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The Sad Fate of Russia’s “YouTube Cops” · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

First frames of Dymovskiy's Video Address
Almost a year has passed since a former Novorossiysk police officer, Alexey Dymovskiy, shot a famous video about corruption in the Russian police that has been viewed almost a million times. Since then, several police officers have followed in his footsteps, uploading YouTube testimonies of wrongdoings within the police force. Unfortunately, nearly all have suffered arrests, beatings, firings or criminal prosecution, and justice has never been done.
It's not that corruption in the Russian police was unknown before Dymovskiy's video. It was the medium he chose for telling this open secret that attracted so much attention. The full disclosure of the identity of the messenger was an essential part of the message, and it introduced a new form of citizen-to-government public communication: an online video address to the president or prime minister.
This form of public communication quickly caught on. At least seven former and present law enforcers copied the technique and presented their addresses on YouTube. Many others have followed. A search on YouTube currently reveals more than 1700 videos [RUS] entitled “Address to the president” uploaded within the last year.
Sadly, the online activity of the ‘YouTube cops’ has not yet changed things for the better. Quite to the contrary: many of the most notorious of these newborn “video-bloggers” have been prosecuted.
Serious personal consequences
Alexey Dymovskiy became the first victim of his own initiative. On December 29, 2009 a criminal case against him was initiated. He was accused of fraud and misuse of authority. At the same time, the police investigation unit didn't find any evidence of the crimes he spoke about in his video address. On January 22, 2010 Dymovskiy was arrested and spent almost 1,5 months in jail until he was released on March 7. On March 23, 2010 Krasnodar city court ruled that Dymovskiy was guilty of libel against his former bosses and obliged him to pay an overall compensation fee of $3000.
On February 21, 2010, Vadim Karastelyov, a non-governmental activist and supporter of Dymovskiy, was detained [RUS] for seven days for organizing a support rally for Dymovskiy that was not endorsed by the local authorities. Immediately after his release Karastelyov was assaulted at the door of his home and beaten.
Mikhail Yevseev, a former investigative crime officer, delivered his YouTube video address [RUS] on November 11, 2009. Yevseev spoke of corruption and about two people who were sentenced for life for setting fire to a trade center. Yevseev claimed the two were innocent and that he was forced to testify against them. In August 2010, two criminal cases were brought against him [RUS] (both by former police colleagues of Yevseev). On November 17, 2010, one year after the release of  the video, Yevseev was sentenced to one year in a penal colony [RUS] “for releasing government secrets.”
Grigoriy Chekalin, the deputy prosecutor of the Ukhta city released his video address [RUS] on November 12, 2009. He spoke about the same arson case as Yevseev. On December 3, 2010 Chekalin was sentenced to 1,5 years in a penal colony [RUS] for presenting false evidence.
Vadim Smirnov, another retired ‘YouTube cop’ from Moscow wasn't prosecuted following  his video-address. Soon after the video was uploaded he vanished from the blogosphere. Since then, there has been no news reported about him – probably, he was overwhelmed by the media effect he created.
Tatyana Domracheva, a police officer from Yekaterinburg, released her video address on June 26, 2010 [RUS]. She accused her colleagues and superiors of numerous unlawful actions. Only 1,5 months after her YouTube video she was fired due to formalities [RUS]. Her (former) boss threatened to start a criminal case against her, Kasparov.ru reported [RUS].
Three other Dymovskiy's followers (click on their names to watch the video-addresses), Igor Konygin [RUS], Alexey Mumolin [RUS], and Alexander Popkov [RUS] have so far not faced legal charges. Popkov, however, was implicated in an internal investigation, and a professional background check was begun on Mumolin, Vremya.ru reported.
More still adding their voices
Public opinion on the ‘YouTube cops’ is divided. After the initial chaotic support for their cause, some liberal journalists claimed [RUS] that Dymovskiy was involved in a number crimes himself, and that he had no right to accuse the police of corruption. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that mostly every YouTube cop has been involved in some kind of suspicious activity in the course of their career.
Although accusations against Dymovskiy and others still stand, the furious reaction of the police chiefs, and the considerable risks taken by the video makers, is one kind of evidence that what they say is true. In all cases, the police commanders have focused on eliminating the sources of the ‘public leakage’ rather than attempting to make changes (the police reform introduced at the end of 2009 can hardly be considered an actual change).
The story of ‘YouTube cops’ vividly shows how Russian law enforcement structures react to the attempts of online whistle-blowers. Dymovskiy and his followers have not experienced the same glorious fate of Frank Serpico, a New York policeman who testified against city corruption. Unlike Serpiko, Dymovskiy has not received any awards, and his story has not been turned into a Hollywood movie (other than the movie he made himself, of course). So far, he and his supporters have been persecuted, marginalized, and their claims were ignored.
Still, there are those who continue to speak up about corruption. On December 6, 2010 Yekaterina Rogoza, a police officer from Kushchevskaya village (a place where a local gang set fire to a family of 12), recorded an online video address [RUS] claiming she was forced by the local prosecutor to protect the gang and turn down any criminal cases against them. On the day after her YouTube upload, NTV national television broadcast an interview with her, offering hope that public pressure might force some kind of official action.
The fact that they use digital technology doesn't mean Dymovskiy or any of those who followed in his footsteps are saints, but it definitely brings forward a point of view that otherwise would be silenced. Maybe this one time, an online testimony can change something for the better?


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Savannah Stage  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad Carnival Diary “think[s] it is time for The Savannah Stage 101, a series of tips and advice to those of you who may not have yet been introduced to the ‘Big Yard’.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Tunisia: Censorship Continues as Wikileaks Cables Make the Rounds · Global Voices
Lina Ben Mhenni

Tunisian activists pounced on the latest Wikileaks US Embassy Cables, dedicating a new website to republish and discuss the revelations related to their country. Tunileaks, was launched by Nawaat one hour after the whistle-blowing site unleashed the cables on Sunday, November 28th.
Tunileaks – a project by Nawaat
The first release contained 17 cables issued from the US Embassy in Tunisia. The majority of these cables show the exchanges between the embassy and the US State Department. The classified documents were transmitted between May 28th, 2008, and February 9th, 2010. Two of the documents were written by the present Ambassador Gordon Gray whereas the remaining 15 were by his predecessor.
They mainly dealt with the neglect of human rights in Tunisia and the restrictions on freedom of expression. On Twitter, the hashtag #tunileaks was created. There, people shared different secrets revealed by the site.
Secret prisons and torture revealed in Tunisia
.
The documents also reveal personal secrets about the ruling family and their close circle.
I didn't know that Sakhr Materi has a tiger at home.
The Tunisian government, known for its restriction on freedom of expression, rapidly blocked the access to Tunileaks. They first blocked  http://tunileaks.appspot.com/ ( without the https). One day later, they blocked Google App Engine's IP address (209.85.229.141) in order to block Tunileaks under https, making appspot.com partially unavailable in the country .
No , they have censored  appspot.com because of #tunileaks.
Let them block  #tunileaks + Nawaat appspot.com proxies. They will block Gmail and Google search #tunisia.
Even the  electronic version of the  Lebanese newspaper ‘Al akhbar’ has been  censored in Tunisia after the publication of some cables released by Tunileaks.
The Lebanese newspaper ‘Al Akhbar’ publishes new cables released by Tunileaks, this is why it is censored in Tunisia today.
Will more of the Tunisian cyberspace become restricted as more cables and secrets are revealed and published?

author: Lina Ben Mhenni


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Ukraine: Debate on Number of Holodomor Victims · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kyiv Scoop writes about the “debate over the number of victims” of Holodomor, the 1932-33 famine in Ukraine.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Why is China Blocking Wikileaks? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Angry Chinese Blogger tries to explain why did the Chinese government decide to block Wikileaks.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Wikileaks and Thailand · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

What are specific Wikileaks revelations on Thailand? The most interesting so far cites the case of Russian businessman and alleged arms smuggler Viktor Bout who faced trial in Thailand before being extradited to the United States this year. Documents from the Wikileaks revealed the concern of the U.S. about the attempt of Bout’s associates to bribe local Thai officials. Below is a sample dispatch from the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, uploaded by Wikileaks
Lately, however, there have been disturbing indications that Bout’s xxxxxxxxxx and Russian supporters have been using money and influence in an attempt to block extradition. The most egregious example was the false testimony of xxxxxxxxxx that Bout was in Thailand as part of government-to-government submarine deal. Thus, we felt it was time to once again raise the matter at the top of the government and make clear that, while we understand the judicial process must take its course without political interference, we insist that the process be free of corruption and undue influence. We will continue to do so in the months ahead.
Citing news reports, Bangkok Pundit summarized the total number of secret cables referring to Thailand
…there are 2,941 cables from the US Embassy in Bangkok and another 278 from the Consulate in Chiang Mai – slightly higher figures are also quoted elsewhere. You will also have cables from the State Department about Thailand. There could be some information in the cables that would be very embarrassing and revealing particularly on reports by US Embassy staff after meetings with senior Thai officials and members of the elite.
Worried that Wikileaks would be permanently inaccessible in Thailand, the website Thai Cables was established to continue providing relevant information about Wikileaks documents
We do not believe in censorship and think that everyone in Thailand should get access to any information available on the internet, which also includes Wikileaks. This is the reason for this blog.
How many cables about Thailand are expected to be published by Wikileaks
A total of 2985 (other sources state 3516) Cables sent from the US Embassy in Bangkok will be published. While between 1989 and end of 2004 only 7 Cables will be leaked, the number increases 2005 immensely. Until end of February 2010 an average of approx. 580 Cables are sent a year which means 1 to 2 Cables a day.
They cover a wide range of topics from Arms Controls and Disarment to Refugees and Human Rights Issues, Democratization, Human Trafficking, Nuclear Issues, Terrorism and Military Operations, Foreign Trade, Internal Government Affairs, Relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand, Foreign Investments, Intellectual Property Rights and even Thai Prime Minister and Thai Rak Thai. Even Cables talking about War Crimes, Thai Elections, Intelligence, Corruption, Political Parties will be published.
Musings from Thailand published the statement of outgoing American Ambassador Eric John about Wikileaks
I cannot vouch for the authenticity of any one of these documents. But I can say that the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential. And we condemn it. Diplomats must engage in frank discussions with their colleagues, and they must be assured that these discussions will remain private.

author: Mong Palatino


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Africa: Living in compromise · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Can you be an African woman, a feminist and an African feminist?: “I think many African women, like my mother and even myself have struggled, or are struggling with the notions of being an African woman, a feminist and an African Feminist. We struggle to translate an academic concept into reality in our own lives…”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: One brain drain phenomenon you haven’t heard of · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

One brain drain phenomenon you haven’t heard of: “As it turns out, both in Kenya and Tanzania, flight controllers seem to be leaving the country for other regions and airlines. For various monetary reasons, the numbers of controllers have not been increased for quite a while.”


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Africa: Painting Cultural Portraits with Remixed Radio and Video · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Radio Continental Drift has an interesting proposal: with audio from radio workshops and videos shot around several cities in Kenya and Uganda they've made a series of remixed videos  meant to fuel conversations around activism, culture and arts in Africa.
The premise behind the videos is to start circulating the audio which has been released for use under a Creative Commons Share-alike license, hoping that they can inspire others to also remix them. As they explain on their post An Ear on the Ground:
They are archived as part of an on-going  conversational journey to “Africa” & audio media road workshop  across the continent.
The audio playlists on www.archive.org are meant to introduce artists & organisations and the cultural,  activist and socio political scenes as encountered by radio continental  drift at the time.
On this post they share a picture of the process of uploading content from Nairobi:
Archiving and Uploading Content for Radio Continental Drift
Here is one of their clips of what they call ” trailers for a road movie” . Recorded in Nairobi, Kenya it mixes music with interviews about consumption, greed, fame and drugs:
This next one feels like a stream of consciousness on reggae, violence and development:
From Kampala, in Uganda come these next two clips on music and the wisdom which can be found in songs:
More information can be found at their blog, Radio Continental Drift, where they also link to the unedited sources that can be remixed.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Africa: Struggling with being an African woman, a feminist and an African feminist · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Struggling with the notions of being an African woman, a feminist and an African Feminist: “For many women in Africa, feminism is something that we practise outside our homes and our families. Our cultural understanding of womanhood is sometimes in direct conflict what we say in meetings about gender equity and social justice for women.”


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Angola: Where is the national airline TAAG headed? · Global Voices
Clara Onofre

A year and a half after having been authorized to resume flights to Portugal, the Angolan airline TAAG, is again involved in serious problems related to the safety of its planes.
Yesterday, December 6, a little after having taken off from Lisbon's Portela Airport, passengers and crew that were aboard the Boeing 777 to Luanda heard a noise and intense vibration caused by a number of parts that came loose from the engine of the airplane. The parts fell on the streets of the town of Almada, causing some physical damage and injuring two but not seriously.
There was no need to wait for the reaction of bloggers, faced with the seriousness of the situation. The Pululu blog read:
Segundo as agências noticiosas e televisões a cidade de Almada terá sido hoje palco de sementeira de peças que terão sido projectadas de um avião da TAAG que teria descolado momentos antes do aeroporto da Portela, em Lisboa. Dado que os aviões da TAAG que “circulam” nos céus europeus são, em princípio, novos, é de crer que a Boeing, empresa que os forneceu , não deverá estar muito bem vista. Ou será que voltamos aos tempos dos “frendship/fokker” e “dakotas” da antiga DTA que estavam todos “aparafusados” com fios? Espero bem que tenha sido só um pequeno percalço na manutenção e sem grande impacto excepto, como anuncia a SIC (estação de televisão privada portuguesa), os 10 autocarros destruídos e os dois feridos ligeiros.”
Boeing 777 of  TAAG Angola Airlines, by Paulo Guerreiro on Flickr (with Creative Commons license)
Faced with this complex situtation, the pilots were forced to alter the flight and emergency land at the airport in Lisbon. The more than 120 passengers were taken to a hotel and it is said that TAAG does not intend to reimburse customers for their return to Angola.
In parallel, the company already made it known, through its representative in Portugal, that it will take responsibility for the results of the incident, by way of an investigation already underway, to determine cause of the fault.
In 2007, the European Union put TAAG on its black lits of airlines [pt] prohibited from flying in European airspace after France had detected serious deficiencies in the safety of its airplanes. .
On the blog Contraditório [pt] reference is made to this hardly acceptable episode for the airline with the Angolan flag
Desde 2006 que estava em curso uma investigação por parte da União Europeia à companhia aérea angolana TAAG. Pelo que se sabe, foi a França que, pela primeira vez, detectou anomalias graves a nível da segurança dos aviões desta companhia. Agora, que acabou a investigação, a EU decidiu proibir a entrada destes aviões no espaço aéreo europeu. Acho muito bem, as regras são iguais para todos. A reacção de Angola foi apenas uma: cuidado, muito cuidado, se proíbem os nossos voos aí, nós proibimos os vossos voos aqui (Angola). Quer dizer: nem se fala em tentar seguir as directrizes de segurança mínimas. Faz-se chantagem, gasta-se menos e costuma resultar.
At the time, and to minimize the loss, TAAG opted to rent planes from South African Airlines, including crews from that country.
In 2009 the restriction was partially lifted and the EU recommended that the Angolan airline resume flights between Luanda and Lisbon, with the Instituto Nacional de Aviação Civil (National Civil Aviation Institute) commiting to do inspections on the aircraft that operated this route. Apparently, the collaboration was not adequate.
According to the author of the blog Linha de Rumo [pt]:
Parece que nem com a ajuda da TAP (Transportadora Aérea de Portugal) na manutenção a coisa vai… ou então já são problemas antigos, afinal o mesmo me aconteceu em 1 de Abril de 2007 e aconteceu novamente em 2 de Abril de 2009 em Luanda na TAP…
What remains to be seen is how this sad episode will influence the relationship between TAAG and the European Union and with its customers who have for a long time complained about the national carrier for a number of different reasons, delays being the most common one. New developments are expected soon.

author: Clara Onofre


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Azerbaijan: Armenia’s Wikileaks? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Önər Blog [AZ] comments on claims in Azerbaijan that Wikileaks cables painting the country in a bad light are the work of Armenians. In fact, the blog notes, at the same time as the media in Azerbaijan highlights the poverty, corruption and human rights abuses in its neighbor, how could Armenia be such a mighty nation? An English translation is available here.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Belarus: Notes on Dec. 19 Presidential Election · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Democratist writes about the upcoming Dec. 19 presidential election in Belarus – here and here.


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Bermuda: The Black Male Perspective  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Breezeblog directs “anyone concerned about where Bermuda is headed amidst the spiralling gang violence, social dysfunctionality and hypocrisy” to an article written “from the perspective of a young black man”.


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Bhutan: Pay Hike For Government Employees · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay informs that the Bhutanese National Assembly has endorsed the government’s proposal to increase the salaries of public servants.

author: Rezwan


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Burundi: One changed life · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

One changed life in Burundi: “Beginning with a loan of just $48, Adelaide Barutwanayo grew her clothing sales business in the markets of Gitega, Burundi, to a point where she could comfortably provide for her two children, ages 6 and 13.”


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Chile: Twitter Users Weigh In on Prison Fire That Kills At Least 81 Inmates · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Using the hashtag #carcelsanmiguel [es] (San Miguel Prison), Chilean Twitter users have been tweeting about a fire that killed at least 81 inmates in a prison in Santiago, Chile, as reported by The BBC.

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: Current situation in Lhasa · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

High Peaks Pure Earth translates a blogpost by Tibetan writer Woeser which vividly depicts the current situation in Lhasa.


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Cuba: Marching for Human Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense reports that this Friday, on International Human Rights Day, “Dr. Darsi Ferrer…will again lead a peaceful march in Havana to demand respect for human rights on the island.”


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Debate on the China Model · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Last month the British Prime Minister David Cameron visited China. After he had delivered his speech at Peking University, a student asked him what he could learn from China.  The question was, “When Western leaders come to China, they always tend to lecture China about democracy, human rights, and other things. I would like to ask: what can you learn from the Chinese system?”  Cameron answered by referring to the successful organization of the Beijing Olympics.
The episode has stimulated a hot discussion on the Internet and traditional media. Some criticized Peking University students for being “political correct” in their questions. Some discussed what exactly does the “China Model” mean? Although later it has been clarified that the student who asked the question is a foreign student and he had not used the term “China Model”, it is still worth looking into the debate.
Similar to the official interpretation of the China Model [cn], Han Zhengfeng, a professor on Marxism, traces the origin of the term to former statesman Deng Xiaoping. However, Han stresses that Deng's political project in developing “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” was an attempt to differentiate China from the Soviet's Communist model and that the China Model could not be exported to other countries:
1980年5月，他在谈到处理兄弟党关系的重要原则时就指出：“中国革命就没有按照俄国十月革命的模式去进行”“既然中国革命胜利靠的是马列主义普遍原理同本国具体实践相结合，我们就不应该要求其它发展中国家都按照中国的模式去进行革命，更不应该要求发达的资本主义国家也采取中国的模式。
Politicallly liberal thinker, Qin Hui, however, points out that if there is a “China Model”, its characteristics cannot be depicted by any economic theory “ism” but by the political system or platform:
中国的特色不在于“主义”，而在于那个平台：西方的左右派都是在民主的平台上玩，而中国的左右派却是在一个相反的平台上。于是中国的左右派首先都是在为“皇上”考虑，而不是为老百姓考虑——我这并不是进行“道德谴责”，中国的左右派也许良心不比西方的左右派差，问题在于他们生存的平台不一样。于是他们无论左右，所派扮演的角色就都与西方截然相反：咱们的左派鼓动国家向老百姓拼命收钱，不收就是该死的“新自由主义”；而咱们的右派就说国家不必为老百姓花钱，否则就是可恶的“福利国家”。…
这就有了咱们的“模式”！其实中国并不比别的国家更左或者更右。只不过，中国“左”起来给政府扩大权力很容易，但追问它的责任却很困难；中国“右”起来呢？推卸政府的责任很容易，但限制它的权力却很困难。这 样搞，当然也有优越性，那就是原始积累的速度快，此外应付事态的能力也特别强，手中集中了巨量的钱，要搞刺激经济计划当然容易，要摆平什么人什么事，出手 也特别阔绰。可是这样搞的后果是什么？通常人们都会说像这样加速投资会不会加剧产能过剩，垄断部门谋取利益会不会导致两极分化的加剧，人为压低居民消费导 致内需不足，以及权力集中的种种风险等等。这些我们就姑且不论。现在我要讲的是：假如这样的模式，以及以这种模式和前面说过的西方那种模式的互动为特征 的、现在我们看到的这种全球化可以一直延续下去的话，中国和世界的未来将会怎样。
Zheng Yongnian, a China expert based in Singapore tries to argue that the “China Model” is not against democracy, but its democracy has Chinese characteristics:
在政治方面，中国似乎处于弱势。中国仍然面临西方的很多指责，尤其在人权和民主方面。在这方面中国的确存在很多问题，但在一定程度上也和西方的意识形态有关。
很多发展中国家并不这样看，因为西方式的民主人权并没有使得那里的人民享有真正的政治权力，而且所谓的民主政治经常给他们带来的并不是政治秩序和社会经济的发展，更多的是政治腐败和社会乱象。
更为重要的是，中国模式也并不否认民主人权。中国模式强调的是各种权利获得的阶段性。任何一个社会只有到了经济社会方面发展到一定水平，人们的政治权力才有基础。
或者说，民主政治需要一个有效的社会经济基础设施。中国改革开放以后，大多数人民所获得的包括政治方面的权利要比那些简单照搬西方式民主(无论是被迫的还是主动的)要多得多。正因为这样，中国模式对很多发展中国家具有很大的吸引力。
Many developing countries have a different viewpoint. Human rights and democracy in the West have not given their people their political rights. The so-called political system has not given them political order and economic development but resulted in political corruption and social disorder.
Moreover, the China Model does not deny human rights and democracy. It stresses the phaseal development of people's rights. Any society should have an economic base before people can acquire their political rights. Our political system depends on the economic and social infrastructure. Economic reform has brought more political rights to Chinese people than other countries which have chosen or been forced into western democratic models. That's why the China model is so attractive to many developing countries.
Tang Zhileng does not believe that “China Model” had ever existed because China is still undergoing political and economic transformation:
到目前为止，我国高速发展的经济社会还只是国内外各种理论的“实验场”，还并没有形成一套有效的理论体系来解释我国近三十来年的经济发展现实。而有些学者 认为我国经济高速发展得益于对外开放、国际合作、大力发展市场经济、强调政府的有效干预等因素，然而这些还只是我国经济发展的一些零散的经验总结，而不是 系统化的理论体系。
如果现在“中国模式”已经形成了，那么该模式就必然会蕴含尊重生命、责任、良心、诚信、公平正义等基本道德价值理念，然而，看看我国经济社会的现实，虽然 我国政府高层时刻在强调科学发展观、以人为本、和谐发展、有尊严的生活等理念，然而，在地方政府和企业层面，却经常看到相反的事实，如，假酒、地沟油、毒 奶粉、矿难等频发的食品安全和生产安全事故；严重的环境污染；屡禁不止的暴力强迁；高企的房价；巨大贫富差距，以及整个社会拜物主义横行，等等，…这也进一步说明了我国还正处于道德价值体系 重建的关键时期。可见，缺乏这些基本道德价值理念的内涵，又何来什么“中国模式”，如果说我国已经形成了中国模式，那这种模式对广大人们又有什么意义，因 为这模式主要是为精英阶层服务的。


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Estonia: Discussion of Cablegate Content · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa discusses the WikiLeaks’ Cablegate Estonia content.


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Ghana: BarCamp Ghana 2010 at Ashesi University · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

BarCamp Ghana 2010, an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking, will take place on December 18 2010 at the Ashesi University campus in Accra. The theme is “Create dreams, work smart and shape the future”.


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Guatemala: The Burning of the Devil · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

From AntiguaDailyPhoto: “La quema del diablo (Burning of the Devil) used to be this tradition, little known out side of Guatemala. I say “used to be” since the Burning of the Devil is now all over the Internet.” Luis Figueroa [es] blogged about his experience “burning the devil” this year.


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Haiti: Election Run-Off · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Haitian bloggers discuss news that “presidential elections will go to a second-round run-off between former First Lady Mirlande Manigat and government technocrat Jude Celestin, protegé of outgoing President Rene Preval.”


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Hungary: U.S.-Hungarian Relations · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Sprectrum writes about the “U.S.-Hungarian relations during the George W. Bush era.”


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India: No Muharram In Kashmir · Global Voices
Rezwan

Zafar Mehdi informs at Kafila that “The peaceful processions on 8 and 10 Muharram have been banned in Kashmir since the outbreak of insurgency in 1989.”


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Indonesia: Protecting migrant workers · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

EngageMedia uploads a video about efforts to improve the protection of Indonesia's migrant workers


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Jamaica: Commission of Enquiry  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica and the World comments on the Commission of Enquiry set up to investigate matters relating to Christopher “Dudus” Coke's extradition: “What is particularly amusing (or annoying)…is that we are not supposed to need it. The Prime Minister has assured us on several occasions that he has already made a full confession. And if…he hasn’t yet told the truth…why doesn’t he just…tell us how it really went, and save everybody a lot of time and money?”


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Malaysia: Curbing online piracy · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Charles Hector warns about a proposed law in Malaysia which could be used to monitor the internet activities of individuals. The aim of the law is to curb online piracy


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Malaysia: ‘Justice for Sisters’ campaign · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

‘Justice for sisters’ is a grassroots campaign to raise public awareness about issues faced by the Mak Nyah community in Malaysia. Mak nyah is a Malay term for a male-to-female transsexual.


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Mexico, World: The Impact of COP16 for Those Not Attending · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Richard Grabman from The Mex Files writes, “Forgotten in there is who is affected by climate change the most — It’s not as if an Amazonian fishermen can buy carbon credits […] He… as much as Korean farmers, French pensioners, gringo bloggers, you… need to eat and are going to be impacted by what is or isn’t done in Cancún.”


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Moldova: Election Results · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Notes on the Moldova election results – at Democratist and Morning in Moldova (here and here).


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Pakistan: No Protection Against Fatwa · Global Voices
Rezwan

A cleric in Peshawar has publicly offered a reward of Pakistani Rs500,000 to anyone who will kill Aasia Bibi, a Christian brick-kiln labourer,who was sentenced to death for blasphemy by a district court. Adil Najam is outraged by the inaction of the government.


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Philippines: 2010 blog awards finalists · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tonyo provides the list of the 2010 Philippine blog awards finalists


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Poland: Eurostat Data on Safety · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A discussion of how Poland compares to other countries safety-wise – at Polandian.


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Portugal: Blogs Fight on Politics launches Competition  · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Combate de Blogs [Blogs Fight, pt], a Portuguese weekly TV show, has launched a competition for blogs on national and international politics. Meet the nominees in the three categories: Blog of the Year, Blogger of the Year and Revelation Blog of the Year.

author: Sara Moreira


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Puerto Rico: Artist Collective Paints Pixel By Pixel · Global Voices
Alfredo Richner

Design Undodigital
Taking their name from their favorite command on computer programs, UNDOdigital started off as a group of friends working for the same ad agency. Feeling the urge to create work outside of the advertising industry to address broader topics as well as some of their individual concerns as digital artists, these (originally) twelve individuals banded together under the UNDO banner in early 2006.  By the end of that year they had successfully organized their first show as an artist collective.
Two years later UNDOdigital.com [es] had changed from a basic catalog of the group's work to a full-fledged blog that lets UNDOer's interact with the broader online community, share their creations, promote their exhibits, and expose their readers to all types of art related news, interviews, and works. Rick Lipsett (@ricklipsett), one of the group's creators and editor of the site, explained how members of UNDOdigital “want to achieve a public recognition that art can be produced in the computer. That it is not the computer who does the work, but each artist with his/her own techniques and knowledge of the programs/medium.” We spoke with Rick about the genesis of the UNDOdigital collective and the group's experiences as digital artists in Puerto Rico.
Global Voices (GV): How did the idea for the UNDOdigital artist collective first start taking shape and what were some of the group's first projects?
Rick Lipsett (RP): Back in early 2006, we (the twelve founding members of the collective) were pretty much overwhelmed and tired of making advertisements and never getting the chance to create something for ourselves – something that a client couldn't say ‘NO’ to. One of our members (Gerardo Cloquell) had an Art Show as part of El Coro, another group which he belongs to, that some of us attended. It got me thinking: why not use our skills, which were being used for “evil” (advertising work) and use them for “good” (art shows)?
When I got to work the next day, I showed them the name and logo for the collective. It had me up all night. We fell in love with the concept and started off from there. I remember we sat down to have lunch at a Wendy's and threw in some ideas as to what the show could be about. That day we had the basic down for our first four exhibitions.
GV: What issues, topics, and themes has the collective addressed through its art to this date?
RL: The first show was a ‘Social Critique’ to further analyze our social situation through things we did (and perhaps still do) every day. The second was about ‘Dreams & Nightmares,’ an idea we've had before UNDO was created. The third,  ‘Author/Artist,’ consisted of collaborations between a writer and an artist, which is what we do in advertising every day.  And finally, ‘Addictions,’ which we envisioned as an opportunity to do some soul searching and explore ours and people's vices, besides the obvious ones that the media point to every day.
Although we've had four different art shows, with different themes, we tend to always show a strong sense of awareness of our social situation (in Puerto Rico) – and want to change it.
GV: What made you decide to take the collective online and how is the UNDOdigital blog an extension of the group?
RL: Joseph Garrahan, the animator in our group, suggested I open up a blog to let people in on our little adventures. At first I doubted the idea, but later gave in – and must say it's been one of the best decisions we've made so far. It lets us reach out to an audience that normally would be more difficult to talk to. That, combined with our Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Buzz pages, make a wide net that puts us in touch with more UNDOfans. The blog functions is more or less a reflection of our meetings: we are a group of friends that talk extensively about art. We make jokes. Criticize our surroundings. Make art critiques. Repeat.
Work by UNDOdigital artist Patricia Acevedo
GV: Is there a strong artistic presence within the Puerto Rican blogosphere and social media sphere?
RL: Oh yes. There are many blogs dedicated to the arts and even a unique social network called “Coalición de Artistas de Puerto Rico” [es]. Although we are not a part of that community, I must give them credit, for they have achieved a connection between a large number of artists from Puerto Rico – over 500 in all. But just to name a few blogs, there's Fractal [es], Autogiro [es], El naufragio de las palabras [es], Trance Líquido [es], and msa Xperimental Art [es].
GV: Have you found support for the collective's projects online and has the group received any criticism through the blog?
RL: Yes, thankfully we've received much support from the people who've followed us online throughout the years. When we have a show, they promote us and regularly comment on our posts and/or retweet our posts. About the criticism, I remember specially an interview I did a while back with Lisa Ladner. She gave us a few pointers and she was right on. Lisa is the creator of El Status which is a database of (almost) every artist from Puerto Rico. She's done an excellent job cataloging each artist with their biographies, external links, etc.
UNDOdigital artists at their most recent exhibit, 'Adicciones.'
GV: What are some of the unique challenges that digital artists face in the creation and exhibition of their work?
RL: The creation is always limited by the knowledge of the technology an artist uses. The more they know, the more “fluent” the art piece becomes. Another challenge is proper printing or “output” of the work. We have to be very careful not to print on the wrong surface, or show an animation in a Plasma TV, when it was really developed for a 16″ television. That sort of thing.
GV: As a Puerto Rican artist, what concerns you most about the current economic, social, and political climate in the island?
RL: The atmosphere is very volatile and putrid. That is why we use it as inspiration for many of our art works. People are really tired of all the B.S. our politicians TRY to feed us. Some believe them blindly but every day a few dozen realize something's wrong. We want to help those who need a nudge to realize the truth.
The economy, being how it is right now, makes it harder for established galleries and museums to invest in upcoming talent. And since we're seen as “up and coming” we've had to make detours and present our work in handpicked places whose owners believe in our project. Many have paid no attention to us. Thankfully a few (important ones) have.
Work by UNDOdigital artist Carlos Pacheco
Work by UNDOdigital artist Kavo
Work by UNDOdigital artist Gerardo Cloquell
Work by UNDOdigital artist Mario Rodríguez

author: Alfredo Richner


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Puerto Rico: Tense Prelude to the Student Strike · Global Voices
Alfredo Richner

This post is part of our special coverage Puerto Rico Student Protests 2010/11.
The tower, the emblem of the University of Puerto Rico. Photo by A. Gonzalez, republished under a CC License.*
A 48-hour blockade organized by students from the state-run University of Puerto Rico in protest against a proposed $800 annual fee got off to a tense and violent start early Tuesday morning, as students raising barricades around the Río Piedras campus clashed with private security guards hired by the administration.
The day began as students, many of them masked in order to protect their identities, were photographed by the local press [es] as they built and patrolled their barricades in defiance of the administration's efforts to undermine the protests. Such administrative measures included taking down several University gates [es] around the main campus in Río Piedras early Monday morning, allegedly as a way of guaranteeing entrance to those students, teachers, and employees who showed up for classes and work; and hiring the private security firm Capitol Security, whose guards have proven to be inexperienced and volatile [es] during the first 24 hour cycle of events.
Violent acts were reported and decried by both students and Capitol Security, with one university student allegedly having been beaten by a team of twelve security guards, and several guards allegedly suffering injuries in skirmishes with students. Students and security guards have since declared a truce, according to news reports [es]. Vandalism to school property has also been reported.  Radio Huelga, a ‘pirate’ radio station and website set up by university students during the two-month long strike last semester was able to capture video of the student beating as it took place.
Several in the online community, including local blog Parpadeando [es], have expressed their frustration with the university administration's apparent lack of initiative and judgement in preventing these events:
Cualquier administración universitaria normal, en casos como este, se sienta a dialogar con los constituyentes, pronto.  Más aún cuando existen dos propuestas concretas, pensadas, académicamente responsables, que pueden utilizarse como punto de partida.
¿Por qué? ¿Por qué la administración que se supone vele por los intereses de la UPR sigue en un curso de acción que a todas luces nos lleva hacia la confrontación y la erosión de la calidad institucional, de su relevancia para el país, de su capacidad de ayudar a Puerto Rico?
Any normal university administration, in situations like this, would sit down and have an open dialogue with its constituents, pronto. Even more so when two concrete proposals, thought-out and academically responsible, can be used as a starting point [for negotiation].
Why? Why must the administration – who are supposed to care for the University of Puerto Rico's best interests – continue with a course of action that under all scrutiny leads us towards confrontation and the erosion of the institution's quality, of its relevance to the country, and its capacity to help Puerto Rico?
Adding to this frustration are reports of the costs related to both the removal of campus gates – estimated by the University's Río Piedras provost, Ana Rosa Guadalupe, at 1.5 million [es] dollars in an interview with local radio station RadioIsla1320 AM [es] – and Capitol Security current contracts – reportedly surpassing 1.4 million dollars [es].
Capitol Security guards. Photo by Ricardo Alcaraz, of Diálogo. Republished from 80 grados under a CC License.*
Others, like Poder, espacio y ambiente's [es] Erika Fontánez, also a professor at the University of Puerto Rico's School of Law, voiced their concern about the student movement's actions earlier during the day:
Creo que aún cuando hay que poner energía en reprochar con rigor los actos de la administración de la UPR y del gobierno, los y las estudiantes tendrían que preguntarse urgentemente:  ¿Cómo es que lo anterior fue sustituído? ¿Qué pasó? ¿Qué factores inciden/han incidido en un cambio tan drástico de metodología, de estrategia? Con todo el respeto al movimiento estudiantil y consciente de su diversidad, creo que tendrían que preguntarse genuinamente si el camino por el que se anda hoy es un buen camino para lograr sus objetivos.
Part of that characteristic diversity of the student movement was captured by @eldifusor of local podcast #EnProfundo through a series of short audio interviews [es] with student leaders José Carlos Vélez Colón, spokesman of anti-strike group Rescate UPR [es]; and Ian Camilo, of the University's Student Representative Committee; as well as Luis Díaz of local hip-hop group Intifada [es], also an ex-alum.  Through #EnProfundo, whose members recorded their most recent episode on the eve of these events last Monday night [es] from one of the ‘free speech zones’ delineated inside the Río Piedras campus by the administration. @eldifusor makes the following suggestion:
Por ahora les propongo que escuchen bien lo que los tres tienen que decir y partamos a discutir sus puntos de vistas. Todos, dentro de su realidad, nos demuestran una parte del rompecabezas que debemos armar: ¿Para qué queremos una universidad pública en Puerto Rico?
However, requests for dialogue by the students seem to have fallen on deaf ears so far, and student leaders like Waldemiro Vélez and Giovanni Roberto of the Student Representative Committee have since expressed through local news sources [es] their concern that a strike – already scheduled for next Tuesday, December 14 – seems like the onlyalternative at this point.
*Please read the student blog Desde Adentro [es] and the digital magazine 80 grados [es] for updates and news on the student's protests.
*Photo of the UPR tower by A. Gonzalez, republished under CC License A-SA 2.0. Photo of security guards taken from 80 grados, under a CC License NC-SA 3.0
This post is part of our special coverage Puerto Rico Student Protests 2010/11.


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Russia: Khodorkovsky Legal Team on Trial and WikiLeaks · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

FP's Passport talks to Mikhail Khodorkovsky's legal team about the trial and the relevant WikiLeaks’ content.


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Russia: Old and New Media Panel · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Good Treaty reports from the Old and New Media in Russia Today panel, held in Los Angeles on Nov. 19.


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Russia: Winter in Yakutia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Photos and video of Yakutia's very cold winter – at eYakutia.


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Russia: World Cup; Google’s Mistake · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Siberian Light writes about FIFA's announcement that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup. Profy.com notes that “Google hurries to congratulate Russia on World Cup results… and offends Russians” by putting the wrong flag on the “doodle” on the Russian domain.


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Rwanda: Sniffing glue to survive · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sniffing glue to survive in Kigali, Rwanda: “The glue that these street children sniff is mostly shoe repair glue, which is readily available, cheap, highly addictive, highly toxic, and extremely powerful because of the neurotoxin toluene.”


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Serbia: Boycotting Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgraded.com writes about Serbia's decision to boycott this year's Nobel peace prize ceremony.


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Slovenia: National Radio and TV Referendum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sleeping With Pengovsky reports that “Slovenia is to hold yet another referendum this Sunday, this time on the recently passed law on national radio-television, RTV Slovenia”: “In short, it’s about turning state radio and television into public radio and television once again.”


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South Korea: Korean Parliament In Chaos on Next Year’s Budget Bill · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In South Korea, as the ruling Grand National Party rammed next year's budget bill through parliament today, not a few injuries have reported amid fierce protests from opposition sides. @Malsuda tweeted chaotic scenes of national assembly where the rival parties physically clashed with ruling party members to block the bill's unilateral passage.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Conflict of Interest  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“So hot hot story is the issue with the PS of Agriculture and his company that sells goods to his own Ministry for exorbitant prices”: Discuss SVG says that rules governing transparency need to be put in place.


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Thailand: Government torturing protesters? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Bangkok Pundit blogs about a report accusing the Thailand government of using torture against anti-government protesters.


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Transnistria: A Trip to Tiraspol · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Kalpak writes about a short trip to Tiraspol, Transnistria. Morning in Moldova has more on the situation with Transnistria.


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Trinidad & Tobago: FIFA Insult  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

B.C. Pires comments on the FIFA Vice-President's explanation as to why England did not win their World Cup bid: “It would have been nice if there was a journalist amongst the crowd of sycophants…who could have asked Jack if there was any insult at all involved in having lunch with the British PM, the second in line to the throne and getting David Beckham to hold a football camp in Trinidad, when there was never any intention to support the England bid.”


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Uganda: Making sense of proposed media laws · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Moses Sserwanga tries to make sense of proposed media laws in Uganda: “The government is proposing a new regime of laws in amendments to the existing media laws- that will add more restrictions to the already delicate media environment in Uganda.”


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Zambia: Christmas Art and Design Show a Success · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Christmas Art and Design Show took place in Lusaka, Zambia last Sunday: “Never had Lusaka seen anything quite like it! Sunday December 5 dawned grey and cloudy in Lusaka. Undeterred the exhibitors at the Christmas Art and Design Show began putting the finishing touches to their stands.”


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Zambia: There is a place in Google for every business in Chingola · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

There is a place for every business in Chingola, Zambia in Google Map: “Google has populated the city of Chingola Zambia Google map. It includes business addresses that Google collected from existing directories. If a business in Chingola has previously listed in a local directory, chances are it has been included.”


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Barbados: Stabbing Death  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press has the most recent update on the murder of a senior citizen.


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Belarus: Election and Unrest · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.com, Olga Birukova writes about the upcoming presidential election in Belarus and the potential post-election protests: “No one actually knows what the level of protest could realistically be in a fully developed dictatorship in a country squeezed in between Russia and Europe.”


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Brunei International Defence Expo · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

anakbrunei posts pictures of the Brunei International Defence Expo.


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China: Messages for Liu Xiaobo as Peace Prize Ceremony approaches · Global Voices
John Kennedy

It's the eve of this year's Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Norway, but you're not going to read much about it online in Chinese.
Unless, unfortunately, you're on Twitter, where tweeps now in Oslo have already begun live-tweeting Thursday's pre-ceremony events, and where there's also rumor of a live video broadcast in the works. See Global Voices Online‘s earlier posts on China's first Nobel prize here and here.
Amnesty International was smart in setting up the @NobelPeace2010 account to aggregate Chinese users’ messages to Liu Xiaobo, now in prison, where the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in his absence. Here's a selection of what Chinese netizens are sending Liu Xiaobo:
热烈祝贺晓波获得2010年诺贝尔和平奖，期待晓波能和刘霞@liuxia64一起去领奖。非常惧怕中国蝉联2011年诺贝尔和平奖。#NobelPeace。
你我都被囚禁，只是囚禁的空间大小不同。期待你享自由的那天，国人都享自由。#LiuXiaobo
恭喜晓波大叔，恭喜中国公民 @NobelPeace2010 及#LiuXiaobo
前几天看了一个89年7月份录制的有刘晓波的一个片子，对我来说从一个久远年代去了解了他，反观这次的和平奖，实至名归！
你可以不知道亚运会中国拿了多少金牌，你也可以不知道谁是两弹一星元勋，但是本周五，请你记住这个名字”刘晓波“一个为我们争取权利而被关在锦州监狱服刑的人！
我们在观看历史，我们在经历历史，我们也在期待历史，而历史也会审视我们，鞭策我们，改变我们。相信国人会有清醒的时候，也许就在明天！
恭喜刘晓波为中华民族敦促自由的声音！
祝贺刘晓波先生获奖。自由万岁。
总有一天，刘晓波会载入教科书，每个孩子都会知道曾经有个人为他们的自由奋斗而失去自由。
革命尚未成功，同志们仍须努力
Liu Xiaobo (L) and Wang Lixiong, 2008. From photos posted today by Wang's wife, Tibetan blogger Woeser.
Not online; Chinese microblogs are now deleting the most oblique references to tomorrow's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, and even freezing accounts [zh]. As for blogs, a relatively stringent effort only brought up this one post from Bokee blogger and professor of art at Hebei Normal University, Zhu Xinghua, although even that has since been harmonized. In it he describes the frustration felt in being represented by the central government regarding Liu's having been awarded the Prize:
前天，我的“中美联手是遏制金正日战争挑衅的最佳方案”的帖子发表后，有网友跟帖说：“我现在怀疑楼主是不是中国人。”
对于这位网友的怀疑，我是毫不在意的。因为我对自己是中国人深信不疑。
今年9月份，我出门旅游了几天。回到家看到门上贴了个纸条，是这次人口普查的普查员贴的。第二天我拿着户口本以户主身份到社区进行了登记。普查人员对于我主动登记表示了感谢。通过登记应该能够证明我是中国人了。我也为自己是一个中国人感到高兴。
I spent a few days traveling throughout September this year. When I got home, I found a notice stuck to the door, left there by one of the national census workers. The next day, I took my hukou papers
as ID and went down to the neighborhood office to register. The census staff were grateful that I'd come down on my own. Having been able to register should be proof enough that I am Chinese, and I'm happy for it.
听说在这次普查中，有些人故意不配合，与普查员玩起“躲猫猫”的游戏。即使这样，我想他们依然是中国人。只不过不如我积极而已。
但是，在昨天，我看到了我国外交部发言人的一个关于刘晓波的谈话，他说：“对于刘晓波问题，最有发言权的是13亿中国人民，而不是那几位诺委会人士。”他的这段话给我很大的震撼。
So then, yesterday, I saw statements made by the our country's Ministry for Foreign Affairs spokesperson regarding Liu Xiaobo; he said, “with regard to the question of Liu Xiaobo, those with the most say in the matter are the 1.3 billion Chinese people themselves, and not just a few people on the Nobel Committee.” It really shocked me to hear him say this.
因为自刘晓波事件发生以来，已经有二年时间了。在这二年中要想谈一些有关刘晓波的事情几乎是不可能的。我不知道“最有发言权的13亿中国人”中有多少被剥夺了关于刘晓波问题的发言权。最起码我自己是感觉到有一段时间是没有这种权力的。
前几天，中国记者芮成刚代表亚洲提问。引起不少网民的不满。我倒是不太在意。因为芮成钢代表不代表我，对我没有多少伤害。而前天外交部发言人的发言却是代表了我国政府的公权力。他的发言使我对我自己是否属于中国人产生了怀疑。
我是中国人吗？
A few days ago, Chinese journalist Rui Chenggang represented Asia in asking a question, angering many netizens. Actually, I wasn't bothered much by it, because regardless of whether or not Rui Chenggang represents me, I don't stand to lose much. Statements made by the MFA spokesperson two days ago, on the other hand, represent the power behind my country's government, and his statements have led me to doubt whether or now I am still Chinese.
Am I still even Chinese?

author: John Kennedy


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Cuba: Public Health System  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Octavo Cerco wonders whether “the government will manage to fix the debacle that has been steadily building in public health.”


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Cuba: Social Tension  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“A sociologist who was consulted explains that increases in social tension and discontent which have recently occurred on the island are caused by unemployment, lack of any future, and high taxes on self-employment”: Iván's File Cabinet calls the situation “a time bomb with incalculable consequences.”


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Ecuador: Reactions to WikiLeaks · Global Voices
Paulina Aguilera Muñoz

Invitations  that are retracted, allegations about “unconditional” U.S. support of Colombia in fighting the Revolutionary  Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the alleged U.S. request to  Argentina to influence the behavior of President Rafael Correa: these are the main talking points on the content of the cables leaked by WikiLeaks relating to Ecuador. The documents have also caused reactions from the blogosphere, with a marked tendency to comment on the issue of freedom of expression.
Lo que se oculta [es] (What is hidden) re-posts an article published by the press [es] that shows the impact of the documents released about Ecuador:
De los 250.000 textos revelados a través de Wikileaks, 1.600 hacen  referencia a Ecuador y muchos otros apuntan sobre la mayoría de las  naciones latinoamericanas. El gobierno ecuatoriano denunció a finales de 2008 la infiltración de  sus servicios de inteligencia por parte de la Central de Inteligencia  Americana (CIA) y a inicios de 2009 el presidente Correa expulsó a dos  diplomáticos de su país, acusados de injerencia en asuntos internos.
@Gumpcorp‘s phrase summarizes the views of Twitter users in Ecuador:
Quiero ver los documentos de #wikileaks que hablan acerca de america latina y en especial de mi pais #ecuador
With irony, El Encamador Guayaco (@Encamador) wonders:
¿Se puede hacer Wikileaks ecuatoriano?
Christian Mendieta (@twittancho) is also ironic when he says:
Imagínense un Wikileaks ecuatoriano con los secretos de alianza país, sería interesante saber que realmente opina Correa de [el alcalde de Guayaquil] Nebot #wikileaksec
Offer of residency
As reported by major international news organizations, Ecuador offered WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, residency in the country and a forum to air secrets of the United States that involve Latin America. The short note [es] from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated:
El Gobierno Nacional, a través del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio e Integración invitará al señor Julian Assange, creador de la página Web  WikiLeaks, para que exponga documentación sobre la situación relacionada con el conjunto de países de América Latina y Ecuador.
After a few hours, and during a press conference, President Correa disavowed the invitation of Vice-Chancellor Kintto Lucas,  explaining that it was on a personal basis and without authorization from Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño or the President.
El Ciudadano Web comments on the objective [es] of the invitation:
“El objetivo –precisa la nota oficial, difundida por la agencia Prensa  Latina– es conocer de primera mano tal información a través de  conferencias y ofrecer a Assange la posibilidad de realizar un trabajo  investigativo y formar a la vez investigadores en Ecuador”.
Marie (@marie2783) questions [es] the offer of asylum and the criticism of freedom of expression in the country by right-wing sectors:
Apoyamos la libertad de xpresion!!! Doble Moral??? «Patiño considera legítima invitación al Ecuador a fundador Wikileaks» Via @elcomerciocom
In a post about Wikileaks and freedom of information [es], Fátima Ifigenia writes:
¿Cómo puede este gobierno ofrecer la residencia a Julian,  si Quito  todavía vive en estado de excepción (que incluye restricciones  a la  libertad de expresión, aunque no se estén aplicando,  aparentemente)? ¿Si  información de los contratos petroleros con China,  que afecta  directamente al bolsillo de todos los ecuatorianos, se  considera  confidencial? ¿Cómo puede invitarlo, cuando el gobierno se  pasa atacando  a los medios cuando difunden información que no le  conviene, diciendo  que es sesgada, antigua o truncada?
Manuel Ignacio Gómez Lecaros in HOY Y AHORA [es] (Today and now) uses irony to say that he can imagine the group of investigators and hackers Assange could set up in Ecuador, and adds:
Con la venida de Assange, el Gobierno ya no tendría argumentos para  atacar la libertad de prensa. No podrían por un lado validar su trabajo  y, por otro, insultar y atacar a nuestros periodistas que investigan al  Gobierno.
The issue is gaining momentum in the country. After the summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) the Ecuadorian President spoke about “trivial sins” and insensitivity after the leaks:
“Seguían a Cristina Fernández para que  intervenga con el Presidente Correa para que no sea tan emotivo,  inmaduro, que sea más equilibrado en el caso de Colombia, defendiendo  siempre a Colombia que es su aliado en la Región, pero son pecados  banales, si cabe el término, de lo que sabemos hasta ahora, he pedido un  informe detallado a Inteligencia sobre las informaciones referentes a  Ecuador, información que analizaré y en función de eso daremos nuestra  respuesta correspondiente”, declaró el Jefe de Estado.

author: Paulina Aguilera Muñoz


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El Salvador: US Embassy Cables Released by WikiLeaks · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Mike from Central American Politics has been blogging about the US Embassy cables released by WikiLeaks relating to El Salvador. See posts I, II, III and IV.


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Haiti: Unrest Takes Hold  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the debacle over election results continues, Haitian bloggers discuss the mounting unrest in the country, which further complicates efforts to deal with the cholera epidemic.


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Hungary: Protesting the New Media Law · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about the second wave of protests against the new media law.


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India: Exploitation Of Contract Laborers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rashmi Singh at Kafila  highlights the plights of the contract laborers who are constructing a new hostel building for Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.


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Iran: “A website developer was sentenced to death” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Saeed Malekpour, a Candaian-Iranian website developer, is facing the death penalty in Iran for allegedly designing “adult” websites. A few Iranian sites wrote Malekpour was the main manager of hard porn Avizoon site and he is not a political prisoner.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Derakhshan Released On $1.5 Million Bail · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

An informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Hossein Derakhshan was released last night on the unprecedented bail amount of $1.5 million. Derakhshan had requested a prison furlough after a lower court sentenced him to 19.5 years in prison in September.


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Jamaica, Haiti: Democracy & Elections  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In looking at the fallout over the Haitian elections, Jamaican diaspora blogger Dennis Jones says: “The search for democracy is more than about having free and open elections. People have to have a certain disposition.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Macedonia: Wikileaks Perceived as Samizdat · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Prof. Jasna Koteska considers Wikileaks “the first global [samizdat].”

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Nigeria: On NaijaLeaks · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Solomon's take on WikiLeaks's Nigeria Cables: “Given these and other realities, I concluded, very simply, that any Nigeria-related cables from Wikileaks, would be big news. But only amongst a minority. The truth is that people like me – Nigerian political observers – would find it interesting and would analyze every morsel down to a crumb.”


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Oman: A Blogging Pioneer Tells His Story  · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Blogs in Oman, as in other countries in the region, are somewhat less popular than internet forums, but there has been a growth in blogging in recent years. Global Voices has spoken to Muawiyah Alrawahi, a young blogger who has been encouraging Omanis to blog and to create public debate in their country, with the argument that “the issue we don’t discuss is the issue we won’t solve”.
Muawiyah Alrawahi. Photo by Jillian C York
How did you start blogging?
Is blogging popular in Oman?
What have you been doing to increase interest in blogging? Why do you feel it is important?
Can you tell us about some of your more controversial posts? What kind of response have you had to them?

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Russia: “Battle for Russia’s Heritage Resumes” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Clementine Cecil, a journalist and co-founder of the Moscow Architectural Preservation Society (MAPS), writes on OpenDemocracy.net about protests against the proposed amendments to Russia’s heritage law: “Experts have already written to President Medvedev to voice their concern with the proposals, arguing they would ‘place tens of thousands of monuments of cultural heritage under threat of irreversible distortion and even destruction’.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: New Language for Organised Crime · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

In Moscow's Shadows notes that “modern organised crime has in some ways evolved beyond the language” and “new terms for new types of organised crime figures” are needed.


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Russia: Soccer Fans Block Moscow Streets in Protest Against Murder · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Corrupcia.net, bb-mos, podkradyha, and harfang83 share pictures of the soccer fans blocking Leningradskiy prospekt, one of the major Moscow streets, to protest against the murder of their colleague Yegor Sviridov. Killers of Sviridov were released soon after the murder. Most of those who participated in the street action are afraid the criminals will escape the punishment, the same way it happened with Yuri Volkov, another soccer fan killed this summer.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Sao Tome & Principe: “Africa is your Home” · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Santomean sociologist Humbah Aguiar tells a story on colonialism and the repression of the African people. Part I, II and III [pt] from “Africa is your home” can be watched at his Youtube channel.


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Serbia: Boycott of Nobel Prize Ceremony “Counterproductive” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Viktor Markovic (@Belgrade) tweets that “Serbian boycott of Nobel prize ceremony [is] counterproductive, seems the whole country now knows lot more about Chinese human right violations.”


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Slovenia: More on Sunday’s Referendum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sleeping With Pengovsky writes more about Sunday's referendum, examining the potential benefits of the new public TV law.


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Somalia: Photo of the week: Anti-piracy Militia · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

MyWeku's photo of the week: “Photo of  Somalia’s Puntland region’s anti-piracy militia. The militia is funded by an unamed donor nation.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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

“At this point in time, the nation’s budget is running at a deficit for the third successive year and the Minister of Finance is tasked with developing new sources of revenue”: Afra Raymond thinks “it is time to return to the question of property tax.”


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Uganda: My Country, My Death, My Destiny · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ugandan blogger Tumwikuje writes My Country, My Death, My Destiny: “The conflict I have about my country and my people, our being, our fate, our resurrection and our death is so overwhelming that I am paralyzed by fear, but running on desire.”


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Ukraine: Efforts to Save Tustan Preserve From Illegal Construction · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Uncataloged Museum writes about efforts to prevent illegal construction at an archeological fortress site in Western Ukraine: “Rather than wait for someone else to take action, a group of young people, led by the site's director, Vasyl Rozkho, organized a protest […]. A flash mob, photographs documenting the construction, costumed re-enactors, artists, artisans and others joined together to march and present a letter of protest to the city administration.”


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Ukraine: Fundraising to Help Street Children · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scenes from the Sidewalk announces ChildRescue/CrossRoads Foundation's fundraising initiative “to purchase gifts that will be used for “Whatever Is Needed Most” by the street and at-risk children that the organization is supporting in Ukraine: “Clothing, school supplies, food, furniture for the Centers, necessities for the children, supplies.”


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Zambia: Citizens discuss ex-president’s wife acquittal · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Zambia’s second president Frederick Chiluba’s wife, Regina, who was last March sentenced to three and half years imprisonment by the lower magistrates court on five counts of failing to account for properties suspected to have been stolen in a case that gripped the nation, has had conviction overturned by the High Court.
A panel of three High Court judges who made the ruling on December 7 2010, said there was no proof that her goods and cash were stolen or obtained illegally. Mrs Chiluba’s acquittal follows the equally controversial acquittal of the former president who was accused by the man he bequeathed power to, Levy Mwanawasa, now late, of plundering national resources.
Chiluba, his wife, and most of his top aides, including senior military and intelligence officers and chief executives of parastatal companies, were charged with offences related to abuse of office and theft of large amounts of money from state coffers. Most of them have been convicted of the offences and are either serving jail sentences or are awaiting appeal of their cases in higher courts.
Mrs Chiluba’s acquittal has attracted a number of comments from readers in two leading Zambian citizen media websites: Lusaka Times and Zambian Watchdog. At the time of writing this, there were 151 comments on Lusaka Times and 88 comments on Zambian Watchdog.
Let's start with comments from Lusaka Times. Donkey wonders whether justice system in Zambia is for those in power:
Ba Kolwe ama [these monkey] judges need to start being sorted out one by one. then they will realize that no power no law can protect their abhorrent behaviour. Poor people have been imprisoned for 15, 25 year for very simple cases, and yet those in the upper echelon easily walk free for bigger cases. What sort of justice is this? How can courts be only for the power? If Banda can only save the rich and those scratching his back, then who will save the least of our society? If MMD will win the next year elections then there should be a coup. I am not saying this for play and that should be the only way out for Zambia. But whoever takes over power by coup should quickly clear and get rid of all old politicians before dawn so that Zambia will never return to old ways. Watch out a new day is coming!
mj says:
First the criminal master dribbler was acquitted. Another criminal has just been acquitted. Another criminal (murderer Al Bashir) has been invited into the country. This tells a story.
The fight against corruption in Zambia for the last 10 years, contends Diamond, has only benefited lawyers:
This is an interesting one. Honestly, how could the prosecution make claims of stolen items without having the said items reported to police or concrete evidence of them being stolen? Proving that an accused in guilty is entirely a duty of the prosecuting team and not the defense……. which is the reason why an accused is allowed to remain silent if s/he wishes. Looks like the so-called fight against corruption in the last 10yrs has mainly benefited lawyers (defense and prosecution alike) ……..
Zambian justice system is a joke, says Reader:
It must be very discouraging for the prosecutors bringing these cases to court. Is there any politician in the ruling party or a friend of the ruling party who has been convicted of the crimes they have been prosecuted for? The Zambian justice system is a joke. Did someone mention about the Chief Justice having dinner with these people? How can anyone expect the judiciary to act impartial in cases like these? Who can set guidelines about these things? Can LAZ help us? And chi RB should pardon that man sentenced to 20 years for stealing a bicycle.
Senior Citizen disagrees:
Zambia has the most effective professional independent justice system to the envy of her fellow commonwealth member countries. This is why other countries are approaching Zambia for help with men and women from the bench. We have seen Zambian legal brains on the auxillary benches of IC, in Namibia, Cambodia, Kenya, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda to mention but a few. We also see Zambians serving as some country law school Chairs, Deans and professors all because of who we are and the system developed on. It is justice when Minister Gladys Nyirongo is arrested and loses her appeal, it is when Emmanuel Mwamba is arrested, when Michael Sata is acquitted, when Kabwela is cleared, and all Generals are arrested but not professional when there is judicial victory of FJT haaah!
The judges are not to blame, says the Saint:
The Judges here are not to blame. This case should NEVER have been tried BEFORE Dr Chiluba’s case. The Magistrate could not acquit Regina because there was potentially a prima fascie case that she received stolien goods. Once it was proven that the goods were stolen, the conviction would have stood ipso facto. Going by the numerous blunders in the prosecution of Dr Chiluba’s cases, I have a feeling that ‘lawyer wa ma lawyer’ had either lost his legal mind, or he did want Dr Chiluba to be acquitted because Chiluba’s alleged corruption extended very nicely to Levi’s first term. Res ipsa loquitur.
This is animal farm!:
You either received stolen goods or u didn’t, which is it? Comedy of errors indeed and very sad. What’s hurts me is that when poor villagers grow marijuana to earn a few ngwees or when a hungry chap steals a chicken or few maize cobs, they’re sent to prison to do serious time! Yet white collar rich folks get away with a slap on the wrist. Animal farm indeed.
Reactions on Zambian Watchdog were as follows:
msana wanzili says that although she has been acquitted, Zambians enjoyed her humiliation:
She thought this day would never come. We know she will be acquitted but at least we’ve enjoyed her humiliation.
Clement says:
The lower court erred in law and in fact when it found……………………….. , so will read the judgment for Regina. This unfortunately is becoming the norm for high profile cases in Zambia. One good thing about it all is that at list her cases provided some entertainment. For sure how can she be found wanting if the person who supposedly gave her the stolen property was acquitted? The Truth is slow but it always catches up even when you are long dead.
Analyst says the whole thing is just confusing:
The judgement of the lower court and the high court are just too wide apart even after looking at the same evidence and the judges are from the same schools. It’s just confusing. Imagine someone with no capacity to appeal, one could have been jailed for three years on the basis of lower court judgement. Why??????????????
THE JACKAL says:
Who cares about what the stupid judges say. They know they are stupid and will always be stupid. They are not Zambians and we are looking forward to their own suffering in future!! Everybody is acquitting these guys and what they forget is so many people died because ka-chiluba was stealing the money that was supposed to put drugs in hospitals and clinics. I won’t miss any judge who dies – they don’t deserve my respect… They can go to hell.
I careless says:
That is a problem of politically motivated indictments and judgements. In criminal cases, there has to be no reasonable doubt that a person committed an offence. Any way that is Zambia for us.
The former president now acts as political consultant of President Rupiah Banda and the ruling MMD. He also attends official functions which he never attended for the seven years  when Levy Mwanawasa was in power.
Zambians go to the polls next year to elect a new president and members of parliament but it remains to be seen who will be elected or re-elected following these legal and other controversial political developments in the country.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Zimbabwe: Geared up for another election · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights launched a report today titled Zimbabwe: Geared up for another election. The report is a follow up to another ZHLR report titled Will there be free and fair elections?


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Africa: ICT terms in African languages available online · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

ANLoc partners have completed work on 2500 Information and Communications Technology terms, with a particular eye to software localization, for the following languages: Akan, Amharic, Arabic, French, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Luganda, Songhay, Yoruba, and Zulu.


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Americas: Cosplay in Latin America · Global Voices
Clotilde Castillo

Cosplay (costume play), is a way of expression in which participants use costumes and accessories to represent their favorite characters, usually from manga, anime or video games. Cosplay has followers all over the world and Latin America is not the exception.
The passion of its followers (Cosplayers) is reflected not only in their elaborate costumes, but also in their interest in promoting Cosplay and to share their own adventures through personal blogs, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter.
Cosplay Guatemala.  Image by Jose Fernando, Flickr user Summon Baka.  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Cosplay goes beyond dressing up in a costume. In the website Imperio Anime [es] from Costa Rica, Miroku explains what Cosplay is [es] and what it entails, clarifying:
Aunque no todo es vestirse; no. No se puede olvidar la parte ‘play’ de CosPLAY.
Gran parte de todo esto es pretender ser ese personaje al que se esté interpretando. Esto también es muy importante, además de divertido. Aunque solamente sea para una foto, o durante todo el evento o fiesta, o incluso para alguna dramatización; sin olvidar lo entretenido que puede resultar.
Cosplay Panama. Sailor Moon. Image by Flickr user TulioPa. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-non Commercial-non Derivs 2.0 Generic license.
The blog Cosplay Ecuador Elite [es] promotes Cosplay and interviews cosplayers from all over the world. The author has interviewed cosplayers from Italy, France, Mexico, Argentina, Panama, Peru and Chile, among others. In these interviews one can learn more about the concept, the work involved, the motivation of the cosplayers, their family's support and how complicated it becomes to store all those cosplays (costumes) when the collection is increasing.
The blogs and websites dedicated to Cosplay also approach some issues within the community.
In Costa Rica, Crys from the blog Cosplay de Costa Rica [es], wrote last year about the lack of humility that sometimes is shown by some cosplayers:
Ser un cosplayer de calidad, es un trabajo duro y que requiere mucho esfuerzo, nadie lo puede negar, pero últimamente algunos de estos cosplayer han tomado el titulo de *superiores* a otros cosplayer que no son tan buenos o si lo son pero simplemente quieren tratar de hacerse los importantes ante todos.
However the author clarifies that:
Hay muchos (por dicha son más) que son totalmente diferente; siempre se les ve escribiendo en los foros procurando hacer más emocionante el tiempo de espera de los aficionados que lo leen y anhelan con ansias los eventos, nunca niegan nada a nadie y lo mejor saben dar cumplidos a los otros participantes para así motivarlos más; creo que esa es la actitud que se debe tener ante las personas, que de cierta forma admiran el trabajo que los cosplayer realizan y mostrarce siempre agradecido ante ellos…
Nada Cuesta un Simple Gracias!! o sonreir ante los demas…
Through their blogs, some cosplayers share the techniques used to make their costumes. In the blog Panama Cosplay Tutorials [es], the author explains in his posts how he accomplishes some elements in his cosplays. The last entry was for “Dr. Stein from Soul Eater” [es], where it is easy to appreciate the ingenuity used by cosplayers to get the effects that they are looking for. For example, Kohaku (nickname of the blog's author) explains how he built the head of the screw that this character uses:
Cosplay Panama-Dr. Stein.  Image by Flickr user TulioPa.  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-non Commercial-non Derivs 2.0 Generic license.
Para la cabeza del tornillo yo use un plato de corn flakes de mi casa XD porque se ajustaba al tamaño de mi cabeza, les recomiendo que usen algo que no los haga verse desproporcionados, pueden sacarlos de una lamina de cielo raso o foam como les parezca.
Also from Panama, the blogs Konekotan [es] and Alatariel's Cosplay [es] [en] write about Cosplay and publish photos, videos, tips and events.
The blogs Bolivia Cosplay [es] and Myo Blog [es] also share photos that show Cosplay activities and events in Bolivia.
Myo Blog also offers Cosplay tutorials [es], and even one on how to make boots without boots [es]. Judging by the comments in this tutorial, her creativity benefited others and was received with a lot of gratitude.
The blog Amacosplay [es] from Venezuela also has some tutorials, as well as an entertaining description about her beginning in Cosplay and her growth as a cosplayer. In her blog [es], Ama or Meroko (nicknames of this cosplayer), has shared the happiness and difficulties of the cosplayer: raw material limitations, not having enough money and the satisfaction of the finished projects. Her last entry [es] shows how the economic realities of a country interfere with people's dreams and passions. Ama wrote:
Pues si ._. cada vez se pone más difícil la cosa, y em doy cuenta que de verdad vivía en una burbuja ._. ahora estamos sin agua, sin luz, sin dinero y sin comida ._. quiero hacer mis cosplays pero ahora cada vez pienso más que no podré hacerlos
In the same post she adds:
el futuro es tan incierto que me preocupa ._. y los planes que he hecho se han caído todos, siento como si no pudiera hacer más planes… ni siquiera tengo la menor idea de dónde estaré ni qué estaré haciendo dentro de 1 año… es suficiente para hacer que me preocupe
Cosplay Peru [es] is another specialized website and they have photos and videos about Cosplay in Peru as well as interviews and coverage of international events. Also from Peru, there is Guía Cosplay de Todos [es] which also promotes cosplay and showcases events and contests. Most recently they showcased Mister Cosplay and Cosplay Performance (group) contests.
In Mexico, the blog Exolimpo [es] covers many subjects, within them Anime, Manga and Cosplay. Related to Cosplay, they have written about the prejudices and negative criticism based on ignorance of what Cosplay entails, as well as the pros and cons of being a cosplayer. These subjects have been approached in two posts: “Cosplay: Waste of time and money?” [es] and “Cosplay: Madness?” [es].
Cosplay Panama.  Image by Flickr user TulioPa.  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-non Commercial-non Derivs 2.0 Generic license.
Despite the fact that not every cosplayer has an active blog, it is evident that the Latin American community is significant and Cosplay has passionate followers around the region. In the interviews published by Cosplay Ecuador Elite [es], it is clear how much effort cosplayers put in their characters. At the end, it is more than just a costume; there is a lot of creativity, patience and work involved in accomplishing a successful Cosplay. At the same time, there is the process of learning their character in order to portray it during team performances.
Cosplay Venezuela – Narutards in Action.  Image by Hector Cen, Flickr user Zentra.  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-non Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Most of them put in many working hours and as Kiren explains in the post “Cosplay: Waste of time and money?” [es] there are several benefits that people can get out of cosplay: learn new things, make new friends, have fun and overcome shyness.

author: Clotilde Castillo


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Bangladesh: On US, Where Liberty Is A Statue · Global Voices
Rezwan

“It is about time the Statue of Liberty started minding its own business and oiling its own recession-afflicted machine,” comments Maskawaith Ahsan at E-Bangladesh while discussing contemporary issues like Wikileaks and the frisking of Indian ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, at the Mississippi Airport.


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Barbados: Praedial Larceny · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Underground blogs about “the scourge of praedial larceny.”


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Belarus: Search for National Identity · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Natalia Leshchenko writes that “Belarusians have come to the point where they need a shared, universally accepted, veritable and satisfying understanding of themselves as a nation, and a common vision of their goals and priorities of development.”


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Brazil: Media supported censorship during the dictatorship · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Eduardo Guimarães, from Blog da Cidadania [Citzenship Blog, pt] reproduces an interview by TV host Jô Soares with Ricardo Kotscho (journalist and President Lula's former press secretary), in which he states that several major Brazilian newspapers supported the  Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964-1985).

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: President Lula defends WikiLeaks’ Assange · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) has this week criticised [pt] the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, condemning the Brazilian press for not having defended the Australian activist. Lula said [pt, en], “the boy was arrested and I'm not seeing any protest against [the curtailment of] freedom of expression.”

author: Marta Cooper


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Brazil: WikiLeaks and the “Electronic Intifada” · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Idelber Avelar, from the blog Biscoito Fino, suggests [pt] that Orwell's 1984 is one of the best literary models to understand WikiLeaks’ global surveillance, comparing it with a two-way “Electronic Intifada“, and calls Julian Assange as the “First Global Political Prisioner of the Internet”.


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Burkina Faso: Coping with climate change · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A farmer in Burkina Faso combines farming and cattle herding to cope with climate change: “Years ago, when the forest and grass were plentiful, the stover from millet and sorghum were left on the fields. But now they are carefully stowing it as animal feed, to be used during the dry season.”


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Chile: Blog Against Reduction of History Class Hours · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The blog Historia y Reforma [es] (History and Reform) collects “the different positions that have been manifested against the reduction of hours for History that are scattered in various media and social networks. At the same time, readers will be able to learn about the different actions that are being organized in defense of the teaching of History in Chilean education.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: Deconstructing Foxconn · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Prof. Jack Qiu of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, an advisor of SACOM, produced a video on the harsh working conditions at Foxconn, Deconstructing Foxconn.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: International Human Rights Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense explains why today, International Human Rights Day, is important to him.


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Cuba: UN Vote on LGBT Rights Sparks Controversy  · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

Symbol of the LGBT community. Photo by incurable hippie republished under CC License.*
On November 24, 2010 the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) and the Cuban Multidisciplinary Society for the Study of Sexuality (SOCUMES) published an official statement [es] which offered a glimpse of their disagreement with the vote of the Cuban delegation before the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly.
During this session, Cuba supported the amendment to remove the explicit reference to sexual orientation from the periodic resolution condemning the extrajudicial, arbitrary or summary executions.
Four days later, Francisco “Paquito” Rodríguez Cruz, journalist of the weekly Trabajadores and member of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexuual) community, published on his blog Paquito el de Cuba an open letter to Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez [es], arguing his “total and strong disagreement” with the Cuban vote. This action was described as an “incomprehensible” exercise of diplomacy if we take into account government policies on the subject.
Incongruencias de tal naturaleza podrían ser contraproducentes para este propósito que nos involucra a tantos en función de superar viejos esquemas mentales, e incluso para la imagen internacional de la Revolución.
Inconsistencies of this kind could be counterproductive for our purpose of overcoming old mindsets, and even for the international image of the Revolution.
Blogger Yasmín Silvia Portales in her blog En 2310 y 8225 [es] reminds us:
Es la imagen de nuestra nación la que se vincula a los 73 gobiernos con peor récord en cuanto a derechos sexuales, reproductivos y de respeto a la diversidad sexual, somos nosotr@s, ciudadan@s de Cuba, quienes firmamos esa enmienda.
It is the image of our nation which is related to the 73 governments with the worst record in sexual and reproductive rights; we, citizens of Cuba, are signing that amendment.
The discussion on the Internet provoked a quick official response. At 3: oo pm on December 2, the blogger Francisco Rodríguez, the president of SOCUMED Alberto Roque  and other CENESEX representatives were received by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez to discuss the controversial vote of the Cuban delegation at the UN.  During this meeting, the Foreign Minister confirmed that there were no changes in Cuba's policy to oppose any form of discrimination and the respect of sexual orientation and gender identity. However, he said the controversial vote was a result of “unforeseen circumstances.”
This fact, predicted by Yasmín Portales in her blog [es], drew criticism towards creating political alliances “at the expense of forgoing the cult to the full dignity of man” in a country that declares itself as constitutionally socialist.
During the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also showed the explanatory text provided by Cuba after the vote. Another statement will be announced in a few days by the Cuban mission to the UN.
Although blogger Francisco Rodríguez appreciated  “…the gesture of inviting a simple Cuban blogger from the LGBT community to participate in this discussion,” he says the issue is still outstanding. He recognizes that the response did “not fully satisfy because it is not possible to roll back the vote” but he is encouraged with the understanding of the problem demonstrated by the Chancellor and his commitment to keeping “a position consistent with national policies around non-discrimination and respect for sexual diversity.”
Yasmín Silvia, in a second article about the subject [es], described Minister Bruno Rodríguez's hosting the meeting as “amazing and wonderful”, but she told the news agency IPS [es]:
Nuestros derechos, los de las personas LGBT, son moneda de cambio para aliarse con cualquier desgobierno aficionado a las lapidaciones y en la mirilla de imperio.
Our rights, the rights of the LGBT community, are bargaining chips to create alliances with  pro-stoning and US-targeted infamous governments.
At the same time, she recognized the gains of having this debate:
[es una] demostración inusitada de la atención que presta el Gobierno a los  debates de la izquierda cubana que no entra por el aro de la ortodoxia  tradicional, y de que nuestros criterios si son leídos con atención.
[It is an] unprecedented demonstration of the attention given by the  Government to the discussions of the Cuban left that does not fit the  traditional orthodoxy, and that our criteria are being read with  attention.
The controversy spread to blogs of all political affiliations. Blogger Yoani Sánchez [es] criticized the lack of information in the official media. Yohandry's blog [es] reproduced the results of the vote and the subsequent Cuban Foreign Minister meeting with members of the civil society. The Negra cubana tenía que ser blog [es], maintained by Sandra Alvarez, highlighted the importance of training and advice on this topic for Cuban diplomats.
*Photo taken from Flickr by incurable_hippie republished under License CC A-NC 2.0.

author: Elaine Díaz


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D.R. of Congo: Etienne Tshisekedi returns home · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The opposition leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Etienne Tshisekedi, returns home: “Tshisekedi arrived in Kinshasa yesterday after three years in “medical exile.” There is some debate about how many people showed up to greet him at the airport and along the 20km of road between Ndjili airport and his home in Limete.”


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Ecuador: “Fiestas de Quito”: Tradition and Resistance · Global Voices
Paulina Aguilera Muñoz

Festival of Lights and Colors at closing of Fiestas de Quito. Image by Flickr user Presidencia de la República del Ecuador, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license
The “Fiestas de Quito” (Quito Celebrations) are one of the most important and traditional celebrations in Ecuador. This year the celebration coincides with 476 years since the foundation of San Francisco de Quito. The festivities are marked by the multiculturalism of the city, its traditions and  cuisine, where issues of miscegenation and nationalism blend in a  fragrant, colorful and musical occasion.
If “¡Que viva Quito!” is the only phrase you can hear from the chivas (buses) that drive around full of people dancing, and if it is the only sound you hear on the streets; if offices and neighborhoods begin to organize the traditional “cuarenta championships,” an Ecuadorian card game with phrases that each player must say while playing cards; and if in the air you can smell the canelazo, a traditional Ecuadorian alcoholic beverage made with sugar cane alcohol (aguardiente) and cinnamon, it means that the “Fiestas de Quito [es]” are here, beginning at the end of November in the Ecuadorian capital and ending on December 6, the day of the Spaniard foundation of the city.
During the celebrations, one must admire and dance with the “bandas de pueblo [es]” (town bands) and go out to see the “tarimas,” platforms installed on the street where dancers, musicians and other artistic expressions are performed around the city.
“Lindo Quito de mi vida” (Beautiful Quito of my life) is almost the official anthem of the celebration, together with the song of the “Chulla Quiteño,” a traditional character who was known for being original, talkative, bohemian and an intellectual.
Fernando Mena (@fercho1719) remembers with nostalgia:
recuerdos  de fiestas de quito.. en esos bailes populares de los barrios era el  preciso momento para ligar. uff eso les cuento cuando tenia 16
@A_quatix tweets about the intensity of the festivities:
Recorriendo  x toda la ciudad las fiestas se viven intensamente! Chivas, Orquestas,  Bandas, Trios, Comida Tipica. Que lindo es nuestro Quito!
AGJD (@AGJaramillo) shows how the celebrations are enjoyed with friends:
Resumen after fiestas de Quito 2010…. Excelentes… Falto la Chiva pero con la compañia de los amigos se paso increible…
Bullfighting and religion
During the festival, the Feria de Quito “Jesús del Gran Poder,” [es] (Quito Fair “Jesus the Great Power”) takes place, one of the most important bullfighting fairs [es] in Latin America, where along with bullfighting, the Spaniard music and tradition is kept alive. The Facebook page, Somos Ecuador [es] (We Are Ecuador), informs about the activities and tries to “disseminate and promote the Fiesta Brava as part of our cultural miscegenation, traditions, art and freedom of expression.”
Image by Flickr user purolipan, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license
In recent years, a strong movement against [es] bullfighting has emerged, which also has its own Facebook page: Quito Anti-Taurino [es]. With a critical point of view, Gabriela Wright A (@gwrighta) comments:
Otra  de las cosas insólitas de las fiestas de Quito: nombre de la feria  “Jesús del Gran Poder” No entiendo la relación de los toros y Jesús.
During the celebrations the “Reina de Quito” (Queen of Quito) is chosen, marking the beginning of the festivities. The queen of Quito plays a role in social assistance for the city.
This year, the celebration on the streets and the traditional parade of “Fiestas de Quito” were marked by the bicentennial and the “first cry of independence,” remembering that Ecuador was the first country in South America to become independent from Spain. Another element in this year's parade was the annoucement that Quito was named the 2011 Capital of Culture.
Pablo Garzón (@pgarzon) comments on the celebration, and the intensity with which people experience it:
Convencido que las  Fiestas de Quito son mucho más que las corridas de toros. Chivas,  bandas de pueblo, el 40, fiesta en la calle, etc, etc.
Evaluations,  criticisms and comments will continue, until the new “Fiestas de Quito” renew the cheerful mood, friends and family, partying and celebration, in a fabric woven with tradition and resistance.


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Haiti: After the Elections · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Haitian bloggers continue to monitor post-election developments.


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India: Ban Diesel Vehicles In And Around The Himalayan Region  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Raja Basu at Potpourri suggests that the Indian government should ban diesel vehicles in and around the Himalayan Region so that the Himalayan glaciers can be saved.

author: Rezwan


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India: Gifting Cars At Weddings · Global Voices
Rezwan

Neha Viswanathan at Within / Without discusses about a slogan of a car advertisement in India promoting gifting of cars at weddings, which can be interpreted as promoting dowry.


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India: One Day Women Can Play and Dance · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

India Unheard shows us two different festivities in different areas of the country where married women from tribal communities can, for one day only, play and dance in public without risking censure.
In Tribal Festival Celebrates Femininity, Devidas Gaonkar explains how due to the patriarchal structure that still persists in many tribal communities, there are very few occasions where women are allowed to get away from their chores and duties in the home, and this festival is a chance for them to gather together and have fun. He grew up observing his mother and sister enjoying themselves this day and understood the importance of giving women the chance to enjoy festivities in the same manner men are allowed to do so.
The following video by Devidas Gaonkar shows the Dhillo festivities, which take place on the day before Diwali, in Cotigao, Goa:
‘Dhillo’ is the name of the icon made of clay or cow dung that the women make to symbolise their deity; it is placed on the village ‘maand’ (platform or space kept for performances or festivals) where the women proceed to perform folk dances, which are known as ‘khel’ (game).
Another India Unheard Video Volunteer, this one in the Maharashtra region, talks about a similar day when women in her village can dance and have fun:
In rural Mahasrashtra where Rohini, the correspondent of this video lives, women are treated as inferior to men. So while men are free to do whatever they want, women's moves are restricted and they must take need special permission from family members to even move out of their homes. They are especially forbidden to sing, dance or play in public view. Those who do so, are looked down upon as women of loose morality. However, once in a year — on the day of Nagpanchami this bar is lifted and women are expected to dance and play games.
India Unheard is a community news service launched by Video Volunteers; an organization which trains community members into becoming correspondents who tell the unique stories about their minority or marginalized communities through video, SMS reporting and other social media tools.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Jamaica: On the Internet · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac asks some pressing questions about the Internet.


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Kenya: Kenya and the ICC: Setting the record straight · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Why is the Kenyan government doing a u-turn on its promise to cooperate with the International Criminal Court?: “Now that the investigations are done the Prosecutor has announced that he is ready to take the next step and will be requesting the International Court to issue summons against 6 high level officials on December 15th 2010.”


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Kenya: The case of Kenyan born with both male and female genitalia · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan Jurist discusses the case of Richard Muasya  in Kenya who was born with both female and male genitalia and therefore unable to secure a birth certificate, identity card or any travel documents.