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Liberia: Lawmaker in the Web of Nudity · Global Voices
Counselor Track

The year 2011 is significantly remembered for the release of several private and classified documents, which included U.S. State department diplomatic cables. Liberia as a nation is socially and morally at a crossroad following the recent revelation of a scandalous episode of nudity now widely known in Liberia as ‘Snoweleaks’ or ‘Snowegate’ which involves Edwin Melvin Snowe, Jr., a very popular lawmaker.
Rep.Edwin Melvin Snowe of Liberia. Photo courtesy of liberiapolitics.com
Snowe was removed from his position as Speaker in January 2007 following a vote of no confidence. However, on January 29, the Supreme Court ruled in Snowe's favor, describing his removal as unconstitutional.
The controversy arose when a lawyer and other advocacy groups revealed that Snowe's cash prize offered at a party hosted at his house had wooed a lady to strip naked and swim across his swimming pool.
‘Snowegate’ has been stirring up real interesting reactions from both the home and diaspora fronts despite the fact that the lady at the center of the allegation denying that she was naked when she swam:
The lady who admitted receiving  US$1,000 from Montressado County District Six Representative Edwin Snowe to dance naked at the bachelor’s eve of a Liberian journalist has denied reports that she paraded  stark naked at Snowe’s residence last Friday night.
Appearing on a local radio talk show yesterday afternoon, the lady, only indentified Tracy,  said she wore a brown swimming suit when she paraded in the presence of invited guests.
Women groups have added their voices to the call fo Snowe's resignation while the lawmakers were busy electing their leadership at the Capitol Building. Mother Hallowangah one of the leaders of the women protesters who described Hon.Snowe's action as “a heavy sin committed by a leader” had this to say:
we are here to tell our Representative Snowe to step aside and repent of  his sins as David did in the Bible. He cannot lead us while he is  polluted.I am telling Providence Baptist Church if they are not lover of money,  to take the lead and tell Snowe to step aside if they are serving the  true and living God. They should see reason to tell Snowe to step aside  from the positions in the church and repent of his sins regardless of  how much money he spends in the church as father of the year or the  higher tithes payer in the that church.
The political political activist, Jurah M. Sanoe wrote:
Edwin Snowe is not a private citizen, but a public servant who has  served in many capacities, including the present one as lawmaker. He has  made fortunes for himself from public service which is the source of  his wealth.
If the alleged incident is true, it is condemnable and  Snowe must publically apologize to the Liberian people and especially  residents of District 5. If not, those who elected him can also start an  impeachment proceeding against him. Though this may not work in our  gullible society, it will serve as caveat. To influence someone to naked  herself in a gathering is a public nuisance,which is condemned under  our laws, especially if done in the presence of foreign nationals
Getrude Williams was much more liberal in her reaction:
God does not like ugly neither does He care too much for pretty. I do  not see where Snowe went wrong. Why are you people not blaming the firl  also? She was not forced into doing what she did. If she was a decent  girl she would not have done this. These are some of the things that  happen at a bachelor's party, that's why it is called a bachelors party.  Strippers are all over the world. Speaking of Clinton's blow job, it  was done in the White House and not in his private home – where can the  comparison come in? And, speaking of gays, Wow, Liberia has always had  gays. From the days of Tubman to now, gay men and Lesbian women are  infesting the Liberian society.Edwin, let it Snowe, let it Snowe
Alston C.Armah, a student at the University of Liberia, satirically added his voice in a very classical manner by going down historical lane to unearth another scandal known as the Knuckles-gate. Knuckle-gate is a sexual scandal that rocked Liberia and inevitably ended the political career of a top government officer:
Liberian women calling for Snowe's resignation at the Liberian Capitol Building in Monrovia. Photo courtesy of fpa.com
I write not to disprove what is being reported about Representative Edwin Melvin Snowe, but I write to say what I do know. Unlike some  of my colleagues who have chosen to denigrate and condemn this  honorable man, I choose to applaud and pay homage to him for his noble  deeds.
Representative Snowe is an honorable  man. He is a noble man who walks on the path of uprightness. So noble is  he that he is reported to have dropped from 11th grade at the onset of  our civil war, and, without completing high school, enrolled at the  University of Liberia and graduated in record time.
Thanks to our porous educational  system. Representative Snowe is so noble that, backed by his honestly  gotten wealth, he paved his way to the post of Speaker of the House of  Representatives. But, like all historical charades, he descended the post just as he had ascended.
Like Snowe like Knuckles, what’s strange? They are all, all honorable men.
Please tell the public to leave the  honorable Snowe alone; let him continue with his honorable encounters.  His life is worthy of emulation, and he is setting good examples from  which wise young men would learn great lessons.
Even President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who had just signed the Code of Conduct for Executive Bill at the Executive Mansion had her view aired through her Press Secretary Cyrus Wleh Badio on the Snowegate issue:
The president seriously frowns on any act of immorality and she has in  fact expressed that to individuals who may have been involved because  she thinks it doesn’t speak well of some of the values we stand for as a  country and so she frowns on it in a very serious manner
A.Darius Dillion, a political analyst, a friend and former subordinate of Snowe reacted in a more diplomatic fashion:
Firstly,  I take cognizance of the fact that whether this story or incident is  true or not, and even though this may be an acceptable norm at such  occasions in other ‘open societies’, ours is not ‘open’ enough to  stomach or embrace any news about a woman being requested or induced to  “strip naked” in public for any form of reward;. Secondly, this was not a  planned or generally agreed agenda item for the night. The offer put up  by Mr. Snowe was something initiated and done unilaterally at his own  volition, considering that it was a social event of adults. This has  turned to be what we have on our hands.
In consideration of the  above, and since I was not physically present around the swimming pool  at the time to have personally witnessed the incident, coupled with the  fact that I have seen no such tape or photo to safely counter “Tracy’s”  version or concur with Mr. Dan Saryee’s information, I come neither to  out rightly condemn Mr. Snowe nor praise or prop him up. I must admit  that I am not only worried but deeply disappointed over his prolonged  silence on this matter which may make true the maxim that says “Silence  means consent”. I therefore call on him to muster the courage to issue a  public statement and apology to the women of Liberia and those who felt  and still do feel offended by this story; especially the manner it was  told. I also call on him to extend similar apology to all his friends  who have been maligned as well as those who attended the bachelor’s  party held at his home. I hold the view that had Mr. Snowe taken into  consideration the sensitive feelings and reactionary attitude of our  society to such stories, he would have thoughtfully avoided the  embarrassment we all now face. I can only hope this will serve as lesson  learnt, not only to Mr. Snowe as a public official, but to all who hold  or aspire to public office in our land.
Tom Monboe, a humanitarian Liberia worker, boldly pointed out the human rights dimension of the issue:
The  issue involving Rep Snowe is not just a morality issue but also a human  right issue. Every high-quality human being who puts premium on the  dignity of another person, should be concerned that no matter one’s  social or economic status, their integrity should not be mortgaged with  such a degree of pomposity. When two consenting adults meet and do what  they want to do privately, that's fine. But when  a financial offer is made for one to nude in the company of others  mainly public officials, then it translates into a blatant mindless  display of arrogance of resources. And this is why those involved should  get the proportional public reprimand. For posterity sake, let others  who were at the event join the likes of Dan Saryeh to be the witness of  public conscience to redeem themselves from this sacrilege which is a  scandal of an unimaginable proportion.
After almost two weeks of enduring the scorns from different sources, the embattled politician had his say:
Representative Snowe pointed out:I am deeply troubled by the manner in which a gathering intended to  celebrate the holy matrimony of a brother and friend is now being  transformed into degradation of womanhood; for this, I expressed deep  regrets.I have never and will never do anything to bring womanhood into disrepute, no matter their status in society.I am deeply saddened that this unfounded  allegation is being sustained in the media. I have spoken to my mother  who has expressed dismay over the manner in which womanhood is being  brought into disrepute and disdain by this unfounded allegation. I have  also spoken to my pastor and some members of my church as well as other  eminent women in our society who have all expressed deep concern over  this falsehood.
When quizzed to give clarification on the exact details of what occurred on the night in question, the lawmaker cleverly survived the question with these words:
I have not come to tell you people what happened that night. What I have  come to say is that all that is being reported in the media over the  last few weeks is false and misleading
The stage is set, echoes of reactions are popping up from every angles. There are even claims of death threats made to journalists.
Will this scandal lead to the resignation of the lawmaker or will he “walk away like Craig Davids” ( a local expression in Liberia that means walking away with impunity). Liberia's respect for morality, cultural values and norms is at a crossroad.

author: Counselor Track


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Malaysia: Improving Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

KW Mak writes about the inadequacy of local laws to address the accessibility of public building for people with disabilities in Malaysia

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Malaysia: Ministry Blames Google Translate for Website Errors · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Don’t wear “clothes that poke eye” and remember the “Mongoose fight” uniform for official functions. These are some of the funny English translation errors in the website of Malaysia’s Ministry of Defense which made headlines last week. The errors have been removed already but not before netizens were able to discuss them thoroughly in various social networks.
Uppercaise reviews the translation errors
The dress code says officers and staff must wear “ethical clothing” — but at the same time “the dress code is not allowed in the work”.
“Ethical clothing” was required (although there was no code of ethics that the clothes must follow). However, the clothes must not be party-going or picnic-going types.
Every Thursday is “mongoose fight” day for those not in uniform. “Mongoose fight” clothing is also for attending “official functions that do not require the use of certain types of clothing”.
Men must wear shirts that are “tight Malay civet berbutang three” or five civets; with long pants but sleeves not folded, and shirts included. Women must wear appropriate clothing “worn neatly and politely in line with the practice of noble character”
The “clothes that poke eye” is a literal translation of pakaian yang menjolok mata, which means revealing clothes in Bahasa Malaysia. Another error which made many people laugh: “After the withdrawal of British army, the Malaysian Government take drastic measures to increase the level of any national security threat”.
The Ministry attributed the mistakes to Google Translate which the agency used to translate the Bahasa content of the website. But when uppercaise used Google Translate to verify the statement of the Ministry, the free translation tool yielded different results
It’s bad enough that statements by the defence minister himself are much of a joke, but the dress code translation is hilarious.
This table consists of a few examples. Was Google at fault, or the ministry? Was the defence minister telling the truth, or trying to pass blame to others? When a govt lies about a small thing, can you trust them with big things?
From the website of Uppercaise
uppercaise wants the Minister to take responsibility for the mistakes
Apologists for politicians always make excuses to say the politician was misinformed. Just because someone lied to him and he in turn lies to the public does not excuse the lie. Ministers are responsible to the public for the conduct of their ministries. If a civil servant lied, he is disciplined. But it is the minister who takes the rap in public.
That’s how constitutional democracy works.
Khoo Kay Peng reminds the ministry to review its recruitment process
Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should learn quickly that not everything can be ‘automated’. Language is not one of them. The minister should review his ministry's recruitment process and employ those who are really proficient in the English language or the very least employ those who can show some initiative to do any task right.
Yes, this is very embarrassing not only to Mindef but also to the government.
Ktemoc Konsiders advises the ministry to stick to Bahasa
I am personally aware of the Malaysian Ministry of Defence (Mindef) using Mangrish (Malaysian mangled English) on its website, as I had on a couple of occasions accessed it for some information, only to encounter such horrors. They would be better off sticking to only Bahasa.
As I See It wants the ministry to learn how to use Google Translate correctly
Please lah – don’t take us for idiots! Even if you use Google Translate – any person with average intelligence knows that it shouldn’t be used directly. It is important to fathom the linguistic context; otherwise you get phrases like the ones highlighted above! What’s more, you can still spot the errors before you upload the translated script onto the website – if you do actually check and double-check, that is. Unless, of course, you are asleep on the job.
Here are some reactions on Facebook. Eric Chin thinks the ministry should have approached a local agency instead of relying on Google Translate:
The question that simply begs to be asked is this : Why in God's name did the Ministry of Defence use Google Translate when they had the Institut Penterjemahan Negara at their disposal?
Mary-Ann Chong asks why the ministry couldn’t afford to hire a translator
Can't our Defense Ministry afford to pay for a translator instead of using Google Translate? Of all purposes and intent to ‘save’ public money they pick the one that they are least proficient at.
Mekanda Sandhu believes the issue reflects the poor bilingual standards in the country
The Star report on English translation of Defence Ministry's directive in BM prohibiting dress code “clothes that poke eye” is a sad reminder of our poor bilingual standards


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Malaysia: Proposed Race Relations Act · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ann Surin reviews the proposed Race Relations Act in Malaysia which the government hopes would prevent race-based discrimination in the country.


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Mexico: Netizens Mobilize for the Tarahumara Indigenous People  · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

Update (18 January, 2012):
Univisión has continued to cover the alleged suicides by the Tarahumara indigenous people. In a post in their Tumblr page they report that they have “come across information that casts a cloud of doubt over these claims.” They point out, however, that, “All of the sources Univision News spoke to confirmed that there is a food emergency in Raramuri territory, with government agencies delivering emergency food rations, that can last for up to a month, but that are not expected to outlast the current drought in Northern Mexico.”
Unconfirmed reports of the suicide of 50 Tarahumara indigenous people from the northern state of Chihuahua to avoid starvation have mobilized Mexican netizens. The Tarahumara, also known as Raramuri, are facing various issues like the loss of their language, the exploitation of their land, unsustainable sources of income and severe malnutrition.
In a video published on YouTube, Ramón Gardea, a member of the Organized Front for Indigenous Farm Workers,  declared that 50 Tarahumara Indians had committed suicide after failing to get food [es] for themselves and for their children.
Although there is insufficient evidence to prove the suicides, the  alarming state of malnutrition and poverty among the Tarahumara  indigenous is a reality.
Netizens from all over the country immediately expressed their concern. On Twitter, using the hashtag #SierraTarahumara, a national movement sprung up as users expressed their indignation and organized to collect provisions in neighborhoods, churches and universities.
Raramuri mother and child. Image by  Victor Hugo García Ulloa, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Creative Commons license
Humberto Cantu (@dermacantu) compares the money that will be spent [es] for the Pope's visit with the lack of help for the Tarahumaras:
Van a gastar MILLONES en la visita del #papa, pero no hay para apoyar a nuestros hermanos de la #sierratarahumara …un poco de sensibilidad
Mexican writer León Krauze (@Leon_Krauze) makes a direct comparison with what is happening [es] in the country today:
Civil Protection of the GDF (Government of Mexico City) is gathering groceries for the Sierra Tarahumara, we must support all communities in the Sierra
The blog Animal Politico reports that the government of Chihuahua denied the 50 suicides [es] mentioned in the YouTube video:
A unas horas de que se diera a conocer un video donde se denuncian supuestos suicidios por hambre de raramuris en la Sierra Tarahumara y de que usuarios de las redes sociales organizaran colectas de alimentos, el gobierno de Chihuahua negó que haya suicidios masivos en la zona.
Furthermore, on Tumblr, Univisión published a story on the alleged suicides and added a note correcting and updating some information:
In the  original version of this article we  wrongly attributed the statement  that 50 indigenous people had  committed suicide to Jesus Quiñones, an  official in the Mexican Village  of Carichi, who had been quoted in  Mexican newspapers as saying this.  We called Quiñones, and he denied  that there had been any suicides in his municipality, although he stated that  indigenous people in the area are suffering  from  serious nutritional  problems, and were delivered emergency food  supplies by  the state and  local government last week.
Quiñones added that the   statements about the indigenous suicides were made by Ramon Gardea, an   officer for the Organized Front for Indigenous Farm Workers. A man who   is referred to as Ramon Gardea indeed appears on a YouTube video making   these claims, and the video is attributed to Chihuahua’s channel 28.   Quiñones said he has never met Gardea and said that he did not  understand  where the story about the suicides came from. This is a  developing  story.

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Myanmar: Welcome Party for Freed Blogger · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Htoo Tay Zar posts pictures from the welcoming party for freed Myanmar blogger Ko Nay Phone Latt. The blogger was one of the 600 political detainees who were released from prison in Myanmar on Friday, January 13, 2011.


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Nepal: Evolution Of Export Destination  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Chandan Sapkota depicts how Nepal's export destinations evolved over the years.

author: Rezwan


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Nepal: More Powercuts · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pradeep Kumar Singh informs that the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has increased the load shedding (power cut) hours from existing 69 hours a week to 88 hours indicating severe energy shortage in the country.


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Responses to AP’s News Bureau in North Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The Associated Press has opened a news bureau in North Korean capital, becoming the first western news agency to have its office inside the hermit kingdom. North Korea Tech blog consolidated some of the Twitter responses to the news.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Pakistan: Bigotry Or Blind Hatred? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sana Saleem reports that on last Saturday evening a group of men attacked a church in Manghopir because children were singing carols which allegedly disrupted their prayers.


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Pakistan: In The Time of Rumors · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

Recently the rumors about a military coup were being pushed along by TV channels and were all over on social media in Pakistan, especially on Twitter. The hashtag #PakistanPM was trending globally.
The Twitterati were informing each other about the latest developments on the political front in the country.
@AtikaRehmn (Atika Rehman): Breaking- PM Gilani fires Defense Secretary #Pakistan
@foreignhina (HRK): Defense secretary fired, ISPR fired up. How banana is my republic?
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. Image by Rajput Yasir. Hyderabad, Pakistan. Copyight © Demotix. 12th January 2012.
On January 11, 2012 Wednesday, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Director General  of Pakistan's spy agency ISI's replies to the court in the Memogate case was “unconstitutional” and “illegal”. He said this to Chinese newspaper “People’s Daily” in an interview that was quoted by the state-owned wire service Associated Press of Pakistan. The ISPR Public Relations office of the military reacted and issues a press release saying “this has very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the Country.”
@thomasbarthlein: This must be the first time in history that People's Daily had a breaking news story #Pakistan PM
@therealfasih (Fasih Ahmed): Kicker from today's ISPR release: Allegiance to State, Constitution prime consideration for Army, “who *in this case* has followed the book”
Pakistani Military appointed a new commander of 111 Brigade the same day PM fired the defense secretary. The triple-1 Brigade is an infantry brigade infamous for its involvement in the military coups in Pakistan.
@cpyala (Cafe Pyala): New 111 Brigade commander appointment just routine says ISPR.
Speculations arose about a coup d’état in Pakistan as in the past the tussle between the parliament and the military often led to military coups.
DrAwab (Awab Alvi): My logic on PPP + Army: SC had nailed PPP for NRO & Memogate, for ARMY to jump in now means it wants to give #PPP a face saving exit #PTI
@spopalzai (Shaheryar Popalzai): ‘These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do, one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you’ #Pakistan
@kaalakawaa (Kala Kawa): PM's allegations that COAS acted unconstitutionally may force COAS to act unconstitutionally.
@SirajAhsan: @OmarWaraich Zardari has check mated the army.. Either COAS gets sacked or he dies a coup. Both ways PPP wins.
@umairjav (Umair Javed): Sack the army chief for insubordination. Let's see the army do something without any guarantee of judicial indemnity.
In Pakistan the 4 year old democratic government was unable to provide people with basic necessities. Shortage of electricity and gas led to many anti-government protests. Politicians have become discredited by the corruption and tax-evasion cases. However, many citizens support the democratic process and want the parliament to complete its 5-year tenure.
@UsamaKhilji (Usama Khilji): What ‘grievous consequences’ Pakistan Army? Keep trying to guard us, as your job requires. Stop threatening your bosses. Love, Pakistanis.
@akchishti (AK Chishti): So ur a traitor for criticizing army; made a contempt if u criticize judiciary, blasphemer for going against mullahs but politicians r cheap
@SamadK:  If Gen K thinks a coup will be tolerated by the people, he's badly mistaken. No one will accept a coup now, not even the CJ. #Pakistan
GeorgeFulton1 (George Fulton): Does the Pakistan Army suffers from collected amnesia too? Doesn't it remember how despised it was after the Emergency?
@kursed (Abdullah Saad): Any civilian political leader or journalist, promoting a coup should be publicly vilified. They'd know what's in store.
The role of judiciary is also questioned among the Twitterati.  After the lawyer's movement in 2007, it was a common belief that the judiciary stood up against the military dictator, the then President General Musharraf, and in the time of turmoil it will stand together with the Parliament. Now, it is seen differently.  Earlier on Tuesday, a five-bench of Supreme Court called the PM “dishonest” and later sent a notice of contempt of court. The Prime Minister has been asked to appear in the Supreme Court in the NRO case.
@majorlyprofound: People should keep in mind that the Judiciary has played a part in facilitating, validating and legitimizing every coup in Pakistan.
@SamadK (Samad Khurram): The courts will probably overrule a coup, fortunately. But they are also likely to overrule sacking of COAS/DG ISI, unfortunately. #Pakistan
@theRealYLH (Yasser Latif Hamdani): Can the SC disqualify the PM? No. How can an unelected govt official declare an elected of the sovereign ie people? #separationofpowers
Pakistani Tweeps reflect upon on both new and traditional media’s hyped-up reactions about the political situation in the country.
@Razarumi (Raza Rumi): According to @adnanrasool at least two TV channels through their programming are trying hard to convince the ARMY to take over. #free #media
@jhaque_ (Jahanzaib Haque): GUESS which side Express News is leaning on the Civil-Military rift? :D twitpic.com/85z4f6 (Pic )
@NPRinskeep (Steve Inskeep): Worth noting as we follow the uproar in Pakistan: it's approximately the 927th news story in last 4 yrs to prompt speculation of a coup.
@marvisirmed (Marvi Sirmed): Boycotted Geo for being so stinkily anti-democracy. Switched to DuniyaTV, pleasant to watch @NasimZehra, Rauf Klasra & @Arsched.
Many sent out light hearted tweets and joked about military coups in the country:
Blogger Tazeen Javed of Reluctant Mind tweets:
@Tazeen: #PakistanPM is trending. Gilani Sahab, you are right there with Beyonce and Justin Beiber. MashaAllah !
@acorn (Nitin Pai): What's the new game Pakistan wants to introduce in the Asian Games? Coup-coup
It is difficult to say how responsibly the social media will react in the time of real political turmoil. Many think the social media is following the footsteps of traditional media and giving more importance to rumors than to hard news.  As Shoaib Taimur tweets:
@shobz (Shoaib Taimur): i have to admit that social media users including me are rather rash to tweet stuff without verifying anything.

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Poland: Martial Law 30 Years On · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Polandian writes about the 30th anniversary of the introduction of martial law in Poland 1981, and argues that repression became a positive trigger for the popular movement against communist rule.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Reviewing Malaysia’s National Car Policy · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Anil Netto lists the reasons why he thinks Malaysia's national car policy is a ‘big mistake.’ He mentioned that “the dependence on motor vehicles puts Malaysians at the mercy of higher oil prices.”


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Romania: “Revolution of Decency” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Power & Politics World reports on the protests in Romania, sparked by budget cuts and the resignation of deputy health minister Raed Arafat. Csíkszereda Musings writes about Raed Arafat and the government's policies: “Basescu and his government seem hell bent on using the excuse of ‘austerity’ to destroy education, healthcare and pretty much everything else that the country actually needs.” GV's Ruslan Trad is posting links to media reports on the protests on the GV-CEE Facebook page.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Making A Run For It · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Andy Young of Siberian Light reports that opposition politicians Mikhail Prokhorov and Grigory Yavlinsky have now collected the two million signatures needed for running for Russia's presidency in the upcoming 4 March elections, and portrays the complexities of collecting signatures in support of a candidacy.


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Russia: Moscow Population Cuts · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Kyle Keeton of Windows to Russia reports that the Moscow government is planning to reduce the number of people residing in over-crowded central Moscow, hoping for people moving to suburbs and surrounding cities.


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South Africa: The Blogosphere’s Take on ANC’s 100 Years · Global Voices
Muhammad Karim

The ANC has just celebrated its 100 years in existence in South Africa, moving from a radical resistance movement to the leading political party in the country. Bloggers’ views are as diverse as the country itself.
First, let's cover the details of the event itself. SA People gives us a good breakdown:
The Centennial logo. Image source: anc.org.za
Thousands of people descended on the quiet Free State province to the city of Mangaung, also known as Bloemfontein, to celebrate the party’s existence since 8 January 1912.
The celebrations were attended by former heads of state, current leaders, the party’s political elite, and throngs of ordinary citizens.
Those in attendance included former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda; Ugandan president Yuweri Museveni; Namibian president Hifikepunye Pohamba; Mozambican president Armando Guebuza; and Rev Jesse Jackson from the US.
…
The motto for the celebrations is Unity in Diversity – also South Africa’s national motto – and the party truly displayed this sentiment after being plagued with faction fighting over the past year, especially with its youth wing.
But it showed a united front throughout the weekend of festivities.
Former ANC and South African president Thabo Mbeki was seen laughing heartily with the incumbent president Jacob Zuma and suspended ANC Youth League president Julius Malema.
Zuma said: “We continue to have different and differing perspectives on the processes unfolding in our country. Despite the progress we have made, there remain deep fault lines in our society that continue to undermine our vision of a united, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa.”
Nobel Peace laureate and the country’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, was there in spirit although not in person.
Attendees were reminded of the elder statesman’s contribution to democracy by the many posters of him, and other former presidents of the party, hung throughout the usually quiet city.
Baleka Mbete, the ANC’s national chairperson, said: “He is in good spirits but very, very old.”
Nobody expected the centenary events to be anything else but pomp and ceremony with nearly R100-million (US$12.4-million) spent to commemorate this achievement.
The Daily Maverick gives us some perspective here by pointing out the main conflict that ran throughout the celebrations:
The weekend displayed the ANC’s prevailing attitude – it celebrated its past with abandon and views its future with some trepidation. It is very clear with which it is more comfortable.
The Gateway News lauds the ANC's great past and it's achievements and hopes the future holds something better:
Notwithstanding all its faults, I still cannot imagine where this country would be if we did not have the ANC. They have produced some of the finest leaders this world has ever seen. Can you imagine what might be if the ANC would go back to its founding principles and values? Let us pray for that then.
One highlights a worry amongst certain groups of the ANC becoming too exclusive:
Some observers of this weekend’s celebrations are concerned that the ANC is losing its inclusive, non-tribal and non-racial ethos, enriching the few, mostly politically connected, rather than the poor majority.
In the view of some critics, ANC leaders are increasingly chosen by a small group of people, selected for how best they can capture competing interests. Opposition parties are either poorly organized or racially homogeneous and have little chance to secure broad support, so the ANC will likely remain unchallenged for some time.
Without real opposition, change must come from within. ANC party conferences in June and December are an opportunity for the ANC to return to its roots and maintain South Africa as a global example for genuine democracy, equitable economic development and peaceful racial integration.
Left Foot Forward is positive about the ANC's impact but also highlights the challenges facing them in next century:
South Africa is a different and far better place than in 1912 or 1989. It is a country for all South Africans. Formerly a pariah state it is now a leading player in Africa and globally.
The challenges of achieving political and civil rights for all, and of ending apartheid, were great and many many people suffered and sacrificed to achieve these.
The challenges of building on this great achievement, overcoming the economic legacy of colonialism, imperialism and apartheid, dealing with the globalised economy of which South Africa is now part in ways which benefit most South Africans, providing good quality services to all of its citizens are just as great, perhaps greater, and will be the test for the ANC in its second century.
Muddy roads and dusty trails evokes a sense of nostalgia:
Today 100 years ago the African National Congress saw the light. Today the festivities take place for 100 years of selfless struggle. As an interpreter I have been once or twice the voice of Nelson Mandela after he was released from Robben Island. When South Africa was freed from Apartheid, it became member of the ACP and had at their first attendance the meeting in Cape Town and were given a most moving and enlightening tour of Robben Island by a former prisoner who became a minister in the first Mandela government. It was non-violence which won freedom. was one of his messages and that the embargo gave support to the resistance because even when suffering they knew it was  because people supported their struggle.
People's World is positive about the future of ANC:
Its centenary is surely a cause for celebration and hope for all who cherish freedom, civil rights and democracy.
A potrait of Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Photo released under Creative Commons  (CC BY 2.0) by Flickr user Abode of Chaos.
Founded three years after the NAACP in the U.S., the ANC is one of the African continent's oldest and most enduring liberation movements.
Its leaders worked alongside W.E.B Du Bois in shaping the 20th century struggle against the color line.
Born in the struggle against white settler colonialism, the ANC's history is deeply rooted the struggle for human dignity and national independence.
…
Like any modern political party in a capitalist country, the ANC  is also challenged within and without by big business designs to buy influence and peddle prestige and power.
By keeping its eye on unity and its feet firmly planted in the roots of its century-long experience, the ANC and its Tripartite Alliance partners will continue their steady march down the road to freedom and equality. They will meet obstacles and detours on the way but as Nelson Mandela once famously said, “There is no easy walk to freedom.”
Mick Hartley posted an interesting post questioning ANC's statement on the passing away of Kim Jong-il:
Avi at AfriCartoons posts ANC celebration cartoon with a sarcastic caption:
100 years of ANC through a cartoonist's eyes. Cartoon by Avi Ramjan at africartoons.com.
“SHOCKING!!!! SA editorial cartoonist does a POSITIVE cartoon!
Actually, it's quite refreshing. Perhaps South African cartoonists should do a positive ANC cartoon every 100 years (until Jesus comes, that is).”
Speaking of political cartoons, Tia Mysoa shares Zapiro's take on the ANC's past and future.
If you want details of what exactly the ANC has done in the last 100 years, the Global Black History Blog has a detailed blog post of ANC history right up until 1994 when Nelson Mandela became South Africa's president.
Marcus's Space does a similar post, but a bit more politically motivated:
Economically, the party has drawn praise for steering Africa’s biggest economy into safe waters, rolling out new electricity and water supplies, as well as houses and inspiring a new black middle class, but when I see documentaries of that beautiful country I also still see a lot of shams and misery.
Finally, for a more irreverent take on things, Naked Chiefs post their thoughts covering everything from the conflict of South Africa's “Africanness”:
However, WHY South Africa is conflicted about its Africanness, is a matter for all Africans. It is a conflict that seems to stem from three sources.
First, ignorance about the rest of Africa.
Secondly, the apartheid trauma that seems to have left South African unable to give back full-heartedly to those who supported its liberation.
Thirdly, a bizarre and complex need for international acceptance, especially from the west, born out of the peculiarities of apartheid oppression, and the global stardom that was conferred upon Mandela by the world.
… and after a very long detailed discussion, they describe ANC's main failure in its 100 years:
The ANC failure has been its inability to make South Africa that is comfortable and confident about its Africanness. I don’t see that changing for another 30 years, at least.
As with all things large and complicated in life, ANC has had its ups and downs in its 100 years history.

author: Muhammad Karim


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U.S. Bills Could Threaten the Global Internet · Global Voices
Ivan Sigal

At Global Voices, we understand that we, collectively, are the Internet. Our individual participation is what makes the Internet a global conversation of startling depth and variety, but this is possible only because of its open technical and legal structure. Unfortunately, there are powerful corporate and government forces who would prefer to see the openness and accessibility of the web restricted. They seek to deploy censorship and surveillance in the name of enforcing copyright, employing the very tools used to censor the Internet in authoritarian countries, such as China, Iran, and Syria.
Ignoring the warnings of citizens and technologists, United States lawmakers are considering two bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), that are a real and dangerous threat to the openness of the web everywhere in the world. In response, the Global Voices community has decided to join websites such as Wikipedia, Reddit and BoingBoing in “going dark” and will black out the Global Voices Advocacy site for 12 hours on January 18, and display a banner on other Global Voices sites that provides more information about the proposed bills.
We are an international volunteer community dedicated to amplifying citizen media from around the world. In the last six years, we’ve produced more than 75,000 posts that link to blogs and other citizen content for readers in over 20 languages. Our content is free to use, and free to share. We rely on the open Internet to carry out our mission, and on social media and citizen media websites that allow for simple publication and sharing of content. Platforms like WordPress, Wikipedia, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Reddit, Tumblr, and many other online media production communities host content on which we base much of our work.
The passage of SOPA and PIPA by the United States Congress and Senate would force social media platforms and other web sites that host user-generated content to pro-actively monitor and censor users to prevent them from posting words or images that may violate copyrights. It would raise the cost of participation on these sites for all users worldwide, and could force many social media projects to shut down, especially smaller websites and businesses.
We are concerned this law would will inflict broad damage on the work of digital activists living under repressive regimes, as well as restrict basic speech freedoms around the world. Current copyright laws are occasionally misused in the U.S, and can result in de facto speech restrictions. In countries with less independent judicial systems, abuse of copyright law to repress activism is both simple and frequent.
Global Voices contributors in many countries face increasingly aggressive surveillance and censorship. Several are in prison or exile because of their online activities. Passage of these bills will send a clear message that the US government believes it is acceptable to monitor and censor citizens to identify “infringing activity” which too often is equated with political and religious dissent. Passage of SOPA and PIPA would also give the United States government a disproportionate amount of power to determine the course of the Internet. The result will be a more dangerous world for bloggers and activists, and less free speech for all.
Even though the current version of SOPA was put indefinitely on hold this week, PIPA, the Senate version of the bill, is still alive. And the issues and forces that are driving the passage of a law remain. For this reason, Global Voices is joining the Internet blackout on January 18, 2012.
Recent Global Voices Advocacy posts on SOPA/PIPA:
Other resources for understanding the effects of SOPA/PIPA:
What you can do:

author: Ivan Sigal


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Ukraine: Bandera on the Move · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Leoš Tomíček of Austere Insomniac draws attention to and criticizes an increasing popularity of historic Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.


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Venezuela: Interview with Luis Carlos Díaz on Cyber Attacks · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas [es] has published an interview with journalist and Global Voices contributor Luis Carlos Díaz, who has been repeatedly harassed and threatened by hackers.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Bermuda: Lack of Political Dialogue · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

politics.bm thinks that tIt speaks volumes about the PLP's interest in informed dialogue that two brief fact based and civil comments that I posted on their Facebook page were deleted and I was removed from the page entirely…not all comments were deleted. Only those that didn't echo the official line.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Brazil: Crowdfunding Site Celebrates a Year of Life · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

Catarse, Brazil's biggest crowdfunding site celebrates one year of life this week [pt] – with some interesting visualizations. Catarse has had over 15,000 Brazilians support 278 projects, of which 146 were successful. This raised over R$1.3 million (US$727.4 thousand). Not surprisingly for Brazil, the most successful type of project is music. [GV reported on crowdfunding in Brazil in 2011.]

author: Janet Gunter


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Caribbean: Solidarity with SOPA Protest  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A few regional bloggers have joined “the largest online protest in history”, against the proposed PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), here, here, here and here.


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Costa Rican Blogs Protest SOPA and PIPA · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ticoblogger [es], a network of Costa Rican blogs, has joined the global protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect-IP Act (PIPA). Ticoblogger blogs like Ciencia Ficción [es], Carepicha [es], and El Infierno en Costa Rica [es] posted a message against the U.S. bills and “censored” part of their content.


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Cuba: Hunger Striking Prisoner Close to Death  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers are concerned that there could be a repeat of what happened to political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and draw attention to the plight of Wilman Villar Mendoza, who “has been on hunger strike since November, when he was arrested and sentenced to 4 years in prison for the supposed crimes of ‘disrespect,’ ‘assault’ and ‘resistance.'”


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Cuba: Whither Gay Rights?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

While Havana Times reports that Raul Castro's daughter “hopes the upcoming January 28 conference of the country’s communist party will help end the stalemate around a draft law intended to grant rights to transsexuals and homosexuals on the island”, babalu counters: “While…Mariela Castro, is busy jetting around the world promoting ‘gay rights’ in Cuba and same-sex civil unions, it appears that her cause includes the right of Cuba's LGBT community to be beaten to death by Cuban State Security agents.”


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Global Online Community Protests U.S. Anti-Piracy Bills · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Today, January 18, is an important day for the Internet.  Corporate websites, from Google to Twitpic, along with civil society groups and individuals, have all joined together in a common cause: to protest two American bills that could have grave effects for global online free expression.
As Global Voices’ Executive Director Ivan Sigal has written, “there are powerful corporate and government forces who would prefer to see the openness and accessibility of the web restricted.”  The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect-IP Act (PIPA) would both force websites to pro-actively censor potentially copyrighted information, and could, as Sigal wrote, “inflict broad damage on the work of digital activists living under repressive regimes, as well as restrict basic speech freedoms around the world.”
Because these bills have the potential to affect Internet users worldwide, members of the global community have joined Americans in protest.  From German digital rights group Netzpolitik to Open Media Canada to individual bloggers and social media users, the sentiment is the same: Stop these bills.
Blacking out
French site https://linuxfr.org  goes dark against #SOPA
Many sites have chosen to express their opposition by blacking out their sites, either entirely or with an interstitial page.  Danica Radovanovic (@DanicaR), writing for Australian blog network DejanSEO, discusses Wikipedia's decision to join the blackout, a decision that affects the site's diverse global community:
Over the course of the past 72 hours, over 1800 Wikipedians have joined together to discuss proposed actions that the community might wish to take against SOPA and PIPA. This is by far the largest level of participation in a community discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, which illustrates the level of concern that Wikipedians feel about this proposed legislation. The overwhelming majority of participants support community action to encourage greater public action in response to these two bills. Of the proposals considered by Wikipedians, those that would result in a “blackout” of the English Wikipedia, in concert with similar blackouts on other websites opposed to SOPA and PIPA, received the strongest support.
French organization La Quadrature du Net has joined its American counterparts in blacking out its website, displaying the following image:
The Pirate Party of Catalunya blacks out in solidarity
Pirate parties are among the most stringent opponents of the anti-piracy bills.  In Spain, Catalunya, Switzerland, Argentina, Canada, and Sweden (among, almost certainly, many others), local pirate parties have joined in blacking out their websites.
Also blacking out for January 18 are Germany's Chaos Computer Club and Green Party, and international organization Reporters Without Borders. The latter explained its decision, writing:
We have decided to close our English-language website for 24 hours to symbolize the oppressive gag that would spread over the Internet as we know it if SOPA and PIPA are adopted.  These bills would affect an incalculable number of Internet users who are innocent of any kind of intellectual property violation by forcing websites to block access to other sites suspected of vaguely-defined copyright breaches.
For more images of sites blacking out in protest, check out Netzpolitik's SOPA blackout gallery.
Translating the importance of activism
In some countries, bloggers have taken it upon themselves to educate their communities about the importance of opposing SOPA and PIPA.  Lebanese blogger Mireille Raad has written an explanation for why Lebanese citizens should care about these bills.  She writes:
Being a lebanese, doesn’t stop you from being an internet user – the SOPA will affect the internet in a bad way and it involves websites outside the US, and that’s yours…
…You should care and be pissed of, because, like it or not, the internet doesn’t exist in the clouds, it is made of companies that exist in countries and have to answer to local laws despite the fact that internet is “global”. This fact is making people worldwide care about the SOPA legislation – and even though you may feel powerless, you still should care and take online action – because all citizens in cyberspace are created equal and so their actions resonate equally
An earlier post Taiwanese freedom of information activist CK Hung dubs the anti-piracy bills “The Great Firewall of Chinamerica.”  In a graphic [zh], the blogger demonstrates his point:
Edit: An English version of the graphic is also available:
He also writes:
掌權者很樂意用 「保護智財」 或 「阻絕色情」、 「和諧社會」 當做永遠不可能吃到口的誘餌來說服公民支持其強化管制網路的法律和政策 (例如選擇便利管制的工具)， 然後藉由這些法律和政策來強化它對公民的資訊監控。 掌權者很樂意公民只看見海市蜃樓， 卻忽略通往海市蜃樓的道路上， 威脅著社會自由民主的 collateral damages。 不論最終的掌權者到底是微軟、 蘋果、 共產黨、 民主黨、 還是共和黨， 受害的永遠都是絕大多數的公民。
而臺灣， 正是這兩大監控勢力交會處的絕佳實驗場所。
Global Voices’ own Venezuelan contributor Marianne Diaz explains why she doesn't like the bills [es]:
De cualquier modo, Estados Unidos no es el mundo, y las leyes de propiedad intelectual tienen limitaciones territoriales y varían de país a país. Por ejemplo, en Venezuela, la obra entra en dominio público sesenta años después de la muerte del autor. Sin embargo, mediante la aplicación de SOPA y PIPA, Estados Unidos pretende que a mí, a ti y a cualquier siberiano se le pueda forzar a cumplir unas limitaciones que no le son aplicables de acuerdo a la ley.
On Twitter, similar conversations are happening. From the UK, @GokhanKaratay writes:
I really do hope #SOPA and #PIPA bills aren't passed through the senate. Legislation against piracy is needed, but that really isn't the way
Pointing out the participation of Argentine video platform Cuevana, @Gaby_xoa points out:
#Cuevana uniéndose al apagón #ANTISOPA que cuarta la libre expresión!!! twitpic.com/88nzkg
What you can do to stop SOPA and PIPA
Although the international community is limited in how they can affect an American bill, the solidarity expressed in opposition to both bills is certainly helpful to U.S.-based activists.  Aside from the aforementioned examples, bloggers have found numerous creative ways to do so, such as adding an anti-SOPA or anti-PIPA Twibbon or blacking out their WordPress blog.  Fight for the Future is encouraging the international community to sign a petition to the State Department. But just writing about the implications of the two bills can help.
American citizens, on the other hand, have plenty of options. Here are just a few ways to get involved:

author: Jillian C. York


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Guatemala: Child Labor in the Sugar Cane Fields · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The recent investigation done by journalists of Plaza Publica in Guatemala has uncovered how government authorities, although legally having to prevent child labor, allow children under 14 years of age to work in their cane fields, which is a physically demanding and dangerous work.
In the article Child labor and exploitation in Guatemala's sugar Alberto Arce and Martín Rodríguez Pellecer explain how children work in the sugar fields where workers are paid by tonnage cut. While most adult workers cut two to three tons, that doesn't even add up to minimum wage, about 7.5 USD per day. One of the families interviewed, where the father works with his two sons, one 12 and the other 13, don't even make minimum wage between the three of them.
Para llegar al salario mínimo, con un salario de Q20 por tonelada es necesario superar las tres toneladas diarias. Para el finquero, la media normal que un cortador puede extraer es de seis toneladas. Los cortadores dicen que a partir de dos o tres es inhumano.
At Flamenco, Picture by Alberto Arce, CC BY
Following is the short video they shot as they went into a sugar cane plantation to take photographs using an antique wooden camera. From the article:
Plaza Pública ingresó sin pedir permiso a la propiedad privada de Kuhsiek para hacer unas fotografías artísticas sobre trabajadores de la caña. En ese momento, no se sabía quién era el dueño de la finca. Ya dentro se descubrió el trabajo infantil. Allí, en una conversación informal entre el empresario agrícola, uno de los reporteros que escriben esta nota y el fotógrafo Rodrigo Abd, se acordó una entrevista formal en su oficina de la capital.
The greatest irony is perhaps that the owner of the Flamenco plantation is no other than Otto Kuhsiek, the president of the Guatemalan Chamber of Agriculture.  In the interview, he didn't deny that children may go to the fields, but suggested that they don't actually work there:
El presidente de la Cámara del Agro se define como una persona que trata de cumplir con la Ley: “No conozco las edades de los niños que se encontraban en mi finca, que estaban, en todo caso, en su período vacacional. Usted vio que había una escuela en frente de donde estaban. Y esos niños no son trabajadores, sino que vienen acompañando a sus padres. Son sus ayudantes (…) .
He went on to explain that workers are not exploited since they are free to go when they are tired. However, the journalists point out that at 5 pm workers can still be seen in the fields and because they are paid for what they can cut, they may be forced to chosing between feeding their families or getting some rest.
On twitter, under the hashtag #11deazucar, Guatemanal journalist Alejandra Gutierrez tries to take the focus from placing blame into the lives of these children:
¿Los cañeros? ¿los azucareros? ¿los compradores? ¿los padres? ¿el Estado? La tragedia es que esos niños tengan que trabajar. #11deazucar
Child labor in the sugar cane fields is not new: back in 2007, this video with pictures of sugar cane workers in Guatemala, including children was uploaded on YouTube.
Although the sugar industry in Guatemala is one of the fastest growing and highest grossing in Guatemala, this growth and wealth is not passed on to the people farther down in the chain.  In fact, the sugar association that brings together the 13 sugar processing plants in Guatemala, Asazgua, only guarantees a minimum wage for those who work processing the sugar, not those who cut it and believes the problems of the cane workers exposed are neither examples of child labor or, in fact, their problem, since they are cutters and not sugar workers: since they are providers they are not part of Asazgua and it is not up to them to stop this from happening.
At Flamenco, by Alberto Arce, CC BY
In the Plaza Publica article, Arce and Rodriguez tell of how the plantation owners and Asazgua show themselves as victims,  suggesting that child work at the plantations is the farmers’ choice, and that not allowing children to work at the fields might lead to the farmers or their children burning down the fields and sabotage the production.
The article and investigation had results, but sadly, not as expected. Journalist Alberto Arce posted on twitter that althought the Finca Flamenco farm ceased operations as a consequence of the article on sugar in @PlazaPublicaGT, there are cane workers who lost their jobs in Retalhuleu.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Iran: Golshifteh Farahani posed nude for Le Figaro · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Madame Le Figaro published a nude photo of Golshifteh Farahani, Iranian actress based in Paris, and there has been a huge interest and reactions to this quite rare photo on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. In a few hours the photo received more than thousands of comments and likes and reshares through one of her fan pages in Facebook. Some of the comments blaming her for “indecency” and some admiring her for “courage”.

author: Hadi Nili


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Iran: Iranian site is striking against censorship in U.S.A · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Amsterdam based Iranian Arseh Sevom site is striking against SOPA and PIPA which seek to deploy online censorship and surveillance in the name of enforcing copyright, employing the same tools used by authoritarian regimes. Arseh Sevom promotes civil society in Iran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: More web activists got arrested · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says [fa] Iran has arrested two web activists last week; Mohammad SoleimaniNia, who “hosts and manages websites of many Iranian civil society communities and intellectuals and manager of Persian literature website sokhan.com”, and Simin Nematollahi “Majzooban.org, the website of Iranian Gonabadi dervishes”.


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Iran: Second blogger arrested in Tehran · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Iranian authorities arrested Marzieh Rasouli, journalist and blogger, last night in Tehran. She writes stories and narrations of her daily life in ‘3 Rouz Pish’ [fa]. This is the second arrest of a blogger in a couple of days in Tehran. Parastoo Dokouhaki, blogger and journalist, was arrested on Sunday.


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Iran: Women activist shot dead in Texas · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

A Texas Medical Center student and Iranian women activist was shot dead on Monday in Houston. Gelareh Bagherzadeh was driving her car when she was shot.  Authorities said it is unknown what prompted the shooting. Iranians users are showing concerns over this murder in Balatarin, an Iranian link-sharing website.


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Latin American Sites and Bloggers Protest PIPA and SOPA · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Several Latin American blogs like SitioCero [es], alt1040 [es], and Sentidos Comunes [es] have joined the online protests against U.S. anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. Some are speaking out against similar local laws, like the bloggers behind the Mexican blog network Indie Weblogs [es]. Popular series and film site Cuevana.tv is also participating [es].


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Macedonia: Hoax About Facebook and Google SOPA Blackout · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Macedonian blogs and independent sites IT.com.mk, Fail.mk, and Radio MOF [all mk] attempt to debunk the misinformation copy-pasted by a number of local commercial media (employing professional journalists) that Facebook, Google, Yahoo and other sites will join SOPA blackout, probably based on incompetent translation of a CBS article stating the opposite. The hoax caused mild panic and a huge number of link shares among Macedonian Facebook users.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Myanmar: Freed Blogger’s First Post · Global Voices
tan

Myanmar Blogger Nay Phone Latt, who was released on January 13th along with other prominent political prisoners after being imprisoned for 4 years, wrote his first blog post about his experience in prison.

author: tan


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Nicaragua: Telecom Company CLARO Censors Clients · Global Voices
Norman Garcia

This past November 29, some less-than-satisfied customers decided to start a blog complaining about the telecommunications company CLARO Nicaragua [es], a subsidiary of América Móvil consortium which belongs to the most wealthy man in the world, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú.  The blog is called Claro que NO! [es], a play on words in Spanish meaning ‘of course not,’ and describes the bad service and worse treatment of customers by CLARO employees.
However in less than 3 days the company responded to this initiative by blocking the website [es] hoping to impede dissatisfied clients from freely expressing themselves on the internet. Many users have manifested their objections toward this on blogs, Twitter and Facebook.
Blogger Juan Ortega was one of the first to write about this on his blog juanortega.info [es]:
Esto claramente atenta no solo a la neutralidad de la red, sino que es una clara violación a nuestro derecho de libertad de expresión en cualquier medio, por lo que esperemos que Claro Nicaragua se pronuncie al respecto, y rectifique su error. Mientras tanto, invito a todos mis colegas blogueros, tumbleros, y demás, a que denuncien por cualquier vía lo que está sucediendo, en twitter pueden encontrar mas información, de igual forma se está siguiendo el caso con el hashtag #clarobloqueo.
Image for the campaign against the Claro censorship
Also, blogger Adolfo Fitoria [es] comments on the following:
Esto sienta un terrible precedente, en un futuro podrían bloquear a otras empresas competidoras, blogs independientes, alguna aplicación que no les convenga y a como ya hacen: limitar ancho de banda en cierto sitios como youtube.
No esperen ver nada de esto en los medios, no creo que publiquen algo al respecto ya que casi NUNCA critican a esta empresa, que es una de las que mas gasta en publicidad en el país, y los medios escritos que por esta época mueren no tienen otro palo donde ahorcarse.
Leandro Gómez on his blog comuNIdad [es] continues with a similar thought:
Esta acción ilegal de parte de Claro Nicaragua puede representar el comienzo de una nueva era para los ciudadanos digitales en Nicaragua. Si esta empresa, una organización privada extranjera, no tiene el menor reparo en prohibirte visitar sitios que los critican abiertamente, el día de mañana podrían comenzar a bloquear otros sitios; por presiones políticas, por conveniencia económica, o porque simplemente les dió las ganas, y nosotros, los ciudadanos de este país no vamos a poder hacer absolutamente nada.
The blogosphere has not been the only place to strongly reject CLARO's heavy-handed measure; social networks like Twitter (@CQN_Nicaragua) and Facebook have been used to broadcast to others what is happening.
Nicaraguan bloggers united their voices to denounce the action on social networks and due to their persistence received a response from CLARO.  The response which is less than convincing alleges that they didn't block anything, rather the website's server settings caused the problem.  The website administrator for claroqueno.com responded by stating that at no point were there server settings to block incoming traffic from CLARO subscribers.
For their part, on December 13 the official Twitter account of @ClaroNicaragua [es] maintained:
@evialejandrina As we have already indicated to@nim_rod, we did not block that page. There's no problem on our side.
Marketing director for CLARO Nicaragua published an article [es] in the daily La Prensa that same day, citing the vandalism and defamation of companies that happens on social networks via fake, anonymous accounts.  Even though the marketing director did not refer to the specific claroqueno.com situation, the article was very negatively received by Nicaragua's netizens.
The independent blogger movement was the only group to denounce the act; traditional media did not publish anything on the censorship applied by CLARO Nicaragua.
On December 25, CLARO Nicaragua lifted the access block, once again allowing CLARO subscribers to visit the website. On Twitter, ClaroQueNo (@CQN_Nicaragua) celebrated:
Ganamos! aparentemente @claronicaragua al fín enmendó su error y levantaron el bloqueo. Por favor entren a http://claroqueno.com y confirmen
In an article published [es] in the paper El Nuevo Diario on Wednesday December 28 by journalist Oliver Gómez, CLARO Nicaragua recognized the block but alleged it had taken such action because of the defamation and lies about CLARO which were published on the website.  The Corporate Communications Manager Azalia Salmerón said: “we respect the freedom of expresson but not defamation or licentious behavior.”
The group Claro que NO! celebrated its victory and has confirmed its continued commitment to working with dissatisfied users; its Twitter and Facebook page as well as its website continue to be active, receiving new complaints to publish.

author: Norman Garcia


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Philippines: Historical Site Restoration · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Mark Segador documents the efforts to restore the now decaying historical sites in Iloilo City, Philippines.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Philippines: Mass Movement and Pop Songs · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Vencer Crisostomo looks at last year's mass movement high points in the Philippines through the lens of western pop songs.


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Russia: Obama’s McFaul Sworn in as U.S. Ambassador · Global Voices
Donna Welles

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011/12.
President Obama's closest adviser on affairs of state of the Former Soviet Union and architect of the ‘reset’ between the United States and Russia, Michael McFaul, has officially replaced President Bush's nomination as the United States’ Ambassador to Russia. A Stanford University professor, Ambassador McFaul has published several works which discuss the process of democratization.
Despite an overt effort made by McFaul to open a dialogue with the Russian people through citizen media outlets, the Russian-language blogosphere has reacted to his appointment with skepticism – asserting that he's come to Russia with an agenda to incite ‘revolution’.
Robert Amsterdam Blog contextualized Ambassador McFaul's appointment amid ongoing tensions between Russia and the United States:
Washington’s new ambassador to Russia, reset-architect Michael McFaul, was sworn in on Tuesday.  US-Russia relations have certainly taken a bit of a beating of late.  In December, Hillary Clinton faced verbal excoriation from Vladimir Putin for her stance on the protest movement.  In addition to this, missile defense remains unresolved, the situation in Syria is a nexus of East/West disagreement, and despite some flexibility in its verbal stance on Iran, Moscow remains resolute in opposing sanctions.  So how will McFaul, who was a special assistant to the President on Russian and Eurasian affairs, fare on his Russian ‘adventure’ as Clinton puts it?  Many have taken the nomination of the Stanford Professor as a sign that Obama is committed to re-galvanising the reset.
A RussiaProfile.org article, written by Dan Peleschuk, was then quoted in an effort to assess Mr. McFaul's credentials:
[…] McFaul has amassed a wealth of contacts and built solid relationships with his Russian counterparts. Having spent sporadic periods living, studying and working in both the Soviet Union and Russia, he has firsthand experience in building workable contacts with top political players in Russia throughout the past 20 years. McFaul is so familiar and respected in Russian circles that when Obama informed President Dmitry Medvedev of his selection last year, Clinton said, the Russian president reportedly answered, “Of course. He’s a tough negotiator.”
Secretary Clinton Holds a Swearing-In Ceremony for Ambassador-Designate McFaul. (Source: Flickr account of the U.S. Department of State; License: United States Government Work.)
As part of an organised social media campaign to acquaint himself with the Russian people, Ambassador McFaul announced via his Twitter account that he'd officially been sworn in:
It's official. I've been sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. On to the next adventure! http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid754802042001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAGWqYgE~,KxHPzbPALrGIxpNl8Q_zt_wx9HBY68Ck&bctid=1381692846001
The tweet included a link to a YouTube video where Ambassador McFaul introduced himself to the Russian people. The Cable Foreign Policy blog posted a transcript of the video, which was spoken in English with Russian subtitles:
My name is Michael McFaul. I'm very excited to be returning to your great country. I grew up here, in the state of Montana, or ‘the regions’ as you would say in Russia. But even as a boy in Montana I developed an interest in U.S.-Soviet relations, and in particular, in the simple idea that more direct communication with the Soviets could make us and the world more secure. […]
I've worked closely with President Obama since the first day of his administration to develop the relationship between the United States and Russia based on our mutual interest and mutual respect for one another. The president called for a reset with Russia, animated by the belief that greater engagement could produce security and economic benefits for both of our countries.
The most important part of my job will be to foster more contact between the people of the United States and the people of Russia. I'm interested in not only meeting government officials, but people from other political parties and movements, businessmen and women, civil society activists, and regular Russians just like you.
(In Russian) I'm inviting Russians to contact me directly on Twitter and Facebook. Goodbye for now, I will see you again soon.
This video sparked discussion as it spread rapidly across the Russian-language internet.
One Russian-language LJ blog alluded [ru] to Ambassador McFaul's reputation as being an instigator of revolution, scoffed at Ambassador McFaul's call for an open dialogue with the Russian people using citizen media, and suggested that his arrival in Russia was well-timed in that it preceded the presidential elections that will be held this spring:
[…] So we've now seen today's arrival in Moscow of the new U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul , a recognized architect and the practician of “color revolutions” in the former Soviet Union. He's already got himself a Twitter account for [virtual] acquaintance with the “Dear Russians” and left a video message in which he stated that he was “glad to be back in a great country.” McFaul arrived “just in time” – Feb. 4 is ahead of us [the date for which the next opposition rally is scheduled], and then pretty soon there will be March 4 [the day of the presidential election in Russia]. The new ambassador of the Good Empire brought $50 million of the first tranche allocated by the U.S. administration “to promote democracy in Russia.” As they say, welcome to Russia!
Another blogger discussed [ru] more in depth how the Russian people have perceived Ambassador McFaul over time:
[…] He was indeed interested in his youth in the Soviet-American relations, but when he grew up he wanted to be an Africanist and he wrote his dissertation on the revolution in southern Africa (Angola, Zimbabwe, South Africa). In the spring of 1988, he came to Moscow to interview Soviet experts, to ask them about the Soviet role in African affairs. A researcher at the Institute of African Studies, Tatiana Kras, realizing that the American student was genuinely fascinated by the theme of revolution, brutally ridiculed the choice of objects of study: Why study the past of Zimbabwe, when a revolution is taking place in the world's largest country right before the researcher's eyes? […]
In a comment to the post quoted above, one Russian blogger – LJ user rogatkina_ezhik – affectionately likened [ru] Ambassador McFaul to another American who attempted to ‘reset’ the US-Russian relations and who, in turn, also sparked controversy both at home and abroad:
He has aged and matured. I listened to his report at the Harriman Institute in 1998. He had wheat blonde colored hair, with a very pleasant manner of speaking. In Washington, friends said, “This is our rising star, like a young Kennedy.”
It's good that he had spent time in Russia and is friendly.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011/12.

author: Donna Welles


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Spain: Electricity Cut Off for one School in Alicante · Global Voices
Norbert Bousigue

Power was cut off [ca] for 800 pupils in a secondary school in Alicante due to outstanding payments. The Valencian Community is currently mired in financial difficulties after years of extravagant spending. MPs Esther López Barceló  [ca] from the United and Alternative Left and Mireia Mollà  [ca] from the  Coalicío Compromis, provided reactions to the news.

author: Norbert Bousigue


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Sudan: Sudanese Activist, Alim Boushi, Freed from Prison · Global Voices
SudaneseDrima

A case that Sudanese bloggers and tweeps have been highlighting in recent days, indicating the current repressive state of affairs in Sudan, is the arrest of the Sudanese political activist and engineer Mohamed Hassan Alim, nicknamed Boushi. Alim was released on January 17, 2011 after 24 days in jail. He was arrested after publicly and harshly criticizing Nafi Ali Nafi, a prominent Sudanese politician, for corruption.
Before his release, Sudanese blogger, Mimz wrote a passionate post expressing her anger and explaining what happened to Alim.
Over the past couple of years, the Sudanese government illegally detained many political activists, opposition party members, anti-NCP revolutionaries, students and journalists who spoke up against injustice. What happens to these detainees at national security prisons or “Ghost Houses” is incomprehensible and beyond any sane person’s mental capacity.
… In mid-December, Alim stood in front of a podium at the University of Khartoum and courageously confronted Nafie Ali Nafie for his crimes against the Sudanese people. He spoke up for you, me and the millions of Sudanese citizens who are struggling day to day to put bread on the table, find jobs and live a well-deserved respectful life. He voiced some of the frustrations we are facing because of the current government, and confronted Nafie and co for their corruption.
For three majestic minutes, Alim was the voice of every oppressed Sudanese person who ever endured a hardship in their life while watching the government privilege its own members and their families by generously offering them money, jobs, and perks earned with the blood and sweat of the average Sudanese people like they were theirs to give.
A few days after his speech, which was recorded and uploaded on YouTube, Alim was arrested from his home. The video now has over 240,000 views. Amnesty International took note of the events and released a statement about Alim's detention.
On 26 December 2011, Mohamed Hassan Alim was arrested from his house in Khartoum by seven men dressed in plain-clothes, believed to be NISS agents. He was beaten by the men in front of his mother and taken away in a car. He has been held incommunicado at an undisclosed location since his arrest. He faces serious risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.
Sudanese bloggers and tweeps worried about Alim's fate. Mimz was also concerned and railed against Alim's arrest:
Alim’s freedom is our demand, and his blood is not only in Nafie’s hands, it’s in ours as well if we don’t speak up and demand his protection and his immediate release.
In a world where chivalry is dead and cowardice is spread like a viral disease, Alim stands out and is labeled Sudan’s Bouazizi.
The issues Alim took up with Nafie relate to corruption and favoritism… does this earn him an abduction and justify why his mother has to suffer not knowing his whereabouts, what is being done to him and if he will ever be released?
On the other hand, Zol Sudani, shared his thoughts on the matter in a blog post in Arabic, with an excerpt translated below.
بوشي كشفنا كلنا، كشف السودانيين فرد فرد، كشفنا أمام أنفسنا.. .. كشف نافع علي نافع و أصحابه مدعي التدين، فأثبت أنهم أضعف من أن يردوا الحجة بالحجة.. كشف الأمن الوطني، فهم ليسوا جهاز لحفظ أمن البلاد و المواطنين كما أقسموا أمام الله و الشعب، فأثبت أنهم موجودون لحفظ النظام ولو على حساب مواطن أعزل
Sudanese on Twitter, like @daloya, tweeted with the hashtag #FreeAlim asking where Alim was.
@daloya: Boshi's mother, “I was promised 2 see Boshi 2 weeks after his arrest, I still have not been allowed 2 see him”. #FreeBoshi #FreeAlim #Sudan
Upon his release, Alim himself, said to Bloomberg News, “I didn’t know if I was going to be killed, held in prison forever, or if was going to see my family again.”
On January 1, 2012 Sudanese celebrated their country's 56th Independence Day. But some like Sudanese blogger, D3a Bin Kar however questioned what has ultimately been gained through independence:
we thought with independence, we would gain true freedom, equality, human rights and a chance to realize all the dreams our forefathers dreamed for our beloved Sudan.
For 56 years ago, Sudan has gone through a civil war, turmoil, drought, famine and recently a secession.
Millions have died unnecessarily, millions displaced, millions go to bed hungry every night. These are just not numbers but there are millions of individuals who need not to have gone through all of this.
All could have been avoidable.
D3a Bin Kar continues his post with a round up of key events that happened in Sudan throughout 2011, and ends on a more optimistic note.
Perhaps, 2012, will mark our true independence.

author: SudaneseDrima


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Trinidad & Tobago: “Disturbing” Laws  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Globewriter points out some “strange and disturbing laws” that are still on the books in Trinidad and Tobago, saying: “Yes, T&T can’t deal with LGBT rights but it is so on the ball for child marriage rights.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Sidestepping Motherhood  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Suszanna.com explains why she thinks kids may be overrated.


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Turkey: Hrant Dink Murder Trial Closes · Global Voices
Nigar Hacizade

Five years and 25 hearings later, the trial to convict those responsible for the murder of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist, has come to a close. The gunman, 17-year-old Ogün Samast, as well as over a dozen others accused of involvement in the gunning down of Dink in Istanbul in January 2007, were caught almost immediately afterwards.
However, according to Dink's family, friends and lawyers, the case is linked to Turkey's so-called deep state structures and the real perpetrators, meaning those who masterminded the crime, have not been brought to justice.
While Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison last year, yesterday's verdict, which ruled that three other defendants acted as individuals rather than as part of a criminal organization, was a disappointment many had seen coming. From the pre-hearing statement of the group “Hrant's Friends” to the lawyer's statement after the verdict, and throughout a procession from the Beşiktaş Court House to Agos, the newspaper Dink edited, one sentiment stood out.
Journalist Yavuz Baydar summed up that feeling.
@yavuzbaydar: Dink davasına doğru, yolda. Karar çıkacak herhalde, ama bu dava bitmeyecek.
Indeed, the same sentiment was also echoed in chants and placards. Çiğdem Mater tweeted a photo:
@cigdemmater: Mahkemeye yuruyoruz: oldur diyenler yargilansin #hrantdink http://twitpic.com/85jf4s
Mehmet Demir also tweeted a photo from in front of the court where Hrant Dink's widow Rakel Dink was among those standing behind the banner:
@memediko: 5. Yılında, 25. duruşmasında Hrant için, adalet için Beşiktaş Adliyesindeyiz… http://twitpic.com/88bgwi
Another person for who seemed to anticipate the verdict was lawyer Efkan Bolaç.
@efkanbolac: Hrant icin Beşiktaş adliyesine gelinsin ancak adalet icin Beşiktaş adliyesine gelinmesin. Bugün adalet tam tecelli etmeyecek.
The group calling themselves “Hrant's Friends” made a statement before the hearing began. The video segment above contains footage of crowds walking towards the court house and chanting several slogans. The statement at 2:19 reads:
We know how they will decide. This is the state's decision, including its security forces, gendarmerie, intelligence, judiciary, media, government, opposition, those who decided to take Hrant away from us 5 years ago will make another decision today saying this was the work of a few hoods. They will try to hide in their dark world. How can they do this? We know who they are. There is something they don't know: before we say it is over, this trial is not over.
Some attending the trial also tweeted from inside the court. Özlem Dalkıran of the Hrant Dink Foundation, for example, quoted the lawyers for the prosecution.
@OzlemDalkiran: Kamu görevlilerinin kapsamlı soruşturmaya tabi tutulmasını defalarca talep etmemize rağmen bu talebimiz karşılanmadı #HrantDink
Efkan Bolaç also tweeted a part of their statement mentioning other similar cases in Turkey:
@efkanbolac: Rahip santaro ve zirve yayıncı cinayetinde bu örgütün eylemleri arasındadır. Devlet görevlileri bu davada dosyaya eklenememistir
Bolaç also considered that the question of whether the crime was organized or not would have an impact on the sentence of the killer.
@efkanbolac: Eğer htant dink cinayeti örgütlü halde işlenmişse bu durum agirlastirici sebep olacaktır.
@efkanbolac: davada eğer suc örgütünün varlığı kabul edilip sanıklar örgüt üyeliğinden ceza alırsa karar cocuk Mah.De yargılanan samast'i da etkileyecek
With journalist Yavuz Baydar tweeting that it would be a surprise if no verdict was announced, the Friends of Hrant then announced that whatever the outcome they would organize a procession to where Dink was shot.
@hrantinarkdslri: Bir saat ara verildi. Ardindan karar aciklanacak. Karardan sonra Besiktas'tan Agos'a yuruyoruz!
There has also been online and offline mobilization for a protest-walk from Istanbul's Taksim Square to the Agos newspaper on Thursday 19 January, the 5th anniversary of Dink's murder, as columnist Hilal Kaplan tweeted.
@hilal_kaplan: Hrant Dink suikasti davasından ne karar çıkarsa çıksın, adalet çıkmayacağını biliyoruz. Perşembe günü 13'te Taksim'den Agos'a yürüyoruz.
Waiting for the verdict in what was reported to be a packed courtroom, Özlem Dalkıran agreed:
@OzlemDalkiran: Bekliyoruz. Verilecek karar devletin kararı olacak, bizim degil. Biz #HrantDink in gercek katillerini buluncaya kadar pesindeyiz davamızın.
Finally the verdict was read aloud and simultaneously tweeted.
@_chiquitita_: Osman Hayal beraat. Erhan Tuncel orgut lliderliiginden beraat. #hrantdink
@cigdemmater: Tutuksuz yargılananlar da terör örgütüne yardımdan beraatine
@cigdemmater: Salih hacisalihoglu ruhsatsız silahdan 2 ay 15 gün
@cigdemmater: Ahmet İskender ruhsatsız silahdan 10 ay
@cigdemmater: Yasin hayalin Orhan pamuğu tehditten 3ay hapsine
@cigdemmater: Yasin hayal tasarlanmış adam öldürmeye azmettirmekten agirlastirilmis muebbetine
@cigdemmater: Erhan Tuncel Mcdonakdsa dahilinden 10 yıl altı ay hapsine
Journalist Şirin Payzin offered their own interpretation of the verdict:
@siring: Örgüt yok demekle aslında sanık avukatlarının savunmaları kabul edilmiş oldu. Yani cinayeti bu isimler kendi kafalarına göre işlediler.
A press statement outside of the court from the Dink family lawyer Fethiye Çetin immediately followed.
Five years have passed since the murder. (His son) Arat had said they are making fun of us. They've saved the best for last, and we learned that today. It appears Hrant Dink was killed not by planned action but by a few hoodlums. Apparently there is no organization here. We did not expect this much, truly. What does this verdict mean? It means a deep tradition is not broken, and it is not allowed to be broken. This is the state's tradition of political murders, excluding its minorities and making enemies out of them – today's verdict affirms this tradition once again. Those who are extremely disturbed by the state becoming synonymous with adjectives such as the bomber of its own people, the perpetrator of massacres, arsonists, did not make any effort to get rid of these adjectives and turned down the opportunity. This trial was a chance to confront a history full of blood and pain, to cleanse, to say “never again” to murders like this, to democratize, but they did not use this chance. Those who were the “others” and the targets of the state, meaning the politicians and the ruling government of today, seem to have forged an alliance with the tradition that used to marginalize them. But they should know that unless the state is transformed, this alliance is temporary. […] Today, here, this verdict has closed the first phase where the murderers were tried, but this trial is not over. This is a farce, and for us this trial is only starting now. In this process of trying assassins a torch has been held to the darkness that has created killers out of babies. And the real culprits that had been trying to hide in that darkness have emerged. That is why this trial is only beginning now. There are many ways we can go and many areas we can use. We will use all of them with great determination, until the darkness is questioned, the culprits are convicted and we decide this trial has ended.
The crowd then started walking to Agos.
Hrant icin, adalet icin! #hrantdink http://pic.twitter.com/IO9sSZOD
Meanwhile, journalist Hanım Büşra Erdal summed up the outcome of the trial.
@busra_erdal: dink cinayetinde sadece yasin hayal ve ogün samast tutuklu kaldı. erhan tuncel tekirdağ cezaevinden tahliye ediliyor #hrantdink
As of the evening of 17 January, the first reaction from the government side was from Ertuğrul Günay, Minister of Culture and Tourism. According to various news sources, Günay called the verdict “grave,” believing that it will now go to the Supreme Court of Appeals. The verdict, as well as the five-year long judicial process, will also likely remain on Turkey's agenda, but for now all eyes are on a march to mark the fifth anniversary of Dink's murder to be held on Thursday 19th January.
Attendance, which has been significant in the past, is likely to be an indicator of public support for any continuation of the case.

author: Nigar Hacizade


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Bahamas: A Belief in Democracy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“To date, my country has not put in place anything to serve and build me; to every politician who has served in parliament in the time I have been voting, people like me have been invisible. In our democracy, we do not count”: Hence the reason Blogworld puts forward her Voter's Manifesto, which garners one response, here.


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Bhutan: Tobacco Act Amended!  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sonam Ongmo analyzes the latest amendment in the draconian Tobacco Act of Bhutan.

author: Rezwan


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Bolivia: March Demands Road Through TIPNIS · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Last year we reported extensively on a march to protest a road that would go through the TIPNIS indigenous territory; on December 20, 2011, a group demanding the building of the road started their own march towards La Paz: “This pro-road march wants the law approved in October by President Evo Morales that strictly prohibited the road through the TIPNIS to be reversed” Dario Kenner explains in the blog Bolivia Diary.


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Brazil: Movement Claims Right for Public Space During Carnival · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

On 14 January a protest against the privatization of public spaces took place in anticipation of the Carnival of Salvador, one of the biggest street parties in the world, which will start on 18 February. The demonstration was a clear message to the Mayor of the City of Salvador, in the federal state of Bahia, João Henrique, and the  company Premium to withdraw one of the provisional private balcony developments used during Carnival. Known as ‘camarote’ in the country, these structures seize a large area of public space in the main avenue of Ondina region, where the protest took place.
According to Blog da Ilha (Blof of the Island) [pt], even though the area belongs to the Federal government, the City Hall has given permission to the private company Premium to use it for building one ‘camarote’ infrastructure, the ‘Camarote Salvador’. The Federal Assets Department (SPU, in Portuguese) has fined Premium R$ 374 thousand (U$ 210 thousand), but the ‘Camarote Salvador’ is still expected to be built. Blog da Ilha also reported that each person will pay from R$ 490,00 (U$ 272) to R$ 990,00 (U$550) to have one-day access to the ‘Camarote Salvador’ or up to R$ 4.890,00 (U$ 2.720) for unlimited access during Carnival.
People who want to enjoy the street Carnival of Salvador without paying get squeezed by camarotes on one side and paid "carnival blocks" on the other. Photo from the Ondina area, Carnival 2010, by Rodrigo Sá on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The spread of ‘camarote’ structures along pavements is not alone as an issue. The growth of the business of Carnival ‘blocos’ (blocks) also restricts the right of one to enjoy the party for free in the street. Paid Carnival ‘blocos’ set up band groups to play on the top of trio elétricos (trucks with sound system) and sell a kind of uniform (abadá) to the public. To separate consumers from non-consumers, they put security guards holding a cord around trio elétricos and those who paid for the uniform. When the band play along the street, non-payers got squeezed by both ‘camarotes’ and private ‘blocos’.
Carnival for all
"Incompetent government, decadent society. React. Join us." Photo by Clarissa Pacheco on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The movement has started on the Internet. Groups have been set up on Twitter (@OcupaSalvador) and Facebook (Ocupa Salvador) aiming to claim the public space for people to play Carnival freely, demonstrating that the movement has received some influence from Occupy Movements across the world.
Though the judge of the 7th Instance of the Treasury Court, Lisbete Maria, had issued a provisional injunction that would forbid the protest on the site, people came into the street on the 14th of January. Social media have been used to keep the movement alive so that people from Salvador can claim the right to make their Carnival less concerned with profit and more focused on people.
Former Dean for the Federal University of Bahia Naomar Almeida Filho (@naomar_almeida) posted a series of pictures and messages [pt] on Twitter, which illustrate what he called a ‘manifestation against the closure of Ondina park which has been rented for a private balcony':
DESOCUPA foi um flash-mob convocado por redes sociais. Levou 1000  pessoas numa tarde chuvosa a Ondina. A imprensa noticiou timidamente
"The square belongs to the people / as the sky is for the condor / it is the sight where freedom / creates eagles in its warmth" Castro Alves. Photo by Clarissa Pacheco on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
André Lemos (@andrelemos), an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Bahia and expert in cyberculture, tweeted [pt]:
Carro, desocupa a calçada; camarote, desocupa a praia; som alto, desocupa o ambiente; violência, desocupa os espíritos – #desocupa salvador.
On Youtube, a  video shows people of all ages voicing their opinion  in a communal microphone and crying out the word “Desocupa” (Withdraw):
Integration despite any difference
"The street is yours, "negão"! Camarote No". Photo by Clarissa Pacheco on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
In the past, the Carnival of Salvador was a more inclusive and democratic party, a moment of mixing of people from different social and cultural backgrounds in the same public space. However, in the last two decades, the scenario has changed with the presence of ‘camarotes’ and paid Carnival ‘blocks’.
Besides profit, the privatization of the Carnival of Salvador sometimes uses another strong argument: security.
According to data published by the Confederation of National Municipalities (CNN, in Portuguese), the city of Salvador was the capital with the highest rate of gun-related-deaths in Brazil during 1998 and 2008, reported Rádio Metrópole website [pt].
During Carnival the spread of ‘camarotes’ along the streets reduces the free space available, increasing the distance between rich and poor, creating even more hostility between classes. Wikitravel does not gloss over it in the section Stay Safe : “Due to high social inequality, Salvador is notorious for street crime”.
"My apologies for the inconvenience, we are working for a better world!" Photo Clarissa Pacheco on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
On Facebook, user Ernesto Diniz looks at when Carnival was in fact a time that social integration used to happen [pt]:
Com a cara-de-pau de um turismo excludente e industrializado, a cidade, ano a ano, é loteada e paralisada para que o Carnaval possa passar. A festa foi descaracterizada há muito e pouco sobrou do Carnaval que celebra a suspensão de todas as diferenças.

author: Thiana Biondo


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Cuba: Fatalities in Building Collapse  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Fatalities and injuries as a result of a building collapse in “of the worst-maintained neighbourhoods in the Cuban capital” causes Generation Y to comment: “How many others in this capital run the same risk tomorrow? What urgent solution will be applied so that these tragedies won’t continue to be a part of our daily landscape? We demand that the State construct, repair, protect us.”


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Cuba: Hunger Striker in Coma  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense posts an update on this Cuban political prisoner, saying: “Courageously taking his protest to the brink of death, Wilman Villar Mendoza tonight remains in a coma brought on by a hunger strike he started in late November to demand his release.”


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Greece: Cretan Masterpiece “Erotokritos” Translated into Turkish · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

Stella Tsolakidou of the Greek Reporter website writes about the recent publication of the Cretan literature masterpiece “Erotokritos” in Turkish. Erotokritos is a 17th century epic romance, and has been translated by Professor Hakki Bilgehan, a Turkish microbiology professor, and published by the Foundation of Lausanne Treaty Emigrants [Turkish].

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Hungary: Culture Purge Proceeds · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Hungarian Watch reports how yet another figurehead of Hungarian culture, György Szabó, has been ousted by authorities as director of the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, making him yet another in an increasing row of deposed cultural representatives.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Iran:”Facebook prisoner” celebrates birthday in prison · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Hanieh (Sharareh) Farshi Shotorban, an Iranian young woman who was arrested last year, reportedly, for her Facebook activities, celebrates birthday in Evin prison in prison. Hanieh is sentenced [fa] to seven years of imprisonment.


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MENA: Amnesty International’s Forecast for 2012 · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

“Repression and state violence is likely to continue to plague the Middle East and North Africa in 2012,” forecasts Amnesty International in an 80-page report. It documents the extreme violence deployed by MENA regimes when resisting the unprecedented calls for fundamental reform heard in the region in 2011, as well as the amazing resilience of the protest movements. The report adds, “The refusal of ordinary people across the region to be deterred from their struggle for dignity and justice is what gives us hope for 2012.”

author: Asteris Masouras


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Nepal: Attitude Towards Foreigners · Global Voices
Rezwan

Blogdai comments on the attitude of some Nepalis to the foreigners: “National unity cannot be built on xenophobia.”


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Pakistan: Another Journalist Assassinated · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tazeen comments on the recent assassination of journalist Mukarram Khan Atif: “deaths and journalists’ murders are a sad reality in Pakistan, but what irritates me most is the way local media reports these incidents.”