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Angola: Interview with Feliciano Cangüe from the Hukalilile blog · Global Voices
Clara Onofre

Feliciano J. R. Cangüe is the author of the blog Hukalilile (Don't cry for me, Angola). An involuntary contributor to Global Voices, he is one of the many bloggers who are assisting this journalist by writing snapshots of Angolan society and sharing them with readers.
Feliciano is the first of several Angolan bloggers who will features in a series of interviews to be published on GV. The professor, an engineer who splits his time between Angola and Brazil, gave frank answers to our questions.
What inspired you to start a blog?
I would like to begin by thanking Global Voices for giving me this space and the opportunity that comes along with it.
Various factors led me to start a blog. At one time I had thought of becoming a journalist. I couldn’t make that dream come true, but I saw blogging as a way of providing a kind of civic journalism, or, more accurately, grassroots journalism, based on inclusiveness, which would add to the information disseminated to the public. This made my blog more popular, especially when the news outlet Club-K began to reproduce many of my articles. This is definitely one way of breaking the monotony of the official press in Angola, which is either completely one-sided or biased by the agendas of the most powerful media companies.
Besides, at the time when I decided to start a blog, there were few personal websites based in Angola; there were many gaps that needed to be filled. I needed my own personal Ipiranga where I could protest, raising a “cry for freedom” by putting forward my own ideas, and thus help to improve society. Ultimately, I am part of that society. I believed that Angola would cry for me if its son gave up the fight.
[Translation note: It was on the banks of the Ipiranga River that the Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro declared “Independência ou Morte” (Independence or Death).  Brazil became independent shortly afterwards. See this link]
How long have you had your blog?
Since early 2007.
Were you already familiar with running personal websites?
No, these were uncharted waters for me, but now I can do it in my sleep.
How do you see the blogosphere?
To paraphrase some thinker or other, I would say that traditional media is too good to be true. The blogosphere, on the other hand, is too true to be good. It is indeed an inexhaustible alternative source of information which has the potential to change our world for the better. Vox populi vox dei [“the voice of the people is the voice of God”].
Do you think that blogs might be considered weapons of protest? Why?
We Angolans have a fear of the word “weapon”, and our government has a fear of the word “protest”. To take one example, Yoani Sánchez has managed to make her blog, Generaciony Y, into a veritable sub-machine gun of protest against the Cuban government. She is always trying to scratch the surface of the current political system and show us the filth that lies beneath – what she sees as the injustices and restrictions on freedom that affect her fellow countrymen and -women. Her protests have led to her being awarded countless prizes. To my mind, blogs are real tools for social justice, harmony and peace. They have emerged in order to destroy established systems.
Name one or two blogs that have had an influence on you.
I can pick out three Angolan blogs: Pululu, Morro da Maianga and Alto Hama.
What do you think of the Angolan blogosphere? Do Angolans use blogs as weapons for debate? Do you think they are effective?
Generally speaking, blogs about Angola are still few in number. You couldn't compare us to the Argentine blogosphere, which numbers more than 260,000 blogs, mostly driven by people under 20.
As far as organization goes, it will be some before we can hold a bloggers’ conference like Blogama in Morocco, Bloguvianos in Bolivia, or the like. Nevertheless, we are beginning to make our mark, and this must not go unnoticed. Recently the Jornal de Angola publicly saluted and recognized the power of blogs in Angola. Unfortunately there are many factors which hamper the development of blogs from Angola, particularly poor internet access and the high cost of computers. People prioritize matters of survival; new technologies come second. In spite of this, the long-drawn-out troubles that the country has experienced, beginning with the effects of the Inquisition and 500 years of Portuguese rule, then 14 years of the war for independence, and finally 30 years of civil war, it’s no surprise that a culture of free expression is not part of our everyday lives. Against this backdrop, being a blogger is an almost Herculean feat.
In practice there are a few blogs, such as Alto Hama, that act like fire extinguishers at the heart of the fire. Some people try out the extinguishers for themselves, and others admire them. The crucial thing here is that lots of people are now putting themselves forward, and many of them have sound ideas and an excellent sense of where we should be going. These days, for instance, we have blogs that deal with covering G8 summits as an Angolan journalist.
As for the second part of the question, few Angolans use blogs as direct weapons for debate. Generally speaking, those who do this live outside the country. Others do it by subtle suggestion. They keep their cards close to their chest, using parables and debating situations in other countries, or attributing ideas to “vague entities”, as [Brazilian business commentator] Max Gehringer suggests. Often this requires the reader to be more attentive, like a wine connoisseur ascertaining whether his glass contains wine or gall.
What is your view of this new Angola, pressing for change?
All I know is that the country is going to adopt a constitution for a parliamentary-presidential system. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Whatever happens, if we had a culture of change, if new faces and young people had the opportunity to replace the old ones, I believe that we would soon have a country with a new beat, instead of the same old dirge of “once a minister, always a minister; even after death, always a minister.”
If the country made a priority of investing in education rather than vanity projects, perhaps we would soon be able to escape from the pit in which we find ourselves at present. We can't change the country with the people of today if we cling to the mentality of yesteryear.
What was the defining moment of the last decade in Angola for you?
The defining moment happened this year, in 2009, when the creation of six public universities was announced, adding to the one university that exists at present to make a total of seven.
HUKALILILE (Don't cry for me Angola)

author: Clara Onofre


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Australia pushes internet censorship; Twitter erupts · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

Australia's Communications Minister Stephen Conroy declared his determination last week to push through mandatory internet censorship of a government-defined blacklist of websites, sparking an online frenzy in blogs and on Twitter.
News of the proposed internet censorship propelled the issue to a “trending topic” on Twitter for several hours, under the hashtag #nocleanfeed.
Tweets from angry Aussies poured in as they condemned highly unpopular and controversial internet censorship plans.
Australia's proposed mandatory filter laws have been a contentious issue since Labor swept to power in 2007.
Industry experts, civil rights activists, and major ISPs have all criticised the plan as technologically unfeasible and an infringement on civil liberties.
Senator Conroy has promoted internet censorship as a means to protect children from the traps of online child pornography.
However, a blacklist of websites leaked earlier in the year on Wikileaks revealed that the mandatory internet filter would block more than simply child pornography, including several innocuous websites, in some cases included by mistake. Since there is no clear definition of what would constitute a “Refused Classification” website, and no public process of appeal, the risk of abuse would be high.
Nevertheless, Senator Conroy remained adamant this week to introduce internet censorship next year, despite the public outcry.
The Federal Government's persistence on a “nanny filter” has rallied Australian online activists to counter the initiative, with Twitter the first point of call:
InnerWesty RT @Kady9: @kevinruddpm your support of the internet filter makes me ashamed to be australian and ashamed to be a labor voter. #nocleanfeed
anthonyvoevodin http://bit.ly/6kjWc7 #nocleanfeed protest nationwide, exercise your hard earned right before it's gone
Pox_E RT @Sunnys_Rant: @KevinRuddPM I am unfollowing you due to your censorship policy #nocleanfeed and labor has lost my vote!
mattja @kevinruddpm your support of the internet filter makes me ashamed to be australian, and ashamed to be australian. unfriended.  #nocleanfeed
sgbozman RT @michaelmeloni: @bengrubb a journalist feeling okay about censorship is like a dentist feeling okay about tooth decay #nocleanfeed
MitchellDudley Another intrusion of citizens privacy one would only expect of nations such as China or Iran, not Australia. #nocleanfeed #fb
GOPSpaceRanger f**k you Australian Christian Lobby… stay the f**k away from my internet #nocleanfeed is this how ur gonna protect ur paedophile priests?
kimmar Egypt, Iran, China, North Korea, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Australia –> what do these countries have in common? #nocleanfeed
mmikeemike Just had a conversation with my work colleagues about our civil liberties eroding. They were very receptive #nocleanfeed #knowyourrights
skwashd . @kevmarl i (& others) reported @kevinruddpm for spam. enough people do it & he might be filtered out of twitter.
Twitter hasn't been the only battleground.
Many Australian bloggers have pointed their fingers squarely at Australia's Christian Lobby, whom they see as behind the push to erode civil liberties.
Blogger Stilgherrian wrote the following on the ABC's Unleashed blog site:
… this is politics, not child protection.
This policy is probably about a Senate preferences deal between Labor and Family First. It's certainly about the political demands of a small but vocal and well-connected minority of conservative Christian voters and the devilishly evil internet.
The political solution has already been chosen: compulsory censorship by an automatic filter. The political goal is to sell that policy to the voters.
This goal has been advanced through two means. One, framing the debate in the most emotive terms possible. Two, commissioning a field trial with such a narrow focus and vague success criteria that it was bound to generate some useful evidential fairy dust.
Jamie Briggs at The Punch argues that the Federal Government cannot protect children from the nasty elements of the internet:
The fraud is that Stephen Conroy and Kevin Rudd want you to believe that you ‘protect’ our kids from the ‘nasties’ of the internet by ‘filtering’ inappropriate websites at the internet service provider level.
The truth is that you can do no such thing. You see the proponents of this ridiculous idea say that those opposed to this want to expose ‘your’ children to the worst of the nasties on the internet.  This is an unadulterated lie.
I don’t want my kids (and yes I have two who are nearly at internet using age) watching hard core porn on the internet or for them to be exposed to paedophiles looking to get their rocks off and I will take measures to ensure that they are protected.
But for the government to suggest, which it is, that this will ‘protect’ kids is to provide an assurance they can not deliver.
This will provide false cover to parents, fraudulent reassurance that their children are ‘safe’ from ‘predators’ on the internet.  It will not.
In a detailed post on the efficacy (or inefficacy) of mandatory internet filters, Kevin Rennie at Labor View from Bayside states the following:
There goes boxing and several other Olympic sports. How will the list deal with different crimes in different States? If euthanasia is legalised in one State, would sites explaining how to use the laws be banned? Would sites arguing for a change in the law face censorship? Would links to “undesirable” constitute the grounds for black listing?
What about literature, which is full of detailed examples of crime, violence and drug use? Trainspotting? Fight Club? Crime and Punishment? Film and Television sites also pose a risk.
If the government’s aim is to protect children from inappropriate content, then this scheme won’t achieve that. If it wants to stop illegal material on the web, then it should be confined to criminal material of a sexual nature as proposed in the ALP’s policy in 2007. If it’s trying to increase its popularity amongst “families”, then it’s wasting time and money.
Clever Starfish added to the chorus of opposition to Australia's internet censorship proposal, calling for action:
We believe that this is a terrible move that will push this country’s already substandard internet facilities even further behind the rest of the world, a situation that is unacceptable for business in this country.
Legislation requiring ISPs to implement the filter will be introduced into parliament next year. Full implementation will apparently take around 12 months.
What is important is that it’s not too late — this filter can still be stopped. Support Electronic Frontiers Australia in their efforts to keep the internet open in Australia with their No Clean Feed campaign.
Anger also spilled onto discussion forums and media comments, the following merely a sample from Whirlpool and ComputerWorld:
Bats:
I'm ashamed to be Australian. First no R18 rating because of some religious zealot that's mixing church and politics… and now this rubbish.
How the fudge is this ‘protecting the kids'? Kids don't go to those sites… criminals do.
PersonaNonGrata:
Children need to be protected more against the brainwashing they get from the religious than the internet. God knows (pun intended), they might find out from multiple sources, with their parents help and guidance, that there is a source of morality and ethics they can discover through philosophy.
A plethora of Facebook groups have also popped up in response to Senator Conroy's push for internet censorship. The popular among them include:
NO CLEAN FEED – 13,001 members
Australian government – Don't censor the f**king internet! – 1,295 members
DON'T LET THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT CENSOR THE INTERNET! – 880 members
Rarely do issues evoke such a passionate and emotive response from Australians. But the controversial debate over internet freedom and government censorship is certainly one topic the Australian public will not let go of easily.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Antoun Issa


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Bangladesh: Travel In The Sundarbans · Global Voices
Rezwan

Asif posts a multi-part travelogue (Part 1, 2, 3, 4) on his recent tour to the Sundarbans, which he terms unforgettable.

author: Rezwan


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Bermuda: Injuction Update · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermudian bloggers supply updates on the government's injunction against the island's Royal Gazette newspaper.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bhutan: Looking Back At 2009 · Global Voices
Rezwan

Whatever matters looks back to assess the Bhutanese government's performance this year.


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China: Grassroots wisdom website · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Husunzi from China Study Group introduced a Chinese website on grassroots wisdom.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Internet Triad Organization? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated a CCTV article “Internet triad organization manipulates public opinion: 50,000 yuan can influence court verdict” which tries to justify the crackdown of organized-opinion making activities.


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Dominica: Election Results · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The election results are in and the Dominica Labour Party…has won a third consecutive term in office”: Repeating Islands has details.


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Palestine/Gaza: In Preparation for the Gaza Freedom March · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

On the 31 December, the Gaza Freedom March is taking place to mark a year passing since Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli attack on Gaza.
The International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza is mobilising an international contingent to march alongside the people of Gaza, in a non-violent show of solidarity and with the hope of ending the Gaza blockade.
Many of the participants have already arrived in Cairo in preparation.
The Freedom March has the participation of many noteworthy people, including author Alice Walker, Syrian actor and director Duraid Lahham, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, and French rap group MAP,  amongst others.
Amongst the participants is 84-year old Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstien.
Hedy Epstein has been actively raising awareness about the march. On 01 Dec 2009, along with J’Ann Allen, the wife of a retired military officer and Sandra Mansour, a Palestinian refugee, she issued a public invitation to  political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel to go to Gaza with them.
Wiesel was urged to “Break Your Silence and Come With Us”, during a speech at St.Louis University:
Hedy Epsteins participation in the March has been met with much appreciaton:
Desertpeace applauds her participation:
Seeing a survivor of those horrors [The Holocaust] struggle against today’s evils is truly an inspiration. I am speaking of Hedy Epstein, who as I write this, is on her way to Gaza to take part in the Gaza Freedom March. This is what the Holocaust should have ‘produced’ as an ‘industry’, an industry that does not allow a repetition of the past…. NEVER AGAIN!
The organisation of the march has not, however, been without its hurdles, and organisers the International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza, have not been beyond criticism.
Norman Finkelstein, author of The Holocaust Industry and ‘dreamer’ of the march, was initially an active member of the coalition, but has since resigned. His frustration came from a much-debated change in the statement of the coalition. The original statement of the coalition was to march to break the siege in accordance with the principle of non-violence and anchored in international law. The statement was later amended to include the ‘political context,’ which Finkelstein deemed divisive as it brought in potentially contentious issues unnecessary to the original appeal.  While he does not specify the exact amendments with which he objects, he comments in his address Why I resigned from the Gaza Freedom March coalition:
It should perhaps be stressed that the point of dispute was not whether one personally supported a particular Palestinian right or strategy to end the occupation. It was whether inclusion in the coalition’s statement of a particular right or strategy was necessary if it was both unrelated to the immediate objective of breaking the siege and dimmed the prospect of a truly mass demonstration.
His high-profile departure was accompanied by the withdrawal of a number of other active members. Max at Jewbonics noted his departure from the movement with regret. As an organiser of the march he responded to fears that others would leave the movement, reporting:
I think it is safe to say that number lost will be dwarfed by the number gained, if what I've seen in-person and on-line has been any indication
Despite concerns over the numbers endorsing the march, this is indeed a mass demonstration, and is the first time that Palestinians will be coming together in such large numbers along with international support: there are an estimated 1,300 international participants participating, who will meet in Cairo and march alongside a predicated 50,000 local residents once they have crossed into Gaza through Rafah.
At the Electronic Intifada, Rami Almeghari reports that:
In recent months, people in Gaza believe the international community began to direct its attention elsewhere, neglecting the siege of Gaza. Few international media outlets pay attention to the situation here.
The march hopes to change this. Mustafa al-Kayali, coordinator of the steering committee for the Gaza Freedom March, reports:
We call on the internationals who come here not to consider their visits as tourism. Rather, they should convey a real message from the ground to their peoples, organizations or governments…
Most of local youth with whom I talked over the Gaza Freedom March expressed excitement and enthusiasm for participation. They are keen to send a message to the outside world that the Palestinian people are there and that humans should be united for the sake of freedom.
More information about the Gaza Freedom March, its participants, mission, and on-going preparation, can be found here.

author: Katharine Ganly


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India: From The Classified Ads · Global Voices
Rezwan

Soumyadip at Cutting the Chai was astonished to see what is being offered in the classified ads published in a Sunday Times of India supplement.


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Kenya: AfricaGathering Nairobi 2009 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Erik writes about AfricaGathering, a conference focused on tech in Africa taking place in Nairobi, Kenya.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Macau and China: The 10-year anniversary of Macau’s handover · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jottings from the Granite Studio reviewed the colonial history of Macau and the politics of historical narration by the Chinese Communist Party in the 10-year anniversary of Macau's handover.


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No Indians Allowed · Global Voices
Rezwan

Haagen Dazs, an International ice-cream brand had opened its Delhi outlet and the sign on the door read, “Access restricted only to holders of international passports.” Like many Indian bloggers, J Srinivasan at Desicritics is outraged.


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Pakistan: Wedding Season · Global Voices
Rezwan

Its winter and marriages are happening everywhere  in Pakistan as its unofficially the wedding season. Muhammad Rizwan at All Things Pakistan has details.


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Qatar: Critiques bristle; calls to shut down popular online forum  · Global Voices
Shabina Khatri

Fed up with criticism of their culture and people, Qataris have begun organizing a campaign to shut down Qatar Living, the country's most popular online forum.
A recent series of Qatar-bashing posts on QL have fueled the outcry and prompted college student Amal to start a Facebook group called anti-qatarliving.com on Sunday. The description reads:
This group is to protest against a website called qatarliving.com where many expatriates who live in Qatar post long threads where they criticize the Qatari citizens and culture using very rude and vulgar vocabulary.
Many of the expatriates on this website (not all of them but most of them) use bad language when talking about Qatari people. They have called us names such as pigs, uncivilized, racist barbarians, and many other hideous names. They say that we cannot survive without them and that we cannot handle or manage our country. They also say that they are the ones who built our country fo us and the ones who are teaching us how to behave like humans.
Our aim is to have this website closed for good and teach whoever is attacking our Qatari identity that Qataris should not be underestimated and underrated and we want all of them to see how vicious we are whenever anyone goes beyond their limits while talking about Qatar.
These people have no appreciation of what this country has given them and we will not let them get away with all of this.
Over the past week, various threads on Qatar Living contained scathing critiques of the country's people and culture. One such thread, which has been removed by QL moderators, included a rant by commenter PM, who was upset by the rowdy behavior of some local teens on Qatar National Day (Friday).
PM's post angered many locals, who called on advertisers to pull their support of QL.
According to local newspaper The Peninsula:
Some remarks against the festivities and the people of Qatar as well as Asian expatriates were in bad taste and smack of racism, said Mohamed Al Jufairi, a civil engineer.
Al Jufairi said he has received American education right from school to university levels and know what constructive criticism is. “But the comments about Qatari nationals and National Day are really humiliating.”
“We are all for freedom of expression but that does not mean you cross boundaries and heap insults on us,” he said.
Remarks that all Qataris are arrogant and egoists are not correct since a large number of them are simple-minded and good people. “Some of us may be bad but to say that all of us are arrogant cannot be true.”
In another QL thread, posted two Decembers ago but resurrected by commenters on Sunday, a disgruntled Canadian woman lists all the reasons “Qatar sucks,” including the weather and “lack of culture.”
gabaee writes:
And finally my biggest problam about Qatar is how they allow all these labours to come and work here like dogs. They should at least be allowed to bring their wives here with them, so that they dont’ ****** stare at women like hungry animals. They disgust me and I find them subhuman in the way they act towards non-Qatari women. While I don't cover up like the Qatari women, I dress very conservatively with loose cloths and don't show any skin while outside. Nevertheless, I have been made feel sooo uncomfortable and harressed by sick words, sounds, and animal-like stares. It's sickening and infuriating.
So my advice to those females out there who have a good active life back in the homeland, with a good family and a good man, DO NOT even consider the idea of moving to Qatar. It's BORING, DISAPPOINTING and DISGUSTING!
The post prompted dozens of responses, many of them from expats defending Qatar and its people.
Commenter Gypsy said:
I have to agree that Qatar is a difficult place for a single gal, and I think they should allow labourers to bring their wives,however I disagree with the rest. I know lots of nice Qataris, and I think the architecture here is pretty neat. Much cooler then anything being built in Canada at the moment.
mx1o0o said:
I have been here for 20 years …Im proud to live here all my life, and will always be proud, even though its not my home country, but Qatar and My home country are one in my heart. We are visitors here. We respect Qatar, those who don't, know where the airport is…
On another QL thread,
genesis said:
I think this is blown out of proportion .This is not about Qatarlivning! QL is a site where both locals & expatriates share useful information about Qatar.In addition to organizing many community services throughout the years. The ND thread was deleted by MODs, Many have expressed their nonacceptance on what's written already In Local internet forums like Qatarshares , many locals also criticized the unfortunate behavior of many during the night parade. I do agree with you that many comments by posters were racial , but it only shows complete ignorance of certain individuals Demand to block the site & then what? People will always find a way or another to vent. Only with understanding of one another can we overcome this clash of cultures.
In a post on the Peninsula article regarding Qatar Living,
Qatar Visitor, a website for expats, writes:
The article and the attack were not really fair on QatarLiving.com, especially as they had both promoted the event themselves and removed the offending comments – I personally can't see what else they be expected to do! …Qatar Living has been a huge success, not just for the website owner but also for Qatar. The website demonstrates that, online at least, Qatar has a measure of freedom of speech. (A measure, because, as the removal of comments show, Qatar Living, like all of us, practises self-censorship…What's more, it's Qatar's number one English language social networking site…With Qatar and ICT pouring money and effort into developing IT and the internet in Qatar, Qatar Living is unlikely to be closed down any time soon. But the website does need to be careful!
On Twitter, there was little support for shutting down QL.
Qatari hndqtr said:
the hell is wrong with them, we'll everybody just let it go!!
Expat VEE6 said:
Sad and small minded individuals.
Amal, founder of the anti-QL Facebook group, which already has 91 members, stressed that her campaign was not against all of Qatar's expats.
She writes on the group's wall:
I want to make sure that everybody knows that were are not against expatriates at all. We are very aware that many people who live and work in Qatar are largely contributing to our country's development. Many of these people are as well our teachers and instructors whom we hold a great amount of respect for. However, the people we are addressing by this protest are the ones who constantly use bad language when talking about Qataris. We are addressing the ones who act as if they like us and are inspired by our culture in front of our faces go talk about us behind our backs calling us retards and uncivilized. We do not want expatriates to leave the country, but we surly demand respect and will never accept being described as savages. Now for those who are not willing to be appreciative of all the benefits they are getting by working in Qatar, they surly are not welcomed to stay in Qatar.
Also on the wall was a plea for peace and an invitation to Qataris to join QL.
Amerah Egab said:
I do hope many of you do read the comments where many of the QL community would like to see more Qataris join us and become active members of this community, there are tens of thousands of members, a couple of loud mouth idiots do not represent us all.
On Monday, a few threads apologizing to the Qatari people were posted on QL. Those who run the site issued an official comment in the afternoon.
Ahmad said:
Over the last few days it seems that instead of facilitating discussions and conversations, Qatar Living has become the conversation.
We just want to point out that Qatar Living is not for or against anyone. It is a website dedicated to helping people make the most out of living in Qatar. From finding the best restaurants to selling you car, from helping people volunteer to organizing social events, Qatar Living is designed to be a place where everyone can feel comfortable and welcome.
Of course, with over 150,000 members and 500,000 people visiting each month, there are bound to be disagreements. And unfortunately, like everywhere on the internet, there are bound to be a small number of people who make comments that are offensive. It is unfair for these comments to generalize and stereotype people.
In the same manner, the objectionable comments by a number of individuals should not be seen as indicative of most of the Qatari's and Expatriates who make up the Qatar Living community. We use our Community Guidelines to clearly indicate what is acceptable on our website. We do apologise if any users have fallen short of these guidelines – we aim to treat every member of this community with respect and dignity.

author: Shabina Khatri


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Russia, U.S.: Brittany Murphy in Moscow on Dec. 19? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user becky_sharpe (Bozhena Rynska, Gazeta.ru‘s gossip columnist) claims (RUS) that actress Brittany Murphy, who died on Dec. 20 in Los Angeles, was a guest at a private party in Moscow on Dec. 19 and was [“hungover”] when she flew back home. UPDATE: a follow-up discussion (RUS) of LJ user becky_sharpe‘s post – at LJ user kashin‘s blog (129 comments so far).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Saudi Arabia: Mixed and Interfaith Marriages  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tara Umm Omar, an American married to a Saudi Arabian, discusses Prophet Muhammad's mixed and interfaith marriages in this post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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South Africa: Controversial Health Minister Dies and Twitter Goes Wild · Global Voices
Muhammad Karim

South Africa's former Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang passed away recently. Manto was not a stranger to controversy with dodgy views on managing HIV-AIDS as well as  questionable behaviour including using her position to secure herself a healthy liver after hers were damaged due to heavy drinking.
She was known as Dr. Beetroot because of promoting the benefits of beetroot, garlic, lemons, and African potatoes in the fight against AIDS.
It is for these reasons that she never ceased to be a favourite topic in the mainstream media and indeed the blogosphere. Even Global Voices Online has seen her name in its headlines, twice.
Her death has sparked comments in the blogosphere but the responses on Twitter to her death have garnered more attention.
Some Twitter Responses To Manto's Death
@charliehuman: don't think ‘cultural tradition’ comes into speaking about Manto at all. It's not like there's a cultural monopoly on respect for the dead – Link
@aidencholes: Fact about SA's response to Manto's death: it's the whites who are happy she is dead – Link
@hayibo: More than 300,000 unable to forgive Manto – because they are already dead after being refused ARV's. http://tinyurl.com/y9eq8m2
@ne3tz: Who gives a shit about manto?Now ppl want to respect her cos she's dead? reminds me of when MJ was alive n ppl hated him, then respected him - Link
Blog posts around Manto's Death
Stuff posted a picture in a tribute to the health minister with no adjoining explanation so it could mean anything you want it to…
Democratic Capitalist has this to say on Manto…:
Its amazing how when somebody dies all of her supporters suddenly can think of all the good things she did for society. The reality is that her policies around HIV / AIDs cost hundreds of thousands of lives and have been one of the largest post-apartheid social injustices perpetuated on South Africans.
She is not a hero and should not be treated as one. She was out of her depth from the time she was appointed health minister and her refusal to acknowledge her short-comings meant that many other people suffered.
For those jumping out to defend her, just clarify whether you are doing it as a way of taking advantage of some easy PR or whether you truly believed she offered a lot.
Its interesting to note that according to a poll on News24 – 93% of recipients believe she will be remembered for her failure to tackle HIV in South Africa.
Betty Noire has a lot to say not so much on Manto but on her replacement in the Health Ministry:
One would have thought that it is impossible to achieve a more insane appointment than Manto Tshabalala-Msimang in the national health portfolio. Turns out, not.
What is Aaron Motsoaledi thinking? And WHERE does he find the time to produce draft regulations LEGISLATING THE AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE IN DECAFFEINATED COFFEE? Proposed legislation would, apparently, make it mandatory for ground decaf coffee to contain “not less than 0.12 percent caffeine”.
…WHY?
This question rang in my head, like a crazy bell, the moment I heard Jenny CW mention it on 702 at lunch time. And then I read the story in the Star when I stopped at Vida for a take-away between Atlas Studios and Interbrand Sampson. And then I googled it when I got home tonight. And nobody, NOBODY has provided an answer. Is this an international standard? Does Illy’s water-method decaf actually contain that much caffeine anyway? You would THINK that any journalist worth their salt (WE ARE SO DEVOID, IT WOULD SEEM) would ask WHY?
WHY? WHY? (It’s on the front page of the biggest daily broadsheet in the country. You would hope that the story would get more attention than a 5 minute edit by a junior sub.)
How can this possibly be important in a country where the doctors are either on strike or filling in work application forms for Canada, where the public hospitals are a disgrace, where no working strategy for dealing with HIV and Aids have been put in place and where the concept of primary health care is, well, like… prenatal.
AND WHY?
An adjoining story which garnered far more attention was Radio Presenter Gareth Cliff‘s response to her death and the subsequent fallout. Upon hearing about Manto's death, Gareth wrote on his Twitter page:
Manto is dead. Good. A selfish and wicked bungler of the lowest order. Rotten attitude and rancid livers — all 3 of them …
Radio Review covers off Gareth Cliff's Twitter postings…:
I see Gareth Cliff from 5FM is taking some flak in the Twitterverse (big whoop) and the media about some comments he made about former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
A couple of his “Tweets” included:
“That woman – Manto – and her policies on AIDS sent many thousands of people to their graves early. She added no value to SA”
“Why do people think the dead deserve respect? They’re dead. Even the law is unequivocal: dead people have no rights”
“Manto is dead. Good. A selfish and wicked bungler of the lowest order. Rotten attitude and rancid livers – all 3 of them… “
Personally I think he is just saying what other people were thinking. I find it amazing that everybody is suddenly jumping to Mantos defence when they were happy to kick her when she was making stupid policies…
Other Twitter posts around the same subject (there are, ofcourse, many more)…
@GarethCliff: Relieved about Manto. I was worried she'd finish all our Phuza before 2010 – Link
@steenbras: Not really @garethcliff's greatest fan, but nothing wrong with what he said about Manto. Wholeheartedly agree. – Link
@bregre: i agree with gareth cliff, screw manto, dead or alive. What kimd of cretin ups herself on the donor list, then dies, and then everyone actl – Link
@tsa_london: “Manto is dead. Good, ” tweeted shock-jock Gareth Cliff. Should he be fired? http://bit.ly/6O3bkb – Link
@6000: @garethcliff on his Manto tweet http://bit.ly/7FO5w7 < - misses the point. You don't HAVE to vocalise every feeling, control yourself! - Link
Blogposts around Gareth Cliff's comments…
From Democratic Capitalist…
It has been interesting today to watch the media fall-out today from the death of former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
Of course without fail, the ANC Youth League has jumped on the band-wagon and hammered radio presenter Gareth Cliff for his “tweets” which many described as thoughtless / careless / inappropriate.
Appropriateness of the tweet? Who knows who cares?
And Gareth Cliff's own rebuttal on his blog in his post “Much Ado About Manto!”
I am astounded by the emotional overreaction of a group of people over my comments about the death of Former Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
My opinion of her in life was not a particularly favourable one and I am sure she might have thought the same of me – but this is of no import. Now that she is dead, it would appear I am required to put up the pretence that I am sad for it. I'm afraid I can't be quite so pious.
To her family: Losing a mother, grandmother or relative is a horrible experience. You have my sympathy – on a human level – but you can take heart from all the notables paying their respects.  I doubt mine would matter.
Minister Tshabalala-Msimang presided over the most disastrous policy decisions in South African medical history. While Minister she resolutely refused to accept the wide scientific consensus on the links between HIV and AIDS and brooked not a stitch of opposition to her refusal to provide anti-retroviral medication to, among others, pregnant women suffering from AIDS. Her tendency to accept the theories of widely discredited quacks like Matthias Raath and the unquestioning support of her boss, Thabo Mbeki, further distanced her from the people she was appointed to help.
An Open Letter to Gareth Cliff from Tumi:
Dear Gareth Rhydal Cliff,
I don’t follow you on twitter, I don’t listen to your radio show, I have never tried to watch your talk show and I can’t ignore you on Idols, I try. I am not a fair man, but if I were, I would say you make valid layman critiques of people’s talents or lack thereof. I would say you are a successful and loveable South African personality worth all the attention and endorsements you get. But I am not saying that. Oh no, I am saying you are an idiot.
The death of South Africa’s former Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has brought the worst out of you. I heard/read of her death through a tweet of yours retweeted by someone I follow.
Should Gareth Cliff be Fired?, wonders South Africa's YouTube celebrity Khaya Dlanga:
We have long tolerated Gareth Cliff, earlier this year when Mike Tyson’s four-year-old daughter died, he wrote on twitter that he couldn’t believe that people were mourning the death of a member of the Tyson household. Of course we will not dishonour his death by saying the things he said about others when his time comes.
A gentleman by the name Clive Simkins then defended Gareth and said to me, “Truth must always triumph over ‘compassion’ or we live a lie”. Truth and compassion are not contradictory virtues. One can be truthful and compassionate at the same time. Just as one can be truthful and still be merciful towards Manto, no matter how angry one is at the policy she had to push. Mercy means ceasing to hate. What is the point of hating a dead person? What makes us human and makes us better than who we are is forgiving the unforgivable. This is why so many hold Nelson Mandela in such high regard. As La Rochefoucauld once said, “We forgive so long as we love”. Much anger I sense, anger leads to the dark side Gareth, I’m sure Master Yoda would have said that to you.
Recent speculation said that Gareth Cliff got suspended for his comments, however this was rejected by Gareth himself…
@GarethCliff: Nobody has been suspended. Again, unless you hear it from me, it's bulls*%t. G – Link
Overall, the main element which stands out from this event is the power of Twitter and Social Media and its effect on mainstream media and politics.  There are many examples worldwide of similar effects and politicians and celebrities would be wise to heed the warning and think before they tweet.

author: Muhammad Karim


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South Africa: On match fixing scandal · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Thomas discusses the report submitted to the South African Football Association about match fixing scandal in South African soccer.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Political Climate · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Discuss SVG shares her take on the island's political situation: “I believe this is how our leaders want us to feel…powerless so they can be strengthened…”


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Sudan: Is Unity Still a Strategic Choice?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Writing in Arabic, Sudanese blogger Ayman Hajj  discusses his country's politics and why many Sudanese people are losing faith in unity.
The actions of the Sudanese government and the southern Sudan Popular Movement, says the blogger, are being seen as a farce:
Such a charade, writes Hajj, puts the unity of Sudan on the line:
Citing a recent development, the blogger notes:
In conclusion, he says:


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Trinidad & Tobago: Tax Lover  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This Beach Called Life writes a letter to the Trinidad and Tobago government concerning the proposed amendments to the Property Tax.


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Uganda: Will there be violence in 2011 elections? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Great Lakes Peace and Security discusses concerns about election violence in the 2011 elections in Uganda.


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Video: Impressions from the Climate Change Conference · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Image by UN Climate Change http://www.flickr.com/photos/45289935@N08
We bring you some video impressions from people at the Climate Change Conference that took place during the first weeks of December in Copenhagen, Denmark.  From protests, to dances, arts and presentations, a small sample of COP15.
Through our special coverage page you were able to see live video from the conference and video blogs via TheUptake.org and OneClimate.net as well as follow the Global Voices Team at the conference through their blogs, twitter and other online media accounts.
Following some other videos showing different experiences people had at the Climate Change Conference:
Kiribati, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, sent a delegation to the conference, and here is a video of their cultural presentation:
The delegation from the Republic of Kiribati held a side event on the 9th of December 2009 at the UNFCCC COP15 meeting in Copenhagen, where they presented how they experience climate change in their daily lives, what they are doing to combat it, and their ambitions from the COP15 meeting. Here is a cultural item, a traditional dance, performed by I-Kiribati dancer Maria Timon.
A 14 year old from Sweden named Tora Gimre, gave a speech about where the money to help stop climate change can be found:
Ecologists from Aragon, Spain get excited about heading out to the Forum from their hotel, and they recorded a short video out in the hotel's lobby:
At the conference itself, outside the Bella Center, there was a protest done by the 350 initiative protesting against carbon emissions. With half their clothes off, they cried that Carbon was not negotiable:
350 also staged  a freeze action presentation, where youth froze last Friday at 3:50 pm for 350 seconds to ask climate leaders to keep island nations in existence by controlling global warming.
What was your favorite action on video from the Climate Change Conference? Please share it with us!

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Bangladesh: Home Grown Solutions · Global Voices
Rezwan

The lunatic is on the grass proposes some home grown solutions to mitigate Bangladesh's traffic woes.


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Barbados, Jamaica: Economic Impact · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Jamaica's political leaders are looking down the barrel of a gun; or staring into an abyss; or stuck between a rock and hard place”: Living in Barbados says that “once again, solutions are being sought to the country's seemingly intractable economic problems.”


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Bermuda: Gun Play  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermudian bloggers weigh in on the island's recent criminal activity and the response by the government.


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Bhutan: The Launch Of Drukpa · Global Voices
Rezwan

Jurmi Chhowing announces the launch of a new Bhutanese monthly news magazine, called “Drukpa”. He informs that: “the monthly magazine was born as discussion after discussion highlighted the lack of a proper bridge to gap the difference between all sections of our society.”


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China: People’s microblogging online? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

While the Chinese government has blocked a large number of social media websites such as twitter and fanfou, the official online media, people.com.cn, fills in the gap and launches its people's microblogging page.


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China: White-listing the Internet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

DANWEI has translated the Beijing News’ report on the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)'s plan to white list websites on the Internet. More background can be found in GV advocacy: Online protest against CNNIC and  White-listing the Internet.


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Copenhagen summit: Nepalese Ministers Miss The Point · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

It is no secret that Nepal is already witnessing the effects of climate change. From prolonged droughts to depleting harvest and melting glaciers of the Himalayas, the nation is sitting on a ticking clock when it comes to global warming.
Anna-Katarina Gravgaard, recipient of Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting grant, notes the effects of climate change as seen in the mountainous Langtang region of Nepal.
“residents see the impacts of climate change all around them: in the less abundant grass, the meager snowfall and the massive gray glaciers steadily retreating up the craggy mountainside.
In June, we left Kathmandu by jeep, then spent three days hiking to find the nearest glacier. Our guide, Damondon Pyakurel, or DP, told us that the wall of ice above us had receded up to 20 meters since he first saw it 17 years ago.”
To highlight the pressure felt by the Himalayas because of climate change, the Nepalese cabinet held a meeting near Everest base camp days before Copenhagen summit. Blogger Ujjwal Acharya at The Radiant Star praised the meeting, and said that disaster is waiting to happen in the Himalayan region if things are taken care of promptly:
“The first and foremost important is it generated the awareness about melting of Himalaya. A few years back, there were a lot of concern (media coverage) about Cho Rolpa lake which was on the verge of exploding and if that had happened, there could have been a big problem in quite a large area – places on the banks of river Tamakoshi. The risk was reduced spending a good sum of money. But there are some other such lakes high on the Himalaya that could break free and flood into us.”
Unfortunately, the Nepalese cabinet was unable to keep the message of the meeting intact and show same level of urgency when they headed off to Copenhagen.
Nepali language blog MySansar says that Nepalese delegation was filled with ministers, advisers and family members of officials who had no business attending the conference as part of a nation’s official delegation.
“कोपनहेगनमा जलवायु परिवर्तनसम्बन्धी सम्मेलन के सुरु भएको थियो, नेपालका मन्त्रीहरुको भीड नै लागेको छ त्यहाँ। आठ आठ जना मन्त्रीहरु सहभागी भएर गतिलै सन्देश दिँदैछन् नेपाली जनतालाई- हेर जनता हो, हामी माननीय मन्त्री हौँ। हामीले जे गरे पनि हुन्छ। नत्र विभागीय मन्त्रीका रुपमा वातावरण मन्त्री र प्रधानमन्त्री मात्र सहभागी भए पुग्ने थियो यसमा। अरु मन्त्रीहरुको कामै छैन। तर प्रधानमन्त्री आफ्ना सल्लाहकारहरुसहित झण्डै तीन दर्जन सदस्यहरुका साथ कोपनहेगन पुग्दैछन्। पाँच जना मन्त्री भने त्यहाँ पुगिसके। त्यसमध्ये एक वनमन्त्री दीपक बोहोराले भने अति नै गरेछन्।
उनले आफ्नी श्रीमति, नाति, भान्जी अनि आफू नजिकका मान्छेलाई सेक्रेटरीका रुपमा ल्याएछन्। अहो, यस्तो मौका फेरि आउला, नआउला। यही बेला त हो नि मोज गर्ने- यस्तै त सोचेका होलान् नि बोहोराले। र त नौ नौ जना आफन्त लिएर पुगे त्यता।”
His wife, grandson, niece and people close to him are accompanying the minister as his secretary. One may not get opportunity like this. Bohara must have thought this is the time to relax and have fun. And that is why he is taking nine close relatives to Copenhagen.
The careless attitude of the ministers who treated the conference as an opportunity to travel abroad in tax payer’s money no doubt has hurt Nepal’s position in global climate change debate. It has also cast doubt over effectiveness of global summit like Copenhagen 2009.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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Cuba: Proceeding With Caution?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Generation Y comments on Raul Castro’s speech in the Cuban National Assembly.


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El Salvador: Images from the Campaign for External Vote · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The blog Salvadoreños en el Mundo [es]  collects images of the campaign to allow citizens of El Salvador the right to vote abroad.

author: Eduardo Avila


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El Salvador: The Role of the Media as Watchdogs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In El Salvador, Willian Marroquín writes about the role of the media as watchdogs for the new programs of the administration of President Mauricio Funes [es], including those from the Ministry of Education. He writes that hopefully the media would stop being ‘spokespersons’ for the government as had been the case in past administrations.


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Ethiopia: Meles Zenawi betrays Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Lucas Liganga writes about Ethiopian Prime Ministers's betrayal: “Unfortunately, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who is the spokesman of Africa on climate change uncharacteristically teamed up with France and heavily doctored the African document, a move that shocked the African negotiators.”


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Iran: Death of Top Dissident Cleric, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian citizens and international mainstream media have reported that tens of thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets in Iran's main theological center on Monday and clashed with pro-government militiamen during the funeral of the country's top dissident cleric, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. See photos here.
In a design published in some opposition sites, Montazeri is sketched in green, the color of the Iranian opposition. It says ‘Send our greetings to Neda and Sohrab’ (two demonstrators killed by security forces in post-election protests earlier this year).
Here is a video of the funeral of Ayatollah Montazeri.
Nikahang, Iranian leading cartoonist and blogger, also published a cartoon remembering Montazeri.
There is another video showing a ceremony in Elmo Sanat University in Tehran for Montazeri. People shouted slogans such as “Montazeri is alive!” and “The green movement is in mourning!”

author: Fred Petrossian


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Mexico: Marriage and Adoption for Gay Couples in the Capital · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

Gay marriage has been legalized in Mexico City, after reforms made to the civil code by the Legislative Assembly on December 21. In the same meeting, a law was passed allowing gay couples to adopt children.
This was the next step after the approval of civil unions in 2006, which gave legal recognition of homosexual couples with certain rights similar to marriage (Sociedades de convivencia [es], or civil partnership), following the state of Coahuila which months before accepted this type of union [es]. Approximatedly 600 unions were given in two years in the Mexican capital, as reported by the newspaper El Universal [es] on June.
Photo by Flickr user Esparta. Used with permission following a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/esparta/2764876870/
Mexico City is the second Latin American city to legalize gay marriage, after Buenos Aires, Argentina. Supporting gay rights and marriage defies the commonly accepted ‘macho’ figure and the conservative family structure, as well as the strong religion beliefs rooted in Mexican culture. Religious leaders have already spoken publicly against the Assembly’s decision. Catholic Cardinal Norberto Rivera has called the approval of gay marriage [es] “an immoral law” and an “abomination”.
Blogger Martxele from the blog La fuga del caos shares a softer conservative view, arguing that gay marriage and adoption only favor a few [es], as it happened on Mexico City:
Justo ahora cuando la unión libre es el paradigma entre los jóvenes heterosexuales, cuando el matrimonio se ve como una cosa del pasado y muchos lo consideran un bonito lastre, sale nuestra asamblea capitalina a “bendecir” las uniones gays.
Porque ¿qué cosa es eso sino una “bendición” legal? Ya existían las sociedades de convivencia, muy poco socorridas, por cierto (en el primer año beneficiaron a menos de 1000 personas, o sea menos de 500 parejas, en una ciudad del 20 millones de habitantes, el 0.005 % si no me equivoco), ¿qué beneficio añadido puede darles? ¿Adoptar?
Just now when free union is the paradigm of heterosexual couples, when marriage is seen as something from the past, and many people consider it as a nice burden, our capital assembly gives its “blessing” to the gay unions.
Because what is that [marriage] but a legal “blessing”? Civil unions already existed, poorly required, by the way (in the first year they favored less than 1,000 people, which means less than 500 couples, in a city of 20 millions of habitants, 0.005 % if I’m not wrong), what other benefit can be given? Adopting?
On the other side of the spectrum, the phrase “Mexico city” reached the trending topics of Twitter, as citizens like Grisel García celebrated the achievement:
Aprobaron en México City los matrimonios y la adopción de hijos para la comunidad lesbico-gay , woww que modernos nos estamos volviendo ;)
Photo by Flickr user by ORNI¡. Used with permission following a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orni68/702482232/
The community, however, remains somewhat skeptical. When it comes to defending rights, Mexican citizens share their doubts of how effective the changes would be for the gay community in a country that suffers from political corruption at all levels. Marina and Maria, a couple from Aguascalientes who blog at 2 lunas 5 estrellas, think the victory should not be taken lightly [es]:
El paso se ha dado, familias homoparentales hemos de lograr el reconocimiento total de nuestros derechos, como siempre hace falta analizar con LUPA esta disposición pues sabemos que nuestro sistema judicial no se precia de ser muy transparente y claro que digamos, sin embargo, representa un TRIUNFO para la causa LGBT en nuestro país.
For Iván Nieblas one thing is saying what is legal and what is not, and another is how it finally works out, as he expressed on Twitter [es]:
Ahora falta que el matrimonio gay sea como la ley sobre el aborto: que les nieguen el servicio.
Twitter parody user elnaquito acidly questions who cast the first stone [es] against the gay marriage law:
Dice la Iglesia q la adopción en parejas gays causa daño psicológico y moral en los niños…será que no quieren competencia?
Anonymous blogger from Machete en mano believes that gay marriage might help to integrate the Mexican community [es]:
Esto simboliza para mi un buen avanze hacia una sociedad mexicana basada en la equidad y justicia. Espero ver mas y mas reformas liberales por parte del gobierno (aunque segun algunos sean aprobadas de formas “tramposas”) hasta el punto en que no existan “ciudadanos de segunda clase” o “raritos”. Ya que como mexicanos tomos somos iguales, o por lo menos se supone que lo somos.
Blogger Rino, a 17-year-old gay blogger from Cancún, considers that legality is just the beginning of change [es], not the end, as the community has the last word:
El problema siento yo, que a pesar de que ya sea legal, todavía falta que haya aceptación social porque no todas las personas ven esto como correcto, pero con el tiempo tengo cambiará, o al menos se verá como algo más normal.
Although there has not been a formal census for the homosexual community, it is estimated that the community stands  between 5 and 10 percent of the population of the country. The Mexican Society of Humanist and Integral Sexology (Sociedad Mexicana de Sexología Humanista Integral) recently reported that 20% of the total population (120 millions) has or had at some moment a relationship with a person of the same-sex, as quoted by the BBC [es].

author: Issa Villarreal


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Pakistan: Negligence in Medicare · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sana Saleem at Mystified Justice discusses about the recent cases of negligence in medical service in Pakistan and urges everyone to be more vigilant.


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Peru: Deaths in Huancabamba Protests · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Two residents of the Peruvian province of Huancabamba were killed during a recent protest against mining activity, and Caviar de Cianuro [es] writes about the recent investigation findings that they were shot in the back.


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Poland: ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ Sign Stolen from Auschwitz · Global Voices
Sylwia Presley

Auschwitz concentration camp gate by Tbertor1 on Flickr
Last Friday morning the sign ‘Arbeit Macht Frei‘ (‘Work Sets You Free’) was stolen from the gate of former Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, near Krakow. It was originally made [PL] by Polish prisoners of the camp led by Jan Liwacz and is considered one of the most significant symbols of the camp and artifacts of the museum. Its disappearance caused many speculations [PL], but also serious reactions from the Polish government, museum authorities, Jewish organisations and the public online.
On a forum thread dedicated to this issue, user Lestat is saying [PL]:
Now they will have an image of a Pole. They got caught by winter, so they are ready, for a bottle of wine, to sell for scrap the sign which is not only their cultural heritage, but also a symbol of suffering and horrible death.
Mishel is responding, stressing the seriousness of this act [PL]:
Who would have thought that one could steal from such a horrid place, where so many have been murdered. When I see Auschwitz camp, it gives me shivers… Those who stole it must be insane.
Kazimierz Maciejewski, on his blog, links this act to the recent discussions around Catholic crosses in public spaces, comparing the amount of conversations on both topics [PL]:
As we speak, we are witnessing the discussion about banning of symbols from places where the young generation of citizens is educated. Only a few expressed their opinions in favor of banning the cross.
MarkD, whose grandmother was murdered in Auschwitz, in his blog post presents a different opinion [PL]:
This sign is for me 1,000 times less important than the train track stolen by the poor, who this way wanted to secure their basic existence and caused pneumonia of the old man who got a cold while sitting and waiting for the tracks to be fixed.
Today the police informed the public that five people have been arrested as the result of an investigation. The sign has been recovered, but it was found cut into three pieces. The police spokesman, when referring to the motives of the theft, mentioned this:
All leads are being examined, and we are also checking whether the motive was anti-Semitic […]
Later on, it was implied that financial gains from possession of the artifact were more likely to be a possible cause of the theft.
It is unclear how exactly the money would have been made, however. Two days ago, the Polish equivalent of Digg  published a link to a site featuring copies of the sign available for sale to support the museum :
Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is under financial crisis and needs support. We've come up with the idea of producing replicas of the sign that was stolen from the main entrance gates in order to help aid long-term preservation of the historical site.
Twenty percent of all proceeds will be donated to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Oświęcim, Poland.
Kajetan8 is commenting on this link [PL]:
It's strange how quickly they prepared those copies. They say that if the one to blame is unknown, in 90% of the cases it is the person who gains the most, that's the one who did it.

author: Sylwia Presley


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Russia: Livejournal Vs. Tor and New Battle for Anonymity · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

“It seems that Russia gradually enters the golden age of anonymizers,” a well-known Russian Internet expert Alexandr Plushev said [RUS] recently. This comment was a reaction to a scandal involving a Russian WiMax provider “Yota” [ENG] that blocked access to several dozen opposition Web sites. But anonymizers may not solve the issue of access to “forbidden” information online. An incident that happened just few days before “Yota” story showed how vulnerable and fragile is the concept of anonymity on the Russian Internet.
On November 24, the popular blogging platform in Russia Livejournal.com, which is owned by the Russian media company “SUP” [ENG] with tight connections to the Kremlin,  prevented everyone using Tor, a tool for anonymous online browsing,  from accessing Livejournal Web site.
Tor, as defined by its developers [ENG], is a “free software and an open network that helps Internet users defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis.” The tool uses a distributed network to “prevent somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location.” Data packets on the Tor network take a random pathway through several relays so no observer at any single point can tell where the data came from or where it is going.
Tor played a very important role [ENG] during the wave of protests in Iran in June 2009 helping many Iranian users to conceal their online activities and provide access to Web sites blocked by Iranian authorities.
In November, people who tried to access Livejournal blogs using Tor got the following message on their screens:
You've been temporarily banned from accessing LiveJournal, perhaps because you were hitting the site too quickly. Please make sure that you're following our Bot Policy. If you have questions, contact us at webmaster@livejournal.com with the following information: PFOL0fb1R8QvjxX @ 62.197.40.154
Blogger 14_sonde, as many members of Russian online community, wondered if the incident was about something more than just technical difficulties and anti-spammer measures:
Спамеры до этого как-то не мешали. В последнее время активизировалось несколько групп, которые троллили всякую хрень, вызывая протесты у ряда топовых писателей ЖЖ. Несмотря на то, что был предложен ряд вариантов отсечения спамеров (это легко решается на уровне стат. анализа, усовершенствования капчи, настроек) “глас общественности” был услышан и началась борьба под этим соусом с различными анонимайзерами, включая сеть tor. Вкупе с закрытием Яндекс-ТОПа это реализация планов по борьбе с гласностью и анонимностью.
Some of bloggers recalled an earlier statement by the Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev who urged the cancellation of anonymous online browsing [RUS] because it allows criminals to hide their identities on the Web.  Echoing his boss, the Head of Technology Department at the Ministry of Interior Boris Miroshnikov also called anonymity online an “invitation for a crime” and defined the Internet as an “unregulated space convenient for all sort of criminals.”
Tor blockage went beyond Russia and caused many complains from LJ users in other countries that block Livejournal.com. An LJ user Kizune from Kazakhstan wrote [RUS]:
Дорогой и многоуважаемый СУП не даёт мне расслабляться. Только-только я привыкла с удобством заходить в ЖЖ через TOR (прямого доступа у нас в Казахстане по-прежнему нет и, судя по всему, не светит), как СУП принялся TOR блокировать, якобы в целях борьбы с ботами…
A blogger  jin_fenghuang from China shared his feelings about the incident:
Having to find out from an error message is not cool. I am in China and I was pulling my hair hard over said error message. Thanks for making me freak out.
LJ users in the U.S. joined the crowd of upset bloggers and angrily complained about the blockage of Tor and also gave political explanation of the incident. A user James Brown, for example, wrote:
It is certainly the consequence of purchasing the LJ of Russian company “SUP” by order of Putin and FSB.
Another user marahmarie also shared the feelings[ENG] about the issue:
God help the anonymous bloggers who cannot connect any other way – their countries snoop on their IPs and so they put their own lives in danger posting from anything but an anonymized IP. This is kinda more serious than just blocking 3rd-party spam
A proactive community of bloggers started looking for ways to solve the problem with LJ access via Tor. Some users suggested using other anonymizers and proxy services in addition to using Tor. LJ users started to think about migrating to other blogging platforms.
Amid the controversy, two of the Tor developers Mike Perry and Jacob Appelbaum visited the LJ office in San Francisco, CA, to discuss the incident. Later, Jacob Appelbaum explained [ENG] that Livejournal's decision to ban Tor had nothing to do with politics:
I just had a visit to the San Francisco Livejournal office. The servers at LJ are currently being abused by two users in Russia. They are currently blocking access to all of the Tor exit nodes with a rather crufty (but effective) screen scrape of some Tor status page. They'd like to lift this ban and they'd like to see the abuse stop. They recognize that many legitimate users are now out in the cold and they'd like to allow Tor to access LJ.
The service abusing their systems is http://lj2rss.net.ru/; lj2rss provides a user with an RSS feed of their LJ friends page (normally a paid service). LJ considers this abuse and has attempted to block this service. Lj2rss was previously run through basic HTTP proxies. It has apparently evolved as a service. The lj2rss people decided to ditch HTTP proxies for the public Tor network. This has caused LJ to filter _all_ access from the Tor network as a quick hack to block their service. LJ is unhappy with this as they realize this means that many people are not able to reach LJ. They want to find a solution to this total method of blocking. They only want to stop lj2rss and not everyone who actually needs Tor to legitimately use LJ.”
Appelbaum said that Livejournal was working on blocking only the abusers and not the entire Tor network.
An LJ user dwell who worked at the Livejournal office in San Francisco, CA, added:
We've got nothing against Tor or any other anonymizers, proxies or similar services; if someone wants to protect their privacy in that way, while using LiveJournal, that is their choice and we normally respect that. in fact, in some parts of the world, services like Tor are the only way that you can even *access* sites like LiveJournal.
The problem, which we explained to Tor, was that certain users were (mis)using Tor in order to circumvent our efforts to block *those* users (not Tor). blocking the entirety of the Tor network is not a solution. at all. which is why we're trying to come up with a long-term way to block those users, regardless of which way they come in.
Indeed, Livejournal lifted the ban the next day. Jacob Appelbaum commented:
They're working on future ways to block abusers of LJ without affecting normal, legitimate users; They're pretty awesome for restoring service  for the majority of Tor users so quickly!
But the happy end did not eliminate bitterness of some LJ users. They felt that the ban was lifted due to the pressure from LJ users in the West and could not be assured that this incident would not happen again.
There are several important points about this story. It certainly showed the importance of Tor for Internet users. It also demonstrated the fragility and vulnerability of the services that provide anonymity online. In addition to classical methods of banning those services using regulations or technical “difficulties,” state actors seem to have an increased variety of other approaches at their disposal.
One of those new approaches involves efforts to discredit anonymizers though various malicious actions that are supposedly performed using those anonymous services. Another approach is to control anonymity online not through access regulation but rather through platforms that are most commonly used to access information online (e.g. purchasing a  popular blogging platform). Evgeny Morozov, a Yahoo fellow from Georgetown University, explains [ENG] how non-democratic governments use the Internet technologies for their own purposes and find new approaches to control the Web. One can expect that the two strategies described above will be used more frequently by non-democratic state actors to fight the anonymity online.
In this particular case, abusing Tor services doesn’t seem to be related to the government. The source of the service responsible for the abuse is known. The developer of “lj2rss” is Alex Alexandrov from Novosibirsk, Russia. He explained [ENG] on his blog that he had attempted several time to resolve the issue with Livejournal. In conversations with GVO, Alexandrov confirmed he had used Tor for his purposes but denied any claims that he violated the LJ “Terms of use.” He also said that his numerous attempts to contact Livejournal's owner “SUP” were not successful.
“SUP” hasn’t responded to GVO's request to get clarification about the nature of this conflict.
Another important issue here is a possibility of future abuses of online anonymous services by regular users and governments. The most common solution suggested by different online users is for Tor to hide its so-called “exit node,” an indication that users receive information via Tor network. Exit nodes can raise a red flag among companies and governments exercising online control.
Andrew Lewman, Executive Director of the Tor Project, explained GVO why exit nodes still remain open:
We publish the list of exit nodes for anyone to find.  Getting into the Tor network is accomplished by public relays or non-public bridge relays.  Governments, companies, and others have tried to block access to Tor, not exiting from the Tor network, by blocking access to the list of public relays.  As we've seen with China, Iran, Burma, Vietnam, and other countries, Tor bridges continue to work well even after state-mandated blocking.
What Tor really needs, and people have started to work on, is some way to identify the good Tor users from the jerks. From LJ's perspective, they had no other choice but to treat Tor like they'd treat my grandparent's computer; block the IP address associated with the attack.  LJ has paid accounts, and other such authentication mechanisms, so perhaps they can wait to see what a user from tor does, if they login, don't block the access.
Talking about the incident with Livejournal and a possibility to reconsider Tor's policy regarding open and visible exit nodes, Lewman said:
This is core to the design of Tor.  Right now your Tor client does not trust the network, so we have to publish all public Tor relays in the Tor Network.  Your client doesn't trust the network to avoid colluding nodes, and other attacks on anonymity.  Your client chooses the path through the network, such that only your client knows all hops and which nodes you chose.  We assume you can trust your client on your computer, if you can't trust the computer you're using, then you've already lost any anonymity.  By publishing all of the nodes, so that Tor clients can find them, anyone can run a tor client and get a listing of the nodes for whatever reason.
All of the above makes it easy to bootstrap into Tor.  After 6 years of running Tor, we're just now seeing people starting to block the public list of relays, which is why bridges exist.
We run a service that lets people find out exit nodes by port number because too many Internet services were simply blocking all of Tor, which was very much overblocking; or using a sledgehammer to kill an ant.  In many cases, they just wanted to temporarily block access to people on one port, say http, but not others, say https.  It doesn't appear LJ even used this, but instead just blocked all IP addresses associated with Tor.
It's hard to overestimate the importance of anonymity online. The Wall Street Journal recently published a story [ENG] about Iranian authorities using information on global social networks to identify and intimidate Iranians who criticize the regime.
Lewman realizes Tor's shortcomings:
Unfortunately, the attackers can use a wide range of open proxies, zombied computers, and other means to hide their identity.  It's unfortunate that legitimate Tor users get blocked because of some jerks. We're looking for help with services that can offer pseudonyms so Internet services have a better way to filter the good users from jerks coming through Tor.
It looks like Tor and other online anonymizers should prepare for a new global battle for anonymity not only with “some jerks” but with increasingly technologically effective state actors.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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South Africa: A nation in conversation with itself 140 words at a time · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Was news of Manto’s death the Hudson plane crash of South Africa? Did the passing of the controversial former minister of health mark a coming of age of Twitter in this country?,” asks South African blogger and author Sarah Britten in her post on Thought Leader titled, “How Twitter broke the news about Manto.”
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is South Africa's former Minister of Health who died last week. Manto's death and Hudson plane crash comparison is probably not the best since the landing of the plane in the river was first reported by eye witnesses. However, she argues that the role Twitter played in distributing news of her death is significant. Sarah's post highlights a new trend in South African communication and media space brought by new media tools.
Sarah argues that what Twitter revealed what usually happens behind closed doors in newsrooms: rumours of a big story, frantic efforts to check sources, conflicting reports.
Conflicting reports: Was she or wasn't she?:
I happened to log on at about 2.30 in the afternoon, to see the following tweet from Toby Shapshak, the editor of Stuff magazine: “just heard that Manto has died”.
Wow. Credible source, I thought, since he’s an employee of Avusa and presumably hangs around the newsroom at The Times from time to time. I immediately directed a question at him: how did he know? Then I went onto Facebook and made the announcement in a status update, as one does these days. Then to the news sites to search for the story. Nothing. I asked Nic Dawes, the editor the Mail & Guardian, whether he knew anything. (That’s the amazing thing about Twitter: you have direct access to so many journalists and other public figures in one forum.) “Trying to find out about Manto before saying anything rash,” he tweeted. “She was said to be stable yesterday.”
Then a journalist at Sapa reported that no, Manto was alive; her doctor had said so. Lots of confusion in the Twittersphere. Was she or wasn’t she? Or was this some strange case of Schrodinger’s Former Minister of Health?
It was The Times that scored the scoop, with a brief report noting that sources close to Tshabala-Msimang’s family reported that she had died. A few minutes later Dawes confirmed it on Twitter: “ANC confirms the death of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.”
Another angle that Sarah looks at is how Twitter facilitates discussion in South Africa:
This story has so many dimensions. I don’t have the space or the time to address all of them in full, but one must surely comment on the role of Twitter in spreading the news and facilitating discussion. Ah, discussion. As Dawes observed of the participants some two hours after we had received the news: “You’re waging culture war. Ding dong the witch is dead — white. RIP — african.”
Some of the responses (all of them by white men — it was hard not to notice this) to Tshabalala-Msimang’s death were quite brutal. “I’m really sad, but you can’t tell because my sackcloth is at the drycleaner,” noted one tweet. “RIP Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. And in other news, Johnnie Walker sales plummet 34%” quipped another.
Ivo Vegter was especially vicious: “Joyful tidings for those on the liver transplant waiting list: maybe your government won’t murder you after all.”
One discussion in particular, between a well-known figure in the communications industry (who happens to be white) and the creative director of an ad agency (who happens to be black), got quite nasty, with suggestions of libellous and inaccurate re-tweeting. The comedian Loyiso Gola implored people to get some perspective. “People are overreacting … let us all take a step back,” he argued. “Think what day it is today.”
While many bloggers have written about Twitter and the death of Manto focusing on Gareth Cliff who made a controversial remark about her death, Sarah has focused on the potential of Twitter to transform the way South Africans communicate.
Gareth Cliff is the South African radio personality who, after learning about Manto's death, tweeted:
“Manto is dead,” he declared to his 23 686 followers. “Good. A selfish and wicked bungler of the lowest order. Rotten attitude and rancid livers — all 3 of them … ”.
You can follow Global Voices author Muhammad Karim's post about the controversy surrounding Gareth's comment.
When Sarah watches her Twitter feed, what she sees is “…a nation in intense conversation with itself, 140 words at a time.”:
But what really stands out about the news of Manto’s death is the potential of Twitter to transform the way we communicate in this country. It will not replace traditional media, because news of this nature can only be considered credible once traditional media have confirmed it (and indeed, Twitter could help to drive readers hungry for information to news sites). Twitter is not entirely user-friendly, and all too often the discussions it hosts are wrist-slittingly banal. But it’s the only forum of its kind we have: where South Africans of influence are able to debate and discuss, and ordinary citizens may also participate. Today, I was very aware as I watch my Twitter feed, of a nation in intense conversation with itself, 140 words at a time.
But did Twitter add depth and diversity to the discussion? Some of her readers are not as optimistic about Twitter as she is.
Herman Wasserman asks, ” Did it add depth and diversity to the discussion or amplify the vitriol coming from the usual suspects?”:
Interesting observations. But I’m still wondering exactly what and how Twitter adds to these debates other than speeding up dissemination of information and rumour. Did it add depth and diversity to the discussion or amplify the vitriol coming from the usual suspects? Will the 140 chars encourage restraint or do the opposite (Gareth Cliff a case in point)? And as you correctly pointed out (on Twitter!) yesterday, people will still wait for the traditional media to pronounce with the voice of authority on matters like Manto’s death.
As for ‘ordinary citizens’ having access to new media technologies, in a country like SA, a bit more realism is needed I would think.
I’m all for Twitter’s potential to create networks etc, but there is also to romanticize it at the expense of alternative public spheres elsewhere. How did tabloids report on her death, for instance? Community radio? ‘Sidewalk radio’? Or how does Twitter interact and overlap with these other media platforms (including blogs like this one)? Its strength may lie in these intersections and amplifications rather than as an isolated platform for venting.
Sarah responds:
@Herman: You make valid points. Twitter is a useful addition to other media rather than a replacement. Nonetheless, what marks it out as different is a) the fact that those participating in the debate are from a variety of media sources (how often do you get 5FM DJs and newspaper editors in the same forum?). This is rare in SA, where other fora are hosted by a particular media owner. Also, participants do reflect a fairly broad variety of backgrounds. Importantly, Twitter is very easy to use on a cellphone, which gives it huge potential in a country where access to PCs is limited.
Ivo Vegter argues that Twitter is more like casual conversation and less like publishing:
However, there are two issues here. One is that Twitter is more like casual conversation, and less like publishing. Even journalists tend to say things on Twitter that they probably wouldn’t publish. All the more so for the majority of users, who don’t make that distinction at all. The comments you hear on Twitter are no different from comments you would have heard in the pub or at the taxi rank.


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South Africa: Truth without venom is impossible when it comes to Manto · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Truth without venom is impossible when it comes to South Africa's former Minister of Health: “To be honest, I did not wish to reflect on the life of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, as I have been taught that it is not proper to speak ill of the dead. But as the crocodile tears flowed this week, I felt compelled to be true to history.”


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Sri Lanka: Lesser Of Evils · Global Voices
Rezwan

The campaigns for the election in Sri Lanka are gearing up and Serendipity suggests to root for the leader, who has more experience in life rather than politics and who is the lesser of evils.


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Sri Lanka: The Mouthpiece Of The Ruling Party · Global Voices
Rezwan

A Voice In Colombo criticizes two state owned TV channels for being biased to the “governing party” and discusses how it can affect the upcoming presidential elections in Sri Lanka.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Preserving Lion House  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands reports that “the Lion House in Chaguanas [Trinidad], the ancestral home of the Capildeo family (maternal relatives of writer V. S. Naipaul)” has been nominated for the upcoming National Trust Heritage Preservation Awards.


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Uzbekistan: Criminal Charges Filed Against Documentary Photographer Umida Akhmedova · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Umida Akhmedova, photo by Fergana.ru
Umida Akhmedova, the Uzbek [EN] documentary photographer, has been accused of insult and slander against Uzbek people and traditions, reports Fergana.ru [EN]. The maximum penalty for these charges includes remedial work on two up to three years or detention for up to six months.
According to Umida Akhmedova, captain Nodir Akhmadzhanov, investigator of the Tashkent [EN] city police department, told her that the criminal charges have been filed against all local authors who cooperated with the Gender Program of the Swiss Embassy. Akhmedova is incriminated in the production of “Women and men: from dawn till dusk” photo album [EN – phtos], produced in 2007 under support of Swiss Embassy Gender Program, writes Fergana.ru. There's no information on other authors against whom the charges were filed. The website continues:
The investigator explained Umida Akhmedova that the case against her was produced, based on conclusions of Tashkent public prosecutor’s office experts, noting that the album “is the insult and slander of Uzbek people”. At the same time, it is absolutely unclear which photo (not the photomontage, not the screen version) may be “slander” or “insult”. It is also not clear who and when authorized Uzbek agency for press and information, the state structure, to represent the outraged honor of Uzbek people.
Umida Akhmedova shared first time she was called by police on November 17. Captain Nodir Akhmadzhanov invited her to Mirabad RDIA to give the report of witness on her “Women and men: from dawn to dusk” album. The investigator interviewed Umida for two hours and asked questions, related to Akhmedova’s participation in the production of photo album and as such movies as “Men and women: rites and ritual” and “The burden of virginity” EN] (Torrent can be downloaded here [RU]).
International society of photographers and artists reacted by issuing a petition in defence of Akhmedova [Google Translation – EN]. In the letter of “Protest and Anger” International Coalition of Journalists “Caucasia” expressed extreme disturbance with the fact of charges.
Весь сюжет – пример мракобесия и отката от демократических стандартов, к которым, на словах, так тяготеет Узбекистан. Весь мир хорошо знает, что Программа Швейцарского посольства – это комплекс гуманитарных, образовательных и просветительских проектов. Надо подчеркнуть, что Умида Ахмедова – одна из авторов, сотрудничавших с Программой на протяжении последних лет. Она участвовала также в ряде других международных программ и проектов. Мы, ее коллеги, знаем Умиду не только как талантливого автора, но и как истинную патриотку своей страны. Благодаря работам Умиды, Узбекистан узнали и полюбили тысячи людей в мире.
So far about 400 signatures have been collected from dozens of countries. The news of the criminal charges against Akhmedova reached the Russian-speaking blogosphere on December 17, while the event is almost not covered by English-speaking media.
Lj-user vaskodagala says [Google translation – EN] such advocacy campaigns can really help people and asks everyone to sign the petition. The last time it was campaign to get Umida Niyazova out of the jail and out of the country (Coverage of the campaign is available here [EN]). Vaskodagala claims she personally knows Akhmedova and couldn't believe the thing will get that bad:
Но я думала, с нашей Умидой такого не случится – хоть кого заболтает и рассмешит, какое там ей дело пришьешь, Господи? Я так думала. Ан нет. Месяц мы с ней выжидали – она говорила, подожди, мож угомонятся. Год назад у нас был такой сюжет в Кыргызстане – тогда угомонились, точно. А тут нет – Умидку нашу из разряда свидетелей перевели в обвиняемые. И круг сужают – на пустейшем, подчеркну, месте. Национальные традиции она им оклеветала.
The petition can be signed here [Google Translation – EN].
Many bloggers who discuss Akhmedova's case ask themselves how it is that a documentary photographer can defame her own people and traditions by making pictures. Moreover, it's absolutely absurd, that a person who in fact documents lives is accused of falsifying them.
Akhmedova's pictures are touching and unusual. They carefully depict the everyday life of Uzbek society. Here are just couple of them.
Uzbek children sitting in crocks, photo by Umida Ahmedova. Courtesy of Fergana.ru
A Girl By The Window, photo by Umida Akhmedova, courtesy of Fergana.ru
More pictures are available at Fergana.ru [RU]
***
Umida Akhmedova's bio (according to UZSCI)
Born on 21.10.1955 in Parkent [RU], Uzbekistan
1977 – 1981 – Study in Community College, city of Vladimir, Russia
1981 – 1986 – Study in the All-Russian State University of Cinematography [EN], Moscow, Russia
1970 – 1990 – operator at the Uzbek Newsreel
2000 – present – member of the creative union of the Academy of Fine Arts

author: Alexey Sidorenko