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Ukrainian MP Pushes for Carbon Copy Of Russian Blogger Law, Meets Resistance · Global Voices
Tanya Lokot

Images mixed by Tetyana Lokot.
Ukrainian Internet users were in for an unpleasant surprise at the end of last week when a member of the Ukrainian parliament suggested bloggers in Ukraine should be required to verify information in their posts and disclose their personal data to the authorities.
Vasyl Petyovka, an MP from Western Ukraine who got into parliament through a majority constituency vote, submitted a draft amendment to the law on information on February 12. The amendment seeks to regulate online blogger activity and imposes a host of restrictions on Internet users.
Петьовка вирішив "врегулювати блогерів", бо "пишете тут всяке в своїх інтернетах"! Коротко: http://t.co/CxcLBollBa pic.twitter.com/Loinod76cx
— andrii bashtovyi (@nomoreanry) February 15, 2015
Petyovka has decided to “regulate bloggers,” because “you all write all kinds of things in your Internets”! Here's the scoop.
Journalists and social media users were immediately alarmed with the amendment and its suggestions. Among other things, the draft defines a “blogger” as an “owner of a website and/or a webpage on the Internet that publishes mass information.” Essentially, any Internet user could fall under that description.
Petyovka's draft amendment insists there is too much unverified information online, so all bloggers should be held responsible for fact-checking and verifying any information they publish, just like mainstream mass media.
The amendment also suggests censoring profanity in Ukrainian blogs, and banning bloggers from “using their website to conceal information of public importance,” though the MP does not offer any explanation as to what that information could be or how a blog or site could be used to “hide” information.
Finally, the draft amendment requires bloggers to publish their full names and electronic addresses on their pages, so that government officials or law enforcement could easily get in touch.
Understandably, many Ukrainian Internet users saw striking similarities between Petyovka's suggestions and a certain blogger law that has already come into force in Russia.
@watcher_com_ua @ukrpravda_news  Депутат украiнський, а закон росiйський.
— Андрей (@asputnyk) February 16, 2015
The deputy is Ukrainian, but the law is Russian.
All through the weekend, the Ukrainian blogosphere was roiling with discussions and condemnations of the blogger amendment, with users speaking their mind in the comments to news stories, on Twitter and on Facebook.
Apparently, the strong words users had for the MP and the level of attention from mainstream media had their toll on Vasyl Petyovka. On February 16 he announced he was withdrawing the draft amendment. The MP said his intent was not to restrict the activity or rights of bloggers and claimed he only wanted to protect the Ukrainian web from provocations and disinformation coming from “fake bloggers and Kremlin bots,” at whom the draft was supposedly aimed.
Я не можу не зважати на громадську думку. Якщо юристи, експерти, журналісти вбачають в цьому законопроекті загрозу для свободи слова, значить він не повинен потрапити до сесійної зали і стати законом. Саме тому, цей документ буде відкликано мною з Верховної Ради.
I can't ignore the public opinion. If lawyers, experts, journalists see the draft amendment as a threat to freedom of speech, then it shouldn't go to the Parliament and become a law. This is why I'm going to withdraw the draft from the Verkhovna Rada.
Social media users remained skeptical of Petyovka's real intent, but praised the online community for their quick reaction and credited the social media buzz for the amendment's withdrawal.
Петьовка отозвал переписанный слово в слово с рашисткого "закона о блогерах" законопроект.Друзья, вместе мы сила. Всем спасибо за участие
— Адепт Истины (@adept_istiny) February 16, 2015
Petyovka has withdrawn the draft amendment, copied word for word from the Russist [Russian] blogger law.
Friends, together we're powerful. Thank to everyone for participating.
The Ukrainian government has had a difficult time making information policy decisions while engaged in a military confrontation with Russian and pro-Russian forces in the East, and an information war with Russia. At the end of last year, the creation of a new Ministry of Information Policy was questioned by the public, who dubbed it the “Ministry of Truth.” As Ukraine struggles with issues of censorship, propaganda, and information security, it falls to active Internet users and free speech advocates to act as barometers of free expression and to send signals to the state when it abuses its privileges.

author: Tanya Lokot


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10 African Children’s Illustrators You Should Know · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jennifer Sefa-Boakye highlights 10 of Golden Baobab Prize for African Illustrators’ finalists:
Late last year Ghana-based pan-African literary organization Golden Baobab introduced us to a shortlist of talented illustrators, whose work ranged from 3-D Ashanti folktales to intricately drawn Moroccan cityscapes and African barbershop-inspired murals in Durban. Awarded in November, the inaugural Golden Baobab Prize for African Illustrators was one of the foundation’s six prizes recognizing the year’s best African writers and illustrators of children’s stories.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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A Social Media Timeline of the Copenhagen Killings · Global Voices
Maria Grabowski

An estimated 30,000 people participated in the memorial for the victims of a recent shooting in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 16, 2015. Photo by Jacob Crawfurd. Copyright Demotix
Denmark woke up to a Monday of mourning after two people were shot dead and the alleged shooter killed in the capital over the weekend. The violence was perceived as unprecedented in Danish territory.
As the world followed online and in media, Danish social media users tweeted and posted about the historic tragedy.
A panel debate on free speech in Copenhagen ended tragically Saturday afternoon, when a gunman fired more than 40 shots from outside the debate venue. Film director Finn Nørgaard, 55, was killed and three police officers were injured.
The debate took place at the Krudttønden cafe in the central Østerbro district. One of the guests — the presumed target — was Swedish artist Lars Vilks, whose cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad have sparked controversy in the past. Some attendees live-tweeted  the shooting.
French Ambassador to Denmark François Zimeray said:
Still alive in the room
— Frankrigs ambassadør (@francedk) February 14, 2015
Femen‘s representative Inna Shevchenko was one of the panelists at the event:
shots during our panel in Copenhagen
— inna shevchenko (@femeninna) February 14, 2015
Immediately after the shooting, a city-wide man hunt was launched, and an hour later the suspected getaway car was located. Still no gunman. Around 8 in the evening, the Copenhagen Police Department released a surveillance photo of a possible suspect via Twitter:
Krudttønden: Fotoefterlysning! Hvem er denne mand? Ring 114. RT gerne. Tak. #politidk http://t.co/q4AS9A8eRR pic.twitter.com/I0hspYBwc5
— Københavns Politi (@KobenhavnPoliti) February 14, 2015
Krudttønden: Photo inquiry! Who is this man? Call 114. RT please. Thank You. #politidk
A Bar Mitzvah celebration was taking place in the heart of Copenhagen in one of the central synagogues. The party ended suddenly and tragically between midnight and 1 a.m. A Jewish guard, 37-year-old Dan Uzan, was shot in the head and killed. Two police officers were also wounded by gunshots, but survived. Once again, the gunman responsible for the crime fled.
#Denmark‘s PM Thorning-Schmidt places flowers in front of synagogue #cphshooting REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer via @euronews pic.twitter.com/z58LasBkQq
— Lotte Leicht (@LotteLeicht1) February 15, 2015
Local media began putting together maps and timelines of the events.
Copenhagen police then tracked down the suspected gunman in a street in the traditionally working-class area of north-west Copenhagen, bordering the Nørrebro district. After an exchange of gunfire, the suspect was shot dead. He was 22 years old and his name was Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein. Omar was born in Copenhagen and previously known to authorities for acts of violence and gang-related crimes.
Massive police presence dominated that Sunday in Copenhagen. Police kept searching for evidence and possible affiliates. So far, two men have been charged for possible involvement in the shootings.
A Danish reporter shared a graphic image of the gunman after the suspect had been shot down by police.
Social networks have been on fire with reactions, comments, and statements from locals and across the globe. As expected in such complex issues, there are very different views on what happened and what needs to be done in the aftermath. However, one particular sentiment seems to resonate: to stand together and cherish democracy.
This is one of the images widely shared on social media, originally posted with the caption: “Rest In Peace”.
Picture of today. Lars Krabbes (.@jyllandsposten) flotte foto ses her uden Instagram-beskæring.#cphshooting #politidk pic.twitter.com/nVuLz4IEjl
— Karina O. Dahlgaard (@KarinaDahlgaard) February 15, 2015
Picture of today. Lars Krabbe’s (.@jyllandsposten) great photo is shown here without Instragram-cropping. #cphshooting #policedk
Krudttønden her til morgen. Blomsterhav. #cphshooting pic.twitter.com/NCVimaLqyZ
— J. Saxtorph-Poulsen (@SaxtorphPoulsen) February 16, 2015
Krudttønden this morning. A sea of flowers. #cphshooting
A Danish reporter tweeted from Paris:
The Danish Embassy in Paris just now. Hundreds of people in sympathy with Denmark #cphshooting pic.twitter.com/6PTSD3dcjP
— Rasmus Tantholdt TV2 (@RasmusTantholdt) February 15, 2015
It is estimated that over 30,000 people attended a public commemoration in Copenhagen on Monday night.
Danes hold mass candlelit ceremony in Copenhagen to mourn 2 victims of #cphshooting http://t.co/u5Sza3CGIb pic.twitter.com/KG65GtgbrK
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) febrero 16, 2015

author: Maria Grabowski


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Bangladeshi Publisher Faces Death Threats Over Translation of Controversial Iranian Writer’s Book · Global Voices
Rezwan

The cover of the Bengali translation of Iranian Muslim scholar and politician Ali Dashti's book. Image courtesy Haseeb Mahmud.
The publisher of a Bangla translation of a controversial book by 20th-century Iranian rationalist and politician Ali Dashti about the Prophet Muhammad's life has received death threats after displaying the work at Bangladesh's national book fair.
Hardline religious groups, mainly Hefazat-e-Islam, have called on authorities to prosecute publishing house Rodela Prokashoni over the translation of “23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Muhammad.” Rodela Prokashoni's website appeared to be hacked on February 14, 2015, and their office in Banglabazar was attacked on Sunday, according to a report in the Bangla Tribune. No one was injured.
Following the uproar, the publishing house pulled the book from the shelves at the Ekushey Book Fair and from their website, and publisher Riaz Khan reportedly apologized, saying he wasn't aware that the book was considered offensive.
Screenshot of the defaced Rodela Prokashoni website which says among other things: The website has been hacked in protest of disrespecting the prophet. [..] Say no to Rodela Prokashoni
Despite that decision, authorities from the Bangla Academy, the country's national language authority, which organizes the book fair, shut down Rodela Prokashoni's stall on February 16, alleging that the publishing house was “selling books that hurt religious sentiments.” The fair committee defended the move, saying that “According to article 13.13 of Fair Regulations 2015, none is allowed to sell books at the fair that can hurt religious sentiments.”
Haseeb Mahmud at Sachalayatan community blog summed up the outrage against the book:
এই বই প্রকাশের জের ধরে ধর্মীয় মৌলবাদি গোষ্ঠি বিভিন্ন তৎপরতা চালাচ্ছে। গতকাল গণমাধ্যমগুলো প্রেস বিজ্ঞপ্তি পাঠিয়ে হেফাজতে ইসলামের জুনাইদ বাবুনগরী ও সাংগঠনিক সম্পাদক আজিজুল হক “মানবতার মুক্তির দূত বিশ্বনবী হযরত মুহাম্মদ সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লামের প্রতি চরম অবমাননাকর ও ঔদ্ধত্যপূর্ণ ‘নবি মুহাম্মদের ২৩ বছর’ শীর্ষক বইটি বাজেয়াপ্ত ও ‘রোদেলা’ প্রকাশনীকে নিষিদ্ধ” করার দাবি জানিয়েছে।” তারা আরোও বলেন, দেশের ক্ষুদ্র একটি ইসলামবিদ্বেষী নাস্তিক্যবাদী গোষ্ঠী কর্তৃক পৃষ্ঠপোষিত [..] এই বইটির পরতে পরতে মহান আল্লাহ তা’আলা, হযরত মুহাম্মদ সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লাম ও তাঁর পবিত্র জীবন সম্পর্কে অসত্য, বিভ্রান্তিকর ও ধৃষ্টতাপূর্ণ মিথ্যাচার করা হয়েছে। বইটির লেখক কুখ্যাত ইসলামবিদ্বেষী নাস্তিক আলী দস্তি। [..]
এই বই প্রকাশের নেপথ্য ইসলামবিদ্বেষী নাস্তিক্যবাদী দুষ্টচক্রকে তদন্তের মাধ্যমে গ্রেফতার করে আইনের আওতায় এনে দৃষ্টান্তমূলক কঠোর শাস্তির দিতে হবে। অন্যথায় হেফাজতে ইসলাম বাংলাদেশ ইসলামবিদ্বেষী নাস্তিক্যবাদী গোষ্ঠীকে প্রতিহত করতে বাংলার তৌহিদি জনতাকে সঙ্গে নিয়ে রাজপথে কঠোর কর্মসূচী দিয়ে মাঠে নামতে বাধ্য হবে।
A number of religious fundamentalists are trying to create a controversy regarding the publication. Yesterday Hefazat-e-Islam, an Islamist fundamentalist group in Bangladesh, sent a press release to different media organisations demanding that the book “23 Years of the Prophet Muhammad,” which is demeaning and disrespectful to the savior of humanity, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), should be confiscated and Rodela Prokashoni should be banned.
They also said that [the book is] sponsored by a small minority of atheists in this country […] this book spreads false, untrue and confusing facts about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his life. The writer of this book is the notorious anti-Islamic atheist Ali Dashti.
“We demand [to the government] that the anti-Islamic atheists in this country, who are behind publishing this book, should be investigated and arrested and be punished severely. If not, Hefazat-e-Islam will take to the streets with common people to stop these anti-Islamic atheists and be obliged to announce hardline street protests.”
Other organisations like Islamist Movement have also made similar statements.
“23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Muhammad,” which was first published in the early 1970s, questions the miracles ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad. The author, the late Ali Dashti, was a former senator and ambassador to Lebanon for Iran. After the Islamic revolution in 1979 when Ruhollah Khomeini came to power, Dashti was jailed, and anyone who was discovered to have the book in his or her possession was taken to court for questioning.
We asked an Iranian blogger who attended high school in Iran during the 1990s about the book. The blogger, who wishes to remain anonymous, said:
I believe I read his book called 23 years when I was a teenager. Most of the Shiism custom he criticized in the book had disappeared by the time I read it. And I think no Shiite Muslim would defend the things he criticized in his book today. So he was not anti-Islam but against weird customs in Shiite Islam….I don't know how I got it. It is unlikely that you can buy it from bookstores.
A group of Bangladeshi publishers have demanded that Rodela Prokahson be evicted from their current office and that publisher Khan be arrested and face the death penalty. They have also vowed to take legal action against the him. Khan says he has been receiving death threats to his mobile phone.
Accusations of blasphemy and atheism have had serious and occasionally deadly consequences in Bangladesh in recent years. Two years ago, blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was brutally killed outside his home in Dhaka because of his writings against war criminals and Islamic fundamentalists in Bangladesh. Haider, among many other bloggers, was labeled an atheist. Islamist groups like Hefazat have publicly identified writers and bloggers they deem to be atheists or blasphemous and called for them to face the death penalty.
“Rokomari.com will have 48 hours to comply. If they do not stop publicising the book '23 Years of the Prophet Muhammad’ they will pay the price. […] If the site is hacked after 48 hours, Rokomari.com will be responsible.”
Screenshot of a threatening message posted on Facebook against an online e-commerce site selling the book. The site took down the book  from their listing. Screenshot courtesy Haseeb Mahmud.
Bangladesh is a non-religious parliamentary democracy, so there is no sharia or blasphemy law. If anybody claims to be an atheist, he or she has the same rights as other citizens. However, under Section 295A of Bangladesh's Penal Code (1860), any person who has a “deliberate” or “malicious” intention of “hurting religious sentiments” is liable to imprisonment.
Writer Swakrito Noman questioned the indignation surrounding the translation of “23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Muhammad” in a Facebook post:
প্রশ্ন হচ্ছে, আলি দস্তির এই বইটি কি আন্তর্জাতিকভাবে নিষিদ্ধ? যদি নিষিদ্ধ না হয় তাহলে বাংলাদেশে বইটি প্রকাশিত হলে অসুবিধা কী? বইটি বাংলা অনুবাদ হওয়ার আগে অনুভূতিপ্রবণরা কোথায় ছিলেন? এতদিন কেন অনুভূতিতে আঘাত লাগল না? নাকি আপনারা পার্সি বা ইংরেজি জানেন না বলে আপনাদের অনুভূতিতে আঘাত লাগেনি?
The question is, is this book banned internationally [or Bangladesh for that matter]? If not, then why is there a problem in publishing it? Where were you before it was translated in Bangla? Why were your religious sentiments not hurt then? Or were they not hurt because you do not know English or Farsi?
Noman continued:
জানি, এই দেশের মানুষ হয়ত এখন রোদেলা প্রকাশনীর প্রকাশক রিয়াজ খানের পক্ষে কথা বলবে না। অধিকাংশ মানুষ এখন হেফাজতের পক্ষে তালি বাজাবে। সরকারও হয়ত হেফাজতের পক্ষ অবলম্বন করবে। আমি বাংলা ভাষার ক্ষুদ্র এক লেখক, আমি হেফাজতে ইসলামির এই অযৌক্তিক কর্মকাণ্ডের প্রতিবাদ করছি। জানি এই প্রতিবাদের কারণে হয়ত আমিও আক্রান্ত হতে পারি। তবুও প্রতিবাদ করছি। কারণ, এভাবে ইসলাম প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয় না। জ্ঞানের পথকে এভাবে রুদ্ধ করা যায় না। এই বইয়ের বিরুদ্ধে যদি হেফাজত বা ইসলাম ধর্মের কেউ পাল্টা আরেকটি বই লিখত, সেটিই হতো প্রকৃত প্রতিবাদ। জ্ঞানের প্রতিবাদ জ্ঞান দিয়ে করতে হয়। যুক্তির প্রতিবাদ যুক্তি দিয়ে করতে হয়। প্রকাশনা প্রতিষ্ঠানে হামলা, প্রকাশকের ফাঁসি দাবিকে কোনোভাবেই সমর্থন করা যায় না।
I know many people in this country will not support publisher Riaz Khan. Many will join the Hefazat bandwagon. Even the government can support them. I am a petty writer in the Bangla language. I protest this illogical stand of Hefazat-e-Islam. I know I can also be attacked for taking this stance, but I insist. Because, you cannot establish (or spread) Islam like this. You cannot deter knowledge like this. If Hefazat would write another book countering this with all their logic, that would be the perfect protest for them. You need to protest logic with logic, knowledge with knowledge. Attacking a publishing house, attacking the publisher is equal to barbarism.

author: Rezwan


text:
Creating a Media of Empathy One Letter at a Time · Global Voices
Global Voices

By Flickr User Quinn Dombrowski. Taken on September 30 2012. CC-BY-ND 2.0.
Lova Rakotomalala's plane hit the tarmac in his adopted home of Paris, but his mind was still in a conversation he started at the 2015 Global Voices Summit in Cebu, Philippines.
Lova wants to know if we, as media professionals, could create empathy through our work. The way we report events has all kinds of resonating effects—the latest attacks in Copenhagen, the shooting of three young Muslims in North Carolina, USA, and the Charlie Hebdo tragedy in Paris bring an urgency to figuring this out.
The Summit brought Lova, our Francophone Africa editor, and more than 110 contributors from over 60 countries together in Cebu to explore the connections between the open Internet, freedom of expression and online civic movements around the world. Nwachukwu Egbunike, our Nigeria author, was also at the conference.
The following correspondence took place over two weeks between Lova and Nwach and started right after the Summit ended.
Lova at the Cebu Summit. Photo by Jeremy Clarke. CC-BY-SA.
Dear Nwach,
It was a pleasure to finally meet you in person at the Global Voices Summit. Great to be able to talk face-to-face with the author of many striking articles about civil society and freedom of expression in Nigeria.
As a fellow African and a resident of Paris, your article “Why Hasn't the Baga Massacre Made as Many Headlines as the Charlie Hebdo Attack?” had a tremendous impact on my thinking.
In your piece, you explain that while the attacks in Baga resulted in the deaths of 150 to possibly 2,000 Nigerians, it provoked a much smaller expression of solidarity than the Charlie Hebdo attack the same week. Indeed, weeks after the event, Time Magazine is still running a special dossier on the Paris Terror attack, while Baga barely registers on the media radar any more. A comparison between the search terms “charlie hebdo” and “baga” on Google Trends shows the dramatic levels of interest generated by the two incidents.
You and others at Global Voices have unpacked some of the reasons Charlie resonated with many, while other events remain under the radar. Among the key ones are: journalists were the target of the Charlie attack and Paris has the global resonance that Baga lacks.
Still, as you point out in your post, one cannot help but conclude that not all deaths are equal, and that African lives just seem to matter less—which is a centuries-old issue that will not be resolved overnight, of course. Another aspect you touched upon was the fact that the complexity of Nigerian politics makes it difficult for civil society to muster up genuine outrage, for fear of being exploited by politicians. Here in France, some have also made the point that the fact that politicians took a back seat to French citizens was important for the show of solidarity.
So my question to you is: how can we, as media makers, help create more empathy for tragedies like Baga? How can we stop punishing innocent people for our failure to make their stories more digestible to the rest of the world? In short, how do you think we can fight the “Not in my backyard” syndrome effectively?
Looking forward to hearing from you, and wishing you safe travels back home,
Lova
Nwach in Cebu City. Photo by Jeremy Clarke. CC-BY-SA.
Hi Lova,
I have studied your commentary on #IamCharlie vs #IamBaga. I appreciate the links you sent, as well as your rather philosophical approach to the media question. I will attempt to answer some of the questions you posed:
1. How can we, as media contributors, help create more empathy for tragedies regardless of their location?
This is a complex question. Complex in the sense that it assumes that “we” (media makers) are actually interested in creating empathy for these tragedies.
While this is certainly the case for mainstream media, where the biases that come with media ownership, commercialization and political agendas are the driving force for news reporting. Nonetheless, let us not naively assume that we independent media professionals are immune to this illness. It is true that I have consistently tried to re-frame the Boko Haram narrative in Nigeria. Nonetheless, this is not so much for altruistic reasons. I have my own bias, i.e my inherent distaste for Western media labeling and its condescending portrayal of Nigeria as the antechamber of hell.
That said, we are already doing something. The string of links for GV is a testimony to that. This conversation is another. Yet we need to be more proactive.
I’d like to propose that our community write a series of posts framing global discussions on various topics, not just limited to tragedies. We should do it systematically over the span of, say, 6 months. Then we could review it and try to figure out how much of an impact these posts have had on the re-framing of conversations between the global north and south.
2. How can we make these stories more digestible for the rest of the world?
By doing the ordinary things we do in Global Voices: being bridge builders, adding context to stories, verifying our sources and above all, always seeking to understand the issues around the news. It might sound simplistic, but in my experience, the most extraordinary successes are often achieved by ordinary means.
3. How do you think we can fight the “not in my backyard” syndrome effectively?
What if we set up an empirical study on the “news nearness factor “or “not in my backyard” syndrome using Global Voices posts as a case study? Or better still, specifically use the intercultural/regional posts we will develop over the next 6 months and compare it with similar posts written in other mainstream media both in the global north and south? I think Ethan Zuckerman and Media Cloud can be drafted into this? What do you think?
Cheers,
Nwach
Nwach & Lova with other members of the Sub Saharan Africa team at the Cebu Summit. Photo by Zo Andriamifidisoa.
Hey Nwach,
Thanks for your thought-provoking reply. I am intrigued by the argument you posit: do we really want a media of empathy that reaches across borders? And if we do, shouldn't it start with positive news?
I fully agree with your second statement. If we start tackling cross-regional topics, we need to do it when we are not pressed by the news cycle.
The time to have a global discussion on terror attacks, free speech, empathy and Islamophobia is not when tragedy strikes but beforehand and when cooler heads prevail.
Yet, whether we like it or not, the public thirst to make sense of the world is highest when such sad events occur. The timing might not be ideal, but we have the opportunity as media contributors to reframe the conversation for thousand of readers all over the world, while they are paying attention.
As for the need for a media of empathy, I confess I have been going back and forth on this idea. I wish that we did not have to convince people that some stories need their full attention, regardless of localization, I wish that we would all naturally feel like part of one ecosystem but it is just not the case, is it? Our individual attention span is definitely limited. We have to select what we choose to pay attention to.
But there are events that manage to garner the attention of the world regardless of localization like the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Mandela's release from prison or Malala's assassination attempt.
The attention these events received helped the cause of the people it affected or increased the impact you mentioned earlier.
Would more attention to the Baga massacre help the betterment of the lives in the region ? We cannot tell for sure because the type of attention also matters (as highlighted in the trolls discussion at the Summit).
Right now, I tend to think that a bit of attention even when it is not for the right reasons is a better option than indifference.
As you advocated, we would love for the Zone 9 bloggers to be released and more attention to their trial might help. But it should not stop there right ? The Zone 9 bloggers wanted the rest of the world to understand the issues they and fellow Ethiopians faced at home. As much as we would like for more attention on these issues to happen organically without such tragic circumstances, more attention to their trial would help their cause.
Regarding your second point, I could not agree more with you. Things may not change suddenly but our daily effort to provide context and a broader perspective will have an impact on the long run. We must be mindful of the fact that while bridges are built, if no one crosses them, they might crumble from neglect.
I think we agree that we need qualitative and quantitative data to better understand what makes people look for content and news outside their immediate circles. Maybe we need to know how isolated we are from one another on the web, before we can start to set a different agenda for the news. I think Ethan can definitely help us unpack those questions.
One question I struggle with is: why is less attention given to humans and stories from specific places. Are there ethical guidelines that should be put in place in mainstream news to prevent this trap? Or should we just let the free market decide the media we consume? I mean the more cat videos, the better, right? I kid, I kid.
Looking forward to reading you,
Lova
Nwach with members of GV's Africa team Prudence and Kofi. Photo by Jeremy Clarke. CC-BY-SA
Holla Lova,
I think you've ignited a thoughtful conversation, one I wish we actually talk about more often as media professionals. Empathy does not stand alone. It's not just a beautiful concept that has no bearing to reality. As a matter of fact, being considerate flows from the reality of daily life and only then can it be abstracted and conceptualized as a lighthouse for humanity.
I'll attempt to answer some of the points you raised.
On empathy, localization, context and betterment of those affected
This is a tough call and might be an interesting topic for a more empirical media analysis. I'll use the #BringBackOurGirls as a example. When the news of the kidnap of the Chibok girls broke, it soon became an international sensation. It went viral and even got celebrity endorsement. Pardon the pun, but every guy who had a guilty pang was out to help the ‘poor’ girls from Africa!
Quite early in the wake of this global outpouring of ‘empathy’ some of us were skeptical and voiced our concerns and fears - is #BringBackOurGirls really helping?
If empathy were only hinged on being considerate, an overflow of emotions and trying to help, then the global campaign for the abducted Nigerian school was a big success. However, we will be naive to equate empathy to a mere emotional outburst. The girls are yet to be released but the world has since turned to more interesting news. Did the hashtag help? Did the awareness created for kidnapped girls help? Sadly – and despite all the good intentions – the answer is a resounding no.
This means that empathy does not necessarily help the affected, without localization and and a contextualization of the news. This was also seen in another famous hashtag that trended in Nigeria, the 2012 #OccupyNigeria.
Ethan and his researchers showed during one of the workshops that the US media neither helped in the public health intervention nor the sourcing of help during the Ebola crisis. Yet the #Ebola hashtag had a field day on alternative media. What helped in curtailing it, at least in Nigeria, was the investigative and aggressive public-health house-to-house response in Lagos.
Therefore if we have to be effective, it is only imperative that we find the balance between these three concepts. As much as social media has an amazing capacity to effect change, yet one should not fall into the frenzy that it can also propel.
I hope this helps.
Nwach
Lova with other members of the Sub Saharan Africa team at the Cebu Summit. Photo by Zo Andriamifidisoa.
Nwach,
Thanks for taking the time. I think your thoughts on how global empathy needs to be so much more than just a temporary emotional outburst is the best way to cap this discussion.

author: Global Voices


text:
Denmark at a Crossroad After Two People Killed in Attacks in Copenhagen  · Global Voices
Faten Bushehri

“Old lady lighting a candle in honor of #CopenhagenShooting victims 2night in front of Aarhus city Hall alongside 100s,” tweets @Fatenhbu
In 2013, Denmark was crowned as the “happiest nation in the world”, allowing Danes to take pride in the safe, tolerant and free environment their country provides for its people. On Valentine’s Day, love was not in the air of a Copenhagen cafe. A man opened fire at a free speech debate in a local café, leaving the nation in shock and disbelief.
The man, identified by Danish media as Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, 22, fired several shots during the event killing 55-year-old film director Finn Norgaard. Later on, in a separate attack, El-Hussein shot dead Dan Uzan, 37, a Jewish man who was guarding the Copenhagen synagogue overnight.
The two attacks carried out by the same man also left five policemen wounded. The man responsible for the attacks was shot dead by police on Sunday morning in his neighborhood of Norrebro. Danish police also arrested two people in connection with the attacks, stating they aided the suspect by providing him with arms and helping him hide.
Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who was attending the event, has previously received death threats for his drawings of Prophet Mohammed, and is believed to be the intended target. He has now gone into hiding. Also attending was French ambassador Francois Zimeray. Both were unharmed in the attack.
On Twitter, Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian's Paris correspondent, shares this photograph of the front window of the bar, riddled with bullets:
Copenhagen attacks: ‘the whole bar was showered with bullets’ http://t.co/LHAnNhyu7U
— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) February 15, 2015
Investigations later revealed that El-Hussain has just been released from prison, after serving a sentence for stabbing a teenage passenger on the train in 2013.
Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard told the BBC the suspect was on the police’s radar for his previous gang activities, saying that he wasn’t a returning fighter, but a Danish citizen with a violent reputation. He urged the Danish people to “stand together” and “not live in fear”.
People on social media immediately expressed support and solidarity, and posted photographs of people gathering outside the synagogue and placing flowers at the site where Uzan was shot.
Scores gather outside #Copenhagen synagogue where man shot dead, flowers & notes – “I will not let fear rule” pic.twitter.com/600DyBStRV
— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) February 15, 2015
#Danish PM lays flowers outside the #synagogue Krystalgade in #Copenhagen, following attacks at a cultural centre pic.twitter.com/ZhQASPBdT8
— Hans Solo (@thandojo) February 16, 2015
Spot in #Copenhagen where #Denmarkshooting attacker was killed by police Sun – lined with flowers #c4news pic.twitter.com/SPDciVwrIF
— Thom Walker (@thompwalker) February 16, 2015
Danish born Arab Philip Halloun created an image of the Danish flag, with Arabic text on it that reads: “Denmark my home”. He shared the image on his Facebook page and it soon got many likes and shares:
And FunAbridged shared this meme:
#Copenhagen #CopenhagenShooting pic.twitter.com/OK9Yi2DTvf
— Funabridged (@funabridged) February 16, 2015
France, not a rookie in dealing with targeted violence following the Charlie Hebdo attack, showed no hesitation in extending support to Denmark.
The French paper Libération showed solidarity by dedicating the front page headline to Denmark “We Are Danes”:
«Nous sommes danois», la une de Libé demain #Copenhague pic.twitter.com/Hs0xRD561t
— Libération (@libe) February 15, 2015
#IamCharlie, #IamDanish
And Maxime Haes shared this cartoon, showing France's solidarity with Denmark:
Très beau dessin. Très fort surtout. #JeSuisCharlie #JeSuisDanois #Copenhagen pic.twitter.com/k9VIKuygSP
— Max ⚓ Haes (@MaximeHaes) February 16, 2015
Very beautiful cartoon. Very powerful.
Lynn, a 21-year-old Japanese exchange student in Aarhus who did not want her last name to be identified, says she was expecting friends to visit her for her birthday this week, but was surprised when her friends told her their parents were against them traveling to Europe at this time, because they feared the region may be a target for attacks, especially after ISIS released a video claiming to have beheaded a Japanese journalist. Lynn told Global Voices Online that she tried to convince them that Denmark was safe, and was reassured by her friends in Denmark that there was no safer place than here.
I was quite surprised about this attack and was relieved that they didn't come. When my friends told me about cancelling their trip, I thought it was too much, but now, I think their decision was right. Everywhere has potential to be attacked.
Lynn was celebrating Valentine’s and her birthday with other friends in Copenhagen at the time of the attacks and realized that nowhere is truly safe.
Last night, the city of Aarhus joined Copenhagen in mourning the victims of the shootings. Hundreds of people gathered around City Hall as the Mayor of Aarhus Jacob Bundsgaard urged the Danish society to stand united and believe in the values of democracy and freedom. People raised the flag of Denmark, lit up candles, and left flowers to honor the victims of the shootings in Copenhagen last weekend.
Hundreds of people gather outside #Aarhus city Hall in solidarity with #CopenhagenShooting to mourn the victims. pic.twitter.com/lwoH84lQZZ
— Fatenhbu (@Fatenhbu) February 16, 2015
Lit up candles around #Aarhus city Hall tonight to mourn the victims of #cooenhagenshootings. Hundreds attended pic.twitter.com/J3hNNMSsFd
— Fatenhbu (@Fatenhbu) February 16, 2015
Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, is known to be the home of the controversial paper that originally printed the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005. It is also home to the controversial mosque, Grimhøj mosque, that allegedly supported ISIS publicly, and is responsible for sending at least 22 of the 100 fighters that left Denmark to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq — allegations that the mosque’s Imam Abu Bilal Ismael has denied.
In an interview I conducted with the Imam, he claimed he had no idea of who goes to fight until after they return, arguing that the mosque does not encourage young adults to join fighters abroad. He suggested that what these young adults see on social media and the atrocities committed by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad trigger their sense of jealousy and protective nature of their religion and people, which may have led them to go fight alongside their brothers and sisters abroad.
Ismael is also reported to have publicly called for the killing of Jews previously, according to a video that has surfaced on social media again following the death of the Jewish guard.
He explained his position saying he was simply saying a prayer asking God to take revenge and punish the Zionist killers, specifically those who commit crimes against humanity in Gaza, Palestine, and not the Jewish people in general.
“I didn’t call for the killing of non-Muslims and it’s not in our religion to do so, because our religion forbids us to call for killing of the innocent. I didn’t call for the killing for the innocent people whether Jewish or non-Jewish. They took my words out of context and repainted them in a different picture,” he said.
Aarhus has been also widely criticized, especially by conservative parties like the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, for adopting a soft approach in dealing with returning jihadists by finding them jobs and helping them reintegrate within the Danish society. This contrasts with tough laws adopted by neighboring countries like France, Germany and the UK.
But for a blogger who goes by the name Che's Little Brother, the incident should be taken as an opportunity to discuss immigration and multiculturalism in Denmark:
#Copenhagen reignites debate about safety of Jews in Europe. How about a debate about immigration and #multiculturalism in general?
— Che's Little Brother (@oldhickory49) February 16, 2015

author: Faten Bushehri


text:
Despite Prosecutor’s Mysterious Death, Argentina’s President Faces Charges Over Alleged Terrorist Attack Cover-Up · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner in Buenos Aires, May 16, 2013, photo by Filippo Fiorini, Demotix.
The mysterious demise of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who was found dead on his bathroom floor last month, won't spare Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner from damning criminal charges. Gerardo Pollicita, another federal prosecutor, backed Nisman's earlier criminal complaint, asking a judge to revive his original complaint that Kirchner and Argentina's foreign minister, Hector Timerman, interfered with the investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires and then helped to cover up Iranian involvement.
When the public learned that Pollicita has picked up where Nisman left off and asked a judge to renew the charges against Kirchner and Timerman, his surname became a trending topic on Twitter, where users discussed the move, expressing fears for Pollicita's life. Echoing Kirchner's cabinet chief, others have protested the charges against the president, tweeting the hashtag “#GolpismoJudicialActivo” (#ActiveLegalCoup) and #TodosConCristina (#EveryoneWithCristina):
No se pero vayan protegiendo a toda costa al fiscal Pollicita… no vaya ser que se “suicide” otra vez…
— Exe Santander (@ExeSanta) February 13, 2015
Este finde largo misteriosamente Pollicita entra al baño a cagar, resbala, y cae sobre una bala…
— Mr. H (@misery_cordia) February 13, 2015
La denuncia de Nisman sin delito y la actuación del fiscal Pollicita y de los medios hegemónicos solo es #GolpismoJudicialActivo
— Eva (@MoreiraEva) February 13, 2015
Nisman's complaint without crime and prosecutor Pollicita performance and mainstream media is only #ActiveLegalCoup
#TodosConCristina a la cárcel
— Luciana Sabina (@kalipolis) February 14, 2015
#EveryoneWithCristina to jail
Lo que pasa es que CFK es un sentimiento. La gente se enamora de ella. No soy yo, somos millones. #todosconcristina @mariufrancisco — Honesto Nestor (@honestonestor) February 14, 2015
What happens is that CFK [Cristina Fernández de Kirchner] is a feeling: people fall in love with her. It's not just me—we are millions.
The renewed allegations against Argentina's top officials come just a few days before a mass vigil planned on February 18 by prosecutors from different parts of the country and employees from the country's judiciary offices. The event, called the “March of Silence,” marks the passage of one month since Nisman's death, commemorating his public service and calling attention to the Attorney General's office. Using videos like the one below, as well as Twitter hashtags, Internet users have worked to spread the word about the February 18 demonstration.

author: Laura Schneider


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Ecuadorian President Threatens Internet Satirists · Global Voices
Belén Quezada

CrudoEcuador recasts its scandal with Rafael Correa as a SuperBowl contest. (“They're funding you,” Correa's speech bubble reads.)
The Twitter account CrudoEcuador posts humorous memes about topics of Ecuadorian national interest, especially about political figures like President Rafael Correa, who has been none too pleased to serve as comic fodder for the group. CrudoEcuador's Facebook page has a received a wave of support on social media after President Correa publicly attacked it. The group's Twitter account was also later suspended.
On his regular TV-radio show, Correa recently mentioned CrudoEcuador, claiming it's part of a network “paid by the opposition to discredit the government.” Correa even threatened to expose the identity of CrudoEcuador's writers.
What Ecuador's president didn't expect, however, was that his comment would catapult the page's popularity to a 900-percent increase in followers. His criticism of the satirical account also unleashed a campaign of support with tags such as #YoSoyCrudoEcuador (IAmCrudoEcuador), #VenParaMemearte (ComeGetMemed), and #mashiberrinche (a word play on the name of Correa's Twitter account and the word for “tantrum”).
This is not the first time Correa has attacked the freedom of expression. There was a similar incident earlier this year involving cartoonist Xavier “Bonil” Bonilla and the newspaper El Universio, which had to face legal action for publishing some drawings that the government condemned.
CrudoEcuador's Twitter account was temporarily suspended on January 28 for several hours, due to complaints claiming it violated the social network's terms of service. In an interview with newspaper El Comercio, the writers behind CrudoEcuador said the account had been closed by “government trolls.” When the account came back online, this is what CrudoEcuador had to say:
#YoCerreACrudo decían… #SomosMas decían… #AllYouNeedIsIMODIUM pic.twitter.com/94ttMUjeay — Crudo Ecuador (@CrudoEcuador) enero 29, 2015
“2 hours before: Twitter has suspended the account @CrudoEcuador. How nice they're sanctioning vulgarity and disrespect. Make them act with decency!
2 hours later: Did someone say #IShutDownCrudo? I'm sorry to say #StopSuffering and #ComeGetMemed.”
#IShutDownCrudo said… #SomosMas said… #AllYouNeedIsIMODIUM pic.twitter.com/94ttMUjeay —
CrudoEcuador's followers didn't hesitate to welcome them back with a flood of tweets:
Bienvenido de nuevo @CrudoEcuador miles de ecuatorianos te apoyamos. — RonDamon Ecuatoriano (@MrRonDamon) enero 29, 2015
Welcome back, @CrudoEcuador! thousands of Ecuadorians support you
Others adapted the #JeSuisCharlie hashtag to show their support:
#YoSoyCrudoEcuador @CrudoEcuador mi apoyo incondicional hacia ti…
— Noboita (@SuaMer14) enero 29, 2015
#YoSoyCrudoEcuador (IAmCrudoEcuador) @CrudoEcuador I give you my unconditional support…
Some took the opportunity to criticize the government:
Volvió @CrudoEcuador y en la cara de @FAlvaradoE @SomosMasEc y todos esos trolls verdes, pero de tanto billete que roban. — No soy Müller!✗ (@Mucha_Huevada) enero 29, 2015
@CrudoEcuador is back and in the face of @FAlvaradoE @SomosMasEc and all those nasty trolls who steal money.
Meanwhile, singer AU-D humorously tweeted:
No estaba muerto sólo andaba crudo jajaja @CrudoEcuador — AU-D (@el_audiman ) enero 29, 2015
I wasn't dead just drunk, hahaha @CrudoEcuador
AU-D's meme caught on with some followers in the last few days:
@CrudoEcuador tu meme lo desquicio @MashiRafael pic.twitter.com/06Vk9pbU5b
— Virus ( @viruZr) enero 29, 2015
1875: “My pen killed him.” | 2015: “My meme nailed him.”
@CrudoEcuador your meme nailed him @MashiRafael pic.twitter.com/06VK9pbU5b
Organizations such as Internet Users of Ecuador and Fundamedios have called on President Correa to show greater respect for the freedom of expression and right to anonymity, which are rights found in Ecuador's constitution.

author: Belén Quezada


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Film: The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo is a film by filmmaker Yaba Badoe:
The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo, explores the artistic contribution of one of Africa's foremost women writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting new talent.
This feature-length documentary charts Ama Ata Aidoo's creative journey in a life that spans 7 decades from colonial Ghana, through the tumultuous era of independence, to a more sober present day Africa where nurturing women's creative talent remains as hard as ever.
The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo (Teaser) from Big Heart Media on Vimeo.


text:
For a Cleric From Saudi Arabia, Earth Does Not Spin. For Others, the Sun Rotates Around Earth · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi cleric Sheikh Bandar al-Khaibari says in a video on YouTube that the Earth is stationary and doesn't rotate around the sun. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV picked on the story after it went viral on social media, airing it to viewers around the world. Photo source: Screenshot of the video from Al Arabiya TV
There is no way the Earth can rotate on itself, says Saudi cleric Sheikh Bandar al-Khaibari, who insists our planet is stationary. His explanation comes in a video recording, in what appears to be from a lecture, where he says if the Earth really rotated, how could anyone ever reach China in a plane.
His exact words are:
We have a brain as Muslims. First of all, where are we? If we go to Sharjah Airport and want to go to China Airport, in an airplane .. is this clear? I want you to focus with me .. This is the Earth [holding an object in his hand], if you claim that it rotates, if we leave Sharjah Airport on an international flight to the China Airport, and the Earth is rotating, right? So if the plane stops in the sky, won't China come to it? Right or wrong? If it rotates, will China come or not? If the Earth rotated like this, and the airplane is flying, you will never reach China, because China is rotating and you are rotating. How will you ever reach China?
On YouTube, Ahmed Zayed shares the video here:
And Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, which ran the story after it went viral on social media, has translated the video here (check it out for English subtitles).
On Twitter, Saudis battled it out on whether the Earth rotates around itself or the sun, under the hashtag #داعية_ينفي_دوران_الأرض, which translates to #cleric_rejects_Earth_rotation.
But the debate went further, with many claiming that the Sun even rotated around the stationary Earth.
From Saudi Arabia, Naifco digs up and shares on Twitter this fatwa (religious edict), which says the Earth is also stationary, and the sun rotates around it. This tweet has been shared more than 500 times so far:
الرئاسة العامة للبحوث العلمية والإفتاء في السعودية : من قال أن الأرض تدور فهو كافر كفر أكبر #داعية_ينفي_دوران_الأرض pic.twitter.com/o06tFwrUdq
— NAiFco (@naifco) February 15, 2015
According to the fatwa, [by the Fatwa Permanent General Secretariat in Saudi Arabia], which comes in response to a question poised by a teacher, it is the Sun which rotates around the Earth, and not the other way around:
Question 3: In a science class I teach: The Earth rotates around the Sun and since I have head from Sheikh Abu Bakr Al Jazaeri that the sun is the one which rotates around the Earth, those who teach this subject should fear Allah. This is a danger to his faith as this matter makes him an apostate. I explained this to my students after teaching the class. Is this correct or am I wrong in this? Please let me know, may Allah reward you.
Answer 3: What Sheikh Abu Bakr has said is correct. The Earth is stationary and it is the Sun that rotates around it.
As a result of sharing this fatwa, this microblogger has come under an attack by readers, who hurled insults at him for poking fun at religion, when all he did was tweet the fatwa which spells out the Saudi theology's rejection of the fact that the Earth rotates around the sun.
From Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Musfer ben Ali reminds his 8.5K followers:
#داعية_ينفي_دوران_الأرض للمعلومية : الرأي الشرعي الرسمي للسعودية يقول ان الارض لا تدور .. وهذا الرجل نقل ما حفظه فقط ..
— مسفر بن علي (@M_Almoqati) February 15, 2015
For your information, the official Sharia-compliant opinion of Saudi Arabia is that the Earth does not spin. This man just repeated what he was taught
Despite this, Akram Wadidi is surprised that there are people on Twitter defending the cleric's statement:
الغريب في الامر انه في ناس بتدافع عن الشيخ القال الارض ثابتة لا تدور… ما واحد ولا اتنين.. ناااااس كوتاااار
— أَكْرَمْ وَدِيْدِيْ (@Akram_Wadidi) February 16, 2015
What is strange is that there are people defending the cleric who said that Earth is stationary and doesn't rotate. Not one or two … a lot of people
And from Dubai, Hazza Al Marri remarks to his 1,200 followers:
الارض ثابتة ولا تدور حول الشمس ومن قال غير ذلك “…فهو رجل عقلاني لا يلتفت إليه ” !! http://t.co/cciZMUhIKX
— هزاع المري (@HazzaaAlmarri_) February 17, 2015
Earth is stationary and does not rotate around the Sun and whoever says anything other than this is “a rational man, no one pays attention to”!!
Rest in peace Galileo Galilei — the Italian astronomer found “vehemently suspect of heresy” and forced to recant, who spent the last nine years of his life until his death in 1642 under house arrest for championing heliocentrism.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Ireland’s Cricket World Cup Win Against West Indies No Laughing Matter · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Irish satirical website Waterford Whispers News certainly enjoyed the Ireland cricket teams’ victory over the West Indies on 16 February in Nelson, New Zealand:
THERE were concerns this morning among the Irish Cricket Union after the success of the Ireland team at the World Cup caused massive strain on the Irish Cricket bandwagon, leading to fears that the axles may not be fit to cope with the strain.
Axles On Irish Cricket Bandwagon Beginning To Show Signs Of Strain
But for Irish fans this is no laughing matter.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Moroccan Forces Accused of Abusing Sub-Saharan Migrants  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Border fence with guard post at Spain-Morocco border by Melilla – CC-BY-2.0 via Acad Ronin
Moroccan authorities thought they finally had a success story to showcase for their new immigration policy. Then everything fell apart.
Earlier this month, Morocco announced that it had successfully implemented a special program to regularize migrants. The authorities announced  that 27,000 requests for regularization were being processed and that 60 percent of the cases had been approved.
Every year, hundreds of African immigrants make their way to areas near Melilla, one of two Spanish enclaves in the north of Morocco, in the hope of jumping the border fence to make their way to Europe.
On February 10, Morocco started to dismantle migrant camps near Melilla at the Spanish border in order to expel migrants out of the country. In the process, Human Rights groups report that local forces were using violence to round up migrants who were trying to migrate to Spain.
To migrant rights activists in Morocco, the story sounded familiar. In a report last year Human Rights Watch noted:
The practice of summarily expelling migrants at the border with Algeria appears to have stopped. However, research in late January and early February 2014 in Oujda, Nador, and Rabat indicates that Moroccan security forces are still using violence against migrants expelled from Melilla.
The following video upload on to Vimeo a month ago by the Human Rights Association Pro.De.In. Melilla shows the remains of the camps after they were dismantled:
The association also reports that hundreds of migrants were bused to an unknown destination. Hicham Rachidi, General Secretary of a Moroccan Defense of the Migrant Association (GADEM) writes in a blog post that he does not understand why there was a sudden rush to dismantle the camps when progress was being made:
Au moment même où l'on présentait a la presse nationale et internationale, les images du “traitement humains et compatissant” que réservaient les forces de l'ordre aux migrants sauvés de la noyade et reconduits a chaud par l'Espagne, au moment même où l'on annonçait les chiffres “glorieux” de la régularisation exceptionnelle, des opérations de ratissage ont été déclenchés contre les tranquillos qui abritaient du froid les centaines de migrants de Gourougou. Les procédures spoliées, la justice dénigrée, la loi et la dignité d'enfants, femmes et hommes bafouée.
Just when we showed the national and international press that our police forces provided “humane and compassionate treatment” to migrants who were rescued from drowning and rejected by Spain and that at the same time, just when we announced the “glorious” numbers of the regularization program, several  cleaning operations  were launched against the tranquillos (camps) that housed hundreds of migrants in Gourougou. The standard procedures were abused, justice was denigrated, the law and the dignity of children, women and men were scorned.
Screen capture of African migrants at the Gurugú Camp from the video above.
The Terre d'Asile (Land of Haven) organization collected a few testimonies from migrants. Sylvain, a migrant from Côte d'Ivoire recalls what happened in Melilla on that day:
Dès notre arrestation, nous avons été encerclés par des militaires. Il y avait six bus qui nous attendaient, on nous a ordonné d’y monter. Puis nous avons roulé pendant plusieurs heures jusque dans le désert. On n’avait aucune indication d’où on allait. On nous a conduits dans une sorte de maison avec sept pièces. Ça ne ressemble pas à une prison, plus à un camp de détention improvisé. Puis, on nous a séparés. Dans ma cellule, nous sommes douze Ivoiriens, dans une pièce d’environ 15 mètres carrés.
Upon our arrest, we were surrounded by soldiers. There were six buses waiting for us, we were ordered to climb up in the buses. Then we drove for several hours into the desert. We had no indication of where we were going. We were ushered into a sort of house with seven rooms. It did not look like a prison, more like a detention camp. Then we were separated. In my cell, we are twelve Ivorians in a room of about 15 square meters.
No Borders Morocco adds more details on the whereabouts of the migrants after the camps were sacked:
In the course of the day, between 20 and 30 buses left for Southern Morocco and distributed the Gurugu detainees around a dozen different cities: Errachidia, Goulmina, El Jadida, Safi, Kelaat, Sraghna, Chichaoua, Tiznit, Essaouira, Youssoufia, Agadir. Up until now, most people remained imprisoned in different houses, they are given food and clothing. Although they are being told that they will be freed soon, and that the Moroccan state is only taking their ID in order to regularize them, it seems more like the Gurugu inhabitants will be deported [..] In this operation, Morocco has violated many of its own laws, including the arrest of minors, the absence of individual case-by-case evaluation, or the detention of people over more than 24h without giving any reason.
The European Commission has raised concerns about how Morocco is handling the migrants’ health and well-being.
The immigration crisis is unfortunately old news at the Morocco-Spain borders.  In October 2014, a photo of Migrants trying to climb a fence while golfers played a game just meters away epitomized the inequality gap that has fueled the crisis. A video later showed a Cameroonian migrant being beat unconscious by Spanish police.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Nepal Is Home to the World’s Leading Tiger Conservation Park · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Nepal's Chitwan National Park, accredited as Conservation Assured Tiger Standards, boasts of having 120 royal Bengal tigers. Image by Nabin Baral. Copyright Demotix. (26/10/2009)
Nepal's Chitwan National Park has beaten out all other tiger sanctuaries in the world to be become the first to be accredited by the new Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS).
Located in the subtropical inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal, the park earned the accreditation from the Tigers Alive Initiative (TAI) of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). To qualify, tiger conservation areas must meet a set of 17 standards. Chitwan National Park met them all, and is considered a well-managed, protected and effective refuge for tigers.
Ujjwal Acharya, a journalist and social media enthusiast, tweeted:
The @WWF accredits Nepal's Chitwan National Park as the first global site as Conservation Assured Tiger Standard!
— Ujjwal Acharya (@UjjwalAcharya) February 6, 2015
Ramesh Nath Pandey, a former foreign minister, wrote:
YeGood news. Chitwan National Park recognised as best conservation for Tigers.Govt should reward CNP for giving good name to Nepal
— ramesh nath pandey (@rameshnathpande) February 7, 2015
Barney Long, an Asian species expert with a passion for saola, rhinos and carnivores, tweeted:
Chitwan National Park becomes the first park to get CA|TS accreditation. Huge achievement @TigersAlive @mikebaltzer pic.twitter.com/h7vw1T5mmQ
— Barney Long (@Barney_Long) February 6, 2015
Tigers are an endangered species, with only a few thousand left in the world, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Chitwan National Park, which was established in 1973, boasts of having largest number of tigers in Nepal, with 120 tigers out of the 198 tigers in the country. The national park is also home to the world’s second largest population of one-horned rhinos, with 503 out of 534 individuals in Nepal.
Nepal achieved zero poaching for the year 2011 for rhinos and for 12 months ending February 2014 for rhinos, tigers and elephants. With tiger numbers growing by 63 per cent as per the 2013 census, the Chitwan National Park became the most successful park in conserving tigers.
The rise in the number of tigers is a good boost to the government’s target of doubling the tiger population by 2022.
Dr. Bishnu Hari Nepal, a former ambassador to Japan, tweeted:
#ZeroPoachingYear2014/o #Nepal brings #ChitwanNationalPark/w 534-#rhinos & 198 #tigers-1st/best #ConservationAward in 2015! BW&Congrats!#CAT
— Dr.Bishnu Hari Nepal (@drbishnuhnepal) February 7, 2015
Akash Thapa, an expatriate Nepali living in New York tweeted:
A visit to Chitwan National Park made it clear that I wanted to be a Wildlife Biologist/Conservationist #memories pic.twitter.com/k2ANLUDRH8
— akash thapa (@aaki2005) February 4, 2015
Not a single tiger was killed in Nepal in the last three years. However, the illegal wildlife trade has not stopped. News of poachers and traders being arrested with tiger skins and bones have not stopped in spite of the authorities claiming zero poaching.
Saurav Dhakal, a social entrepreneur and former journalist, tweeted:
@DeepakAdk @kanchanojha बाघ मारेकाे त पत्तै हुन्न । नङ देखी टाउकाे सम्म काम लाग्छ । थाहा हुने त गैडा हाे गैडा । #Zeropoaching #Nepal
— Saurav Dhakal (@DhakalSaurav) February 3, 2015
It’s not traceable when a tiger is killed. From fingernails to head is useful. It’s rhino [poaching] which gets traced. #Zeropoaching #Nepal
Asian species expert Barney Long Tweeted:
Nepal army conducts a minimum of 182 patrols per day in Chitwan National Park! #zeropoaching in action. @TigersAlive @mikebaltzer
— Barney Long (@Barney_Long) February 3, 2015
When a rhino is poached, the poachers hack off the horn and sometimes the hooves, but leave behind the body. However, the case of a tiger is different. Each and every part of the carcass is traded. The poachers don’t leave even a single trace of the hunt – be it skin, toes, nail, bones or meat – and everything is sold at high prices.
While the whole nation and the conservationists are overjoyed with the feat achieved by Nepal, the concerned authorities should leave no room for complacency. In May 2014, the Chitwan National Park officials and Nepal army personnel found a dead de-horned rhino only few weeks after the Nepal celebrated the second consecutive Zero Poaching Year.
Even though Nepal police was successful in bringing the most notorious rhino poacher, Raj Kumar Praja, suspected of killing over 30 rhinos, from Malaysia, petty smugglers and traders are still carrying on with the lucrative illegal trade.
The bright side is that Nepal's zero poaching has inspired the tiger range countries Bhutan, Russia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India and Vietnam attending the Symposium on Towards Zero Poaching in Asia to join the effort to save the magnificent creature from poaching.
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, tweeted:
#NEPAL Zero Poaching Symposium ends with accord on 5 key ways to tackle poaching http://t.co/hu8eSQ55Sv pic.twitter.com/7l7ZBZVz8R
— TRAFFIC (@TRAFFIC_WLTrade) February 6, 2015
The five recommendations from the symposium, if implemented well, will lead to zero poaching in Asia.
While the world has a lot to learn from how Nepal got zero poaching, the CA|TS accreditation for Chitwan National Park is an inspiration to all – to save the royal Bengal tigers and all other tiger species from extinction.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


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No More Selling or Drinking Alcohol in Public After 10:30PM in Singapore · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Cartoon by Andimoo Studios, used with permission
Singapore has passed a law that bans the buying and selling of alcohol, including the drinking of alcohol in public places, from 10:30 p.m. until 7 a.m.
The Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill, which was approved by the Parliament on January 30, 2015, will take effect in April. First-time offenders will receive a fine of up to S$1,000 (about US$800), while repeat violators will be detained for up to three months and a fine not exceeding S$2,000 (about US$1,600) can be imposed on them.
The government said the measure is necessary after receiving numerous complaints related to drunken behavior. But journalist Bertha Harian reminded the government that there is already a law (Miscellaneous Offences Act) that is supposed to deal with the problem. She asks: “Why wield a sledgehammer when you already have a specific weapon dealing with drunken behavior?”
For Ariffin Sha, who writes for the independent news website The Online Citizen, the law “is a potent manifestation of the Government’s Paternalistic top-down approach towards its citizens.” He adds:
We may have one of the best, if not the best, education systems in the world and the highest number of millionaires per capita in the world, but we still need our Government to play the role of a nanny.
Chan Joon Yee fears that small traders will suffer because of the new regulation:
I don’t sell alcohol, but it’s not difficult to imagine how such regulations will affect our poor, struggling shopkeepers. Switch to dried goods and vegetables? Are these folks serious? So how much rent are the shopkeepers paying? Can you survive selling vegetables and dried goods at such locations?
For those who want to have a picnic in the park or a party in a public place, they need to secure a permit if they want to offer alcohol during the event. Gavin Khoo, who writes for news website Coconuts Singapore, believes this can cause inconvenience to many people:
Picture this. Romantic night out with the one you love, sitting by the waterfront, maybe watching the fireworks on New Year’s Eve – it’s the perfect time to pop the question. Somehow, a bottle of effervescent grape juice just doesn’t cut it.
In response to critics, the government said that based on its own survey, four out of five (81 percent) people are supportive of the new alcohol restrictions. Audrey Kang is one of the Singaporeans who are in favor the law:
I can see the benefits of the law, even if I hate it on the sole basis of having to pay more for alcohol or finding alternative places to drink…It is the anti-social behavior that the Bill is seeking to curb.
Many believe that the measure was introduced in response to the “Little India” riot on December 2013 that involved foreign residents and the police. The government said that alcohol use was a contributory factor that led to the riot.
But it was the government which insisted that the riot was an isolated event and it should not be used to discriminate against foreigners. The government should heed its own appeal since the Liquor Control law seems to be discriminatory as it defined foreign-worker dormitories as a public space. It means that while Singaporeans can drink alcohol in their homes, foreign workers living in dormitories are banned from drinking, even during their non-working hours.
Worse, the law empowers the police to search any establishment or public space suspected of violating the provisions of the law. No wonder some Singaporeans are criticizing the law for being biased against the low-paid foreign workers.
But there is a way for Singaporeans to drink in public without being caught by the police. Alvinology gave this humorous advice:
Drink just outside your doorstep
Within your door is your private space right? If a policeman comes, step back inside. When they are gone, put one foot out and you are living life dangerous once again, illegally drinking in public.

author: Mong Palatino


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Suffocating Sandstorms Hit Iran · Global Voices
Arseh Sevom

“These days #Iran is sad ,#Khuzestan has been surrounded by dust .#mustseeiran #Iranlandscape #KhuzestanCantBreathe” Tweeted by Twitter user @IranLandscape on Feb 13, 2015.
This post first appeared in Arseh Sevom and is published here as part of a content-sharing agreement.
In recent years, sandstorms in the western and southern provinces of Iran have become a grave environmental concern, endangering the health and welfare of millions of people in Iran and around the region.
Residents are using the hashtag #KhuzestanCantBreathe to call attention to the problem. Khuzestan is the province in Iran that is home to Ahwaz: the world's most polluted city. A look at a real time map of the world's winds shows winds coming in to southwestern Iran from a variety of locations including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and northeastern Africa.
Foolad FC, Ahwaz's soccer team recently tweeted images of players practicing in the polluted air:
اینجا #اهواز است #KhuzestanCantBreathe pic.twitter.com/Kn6DWIJbuc
— Foolad FC (@FooladFC) February 10, 2015
This is #Ahwaz #KhuzestanCantBreathe
Eleven NGOs have written to UN officials to highlight the problems in southwestern Iran, asking them to put pressure on the government to respond to the crisis. Their letter can be read here.
Heavy sandstorms have obscured the sky and devoured the land in cities such as Ahwaz in southwest Iran. These storms have contributed to making Ahwaz the most polluted city in the world.
Sam Khosravi
Arseh Sevom asked environmental researcher Sam Khosravi to comment on the origin of the sandstorms and the high levels of pollution. We asked him several questions. Is Khuzestan suffering from the result of industrial pollution, as is Tehran? Why has the frequency and severity of the storms increased in recent years?
What can you tell us about the origin of the sand and dust storms?
Basically, dust storms can be caused by a variety of sources, both industrial and natural. Current reports on what is occurring in Iran show that this sudden influx of sand storms does not have solely an industrial cause.
There must be a source of these sandstorms.
Three sources for this combined natural and human disaster have been identified so far. Satellite images show that Syria and Iraq have played a key role over a certain period of time. Deserts in North Africa are another source of sand and dust as well. Studies conducted at the University of Tehran show the storms are also caused by the degradation of wetlands. In order to ascertain a precise cause we need to conduct more independent research.
Sandstorms are not new to the region. Why have recent ones created such a dire situation for the people and the region?
Deterioration of water resources and the disappearance of natural barriers combined with atmospheric changes have made the storms worse. Some models predict even more storms in the (near) future as well.
How can this environmental crisis be solved?
We've had these kinds of storms in Iran for a long time, think of the “Nashi” wind in the southern part of the country, for example. The problem is that in comparison to the past, the intensity and frequency of these storms has increased.
There is no short-term solution. The problem was not created in one night and cannot be solved that in one night either. In the short-term, we need to think about the health of the residents of the region and provide them with tools to mitigate the effects of the storms. Working hours in the governmental organizations should be decreased, relief groups should be active in various areas of the region and ventilation equipment should be used in homes.
Long-term solutions are quite difficult. They will take time and money. In view of the current situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria, Iraq and Iran it is unlikely that anything will be done.
A serious effort needs to be made to revive dead ecosystems. It's quite difficult but I think it's possible.
This is a translation of a post originally in Farsi.

author: Arseh Sevom


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2015 Presents an Opportunity for Free and Fair Elections in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Wekesa Sylvanus hopes that 2015 will be a year of free and fair elections in Africa:
https://wekesasylvanus.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/will-2015-be-a-year-of-free-and-fair-elections-in-africa/
Since the advent of multi party democracy in Africa, electoral contests have become a do or die affair in majority of African countries. Elections in Africa are a high risk affair and in the recent times, they have been a trigger of conflicts. Kenya and Ivory Coast are good examples of how mismanaged elections can plunge a country into a conflict.  Half a century after gaining independence, majority of African states have not got it right in terms of conducting and managing free and fair elections. The year 2015 will see a host of African countries go through elections. Presidential elections and/or legislative elections will be held in Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Togo, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Central Africa Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, Chad, and Egypt and may be South Sudan depending on the peace deal to be signed. Most of these countries have struggled to institute the practice of democracy in recent times. 2015 therefore presents a great opportunity for them to show the world that they have matured democratically.


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35 Years Later, Óscar Romero’s Martyrdom Is Recognized · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Mural tributing Monsignor Romero made by Jamie Morgan, San Francisco. Image of Flickr by user Franco Folini (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Monday, March 24, 1980, probably started as a regular day for the San Salvador parishioners attending services at the chapel of Divine Providence Hospital. Violence marred that day, however, and 35 years later it's still remembered as a day of infamy. The prayer's officiate, Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, was shot and killed during the service. The bullet went straight through his heart. He was 62 years old.
In February 2015, after a long effort by El Salvadorians, the Catholic Church canonized Romero.
In addition to being a priest, Romero was a well-known human rights advocate. The day before he was killed, he addressed El Salvador's military officers, saying:
Yo quisiera hacer un llamamiento muy especial a los hombres del Ejército, y en concreto a las bases de la Guardia Nacional, de la policía, de los cuarteles: Hermanos, son de nuestro mismo pueblo, matan a sus mismos hermanos campesinos y, ante una orden de matar que dé un hombre, debe de prevalecer la ley de Dios que dice: ‘No matar’. Ningún soldado está obligado a obedecer una orden contra la ley de Dios. Una ley inmoral, nadie tiene que cumplirla.
I want to make a very special appeal to the men in the Army, and in particular to the National Guard, the police force, and the barracks: Brothers, you come from the same people, you kill your fellow peasant-brothers, and when ordered by men to kill another man, God's law must prevail—the one that states: “Thou shalt not kill.” No soldier should obey an order against God's law. An immoral law, no one has to abide by it.
Thirteen years after the murder in 1993, the Commission of the Truth, an entity created to investigate the most serious crimes committed during Salvadoran civil war, concluded that a sniper assassinated Romero. The gunman's name was Marino Samayor Acosta, a corporal of the now-extinct National Guard and a member of the former president's security detachment. Marino Samayor Acosta allegedly received 114 dollars for the murder. On November 6, 2009, then President Mauricio Funes decided to investigate Romero's murder, in compliance with a order from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2000.
On March 24, 1990, ten years after the assassination, the effort to canonize Romero got underway. Almost 25 years later, on February 3, 2015, Pope Francis formally declared Óscar Romero to be a martyr of the Church, murdered by “hatred of the faith.”
Although more than 30 years have passed since his murder, Monsignor Romero is still remembered in various media, such as the website LupaProtestante, which wrote recently:
Esa voz comprometida lo llevó [a Romero] a denunciar a los ricos y poderosos. A exigir la defensa de la vida, las corrupciones a todo nivel, la mentira sistemática y estructurada que encubría desde la tortura hasta las desapariciones y los asesinatos. No rehuía presentar casos concretos en sus homilías y reclamarles a los gobernantes y a las fuerzas armadas respeto por la dignidad humana, la promoción de la paz con justicia y preservar para las futuras generaciones una patria en la que cupieran todos y todas en fraternidad y libertad plena.
That committed voice made him [Romero] complain about the rich and powerful. To demand the defense of life, corruption at all level, the systematic and structured lie that concealed from torture to disappearances and murders. He didn't avoid presenting specific cases during his services and saying rulers and the armed forces have to respect human dignity. He promoted peace with justice and tried to preserve for future generations a homeland where everybody could live in complete fraternity and freedom.
The blog SuperMartyrio, meanwhile, acknowledges former President Funes’ contribution to Romero's canonization.
Hay que empezar reconociendo el bien que ha hecho el Pdte. Funes: el primer presidente en reconocer el valor de Mons. Romero para la sociedad y cultura de El Salvador—ya no se diga ser el primer presidente en reconocer la responsabilidad estatal por su asesinato, y pedir perdón por ella. Sus esfuerzos a favor de la canonización también han sido apreciables.
We have to start by acknowledging President Funes actions: [he was] the first president to acknowledge the value Monsignor Romero has for the society and culture of El Salvador—let alone the first president to acknowledge the state's responsibility for his murder, and ask forgiveness. His efforts in the canonization process have also been considerable.
The website Opiniones impertinentes, meanwhile, considered some of Romero's mistakes:
Romero no lo hizo todo bien. Romero tuvo errores, se comprometió a veces en exceso con la izquierda […]. Durante todo el tiempo contó con el apoyo expreso de Pablo VI, al que visitó dos veces en sus tres años de gobierno, y de Juan Pablo II, que le conoció en Roma en 1979.
Romero didn't do everything right. Romero made mistakes, he sometimes committed too much to the leftists […]. All along he had the clear support of Paul VI, whom he visited twice in his three-year government, and by John Paul Pablo II, who met him in Rome in 1979.
Romero has been a subject of conversation on Twitter, too:
Obispo de Santiago de María, Rodrigo Orlando Cabrera llamó hoy en Ciudad Barrios a católicos a reconocer el martirio de.#MonsenorRomero.
— Museo Mons. Romero (@RomeroMuseo) febrero 14, 2015
Santiago de María bishop, Rodrigo Orlando Cabrera, made an appeal today in Ciudad Barrios [about 160 kilometers from San Salvador] for Catholics to acknowledge Monsignor Romero's martyrdom.
Monseñor Romero lucho contra la injusticia y la violencia, es irónico que desobedecerlo haya sido el único camino que encontró el #FMLN — Jose L (@joselinares10) febrero 14, 2015
Monsignor Romero fought against injustice and violence. It's ironic that [President Funes’ political party] the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front only gained a foothold in El Salvador by going against what Romero preached.
Es triste ver como hay Personas que se expresan tan despectivamente de monseñor Romero…le pido a Dios que algún día cambien su mentalidad
— Nelson Flores (@FloresNaffy18) febrero 14, 2015
It's so sad to see how there are people who express themselves so derogatively about monsignor Romero… I beg God that they change their mentalities some day.
@NU34LA @ArchbishopGomez @MarcoFlores83 Aquí dormía #MonsenorRomero conozca vida #ElsalvadorenlosAltares pic.twitter.com/0YwAHsK7KG
— NormaRoque34 (@NormaRoque34) febrero 13, 2015
This is where Monsignor Romero used to sleep. Know more about his life.
#MonseñorRomero. No fue escuchado. El odio de la oligarquía pudo más y, por ser sacerdote católico, lo asesinaron. Este fue su martirio.
— El Arca de Don Bosco (@ArcaDonBosco) febrero 13, 2015
Monsignor Romero wasn't heard. The hate of the oligarchy was stronger, and because he was a Catholic priest, he was murdered. This was his martyrdom.
Romero's remains are buried in the crypt of the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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Cuba Announces New IT Policy and Does Not Mention Internet Access · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

Social networks have been used in Cuba for citizen demonstrations in ecological initiatives like Twittsaneo. Photo by Jorge Luis Sánchez, reproduced with permission.
Specialists in the IT and telecommunications sectors will discuss an IT policy in Havana that is intended to be “inclusive, modern, and facilitate sustainable processes over time,” said Ailyn Febles Estrada, Vice Chancellor of the University of Information Science, to Cubadebate.
According to Febles, “all opinions from professionals linked to the sector are important” in defining and executing the new policy.
Nevertheless, this vision excludes—at least initially—those who are not considered “industry experts,” in a context where ICT use and access is of interest to all of society, and is even one of the talking points in the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States. Febles did not allude to Internet access either, which should be a central topic in any discussion on information and communication policies.
The National Workshop on Informatization and Cybersecurity will bring together over 11,000 computer experts, mostly connected via video conference in 21 sub-sites located across all of the country's provinces. On February 19 and 20, the event will be held in the Center for Integrated Technology Research at the José Antonio Echeverría Superior Polytechnic Institute, and around 260 experts will participate, analyzing topics such as human and scientific resources, e-government, computer security, the economy and legislation, Cubadebate explains.
Additionally, they will analyze “the bases of the policy for developing secure informatization in the country, its national priorities, as well as the details on beginning the process of creating a new social organization that will bring together ICT-related professionals.”
The “Governing Program of Informatization in Cuban Society,” adopted in 2005 and currently in force, establishes:
La Informatización de la sociedad es el proceso de utilización ordenada y masiva de las Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones en la vida cotidiana, para satisfacer las necesidades de todas las esferas de la sociedad, en su esfuerzo por lograr cada vez más eficacia y eficiencia en todos los procesos y por consiguiente mayor generación de riqueza y aumento en la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos.
The informatization of society is the process of orderly and mass use of Information and Communications Technology in daily life to meet the needs of all areas of society, each time in an effort to achieve more effectiveness and efficiency and therefore greater wealth and an increase in the quality of life for citizens.
In a research study conducted for CLACSO [pdf] (the Latin American Council of Social Sciences), Cuban professor and journalist Milena Recio considers that “the unilateralism of the [2005] policy, and the low levels of social participation in its design, determine that this notion [of orderly use] points more to regulated, scheduled, assigned use, which somewhat contradicts the very spirit of networks and the social impact that is expected in terms of developing and expanding the traditional boundaries for freedom of individuals in society.”
“It has not been massive, understood in its quantitative aspect, directly at least. The data confirms this,” Recio adds.
The latest statistics (pdf) from the Cuban National Bureau of Statistics and Information reflect that in 2013, only 26% of the Cuban population had access to an Internet service or a home network, which only provides e-mail and allows the use of websites located in the country.
The policy of Internet access in Cuba favors free use in universities and research centers, but limits public access points with high prices in comparison to citizens’ average income. One hour of Internet browsing costs $4.50, and only 60 cents when it is for domestic use. The average monthly salary in Cuba is $25 CUC (roughly convertible to $25 USD).
During the first round of talks between Cuba and the United States, held in Havana in January 2015, Josefina Vidal said that Cuba was willing “to welcome U.S. telecommunications companies to explore business opportunities in this field (…) that may be beneficial for the country.”
“The Internet is shit! Let's see… whoever wants Internet, raise your hand.” Cartoon by Lázaro Saavedra (reproduced with permission).
In late July 2007, the Ministry of Informatics and Communications issued Resolution 127. The Safety Regulation for Security for Information Technologies annex contained various controversial articles that have been analyzed in Cuban blogs in recent times. Article 72, for example, “prohibits the placement of pages or websites from state entities on foreign servers that offer these services for free.” This would include blog and social network services used by university professors, students, doctors, and other users that access the Internet from these state institutions.
On his blog ZorphDark, Alejandro Cuba commented:
Partiendo de la existencia de múltiples grupos, sociedades e individuos con intereses afines a la política estatal, es válido cuestionar los costos y la eficiencia de los mecanismos burocráticos que limitan la posibilidad de brindar sus contenidos bajo el dominio .cu. Ni hablar de las comparativas entre la calidad de los servicios sin costo que ofrecen reconocidas empresas foráneas respecto a las escasas alternativas nacionales.
Based on the existence of multiple groups, societies, and individuals with similar interests to the state policy, it is valid to question the costs and efficiency of bureaucratic mechanisms that limit the possibility of providing their content under the .cu domain. Not to mention the comparisons between the quality of the free services that recognized foreign companies offer and the limited national alternatives.
Other articles prohibit “the establishment of email accounts from state agencies on servers located outside the country, considering that the uncertainty of the use of such means for the entity is beyond the control of the Cuban State,” and suggest that “subscribing to email lists and using chat services by the staff of an entity be authorized under the direction of the entity itself in all cases.”
This resolution has provided a legal framework for penalizing, expelling, and taking administrative action against bloggers and social network users who occasionally publish posts that are considered “politically incorrect” by some managers of state workplaces. Nonetheless, nobody seems to remember when professionals use their personal sites online to transmit a triumphalist and non-controversial image of Cuban reality.
The literacy campaign allowed for the eradication of illiteracy and facilitated universal access to different levels of free education.
An article published in the Temas journal concludes that “the use of ICT in Cuba and the assumption of the Internet as a repository of information, a tool for e-commerce, and/or for the development of political campaigns, almost always from a vision of dissemination, is a long way off from the necessary understanding of this scenario as a space for conversations and direct dialogue between representatives and the people.” Back in 2011, in La Jiribilla, Recio said:
Cuando en 1961 el pueblo cubano decidió conquistar para sí su derecho al futuro mediante la diseminación de las “letras” a través de una campaña masiva de alfabetización, estaba, al mismo tiempo, ofreciendo el “arma” liberadora de la lecto-escritura y resolviendo una gran deuda social con el ciclo tecnocultural gutemberiano.
Cincuenta años después, en los nuevos escenarios, es acaso imprescindible otra alfabetización, esta vez para insertarse más plenamente en el nuevo ciclo tecnocultural abierto por la infocomunicación digital.
Esta otra alfabetización —digital / informacional— que necesitamos, parece ser un asunto tan urgente como el del marabú. Resolver la infección de las tierras es condición para ofrecer alimento a los estómagos; desperezarse, ir en campaña hacia un modelo de sociedad sustentada en el valor del conocimiento nos daría ciertas garantías para un futuro en el que toda vocación no se reduzca al mero estómago.
When in 1961 the Cuban people decided to conquer their right to the future for themselves through the spread of “letters” via a massive literacy campaign, it was simultaneously offering the liberating “weapon” of reading and writing, while solving a great social debt with the Gutenberg techno-cultural cycle.
Fifty years later, in the new scenarios, another literacy is almost imperative, this time to insert yourself more fully into the new techno-cultural cycle opened by digital info-communication.
This other alphabetization – the digital/informational kind – that we need, seems to be as urgent an issue as the marabou one. Curing the infection of the lands is conditional to offering food to the stomach; stretching out, going on a campaign towards a societal model sustained in the value of knowledge would give us certain guarantees for a future in which every vocation is not reduced to the mere stomach.

author: Elaine Díaz


text:
New Minister Threatens to Shut Down Zambian Independent News Site · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Image edited by Kevin Rothrock.
Zambia's newly appointed minister of information, Chishimba Kambwili, has pledged to close down Zambian Watchdog, one of the country's few independent online news sources focused on political and investigative reporting.
Kambwili, who held various ministerial portfolios ranging from Foreign Affairs to Labour and Youth and Sport under the late President Michael Sata, is well known for his political combativeness. Freshly appointed to his post by President Edgar Lungu, whose government is just three weeks old, Kambwili has attracted heavy criticism on social media.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has direct oversight of state-owned media outlets like the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Zambia News and Information Service, Zambia Daily Mail, and Times of Zambia. It also issues broadcasting licences and determines the radius of the permitted signal. Zambia's minister of information also serves as the government's chief spokesperson.
Just days after he was sworn in, Kambwili stated publicly:
Newly appointed Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili. Picture used with permission of The Independent Observer.
How can an online publication start reporting maliciously on an individual for 15 days, I can't allow that to happen as a newly appointed Information Minister. If it take[s] the FBI to ensure that I close Watchdog, I will do so […] I have never started something that has failed, I will bring the Watchdog down that I can tell you.
The Panos Institute of Southern Africa (PSAf) reacted to Kambwili’s statement soon after, challenging him to champion the promotion of a free and pluralistic media:
We encourage Minister Kambwili to prioritise addressing the various stumbling blocks to the development of the media sector in Zambia. PSAf believes only a free, independent and pluralistic media can provide information and news that can promote development and democracy.
In the run-up to the January 20 election to replace now-former President Sata, who died on October 28, 2014, Kambwili stormed the state-controlled Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and threatened to fire all its employees. ZNBC posted its board chairman’s statement on its website at the time:
What happened last night where Minister of Youth and Sports Chishimba Kambwili and PF Deputy Secretary General Anthony Kasolo stormed ZNBC Newsroom harassed and ordered Mr Kenneth Maduma Director of News and Current Affairs in front of his staff, to remove the stories on Honourable Inonge Wina and the UPND President Mr Hakainde Hichilema,is unacceptable and should be condemned in strongest terms.
The threats by Mr Kambwili to dismiss Mr Maduma and his staff from employment on account of doing their professional work, does not only amount to abuse of authority of office, and a crime, but it also takes away the dignity of a person of his standing in society.
Kambwili later denied storming the ZNBC studios, saying he and Kasolo had been invited its offices. The incident naturally left netizens concerned about Kambwili's appointment.
Facebook user Patrick Sikana wondered why President Lungu would appoint Kambwili, who is not known for diplomacy. He wrote:
Oh dear! Apart from the fact that it's the president's prerogative, I have searched and re-searched for a possible explanation behind the appointment of Kambwili as information minister. Trying to find a good reason … I ended up with a guess:
The President's top priority right now is not our bread and butter. It is to get re-elected next year. With less than 2 years to that election, the president knows 2 things: time is of the essence, and (demeaning as this may sound), he knows that it's not decency that wins elections in Zambia. It is propaganda.
So he doesn't need a spin doctor who will waste time “thinking” about the consequences of what he says. He needs someone who will churn out a diarrhea of sarcasm, empty slogans, smear messages and unpolished lies…. No one fits that profile better than Kambwili. Someone's being “smart” here!
The Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ), a trade union representing workers in state-owned media houses, welcomed Kambwili's appointment. As acting Labour Minister (a position he held prior to his current appointment), Kambwili promised to resolve liquidity problems at the Times of Zambia, a statement he reiterated just after he was sworn in as information minister.
ZUJ General Secretary, Angela Chishimba welcomed Kambwili's appointment on her Facebook page:
The Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ) is pleased with the appointment of Honourable Chishimba Kambwili as Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services. We know Mr Kambwili as a man of action and we believe he will act upon the challenges faced by the public media. We remember his move to help Times Printpak Zambia Limited employees when he acted as Minister of Labour.
Zambian Watchdog has faced threats of closure in the past. The site has been blocked within Zambia on numerous occasions, and reporters have been arrested because of suspected associations with the website.
United Kingdom-based Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) said in a statement after Kambwili's threat to close down the news website:
Mr Kambwili’s statements are clearly intended to silence, through fear, one of the few independent sources of information in Zambia. Our mission is to help independent media resist such threats and abusive legal challenges. We will continue to stand by the Zambian Watchdog as we stand by other independent media all over the world

author: Gershom Ndhlovu