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Colombia: Bomb Blast Targeted at Controversial Former Minister · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Tuesday 15 May 2012 was a tense and heavy day for most Bogotanos. The day started with a car bomb, deactivated by the authorities, in the Eduardo Santos neighbourhood, a few blocks away from the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá. Hours later, as protests [es] (which left 3 injured) emerged in the National University of Colombia because the Free Trade Agreement with the United States was entering into force, a bomb exploded on Caracas Avenue and 74 Street, in northern Bogotá.
Initially it was reported that the bomb exploded in a bus, but as more information came in, reports confirmed that a magnetic bomb was left by a walking man on the hood of the car of former interior Minister Fernando Londoño Hoyos [es], 67, a conservative lawyer and politician who held that office during the first years of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez‘s administration. Two of his bodyguards, the driver of the bus, and two other people were reportedly killed [es], though official reports still claim only 2 died. Londoño was taken to a hospital t0 undergo surgery to remove a piece of metal from his chest.
Mr Londoño has been controversial [es]: he was involved in a financial scandal involving stocks of an oil company named Invercolsa and was barred from public office in 2004 for 15 years out of conflict of interest. After he left the Ministry, he started a morning radio programme, La hora de la verdad [es] (“The hour of truth”), devoted to supporting former president Uribe's policies and attacking FARC and other left wing guerrillas. He was also actively writing op-eds for El Tiempo and El Colombiano newspapers. He supported current president Juan Manuel Santos during the elections, but as many other staunch supporters of Uribe, he felt betrayed and now opposes most of his policies. The Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) condemned [es] the attack.
This attempt prompted thousands of reactions.
Car Bombing in Bogotá, Colombia targeting former Interior Minister Fernando Londono. Photo by David Maiolo under Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Journalist Carolina Ruiz (@CaroRuizG) tweets [es]:
El terrorismo nos afecta a todos, independiente de las creencias políticas. Qué pendejada echarse culpas.
@JuliethBlues states [es]:
Lo peor que podría pasar es que a Londoño caiga en un atentado, su martirización le daría un poder impresionante a la ext.derecha
Dan Gamboa Bohórquez (@larepuvlica) wonders [es] about the possible reasons of the attempt against Londoño:
Fernando Londoño debe tener información peligrosa. Es la única explicación para atentar contra alguien irrelevante en la actualidad.
Richie (@MelisMatik) links the attack to other events in the day [es]:
Muy sofisticado el atentado. Súmenle día de protestas y votación del Marco para la Paz en el Congreso… ¿Para quién será el mensaje?
(Mr. Londoño devoted his latest radio editorial piece [es] to this framework).
Many Twitter users harshly [es] criticized [es] the media [es] coverage [es] of the attack [es]: (Warning: The next three links lead to sites with strong images) newspapers [es] and TV newscasts broadcast bloody images [es] of the injured, including Mr. Londoño [es], and the country's main radio network interviewed live [es] the mother of Mr. Londoño's driver, which was deemed sensationalist [es]. @LaCaballero writes [es]:
Los periodistas de medios masivos COLABORAN con el terrorismo. Ayudan a sembrar el miedo, la [z]ozobra, la confusión.
Andrés Guerra Hoyos (@andresguerraho) tweets [es]:
Lo mas duro es entender que existe una parte del Pais que hoy esta Feliz con el atentado en Bogota, Infames
Roberto S (@manoloparis_) criticizes [es] some ‘theories’ on the attack:
Por eso es que nos va como nos va, no falta la mente torcida que ya esta diciendo que es un autoatentado, Por Dios, y los medio[s] harán eco.
Frustrated, Olga Cuartas (@Olpacu) tweets [es]:
Ni para rechazar un acto terrorista somos capaces de unirnos como sociedad.
María (@lamarialeja) asks [es]:
No jodamos. ¿ Aún están usando esa falacia de “los buenos somos más”?.
Finally, @dianadaista reacts to the reactions (1, 2, 3) [es]:
1) Los atentados se han hecho en múltiples y muy diferentes gobiernos, vayan a culpar al mandato de su madre. 2) Londoño y los demás afectados son seres humanos, hacer chiste de ellos no te hace más irreverente ni interesante. 3) Quien se considere periodista, no puede estar arrojando juicios de valor y teorías así como así, para eso existen la taberna y la cerveza
In the blogosphere, Aleyda Rodríguez from Pulso Social writes about the coverage, rather than the reactions, on social media [es], and Javier Moreno shares his thoughts [es]:
Promover la confusión es preferible. Lo que importa es sostener la guerra activa en todos sus frentes. El juego de acusaciones subsiguiente es útil a los asesinos pues genera polarización, desconfianza y agresividad. (…) El mensaje de la explosión es abierto pero al mismo tiempo llega a quien debe llegar: cada cual lo interpreta a su conveniencia y cualquier interpretación es válida en tanto que no hay cómo refutarla. La amenaza es más efectiva y amplia cuando no se sabe de dónde proviene. Una amenaza sin firma es una amenaza contra todos.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Egypt: The Questions Missing from the Presidential Debates · Global Voices
محمد عادل

Following Egypt's first ever presidential debate, and with interviews being held every day with presidential candidates, political analyst Mohamed Seif Eldawla has written on his blog Zakerat Aloma about the questions missing from the presidential debates [ar].

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: محمد عادل


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Global Voices Helps Judge CNN’s iReport Awards · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

You can now vote for your favorite of CNN's audience submitted videos from 2011 at iReport in their annual iReport Awards. Alongside the community vote, a panel of judges, including Global Voices managing editor Solana Larsen, will select winners in six categories.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Global Voices Seeks Contributing Editor for RuNet Echo Project · Global Voices
Ivan Sigal

Global Voices is seeking a part-time Contributing Editor to support our coverage of Russian citizen media, as part of our RuNet Echo project.
The primary focus of our coverage and analysis is Russian-language online writing from and about the Russian Federation. Secondary content may also include Russian-language content from the former Soviet Union, as it relates to the Russian Federation.
The Contributing Editor will assist in producing and editing content for the project, including regular output of stories, translation, and networking. The editor will produce and/or edit several in-depth stories per week, as well as shorter posts linking and pointing to important topics, events, and writing as it occurs. The work will involve extensive translation, analysis, and further original research and reporting when appropriate, in order to elucidate and identify trends, ideas, and social and political currents within RuNet. Analysis will also examine how content in the Russian language space relates to other online communities, languages, and cultures, and offline Russian conversation, journalism, and social and political movements.
The Project Editor will also:
Successful applicants will have the following qualifications:
Interested candidates please send CV and Letter of Interest explaining why you'd be a good candidate for the job to: adminjob AT globalvoicesonline DOT org
Interpreting RuNet is funded by a grant from the Open Society Foundations.

author: Ivan Sigal


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Greece: TEDxThessaloniki 2012, the Courage to Create · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

Twelve hours long, with more than 20 speakers and performers, over 700 attendees and 5.000 livestream viewers from 57 countries; on Saturday May 12, 2012, TEDx Thessaloniki 2012 provided an inspiring intermission from the agonizing climax of the financial crisis embroiling Greece.
The theme of this year's event was encapsulated in this short but evocative promo video, which “attempts to depict the sense and feeling of suffocation, anguish the crisis has inflicted upon people as well as the ingenuity to transform obstacles into tools of creation”.
Among the speakers that inspired the audience:
The entire event was eminently quotable, with several of the speakers providing insights pertinent to the crisis, avidly tweeted by the audience:
@fayko: Να λεμε εγω και μόνο εγω είμαι υπεύθυνος για τις πράξεις μου. Η θυματοποιηση είναι η εύκολη λύση. @gazikap TEDxThess
@apas: Καταπληκτικός @erictparks – see the long term vision (Ιθάκη) and do fail and do fail fast. TEDxThess
@vickyele: ‘Be present, have access. Listen. Learn. Voice. Have the courage to imagine’ TEDxThess Rouka
@TEDxThess: Compromise in colors is gray and we already have enough of that.@ediramaal, ex-mayor of Tirana at TEDxThess
@DimitrisTzouris: . @atomsedlacek says too much growth is causing the economic crisis, not the lack of it. It is a systemic problem. TEDxThess
@fayko: If we dismantle the euro, this will mean the beginning of the crisis not the end of it. @atomsedlacek TEDxThess
Several attendees blogged their impressions of the event. Athens-based fashionista Thalia Geladaki wrote about her favorite presentations:
Imagine a young person that abandons urban life to live in a small village named Fourfoura in Crete. Why? Because he chose to become a teacher and director of a primary school located in Fourfoura with only 4 teachers to cover the needs of six classes. What impressed me about Angelos [Patsias] was his modesty and his determination. It takes a lot of courage to persuade a small community that children can actually learn through different activities and interactions and not just through books. Children are learing via singing, dancing as well as by doing the garden or cooking. This to me is an example of how the educational system should be. Learn not only through books but through experience. You can follow Angelos and the “School of Nature and Colors” here.
Edi Rama on stage at TEDx Thessaloniki. Photo by Duncan Davidson, licensed CC BY-NC
Journalist Michalis Goudis compared Rama's political example to the dismal Greek reality [el]:
Η ομιλία του Edi Rama στο TEDx Thessaloniki κατέδειξε ακόμη περισσότερο τη γύμνια και την ανικανότητα του ελληνικού πολιτικού προσωπικού τόσο σε εθνικό όσο και σε τοπικό επίπεδο. [..] Το παράδειγμα του Rama αποδεικνύει πως η πολιτική είναι καθαρά και μόνο θέμα βούλησης και προθέσεων. Αρκεί να είναι κανείς διατεθειμένος να συγκρουστεί με μικροσυμφέροντα για να διαμορφώσει μία καλύτερη ευρεία εικόνα. Ο Edi Rama με τα μέτρια αγγλικά, αλλά το καθαρό βλέμμα και τις ακόμη πιο καθαρές ιδέες ενέπνευσε τους ακροατές του. Δυστυχώς, έχει ήδη επιστρέψει στην πατρίδα του κι εμείς απομείναμε με τη φαιδρότητα της ακυβερνησίας…
Local entrepreneur Nick Papanotas shared an insight gleaned from spending time with two accomplished speakers:
Geniuses have long ago killed their egos and that’s exactly the way to make breakthroughs. Get over your self and focus on your passion. Sounds like a cool way to make the world a better place, don’t you think?
At TEDx Thessaloniki, looking out on a rainy day. Photo by Maria Mouzakiti on Instagram, used by permission
Journalist Theodoris Georgakopoulos liveblogged TEDx Thessaloniki on Facebook. Charis Tasioulis summarized the event's sessions, and Petros Amiridis shared yet another insight:
My favorite part: We grownups have made mistakes, we do not know all the answers and we are just rebuilding a mistake. It doesn't matter who made the mistake, it doesn't matter why the mistake was made… we are here to fix it
Renowned TED photographer Duncan Davidson gave TEDx Thessaloniki 2012 a ringing endorsement:
Watching the TEDxThessaloniki team pull together their event has been much like watching any of the other talented teams I’ve seen pull together other events. Long hours. Late nights. Much coffee. It all came together magnificently on May 12th at the Olympion Theater into a world class TEDx event that was everything a TED-like event should be: inspiring, motivating, and thought provoking. Attendees were brimming with excitement and passion all the way through the day to the final performance. [..] Exhilarating. Wonderful. Tiring. A great day, no matter how one looks at it. More than anything, it’s wonderful to see people implement the spreading of ideas in their own communities and spheres of influence. It’s something that the world can definitely use more of.
And, with the crisis raging outside the venue, multimedia director Marineta Kritikou expressed the misgivings that many attendees must have been feeling about facing the day after:
@makemanet: Και μετα απο αυτή την ανάταση ψυχής @TEDxThess πρέπει να βγούμε έξω κ να αντιμετωπίσουμε την άλλη πλευρά της χώρας μας.COURAGE to ALL Of Us
More on TEDxThessaloniki: Official site, blog, @TEDxThess on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. Photos were also posted by Tom Tziros and Asteris Masouras on Flickr.

author: Asteris Masouras


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India: Crackdown on Tamil Nadu Anti-Nuclear Plant Protests · Global Voices
Rezwan

Concerns have been sparked that the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) currently under construction in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India, may have similar vulnerabilities to the ill-fated Fukushima nuclear power plant of Japan. Activists fear that in the case of an earthquake followed by a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, there could be an accident similar to the radiation leak at the Japanese coastal nuclear plant last year.
Construction started more than a decade ago and KKNPP is expected to be in operation soon. S. P. Udayakumar of the voluntary organisation ‘People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy’ (PMANE) lists 13 reasons why the activists and locals do not want the power plant to start. He stress that:
More than 1 million people live within the 30 km radius of the KKNPP which far exceeds the AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) stipulations. It is quite impossible to evacuate this many people quickly and efficiently in case of a nuclear disaster at Koodankulam.
Protest campaign against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. Image courtesy Kracktivist, used with permission.
Protest and arrests
Shedding a light onto the government crackdown on the protesters, Kracktivist cites:
Between 10.9.2011 and 23.12.2011, police had filed 107 FIRs (field investigation reports) against 55795 people and “others,” among whom 6800 have been charged with “sedition” and/ or “waging war against the State.”
In March 2012, police arrested approximately 200 anti-nuclear protesters objecting the resumption of work on one of the two 1 GW (gigawatt=1000 megawatt) reactors, a day after the local government restarted work on the project. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has also been filed against KKNPP at India's Supreme Court. Amnesty International has written a letter to the Prime Minister expressing their dismay on the detainment of the protesters. However, there were also rallies and protests in favor of commissioning the nuclear power plant.
The protests continued as the ‘People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy’ (PMANE) recently launched three campaigns against the Kudankulam Nuclear power Plant, reports Kracktivist:
Collection of signatures by villagers who oppose the nuclear plant and surrender of voter identity cards will be observed in 60 villages belonging to three neighboring districts while [a] ‘respect India’ campaign will be observed throughout the country.
On May 9, around 23,000 people belonging to nine villages in Tamil Nadu surrendered their voter identity cards to draw attention to the continuing ignorance of the peaceful protest against the KNPP. The government did not take it lightly; Kracktivist also reported that thousands of police personnel were deployed near Idinthakarai village and a crackdown seemed likely.
According to a press release, “The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) called off the planned event at Idinthakarai on May 10, 2012 as the District authorities have clamped down prohibitory orders such as 144 in and around Kudankulam area”.
Protesters on hunger strike. Image courtesy DiaNuke/Aaam Janata, used with permission.
However, some 9,000 people still participated in a sit in, with several hundred on an indefinite fast. The hunger strike has been going on since last month. DiaNuke/Aam Janata has posted some pictures from Kudankulam which depicts women on hunger strike and villagers living under constant fear.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Ms. Jayalalithaa, has vowed that the plant will start to function soon. Anuj Wankhede at DiaNuke invited a debate with Dr. M R Srinivasan, the former chief of India’s Atomic Energy Commission on whether the Kudankulam reactors are really the “safest in the world”, as claimed by the authorities.
The anti-Kudankulam activists are willing to end their protest if the government meets their demands.

author: Rezwan


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Indonesia: Lady Gaga’s Concert Permit Denied · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

After being pressured by conservative politicians and hardline groups, which branded Lady Gaga as a devil worshiper, the Indonesian police announced that it won't issue a permit to the highly anticipated Lady Gaga concert in Jakarta, leaving over 50,000 fans disappointed.
@HeyPotterhead: Lady Gaga's concert better not be cancelled. I did NOT fell in line for 8 hours for nothing! Stupid FPI #IndonesiaSavesGaga #BTWBallGBK
FPI or the Islamic Defenders Front is an influential religious group which often campaigns against ‘anti-Islamic’ activities and ideas. In this particular case, Lady Gaga was accused of corrupting the morality of young Indonesians.
One of the promotional merchandise items of the Lady Gaga concert. From the twitpic page of @youngdancers
Lady Gaga fans, who were called ‘little monsters’, have criticized the government's decision:
@ginaignasia: Apa hak nya. Gue yang nabung&cari calo susah2, nyekal2 seenaknya. #IndonesiaSavesGaga #GagaIsAmazing #monsterpower #BurnFPIdown
@akibaryou: Save Mother Monster! Save the freedom of expression! The cancellation is proof of how our country has lost its priority.#IndonesiaSavesGaga!
@Ray_owl: FPI is embarrassing Indonesia internationally! #IndonesiaSavesGaga RT @lanaaisya: FPI is being a hypocrite. #saveladygaga
@NickyYuventius: Yang bikin gue bingung adalah polisi yg beralasan gaga itu porno. APA KABAR KONSER DANGDUT? PREEEET!
Dangdut, an Indian influenced folk music, is very popular in Indonesia. The dance moves of Dangdut performers are oftentimes sexy and erotic.
Meanwhile, the Christian Indonesian Church Council (PGI) supported the concert arguing that it's a part of the country's freedom of expression.
Not all politicians found Lady Gaga's performance racy. Lawmaker Ahmad Basarah, who is a Muslim, told newspaper The Jakarta Globe that the national police should be fair when it comes to protecting the nation's values, whether it's against liberal-capitalistic ideas or Middle Eastern ideologies.
Here are more reactions on Twitter:
@danielvk: Religious mafia manipulates democracy & freedom to rob the freedom of others. Don't tolerate intolerance! #saynotohate #indonesiasavesgaga
@DanielZiv: It's not a matter of #IndonesiaSavesGaga, it's more like whether Gaga can save Indonesia.And really, Indonesia needs to save itself from this extremist nonsense, Gaga or no Gaga.

author: Juke Carolina


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Kenya: Online Platform for Amplifying People’s Power · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bunge la Mwananchi is an online platform for amplifying grassroots people’s power to decide on their politics and economics so as to improve their social conditions in Kenya.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Mexico: Netizens Say Goodbye to Writer Carlos Fuentes · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

On May 15, 2012, Latin America lost one of its most important contemporary writers. Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes died in Mexico City, at the age of 83. The main cause of his death was a hemorrhage. Fuentes was best known for being part of the writers from the “Latin American Boom”, and for writing a book at least every 12 months.
People from all over the world expressed their concerns over this terrible loss. Blogger Juan José Meneu, from Blogs La Rioja, explained why he was so fond [es] of Fuentes’ way of writing:
Era un escritor terriblemente culto e inteligente y exigía de sus lectores atención y esfuerzo para alcanzar esa cultura y esa inteligencia. Con la convicción de que la literatura era un instrumento poderoso para denunciar la realidad, para mostrar los errores de los seres humanos pero también, para la esperanza, para la educación, para la enseñanza, para combatir el olvido.
Meneu finished his blog post with a sincere goodbye, wishing he had more books [es] by Carlos Fuentes:
Ha muerto Carlos Fuentes. Me queda el consuelo de que aún tengo algún libro suyo por leer. Me queda la tristeza de que no habrá más.
Carlos Fuentes, 2008. Image from Flickr user Casa de América (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
On HuffPost Voces, the Spanish version of The Huffington Post, writer Marga Britto published a text dedicated to the author [es], where she assures that the death of Fuentes has left a country in pure loneliness:
Hubiese sido maravilloso escuchar la opinión de Carlos Fuentes tras las elecciones. Hubiese sido de gran consuelo contar con una voz de autoridad en dónde refugiarnos y hacer sentido de este gran naufragio nacional.
Nos dejas solos, Carlos Fuentes. Nos dejas un enorme hueco en la razón y en el tiempo. De pronto las letras se han quedado huérfanas y solos tendremos que vérnoslas con quien se empeña en ganar la batalla con palabras espurias, con su lenguaje bastardo, con la banalidad de los tiempos modernos.
It would have been wonderful to hear what Carlos Fuentes thought after the (Mexican) elections. It would have been a great comfort to have a voice of authority where we could find shelter and make sense of this great national shipwreck.
You leave us alone Carlos Fuentes. You leave a huge hole in reason and in time. Suddenly, the letters have been orphaned and are dealing alone with who is determined to win the battle with spurious words, with a bastard language, with the banality of modern times.
Rafa García from Fayerwayer mentioned the trending topics related [es] to the author's passing:
El autor de novelas como Aura, La Muerte de Artemio Cruz, Agua quemada, La silla del Águila, Gringo y La Región más Transparente, Carlos Fuentes, muerió hoy a los 83 años de edad en la Ciudad de México.
La noticia recorrió de inmediato todos medios de comunicación y las redes sociales, particularmente en Twitter donde su nombre Carlos Fuentes y el #todoscomocarlos se convirtieron en tema tendencia.
Q.E.P.D.
The author of novels such as Aura, The Death of Artemio Cruz, Burned Water, The Chair of the Eagle, Gringo and The Most Transparent Region, Carlos Fuentes, died today at 83 years of age in Mexico City.
The news swept away all media and social networks, especially on Twitter where his name Carlos Fuentes and #todoscomocarlos (“Everyone like Carlos”) became trending topics.
RIP
Writers and other public figures used Twitter to express their sadness and pay homage to Carlos Fuentes. Mexican President Felipe Calderón (@FelipeCalderon) [es] wrote:
Expresé mis condolencias telefónicas a Silvia Lemus, viuda del gran Carlos Fuentes.
The account of the United States Ambassador in Mexico, Embajador Wayne (@USEmbassyMex) [es], tweeted:
#EmbajadorWayne: Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento de Carlos Fuentes. Su partida es una gran pérdida para el mundo.
Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska (@EPoniatowska) [es] similarly expressed her condolences:
Lamento profundamente la muerte #CarlosFuentes
British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) said:
RIP Carlos my friend. Yesterday the hoax about Gabo, but this is sadly true. “Carlos Fuentes dies at 83 http://t.co/2uQGHgvC via @USATODAY“
Finally, an account that publishes quotes by Argentinian comic strip character Mafalda (@MafaldaQuotes) [es] wrote:
“Algún día se dará más valor a la cultura que al dinero” #QEPD Carlos Fuentes. #MafaldaQuotes

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Russia: State TV Justifies May 6 Police Violence, Cites Spanish Bill Criminalizing Online Protest Organization as Example · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

In the final segment of the report [ru] on the May 6 protest in Moscow, which ended in clashes with riot police, the Russian state-owned Channel 1 mentioned, among other things, a Spanish draft law [en] criminalizing online organization of public protests, as an example of the “much tougher” treatment of protesters by the “colleagues” of the Russian law enforcement officials “in the countries with the so-called established democracy.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Singapore: Importance of the Hougang By-Election · Global Voices
Kirsten Han

After Singapore's Worker's Party expelled its member – and Member of Parliament for Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) – Yaw Shin Leong, earlier this year, the residents of Hougang have not been represented by an MP. Come 26 May, 2012, they will have the opportunity to elect another.
A writ of election has been issued, naming 16 May as Nomination Day, with Polling Day to follow ten days later. Both the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and the Worker's Party quickly announced their nominated candidates: Desmond Choo for the former and Png Eng Huat for the latter. Although this can only be confirmed on Nomination Day, it is likely that there will not be a multi-cornered fight in the by-election.
Choo contested Hougang SMC in the 2011 General Election, losing to Yaw. Png stood as a candidate in Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) during the 2011 General Election.
Hougang By-Election. Photo from The Online Citizen
WK writes in The Blue Sweater that the Hougang by-election could be used as a litmus test of Singaporean's support for the PAP – the party which won majority of the votes in 2011 General Election, as it has every elections since 1959:
One might question the fairness and objectivity of using an opposition stronghold as a litmus test, but the results will demonstrate whether the government's promises for change following the previous election has been acknowledged. If the WP wins by a wide (or even wider) margin, it demonstrates that there is a fundamental rejection of the PAP's governing philosophy. Not to mention that this is an election that the whole country is watching. The results matter as much to the residents of Hougang as it is to us.
In response to comments made by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam – who said that the by-election would solely be on local issues rather than national policy – Jackson Tan points out that Singapore is too small for elections to only focus on local issues, and that Hougang voters are affected by the same policies as the rest of Singapore:
…given the fact that Singapore is really a ‘small red dot,’ even by-elections on a constituency level can be viewed as a national election. This is because elections don’t come often (in fact, it’s once every five years or so), thus the chance to vote may indicate voters even consider national issues such as public transport, education and costs of living. In addition, the extent to which policies by the ruling party affects people cuts across all constituencies, be it GRCs or SMCs. The ongoing train breakdowns, for example, also affect Hougang residents, thus it is definite that they take it into consideration when voting. Perhaps the term ‘local election’ is more appropriate in bigger countries such as the US where states are governed differently.
On Twitter, H.Y. agrees:
@tanhuiyi: I don't see the logic of #HougangByelection focusing solely on local issues. Local issues are related to national issues. No?
A publichouse.sg editorial predicts that the Worker's Party will be able to hold on to Hougang, as it has done for over 20 years:
The PAP thus faces a daunting task of trying to reverse at least 15% of the vote in Hougang in order to wrestle it back from the WP. Even if the PAP sent out its big guns ministers to the ground to canvass for its likely candidate, Mr Desmond Choo, they would not carry much weight, especially in the prevailing political climate. In fact, the ministers themselves are seen as the causes of the ills which Singaporeans perceive in matters such as housing, jobs, wages, and the frequent breakdowns of the transport system.
The PAP’s battle encompasses a wider national sentiment of unhappiness with these bread and butter issues. One would think that it is no different in Hougang, and the WP can be expected to play these up to deflect attention from the Yaw saga.
…
It would thus seem that the WP will have a relatively comfortable victory in Hougang, its integrity intact.
Some Singaporeans are distrustful of the state-owned mainstream media's coverage of the by-election:
@sochris: and so the propaganda starts #HougangByElection
A photo posted by Channel NewsAsia, a mainstream media network has gone viral, shared by Singaporeans who found it hilariously ironic:
@mrbrown: PAP's tagline for #hougangbyelection is “Always Here for You”. This CNA photo captures it.

author: Kirsten Han


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Spain: The “Indignados” of the 15M · Global Voices
Lali Sandiumenge

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
The date for the first citizen protest in Barcelona to celebrate the first anniversary of 15M (May 15th) was on Saturday 12M (May 12th) at 6pm in Catalunya Plaza. Sixty-one year-old Mari Ángeles left her place in El Prat, a neighborhood close to the airport within the city limits. With a group of neighbors, she took the banners they had prepared and rode the bus to Spain Plaza. There they met other members of the “southern column” which had already marched for a couple of hours starting at Cornellà near mid-day.
Miguel Ángel, 44 years old, joined the protest when it was passing by Esplugues. Sixty-nine year old Josep Maria did the same when it arrived to the Les Corts neighborhood. Karlos, also 44, stepped in carrying a backpack with all the necessary items to camp at the plaza until 15M.
Miguel Ángel. Photo by Lali Sandiumenge.
All except Karlos, who lived in Mexico some years and supported the Zapatista movement, had never been involved in any social or political activity before 15M. Since May 15th, 2011, they haven't stopped. Mari Ángeles is a member of the platform El Prat against cuts [ca] that denounces the austerity measures with which the Catalan government is amputating the welfare state; Miguel Ángel belongs to Aturem Eurovegas [ca] (Stop Eurovegas) to prevent the multimillionaire American mogul Sheldon Adelson to transform Llobregat river delta into a huge and complex casino and entertainment compound. Josep Maria has signed in recently to Iaioflautas, a group of retired workers hardened by the anti-Franco, left-wing, union struggle.
Karlos has found an escape valve. “I'm living this wake up with a lot of hope,” he said. “We, the restless people, were in a helpless situation and with 15M we found each other.”
Josep Maria. Picture by Lali Sandiumenge.
There are many reasons why people have taken action, but the main one is – and everybody agrees – that the situation has to change. “The prospect is raw, more than ever with so many cuts in Catalunya, we'll see how this ends,” said Miguel Ángel. “I have neighbors that are agonizing. If we keep going this way, there's going to be a civil revolution.”
There's no need to ask Josep Maria what he's thinking: the banners that cover his body are very eloquent. “We denounce is that in our society nobody cares about inequality and that the 1% and 99% is not about entelechy,” he commented to sum it up explaining that has researched and asked about the income levels of Spanish people – without success – to elaborate his own Lorenz curve. The outrage is so high, he added, that he doesn't rule out camping and spending the night at the plaza even though he is not young enough to be sleeping out in the open on top of anything.
There are also personal reasons. Miguel Ángel, a creative, lost his job at the Spanish auto-maker Seat four years ago and he hasn't been able to find another one. His strike subsidy is over and he's been struggling to live with what is left from his compensation.
Mari Ángeles. Photo by Lali Sandiumenge.
Mari Ángeles was forced to take an early retirement a year ago from a private health company. Her pension doesn't even reach 500 Euros free of taxes and it is not enough to live with her son, a grown man, so now they share his home. “My son is at the strike. He's studying English like crazy so he can look for a job outside in England or Canada,” she explained, although she interrupts herself often to join the chants her companions make to the cars that get impatient with the protest: “Don't look at us, join us!” Josep Maria, on the contrary, has a good pension. “If the distribution of wealth was more just, I would end up losing,” he declared while walking to Catalunya Plaza without hurrying, but also without pausing.
Desi (left) and Raquel collecting signatures for ILP. Photo taken by Lali Sandiumenge.
When it arrived to Catalunya Plaza, at the end of Grace Roadway, the protest converged with other columns that arrived from other parts of the city and beyond. At that spot, Desi and Raquel, 33 and 31 years-old respectively, installed a portable table to collect signatures to support the Popular Legislation Initiative (ILP) promoted by the Plataform of Mortgage Victims (PAH) [es] that is fighting for the approval of a law that rules a retroactive payment.
Both are dressed up in the green t-shirts that distinguish this group with the name of one of their main campaigns: Stop Evictions. Raquel also voluntarily participates in PAH since she took part of an action to prevent a family from her hometown to be evicted. Desi is one of the victims: it's been six months since she cannot pay the mortgage and there's no way to reach an agreement with the bank to hand in the apartment in exchange of the debt that adds up to almost 250,000 Euros.
Yo no encuentro trabajo y mi marido, tras estar en el paro, cobra ahora 1.200 euros al mes, y tenemos que pagar casi mil de la hipoteca. Tenemos dos hijas y tenemos que tirar adelante. Gracias a la PAH vamos haciendo, la unión hace la fuerza.
I can't find a job nor my husband, who after being on strike now receives 1,200 Euros monthly and we have to pay almost a thousand for the mortgage. We have two daughters and we need to keep at it. Thanks to PAH we are succeeding, together we strive.
Just in front of us a women is performing an act of protest. She has photocopied one of the movement's flyers (“If you pay your debt, let them pay your mortgage”) and has placed herself in front of a wall that protects a building under construction that says “The drums of rebellion are sounding.” Maria, that's her name, is 56 years-old and has been there for a couple of hours standing without moving, silent and with her face covered with the paper. The protesters pass by and stare at her, clap, and leave her alone. Photographers and tourists stop, take pictures and walk away. She holds on. She works at a nearby office and joined the protest after work. “I've photocopied the flyer and I now I'm with them, we are all part of the same package”, explains.
Voy a casi todas las protestas, no por mí, sino por mis hijos. Hemos luchado mucho por lo que tenemos y ahora se lo están cargando. Ya no reconozco a esta España.
I attend almost all the protests, not for me, but for my children. We have fought for what we have and now they are taking it away. I don't recognize this Spain.
Picture by Lali Sandiumenge.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Lali Sandiumenge


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Taiwan: Could the Future Be Nuclear-Free? · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

Since the nuclear disaster at  Fukushima in March 2011, 53 out of the 54 nuclear power plants in Japan have been shut down for security checks. On May 5, 2012, the proportion of Japan's energy supplied by nuclear power reached zero for the first time in 42 years, following the shut down of Tomari’s Unit 3 in Hokkaido. Although the Japanese government is currently seeking to restart some nuclear power plants, local representatives still have serious concerns regarding their safety.
In Taiwan, many people have also started talking about the possibility of moving towards a nuclear-free future. The Taiwan Environmental Protection Union [zh] is optimistic about the nuclear-free movement in Japan, as quoted in Coolloud.org:
日本從去年311之後，國內核電廠陸續關閉， 至今尚未發生缺電問題，如果可以熬過今年夏天不需核電，日本將真正進入無核國家。
Anti-nuclear energy protest in Taipei, March 11, 2012. Photo contributed to this post by James Yang under CC: BY-NC-SA
Su Huan-Chi, a candidate for chairperson with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), also stated [zh] in Plurk, a popular social media website in Taiwan, that:
如果我當黨主席，一定先推動核四北北基宜四縣市地方公投廢核四！
Nevertheless, not everyone is so optimistic about the nuclear-free development in Japan. bluesystem [zh] is worried how far Japan can go after shutting down all their nuclear power plants:
廢核絕對可以推! 只要不影響經濟下滑. 不過這真的會很拼…
核能的問題不只是使用其它能源來替代, 而是「能源自主性」的問題. 一旦重要的能源來源被別國控制, 那這個國家等於廢掉一樣! 這問題要怎麼解決? 除非能源自主率能提高吧~…那大家都廢核, 請問天然資源是不是大家一起搶? 假設台灣也搞廢核的話,能源來源方面搶得贏中國跟日本嗎?
Anti-nuclear energy protest in Taipei, April 30, 2011. Photo contributed to this post by James Yang under CC: BY-NC-SA
Despite the aforementioned worries, thousands of Taiwanese people protested against nuclear power on March 11, 2012, the first anniversary of the earthquake in Japan. Shuchuan, an independent environmental reporter, explained [zh] why she thinks Taiwan can and should give up nuclear energy:
福島核災打破核能安全神話，只要一次災害就足以毀掉所有。…我們還有選擇時，沒有理由不去思考任何不必使用核能發電的可能性。
以台灣目前核電佔總發電量不到兩成，但備載容量卻超過25%的情況下，廢不廢核並不是「能不能」的問題，而是「決心」。
台灣政府還預估未來用電要再成長38%，只要不歸零思考、不檢討自己的浪費行為、不思索更聰明的用電方式，發再多電都不夠用。
過去一年台灣政府已有改變，馬總統宣布核一、二、三使用年限到期不再延役，這是一個進展。然而對於核四依然繼續投入經費不願放手，核廢料無能力處理，卻一再強調核安的可以控制。然而，福島核災近在眼前，繼續說「核能安全」也已經沒有意義、且完全沒有說服力，終歸而言，台灣政府對核災還是沒有覺悟。
而這個歸零思考，理應是站在「廢除核電」的基礎上，重新去思考其他的能源方式，而如果其他的能源暫時無法完全取代，我們應該如何節能，以因應發電不足的情況。也就是說，思考自己的侷限，然後做出改變。
This post was sub-edited by Jane Ellis.

author: I-fan Lin


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Thailand: Minimum Wage and Cost of Living · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Bangkok Pundit translates survey reports on the minimum wage and cost of living conditions in Thailand

author: Mong Palatino


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Video: Anatomy of a Good Advocacy Video by WITNESS · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

WITNESS, a site advocating for Human Rights Issues has produced a nice analysis of what makes a good Advocacy video, using Aristotle's’ Poetic regarding story arcs.


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Video: Indigenous Video Festival Open for Submissions · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The XI International Film and Video Festival of Indigenous Peoples to be held in Colombia during last quarter of 2012 is putting out a call for entries for audiovisual material about indigenous and first people issues and topics.
The Center for Indigenous Cultures in Peru is promoting the festival through their blog, and this is how they summarize the event:
Colombia será la sede del XI Festival Internacional de Cine y Video de los Pueblos indígenas a realizarse en Bogotá del 23 al 30 de septiembre y en Medellín del 03 al 06 de octubre del presente año. Con el lema “Por la Vida Imágenes de Resistencia”, el festival tiene como objetivo visibilizar la extinción de los pueblos indígenas, la violación del territorio y a sus sitios sagrados naturales, como un espacio de análisis de la crisis humanitaria que atraviesan los pueblos indígenas.
Videos or films submitted to the Festival should have been made after January 1, 2010 and should not have previously participated in the International Festival of Film and Video of Indigenous Peoples. They should focus on the topics of child labor, ecology, education, history, indigenous medicine, identity, land and territory, political participation, rights of indigenous people's, women and worldview and they can be animation, docu-fiction, documentary, fiction, experimental video, music videos, video art, television programs. Deadline for submissions is May 21st, 2012 and information on where to mail the submissions and application forms can be found on their page.


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Vietnam: State of E-Commerce · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Chip 2.0 writes about the slow development of e-commerce in Vietnam


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Africa: The Golden Baobab Award  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Submit your story for The Golden Baobab Award: “The Golden Boabab Award was established in 2008 to encouraged writers in Africa who specialize in books for children and young adults.”


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Armenia: Homophobic Firebombing Controversy Continues as Officials, MPs Promote Hate Crime · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Controversy continues to surround the 8 May firebombing of D.I.Y., a gay friendly bar in Yerevan. At the beginning of the week, two MPs of the nationalist-leaning Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) not only surprised many by bailing the two suspected arsonists out of jail, but also by justifying the attack in what some consider to be little more than incitement to further violence against members of Armenia's LGBT community.
The move has been criticized widely, and not least among other members of the ARF-D, most notably in or countries outside Armenia, who believe the MPs contradict the socialist nature of the party. Some ARF-D supporters on Facebook, for example, even created and changed their profile pictures in support of those targeted.
Another voiced their opinion as a Facebook status update.
[…] the statements made by our Parliament member are unfortunate, and the acts of those two idiots are deplorable. […] I hope [the MP] will be removed from the party, simply because he clearly does not uphold the values of the ARF and therefore should not represent us in a position that should be held for our highest standard of leaders.
https://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/05/16/armenia-concerns-and-fears-after-nationalist-firebombers-released/
Several articles and editorials in Armenian-American newspapers affiliated with the ARF-D agreed. Unzipped: Gay Armenia, for example, re-posts a comment left under one such opinion piece criticizing the actions of the two ARF-D MPs.
There are won’t be any marches in Yerevan. No candle lights, no straight folks walking hand in hand with gays or bi’s in the streets of Yerevan claiming the governments disapproval of such hate crime.
What are they waiting for? Do they need some dead bodies? A sensational crime scene decorated by bloodshed … what the hell the Armenian people are waiting for? Go out! Shout out, people! Say “we don’t want bigotery in this country! We had enough of it!
What? This issue doesn’t concern you? What if you will be the next target and nobody will come out to stand up for you?
Think about it!
Even so, in its latest post, Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on a video interview with two self-proclaimed fascists who say it was the ARF-D's own television channel that encouraged them to target sexual minorities in the country.
In an interview with ARF Dashnaktsutyun affiliated Yerkir Media TV station, these underage “fascists” mentioned that they started targeting DIY after the report by Yerkir Media on DIY owner Tsomak participation in Istanbul Gay Pride. Interestingly, Yerkir Media didn't air this interview tonight.
Nevertheless, while one small opposition party leader has come out in support of D.I.Y., senior government officials have now shocked liberal Armenians by also speaking out in support of those responsible for the firebombing.
@unzippedblog: Exposed: Chief of staff of Public Council of #Armenia supports neo-nazi firebombers http://goo.gl/HbbYr #neonazi #hatecrime #scandal
@unzippedblog: Disgusting! #Armenia ruling Republican party spokesman MP explicitly supports anti #gay #neonazi firebombers
@HimaKaren: The spokesman of the rulling regime of #Armenia and the vice-speaker of the parliament Eduard Sharmazanov has spreaded a statement encouraging the individuals who has attacked the gay friendly DIY club, and blaming the people who condemn the #homophobic attacks. This means that the current regime is officially encouraging and supports the homophobic attacks and Armenia in-spite of the official #humanrights conventions it has sign[ed]
Indeed, reports Unzipped: Gay Armenia, one government official even set up a homophobic Facebook page, now deleted, praising the arsonists.
Hakob Barkhudaryan, chief of staff of Public Council of Republic of Armenia, a consultative body at Armenia president, created a Facebook page in praise of neo-nazi attackers on DIY bar: “In support of firebombers of DIY club”, calling for  attackers to be freed of persecution.
[…]
This is truly Scandal of the Day. We all know that this council is pretty much a formality, and there are quite a few openly homophobic members there. But support for terrorists? Unbelievable.
What is the position of the president of Public Council re this matter? What is the position of Armenia president?
We need urgent answers as the consequences of this could be enormously damaging for the reputation of Armenia, suggesting support for neo-nazi and firebombers in the very heart of state structures.
Meanwhile, Le Retour in 3 Parts says that officials should instead be condemning the attack and not supporting it.
If there was ever a time for state officials and public figures to speak out, it is now. And again, I say, you may consider us mentally ill (despite the fact that homosexuality is no longer considered a mental disorder […]), you may despise us, you may wish we never existed, but you must stand up and condemn such acts. I believe the authorities are obliged to respond — not by creating a page on Facebook praising the neo-nazi attackers on DIY bar, as one state official did, but by publicly stating that it is acceptable neither to take the law into your hands nor to terrorize, intimidate, vilify or otherwise harass another person or group for ANY reason. Period.
Nevertheless, while some officials and politicians condone the attack, a discussion about the rights of the LGBT community in Armenia has at least started. And with the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) this week ranking Armenia as one of the most homophobic countries in Europe, that discussion is needed more than ever.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bolivia: Web 2.0 Workshops for Aymara School Teachers · Global Voices
Victoria Tinta

On May 2 and 3, 2012, a series of Web 2.0 workshops were held in the Department of Oruro in Bolivia. These workshops were organized by the Ministry of Education [es] and the Jaqi Aru [ay] Project, which is comprised of a group of linguists in the city of El Alto, Bolivia. This group has been promoting the use of the Aymara language on the internet. Many of the volunteers from Global Voices Aymara [ay] also form part of Jaqi Aru. Education professors from the Teacher Training Superior School (ESFM for its initials in Spanish) took part in the workshops, and the event's objective was to help the professors and their students begin to create digital media content in the Aymara language.
According to the planned program, the workshops took place in the following schedule:
On Thursday, May 3, the workshop began at 9:30 am in the conference room with an opening presentation by the facilitators from Jaqi Aru.
Following this presentation, Mario Duran Chuquimia [es] gave a talk about Web 2.0 and Wikipedia. In the afternoon, hands-on workshops took place in the computer lab, where each professor worked on an individual computer with an Internet connection.
Martin Canaviri provided a workshop about social networking sites, focusing on the use of Facebook, and Ruben Hilare [ay] shared his experience in the use of Twitter. Finally, Victor Paco Montevilla [ay], gave a presentation about the use of the photograph sharing site Flickr.
Photograph by Mario R. Duran and used under a Creative Commons license
On Friday, May 4, Elias Quispe spoke about blogging on WordPress, and Edwin Quispe [ay] introduced the participants to Skype. Hilare later presented a workshop on Wikipedia Aymara.
The workshop ended in the conference room with a short evaluation, in which the professors gave thanks to the members of Jaqi Aru and the Ministry of Education for organizing the workshops and for the training sessions. Many participants said that they were motivated to create content using these new technologies.
Professor René Chura Quispe from ESFM Mariscal Andrés de Santa Cruz Calahumana, located in the Department of La Paz, said:
…los conocimientos tecnológicos debemos experimentar, las herramientas son muy importantes…
Antonio José de Sucre, a professor from ESFM Antonio José de Sucre, mentioned:
Un trabajo conjunto esa motivación hacia nuestros estudiantes, es poder hacer el uso de plataforma; no solamente en idioma Aymara, sino también en idioma castellano.
Cristina from ESFM Caracollo in the Department of Oruro said:
…que no sea este único taller sino que haya más talleres sobre el manejo de herramientas digitales; difundamos nuestra idioma Aymara en Internet como idioma Ingles.
The professors indicated that there is a commitment to create and spread new content on these virtual platforms, which they learned about during the workshops.
Jaqi Aru published a blog post [ay] about the workshop, where they also published the following video from the event:

author: Victoria Tinta


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China, Singapore: Reaction on Ferrari Crash · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Recently a rich Mainland Chinese man killed three persons (including himself) in a Ferrari car crash in Singapore because of drunk driving. The incident has resulted in anti mainland Chinese sentiment in Singapore, Peter Barefoot from ChinaSMACK translated netizens’ reaction from China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Georgia: LGBT Activists Attacked by Orthodox Religious Group · Global Voices
Mirian Jugheli

In the first ever event of its kind in the country to mark the 17 May International Day Against Homophobia, Georgian LGBT activists were blocked by a group of Orthodox Christians as they marched in downtown Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.
Priests leading the Union of Orthodox Parents (UOP) demanded the march stopped, alleging that it would lead to moral depravity among the younger generation in the predominantly Christian country.
LGBT activists responded by asking them to clear the way so that the march could continue, but when attempts by the priests and UOP to convince nearby police to to stop the march failed, a physical altercation ensued.
Photo by TSpress.ge
@gabo_ge: პოლიციამ იდენტობის სამი აქტივისტი დააკავა მათ შორის ლევან გერიანიძე
@temuchin22: მმკ ხალხს სცემს და ნაცემი ხალხი მიჰყავთ განყოფილებაში. მიმიფურთხებია ასეთი სამართალდამცავი ორგანოსთვის! მოვითხოვ მმკელების დაპატიმრებას!
@lishtotah: LGBT activism limited to “holding the very first pride” will only fuel #homophobia in #Tbilisi :queer here:
@JohnHesslewood:  If your main argument is ‘how can you promote something like that in the street’ then I would ask the same thing of you, christians #tbilisi
Photo by TSpress.ge
Photo by TSpress.ge
Follow this link to view more photos.
The confrontation was denounced by many on Facebook who changed their profile pictures in support of the activists.
'International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia'
Incidentally, this is not the first time the UOP has disrupted a peaceful gathering. In 2008, for example, several young Georgians were attacked for organizing an open air Halloween party.

author: Mirian Jugheli


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Georgia: No Sex and the City · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

No Sex and the City — Georgian Liberal (an oxymoron) blog comments on the physical confrontation between priests accompanying religious parents and LGBT activists marching in Tbilisi, Georgia. The blog details events as they happened, including the alleged inaction of the Georgian police when they were asked to intervene to defuse tensions.


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Ghana: Will Parliament Pass Right to Information Before 2013? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Cecil Dadzie wonders whether the Ghanaian parliament will pass Right to Information Bill before 2013: “The Rights to Information Bill (RTI), which was laid before Parliament in February, 20I0, has generated controversy, with the RTI Coalition blaming Parliament for feet-dragging in passing the bill into law.”


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Greece: New Interim Government  · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

After the 6 May general elections in Greece and the failure of political parties to form even a coalition government, the interim government to be sworn on May 17 under Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos will lead the country to election again on June 17. Netizens are commenting on these events and joking about the chosen PM's surname on Twitter, using the hashtags #pikrammenos and #pikramenos, which means “embittered”.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Guatemala: A ‘Guatemaltequismo’ A Day · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Mario Cordero from Diario Paranoico [es] has opened a wikispace [es] where he posts one ‘guatemaltequismo’ (word that is used in Guatemala) per day. Mario also set up a Facebook [es] page where he shares that day's ‘guatemaltequismo’.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Lesotho: 2012 General Election Date Set · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Lesotho will hold general elections on 26 May 2012. King Letsie III set the date for elections following successful political negotiations mediated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Blogging from Lesotho, Michael Jordan reports:
Political violence in the enclave encircled by South Africa has flared up ahead of May 26 elections – an ominous sign in what one analyst calls the latest “stress test” for democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. Cracks have emerged here with high-profile assassinations, rumors of a “hit squad,” and clashes at campaign rallies.
So the United Nations invited Archbishop Tutu to bolster democracy in the land, where, before launching his crusade against Apartheid next door, he served his first bishopric from 1976-78. On Friday, his “prayer meeting” extracted a pledge among political rivals to keep the peace and respect election results.
Citing the past political violence of South Africa, Tutu urged an audience that included the prime minister of Lesotho, “Please, please, please, please do not let the same happen to this stunningly beautiful land. Nothing can be so precious that it can be bought with innocent lives.”
Voters during Lesotho elections in 2007. Photo courtesy of GNDEM's Flickr page.
He continues:
Lesotho’s election is more than a contested vote in a remote country rarely heard from. It comes on the heels of successful elections across the continent: Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, and Zambia have recently all experienced peaceful elections. There have been a few notable blemishes: a couple of coups des états in Mali and Guinea-Bissau, and a contested election in Cote D’Ivoire in late 2010 that briefly turned into a civil war.
Khotso From Lesotho notes that political parties involved in the elections are too many to keep track of them all:
Elections are upon us in Lesotho. The scheduled date of national elections is May 26th. Parties are in full swing with events and meetings. On the weekends people come out and sing, hold flags, line up their horses, and urge people to vote for their party. There are many parties here, so it is hard to keep track of it all, but there are at least 2 major parties and from what people are saying it will be a very close election. The current prime minister formed a new party to run with and there has already been a bit of fighting (actual physical fighting) even within this one party.
Although the elections do not seem to be a trending topic online, there are tweeps sharing information, insights and opinions about the May 26 elections:
@takwiram: Of factions & fractions, party splits & contested elections. Lesotho has 120 MPs + 33 senators for 2,2 million people & GDP pc of $1,600
@KayZeeKokotela: Lesotho's upcoming elections, May 26, a true testimony of Basotho's freedom.
@TumiVolume: “@KommandaObbs: It's annoying how a small country like Lesotho has over 17 political parties contesting for general elections.” democracy
@Snitzerd: @WilliamJHague. The Kingdom of Lesotho is going for General Elections on the 26th may…international support needed
@gophlyone: Lesotho elections have neva been so closely contested, u can't tell who's going to win this one…LCD, DC, BNP or ABC
@KCMokoma: This weekend will most dramatic weekend as ever in Lesotho political history. We faithfully pray for peaceful elections
The elections will take place against the backdrop of political violence. The Lesotho Political Parties Leadership Forum claims that there is a “hit squad” that has been assigned to kill prominent people ahead of the general elections.


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Lesotho: Touching Tiny Lives · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Touching Tiny Lives works to mitigate the effect of HIV/AIDS on the most vulnerable infants and children under age five by supporting their health, nutritional, developmental, and emotional needs in Lesotho.


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Mozambique: Police Chief Sitting Above the Law  · Global Voices
Jornal @Verdade

The intransigence of Jorge Khalau, Commander in Chief of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), who stated that police forces are governed by his rule and should not comply with any court order, shocked the public opinion in the beginning of May.
In the epicenter of the controversy was the unconstitutionally denial of Jorge Khalau to comply with an order of release of the Provincial Commander of Nacala, Adriano Muianga [pt], issued by the Court of Nampula. The positioning of Khalau against the bail order of Muianga and four other police officers – following the criminal proceedings initiated against them for alleged involvement in arms trafficking and trim – completely violates the Constitution of the Republic.
In fact, Jorge Khalau publicly stated that the PRM knows the law and it will not obey any court order that aims to free police agents who violate internal rules. The Bar Association expressed their displeasure in a document [pt] published on Jornal Notícias:
Police in Maputo, 2010. Photo by Amanda Rossi on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
O Comandante-Geral da Polícia dá ordens à sua corporação para não cumprir ordens judiciais sempre que estiverem em causa as ditas “normas internas”. Instiga a PRM a desrespeitar os tribunais e orienta a Polícia para, sob seu comando, sobrepor as suas decisões internas às decisões dos tribunais.
Journalist Lázaro Mabunda wrote an opinion piece on the newspaper O País titled “Um perigo e um problema chamado Khalau” (A danger and a problem called Khalau) [pt]. Mabunda recalls the words of Khalau:
Vale recordar o que ele disse: “Nós conhecemos as leis. Nós não obedecemos a nenhum juiz. Nós tomamos as nossas medidas internas. Agora dizem que (o regulamento) está ultrapassado! Muito obrigado! O código penal de que ano é? 1886. Só o regulamento da polícia é que está ultrapassado? Houve violação de normas internas (…).”
The Mozambican League for Human Rights went further and urged the President of the Republic to exonerate [pt] the Commander in Chief of PRM.
While the Minister of Justice Benvinda Levi rebuked [pt] Jorge Khalau, the Attorney General's Office requested the opinion [pt] of the Constitutional Committee on his inflammatory statements.
However, the Commander in Chief came back to public to declare that he will remain peremptory [pt] against crime and indiscipline.
The stubbornness of Khalau has lead the investigative journalist Luís Nhachote to nominate him for the Mampara of the week for two weeks in a row on his Facebook page.

author: Jornal @Verdade


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Namibia: 2012 Chess King of Namibia · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Namibia has a news King of chess: “Candidate Master Charles Eichab won the National Chess Championship 2012. The 9 round National Chess Championship came to a close today, 4 May 2012 and Charles Eichab took the honors with an almost perfect score of 8.5/9 He only conceded 1 draw against Fide Master Leonhard Mueller who came 2nd also with 8.5/9.”


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Paraguay: A Look Inside Aché Indigenous Communities · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

For much of their history, the Aché indigenous people in Paraguay have been struggling to preserve their territory. Now, the Aché are using citizen media to preserve their language and their culture. The blog Aché Djawu [es] (“The Aché Word”) and several Twitter accounts [es] provide a glimpse inside six Aché indigenous communities.
After a genocide that reduced their population to 350 during the 20th century, the Aché have been slowly growing into six communities with approximately 1500 members in Northern and Eastern Paraguay.
This year, the Aché Djawu (“The Aché Word”) project was selected as one of the newest Rising Voices grantees. Rising Voices director Eduardo Avila explains:
The purpose of the project is to identify several young people from each of the six Aché communities to take part in intensive skills-building workshops in the use of blogs, digital photography and video, as well as social networking, as a way to preserve and promote their language and culture.
In the following video, Marciano Chevugi from the Aché Chupa Pou community invites netizens to visit the blog and follow the community on Twitter. Chevugi also thanks everyone that is supporting them in rescuing and protecting their culture. (Note: Chevugi starts speaking in Aché for a brief moment and then speaks in Spanish. The Spanish section of the video has been subtitled into English by Eduardo Avila)
The blog plays an important role in documenting the history of these Aché communities. A post [es] from April 29, 2012 tells a brief history of the Aché community of Chupa Pou. In the post Chevugi explains that the community was founded on May 9, 1979 by a group of Aché and a Divine Word missionary. Chevugi also writes that the community currently has 8600 hectares of natural forests along the Jejui Guazu river in the Canindeyu Department:
[…] hoy la comunidad tiene 120 familias, en total 600 habitantes, cuenta con escuela y colegio; 220 alumnos en total, hoy una nueva construcción de puesto de salud dentro de la comunidad que sera equipada de primeros auxilios, también esta dentro de la liga de fútbol de Ygatimi, con el club 20 de enero. En el agricultura cada familia hace para su auto consumo y renta, la comunidad cuenta con pequeña parcela de 25 hectáreas mecanizada para ingreso de la comunidad.
The blog also showcases the stories of individual members of these communities. The post “Cho Mbywangi” [es] , for example, is a short self-introduction by an important female community leader:
Me llamo Margarita Mbywangi vivo en la comumidad Kuetuvy, trabajo en área de salud. Soy líder de la comunidad, me gusta mucho rescatar la cultura Aché, hacer el parto y jugar con los niños y escuchar la historia y la vida de la gente.
In 2008, Margarita Mbywangi was the first indigenous person to become Minister of Indigenous Affairs in Paraguay.
Furthermore, several indigenous participants took part in an earlier project capturing life and tradition in their communities through photographs. The following photograph by Francisco Kandeg shows a “traditional Aché game”:
Photo: Francisco Kandegi, Puerto Barra.
You can see more photos in Aché Djawu's Flickr account.


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Proposals for Union of Arab Gulf States Prompt Concern · Global Voices
Salah Almhamdi

The governments of the Gulf are discussing transforming the current Gulf Cooperation Council into an EU-style union. The move comes in an atmosphere of uncertainty and tension caused by the Arab uprisings and Iran's growing influence. As a first step, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain might seek closer union.
Full discussions of the issue have been delayed until December.
GCC civil society groups have requested that their governments postpone the move and engage their people through a referendum. Iran has called for rallies against the proposed union of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain which it describes as an annexation of Bahrain (and its comments were in turn protested by Bahrain).
Across the Gulf concern has been expressed regarding the plans for a union.
GCC states. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Aiyah Saihati, a Saudi blogger and entrepreneur, slammed the plan:
Saudi’s attempt to create a union for the purpose of countering Iran, which is not a threat, is only to enhance the sectarian narrative. Shifting the narrative from democratization to a sectarian frame changes how potential protests in the country are handled. The smaller countries with denser resources are ahead of Saudi in some of aspects of development and already have partially and soon fully elected parliaments. Uniting with Saudi just means inheriting its dogmas and problems. It means diluting dense resources over a larger more problematic constituency as well as diluting power per square area if one considers the total area governed by Al-Saud. If I were Qatar, why would I dive in?
Kuwaiti Ghassan El-Wagayan tweeted:
@Ghassanw: Thank you but NOOOOOO thank you
In Bahrain, Ali Al Saeed asked:
@alialsaeed: Oh no, women drive in #Bahrain? How can there be a union with #saudi? Ban female drivers?! #GCCunion
Kuwaiti Mishal Al Mutire expressed his concerns:
Bahraini journalist Wafa Alamm wrote:
Journalist Mohammad Albaghli questioned the feasibility of the move:
Madawi Al Rasheed, a Saudi professor of social anthropology, tweeted:

author: Salah Almhamdi


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Russia: NHL Stars Return to 2012 World Hockey Championship  · Global Voices
Donna Welles

Undefeated after seven games, and boasting an All-Star lineup of Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin, and Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian national team will face Norway in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship, tomorrow on May 17.
The 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship is being held in Stockholm and Helsinki. Both cities hosted tournaments during the preliminary round, where eight teams competed for the four slots advancing to the single-elimination quarterfinals. Helsinki's group consisted of: Belarus, Canada, Finland, France, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the U.S., while Stockholm's had: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
Russia started the tournament on Saturday, May 5, with a 5-2 victory over Latvia, before going on to beat Norway 4-2 on Sunday, Germany 2-0 on Tuesday, and Denmark 3-1 on Thursday.
Russia's Emotional 7-3 Victory Over Sweden
Dmitry Mikhaylov announced in his bilinguial blog how the Russian team came from behind to beat the host country on Friday, May 11.
STOCKHOLM – In a highly anticipated match-up, Russia and Sweden met tonight at the Globe Arena in an emotional battle of undefeated teams at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Down 3-1, Russia scored six unanswered goals to win 7-3.
In response to this highly emotional victory, both the mainstream and citizen media outlets of the Russian Internet devoted dramatically increased coverage to the tournament.
Bloggers Respond to Russia's 2-0 Victory Over the Czech Republic
Planet's Sporting World discussed [ru] how, although Russia scored after only 24 seconds of play, the Czech Republic dominated much of the game, but could not capitalize. NHL Pittsburgh Penguins player Evgeni Malkin scored for Russia in the third period, before he and two of his teammates — Pavel Datsyuk and Milan Mikhalek — were charged with minor penalties.
As is often the case when mainstream outlets build attention on an event, many Russian bloggers quoted their reportage, as a way of spreading popular analyses. Ruslan's News reposted [ru] a quote from Evgeni Malkin, taken from a Vesti article:
Тяжело всё выполнить. Но, конечно, здорово сыграли. И в обороне пять минут выстояли в третьем периоде. Это, наверное, дало всплеск эмоций, и после этого мы забили быстрый гол.
News Spreads of the Return of Alexander Ovechkin & Alexander Semin
Similarly, news of the return of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin from the NHL, following the Washington Capitals’ 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers, spread rapidly in both mainstream and citizen media outlets. (Evgeni Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins and Pavel Datsyuk's Detriot Red Wings were eliminated even earlier, in the previous round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.)
Alexander Semin scores the first goal in the World Ice Hockey Championship final, 18 May 2008, photo by Alexey Chernyadyev, CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.
Most bloggers framed the story as a homecoming for Ovechkin and Semin, while some Twitter users indicated their familiarity with mainstream journalism, such as Sport.rbc and Lenta.ru.
Lisbeth Armel:
Прочитала, что овечкин любит хип-хоп и r'n'b. представила. 5 минут сидела с фейспалмом.
Sanya Belovka:
Овечкина и Семина Ждем с нетерпением….В россии….2-1 Вашингтон домои)!!!А Овечкин В ШВЕЦИЮ!!!!
Ilgiz Taipov:
Приезд Овечкина и Семина по разному комментируют, кто то вспоминает его прошлогоднюю игру за сборную, и пишут типа зачем он нужен и т.п.. Надо уметь использовать потенциал этого игрока, а мы то знаем что он может играть, что потенциал у него огромный. Семин тоже хороший игрок, то что с Вашингтонгом Кэпиталз случилось это чисто тренерский просчет.

author: Donna Welles


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Togo : Presidential Patrimony versus University Facilities · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Commenting on the declaration of assets of the new French President Francois Hollande, Jeogo  wrote [fr]: “What is certain is that the patrimony of Francois Hollande (..) is no match for the patrimony of the “big shots “of the Togolese Republic (..) yet the crowded university is still without air-conditioned computer rooms; one room is equipped with a score of old computers that are not connected to the internet and where a power outage often ends the class sessions.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko’s Plight and Euro 2012 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

There must be some corners on the web (e.g., here and here) where football fans are still having apolitical discussions of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, scheduled to take place in Poland and Ukraine from June 8 to July 1. For the past few weeks, however, the upcoming sporting event has featured prominently in arguments and discussions among those who seem more interested in the Ukrainian and European politics than sports.
Earlier this month, several European politicians, including the EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, announced their plans to boycott Euro 2012 in protest against the imprisonment of ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko. However, there is no consensus among the EU officials yet on whether “to call a political boycott of the Ukraine half of the Euro 2012 football championships.”
Tymoshenko's arrest came on August 5, 2011, a little over a month after the beginning of her first trial on June 24. She was kept at Kyiv's Lukyanivska Prison (GV texts about this facility are here and here) until December 30, when she was transferred to the Kachanivska Penal Colony in Kharkiv to serve a seven-year sentence for exceeding her powers as Prime Minister. Reports of Tymoshenko's health problems and her 20-day hunger strike have dominated the recent coverage of her case. On April 19, another trial of Tymoshenko began in Kharkiv, but she refused to attend it. The hearing of this second case, in which Tymoshenko is charged with evading taxes in the 1990s, has been postponed until late May.
The Euro 2012 trophy presentation ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo by  ALEKSANDER PEREVOZNIK, copyright © Demotix (May 11, 2012)
While the preparation for the tournament in Ukraine was marred by a number of other controversies (e.g., the cruel treatment of stray animals; accusations of hotel price gouging; and, of all things, the threat posed by the “beautiful Ukrainian women”), this latest international scandal seems to have done the most harm to Ukraine's image so far.
On May 3, the Economist asked readers in an online poll if they supported the calls to boycott the games held in Ukraine:
The apparently brutal treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko, an imprisoned Ukrainian opposition leader, has led to calls for European leaders to stay away from Ukrainian matches in the upcoming Euro 2012 football tournament, which the country is hosting jointly with Poland.
The Economist agrees with these calls. Do you?
Of the 1,834 votes cast so far, 68 percent are in favor of the boycott and 32 percent are against it.
Odessablogger – who believes that “the football is the wrong stick to hit Ukraine with given the need for EU personalities to interact directly with the Ukrainian people” – recounted some of the examples of sports and politics “colliding” in the past, and quoted from the April 28 Der Spiegel interview [en] with boxer and politician Vitali Klitschko, who opposes the boycott of Euro 2012:
“[…] This tournament is the biggest sporting event in the history of Ukraine. It has to happen. It is even an excellent opportunity to draw the world’s attention to the maladministration in our country. […]”
Odessablogger also noted Yulia Tymoshenko's stance on the boycott:
[…] In case you are wondering, the current position taken by Ms Tymoshenko herself over the matter, is that there should not be a boycott because of her, and that the Ukrainian people should see the EU leaders in Ukraine as it will encourage them to look to the EU rather than think they have been written off. […]
Marek Siwiec, a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament, explained on his BlogActiv.eu blog why he did not support the boycott:
[…] In Poland we need to understand (and I repeated it many times) that the football championship for Ukrainians is a national question – a source of pride, regardless of political views. Ukrainians deserve to have this tournament in their country in an atmosphere of festivity, in spite of all. […]
[…] Besides, as a whole political class, just as we act together in defence of Yulia Tymoshenko, in this case we should separate sport from politics. If there was somebody in Poland who would like to take this opportunity to rob something from Ukrainians, I warn – the political costs in the mutual relations will be long lasting and serious. […]
Jonathan Hibberd of Chicken in Kiev wrote about Germany's stance on Euro 2012 in Ukraine:
Merkel boycotts Ukraine? Business as usual.
Germany has been boycotting Ukraine's interests for some time. […]
[…] Germany should in fact, albeit indirectly, accept some responsibility for what has happened here since 2010. As one leading commentator said a couple of years back, it would have meant an awful lot if Chancellor Merkel had come to Kiev and made a speech in support of Ukraine's European ambitions. Don't forget how narrowly Tymoshenko lost the Presidential election. German endorsement of a European and Euro-Atlantic choice for Ukraine might well have been enough to swing the election for her, but instead it was held against a background of resignation, that Europe didn't want Ukraine and rapprochement with Russia was paramount. Merkel was not there for her then. […]
At OpenDemocracy.net, Valery Kalnysh, deputy editor of the Kommersant Ukraina newspaper, shared this possible explanation for the German leader's position:
[…] But why, on the other hand, is Germany so active in taking up the cudgels against Ukraine? During the course of a conversation, a German journalist commented ‘It’s quite easy for Merkel to attack Ukraine and demand respect for human rights. Unlike Russia, you have no oil or gas and you’re not as strong and influential as China. It’s convenient to criticise Ukraine and it does great things for [her] popularity rating.’ […]
LEvko of Foreign Notes explained “why Ukraine's Euro 2012 [would] not be as big a success as hoped”:
[…] In previous tournaments, in my experience, many fans have made an extended holiday of their visits to countries hosting such events; days between matches being spent on the beach, sightseeing, etc. etc. In countries such as Austria/Switzerland or Portugal, where tourism is highly developed, this was an attractive proposition..but, no disrespect intended…Kharkiv? Dontesk?
Europe is currently in the deepest economic crisis since WW2. There is little cash around..not enough to pay the Ukraine's rip-off hotel prices.
Then there's the Olympic games in London later in the year – an attractive draw for sports fans.
[…] But the tsunami of bad press in Europe's mass media over the Tymoshenko affair will be the final turn-off. Fans will rather stay at home, or, at best, fly in and out for matches, just like they do for European club matches.. […]
Olga Mrinska of Regional Accents reflected [uk] on the Euro 2012 boycott scandal in the context of the general social and political situation in Ukraine:
[…] The repressive race aimed at the opposition leaders has reached its apogee in the past year, and domestic politics has become the center of attention of world leaders. […] Today's Ukraine is, above all, associated with the jailed opposition, lack of freedom of speech, kleptomaniac and lying officials. Our president must have naively (???) believed that [it's possible to endlessly mislead these “spineless” European leaders and feed them with “mañana” [empty promises] at any mention of the democratic reforms – the leaders who live in ordinary houses in the city center (Germany), ride bicycles (the Netherlands), fly regular commercial flights (Finland) and have incomparably fewer guards that he does (choose any EU country).] And when these Europeans have finally stood up […], [the Ukrainian leaders began talking] of the Cold War era and bias. In my opinion, this is a lousy excuse…
The problem isn't with the Europeans, but with the Ukrainians – the voters who have brought to power people without the intellect, without a strategic vision and without the belief in the better future for the country and its people. The problem is with the so-called elite that, just like those hotel owners, lives only in the present, without giving any thought to the future.
Despite the avalanche of negative information about Ukraine in the world media, justified in most cases, we still have a chance to [show Ukraine in a positive light] to those football fans who would attend the Euro. Out people are the last  frontier and the last hope. The end result and the final assessment of the event depends on their open-mindedness, decency and hospitality. […]
Finally, a few words about the aspect of Euro 2012 that has gone largely unnoticed – [the view that the Ukrainians themselves have of the event]. Five years ago, we were promised an ocean of private investments, a new and shining infrastructure that would serve host cities for decades, an influx of tourists and billions for the economy. Instead, residents of Kyiv and other cities have experienced mainly negative consequences – destruction of parks, totally dug-up cities, closed streets, altered public transportation routes, […], growing prices, etc. […]


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Afghanistan: Women’s Voices Raised to Poetry · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Through twitter, Al Jazeera shares the video story of a group of Afghan women who are using poetry as a way to empower themselves and reclaim their voice.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Armenia: Blogger Calls for Resignation of Homophobic Dashnak MP · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on the continuing controversy surrounding   Artsvik Minasyan, an MP from the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation–Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D). The blog says that in addition to bailing out a Neo-Nazi arsonist in police custody, Minasyan continues to make homophobic statements in the media following the 8 May firebombing of a gay-friendly bar in the Armenian capital by labeling homosexuality a threat to the country's national security. Elected under the proportional system in Armenia, and thus lacking a specific mandate in the majoritarian system, Unzipped: Gay Armenia calls on the ARF-D to remove Minasyan from their ranks immediately.


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Armenia: State Sponsored Fascism · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following support from government officials and representatives of the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashanktsutyun (ARF-D) for two Neo-Nazis accused of firebombing a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan, Unzipped: Gay Armenia asks if the country is moving towards a form of state sponsored fascism that threatens the rights and well-being of its own citizens.


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Bahamas: Bringing Balance to the “Corruption Narrative”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

An interesting read on the Bahamas “Corruption Narrative”, here.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Barbados, Cuba: Prisoner’s Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Raul is clearly going to be a thorn in the flesh of any government in power unless passage can be found for him somewhere”: Barbados Free Press expresses concern for Cuban-born prisoner Raul Garcia's safety.


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Barbados: Literary “Giants”  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

For BC Pires, the highlight of the launch of the inaugural Bim Literary Festival wasn't the speeches or cultural presentations but the greeting of two “literary giants.”

author: Matthew Hunte


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Cape Verde: Encouraging Storytelling and Creative Writing · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

[All links lead to sites in Portuguese.]
Set over the course of seven weeks, a creative writing competition promoted by the young Cape Verdean journalist Odair Varela on his blog, Crioulo n'Descontra, has led a dozen word lovers from three different continents to get behind their keyboards and let their imaginations flow.
The competition was launched at the end of March [en] to “promote a taste for writing and for linguistic and artistic evolution”. Odair suggested a set of four challenges; the responses, written in either poetry or prose, were published on his blog.
On 9th May the winners were announced, determined by counting the number of views their texts had received. This article will provide an overview of the stories told.
What will Cape Verde be like in 2090?
In the first challenge, competitors were asked to imagine possible routes for Cape Verde in terms of sustainable development, energy, environment and climate change. Anete Carvalho wrote ‘País Museu‘ (Museum Country), José Soares posted a poem, ‘Verdes eram as ilhas‘, (The Islands were Green), and ‘Retrospectiva 2012-2090‘ (2012-2090: Retrospective) was written by Silvianne Spencer. The piece with the most views was a poem written by Suruk Rodrigues:
Men of the Atlantic. Photo by Martin Edstrom copyright Demotix (27/07/2008).
Constrói-se uma terra de betão.
E do sonho cultivado, colhe-se desilusão!
Que caia chuva, para transbordar apenas
barragens cheias de lágrimas dos que choram em vão!
Different approaches to tourism were also portrayed in several texts, such as that of Letícia Varela, written in Galician and entitled ‘Relógio do Tempo‘ (Time Clock). The possible extinction of Cape Verdean Creole was alluded to in the pieces by Nani Delgado, ‘Não Vou Ficar‘ (I Will Not Stay), and by Ary Rodrigues, ‘Um Povo Sempre Escravo‘ (A Nation Forever A Slave), which also talks about the country's economic growth and the influences of China.
Carla Gonçalves tells the story of an anthropologist and researcher who, in 2090, finds the book ‘A Morabeza das Ilhas Crioulas’ (The Morabeza of the Creole Islands), which has a “clear cover that features stunningly beautiful white dunes; beautiful moraines and flowers with mountains towering in the background”, causing him to search for the meaning of “morabeza”. He travels to the islands; when he arrives, however, the last remaining inhabitant says ‘Não há mais Cabo Verde‘ (Cape Verde is no more):
Eis que Nhô Chico lhe responde num inglês rudimentar: Morabeza era a nossa essência, a música, a saudade. Morabeza eram as nossas crioulas, uma diferente da outra, mas todas únicas. Morabeza eram as nossas praias de areias brancas e negras, as montanhas fortes e imponentes, a simpatia e acolhimento. Morabeza eram as flores, a diversidade cultural, a dança. Morabeza era aquilo que nos distinguia, que nos fazia únicos. Mas isso acabou e não há mais aquele Cabo Verde…
Murder and escape
Dolls from Cape Verde. Photo by Wanaku on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
“Someone has to be killed, and that's your task”, states the second challenge, which encourages the use of fast-paced prose to deliver crime, action and lots of gore.
From the boss murdered by an indignant ex-employee, the beautiful brunette who succumbed to the poison of a Loxosceles anomala spider, the ‘Grande Mistério da Boneca Assassina‘ (The Mystery of the Murdered Doll), to the crime of passion and the classic butler mystery, but there was still room for a coup d'état from the revolutionaries, and for the introduction of the movement of the “indignados” in Cape Verde, as Suruk Rodrigues wrote in the story of Zeca:
Zeca sofria com perseguição política dos novos tempos, que poucos entendem, ou seja, na rua era bandido, na escola era drogado, e não conseguia bolsas de estudo, estágio, trabalho ou coisa melhor. Arquitectou com genialidade o movimento dos indignados de Soncent com sede e acção no Mindelo, que no mês de Julho de 2012 vinha a ocupar as manchetes dos jornais neoliberais numa dura perseguição aos “fascistas” e entre eles o pai da sua amada.
He ends up being stabbed in the back by his future father-in-law in a public square, in full view of everyone.
Who killed Eva?
More crime to inspire the authors, but this time the challenge profiles the suspects of the murder of Eva Sequeira, a fifty-something-year-old wealthy widow who was found dead in her mansion.
Everyday life in Cape Verde. Photo by Nuno Lobito copyright Demotix (12/02/2008)
The suspects include “Eva's stepdaughter, who she never got on well with”, the “retired doctor who had been in love with Eva since childhood (although it was never reciprocated)”, the “young, good-looking stranger”, the “butler's son who was devoted to Cármen [the stepdaughter]”, and Eva's best friend:
No final do interrogatório, o investigador Nataniel Borges prendeu dois suspeitos sob acusação de cumplicidade na morte da senhora Eva Sequeira. Quem foi para a cadeia? Quais os motivos que os levaram a cometer tão horrendo crime?
The story with the most views, written by Margareth Lima, blamed Eva's best friend for committing a crime of passion:
…eu amei aquela vadia desde o dia em que a conheci. Sofria cada vez que a via com outro, meu único conforto era a existência de outra pessoa que ela ignorava o amor. E justo quando ganho coragem e me declaro ela pede desculpas dizendo que só me queria como amiga. Queria ficar com esse imbecil [o médico aposentado], porque era seu Adão. Mereceu morrer sem disfrutar do seu Adão.
Three days and a farewell
What would you do if you were told that you had only three days left to live?
The repentence of someone who only ever knew how to be “a vile executioner, an opportunist and often sadistic for power”: he is taken door to door to visit those he owes apologies to for his behaviour in life.
A woman from Santo Antão. Photo by Julien Lagarde on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The “poet“, in “Quando fui morrer” (When I went to Die),  “[she hurried] to condense [her] life for her family and closest friends” in an all-night celebration.
Vanda wanted to fulfil the dream she had beyond her Creole life: to see the snow. She ends up in the Swiss Alps with her eyes closed, a smile on her lips and a heart full to bursting.
While the “bride” decided to block all social networking sites before she died (“I never liked the idea of seeing dead people on Facebook.”), Vitoria, the character in Bolivian Margareth Lima's winning piece, took advantage of the social network to arrange a huge birthday and farewell party with “family, former classmates, teachers, workmates, friends, and even enemies”. She was the only one who had a reversible death, as at the end of the story we find out that the results of the medical tests were not in fact hers.
And thus ended the first creative writing competition launched exclusively by a blog and promoted through Facebook, sowing the seeds for “changes in writing habits and routines that can put down their roots and become even more developed with the passage of time”.

author: Sara Moreira


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Cuba: Questioning Digital Expression within the Revolution · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

The recent Encuentro de Blogueros Cubanos en Revolución [Meeting of Cuban Bloggers in Revolution] [es] brought together a group of “official” bloggers—chiefly journalists and communications professionals who are employed by the state and maintain their blogs as part of their work. These bloggers acknowledge explicitly that they write “within,” or in support of, the Cuban revolution. In contrast, many better-known Cuban bloggers, such as Yoani Sánchez and Laritza Diversent, make no such claim, calling for free speech and broader Internet access but seeking to avoid being categorized as dissidents or counterrevolutionaries.
At the conclusion of the event, the group of bloggers drafted a set of principles [es] outlining their goals and commitments as Cuban bloggers. The third principle read:
Respetamos y promovemos el pensamiento crítico, necesario y útil para preservar nuestra condición de revolucionarios, con la premisa de que no es posible ser revolucionario fuera de la Revolución.
While the principles acknowledged a need to increase ICT access on the island, they chiefly emphasized the role of bloggers in supporting the Cuban revolutionary project: they pledged to improve collaboration among bloggers “in Revolution” and to blog in the spirit of Cuban leaders of the past, such as Che Guevara. Invoking Fidel Castro’s famous 1961 address “Words to the Intellectuals,” they asserted that innovative or critical thinking should not exist “outside” of the revolution. In other words, any critique that is not formed with the goal of strengthening the revolution falls on the outside and thus necessarily becomes “counterrevolutionary.”
This prompted Cuban blogger Yasmín Silvia Portales [es], who was not formally invited to the event, to ask:
¿y quién hace el examen de «revolucionario» para poder acceder a internet desde Cuba?
Since the meeting, bitter controversy has unfolded around this new iteration of a decades-old question: does the expression of criticism automatically put one “outside”  the revolution, especially when the criticism is  happening online?
Global Voices author and blogger Elaine Díaz [es], also a communications professor at the University of Havana, criticized the meeting, noting the limited value in convening a group of bloggers who “basically think the same way.” She pointed out that bloggers from Observatorio Crítico [es] and Havana Times, both sites whose authors favor the socialist model, were not invited at all.
El espacio plural, diverso, irreverente, altamente participativo, generoso y polémico…ha sido cruelmente caricaturizado [con este encuentro]. Queda, en su lugar, una blogosfera obediente y disciplinada.
Diáz argued that, by excluding nearly all bloggers who are not “official” bloggers, the meeting had little value—the attendees did not represent the reality of the Cuban blogosphere. She also pointed to the unequal treatment of social media users on the island:
Parece que muchos de los presentes parecen haber olvidado que mientras 60 representantes de la blogosfera nacional son recibidos con bombos y platillos en Matanzas, muchos más, estudiantes de universidades [por ejemplo] son condenados a 6 meses sin acceso a Internet por osar asomarse a Facebook, Twitter o cualquier variante 2.0.
In response to her post, [es] Harold Cárdenas, a co-author of the blog La Joven Cuba and organizer of the event, lamented the fact that Díaz declined to attend the meeting.
La habíamos invitado insistentemente…porque así podría defender sus posiciones y dar su opinión… Quizás si hubiera confiado un poco más en nosotros vería…que en el encuentro no todos pensaban “básicamente igual”
[…]
Si alguien me pregunta le diría que hemos ganado mucho…que cuando alguien quiso que se le exigiera al Estado una Internet solo para “defender la Revolución”…dejamos claro que Internet es para mucho más que eso, para hablar de cocina, deporte, sexo o lo que quiera el bloguero de turno.
Other responses were more aggressive. In a searing open letter [es], Eduardo, a University of Matanzas professor and blogger who helped organize the event, suggested that Díaz might be falling into the “counterrevolutionary” camp, espousing the idea that only “revolutionary” sentiment should be tolerated in the Cuban blogosphere and that nothing could exist in between this and counterrevolutionary ideas.
[Es cobardía] jugar a bloguear nadando en las aguas embravecidas de un río, que en Cuba aunque usted no lo quiera reconocer, solo tiene “dos orillas”; los que defendemos el proyecto político social que nos independizó…de España, pero también de los Estados Unidos, y los que desean que Cuba sea la neocolonia que dejó de ser el Primero de Enero de 1959.
A diverse range of other bloggers at sites including La Joven Cuba, Blogazoxcuba (official blog of the meeting), and Observatorio Crítico have commented on the event. An apt concluding thought appeared in a post by an anonymous author at Observatorio Crítico [es]. While just pre-dating the meeting, the author offered a constructive viewpoint on the question of criticism in Cuba, envisioning a world “where public space is the patrimony of all people, not a minority in power, as is true today throughout the world, including in Cuba.”
No se teme la participación de una persona en un evento por el hecho de que piense distinto…Precisamente, la estimulación de la diversidad y las alternativas de enfoque y acción sobre los problemas es lo que conduce a posibilidades de enriquecimiento creativo de la realidad.
[…]
Bloquear el acceso de determinadas opiniones a escenarios que presuntamente exploran la noción de lo público –como ha sucedido recientemente en más de un foro–, no tiene otro resultado que el de fundamentar las imputaciones de totalitarismo que se acostumbra realizar contra el orden social imperante en Cuba…

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle