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Obama’s Ghana Speech Underwhelms · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Congolese blogger Alex Engwete posts a French translation of Obama's address to the Ghanaian parliament, given this Saturday during his first-ever visit as President.  Two readers respond, each unimpressed by Obama's speech.
Wavre thinks Obama's failure to recognize America's past misdeeds in Africa or Africa's contribution to the West's success places his speech just a little above Sarkozy's infamous Dakar address.  Bony believes that many of Africa's challenges are cultural, and that the color of Obama's skin does not make him any more equipped to understand them; Obama, like other African-Americans, is more American than he is Black.
US President Barack Obama addresses the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra (Official Photo)
Wavre compares Obama and Sarkozy's speeches:
Non seulement que l'Afrique est le dernier continent qu'il visites malgre ses origines, mais il s'est excuse partout des erreurs de la politique internationale americaine, mais pour l'Afrique, aucune recognition des erreurs de la politique americaine de destabilisation systematique de tout les gouvernements progressistes et nationalistes qui ont emerges dans notre continent.(une des grande raisons, a mon avis de notre retard) Une longue liste d'interventions, certaines encore actueles, en faveur d'interets d'argent sous des pretextes de lutte contre le communisme (ou expansion chinoise).Et ne meme pas mentioner le fait que depuis cinq siecles l’ afrique a servi de marche pied a la revolution industriele occidentale, de l'esclavage a nos jours, quand il n'a pas hesite a remonter jusqu'au moyen-age pour rendre hommage a la contribution des arabes a la civilisation mondiale?! Il me semble avoir repris et modifier un discours d'un certain Sarkozy en supprimant un tant soit peu la condescendance suffisante du monarque francais.
Not only was Africa the last continent he visited, despite his origins, but everywhere he went he apologized for America's mistakes, while in Africa, he made no recognition of the mistakes of American policy, of the systematic destabilization of all progressive and nationalist governments that have emerged on our continent.  (One of the major reasons, in my opinion, of our delay).  A long list of interventions, some still ongoing, in favor of moneyed interests under the pretext of a fight against communism (or Chinese expansion).  Not to mention the fact that for five centuries, Africa has served as a stepping stone for the West's industrial revolution, with slavery that continues today, when he did not hesitate to go all the way back to the Middle Ages to pay homage to the contribution of Arabs to civilization?!  He seems to have taken and modified the discourse of a certain Mr. Sarkozy by cutting out just enough of the French monarch's condescension.
Bony debunks the idea of a pan-African identity:
Ce discours est beau mais la question africaine vis à vis du développement est avant tout d'ordre culturel. Partout où le poids de la tradition est importante il y est difficile d'impulser le progrès tel le conçoit le monde contemporain. Le Ghanéen Nkwama Nkrumah le dit dans ses écrits mais quand il est arrivé au pouvoir il n'a pas réusi à changer les choses et les coups d'Etat qui s'en sont suivis non plus. Même Rawllings n'a pas développé le Ghana. Le folklore représente encore la culture africaine.On a acceuilli Obama avec celà. Mais les noirs américains ou afro-américains ont une culture qui n'a rien à avoir avec l'Afrique. Pour être concret ce sont des noirs avec une culture occidentale. Je n'aimerais pas leur porter l'injure en disant que ce sont culturellement des blancs avec une peau noire. Bien sûre on nous bassine avec la culture des ghettos. Là aussi c'est une une sous-culture américaine qui n'a aucun parallèle avec l'Afrique.
This is a beautiful speech but the question of African development is above all a matter of culture.  Everywhere the weight of tradition matters and it is difficult to encourage progress as it is understood in the modern world.  The Ghanaian Nkwama Nkrumah says as much in his writings but when he came to power, he did not succed in changing things nor the coups that followed him either.  Even Rawlings did not develop Ghana.  Folklore still represents African culture.  Obama was welcomed with it.  But black Americans o African-Americans have a culture that has nothing to do with Africa.  To be concrete, these are blacks with Western culture.  I don't want to hurt anyone by saying that they are culturally white with black skin.  To be sure, they swamp us with the culture of the ghettos.  That is also an American subculture that has nothing to do with Africa.
Le chanteur Akon est-il africain? Oui. Fait-il de la musique africaine? Non.
Is the singer Akon African?  Yes.  Does he make African music?  No.
Bony has a somewhat different view of Obama's “post-racial” America:
…On est tous devenu des wasp même si la différenciation de la couleur de peau reste vivace. L'adage ne dit'il pas que la nuit tout les chats sont gris? Dans le monde tout les américains sont wasp. D'ailleurs le monde s'en est rendu compte rapidement.  Obama est plus Américain que noir.
…They have all become wasps, even if differentiation by skin color is alive and well.  Doesn't the saying go that at night all the cats are gray?  In the world, all Americans are wasps.  Moreover, the world is quickly realizing that.  Obama is more American than black.
wavre responds:
Alex, Bely et moi vivons en amerique depuis des decennies et ils ne me contradirons surement pas quand j'affirme qu'ici malgre les points communs que partagent tout les americains, il y a une distinctive culture noir-americaine ici aux states, culture due a leurs origines africaines. Nous qui avons l'avantage de connaitre les deux continents, sommes plus a meme de reconnaitre ses traits de caractere. Tu sembles n'avoir pas encore differencie technologie et culture.
Alex, Bely and me have lived in America for decades and they certainly would not disagree with me when I affirm that in spite of the what all Americans share in common, there is a distinctive African-American culture here in the States, a culture due to their African origins.  We who have the advantage of knowing both continents are more capable of recognizing these character traits.  You seem to have not yet differentiated technology [i.e., development] and culture.
Parles des choses que tu connais, mon cher ami, car l'election d'Obama ne marque EN RIEN loin s'en faut, la fin du racisme aux Etats-Unis.
Speak about things you know about, my dear friend, because the election of Obama DOES NOT mark the end of racism in America, far from it.
wavre says beyond these question of identity, beyond Obama, the most important thing to remember is that:
PERSONNE NE NOUS AIDERA, SI CE N”EST NOUS-MEME!LA NOMENCLATURE ECONOMIQUE MONDIALE ET SES LIGNES DE FORCE TEL QU”ELLES EXISTENT ACTUELEMENT N’ ONT AUCUN INTERET A NOTRE DEVELOPPEMENT!
Seul un patriotisme et un amour du continent et de ses populations par des gouvernants integres pourra sortir l'Afrique de la dependance et du sous-developpement.
NO ONE IS GOING TO HELP US, IF NOT OURSELVES!  THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM AND ITS FORCES AS THEY EXIST TODAY HAVE NO INTEREST IN OUR DEVELOPMENT!
Only a patriotism and a love for the continent and its people by honest governments can pull Africa out of the traps of dependence and underdevelopment.

author: Jennifer Brea


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Only Pakistan can help Pakistan · Global Voices
Rezwan

While discussing the problem of the growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Mosharraf Zaidi at All Things Pakistan comments: “Pakistan is in this mess because this is a state that does not deal with small problems until they become big problems,” and “in the long run, only Pakistan can help Pakistan.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Palestine: No Progress  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Palestinian Pundit‘s Tony Sayegh celebrates his blog's third anniversary. “A lot has happened in the world during these three years, but in the case of the Arabs in general and the Palestinians in particular, not only there has been no progress, but actually there has been regression,” he notes.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Philippines: Testimony of a worker with HIV  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Rina, a former domestic helper from the Philippines, shares how she acquired HIV while working in Dubai.

author: Mong Palatino


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Puerto Rico: Play for Las Playas · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands profiles a play by a group of students that “is meant to educate people about the value of caring for our coasts and to raise consciousness to avoid the privatization of Puerto Rico’s shores.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Republic of Congo: Voters want peace and stability · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Elie Smith sums up voters’ expectations in the presidential elections in the Republic of Congo: “Most voters today said, their main motivation to vote was to consolidate peace and stability and these two aspects, are the greatest achievements of incumbent President Denis Sassou Nguesso.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Russia: If you can’t beat the west – join NATO · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user ne onegin defaitistically argues [RUS] that Russia should join NATO due to the alliance's military superiority, arguing if you can't beat them, join them.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Russia: Why there will be no new war with Georgia · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user ulakya rejects [RUS] fears of a new conflict between Russia and Georgia and argues why Moscow wants to avoid war in the Caucasus.


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Saudi Arabia: Above the Law  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi blogger Najla [Ar] writes a sarcastic post in which she suggests the authorities draft two laws – one for ordinary citizens and another one for those with influence or who think they are above the law.


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South Korea: Ohmynews! calling for 100,000 supporters · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ohmynews! is now calling for 100,000 supporters to give monthly donation in order to become independent.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Tanzania: Updates for 6th Pan African Reading For All Conference · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Updates for the 6th Pan African Reading For All Conference, which will take place in Tanzania: “As you are making your final plans, please include bringing your National Flag for the opening ceremony and national dress for the closing banquet.”


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Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Farce Meets Abject · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“West Indies cricket is not a compass for but a barometer of the West Indian nation. The status and performance of the team does not point us in a new direction; it merely reflects where we are as a people. And we’re in a mess”:  From Barbados, B.C. Pires examines the current impasse between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association.


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US-Russia: American reactions to Obama in Moscow · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Ivanov Report discusses some reactions in US media on President Obama's visit to Moscow last week.


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Yemen: “This Is It”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Michael Jackson wanted to give his greatest and best show. One last show which he called: ‘This Is It’. In death, he has done just that,” writes Yemeni blogger Omar Barsawad in this post.


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Azerbaijan: Social Networks and Youth Activism · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Writing on Quirk Global Strategies, the former Country Director of the National Democratic Institute in Azerbaijan comments on the use of social networking sites such as Facebook by supporters of recently imprisoned video blogger Adnan Hadjizadeh and youth activist Emin Milli. The blog criticizes them for the tactic employed with the aim of mobilizing people inside and outside Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, writing on Thoughts on the Road, an American journalist fresh from a working stay in the country disagrees and says that such tools are necessary to effect political change.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Barbados: Dark Day for Windies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora blogger Jdid is disheartened by the direction of West Indies cricket, saying: “Thank you WIPA and WICB for killing our cricket. You're both doing a bang up job!”, while compatriot Barbados Underground adds: “In light of the illogical decisions in recent years exhibited by the WIBC and WIPA, the biggest stakeholder of all, the PEOPLE, has now been dulled into a state of apathy.”


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Barbados: Man Power  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Faced with appliance problems, Barbadian blogger Ingrid Persaud “decided it was time to deploy the only weapon that works in getting things done in Bim: an assertive man.”


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Belarus: Between Napoleon and Alexander · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user nicolaev writes about [RUS] Belarus during the Napoleonic wars and how the country related to Russia and the invading French.


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Belarus: The Grünwald pillow battle · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user reaktivny puz advertises [RUS] a 15 July celebration of the 1410 battle at Grünwald (Tannenberg) by staging a battle with pillows.


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Cuba: Remembering Segundo · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands remembers “well-known Cuban musician and composer Compay Segundo”, who passed away in Havana six years ago today.


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Czech Republic: Sixty percent of Czechs support death penalty · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Czech Daily Word draws attention to a survey showing that 6 out of 10 Czechs support the death penalty.


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Dominica: Tourism Development?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The issue of sustainable development has been a troublesome issue…and the Caribbean is no exception; as the pace of development has begun and in some cases has already outstripped the rate at which our valuable and fragile ecosystem can replenish itself”: Dominica Weekly advocates approaching tourism development with caution.


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Georgia: Controversial online game · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia, a ground-breaking LGBT blog in the region, comments on news from Gay Caucasus [RU] that a homophobic game, Kill the Faggots, is proving popular among children in Georgia. The blog says the game is disgusting and that the site should be shut down.


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Georgia: Nationalist Pop · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This is Tbilisi Calling comments on the tendency for pop music to be used for political purposes in countries such as Georgia. Although there have been some songs which have lampooned forces on both sides of the political divide, the blog also notes their use for nationalist purposes in a region where frozen conflicts run the risk of thawing unexpectedly.


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Iraq: Alcohol in Iraqi Kurdistan · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

“In Ankawa, the Christian quarter of Arbil, there are so many alcohol shops with fake beer brands made in Turkey. There are also real beer trademarks, but that's also from Turkey (Efes). In the ‘Muslim’ part of Erbil (Hawler) you can also get alcohol, but it's mostly ‘sealed’ off with a small wall so that other people cannot see you drinking” writes Transnational Middle-East Observer in this photo post on alcohol in Iraqi Kurdistan.

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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Malaysia: No to English in Science & Mathematics · Global Voices
Jude Chia

No more English in science and mathematics by 2012. That is the long overdue decision from the Ministry of Education on the policy of teaching science and mathematics in English (PPSMI). The Education Minister stressed it is purely an objective decision and cited the rationale of the decision is based on poor English competence among teachers, widening performance gap between rural schools and urban schools. In a press conference, he again refuted the claim of political influence in the decision-making process.
This emphatic decision apparently will stay despite an online poll result (updated by 1650 GMT+8; Jul 13 2009) that shows 86% of 81,370 votes goes against the decision. This poll is initiated by none other than one of the strongest supporters of PPSMI, former PM Dr. Mahathir who disappointedly said:
Seems to me like the Government is not listening to the voices of the people. Perhaps a blog poll might enlighten the Government as to the opinions of the people.
This issue has undoubtedly taken a great emotional toll on all key stakeholders: influential lobby groups that momentarily declared victory, confused students, tired parents and teachers, and citizens who are generally concerned about education progress in the country. So is it a decision that reflects on objectivity or political pressure?
Wong Chun Wai, group chief editor of The Star newspaper commented in his personal blog that it is a rare political consensus that unites lobby groups, opposing parties to revert to Malay, Chinese and Tamil in teaching science and mathematics.
So, it's pretty clear that these political and education groups must know what they are talking about, politically, that is.
Twitter is not left out with the ongoing discussion on the decision. @Asohan wryly put it as a political shocker, an unusually rare occasion where an opposition chief will support PM Najib on a divisive issue.
Despite the stress on objectivity by the Education Minister, it will be hard to ignore political sentiments and interests that feature prominently in this issue. As Ibnu Hasyim commented:
Semuanya adalah angkara BN, maka kerajaan BN perlu dihukum kerana sudah membazirkan wang negara, masa dan anak-anak rakyat miskin yang menjadi korban. Hukumlah dengan menolak BN dalam PRU 13 akan datang bermula dengan pilihan raya kecih Manek Urai yang akan diadakan beberapa hari lagi.
National Association of Malaysian Islamic Students (PKPIM) said:
Keputusan itu merupakan satu tafsiran komitmen kerajaan untuk mempertahan dan mendaulatkan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kebangsaan.
There continues to be a challenge to justify the objectivity of the decision. There is a consensus that the government decision is too shorted-sighted and not well-developed to consider the future of students and nation overall.
As the prominent social activist, Marina Mahathir put it:
Sad, because the leadership that we have do not have the spine to stand up to minority interests. Sad, because our children are sacrificed because the BN wants to win one by-election.
When rural schools are not as well equipped as urban ones, is that not to be expected? If you look at performance overall, doesn't that hold true anyway? Why should English be made the excuse for unequal distribution of resources between rural and urban schools? Surely when you see poor results from rural schools, what needs to be done is to improve the teaching in those schools. Not reverse an entire policy and bring urban kids down along with everyone else.
Some commentators on Twitter lamented on the rationality of the decision:
@jay_baharin after 6 yrs +RM4 billion of expenditure they abandon PPSMI easily…my sympathy toward all young students who will be more confused than ever….
@waski69 PPSMI – One small political step for UMNO/BN, one giant leap backward for the future of Malaysia-kind…
There will be a lot of interpretation on whether this is a political decision or an objective decision and only the decision makers will truly know. But what cannot be denied is the fact that Malaysia will need a few more years of experimentation to improve the command of English among students and the methodology in teaching science and mathematics. Sadly, the waiting time adds more uncertainty to the unanswered question of what is really the best practical solution to serve the nation and students. As one confused student aptly put in:
Two words: I'm shocked.
All the Science and Math terms in English, I've learnt and applied them for six years. And now I'll have to go back to square one in Form Four (10 grade)?
Now one question remains: What now?

author: Jude Chia


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Morocco: Changing Nothing and Everything · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

As summer in the kingdom wears on, bloggers across Morocco all seem to be talking along the theme of change.  From the foreign experience in Morocco to the freedom (or lack thereof) of the press, the blogoma is waxing philosophical on a variety of topics.  Perennial blogger  Everything Morocco, a foreigner living in Fez, has recently posted about domestic violence in Morocco.  After discussing the reality in the country, she advises:
At this point, I suspect only women are still reading this post. Fact is Ladies, we live in a patriarchal world no matter where you are from and violence is a reality for all of us whether it be physical, mental or emotional. Men make the rules we live by and we are complicit in this situation by the way we live and the way we continue to teach our children. Until women take responsibility for the bad behavior of their sons and husbands and teach them otherwise, this violence will continue. Until women stand together and refuse to be treated like chattel, they will be used like domestic labor. Every time you turn the other cheek to mistreatment from a man, you are enabling him to do it again to someone else. Every time you fail to discipline your son's disrespect to a woman, you are teaching him that his attitude is okay.
Women are stronger than men in every respect except physical musculature. We live longer, we are more intelligent, our pain threshhold and stamina surpass that of males, and our chances of survival at birth exceeds that of males by two. So why are they making the rules that govern our lives?
Photo by eatbees
The above photograph was recently taken by blogger eatbees in Fez, with the following explanation:
If I had to pick a single image to sum up what I’ve seen so far in Morocco, I guess it would have to be this one.
A young man rests on his bicycle, overcome by fatigue or even despair in the middle of his route. People pass by, indifferent, no doubt consumed by their own problems. The nowhere quality of the place just underlines the theme.
The blogger, who has just returned to Morocco after a three year absence, remarks on how little – and how much – the country has changed, and says:
To be honest, I was reluctant to return to Morocco because I thought I might be saddened in this way. Coming from a nation where everything works despite having just suffered a major economic crisis, it’s difficult to undertand a society that remains stuck despite the enormous inventiveness, curiosity, motivation, and native intelligence of the Moroccan people.
When I was here in 2003–2006, there was a feeling that despite all the obstacles of an underdeveloped nation, change was in the air and the future would be brighter. It was easy then for me to explain what I loved about Morocco, a nation reaching for democracy and opportunity while holding to the best of its traditions. Today I have a harder time answering that question.
I’ll have more to say on this later, but for now I pose the question to you, dear readers. Is Morocco stuck, and why?
Janelle of {from} Warp {to} Weft writes on the the complicated topic of brain drain in Morocco, a country which loses some of its best young minds every year to universities and jobs abroad.  She muses:
There has been rapid migration in Morocco from rural areas to the cities. Morocco's increase in imports has also driven down prices for farmers which also increases the migration to cities. Also the increase in imports has allowed for carpet weavers access to chemical dyes for a lower cost than using natural dyes. More girls are going to school, which means that if you believe that education is intrinsically good for all than this is an improvement for society but it has also led to more strain on families. Often educated daughters want to move away, and those who stay are more discontent than they ever have been. Carpet weaving is a skill that is decreasing as education of women increase. From a developmental standpoint, this is a conundrum. There is an oversupply and low demand of educated people for rural areas to sustain while there is a decreasing supply of artisans and an arguably stable demand for their products.
She then implores her American readers to think about U.S. immigration policies, saying:
So this week as you reflect on what it means to be American, think about immigration and foreign policy abroad. We live in a democracy and although our nation has become bloated to the point of stasis, there is a reason that the first amendment was put 1st! Speak freely, ask questions, and question the agenda of the media, the government, and so-called development organizations who claim to be bringing change.
Finally, A Moroccan About the World Around Him talks about the latest movement against the smothering of the free press in Morocco where, until recent years, it was unthinkable to rise up against the government in such a way.  The blogger explains:
Over twenty independent Moroccan newspapers and magazines, in an unprecedented show of discontent, published blank editorials to protest the government’s legal campaign to silence them. Since the press law reform of 2002, Moroccan media have seen an increase in stiff criminal penalties and civil damages against journalists and the publications they write for. So stiff, in fact, that if a country’s wealth were to be guaged by the fines it imposes on its free media, Morocco would be considered one of the richest countries in the world. The punitive judicial sanctions were levied for what the Moroccan authorities perceived as libeling government officials, institutions, and foreign dignitaries, undermining the nation’s image by reporting on the criminal involvements of government representatives, insulting Islam’s tenets, and disrespecting the person of the king. Many believe the government’s perception to be skewed and that the court rulings were motivated by political retributions orchestrated by incumbent officials and affluent businessmen who collude among themselves to advance their personal agenda at the expense of the citizens’ and are incensed to see their despoiling of Morocco’s national treasures plastered on the front pages of dailies and weeklies; the government’s insistent push for ruinous fines against the independent media and jail terms against its journalists aims at garroting their ability to report to the public on the undemocratic practices of the Moroccan authorities.

author: Jillian C. York


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Nabucco: Running out of gas · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Der Spiegelfechter comments on [GER] the agreement to build gas pipeline Nabucco and wonders where the gas will be coming from, whereas Der Unbequeme questions [GER] the need of yet another pipeline. LJ user xystos argues [RUS] why Nabucco is a mere mirage, and LJ user tertiaroma sees [RUS] the pipeline as an expression of Russophobia and advocates raising the Russia issue in Ukraine.


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Pakistan: Is the proposed E-crime bill a form of Democratic Dictatorship? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Mystified Justice wonders what purpose the proposed E-crime bill will serve other than obstructing freedom of expression. She feels that it would be much more constructive if instead, the government was to focus its energy on dismantling the illegally operated, infamous,provocative and inflammatory FM radio channel broadcast by Maulana Fazlullah (the militant, pro-Taliban, TNSM chief) from somewhere in the Swat valley.

author: Aparna Ray


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Paraguay: As the H1N1 Virus Spreads · Global Voices
Belen Bogado

Not getting caught in the traffic jam of España Avenue on a weekday at 2 p.m. is a daunting task. That is why seeing the street almost deserted nowadays is stunning for most Paraguayans. “I’ve never seen something quite like this before, everybody is paranoid now,” says blogger Nora Vega, who commutes to downtown Asunción every day. What is keeping Paraguayans inside their houses is the fast spread of H1N1 virus, which has already claimed three lives and infected hundreds of citizens.
Last week the National Congress declared a national health emergency for 90 days and granted an extra 99 billion guaranies (about 20 million dollars) to the health ministry to deal with the swine flu epidemic.
The government is now analyzing the possibility of extending the two-week winter break for schools to prevent more children from getting the virus. The city hall closed several public buildings and theaters for ten days. The action was taken despite Health Minister Esperanza Martinez’s statements, who warned that this type of measures were not effective to stop the spread of the virus in countries such as Mexico and the United States.
Although the health ministry has only confirmed three deaths officially, it is suspected that at least 15 other deaths are related to the virus. So far 114 cases of infections are official, but there are about 700 other suspicious cases. One of the reasons why these cases cannot be confirmed is because of the shortage of materials to perform the analysis.
Other major concern is the scarcity of antibiotics, especially in the private sector. Journalist and blogger Mabel Rehnfeldt on her blog El Dedo en la Llaga [es] shares the frustration of having two daughters infected with the virus:
Cuando el sábado a la mañana el diario ABC trajo en tapa el titular “SALUD DICE QUE TODO ESTA CONTROLADO” la rabia y la impotencia me ganaron.
(…)
Esperanza y equipo: Den un volantazo. Demuestren que no se van a prestar a mentiras oficiales. Si las cosas están descontroladas (ya sea por falta de recursos o porque es difícil controlar una enfermedad como esta en un país pobre e ignorante), digan que no pueden, que no hay recursos, o gente bien entrenada si es que ya los controles les sobrepasan. Hagan que ayudemos desde el sector privado pero no nos digan que todo está bien cuando los monitoreos no están funcionando.
When I saw on page one of ABC newspaper the headline “HEALTH DEPARTMENT CLAIMS THAT EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL” the anger and helplessness overwhelmed me.
(…)
Esperanza (the health minister) and the rest of the team: show us that you won’t be part of the official lies. If things are not under control (because of the lack of resources or because it is difficult to control a disease like this in a poor and ignorant country), say that you can’t handle it, if you feel overpowered by the situation, say that there are no resources or trained professionals. Request help from the private sector, but don’t tell us that everything is ok when the monitoring of the disease is not working.
Senators reacted to the fast spread of the virus by accusing the health ministry of acting inefficiently. Representative José Lopez  even suggested that health minister Martinez should face a Congressional hearing. But not everybody agrees with this stand. Blogger and journalist Susana Oviedo, on her blog Sobre el Punto [es], argues that the government representatives are not telling the truth:
Según demostró la ministra, hace tres meses también que están programadas las respuestas para cada fase de esta pandemia en el país, y se había anunciado que julio y agosto serían los meses críticos. …. Pero evidentemente los políticos, en general, y los que ocupan cargos en la administración del Estado, en particular, no prestaron oídos a estos temas. Estaban envueltos en sus pequeñeces, como siempre.
As the outbreak extends, Paraguay’s challenges to face the AH1N1 virus increase: the hospitals are overcrowded and as a result, patients are waiting in lines for hours.

author: Belen Bogado


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Russia: Barring appeal to the Court of Europe · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Finrosforum turns attention to a Russian legislative proposal designed to bar citizens – mainly Chechens – to sue Russia at the European Court of Human Rights.


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Russia: Moscow election posters · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user Ilya Yashin publishes [RUS] campaign posters for the upcoming Moscow local elections, illustrating the current Russian political landscape.


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Russia: Sources of sectarianism · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sean's Russia Blog reflects upon Russians’ affinity to religious sectarianism, against the background of RIA Novosti coverage.


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Syria: Allergic to Religion? · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

Mohammed writes about a phenomenon that he feels has gone too far. He feels that many people have a certain “Religion Influenza” [Ar] that makes them hostile to anything related to religion.

author: Yazan Badran


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Syria: Ode to Blogging! · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

Mariyah writes about her blogging journey, and gives tribute to different Syrian blogs that she follows.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Reporting  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This Beach Called Life thinks that the “high murder rate has desensitized us from understanding the effects of murder and it has also made the job of a crime reporter in Trinidad and Tobago boring” – so, in an effort to “to make life easier for future crime reporters”, he compiles “a list of popular phrases…to include in any report of murder in the press.”


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Turkey: Google Sites Banned? · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

Turkey and My Foreign Perspectives reports that yet another lawsuit has been filed in Turkey that might result in the banning of another web service: Google sites. She adds “Do these silly courts not understand how they impair their people from becoming more educated and doing better business by blocking the very resources needed to build a better society?”


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India:Vandalism of Tamil-Brahmi sites · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Varnam writes about the importance of conserving the ancient Tamil-Brahmi scripts and rues the vandalism of the historical Tamil-Brahmi heritage sites.


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Arab World: Trouble for Gay Travels in the Muslim World  · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

The first gay book to have been ever translated into Arabic after being originally printed in English has run into problems straight off the press.
The book, Gay Travels in the Muslim World, a compilation of stories penned by a collection of both Muslim and non-Muslim writers and edited by journalist Michael Luongo, has been translated into Arabic by publisher Arab Diffusion.
The publisher, however, chose to translate the word gay as شاذ, (shaath), a word with the literal meaning of ‘deviant’, or ‘pervert';- much to the dismay of both the authors and the gay community in the Arabic speaking world.
The concern over the translation chosen by the publishers reflects a broader concern over the negative terminology used by Arabic media in general to descibe homosexuals. Gay rights organisations and individuals across the Arabic speaking world have been pushing for media adoption of the word مثلي (mithlyy)- a term without the negative connotations associated with shaath.
Throughout the Arabic speaking world homosexuality remains a taboo, and is frowned on by society as a whole.
Bint el Nas, a site for LGBTQ women connected to the Arab world which strives to challenge the narrow image of homosexuals, states that:
The Arabic language does not have positive words to express the emotional or sexual relations between two people of the same gender. The known expressions in formal or classical Arabic are negative and degrading: “shouzouz jinsi” (unnatural or abnormal sexuality), “loowat” (the homosexual act among men, in reference to the story of Prophet Lot in the Bible or Lut in the Koran), and “sihaq” (the homosexual act among women). However, during the last years of the twentieth century, some sociologists, psychologists, and journalists whose professional conscience was alive, started to use the positive expression of “junusiya misliya”, which is an accurate translation for homosexuality — a word that was first used in the European languages around 100 years ago.
Bint el Nas has compiled a glossary of positive Arabic terms for sexuality, available to view here.
Many are frustrated by the mainstream media's neglect in adopting such positive expressions, and their lack of use in wider society. Algerian blogger Belphoros, writing in his blog, L'Algerie en Rose, points out that:
Il existe tres peu de terme en arabe, on n'aime pas nommer les choses, en ignorant les choses on croit les anuler, les nier, mais ca marche pas, c'est de l'hypocrrisie, il faut affronter les choses et avoir le courage de les nommer, essayons d'appeler Un CHAT un CHAT.
He continues:
Les termes qui concerne l'homosexualite’ sont tres pejoratifs, …
Il faut qu'il y ai des termes neutres qui nous identifient, on doit travailler pour traduire les termes, enrichir le dictionnaire arabe, …
Belpheros goes on to call for a ban on the use of all derogatory terms denoting homosexuality by the media, and to replace them by the neutral mithlyy (for homosexual men) and mithlyya (for homosexual women).
Back in 2006, CNN's Hala Gorani wrote this piece about reporting on homosexuality in Beirut. When asking the Arabic speakers at CNN what the best translation for ‘gay’ would be in Arabic, the following responses were provided:
Heads were scratched. “Luti,” one suggested. “Shaz,” another offered in an e-mail.
Those terms are widely understood, but essentially translate as “pervert” or “deviant” in Arabic.
While more positive terminology has been adopted by some major publications such as Lebanese Al-Akhbar, the only Arabic newspaper that advocates for LGBTQ rights and covers LGBTQ issues in a positive light, in the majority of cases homosexuals are portrayed negatively by the media, the same negative terms are churned out again and again.
Nireblog recently resurrected a post originally from Ricky at Gayboyweekly
Addressing the use of “shaath”, Ricky asks:
الشذوذ بصفة عامة وباختصار هو ان يفعل الانسان شيء ضد طبيعته،فالمجرم شاذ والارهابي شاذ. وللاسف،يطلق بعض الناس لقب شاذ على المثليين،إما عن جهل او عمد،والسؤال المحير: كيف يطلقون لقب شاذ على المثليين ويقولون انهم يفعلون عكس طبيعتهم
To be ‘deviant’, in short, is to do something against one's nature. Criminals are deviant, and terrorists are deviant. Unfortunately, some also call homosexuals deviant. This may be either through ignorance or intentionally.
The puzzling question is: How can you accuse homosexuals of deviancy and say that they are acting against their nature?
He stresses:
لقد خلق المثليين بطبيعتهم كما خلق المختلفين جنسيا بطبيعتهم،فالمثليين والمختلفين جنسيا اناس طبيعيين لا يختلفون عن بعضهم لا بالانسانية ولا بالشكل ولا بالطبيعة ….والشاذ الحقيقي هو الذي يسعى دائما لاقصاء الاخر
Editor of Gay Travels in the Muslim World Michael Luongo has requested the publisher use a more neutral translation, however the books have already been sent for distribution and it is unlikely to be changed.
Richard Ammon, writer at Globalgayz and contributing author to the book, is reported as stating:
“It is…regretful for me to have this book, an honest testimony of gay Muslim life, have its title mistranslated with the use of a pejorative term that demeans gays. It is regretful that we have come so far in the struggle for gay rights and recognition only to be publicly smeared by a single unaware Jordanian publisher.”
Despite the negative response to the title translation, the fact that Gay Travels in the Muslim World has been translated and published for distribution in Arabic is in itself a great achievement. As most literature and information regarding homosexuality is not translated or published into Arabic, those from the Arabic speaking world who cannot read or understand European languages have been denied the opportunity to achieve the awareness, education and self-affirmation that stems from the exposure to such discourse.
Over at Queer Muslim magazine Huriyah‘s blog, editor Afdhere Jama underlines this point, saying:
i would have rather they used the word “مثلي”/”mithlee”, which literally means “same” (i.e, same-sex). but it is so nice that there is an arabic translation to this great book that one might even overlook the crude word. i would be more interested to know what the content of the book itself is like… rather than the title, though.

author: Katharine Ganly


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Armenia: ‘Bloggers’ call for foreign minister’s resignation · Global Voices
Artur Papyan

This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.
"These people will surrendur us to orcs", Freedom Fighter says
Following the release of a July 10, 2009 statement in Aquila by the U.S., Russian, and French presidents calling for Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the longstanding conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, some bloggers in Armenia have launched a campaign demanding the resignation of the country's foreign minister, Edward Nalbandian.
“We believe these principles are pernicious to the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian people,” the statement reads on Real Armenia, a nationalist blog which openly declares itself as such. The blog claims “more than 150 bloggers” have signed the statement although neglected to name any.
However, it does go on to make demands from Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian:
- Immediate dismissal of RA foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan
– Cessation of participation in negotiations that are destructive for the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh
– Forbearance from signing evidently anti-Armenian documents
– Acting henceforth only for the interests of the Armenian statehood and with valor typical to the Armenian people.
On his own blog, Pigh [RU], one of the highest rated nationalist bloggers in the Armenian LiveJournal community and who also runs Real Armenia, posts a list of 47 out of the 150 Armenian blogs reportedly supporting the action.
Of course, the blogosphere is not united in such demands, with the vast majority remaining silent on the matter. However, Unzipped is instead critical of the target of the said statement as well as attempts to politically hijack the issue.
Do they [Armenian bloggers] actually think that it’s a Minister of Foreign Affairs who formulate and lead Armenian foreign policy? Of course, they do not. No need to re-state that Armenian foreign policy is being directed by a president. FM Nalbandyan is simply an employee who is conducting work based on instructions and approvals by his boss. It’s just plain easy and does not require courage to target consequences but not the roots. It’s much more convenient to find a scapegoat and fight him.
[…]
I also disagree with the opposition Armenian National Congress statement and stance re Karabakh. While they were right stating at the beginning that to formulate a final opinion more details are needed, their subsequent outright rejection of it and talks of treachery etc are not productive. In fact, Serj Sargsyan’s policy regarding Karabakh (and Turkey) is effectively a continuation of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s policy. Will the opposition pursue anything substantially different if they come to power? I do not think so.
Commenting on the post, Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor also responds:
[…T]he statement is a nationalist one and also, does it really represent the view of “Armenian bloggers?”  These guys have just gotten a little carried away with their self-importance since disrupting events staged at Yerevan schools and on International Women's Day. Anyway, one name signed up is, of course, Pigh. His right, of course, although who in the blogosphere was asked about the wording of this statement is suspect. Pigh says 150 bloggers have signed btw, but no names are listed.
[…]
Anyway, the Madrid Principles are quite clear and there's going to be no other solution to the NK conflict except for stalemate and total isolation or another war. Both options are not to be welcomed.
[…]
Meanwhile, it's worth pointing out that nationalist Azeris see the Madrid Principles as unacceptable because of mention of the referendum in Karabakh.
In response, Pigh responds with what might be considered veiled threats and certainly homophobic remarks.
Onnik, sometimes you better to keep silence.
Mika,I respect you, cause you accept that you are gay, but for some people it's so difficult to do the same.
Isn't it Onnik? :)
Narjan [AM], however, concurs with Unzipped.
“I'm sure that most of the people criticizing Nalbandian do it on purpose – to divert public frustration from the real guilty. At any rate, I'm sure, that such actions do a lot of damage, and I urge everyone, who cares for the future of this country to abstain from cursing Nalbandian. There is only one person responsible. Nalbandian is a middle-range operative, who is just slightly different from a driver or head of stables.
Meanwhile, the RadioVan blog says it's pointless to blame Nalbandian and also suggests going directly after the president. “Why don't you reveal what a hell are you doing for 20 years not with your negotiations,” the blog asks rhetorically.
The blog speculates that such an approach could be a more effective strategy to change something in Armenia's position on a Karabakh resolution. Gago from Berlin, however, says the action is pointless and blames Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev as well as the U.S., French and Russian presidents.
Writing in the comments section of Unzipped, others such as Քաղաքացի are more critical of the nationalist bloggers making the demand when they remained notably silent on human rights abuses and the lack of democracy at home.
Where were nearly all these bloggers when Serzh and Robert were assassinating our fellow Armenians downtown Yerevan and thus making a big room for pressure by “superpowers” so that the latter states can get their desired results in terms of NKR issue?
One comment on The Armenian Observer represents how deep the division might be with regards to the demands.
This is just a bullshit. “Vstavay Iran … vstavay …” my ass… you dumbasses. Can’t you invent somthing more catchy and credible. What the hell is this banner about ?
Of those Armenian bloggers who have commented on the so-called Madrid Principles, however, many are opposed to them for different reasons. Nevertheless, the bloggers themselves are not necessarily representative of the entire blogosphere or Armenian society.
It therefore remains to be seen what this backlash means for any hopes of finally resolving the 20-year old conflict. For now, nobody knows, and the bloggers are attempting to use online media to influence public opinion ahead of any possible deal.
With additional editing and reporting from Global Voices Online Caucasus editor Onnik Krikorian. An original version of this post is available here.
This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.

author: Artur Papyan


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Bahamas: Writers on Blogging  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Nicolette Bethel blogs about The Bahamas Writers Summer Institute, at which one discussion focused on “the value of blogging” and “the radical power of blogs and bloggers” – Womanish Words, who attended the workshop, adds: “I'm still in love with the personal freedom and empowerment that writing and publishing blogs affords me, as a writer, as a citizen of the Caribbean and as a woman in the world.”


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Bahrain: Blogging Ministers · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahraini blogger Yagoob reports on new initiative on Bahrain's E-Government Portal – a blog where people can leave comments, and where ministers will be available to answer questions.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Bangladesh: The art of the Nakshi Kantha · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Sudipto Salam of Amarblog, draws our attention to the traditional Bengali art of the Nakshi Kantha (embroidered quilt). In this post [bn], he discusses the importance of the Nakshi Kantha, not only as a thing of beauty, but also as a reflection of socio-cultural imagery.


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Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Approach  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The idea that we are in CARICOM and a one size fits all is not possible.  What is suitable for Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica might not be necessarily so for Barbados”: Barbados Underground suggests that one nation's approach to tackling crime may not be necessarily right for another.


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Bermuda: Political Issues  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermudian bloggers The Devil Island, 21 Square and Bermuda Jewel weigh in on different political issues that are on their minds.


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China: Free Tibet Concert  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaGeeks translated parts of Wosers's blog post on Taiwan's free Tibert concert on 11th of July.


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China: Netizens starving, no more rice talk! · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Since July 8, the Chinese rival of Twitter, Fanfou has been suspended. Up till now, Fanfou's founder Wang Xing has only clarified that the website's “maintenance” has nothing to do with Internet content provider (ICP) license. As the date of its suspension is soon after the Xinjiang riot and Fanfou.com has not yet made any public statement telling the users when its service would be restored, many believe that the website has been harmonized for political reason.
Fanfou（飯否）in Chinese means: Have you eaten (rice) yet? It is the most common greeting in Chinese-speaking world. The website is now one of the the most popular microblogging platform in China. Founded in 2008, the website's features are similar to Twitter. It also adopts the same API (Application programming interface) as Twitter. In addition, it is more powerful than Twitter as it is connected to local mobile phones and QQ online chatting devices.
Fanfou users were very frustrated. Cynthia asked:
誰告訴我究竟是怎麼了？前天晚上，忽然飯否全站不能發言，昨天就開始連頁面都打不開，所有工具的不行了，一直到今天都還沒好。…到底在搞什麼啊？唉~，發現了，我已經開始依賴飯否了，忽然沒有了飯否，那個難過啊，那個空虛啊。一大堆廢話沒處說，真的是好難受。
A chill summer day has been waiting for the website to restore its service, now the blogger wonders if the system maintenance will be lasted forever:
那個陪伴我們度過每一段時光的飯否。
現在想想。依然會覺得心痛。
突然之間就這樣消失不見。連句最後得再見。都沒有說。
八號的時候飯否上還顯示著：系統維護。十日恢復。
那時還竊喜。十號正好趕上我們考完試。它的系統也恢復了。多好啊。
沒想到這一維護。是永遠的消失。
Meredith Yan wants to have “rice” :
我可愛的飯否啊，你什麼時候回來啊？？唉~~
飯被和諧了好多天 說好十号晚上開的 昨天晚上大家都在刷飯否
我連曾哥的演唱都沒好好聽 但是終究沒盼開我的飯
還有很多飯桶都和我一樣在等着吧
想念我的話癆朋友们 連死人一樣被庄主注水的飯否扣扣機器人也不亮了
我  要  開  飯
Tumblelogs pointed out that many Chinese netizens are forced to upgrade their technology skill for getting over the Great Fire Wall:
總的來看，自從飯否變成廚餘之後，大宗用戶除流向嘀咕、嘰歪之外，Twitter 和 Plurk 也多出了不少簡體字內容，顯見「翻牆」已然成為新一代的中國國技 ^^


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China: Old Man Attacks Red Light Violators’ Cars With Bricks · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a Netease news story and netizens’ opinions on an old man using bricks to smash 30 cars illegally running red lights.


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Egypt: The Egyptian Apostate · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Egyptian progressive thinker, Dr. Sayed El Qemany was granted the State Award for Social Sciences. Egyptian liberals and seculars hailed the award while Wahabis and conservatives declared war on the “Egyptian Apostate”.
On Egyptian talks the following question was thrown on the table:
Salafi Selections wrote a post titled What next adressing Farouk Hosni, the Egyptian Minister of Culture denying Dr. El Qemany his award and calling him
Lawsuits have been filed in opposition of granting Dr. El Qemany the award:
Sheikh Youssef Al Badri, known for his Hisbah lawsuits, addressed Egypt's Attorney General and Al Azhar to withdraw the award. He was also hosted on TV in a debate against Dr. El Qemany. The debate was posted in 8 parts with a transcript in Arabic.
Youssef Al Badri accused Dr. El Qemany saying:
El Qemany responded:
A Facebook group (30 members) was created attacking El Qemany and his award and another group (173 members) was created in his defense.
Dr. Sayed El Qemany responded to those who denied him his award saying:
Supportive bloggers hailed the award as a victory of the enlightened mind.
Tarek Heggy wrote addressing Dr. El Qemany:
Hassan El Helali issued a statement on behalf of Egypt's free enlightened front addressed to:
and
In this open letter he says:
[Translation of the above statement is courtesy of blogger Mark Nader Behelak]
Female blogger Ghawayesh wrote a sarcastic post about the fear of questioning religion.
In her opinion, all the fuss Youssef El Badri created is because:
The snow-ball effect is going beyond all expectations. Logic is winning the battle and that is scaring the bile out of the bang gang!!
They want him dead. Elqemany is being sought after and his life is in danger. Why?
Because he is bad influence on the ideology of the Muslim youth. :)

author: Marwa Rakha


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EU-Serbia: Visa freedom in 2010? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Popkitchen writes about rumours that the EU might lift visa regquirements for citizens of Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia in 2010. Americans for Bosnia reacts against Bosnia-Hercegovina, apparently, being excluded from this deal.


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Ghana: Global discussion of Obama’s visit to Ghana · Global Voices
Gayle Pescud

The diversity of voices participating in the global discussion concerning President Obama’s visit to Ghana and the speech made on Saturday 11th of July in Accra almost universally share a common thread irrespective of the arguments, views and opinions otherwise expressed: sincere hope for Africa and Africans. And bloggers have been asking: Why Ghana? Why not Kenya, the President’s ancestral home, or Nigeria, the self-professed “super-power”? And why now? Is it about oil or democracy?
Firstly, the use of new media for which the President’s administration has become renowned has allowed ordinary citizens globally to interact with the President during his visit. Metaplace explained that they will hold a “global conversation” during and after his speech:
On Saturday, July 11, a global conversation will push definitions of citizenship by demonstrating how new technologies enable global civic participation. Citizens from numerous countries will meet together in virtual worlds to collectively watch a speech from President Obama, view Twitter feedback on his talk, and a join in discussion with musician and activist D.N.A. (Derrick Ashong), Ambassador Kenton Keith and African historian Professor Tim Burke.
President Obama will speak to a live audience in Ghana, Africa. The White House is using a Twitter feed which will enable individuals from around the world to participate in the conversation and share their thoughts with President Obama.
This event provides a public sphere for people to come together as citizens sharing independent views which in turn shape the political institutions of society. These conversations, literally hosted in a virtual physical space, are essential for the marketplace of ideas in our globalizing society.
Second Life Africa also discussed the Obama administration’s use of new technology:
Since entering the White House in January, the Obama administration has made use of a myriad of social networking and Internet communications tools, such as blogs, the YouTube video service and Twitter, to interact with the public. Come Saturday, you can add a virtual world appearance to the list.
Vanguard NGR explained the White House’s invitation to SMS President Obama during his visit.
The White House has set up SMS codes to allow people across Africa to send “words of welcome” via text message to Obama during his visit. Obama has already received thousands of messages, and plans to answer several of the questions sent to him, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported yesterday.
Second Life explained that Uthango Social Investments members took up the invitation to SMS the President shortly before his visit:
Uthango team members participated in the text message invitation and sent the following question to the President on the 8th of July – “Mr. President, What role could African civil society organisations play to further investment and responsible development?” implying that ‘Africans are responsible for Africa’. A day later, his comments ahead of the Ghana visit were therefore music to our ears: ‘Ultimately, I’m a big believer that Africans are responsible for Africa. I think part of what’s hampered advancement in Africa is that for many years we’ve made excuses about corruption or poor governance, that this was somehow the consequence of neo-colonialism, or the West has been oppressive, or racism – I’m not a big believer in excuses.
Naturally, “Why Ghana?” dominated bloggers’ discussions. Kukah suggested that Ghana was simply being used to further US interests across Africa:
I am not downplaying the significance of this momentous event. However, I believe that this visit is for Africa and President Obama will not only speak to Ghanaians but merely use Ghana as a platform to address Africa by laying down where he wishes to take the US.
Jamii Forums quoted White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on the purpose:
This is both a special and an important visit for him personally as president but also for our country to articulate a vision for Africa.
Kukah suggested that the US ought to hold its own players in Africa to account much as the President would expect African leaders to account to their people:
I expect that President Obama will politely but firmly speak directly to the leaders of Africa, calling for an end to corruption and the need for an equitable distribution and allocation of the continent's resources. He will call for an end to violence and the need for Africans to hold their leaders accountable and responsible. These may be nice sound bites. The real challenge is that, as he may realize, Africans have heard all this before. What they are yet to see is a clear signal from the US and the international community that they are truly committed to helping Africa. For, to do this, they must be ready to expose their multinational corporations and other corporate crooks (e.g. Halliburton), the sponsors of strife and violence in Africa in the course of the exploitation of mineral resources and the need to energise and support civil society groups…
And what happened?
At Huffington Post, Larry Diamond described the content, significance and tone of President Obama’s speech in Accra:
In his historic speech to Ghana’s parliament today, President Barack Obama put democracy and good governance at the front and center of Africa’s future and America’s hope for it. That is just where it needs to be. Obama could not have been more eloquent or forthright in identifying bad governance—corruption, lawlessness, abuse of human rights, and purely superficial deference to democratic norms—as the bane of Africa’s quest for development and dignity.
Of course, the point was forcefully made from the start in Obama’s choice of Ghana in his visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president. Ghana is not immune from the ills of corruption and misuse of power that plague the continent, but among the continent’s sizeable countries, it has gone the furthest in achieiving a reasonably liberal democracy, with repeated free and fair elections, media freedom, a pluralistic civil society, and responsible governance. And it has generated significant new flows of international development assistance (and to some extent investment) as a result.
The Accra speech was historic in a number of respects. No American president has ever spoken so candidly on African soil about the real roots of Africa’s development malaise, which lie in the “big man” syndrome of patronage-drenched ethnic politics, contempt for the role of law, and wanton abuse of human rights. Perhaps only an American president whose African grandfather felt the brunt of racist European imperialsm could say to Africa as frankly as Obama did that—more than half a century after decolonization—the core problem is not the colonial legacy but what Africans themselves have done and filed to do with thye hopes and dreams they carried into depdenence.
At Political Articles blog Prof. Richard Joseph clearly explained why Ghana was the perfect platform from which to champion good governance:
The country has witnessed five successive elections since its return to multiparty democracy in 1992. In 2006 the United States rewarded Ghana for its progress with a $547 million Millennium Challenge Account grant for capacity building — an initiative of the administration of President George W. Bush
The December 2008 national elections were hotly contested and ended in a confusion of lawsuits, the boycott of a run-off vote in one constituency and accusations of fraud and other irregularities. But when the defeated presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo of the governing New Patriotic Party, conceded to John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress after losing by a sliver (0.46 percent) of the popular vote, Ghana was spared the trauma of the post-election upheavals we have seen in recent years in Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
He noted that, while enjoying almost two decades of political stability, Ghana still faces challenges on electoral and governance fronts:
In last December’s election, the virulence of party campaigns, deepening ethnic-bloc voting and the mobilization of vigilantes showed that Ghana has not yet crossed the frontier to intimidation-free electoral politics.
In government, a bloated executive dominates and marginalizes parliament and the judiciary, and financial self-dealing among governing elites is again rampant. The prospect of oil revenue highlights the urgent need for improved and transparent systems of economic management.
As expected, the speculation over “Why not Nigeria or Kenya? And why now?” raged around the world, particularly across Africa:
Of the decision to visit Ghana and not Kenya, The Ethiopian Review blog quoted Jonathan Clayton and Tristan McConnell of the Times Online who put it bluntly:
…he is not letting emotions rule his head.”
The Kenyan Government and its notoriously corrupt and quarrelsome ministers are not happy. On the other side of the continent in West Africa, however, Ghanaians are jubilant that America’s first black President has chosen their country for what they see as his first real visit to Africa, dismissing his recent speech in Cairo as a staged event for the Middle East.
Kenya has been left to ponder what might have been. Kenya’s elite whispered of preferential trade and investment deals, increased business opportunities and an image-boosting first visit to their country by an incumbent US president. Instead, relations have deteriorated, with Kenya receiving regular dressing-downs for its failure to follow reforms recommended by an international inquiry into a flawed poll in 2007, which led to the deaths of about 1,500 people in post-election violence.
The article continues:
He will be the third consecutive US President to visit Ghana, which has just had a peaceful transfer of power after a close presidential election. In contrast, the Kenyan crisis has its roots in decades of high-level graft, mismanagement and exploitation of tribal tensions. President Obama has made it clear that historical ties count for little compared with his aim of encouraging political reform and rewarding good governance, democracy and accountability.
Kenyan citizen and chef by trade, Mr Charles Analo, expressed his feelings in the same post:
Everyone expected him to come to Kenya first. Now our politicians are feeling ashamed that he is not coming.
At The National Post Blog Araminta Wordsworth quoted various sources and the reactions including The Nation Daily in Kenya which suggests that this rebuff is not unexpected:
It is the view of every Kenyan, who is appalled by the inertia in government. Few things have been done to redress the past wrongs’” the paper said, suggesting that Kenya’s uneasy coalition government deserved the rebuff after post-election unrest last year.
Safari notes asks if Kenyan leaders are listening:
By not coming to Kenya, Obama is simply trying to send a message and get Kenyan leaders to move their country in the right direction. And the message is for all of Africa: the continent needs clean leaders and good governance. “…..if you talk to people on the ground in Africa, certainly in Kenya, they will say that part of the issue here is the institutions aren’t working for ordinary people and so governance is a vital concern that has to be addressed.” Are Kenyan leaders listening?
On why not Nigeria:
When the White House announced two months ago that President Obama would visit Ghana this week, Nigerians read a different, glaring message between the lines: The American leader was not going to their country …
That Obama also is not visiting about 50 other African nations seems beside the point. Here in Africa’s self-enthroned behemoth, Obama’s sojourn to small but stable Ghana has spawned an outpouring of soul-searching and self-flagellation about Nigeria’s image and dubious democracy.
Why would Obama want to come to Nigeria? To lend credence to the putrefying edifice that the nation has largely become?’ one writer asked in the Guardian newspaper. Wole Soyinka, a Nobel prize-winning writer, said he would ‘stone’ Obama if he legitimized Nigeria by visiting.
Kukah discusses the Nigerians’ reactions:
Since the news of President Barack Obama's planned trip to Ghana en route from Russia became public, some Nigerians have been acting like a jilted wife on the matrimonial calendar in a polygamous household.
As a measure of the seriousness of those who hold these views, which other country has reacted in the rather garrulous manner that some Nigerians have reacted to a routine state visit such as this? Are the Kenyans who can lay claim to Mr. Obama sulking, whining and pinning in the way these Nigerians are doing that he did not come home first? They had bad elections and a near civil war, but are they wallowing in self pity? If President Obama had chosen to visit Nigeria, would Ghanaians have shown this narrow mindedness or jealousy in their interpretation of his motive? Is President Obama the world's electoral Pope who is going around rewarding and punishing election defaulters?
Davis Ajao counters, from several angles, the common argument among Nigerians that their nation ought to have been President Obama’s first stop in sub-Saharan Africa:
Some Nigerians hold the view that Nigeria deserves to be the first sub-Saharan African country Obama visits as President. Such views are anchored on the illusion that Nigeria is presently Africa’s super-power. A Nigerian interviewed by the BBC World Service consoled himself by saying: “When it’s time to visit a super-power, he will… Now is the time to visit a sub-power and that’s why he is visiting a sub-power”.  The cheek of it!
Oil: Oil is strategic to the US economy. Some believe Nigeria being a major exporter of oil to the USA, should be considered above Ghana. Last time I checked, Angola had become the largest exporter of oil from sub-saharan Africa. That implies that Angola can easily take over from Nigeria with the US oil business.
Economy: Nigeria’s economy is a major one in Africa, but it is not the largest. If the size of economy was what mattered most, South Africa should be making the loudest noise but I have not heard a complaint from South Africa.
Super power: I ask myself, “What super power?” I grew up hearing a certain cliché about Nigeria being “the giant of Africa”. I believe that was in the past. If there was any African super power, it would be South Africa. Aside it large economy, military might, technology and better general living conditions, South Africa is globally recognised as one of the emerging countries in the same league as Brazil, Mexico, India and China.
African support: Some one interviewed by the BBC about this issue made a point about the amount of moral support from Nigerians during the American elections in 2008. This is mainly an emotional point. If any country would qualify using this criteria, it would Kenya! The world media descended on Kenya during the US Presidential elections and were there to cover the jubilation when Obama was declared winner since Barack Obama’s father was Kenyan.
The bottom line is simple: The President of  the United States is at liberty to decide which countries to visit or not to visit, and in what order he visits them.
Araminta Wordsworth quotes the President of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, on the choice of Ghana:
President Laurent Gbagbo [paid] tribute to Ghana, with the former Gold Coast sometimes seen as a regional English-speaking ‘twin’ of the Francophone country, because of its geography and economy. ‘It’s not just chance’ that Obama chose Ghana, which has come through tests to be “stable and democratic,’ said Gbagbo, whose nation is still seeking the way out of a civil war that split the nation in two from October 2002.
And there is the question of oil and transparency. Jonathan Wallace explained what Ghana has been doing to avoid the “tired and tragic narrative” that plagues other developing, oil-producing nations:
Ghana's discovery of oil in 2007 in the large Jubilee field in the Gulf of Guinea, has raised concerns that this well-governed though still fairly undeveloped country may follow the same tragic path as Angola, Chad, and Nigeria. Oil wealth in these states has led to corruption, increased poverty, violence, the desertion of indigenous industry outside of energy, and declining living standard for all but a few well-connected elites.
Ghana is well aware of this trap and has been looking to set up institutions to avoid the so-called “resource curse.” Impressively, these efforts span presidential administrations and political parties in Ghana, but there is much more to be done.
Obama was right to choose Ghana for his first true African visit. Instead of visiting his father's native Kenya, or oil behemoth Nigeria, President Obama will recognize that good governance can flourish in Africa and be a model for other nations. Hopefully, he will remind the Ghanaian policy makers that transparency is the best method to ensure broadly shared prosperity, and that it becomes especially important with the added blessing and burden of oil wealth.
Mr Stephane Bollang of Afrik quotes CEO of Gold Star Resources (Canada), Mr Patrick Morris as saying,
U.S. President Barack Obama’s trip to Ghana on July 10th-11th is a subtle White House oil strategy to secure another source of energy on the continent of Africa
Mr Bollang explains that the choice to visit Ghana is related to oil and other resources. The US intends to increase its consumption of oil from the western part of Africa, as a percentage of total consumption from Africa, by 10% from the current level of 15% to 25% by 2020:
The Energy department’s forecasts on oil supply, according to some, prove this point. By 2020, the United States would need an annual import of 770 million barrels of oil fom Africa, 25% of which is expected to come from the western region of the continent as against a current 15%. Others disagree with this as a motive for his choice of Ghana, saying that Angola, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea would fit the bill better as they would continue to produce, relatively, more oil than Ghana. Nana Yaw Osei, a Ghanaian student believes that “Ghana stands to benefit from its oil exports as long as it deals with partners who are willing to do business in a transparent way.
A reserve of about 600 million barrels of oil was discovered in Ghana in 2007. Commercial operations are expected to begin next year with a daily production of 120, 000 barrels. This is not all. Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa in the world, producing over 20% of the world’s cocoa beans. The western African country is also the second largest producer of gold (its former name was Gold Coast) and has huge deposits of industrial diamonds and bauxite (aluminum).
Permanent Red blog quotes Ann Garrison of SF Energy Policy Examiner who asks how Obama will advance mutually beneficial trade policies with Ghana and other African countries:
Ninety percent of U.S. Africa trade is in oil, gas, and mining industries. Much of the trade in these extractive industries has been exploit¬ative, bringing little value to those on whose land the resources lie. Ghana has discovered oil just in 2008. How will the Obama administration advance trade policy with Ghana and other African countries that are mutually beneficial?
A writer at BN Village asked:
Is this the real intention of Obama's visit to Ghana. To secure a military home in Afrika for the muderous American military to stir violence and wars on the continent and to puff their chest out at China and Russia who are all trying to secure the natural wealth of Afrika ?
Why do Ghanians not take a suspicious standpoint and instead see him as some God who would in some magical way improve the lives of Ghanians just because he is the American president whose father was Afrikan.
Kenyan blogger Gukira contemplates the multiple affiliations and identities being demanded of President Obama in his visit to Africa as the US President and someone who “embodies newly diasporic Africans”:
I wonder about that “we” that surrounds and haunts Obama’s trip to Ghana. The “we” with which we keep insisting he’s African. The “we” that creates a line between Ghana and the United States, that implicates him in Atlantic slave histories. The “we” that wants a kind of affect to overcome or intercede between differential structural positions—the “we” that wants him to forget he is the U.S. president on an official visit to Africa.
I also wonder about the “we” that Obama will construct and deploy while in Ghana. The “we” that will anticipate and negotiate the multiple “wes” being thrown at him. The “we” that will allow him to the implicit and explicit demands that he be pan-African, which has, in some incarnations, been highly critical of U.S. policies and politics. He will be asked to negotiate a “we” that demands he be “one of the people,” and that has specific demands on presence and etiquette (one man on TV already complained that Obama will not spend enough time in Ghana).
Obama will be navigating pasts and presents while forging presents and futures. If, as friends and I have been discussing, he embodies newly diasporic Africans, his trip also represents a set of ongoing navigations that will continue to affect Africa in ongoing, unfolding futures.
Finally, Kukah looks beyond the symbolism and ask:
Perhaps a more important question is, beyond the emotional and symbolic value, what difference will a Presidential visit make in the lives of ordinary people in the country?

author: Gayle Pescud


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Ghana: Hope and candour float in Ghana following Obama’s visit · Global Voices
Emmanuel.K. Bensah

In anticipation of the coming of US president Barack Obama to Ghana from 10-11th July, the ghanablogging.com community—established in 2008 to promote the work of Ghanaian bloggersand bloggers writing about Ghana—set a theme entitled “Obama’s visit: A View from Ghana”. Below are some of the highlights of the blog entries.
In reading entries about Obama, you could be forgiven for thinking that everyone was singing along the same hymn sheet, for the political and tourism implications of his visit had been re-hashed, re-heated and served as entries—and this was not without good reason: Obama, no matter what we would like to admit about the man, is a “super-star” president: anytime he speaks, people stop what they’re doing to listen.
Small wonder, then, that ghanablogger Esi Cleland would paste the entirety of his speech on her blog a day after he made the speech. However, this would not be without a post the day of his arrival questioning “the three things Obama really hopes for.”
In the post, she explained these three things to be:
1. Improved standards of living and security
2. Integration with global economy
3. That a young person growing up in Accra can say: I can stay here and succeed, and through my success, my country and my people will get stronger.
In a characteristically-insightful post, she uses her entry to answer the third questions, which she describes as “the most powerful; the most measurable; and the most important.”
She explains why the third has resonance for her, explaining that these were some of the questions that were going on in her mind when she moved back home form the US. She hopes that if Obama were ever to read her entry, he might smile because:
…there are already young people in Africa who think they can stay here and succeed and that their success will strengthen their people. Case in point myself! And at least I can count 2 more…great friends of mine: Nyoko Muvangua who was in South Africa the last time we spoke and who when I told her about moving to Ghana, told me to go home and lift up my people. At the time we spoke about how no matter how relevant work I did in the US was to Africa, we needed more people on the ground to execute…and that without execution, all money, all policies, all institutions are worthless. And finally, Kimmie Weeks of Liberia, who challenged me more than 5 years ago to do things that, affect my people. So there are believers out here in Africa.
She laments, however, that despite this sense of optimism, “we’re definitely sorely outnumbered by the unbelievers.”, but concludes that “So it is time to look inward. It is time to trust in ourselves. To believe in Ghana and its possibilities. Which is why, as inspirational as you are to many, this is a job we have to do ourselves.”
Esi’s sentiment is echoed by broadcast journalist Obed Sarpong in a title that is perhaps a reflection of hope. In his entry “Obama is an Energy for the Youth”, Obed, in what one might consider a mere narrative of his Saturday morning, goes on to explain how disruptive it was on account of the fact that he could barely move out of the suburb of Osu because of the security logistics:
There were few buses at the lorry station and none of them would move. So what happened? The roads that would get me out of Osu, a suburb of Accra holding almost everything that has to do with governance, has been blocked for Barack Obama. I was already fuming. I considered alternative route. None was available. Now i felt quarantined in my own town without a virus in town.
That he had to go to work made the irritation all that more real, but a quick call to his news editor transformed his frustration into a story:
None of them hated the idea that Barack was around. They just felt some of the road blocks were unnecessary. For instance the one from Osu R.E. leading to the airport area could be opened to traffic while the American president was away dining at the castle. The cars could be lightly screened too.
So I couldn't attend my classes neither was I able to get to work. I poured my frustration first on facebook. I kept posting on my status till i could do something else. I just hope all was worth it.
If his entry is anything to go by, perhaps it was! Obed makes no bones about the fact that he enjoyed Obama’s speech, adding that he enjoys the fact that “he speaks with less reference to a document on his hands.”
Though he was energized by Obama’s reference for the youth to “claim the future that so many in [Obama’s father’s] generation never found”, he writes that he is disappointed by the inability of past Ghanaian governments to step up to the plate to actually implement existing youth policies:
For me, we're all too good at saying that the youth are the future leaders of this country. Without doing much to help realise this great statement, it's almost useless to mention this. Barack has seen it and he's a great man. We the youth have on several occasions demonstrated that we can make things happen for us by any means necessary.
But Obama’s speech spoke to the Malcolm X-esque phrase “by any means necessary” that Obed was unwittingly writing about. At least, this is the impression that Emmanuel K Bensah, of Trials and Tribulations of a Freshly-Arrived Denizen might have been giving when he alluded that Obama “has come to represent the epitome of a post-modern African personality.”  He describes this personality as one having been “advocated and promulgated” by the Osagyefo Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, who spearheaded independence for Ghana in 1957.
Emmanuel elaborates on what he calls the “post-modern African personality”: “To wit: be well-educated and have a good marriage, where the woman is supportive despite being herself a professional.” He goes even further suggesting that there are no longer excuses for the Black man:
With Obama, no longer will it be cool to skip school, to feign helplessness in the assistance of those less fortunate than you; to pretend that your communities do not matter. With this man, no longer will it be cool to display machismo, disrespect the concerns of the opposite sex, and be polygamous in a marriage. With the “yes, we can”-grandmaster, no longer will it be a uncool for the Black man to be happily married, with a supportive wife by his side, who might also be educated. Nor will it be an issue for his progeny to be “only” girls.
He returns to the issue of Obama energizing the youth against the backdrop of news that:
the AU declared 2009 to be the beginning of a decade that celebrates the youth of Africa.
Finally, former local news anchor Boakyewaa Glover , now a consultant in Atlanta and a novelist, guest-blogs on local news reporter Ato Kwamena Dadzie’s blog about Obama arguing that it’s alright having an Obama, but Ghana needs its own Obamas:
We cannot live, grow or develop based on this one speech alone. It just became very clear to me we need our own Obama. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a President, it would be nice if it was, but doesn’t have to be. It can be, and should be, anyone.  “We cannot live, grow or develop based on this one speech alone. It just became very clear to me we need our own Obama. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a President, it would be nice if it was, but doesn’t have to be. It can be, and should be, anyone.
Obviously, it is better if political, religious and media personalities were this inspirational and motivating. Too often, personalities in the limelight bathe in negativity and discord. Obama made one thing painfully clear for me, I really can’t stand such negative and divisive talk anymore. Even throughout his campaign for Presidency, Obama never spoke negatively, because he knew he was coming from a disadvantaged corner.Obviously, it is better if political, religious and media personalities were this inspirational and motivating. Too often, personalities in the limelight bathe in negativity and discord. Obama made one thing painfully clear for me, I really can’t stand such negative and divisive talk anymore. Even throughout his campaign for Presidency, Obama never spoke negatively, because he knew he was coming from a disadvantaged corner.
Perhaps, if there is any enduring legacy that Obama’s speech evinces, it is what Glover refers to here:
From Gandhi, to Nkrumah, to Mandela, to Martin Luther King to Obama, they’ve changed history and lives through their words. Let’s think about it for a minute, would Ghana really have won independence if Nkrumah wasn’t such a powerful and inspirational orator? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever the case may be, Nkrumah inspired the people of Ghana to take control of their future. And as Obama said in his speech, we need to do that again.

author: Emmanuel.K. Bensah


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India: Of Surnames and Globalization · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

In this post, Vinod Joseph discusses the problem that some Indians face while trying to split/fit their names into the conventional Western format of name plus surname and wonders if, in this age of globalisation, it would not be best to do away with this kind of templatising.


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Jamaica: Time for Arbitration?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Jamaica, Girl With a Purpose thinks that the conflict between the West Indies Players Association and the West Indies Cricket Board “needs to go to arbitration…the West Indian public needs to know the truth behind this current impasse.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Japan: Poor Japanese people · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Lee from Tokyo Times brings into focus a 10 minutes documentary, Japan: A Story of Love and Hate, which touches upon poverty problem in Japan.


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Japan: The coming DPJ tsunami? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Tobias Harris from Observing Japan comments on Daniel Twining's argument that the advent of a DPJ government could represent a “tsunami” for the US and Japan. The blogger pointed out that the era of Japan's becoming a deputy to the US sheriff in East Asia has passed.


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Latvia: IMF raises the stakes · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Baltic Economy Watch speculates upon what new conditions the IMF has set for Latvia to receive new loans to avert the country's financial crisis.


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Lithuania: Interview with new president · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Lituanica posts a translation of an interview in Verslo žinios with Lithuania's new president, Dalia Grybauskaite, upon her inauguration.


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Malaysia: Prime Minister marks 100 days in office · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak of Malaysia marked his 100th day in office last week. He is the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia. Najib offered the following “goodies” as his gift to his constituents: The 20 percent discount given to frequent toll roads’ users, halving the licensing renewal fee for petty traders in Kuala Lumpur, providing low-cost housing to low income families, facilitating applications for registration of births in Sabah and Sarawak, construction of roads and public amenities in Sabah and Sarawak and offering additional 3,000 individual taxi permits
National Express Malaysia urges the Prime Minister “to implement more and real changes and not just populist measures or goodies.” Lim Kit Siang reminds Najib that the people “expect meaningful reforms” in his next 100 Days.
Khoo Kay Peng asserts that populist measures would not impress many Malaysians:
He (Najib) should really avoid making such populist announcements because they are not going to win him any brownie points.
There is a growing political maturity amongst many urban Malaysians. Such announcements will not make him look generous, caring or people friendly. Instead, they only help to expose his inability to focus on real fundamental issues facing the nation and its people.
Najib also announced plans to further liberalize the economy. Hornbill Unleashed doubts whether the new liberalisation policies will really benefit non-Malay Malaysians. It seems foreign investors stand to benefit more from the economic reforms.
A coalition of 30 NGOs submitted a reform agenda to help push forward the democratization process in Malaysia. The coalition advises the Prime Minister to immediately implement political and economic reforms
If the government insists on maintaining the current authoritarian system of political control, the economic liberalization and other reforms will be seen for what it is – a thinly veiled attempt aimed at ensuring that the present political elite stays in power.
Najib should recognize that political and economic freedoms go hand-in-hand. Economic reform will not work if there is a coercive political environment built on the suppression and denial of the citizens’ democratic rights.
On his 100th day in office, Najib’s public ratings went up to 65 percent. Rocky's Bru believes the public antics of Opposition forces helped Najib to win more sympathy from voters. Mata Satu thinks Najib has done well in office. Malaysia Friday praises Najib:
Judging by Najib's first 100 days performance, I am convinced that the wait is over. Transformational leadership has arrived. Najib! He is the man that we have been waiting for to fill the void left behind by Mahathir as Malaysia's Prime Minister. To me, thus far, Najib has under promised and over delivered.
sakmongkol AK47 wants to focus on what Najib has done for the country
Ok lah, let us be charitable a bit and accept that what PM Najib has done so far were well meaning. But they are not going to be boxed up in the 100 days myth created by the media.
It is highly improbable that substantial changes have taken place during PM Najib's hundred days.
Everyone is transfixed on talking about PM Najib's 100 days. It is as though the first 100 days provide a definitive stamp of leadership and governance. More important than offering excessive homage, we should ask, what has PM Najib done?
Not only is this jubilation over these 100 days misleading, it is also crafted to give the impression that everything will be all right, with a change at the top.
Little Steps observes that Najib has several advantages over his enemies but he is not maximizing his strengths
While Najib may be carrying much political baggage with him, he has a formidable team in UMNO and strong grassroots support. These are two factors which his predecessor very much lacked and these are also two very important factors that can help him to implement long-term reforms. Yet, throughout the last 100 days, I am still seeing very little of his team's potential being actualised.
Dr. Chris Anthony enumerates some of the “thorny issues” the government has to confront today
Within the first 100 days, the new PM may have succeeded in raising the hopes of the people for a fair, just and progressive Malaysia but many thorny issues still remain unresolved which continue to cast doubts in the minds of the people whether he has the political will to find amicable solutions to these problems.
There are numerous major issues, some controversial and sensitive, those need to be seriously looked into to correct the negative perception of the government in the minds of the people. These include the political stalemate in Perak, the independence of the judiciary and the police, a greater tolerance dissent, corruption and the deteriorating ethnic relations.

author: Mong Palatino


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Morocco: Free Speech Call to the King · Global Voices
Anas Alaoui

Allal El Alaoui, a Moroccan blogger based in Rabat, reports and links [ar] to the open letter written by Khalid Jamai, 65 –  a Moroccan veteran journalist known for his positions on freedom of speech. According to El Alaoui: “The main topic of his letter deals with coercive measures that are taken by the authorities against moroccan journalists in the name of the king himself.”

author: Anas Alaoui


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Russia: From Reykavik to Reset · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Russian Life Blog publishes an interesting and initiated exposé of US-Russian relations from Reagan to Obama.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Russia: GUM – a strategic object? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Your Life Will Turn Into Photography reports [RUS] that Moscow's world famous department store, GUM, apparently has been turned into a “strategic object,” along with an increasing number of Russian business ventures.


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Russia: Infringing on constitutional rights · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user srmt argues [RUS] that new regulations concerning correspondence is an infringement on the right of privacy regulated by the Russian constitution and the UN Declaration on Human Rights.


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Russia: Medvedev, Obama, and the lot… · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Windows to Russia! ironises over Obama's visit to Russia and Medvedev's visit to South Ossetia.


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Russia: Politkovskaya laureate murdered · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

This morning, prominent Russian Human Rights activist Natalya Estemirova was abducted from her home in Ingushetia by armed men. She was later found dead, a bullet through her heart. As mainstream media reports just another death of an activist – even when it comes to the assassination of one of the country's leading Human Rights’ adovcates – some bloggers react with abhorrence.
Estemirova and Kovalev receive the Robert Schuman Medal
Then, who was Natalya Estemirova? LJ user xanzhar gives [RUS] a short account of the public figure:
Natalya Estemirova was one of [Russian Human Rights Organization] Memorial's leading representatives in the Caucasus. Authorities in the Republic of Chechnya never expressed any discontent with her work. Estemirova's Human Rights advocacy earnt her many international awards. She was the first recipient of the Anna Politkovskaya Award (2007), and winner of the Swedish [—] Right Livelihood Award (2004). In 2005, the European Parliament gave her the Robert Schumann medal.
LJ user nansysnspb expresses [RUS] her feelings about the murder:
So close, and so terrible… [—] I know people who were friends with Natalya Estemirova… So, they take her life. It's like in a Strugatsky [fantasy novel]… What's next then? Lighting candles… Cursing the murderers, and writing letters to the prosecutor's office with appeals for investigation to rightfully convict these murderers – murderers who probably carry epaulettes and hold positions of corresponding responsibility in the security structures.
LJ user for efel continues [RUS] along the same line:
Surely, [the murder] is connected to [Chechen president] Kadyrov. It's simply not known in what way. To please or to spite him, as with the murder of Politkovskaya. It's connected (as I see it) to the official removal of the borders between Chechnya and Ingushetia for his sonderkomand [special units]… [—] Natasha [Estemirova] was a more precious person than even Anna Politkovskaya – it's a fact. Generally, one could raise a memorial to every single Human Rights activist working in the Caucasus. I only hope murderers don't take it the wrong way: I mean a monument for the living!
Another death – another obituary. Does it make a difference? That is a question for each and everyone to ponder. Still, judging from blogger reactions, Natalya Estemirova surely made a significant difference for many people exposed to the indiscriminate violence and terror of everyday life in Russia's conflict-ridden Republic of Chechnya.


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Russia: Reflections on Estemirova’s murder · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sean's Russia Blog further reflects upon today's murder of Russian Human Rights’ activist Natalya Estemirova, and puts the case into wider perspective as for the general situation for freedom of speech and human rights in Russia.


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Russia: Social friction police · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user Savinkoff comments on [RUS] the establishment of Interior Ministry squads targeted at averting social friction in Russian regions, such as protests and demonstrations due to the economic crisis.


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Slovenia: Averted assassination attempt · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sleeping with Pengovsky discusses the aftermath of an alleged assassination attempt on Slovenia's Prime Minister, Borut Pahor, and how the media is dealing with the incident.


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

Michael Jackson's death gets Vincentian blogger Abeni thinking about hypocrisy in the Caribbean: “Look at the Man in the Mirror people. We may be closer to the persons we dislike than we think.”


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Taiwan: Who Cares About Neihu Line? Not Ex-Mayor Ma · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Neihu Line, the latest line that just joined Taipei MRT system and open to the public since July 1st is having malfuctioning troubles. While the current Mayor Hau is the one mainly criticized by the media and public, blogger elysii 幕容理深 provided his analysis (zh) on what exactly the former Mayor-now President-Ma Ying-jeou had ever done for MRT: almost nothing, except attending ceremonies.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Turkey: Kurdish Freedom Movement Extend Ceasefire · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

Kurdish blogger Hevallo writes that “Kurdish political leadership Koma Civaken Kurdistan, (KCK) has announced that the ceasefire called by the Kurdish Freedom Movement to give the opportunity for solving the Kurdish Question in Turkey by political and peaceful means has been extended.” The original deadline was July 14th; it has now been extended to September 1st.

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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Turkey: Tick Encounter · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

“Did you know that for a couple of years now, there has been an invasion of infectious ticks in Turkey? They carry a disease that causes death after a couple of days of being bitten who’s origins have been traced back to Africa” writes Ignore Me If You Can as she shares the details of her own encounter with a tick.


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Zambia: Discrimination case postponed until October · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

HIV discrimination case in Zambia has been moved to October: “This morning we learned that the judge in the case has decided to attend an international conference and thus has chosen to postpone the case until October.  This decision to postpone for an international conference comes amid a battle between the judiciary and a handful of lawyers calling for them to be more accountable in the press.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Zambia: HIV Discrimination case round 2 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Latest update about the HIV discrimination case in Zambia: “After an almost eight week delay, we expect to start the trial of 2 former employees of the Zambian Air Force who were allegedly tested for HIV without their consent and dismissed because of their status. The trial is expected to start tomorrow at 9am at the Livingstone High Court.”


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Azerbaijan: Baku’s Boulevard · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

After a brief hiatus, Sheki, Azerbaijan is back and posts a brief history, accompanied by photographs, of Baku's 100-year old boulevard.

author: Onnik Krikorian