 1974, for instance, opened by saying, “By no conventional standards is ‘Bim’ very good, but it’s still vastly more interesting than lots of other movies you’re likely to stumble on.” ‘Interesting’ may have been an understatement; it certainly struck a note with local audiences, presumably even before anyone had even seen it. Trinidad and Tobago had an active Censors Board at the time and the film’s planned debut in December 1974 never happened thanks to a ban. A month later, after legal action was taken against the Censors Board, the film was finally screened—uncut—at the landmark Roxy cinema in St. James.
“The language is harsh; it had plenty cusswords [obscene language],” Ganase recalls, “but not unwarranted. People who have seen the film are the ones who perceive it as seminal and important. There is a ring of truth in Bim the movie.”
There's certainly a timeless quality to Bim. Ganase says that “viewers of all ages and in every decade respond [to the film] the same way…as if it is something that they were deprived of.” She thinks this is because the story is as relevant now as it was then. “It’s not that I want people to know the film,” she says. “It is that people have a hunger for it.”
In just three days, the Facebook page has received over 130 “Likes” and a substantial amount of commentary, both from people who have already seen the film and from those who would like to. Ganase says the page will develop according to the discussion it generates: “It will point us in a direction that comes from the collective.”
One idea that came out of user comments was the suggestion by Trinidadian visual artist Christopher Cozier to work towards having Bim listed in Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, which restores and distributes films from countries that are underrepresented in global film culture. “It is a worthwhile idea that might be an avenue for new distribution,” Ganase explains. “There will be a showing in the future. But that will happen when the time is right.”
Janine Mendes-Franco is a communications consultant, media producer and writer. When she's not blogging about the Caribbean for Global Voices, you can find her blogging here and tweeting here.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
The Only Pakistani at the Sochi Olympics Taught Himself to Ski on Wooden Planks · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

This meme uploaded by the See More Facebook page has been liked more than 45,000 times.
While he has growing up in northern Pakistan, close to some of the highest slopes in the world, Mohammad Karim taught himself to ski on home-made equipment made by his uncle from wooden planks.
Now he is his Pakistan’s sole representative at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
More about his journey in this report by Pakistani daily the Express Tribune.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Feminist Soca · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Feminist” kaiso and soca music – is there such a thing?  creative commess thinks so and posts a playlist.


text:
Welcome All to Russia’s 2014 Olympic Hunger Games · Global Voices
Molly Zuckerman

President Putin at the Sochi Olympics opening ceremony. Anonymous image found online.
As “toilet-gate” jokes[Global Voices report] and the hashtag #SochiProblems grow stale, another way to poke fun at Russia's hosting of the Winter Games has emerged: comparisons between the Olympics and the wildly popular Hunger Games franchise.
The Hunger Games story features a dictatorial leader, President Snow, who maintains control of a dystopic nation by forcing teenagers to compete in a televised tournament that must end in only one survivor. Of course, in practice, the Olympics has no similarities with the violence of this fictional death-match. For one, Olympians don't kill each other for their gold medals.
However, a combination of the word “Games” and President Putin's signature stern facial expressions (as well as his reputation as a strong authoritarian leader) has struck a chord with Internet users — enough to create numerous memes using Putin as the background for President Snow's quotations. One common meme a photo of Putin with the phrase “Welcome. Happy Hunger Games [to you.]” superimposed on the image:
“Welcome. Happy Hunger Games.” Anonymous image found online.
Other memes focus on a different aspect of the Hunger Games. There, the outfits of the characters from the ruling faction are notoriously flamboyant and appear ridiculous and frivolous to the working class of the fictional nation. One popular image currently circulating Twitter is of one of the women carrying country plaques during the opening ceremony, juxtaposed with a character from the recent Hunger Games movie who wears a somewhat similar retrofuturistic dress:
Character from the Hunger Games movie (left), and model carrying Argentina's plaque in the opening ceremony parade (right). Anonymous image found online.
There is serious meaning behind the silly outfit comparisons — the Sochi Games, which are estimated to have cost over $40 billion, have been plagued by allegations of corruption [Global Voices report], horrible working conditions and lack of payment for the possibly illegal workers. The idea of an under-class looking with horror at the waste of the “Capitol” can be seen as an allegory for Russia's poor and disadvantaged watching the most expensive Games in history take place right in front of them, yet out of reach. One Twitter user wrote:
Ну правда. Один хуй,народ голодает и нищает,а правительство радуется
— Yana Makarova (@Makarova17) February 9, 2014
It's true. Same sh*t, the people are going hungry and poor, while the government is happy
Another user eschewed subtlety and embraced hyperbole in making his comparison:
Игры голодных,как Олимпиаду, контролируют власти,чтобы развлечь рабов и сохранить вечного президента-всех несогласных убивают беспощадно! — Rouslan (@Rouslan5) February 8, 2014
The Hunger Games, like the Olympics, are controlled by the authorities, to entertain the slaves, and maintain an eternal president — all those who disagree are ruthlessly killed!
Not all comparison are this negative — most of bloggers take a humorous approach. One Twitter user humorously suggested that the Olympic Games would be improved if they were turned into Hunger Games for government officials:
Лучше бы вместо этой олимпиады устроили голодные игры..между депутатами.
— Andrey Kostov (@Lemur_Bandito) February 8, 2014
It would be better if instead of the Olympics they stage Hunger Games … between members of parliament.
In some ways, this lighthearted approach to poking fun of the Olympics is a breath of fresh air compared to some of the harsher memes [Global Voices report] out there. At the same time, the RuNet has become a confusing hodgepodge of articles criticizing Sochi, and articles criticizing the critics, until the real point of the Olympic Games, athleticism and national pride, is almost completely buried in a pile of meta-criticism.

author: Molly Zuckerman


text:
A Love Letter to Quito · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Sunset in Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano
They say if you go on a second date with a girl, it's because you like her. If you go on more than two, there's definitely something there.
The first time I visited Quito was by chance. I didn’t plan it, but a long layover between buses gave me the opportunity to walk around Ecuador's capital city. And behold, this is now the fourth time I've come to visit. That’s right: I cannot deny it. I am in love.
I am still critical of the object of my love. I do not allow its beauty to cloud my judgement or prevent me from seeing its flaws. But as a gentleman, I try to keep my criticisms to myself.
I have always entered Quito the same way—from below, meaning from the south through Quitumbe. This allows me to use the trolley to get to the center of the city. And I must say that US $0.25 is a bargain price to get around. This way I can appreciate its diverse south side, an attractive part of the city.
Square and Church of Santo Domingo, Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano
I get off at Santo Domingo Square, and quickly walk a few blocks to my hotel, drop my things off, grab my camera, and set out to explore my beloved with a stirring heart. Literally. In Quito you won't experience altitude sickness, but you are aware you're at 2,800m.
Seeing the one you love after some time apart is a marvelous feeling. What is already known is eagerly rediscovered, and although the mind doesn't stop comparing and checking for changes, the excitement of a reunion surpasses everything.
I should note at this point that just as some people prefer blondes or voluptuous women, I like a city with history—and for this history to be felt while you admire her with delight. Big buildings or modern malls do not impress me. Show me some ruins or an old church, and darling, I'm yours.
Sucre and Benalcázar street corner, Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano
One of the things I like about Quito is that its history is a part of mine. Many things that happened here are connected to Peru’s history. Quito was part of the Inca empire Tahuantinsuyo. In colonial times, the Royal Audience of Quito was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Therefore, many names from Peru’s past are also present here: Atahualpa, Pizarro, Sucre, Bolivar. It is like hearing a new version of an old tale.
I mentioned the churches—and it is not that I am a fervent Catholic, but the old churches that colonial powers left behind are to be admired. Quito has lots of them. Santo Domingo, the beautiful (though a tad unkempt), San Francisco, the Company, all of them are are full of fabulous works of art and paintings from the Quito school. The modern yet gothic Basilica Voto is perhaps the only church where a guided tour comes close to qualifying as an extreme sport (go climb the towers and you will understand).
Basilica of the National Vow, Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano
You want to see museums in Quito? They leave me breathless. There's one on practically every other block in the historic center, in addition to in almost every church. Or if you spend a Sunday morning walking the city, you can enjoy endless street performances [es]. Once I even saw a Peruvian woman teaching people to dance the huayno, imagine that.
The food I must admit is quite good, except for one or two things that to Peruvians are quite sacrilegious. The rest is very good. And do not limit yourself to eating only in restaurants. Try the street food (I loved the fig and cheese sandwiches) and definitely go to a picantería (restaurant specializing in spicy foods), where a meal both delicious and inexpensive. If, like me, you have the opportunity to go with a local girl who can help with recommendations, even better.
Little tree Park, Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano
I said that I wouldn't say anything bad about Quito, but there is one thing I can't ignore, and that's the taxi drivers. Sorry baby, but I had to say it. The worst thing about the taxi drivers is the lack of them, coming from someone who is accustomed to Peru's capital where you simply raise your hand to hail a cab. In Lima, you can expect that the next driver will offer a good price if the first doesn't. The shortage of taxis in Quito always surprises me. When it rains you'll never see an empty cab. As in most big cities, always agree on a price unless the taxi has a meter. Don't run the risk of being scammed upon arrival.
As with any couple who truly love one another, disagreements are quickly overcome and warm feelings return. If there is one thing that symbolizes my love for Quito, it is the sculpture of the Virgin of Panecillo, inspired by the Virgin of Quito. Contemplating the beauty of this graceful winged virgin, captured as if in mid-dance, fascinates and transports me.
Virgen del Panecillo, Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano
Quito has all the other features you would expect: malls, nightlife, beautiful parks, extraordinary surroundings and hundreds of things to discover that make it worthwhile to explore. Keep an adventurous spirit and patience because it also has traffic that can be terrible. As you know, nobody is perfect.
In its sometimes winding streets you can find everything from people dancing spontaneously, be it at night or during the day, to a wedding reception being joyfully celebrated in a public plaza. And it you walk around Plaza Grande on a Monday, you can even see the Citizens’ Revolution in action, where the very President of the Republic greets the public in a changing of the guards ceremony.
Street in the Old Town, Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano
But apart from everything this city has to offer—and perhaps I am being subjective here—I must confess that what particularly appeals to me about Quito is that it does not make me feel like a stranger. And that is partly due to its people, partly due to the architecture in the historical center, also due to the cultural offerings (even hackers [es] can be found there!). Its mostly benign climate, or perhaps its the mix of all of this, lends its own je ne sais quoi. Or putting it colloquially: it’s that you know how to make me feel good, dear.
P.S. If you are interested in getting to know Quito via its people, I can recommend a few pages on Facebook: Quito escondido (Hidden Quito), from my friend Galo Pérez, whom I interviewed in this post [es], and Quito, de aldea a ciudad (Quito, from village to city), which collects old photos of Quito.
Corner of San Francisco Square, Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Juan Arellano


text:
A Love Story With No Kissing? That’s Cinema in Iran · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Leila Hatami and Peyman Moadi in “A Separation.” Credit: Habib Madjidi/Sony Pictures Classics
This article and a radio report by Shirin Jaafari for The World originally appeared on PRI.org on February 13, 2014 and is republished as part of a content sharing agreement.
For any film to be shown in Iran, directors have to follow the strict Islamic laws.
Male and female characters can't touch. Women have to cover their hair at all times.
“Can you imagine how many stories you’re unable to tell as a filmmaker if you cannot show the slightest physical touch between members of the opposite sex?” asks Jamsheed Akrami, an Iranian director based in the US.
Akrami spent five years interviewing a dozen Iranian filmmakers, actors and actresses. The result is his latest documentary: “Cinema of discontent.”
They all lament the hardship they face in telling a story in film when they have to follow all the Islamic codes they have to follow.
“I’m not only alluding to the romantic subjects, you know, we’re talking about situations where you can’t even show parental affection or a male physician for example, cannot be shown examining a female patient,” he adds.
One of the directors Akrami interviews in his documentary is Bahman Farmanara. He explains how he got around one challenging scene in his movie “A Little Kiss.”
“There is a sequence in ‘A Little Kiss’ where the father, after 38 years of being in Switzerland, has returned suddenly because his son has committed suicide and he comes to visit his daughter,” he says. “Well, obviously according to the laws that we have to obey, a man and a woman cannot embrace each other. Even though in this particular instance they are father and daughter.”
Here’s how director Farmanara got around it.
“So what I did … when the daughter takes a few steps towards him, he takes his hat off,” Farmanara says. “So, he makes a move to stop her from coming close…”
Farmanara added that Iran is a “nation that in our films we don’t kiss, we don’t touch, we don’t hug but somehow miraculously from 37 million we’ve gone to 70 million.”
There are so many similar cases in Iranian films that if you watch enough of them, you would actually be surprised if the characters do touch or dance for example.
Yet filmmakers and actors constantly challenge the red lines.
In one film called “Gilaneh,” a mother who is taking care of her paralyzed son bathes him, moves him around and even at one point starts dancing to cheer him up.
In Akrami's documentary, the director, Rakhshan Bani Etemad says that she worried about the sensors, but felt the story had to be told to break the taboo.
Akrami says as an Iranian filmmaker “your most prized skill is the ability to work around the censorship codes. The artistic gift is actually a secondary requirement when it comes to making films in Iran.”
But with all the restrictions, Iranian films have been part of festivals around the world. And they have received recognition.
In 2012, for example, Asghar Farhadi made history when he won an Oscar for his film “A Separation.”
Many others film have won international awards.
Meanwhile Mahdi Kouhian, a documentary filmmaker in Iran, says since the election of Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, there is a more positive atmosphere.
For example, he said he attended the Fajr Film Festival for the first time in four years.
The festival is held every year to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
But filmmaker Akrami isn't as optimistic. That's because he says he doesn't see any fundamental changes.
“The election of Mr. Rouhani, to me, is just a cosmetic change. It's like putting make up on a monster, which basically wouldn’t change the nature of that monster. You still have a monster,” he says.
For him, the saddest part about Iranian cinema is that its best movies never got to be made.

author: PRI/PRX's The World


text:
A Visitor Describes How it Feels to be Mugged by Bulgarian Police · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Central Bus Station in Sofia. Photo by Nikola Gruev, used under Creative Commons-BY license.
Political scientist and blogger Anastas Vangeli described his experience of extortion by Bulgarian policemen on his way from Macedonia to Poland, in a Facebook post. On February 9, 2014, two armed officers “detained” him at a secluded area of the main bus station in Sofia, until he gave them some money. In conclusion, he wrote:
This was probably one of the most disappointing experiences in my lifetime. What added to the disappointment, however, were the comments and the double victimization by people when I told them this happened:
These are all statements that not speak only of the reality of omnipresent corruption and abuse of office and power, but about the complete lack of empathy, or even consciousness that one day it might be you. Moreover, it is an indicator that people have given up the hope that things will change; but also the responsibility that they should contribute to such change. At the end of the day, the state holds the monopoly of the use of force; I was mugged by those who are supposed to protect me (even though I don’t have a Bulgarian passport – no pun intended). So all kinds of relativizing comments are completely out of place on this.
These reactions are consistent with one of the key characteristics of “backsliding from democracy,” exposed at the Seventh Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy, held in Lima, in October 2012:
“…corruption becomes so widespread that citizens accept is as a norm.”
People commenting (in various languages) on Vangeli's Facebook post about the incident reminisced that such a “toll for foreigners” was common Bulgarian police practice during the dismal 1990s – but that they had not expected its resurgence in this day and age. Some of the commenters related similar experiences from other countries, from Russia to Kenya. Activist Besim Nebiu wrote:
Notice how they immediately asked you if you have a flight to catch at the airport. That gave them the ‘upper hand’ in dealing with you. A friend of mine who lives in Kenya, once wrote a blog post, in which he describes how corrupt police have “opportunity cost” (8 hours shifts in which they try to maximize revenue). They usually avoid “difficult customers,” so any strategy of acting dumb and not too upset should work, after 15 minutes, they give up on you, and move to someone easier to deal with.
Special Winter uniform of Bulgarian Border Police presented [bg] on the website of Ministry of Interior Affairs. According to the victim, the officers in question wore green and carried badges of common police (“Ohranitelna Politsiya”), which according to the Ministry wears dark blue uniforms.
Bulgarian blogger Komitata translated Vangeli's post within his post [bg] titled “They Protect Us and It's No Theater,” which includes opinions about the local context of wasted state resources on questionable police actions praised by the relevant minister:
Системата на МВР не е реформирана. Предното неслужебно правителство положи големи усилия, но поради липса на решителност и политическа воля, реформите останаха скромни и далеч не необратими.
The system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not reformed. The previous government invested great efforts, but due to lack of decisiveness and political will, the reforms remain modest and far from irreversible.
In his post, Komitata also referred to Twitter discussion [bg] in which Bulgarians ask whether the police have the right to search them at the bus station, and pointed to information on citizen rights during police searches [bg].

author: Filip Stojanovski


text:
“Another Face of Africa”: Call for Photos, Stories · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

A group of young volunteers from southern Germany, many of whom have lived in Africa, are calling for photos, essays, videos, blog posts or poems by locals of five major African cities: Lagos, Addis Ababa, Gaborone, Kigali and Kinshasa.
With a forthcoming exhibition called “Sichtwechsel,” their goal is to show another face of Africa than what typically appears in German media — modern, urban, rapidly developing societies.
See their website at Missing-Images.com in English, French and German. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2014.

author: Solana Larsen


text:
As a Federal State, Yemen Marks the Third Anniversary of Its Revolution · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

February 11th marked the third anniversary of Yemen's revolution which toppled former President Ali Abdullah's Saleh's 33 year rule. Just a day before, on February 10, Yemen's president Abdu Rabu Mansour, based on the National Dialogue‘s recommendation for the political transition and after deliberating with a Region Defining Committee, approved turning the country into a six-region federation state.
Nadia Al-Sakkaf, an activist, member of the National Dialogue and editor-in-chief of The Yemen Times, tweeted:
Just came out from #NDC's Presidential Regions Defining Committee. It's decided! #Federal Republic of #Yemen will be six regions!!
— Nadia Sakkaf (@NadiaSakkaf) February 2, 2014
The federal system was a solution to counter the failure of the centralized government and to give the south more autonomy while preserving Yemen's unity. Yemen's parties had been divided on whether to split the federation into two or six regions. A north-south divide which was suggested by Southerners was rejected due to fear that it could set the stage for the south to secede. The six agreed regions included four in the north, comprising Azal, Saba, Janad and Tihama, and two in the south, Aden and Hadhramaut.
Azal includes the capital Sanaa, which will be a federal city not subject to any regional authority, in addition to the provinces of Dhamar, Amran and Saada. Aden would comprise the capital of the former south, as well as Abyan, Lahej and Daleh. The southeastern Hadhramaut province would include Al-Mahra, Shabwa and the island of Socotra, while Saba comprises Bayda, Marib and Al-Jawf. Janad would include Taez and Ibb, and Tahama also takes in Hudaydah, Rima, Mahwit and Hajja.
Yemen_updates tweeted a link showing the new regions:
#Yemen's new federal map- English pic.twitter.com/n4OWD0XnIz
— Yemen Updates (@yemen_updates) February 10, 2014
There were many reactions among Yemenis and Arabs both for and against this decision.
Yemeni youth activist, Jamal Badr jokingly tweeted a still shot from a scene of a famous Egyptian comic play:
المهم مش #اليمن بخير … #سعيد_صالح :D pic.twitter.com/XU1bG59rN5
— Jamal Badr (@JamalBadr) February 11, 2014
Isn't Yemen fine?? Yes, every region is fine but separate
Farea Almuslimi disapproving the haste in the decision making tweeted:
استغرق والدي واعمامي تقسيم الارض التي وروثوها من جدي ( القليلة جدا) وقت وتفكير اكثر واطول من الذي استخدم لتحديد شكل وعدد الاقاليم في #اليمن
— Farea Al-muslimi (@almuslimi) February 11, 2014
It took my father and uncles a longer and more thoughtful time to divide the (small) land they inherited from my grandfather then it took to determine the form and number of the regions in Yemen
Egyptian visual artist and film maker, Mahmud Abdel Kader, commented:
محدش بيقول إن الإمارات متقسمة لإنها فيدرالية … ده عشان فكرة الفيدرالية انها تجمع مش تقسماللى حصل فى اليمن تقسيم مش تجميع
— عبقادر (@MKadr) February 11, 2014
Nobody is saying that the UAE is divided because it is federal … because the idea of federalism is to add not divide, what happened in Yemen is a division not an addition
Lebanese Karl Sharro sarcastically tweeted:
Yemen has just become a federal republic of six regions. Amateurs. Lebanon is a federal republic of four million regions.
— Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) February 10, 2014
Yet there were many questions in people's minds, which Sam Waddah raised on Facebook:
Major question marks remain on dividing power, authority, duties between regions and central state, defining the new system, how local governments will be elected, etc. Tentatively federal system is a good one but it's too early to tell here and by leaving these issues undefined I think Hadi and the regions defining committee are putting the cart before the horse!
Adam Baron also wondered:
Main issue isn’t what #yemen’s federal regions are but what they will do. Divisions of powers/governance duties in new system still unclear.
— Adam Baron (@adammbaron) February 10, 2014
Nadia Al-Sakkaf shed some light on the new federal system in her article in The Yemen Times:
The relationship between the regions and the federal government will be written into the constitution. The details will be defined in a Federal Regions Law after the constitution has been approved via a national referendum, expected to take place three months after the creation of the Constitutional Drafting Committee. Each region will have the autonomy to devise its own regional laws to define the relationship among its various states.
Three years after the revolution, on February 11, Yemenis were back on the streets but for various reasons. There were those who went out to celebrate the anniversary of a revolution which awed the world with its power and peacefulness and there were those who went out to protest against the government's corruption and for not realizing the revolution's demands.
Majda Al-Hadad, an activist spearheading the campaign against the government's continuous electricity power cuts tweeted:
لاحاجة لان اعدد اسباب خروجي غدا, فلايوجد ماهو ايجابي ليجعلني اتردد. لاحفوف لاكرامة لاقانون لاعدل ولا وجود للحكومة الا بالفساد والظلم.#اليمن
— Majda Al-haddad (@meMajda) February 10, 2014
It is not necessary for me to list the reasons for me to go out tomorrow, there is nothing positive that would make me hesitate. No rights, no dignity, no law, no justice, and no presence of the government except corruption and injustice.
Journalist Khaled Al-Hammadi tweeted:
3rd. anniv. of #Yemen revolution marked with 3 rallies in #Sanaa 1st anti govt 2nd anti public prosecutor & 3rd anti keeping youth in prison
— Khaled al-Hammadi (@KhaledHammadi) February 11, 2014
“The people want to topple corruption“, “the people want the fall of the government“, “a new revolution all over again“, “oh government of corruption, leave the country” chanted protesters across the streets of Sanaa.
(Video posted on YouTube by Ridan Bahran
Akram Alodini also highlighted the political division in his tweet:
الصباح المظاهرات لجمهورية السبعين والاستاذ الرياضي,بعد العصر لجمهورية الستين، والمواطن في #اليمن لاحول له ولاقوة pic.twitter.com/XCvsI1skFq
— اكرم احمد العديني (@AkramAlodini) February 11, 2014
In the morning, marches for the republic of Sabeen and the sport stadium, and in the afternoon for the republic of Seteen, and the citizen is helpless
Lawyer Haykal Bafanaa wondered how would corrupt politicians counter corruption:
How is corruption to be tackled in #Yemen by politicians, when all political parties and actors are equally tainted?
— هيكل بافنع (@BaFana3) February 12, 2014
Researcher, blogger and activist Atiaf Al-Wazir tweeted:
@supportYemen's 1st video on #Yemen's revolution made in Sept 2011 http://t.co/eL8rhIyXq3 – same demands continue. #Yemen
— Atiaf Alwazir (@WomanfromYemen) February 11, 2014
This video by SupportYemen is a reminder of what the revolution was about and what it still needs to achieve:
And as Rooj Al-Wazir, tweeted, some of the revolutionary youth, three years later, were still behind bars:
Dozens of revolutionary youth still behind bars on 3rd anniversary of #Yemen’s uprising http://t.co/E2cT6t5tWa via @theyementimes
— Rooj (@Rooj129) February 11, 2014
Journalist Benjamin Wiacek tweeted with disappointment, a bitter sentiment shared by many of the revolutionary youth:
3 years ago we had faith, hope and we were walking towards change… That was 3 years ago… #Yemen #revolution #statusquo #depressed
— Benjamin Wiacek (@Nefermaat) February 11, 2014
Journalist Iona Craig, who has been living in Yemen since 2011, and as the rest of Yemenis has been suffering from frequent and lengthy electricity cuts tweeted:
On the 3rd anniversary of #Yemen's revolution probably the most fitting reminder of 2011 is the current power cut. #nothingchanges
— Iona Craig أيونا (@ionacraig) February 11, 2014
Many Yemenis did not feel a change in their daily living conditions – quite the contrary, many were disappointed and frustrated with its deterioration. In a question posed on Facebook by journalist Ahmed Ghurab, “In your opinion what change has occurred in the living conditions of the average citizen in the last three years since the outbreak of the revolution?!!”, the majority complained about the hike in prices, the continuous power outages, the insecurity and instability along with the increase of assassinations, the car explosions and kidnappings and the failure of the government to address or manage these issues.
Nevertheless, there were those who were celebrating the revolution's achievements so far and were still hoping for more. Photos of the marches all over Yemen commemorating the third anniversary of the start of the revolution were posted all over Twitter and Facebook.
3rd Anniversary. #arabspring #February11 #yemen pic.twitter.com/3DxCLgKyjZ
— Anwar Muthana (@anwarmuthana) February 12, 2014
Yemen-based journalist Adam Baron tweeted:
At the thawra 2.0 protest. Haven't seen change square this crowded since 2011. #yemen
— Adam Baron (@adammbaron) February 11, 2014
A photo from the Friday marches in Sanaa in 2011 demanding the fall of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh
Activist, photographer and member of the National Dialogue, Nadia Abdullah,posted photos of the marches in Sanaa on facebook.
Marches in Sanaa's Seteen street celebrating the 3rd anniversary of Yemen's revolution (Photo by Nadia Abdullah)
On a more positive note, Baraa Shiban, a youth activist and also member of the National Dialogue, tweeted:
The Youth Peaceful Revolution like a dream came true #Yemen's revolution anniversary
— Baraa Shiban (@BShtwtr) February 11, 2014
He summarized in his Facebook post, what many would undoubtedly agree is the greatest achievement of Yemen's revolution:
Yemen has a new generation of men and women who believe in the principals of democracy and human rights. Yemen's youth now believe in equal citizenship, women's rights and minorities. Yemen's youth today believe in achieving their demands by following the peaceful method.
The revolution continues…

author: Noon Arabia


text:
‘Bizarre’ Thailand Elections · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thai writer Aim Sinpeng describes the recent election in Thailand as one of the most bizarre in the country's history:
The February 2 election in Thailand was not only one of the most bizarre, but also “pointless” elections in recent memory. “Missing” polling stations, locked up ballot boxes, an M16 shooting match, and a complete boycott by the second largest political party are among the many incidents that characterize the recent election in this Southeast Asia nation.

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Bosnian Protesters Demand Bread, Social Justice and Freedom of Speech  · Global Voices
Rayna St.

When the citizens of Bosnia’s second biggest city, Tuzla, went out to protest on February 4, 2014, few expected to witness the country-wide riots that the world is witnessing just a week later. Whether the latest unrest in Bosnia-Herzegovina, can be qualified as the “Bosnian Spring”, as some media have named it, isn't what matters at the moment. The reasons behind the unrest and where things are headed are the topics that many locals are asking the international community and media to focus on.
Bosnia’s “Grapes of Wrath”
Protesters have drafted a set of demands, narrowing down their struggle to one about social justice [ba], the end of corruption, and freedom of expression. People have also made it clear that the protests are not motivated by a quest for identity or inter-ethnic tensions. Stefano Fait from Italy commented:
#Bosnia‘s protests? They are about injustice, privatisations and a non-existent nation, not identity. That's why Western media don't care
— Stefano Fait (@stefanofait) February 12, 2014
Eric Gordy, a University College of London (UCL) professor who also writes for a group blog about Balkan politics and academics, described snapshots of the recent atmosphere in Bosnia that he observed during a visit there, giving insight into what is fueling the current anti-government protests:
Conversation 1 was with the waiter in a large Sarajevo hotel […] A colleague and I had heard that the employees of the hotel had not been paid for several months, so we asked. It was true, he told us. Most of the employees had remained at the hotel through a series of ownerships and bankruptcies, and had often faced periods of reduced pay, no pay, or something in lieu of pay. So what were they working for? They wanted to keep the hotel going in the hope that one day it might become profitable again, and they wanted the employer to keep making contributions to the pension and medical care funds. […]
Conversation 2 was with a group of postgraduate students in Tuzla. Most of them had or were seeking work as schoolteachers. And they were only able to get short-term jobs. Why no permanent jobs in schools? Because available workplaces are distributed among the local political parties, who fill them with their members and put them on one-year contracts. The effect of this is that no young person can get a job except through the services of a political party, and no young person can keep a job except by repeatedly demonstrating loyalty to the political party. You can probably imagine the wonderful effect this has on the development and teaching of independent, critical thinking in schools.
The government has been claiming that it has no funds to provide even for its citizens’ most basic needs. Some Bosnians have responded with humor, circulating comments and images like the one below, widely on social networks:
The note reads: “Donations for the government”, using the word “sergija”, which is a term for donations made to religious institutions and charities. Image widely circulated on Twitter.
Media coverage
In national and regional mainstream media, the protesters are often labeled as hooligans. A textbook example of media manipulation is the spin around protesters having weapons. Serbian tabloid “Kurir”, considered a government mouthpiece in Serbia, published an article detailing a plot for the “violent unification” [sr] of the ethnically varied cantons of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH). The article screams, through exclamation marks, images of violence and biased wording, that protesters are amassing a stockpile of weapons with which to lead the alleged “violent unification” of Republic of Srpska, the so-called Bosnian Serb Republic that is one of the two political entities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the other, the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Kurir’s piece generously quotes Mehmedalija Nuhić, called a “political analyst from Tuzla” in the article. On social media, people wondered [ba] who this person is, some of them clearly dismissing his claims. Tanja Sekulić, executive editor at Klix.ba, tweeted:
Vrh debilizma:Analiticar Mehmedalija Nuhić tvrdi da demonstranti nabavljaju oružje koje bi trebalo da upotrijebe protiv građana RS. #protest
— Tanja Sekulic (@Tanja_Sekulic) February 11, 2014
The peak of idiocy: Analyst Mehmedalija Nuhić claims that protesters have acquired weapons that they will allegedly use against the citizens of RS [Republic of Srpska, the Serb majority part of Bosnia-Herzegovina]. #protest
Banja Luka-based Kontakt Radio published an investigative piece [ba] researching the alleged Nuhić, “presented [to the public] as an analyst”. “Every journalist around Tuzla is wondering who this analyst is,” writes Kontakt Radio team. As Kontakt Radio's quick research revealed, Nuhić is in fact a municipal inspector serving in the city of Lukovac. “And we kid you not,” comments the author, cheekily ending the piece with some more readily available information on Nuhić, which dismisses his credibility as a “political analyst” entirely.
People from the region are used to media manipulation and the above example of such machination is one among countless others. In an op-ed [ba], Paulina Janusz reflected on the unity political parties and media in Bosnia's show against protesters. The media, for its part, was quick to report on any rumors of protesters’ bad behavior, but protesters were quick to react to such reports. Activist Emir Hodžić, who attended the Sarajevo protests on February 7, detailed to Radio Slobodna Evropa (Radio Free Europe) what he witnessed, declaring “we are neither vandals nor hooligans”.
Others have been thorough in describing their experiences on blogs as well. The following video of a young woman in tears, imploring police to join the crowd, went viral, accompanied by snarky comments on social media in the lines of “see, these are the hooligans of Bosnia”:
Dario Brentin, among others, has compiled articles from the early days of the protests in a Facebook note. Materials like this are regularly translated into English and updated on Bosnia-Herzegovina Protest Files. A collectively curated compilation of links is also available through the CrowdVoice.org platform.
Now what?
Many politicians and media representatives have already begun to play the blame game quite actively. Lord Paddy Ashdown, who served as High Representative and Europe’s Special Envoy to the country from May 2002 until January 2006, urged the European Union “to make Bosnia functional”. In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Lord Ashdown warned:
At the moment its citizens are complaining about poverty and lack of movement and dysfunctionality of the state and corruptions among politicians” [but it] “could move to something far worse very quickly.[…]
The international community has to act now. If they don’t act now, I greatly fear that a situation where secessionism will take hold could easily become unstoppable as we approach elections.
Alarmism is also present on several sides. Valentin Inzko, an Austrian citizen and the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, declared to Balkanist.net:
If the situation escalates, we will possibly have to think about EU troops. But not right now.
Regardless of whose fault it is and who is supposed to “fix” the country, one question persists: Why are so many Eastern European and Balkan countries suddenly protesting? Shortly after protests erupted in Tuzla and Sarajevo, Bulgarian independent research blog Banitza published a thoughtful post, “Waving ‘Democracy’ from Ukraine to the Balkans”:
Why now? Why not 6 months ago; why not one year ago? These are question that were directed at the protests in Bulgaria, which reached their largest numbers in the summer. Clearly, the situation is so dire that either nothing or anything could trigger public outrage. […]
Of course violence cannot be the answer. It’s destructive. But desperation clearly takes precedence over dialogue in this case. […] It’s simple – for the people protesting, the assumption of patience is nonexistent. And it is understandable. There is a level of tolerance that is, as has been shown over and over again in the 20th century, very flexible and malleable among human beings. But it has its limits. And within the Balkan countries this year, the sense of tolerance has been exhausted by the outright public arrogance of the Untouchables – call them mafia men, ex-communist, business elites. It makes no difference. Their capacity to flaunt their economic dominance is one thing, but their increasing ability to enforce their political and legal immunity is apparently too much. It has been, for a long time, a fact that democracy is very dysfunctional.
Writing for Balkanist, Darko Brkan formulated four suggestions:
1) Declare Victory for the Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2) End all Police Investigations [against citizens having taken part to the protests]
3) Establish Provisional Governments in the Cantons
4) “Internal Lustration” Within Political Parties
What may be a game-changer is a recent decision by the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo ordering “temporary seizure” of all media property documenting the protests in Sarajevo. Pro-government protests have also been witnessed, as seen in a video from February 10.

author: Rayna St.


text:
Carnival Love Songs From the Caribbean  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The celebration of Valentine's Day in many Caribbean territories is usually overshadowed by Carnival, so the Global Voices Caribbean team thought it might be fun to marry the two concepts – pun intended.  A few of us have chosen our favourite soca love songs, along with a few lines as to why we think they're appropriate for V-Day…
Our new author Jason Nathu‘s pick is “Flirt” by Farmer Nappy:
The lyrics perfectly capture the unspoken Carnival rule that it's okay to “‘tief a wine” – parlance that means all dancing in the spirit of the festival is fair game…because it's only for a moment and all in good fun:
There's no reason to take off the wedding ring
This is the season for the wining
The only thing you could make me take off tonight is meh shirt
‘Cause all I wanna do is flirt…with no strings attached
When ah hold on, ah go wine like dat
That sweet wok nah bother me
It doh make me guilty…
Jason explains:
In Trinidad and Tobago, there is a popular song that says ‘A little wine (dance) never hurt nobody’. To me that's something that's uniquely Trinidadian, that we can enjoy each other's company and flirt good-naturedly.
Author Matthew Hunte, who hails from St. Lucia and is known for his dry wit, says:
I think Valentine's Day is treacly and saccharine so this is the obvious choice…
Baron‘s This Soca is for You epitomizes the poetic Valentine's Day sentiment, which is made even richer – or more predictable, depending on where you stand on the sentimentality tolerance scale – by the singer's melodic vocals, which slip off his tongue as slowly and as sweetly as molasses:
From the moment I saw you I know we were meant to be
From then on to this day there's no regrets
There's no-one else in this world to spend this life with me
So to you, I pay all my respects
God bless the day that I found you, baby
With you by my side and your love to guide me
Honey, baby, doux doux…this soca is for you
Of course, I had to put in my two cents’ worth – and because Jason already covered flirtation and Matt made his case for romantic love – I thought I'd go for love of Carnival – and nothing says that for me like David Rudder's ode to Calypso music:
Can you hear a distant drum bouncing on the laughter of a melody?
And does the rhythm tell you ‘come, come, come, come'?
Does your spirit do a dance to this symphony?
Does it tell you that your heart is afire?
And does it tell you that your pain is a liar?
Does it wash away all your unlovely?
Well, are you ready for a brand new discovery?
Calypso, calypso, calypso music…
Isn't that what love – at least the highest form of it – is supposed to do?  It's meant to be transformative, to make you better, more joyous, to bring you closer to who you really are.  In the Caribbean, our love of Carnival gets us pretty close.  Happy St. Valentine's Day!


text:
“Celebrating Valentine’s Day Is a Direct Way to Hell” in Tajikistan · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

According to a recent survey [tj], one out of three residents of Tajikistan are celebrating Valentine's Day today. Although these findings seem a little bit exaggerated for the country as a whole, they do appear to be accurate for the country's main cities. Over the last two decades, many young Tajikistanis have embraced the tradition of giving their loved ones cards, red roses, and other love-themed presents.
However, similarly to some other holidays such as Halloween or New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day struggles to gain broader acceptance in Tajikistan. During the week before February 14, social media users in the country argued about whether or not “the day of love” should be celebrated.
Many Facebook and Odnoklassniki users in Tajikistan have shared this image today. The text reads: “Comprade! Don't give in to the bourgeois crap! February 14 is an ordinary day!”. The image originates in Russian-language social media.
Some netizens contend that the holiday has no place in a Muslim society. For instance, on blogiston.tj, Vatandust writes [tj]:
Бародарону хоҳарони тоҷик. Нодониста намонед ки ҷашн гирифтани валентин роҳи рост ба ҷаҳаннам. Боре дар бораи кӯдакотон фикр кунед. Имруз шумо валентин ҷашн мегиред – фардо онҳо бо хайвонот алоқаи ҷинсӣ мегиран.
Tajik brothers and sisters, you should know that celebrating Valentine's Day is a direct way to hell. Think about your children. Today you celebrate Valentine's Day – and tomorrow they will have sex with animals.
Siyovush adds [tj]:
Иди занону валентину ва гайра хамаш як сафсата каме нест!!! Чаро лубой иди гарбиву русиро чашн мегиред??? Идхои точики исломи дорем бас нест??? Агар форадатон брен ба Москва ё Амрико ва унчо чашн гирен чизе ки хохен. Диндорои точик бояд ба мардум фахмонан таърихи валентин чиву маънош чи. Хукумат бошад бояд фуруши валентинкахову хар як бозичахои дилдорро манъ кунад.
Women's Day, Valentine's Day – these are all nothing but nonsense!!! Why do you have to celebrate every western or Russian holiday??? We have Tajik and Islamic holidays. Aren't they enough? If you want, go to Moscow or [United States] and celebrate whatever you like there. Tajik religious leaders should explain the history and meaning of Valentine's Day to people. The government should ban the selling of love-themed cards and toys.
Under an article on ozodi.org, Muhammadi claims [tj]:
Вокеъан, агар ҷавонони тоҷик ки будани Валентинро медонистанд, аз тачлили ин рӯз даст мекашиданд.
Indeed, if Tajik young people only knew who [Saint] Valentine was, they would not mark this day.
While Sham asks [tj]:
Магар хамон кавми Валентину Иванову балову бадтар идхои моро чашн мегиранд, ки шумо ба онхо пайрави мекунед??? Боре дидаед,ки онхо иди рамазону курбон чашн гиранд???
Why do you imitate Valentine and Ivanov [common Russian surname] folks when they don't celebrate our holidays??? Have you ever seen them celebrating Idi Ramazon [Eid al-Fitr] or Idi Qurbon [Eid al-Adha]???
On Twitter, @onlytajikistan mentions some stereotypes associated with the holiday:
A female colleague w/ university education told me today that “only prostitutes” celebrate Valentine's Day in #Tajikistan @onlyintajikistan
— Only in Tajikistan (@onlytajikistan) February 6, 2014
However, many people in Tajikistan do not see a problem in celebrating Valentine's Day. Khusrav sees [tj] the holiday as part of a global culture:
Мо хохем ё нахохем дар ин дунёи глобали одату маданияти гарб ба расму одатхои мо таъсири худро мерасонанд. Хозир давраи озодии фикру рафтор шудааст ва на мулло ва на вазири фархангу маърифат пеши ин корхо шуда наметавонад.
Whether we want it or not, western culture and traditions have an impact on our cultural practices in this globalized world. We live in the time of freedom of thought and freedom of behavior, and neither mullahs nor Minister of Culture can prevent this.
Mila writes [tj]:
Charo ki in ruzro jash nagirem? Kase oshiqu mashuq hast marhamat metawonand jakdigarro dar in ruzi oshiqon khursand namoyand, wa mekhostam dinro ba in mawzu omekhta nakuned!
Why shouldn't we celebrate this holiday? Those who are in love can make each other happy on this day. I would also like to [ask everyone] not to link this topic to religion.
Meanwhile, on blogiston.tj, netizens put together [ru] lists of best romantic movies to watch on Valentine's Day and discuss [ru] different ways of celebrating the day. Tomiris congratulates the readers of her blog, writing [ru]:
Всех с этим замечательным праздником! Любите и будьте любимыми! Любовь делает этот мир прекраснее!
I would like to congratulate everyone on this wonderful day! Love and be loved! Love makes this world a better place!
Tajikistan is not the only country where debates about the appropriateness of celebrating Valentine's Day have occurred. Some countries have banned the holiday. In the neighboring country of Uzbekistan, the authorities force students to sign contracts affirming that they will not celebrate the holiday. In Kyrgyzstan, officials in the southern city of Osh have banned the celebration of the holiday in schools. A Kyrgyz MP has even called [ru] Valentine's Day a “Devil's Holiday”.

author: Mahina Shodizoda


text:
Chinese Singletons Snatch Up Cinema Seats to Sabotage Valentine’s Day Dates · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Every year before Valentine's Day, a mischievous online group known as the “Damn Lovers” has mobilized its members to buy odd-numbered movie tickets in a bid to ruin the romance for couples who want to sit together.
This year, they finally succeeded in occupying every other seat in at least one cinema in Shanghai during the Valentine's Day primetime movie screening.
In China, Valentine's Day is rather special this year as it overlaps with Lantern Festival, or Yuan Xiao Jie, a festival which debuted during the Qin Dynasty around 200 BC during which single people would hung around in the streets under the lantern light with the hope of finding love.
The story about single netizens occupying alternating seats in a movie theater during a Valentine's Day primetime show was reported by local newspapers. Image circulated widely online. (via ChinaSMACK)
As singles in recent years gained more visibility and power via the Internet and the modern invention Singles Day, a collective of singles called “Damn Lovers” (情侶去死去死團）or “Damn Love” （戀愛去死去死團）emerged among Chinese communities in China and Taiwan in 2005. The group belongs to the Kuso Internet culture, which relishes campy or outrageous content. According to Chinese Wikipedia:
去死去死團號稱「對抗『戀愛資本主義』社會風氣」，以「破壞浪漫氣氛」為目的。許多民眾以為它是社會上的激進運動團體，但去死團的多數活動只是以一種戲謔方式，用KUSO、搞笑和幽默的風格表達單身的孤單，亦有人藉此表示單身也可以很快樂，並且反對「商業化」的慶祝方式。在各種節日，譬如聖誕節或情人節，可提供一種有別於浪漫過節的消遣管道。
參與去死團活動的人被稱為奉行去死去死團精神或死死精神、死死主義。創團宗旨是：「我們獨善其身，為的是要渡化那些誤入歧途的情侶們。」
The Damn Love group claimed that they wanted to resist the culture of ‘love capitalism’ by ruining the ‘romantic atmosphere’. While some may think that it is a radical organization, but most of its activities are just for fun in the [Japanese] Kuso style to give a platform to the lonely feelings of singles. Some members want to broadcast the message that you can be single and happy or that they are against commercial styles of celebration. Thus, they want to create an alternative way of celebrating festivals such as the Valentine's Day and the Christmas. Members who participate in Damn Love activities have to uphold the spirit of ‘to be damned’ or ‘damnism’. The mission of the group is: ‘we are singles and devoted to save those who are trapped in relationships”.
In the past few years, the group usually spread their messages online using darkly humorous cartoons and stories. For example, the song, “Wish all the lovers turned out to be long lost brothers and sisters” by band “Good Sister” was a big hit last year's Valentine's Day:
The song takes reference from a modern Chinese play, “Lei Yu” meaning thunderstorm to curse Valentine's Day. The tragic love story of “Thunderstorm” depicts two lovers who have overcome family pressure to be together but who turn out to be long lost brother and sister. The first half of the song's lyrics goes:
今天是2月14，傳說中的情人節
滿大街的男男女女，都要在今天晚上過節。
平時買的玫瑰花是兩塊錢一朵
今天晚上要翻上十倍，姑娘還是樂歪了嘴
今天是2月14，傳說中的情人節
我打算回家一個人呆著，沒事看書吃泡面
可有個傻B在QQ問我，你怎麼還是一個人
我忍不住地對他喊出這樣親切的慰問
（祝天下所有的情侶都是失散多年的兄妹
祝你今天晚上的電影院和餐館，全都沒座位
祝天下所有的情侶都是失散多年的兄妹
不管是莫泰如家7天漢庭，全都訂不到床位
Today is February 14, the legendary Valentine's Day
Boys and girls in the streets are enjoying the festival
A rose costs about 2 yuan on an ordinary day
Today it is 10 times more expensive, but the girls still wear such a happy smile on their faces.
Today is February 14, the legendary Valentine's Day
My plan is to go home, read and eat instant noodles
But a f**king [instant messaging] QQ user asks me why I am alone
I can't help but send him this warm regard:
I wish all the lovers in the world are long lost brothers and sisters
I wish all the cinemas, restaurants are full tonight
I wish all the lovers in the world are long lost brothers and sisters
And all the beds in [hotels] Mo Tai, Home Inn, 7-days, Han Ting are occupied.
For 2014, single netizens decided to move beyond spoofs into action. So far, they have been successful in occupying one cinema in Shanghai. According to Shanghai Morning Post (via ChinaSMACK), one of the organizers of the occupation said that many of those who participated did so wanting to meet new friends, hoping to turn a “prank” into a “blind date”.
Of course, the lovers are also fighting back. Many are saying that they are happy to share just one seat.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Despite Bans, Central Asians Observe Valentine’s Day · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

Central Asian countries have a special relationship with Valentine's Day. While some nations in the region embrace the holiday that has become popular in recent years, other countries ban or try to replace it with more “authentic” local celebrations.
Global Voices has reported about social media debates related to Valentine's Day in Tajikistan, where one third of people celebrate the holiday according to a recent survey. Below is a brief overview of how Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan have observed February 14 this year.
Kazakhstan
The authorities in Kazakhstan are generally much more tolerant towards new holidays and traditions than their neighbors in the region. Kazakhs are free to celebrate Valentine's Day as they wish. As in many other countries, however, social media users argue about whether the holiday should be celebrated. Responding to frequent portrayals of Valentine's Day as a holiday that contradicts Islam, blogger Ainura Rai asserts [ru] that the holiday has a “secular character” and, therefore, does not run against any religious conviction. Another blogger, Kuanushbek Zhakparov, agrees that “the day of love” is a secular holiday but contends [ru] that Valentine's Day is an “evil” capitalist phenomenon promoted by companies that make money by selling cards, flowers, and other love-themed products. Other bloggers discuss [ru] inexpensive gifts that people could give their loved ones on February 14.
Meanwhile, in the northern Kazakh city of Kostanai, traffic police has used the holiday as an opportunity to improve its image among drivers:
В Костанае полицейские одарили водителей «валентинками» pic.twitter.com/7VYIGYic9V
— ДВД Костанай (@dvdkostanay) February 14, 2014
In Kostanai, police officers presented drivers with Valentine's Day Cards.
Необычный экипаж дежурил на проспекте Абая около ЦУМа. Водители не ожидали такого сюрприза от полицейских. pic.twitter.com/OO7eybpwpz
— ДВД Костанай (@dvdkostanay) February 14, 2014
An unusual group of police officers was on duty at the Abay Avenue, near TSUM, today. Drivers did not expect such a surprise from police officers.
В День всех влюбленных водители получили от леди в погонах «валентинки» и подарки от страховых компаний.
— ДВД Костанай (@dvdkostanay) February 14, 2014
On the Day of Love, [police officers] gave drivers Valentine's Day Cards and gifts from insurance companies.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan has joined the list of “enemies of Valentine's Day” this year. Tursunbai Bakir uulu, a member of Kyrgyz parliament (who has been calling for a ban on Valentine's Day for several years now) recently called February 14 a “holiday from the devil”. The authorities in the southern city of Osh have banned the observance of Valentine's Day in schools, arguing that the “holiday of love is a bad influence on children’s morality.” Education officials have suggested that schoolchildren should instead observe the Family Day on February 15.
This has not stopped young Kyrgyzstanis from celebrating, however. Blogger Bektour Iskender reports [ru] that students in several school in Osh did organize Valentine's Day events. Similar events were held in many schools and universities across the country. On kloop.kg, blogger Darya Solovyova shares [ru] gift ideas for Valentine's Day.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan has been more aggressive than its neighbors in trying to root out celebrations of Valentine's Day. For several years now, the country's authorities have been trying to convince people to celebrate February 14 as the birthday of Mohammed Zahiriddin Babur, the Uzbek people's “great ancestor”.
Сегодня отмечается День рождения Захириддина Мухаммада Бабура http://t.co/IGRIdFyLTc
— Myrtle Sladek (@MyrtleSladek) February 14, 2014
The birthday of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur is celebrated today.
This year, the authorities have stepped up their campaign against Valentine's Day. Officials at a number of universities in the country have forced students to sign contracts affirming that they will not observe “the day of love”. A traditional February 14 concert by a popular Uzbek pop singer has been cancelled. In many mosques throughout Uzbekistan, mullahs have denounced Valentine's Day during Friday sermons as a “harmful holiday that contradicts both Islam and local traditions”.
Despite these restrictions, however, some people in Uzbekistan have celebrated Valentine's Day. On Facebook and Odnoklassniki, many Uzbekistani users congratulated their followers or shared love-themed images and electronic cards.


text:
Ecuador Makes List of Countries Where Press Freedom Has Declined · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ecuador is the only Latin American country featured on the Committee to Project Journalists’ (CPJ) annual Risk List. CPJ explains:
The list is based on the expertise of CPJ staff, but also takes into account press freedom indicators such as journalist fatalities and imprisonments, restrictive legislation, state censorship, impunity in anti-press attacks, and journalists driven into exile. Those places on the Risk List are not the worst press freedom offenders, but rather spots where CPJ documented the most significant deterioration of the media climate during 2013.
Samantha Bagden from the Journalism the Americas Blog gives more context:
The Ecuadorian National Assembly approved the new law intended to regulate editorial content in June. The law gives authorities the right to impose arbitrary sanctions and censor the press and it’s enforced by a state watchdog loyal to President Rafael Correa.
[…]
In its report, CPJ quoted Monica Almeida, editor at Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo, saying that the atmosphere is much worse because of the law.
“Before, there was a level of control by the government … but they did not have this legal framework like the Communications Law which allows them to do many things in their favor.”

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
Ending Illegal Logging and Launching Forest Carbon Credits in Madagascar   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Illegally logged rosewood from Masoala and Marojejy in Antalaha, Madagascar via wikipedia CC-BY-2.0
The new administration in Madagascar is seemingly making a concerted effort to curb down deforestation in Madagascar. First, new president Hery Rajaonarimampianina has made ending illegal logging of Madagascar rosewood a priority at his first executive meeting[fr]. Second, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced that the Government of Madagascar has approved carbon sales with Microsoft and its carbon offset partner, The CarbonNeutral Company, and Zoo Zurich. The funds from carbon sales will be used by Makira REDD+ Project for conservation, capacity building, and enforcement activities related to conservation of Madagascar's rainforest. It is yet to be seen whether these measures will be implemented in the field.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Examining the Post-Colonial Evolution of Francophone and Anglophone Africa   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Screen capture of animated slideshow on the legacy of French and English colonization in Africa -Blue countries are French-speaking nations, red countries are English-speaking nations.  via Le Monde
The topic of the post-colonial evolution of francophone versus anglophone African states has always a fodder for intense debate. Cheidozié Dike, from Nigeria, brings a new perspective to the subject :
While the French Loi Cadre system was mostly about integration, the British colonial system sought only exploitation. Creating an air of suspicion between the nations that make up present-day Anglophone Africa, fracturing connections before they were even made, all the better to rule.[.;] Francophone Africans do not feel the need to aspire to western culture, because the French culture was wedded with local customs such that it became an indivisible whole
However, the predominant analysis from francophone Africa is quite different. Ouréguéhi, from Benin, articulates why he thinks francophone Africa is lagging behind its anglophone counterpart financially [fr]:
Les pays anglophones ont été libérés de leur colon sur tous les plans. la France a toujours les regards dans les affaires des colonisés sans oublier la dictée qu'elle fait à ces pays. Quand tu veux voir celui que tu prétends aider évoluer, tu lui donne les conseils tout en lui laissant le choix de sa politique
English-speaking countries were freed from their colonizers at all levels. France still keeps an eye in the affairs of its former colonies, not to mention the fact that she still dictates (a few policies) of these countries. When you want to help someone evolve, you give him/her advice but you let them choose their own policy.


text:
GV Face: This Valentine’s Day, Love and Courtship Across Borders · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

Happy Valentine's Day! This February 14 we are talking about love and courtship around the world.
We'll be sharing stories from the Global Voices community, including a lovely first-hand account from the couple Sylwia Presley and Dan Braghis who met through Global Voices, a daughter who told her father she got married via text message, and a story of modern love with a traditional twist  from Pakistan.


text:
Kazakhstan Gets Its First Medal in Sochi · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Kazakhstan got its first-ever Olympic medal in figure skating, with Denis Ten taking the bronze in Sochi today. Ten finished third in men's figure skating, behind Patrick Chan of Canada and Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. With this bronze, Kazakhstan has become the first Central Asian nation to win a medal at the Sochi Olympics so far.
Here are some of the initial reactions to Ten's medal on Twitter:
Gold medal in the men’s free skate goes to Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), silver- Patrick Chan (CAN) & bronze- Denis Ten (KAZ)! pic.twitter.com/kPumL0Yabn
— Sochi 2014 (@Sochi2014) February 14, 2014
A little history for Denis Ten (@Tenis_Den), who becomes first #Olympic #figureskating medalist from Kazakhstan #Sochi2014
— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) February 14, 2014
File this under : Justice In the Universe. Kazakhstan's Denis Ten wins Olympic bronze after a brilliant… [pic] — https://t.co/DwRJpk213V — Arsdiona Boediono (@arsdiona_b) February 14, 2014
Урааааа! Поздравляю @Tenis_Den и весь Казахстан с бронзой!
— Assel Krykbayeva (@Amica_twi) February 14, 2014
Hooray! Congratulations to @Tenis_Den and the entire Kazakhstan on this bronze!
Kazakhstan won the bronze!!!!! Wowoweewow — Erika Esola (@emesola) February 14, 2014
Yes! In Kazakhstan the first medal – bronze!) Awesome performance, all thanks to #DenisTen #Kazakhstan #Olympics2014 — Altinay Suingarina (@Altinay_S) February 14, 2014
Тен !!первая наша медаль!!!)))ураааа!!!! #Kazakhstan #Sochi2014 — Ludmila Olkhovaya (@Ludovick107) February 14, 2014
Ten! Our first medal! Hooray!
Денис!!!! Казахстан!!!! )))))) умничка!!! Слов нет. — Anastassia (@anastassia_i) February 14, 2014
Denis!!!! Kazakhstan!!!! )))))) Well-done!!! I am wordless.
Казахстан ликует! Наконец! #патриот #Казахстан pic.twitter.com/EoDHXpT7Id — Malikova Farida (@MalikovaF) February 14, 2014
Kazakhstan is triumphant! Finally! #patriot #Kazakhstan
Денис Тен наша гордость) спасибо большое! верим в будущем только золото, алга Казахстан!!! #Denis Ten #Sochi2014 #Kazakhstan #Olympics2014
— Jane Kelaman (@JKelaman) February 14, 2014
We are proud of Denis Ten) Thanks a lot! We believe that only gold [medals] will come in future. Go Kazakhstan!
Денис Тэн, ты молодец, Казахстан гордится тобой!!!! — Yelena Kirillova (@elena9kir) February 14, 2014
Well-done, Denis Ten. Kazakhstan is proud of you!!!
@Tenis_Den С большой победой тебя , 3 место большая победа . Весь Казахстан говорим большое спосибо тебе ) — Vatslav B.N (@iVatslav) February 14, 2014
Congratulations on your big victory! Third place is a big victory. Thanks from all of Kazakhstan.
Казахстан взял бронзу по фигурному катанию!!! Таааак радуюсь, аж сама удивлена))) Вот что значит Родина!)
— Natalya) (@fisherlady_nata) February 14, 2014
Kazakhstan took bronze in figure skating!!! I am sooo happy that I can't believe myself))) This is what the Motherland means!)
#DenisTen krassavchik!! Thank you from all of Kazakhstan! Kazakh proud!! You are the best!! @Tenis_Den pic.twitter.com/37W4Z62bWQ — Gauhar Arystan (@GauharArystanKZ) February 14, 2014
Denis Ten is about to become the King of Kazakhstan. 20 years old and just earned the country its only medal. Well done! #Sochi
— Pia Catton (@PiaCatton) February 14, 2014
Итак, первая медаль есть! Кто дальше? #Алга#Казахстан — Kuanova Madina (@Madina_Kuan) February 14, 2014
So, we have the first medal! Who comes next? #GoKazakhstan
Поздравляю Казахстан с первой медалью.. Молочина Денис.. Мы верили в тебя)))))) — Махмутова Назугум (@NmNazugum) February 14, 2014
Congratulations to Kazakhstan on its first medal… Well-done, Denis… We believed in you))))
Казахстан не спит! Казахстан ликует и празднует! Хорошо что завтра суббота! — Kayrat A. (@kayrat1976) February 14, 2014
Kazakhstan is not sleeping! Kazakhstan is celebrating and feeling triumphant! Good that it is Saturday tomorrow.
Я не видела сегодняшней победы @Tenis_Den,но благодаря инсте и тви чувствую радость,которая объединила весь #Kazakhstan! #Sochi2014#Сочи2014
— Madina Idrissova (@MadinaPVL) February 14, 2014
I didn't watch [Ten's] victory today, but thanks to Instagram and Twitter, I can feel the happiness that has united all of Kazakhstan.
Borat references
Many reactions from Twitter users outside the country have included references to Borat, a 2006 mockumentary comedy film that introduced millions of people around the world to Kazakhstan.
Borats country, Kazakhstan just medaled for the first time…in men's figure skating, figures.
— Aidan Fitzsimon (@AidanFitzsimon) February 14, 2014
I am happy for Patrick Chan but more excited for the Kazakhstan skater! Borat must be stoked! #Sochi #Olympics pic.twitter.com/Eb9CVuF6Ac
— Jenny Bray (@jenny_bray) February 14, 2014
#Sochi2014 What in the name of Borat is going on in men's figuring skating? #Kazakhstan with the bronze.
— Rich D Johnson III (@rdj3video) February 14, 2014
Kazakhstan medals in men's figure skating. The country's motto has already changed to “We're not just Borat anymore!”
— Dan Trainor (@dantrainor1) February 14, 2014

author: Alexander Sodiqov


text:
Crowdfunding Campaign to Restore Lebanon’s Second Largest Library a Success · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Screenshot of the Zoomaal petition site
When unknown assailants torched his library on January 3, Father Ibrahim Sarrouj responded by forgiving them. The assailants, supposedly Muslim fundamentalists, accused Father Sarrouj of attacking Islam by publishing a pamphlet claiming that Abu Bakr, Islam's first caliph, once beat Muhammad's wife Aisha with a newspaper.
The library in question is Tripoli's famed Al-Saeh Library, Lebanon's second largest and home to over 80,000 books of all kind. Despite security forces being notified that Father Ibrahim Sarrouj had been threatened by religious extremists, the library was still badly damaged. No one knows exactly how many books were destroyed, but it is estimated that the number may be as high as two thirds.
The irony is that not only did Father Sarrouj never write such a pamphlet – his library contained and still contains numerous priceless Islamic books – but the supposed event couldn't have taken place as it predates the invention of the printing press by 800 years. The supposed ‘accusation’ could not have therefore been made by someone who knows anything about history. But then again, historical accuracy isn't a usual feature of religious fundamentalism.
This crime didn't seem to be about anything. Father Ibrahim Sarrouj is known for his humanist principles in calling for Tripoli's unity. Muslims and Christians alike view him as one of them. He greeted everyone with As-salamu ‘aleikum (Peace be upon you). There was simply no ‘reason’ whatsoever, not even by fundamentalist standards, to attack the library.
How should we interpret this ridiculous and heinous crime? Should we read it as yet another victim of Lebanon's sectarian reality? Or should we just dismiss it as the product of a few marginalized individuals who don't have much to do other than attack knowledge?
The latter seems to be how the Lebanese decided to respond. Indeed, Lebanon as a whole condemned the burning. All major sectarian representatives issued condemnations and called for the criminals to face justice. Lebanon's netizens, Muslims and Christians, Druze and Atheists, sent their support to Father Ibrahim Sarrouj by the thousands. Everyone said “No.” But “No” wasn't enough. Something had to be done to restore the library. Enter “Kafana Samtan”.
Kafana Samtan, or “Enough Silence”, was launched on Zoomaal, an online Arab crowd-funding platform, just a few days after the attack. It was immediately backed with overwhelming support from both companies and average citizens. In just a month, it succeeded in getting US $35,000, thanks to 298 donors. How will the money be used? New bookshelves, a new front door, new wall painting, as well as buying back rare books and installing security equipment.
But that's not the end of the story. The Al-Saeh library distinguished itself in succeeding in getting Lebanese of all stripes together. Irrespective of religion or sect, the campaign gathered everyone in coming together for an obviously non-sectarian cause. This wasn't a Christian vs Muslim vs other Christian vs other Muslim scenario specifically because Father Sarrouj isn't one.
Having given up on trying to change things politically due to excessive nation-wide sectarian corruption, Lebanon's independent minds have taken to social media to gather funds, sign petitions, exchange ideas and influence their surroundings.
Will the “Kafana Samta” success story contribute to Lebanon's growing activist scene? One thing's certain, it has certainly allowed many to soften their negative perceptions and to essentially give hope in a country where hope isn't easy to maintain.

author: Elia J. Ayoub