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Tales of Love and Sex from Angola · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

Rosie Alves is a young Angolan blogger and “cronista” living in Luanda. The crónica is a Portuguese writing form that is very suited to blogging – originally published in newspapers, they are tales, sometimes true and sometimes fictionalized, that convey a point or a conceit in a very short form.
In her blog “Sweet Cliché“, Alves writes short tales, often about love and intimate encounters. (Blogspot warns readers of the adult nature of her blog). Here's an excerpt from her most popular recent post “Matei o meu amor” – “I killed my love”:
Foi naquela noite fria e chuvosa, na entrada de casa. Com apenas um golpe no coração, cruel e sem dó, matei o meu amor. Matei aquele que me causava prazer e dor. Senti ele a morrer. Ele sangrava, aquele pedaço vermelho perdia a cor na medida que o sangue escorria…
Foi frio, cauteloso, vi ele decair-se lentamente e, um mar de sangue se formava. Tudo parecia girar. Pensei nos bons momentos que passamos juntos, nos grandes prazeres que ele me proporcionou, e não tardou, veio a imagem do dia em que ele me traiu, a rodar na minha cabeça. A senhora que passava às pressas com um saco plástico na cabeça para se abrigar da chuva, não pareceu se importar com o que vira.
It was on the cold and rainy night, at the entrance to the house. With just one blow to the heart, cruel and pitiless, I killed my love, cause of my pleasure and my hurt. I felt my love die – bleeding, that red lump lost color as the blood flowed…
It was cold, careful, I saw my love fall slowly, a sea of blood formed. Everything seemed to spin. I thought of the good moments we had together, the great pleasure my love brought me, but soon the image of the day my love betrayed me, went around in my head. The woman who was hurrying past with a plastic bag on her head to shelter from the rain did not seem bothered by what she saw.
Just 21 years old, Alves occupies a unique place in what she says is a growing Angolan blogosphere – however she is more popular outside of her country than within it. We interviewed Alves recently – over a very unreliable 3G connection – to learn more.
Rosie has been blogging for three years, and has built up quite an online following in spite of her Twitter biography (@rosie_alves), which reads “Don't follow me, I'm lost”.
GV: How would you describe the genre that you write?
I like to write narrative crónicas - that are sometimes made up only of dialogue. They come very close to short stories. They are more committed to daily events, that is, banal, common events. I also don't forgo a humorous crónica or philosophical, reflexive one. I like to mix things up and explore new territory.
GV: When did you start blogging? Why do you write?
I decided to blog in 2010. Writing calms me. Every time I write, I feel that I am taking a load off of my shoulders. And my tongue (lol). For me, it is the best therapy.
GV: You write quite a bit about love, intimacy, and sex. How are these topics dealt with by Angolan society? Are they taboo? Is there erotic literature in Angola?
Angolan society is quite conservative in what relates to these themes. (This explains why, after Spain, Angola is the country that least visits my blog.) There are many taboos in Angola. In the old days, we could say that it was a question of conservatism. Now with all of the transformations ongoing in our society, I see no reason for taboos. I don't know of any erotic literature in Angola (at least published and distributed). The closest to this that I've read was the work of the poet Paula Tavares ‘Ritos de Passagem’ (Rites of Passage). I am used to hearing people say that Angolan society is not prepared for this kind of topic. That's true, it is not. And at the rate things are going, it will never be…
GV: Can you tell us what it is like to be a young woman in Luanda?
It hasn't been easy, here there is much discrimination and disrespect for women. Principally emancipated women. We are stereotyped in many ways.
GV: Tell us a memory from your childhood.
At four years old, I really wanted to read a storybook that my dad gave me, so he took me to a tutor who helped me read and write before I went to primary school. I would go there every day, with my backpack on my back. Even up until now, they were the most beautiful moments I've lived.
GV: How would you describe your generation in Angola?
My generation is living through great changes. It is a very able generation, full of dreamers and people with a lot of potential. Too bad few really know their own [potential]. On the other hand, we're very competitive, we cannot see those around us and come together for the same cause. Few know the meaning of the words union and solidarity. We have more access to information, and even so we act as though we live in the stone age.
In Angola, there's the phrase “a young person who does not party is not a young person.” Youth today only wants to party. Without generalizing, because of course there are exceptions.
GV: Do you fit into a larger blogging scene in Angola?
I think so. I have online peers, the Angolan blogosphere grows by the day. A Facebook group “Blogueiros Angolanos” (“Angolan Bloggers”) has been created, we use it to encourage each other and to get our work out there. It is where we converse, trade ideas, and experiences. And not just there, I have peers in other countries around the world.
Image from sweetclichee‘s Instagram:
“- Waiter, a beer please.
- We don't have any.
- Do you have Disappointment? I'll take a double.
- We do, he's seated there with a cigarette in his hand.
- That man there? What should I call him?
- Call him love.”
GV: Tell us about your writing process. What are your greatest challenges?
Generally, I pick up my mobile and I begin to write and in less than two hours, I finish. Sometimes I spend two weeks developing a text, and it even really frustrates me. One of my great challenges, if not the only, is to make the reader find himself/herself in what I write, and I can say that I have achieved that based on the feedback I receive.
GV: Who are your readers, do you know? How do people react to what you write?
I can say that many people read it. With that I mean: all ages groups, in the most diverse group of countries. It is strange, but according to the statistics, the country that most visits my blog is the US. There are those who have told me they read via Google Translator. The majority congratulates me, gives me suggestions, and encourages me to carry on. Obviously there are always those who do not like it or take it the wrong way, I've even been challenged by someone telling me that I should take care with what I write.
GV: What are your aspirations for the future?
I am a person full of dreams, and if I start to recount all of my aspirations here, I will not even finish today. But one of them, and really special, is to become a cronista in a newspaper or a magazine. It would be fantastic.

author: Janet Gunter


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Thailand: TV Debate on Royal Family Cancelled · Global Voices
Aim Sinpeng

Thai public television PBS has pulled their most controversial TV program to date, Tob Jode (Answering Thailand’s Issues), following public backlash against its series on the monarchy. Opponents deemed the show “anti-royal” and a threat to national reconciliation in a country marred by years of ongoing conflict and deep polarization. Online community was a major force behind this public outcry.
The public channel took a big gamble when it first aired a five-part series on “The Monarchy under the Constitution” on March 11, 2013. Pinyo Traisuriyathamma, a popular political show host, knew full well the controversial nature of holding a televised public discussion on the monarchy, given the topic's highly sensitive nature and the rise of lese majeste persecution in recent years. Yet he believed in this critical moment, Thailand can no longer remain silent about the elephant in the room. The editorial board defends the program:
The purpose of this series on the monarchy is to provide a much needed neutral forum for an honest and frank discussion about our most sensitive topic but urgent matter
Below is a short video clip which gives a preview of the controversial last episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJENCR-zlnQ
Criticism mounted and spread throughout the online world following Somkiat Jiamteerasakul, an academic from Thammasat University, who campaigned for amnesty and lese majeste reform. Frank discussion about the monarchy, including questions about someone's loyalty/disloyalty to the royal institution, were unheard of on mainstream media.
Pro-monarchy Facebook groups were littered with anger and outrage. The Pithak Siam Group sent some 20 members to protest at the Thai PBS headquarters. The group said:
We won't allow people who seek to overthrow the monarchy to do this to our country
Khon Thai Rak Chart Group (Thais who love their nation) stormed Thai PBS building to demand the show’ cancellation, citing “inappropriate and unacceptable discussion regarding the monarchy on air.” Similarly, the Dislike Yingluck for Concentration Citizen wrote on their Facebook page, questioning the motive behind Tob Jode‘s monarchy series.
Under enormous pressure, Thai PBS Editorial team pulled the plug on the show, fearing the safety of its employees following numerous threats and intimidation made to their staff. Tob Jode‘s Facebook page, which has since been removed, offered an explanation of their decision:
We are no longer certain we can maintain public confidence in our role as media.
Is freedom of speech and preservation of the monarchical institution a zero sum game? Tob Jode sought to precisely highlight this predicament in Thai society. Despite this initial setback, the Thai PBS Policy Committee convened and decided to finally air the last episode of Tob Jode‘s monarchy series. The Committee reckons that its previous decision to cancel the show was in breach of its own professional conduct.
The administrators and the staff  [of Thai PBS] must remain independent from interest groups and pressure groups, so that the public can be confident of our impartiality.
Saksith Saiyasombut writes about the impact of the cancellation of the show:
…the cancellation of an open and straight public debate about the role of the monarchy in the Thai state is a cruel reminder that a certain section of the Thai population is still not ready to face differing notions about Thailand’s power structure. While ThaiPBS is to be commended on tackling a thorny issue, it has made a number of discouraging steps backwards by deciding to cancel the show.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Aim Sinpeng


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Today’s Tibet, Tomorrow’s Hong Kong? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

An activist network in Hong Kong, Walking along with Tibetans (與西藏同行) organized an assembly at Tsim Sha Tsui to express their solidarity with Tibetans on the 54th Anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day on March 10, 2013. The occasion was also to mourn for 113 Tibetans who immolated between February 2009 and February 2013 to protest against the Chinese government's oppression in Tibet.
The assembly statement said:
過去一年，中國政府對西藏鎮壓變本加厲，導致藏曆2139年(即2012年)境內藏人自焚抗議事件愈演愈烈。從2009年2月27日至2013年2月25日，共113位藏人自焚，在境內藏地有109位，在境外有4位，包括15位女性，已知其中94人犧牲（境內92人，境外2人）。這些自焚藏人所留下的遺言，和自焚時喊出最後的響亮心聲是：“讓達賴喇嘛尊者返回西藏”、“祈願達賴喇嘛尊者永久住世”、“西藏要自由”、“民族平等”、“西藏獨立”等等。
The Chinese government's oppression against Tibetans has kept elevating, in Tibetan calendar year 2139 [which means in 2012) there are more and more self-immolation protests. Between February 27, 2009 to February 25, 2013, a total of 113 Tibetans have self-immolated. 109 immolations have taken place in Tibet, 4 were outside Tibet. 15 of them are women, 94 of them have died (92 from Tibet and 2 from overseas). Their last wishes are: “Let Dalai Lama return to Tibet”, “Long Live Dalai Lama”, “Free Tibet”, “Ethic equality”, “Tibet independent” and etc.
Banner for the 54th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising in Hong Kong.
Citizen reporter Marco Mak interviewed the event organizer Dorothy who had visited Tibet three times in the past few years:
Dorothy 表示被藏民純樸善良的個性所深深感動，遂在回港後致力為西藏發聲，希望令更多人知道藏民每日要面對的如武裝鎮壓、文化清洗和媒體封鎖等嚴重問題。「藏民被迫去到高樓大廈裡生活，他們失去了以往賴以生存的方式。兒童不能學習藏語，令文化滅絕。我認識的藏人正努力保護自己的宗教文化，他們大多很純真。這與香港的物質生活反差很大…」
Dorothy said she was touched by Tibetans’ simple and kind nature and wanted to speak out for them in Hong Kong so that more people would be aware of the everyday life oppression such as military control, cultural cleaning and media blockage faced by Tibetan: “Tibetans are forced to live in high-rise buildings and changed their lifestyles. Children can't learn Tibetan and their culture is eroding. My Tibetan friends are trying very hard to protect their own religion and culture. Their hearts are pure, very different from the materialistic attitude in Hong Kong…”
Exhibition on Tibet human right situation during the assembly. Photo from inmediahk.net (CC: AT-NC)
Hong Ningshan（韓年山）, the spokesperson from Protect Hong Kong Freedom Coalition said that what has happened in Tibet is closely related to Hong Kong and many participants of the assembly echoed the view. Marco reported Hong's speech:
面對西藏現時不公義的情況，香港人不能再沉默。即使西藏和香港的距離很遙遠，但仍然和香港息息相關。因為中共政權自建國以來，不斷剝削人民的自由；西藏人民的宗教自由和基本人權更是接近去蕪存菁。
他更認為當時中共答允給予西藏人民的宗教自由，和港人的雙普選都只是「權宜之計」；實際遙遙無期。因為中共只會以謊言治國，蒙蔽人民。他呼籲港人必須立即醒覺，盡力避免被重蹈覆轍。
Hong Kong people cannot be silent about the injustice in Tibet. Even though geographically the two places are far apart, [their fates] are connected. Since the establishment of PRC, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been exploiting people's freedom. Tibetans are now deprived of religious freedom and human rights.
Hong believed that the religious freedom promised by CCP to Tibetans was their strategy [to pacify the Tibetans], the situation is similar to their promise for universal suffrage to Hong Kong people, it is very likely that the promise will never be fulfilled. The CCP is using lies to rule the country and cheat people and Hong Kong people has to be aware of the history and avoid [what happened in Tibet from recurring in Hong Kong].

author: Oiwan Lam


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Top Anti-Corruption Blogger Parties at Kremlin · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Russia's best known anti-corruption blogger, Alexey Navalny, shocked [ru] many of his supporters when he attended a banquet at the Kremlin yesterday, March 18, 2013. The event was held by Aeroflot, Russia's semi-private national airline, where Navalny currently serves on the board of directors (though his tenure there ends this summer and will not [ru] be renewed). In perhaps the most emotional RuNet reaction, journalist Oleg Kashin, one of Navalny's most vocal cheerleaders, tweeted [ru] that going to the banquet sealed the blogger's “political suicide”:
Для политика, который 5 декабря 2011 был бесспорным лидером для всех, кто пришел на Чистые пруды, этот банкет – самоубийство, конечно.
For the politician who on December 5, 2011, was for everyone the undisputed leader [of the protest movement], who came to [the first winter protest] at Chistye Prudy, this banquet is suicide, of course.
Navalny later responded [ru], writing that Kashin's tweets were “stupid” and ignored [ru] the fact that Kashin himself attended [ru] a concert at the Kremlin in 2010:
[…] Твиты твои глупые. Подыгрываешь мурзилкам всяким. Ты на концерт Стаса Михайлова в КРЕМЛЬ ходил. И чо?
[…] Your tweets are stupid. You play right into the hands of all the stooges. You went to THE KREMLIN for Stas Mikhailov's concert. So what?

author: Kevin Rothrock


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“Tough Skin and Brains”: Nigeria’s Apps4Africa Winner Talks Tech Innovation in Africa  · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Nigeria's Prowork was one of three winners of the 2012 Apps4Africa Business Challenge, a competitive funding programme for African innovators, start-ups, and businesses.
Prowork is a project management and real-time collaboration tool for businesses which facilitate teamwork via mobile (Blackberry, Android and Java supporting phones), Web, and API platforms. Fresh off winning the Apps4Africa award, co-founder Francis Onwumere (FO) chatted with us about Prowork, tech innovation in Africa, and how to make the most of Nigeria's poor infrastructure.
Nwachukwu Egbunike (NE): You are among the three winners of the Apps4Africa Business Challenge. How do you feel?
FO: We are very delighted with this award and very grateful to everyone who has made this possible.
NE: What is Prowork? When and how did it start?
FO: Prowork is a mobile first enterprise class project management and collaboration solution for businesses. It’s like Microsoft’s Sharepoint or Basecamp but mobile and easier to use, more powerful, with real time collaboration everywhere, anywhere. Prowork is available via mobile, the web, SMS and a robust API to allow developers to extend the functionality.
Back in 2009 I started collaborating with my co-founders Ope and Namzo on our IT consultancy business, we used several collaborative tools but somehow it just wasn’t working. Then we discovered that we were not alone. Many businesses faced the same loss of productivity by improvising project management and collaboration.
Prowork unlocks this problem by putting power of project management and collaboration on one platform and making it mobile first such that project management takes place where the actual project activities happen. So when Startup weekend came to Lagos we decided to build a prototype at the event and in June 2012 we went commercial.
NE: What makes it unique among the numerous apps being developed daily on the continent?
FO: We are solving a pertinent problem like the other joint winners of the competition. The value proposition of technology products has to meet concrete needs of people and businesses. There are many startups in Africa solving problems, competitions like the Apps 4 Africa Award help to encourage and showcase them. We’ll get to see other unique solutions enter the spotlight in future competitions.
(Prowork team) L-R: Ope, Francis and Namzo. Photo used with permission from Francis Onwumere
Technology innovation is the future of the whole world. It however presents a special opportunity for Africa to leap frog the gap between them and developed countries. In today’s world, every aspect of our lives and industry benefits from technology hence there is ample room to innovate.
NE: Some people argue that African tech innovators are not really innovators, that we clone or imitate tools that have been developed in the West already. Is that true?
FO: It will be difficult here to give a yes or no response. Education, formal or informal, gives insights for creativity. Hence the West and Africa have a lot to learn from each other.
NE: Why is it a challenge for African technology entrepreneurs to turn the apps they create into viable businesses?
FO: Entrepreneurship training and mentorship is missing in most of our curriculum, you can’t go very far with a trial and error strategy. There is then a need for people who have done it and been there to hand-hold the upcoming technology entrepreneurs in the continent.
NE: What, in your view, is the significant pros or cons of building a team among Nigerian tech professionals?
FO: Every technology entrepreneur that wants to do right builds a team around people they trust, work hard, share common interests, and ambitions – i.e. friends. Without friendship, teams will fall apart when the journey gets tough.
NE: Infrastructure is a bane to development in Nigeria. How much did it affect Prowork?
FO: Growing tech companies can be significantly expensive and frustrating in Nigeria due to the infrastructure gap. However the immense market potential can offer returns that undermine this business threat. At Prowork we strategize to circumvent obstacles from a lack of infrastructure in our operating environment. You’ll need a tough skin and brains but it’ll be worth it.
NE: What can African governments do to encourage innovation?
FO: There is an urgent need to improve infrastructure and education. Every government needs to take entrepreneurship seriously by creating a favourable business climate for promising local entrepreneurs and businesses.
NE: With this recognition and award, what are your future plans?
FO: Prowork will make the most of the award, cash prize and mentorship, to increase adoption among discerning businesses across Africa, primarily.
NE: Do you have any advice to young and upcoming tech entrepreneurs in the continent?
FO: Strive for excellence, collaborate, and don’t give up. Dream and your dream will fall short.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Yemen: March 18th, A Dignified National Dialogue? · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

March 18th is engraved in Yemen's history as the Day of Dignity. On March 18th, 2011, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's thugs and security dressed in civilian clothes shot dead 56 people and injured over 100 after Friday prayers, in what has become known as Friday of Dignity. Until this day the killers remain unpunished. Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi choose this date to commence the National Dialogue in what many perceived as an attempt to wipe out that memory.
Human Rights Watch shares this video on YouTube of what it describes as the “unpunished massacre.”
The incident, says HRW:
… marked a turning point in the movement against President Saleh, prompting the defection of dozens of government officials and diplomats, and assumed symbolic importance within the protest movement because of the brazen character of the shootings and the high death toll. Investigators never questioned top officials in the criminal investigation by Yemen's previous government into the shooting of demonstrators during the attack, which took place on March 18, 2011.
Blogger Afrah Nasser wrote a blog post asking President Hadi many tough questions, among them:
Why? Why the 18th of March was the date for the National Dialogue conference to commence? Why was it so of all dates? Why it weren’t, say, on the  19th, 20th? Did you forget what took place on this day, 2011 and the anniversary we must commemorate? Do you remember? We do.
Farea Al-Muslimi added:
@almuslimi: Launching [the] N[ational] Dialogue on the anniversary of dignity Massacre is like forcing a mother 2 celebrate her only son's birthday who was actually aborted
The National Dialogue Conference, scheduled by the Saudi orchestrated Gulf Cooperation Council deal- which ended Saleh's 33 year rule- was due to commence in November 2012, but was postponed several times due to disagreements between the participants. It finally started yesterday, on March 18th, with 565 representatives of Yemen’s various political groups, ranging from many old and familiar faces, secessionists in the south to Houthis in the north, in addition to a few civil society representatives. It will last for six months and its main aims are, reconciliation, paving the way for the drafting of a new constitution and staging the upcoming presidential elections in 2014.
National Dialogue Conference Logo designed by graphic designer Ala'a Assamawy (@assamawy)
Journalist Shatha Al-Harazi, one of the youth participating in the National Dialogue, tweeted:
@ShathaAlHarazi: To remember why we are participating in the #NDC we visited some of the  martyrs families, the pain still fresh #Yemen nothing but justice
The National Dialogue opening ceremony was aired live on Yemen's national TV and was interrupted by someone, as President Hadi took the microphone and said to everyone “whoever doesn't like it (the dialogue), the door is open.” The video was shared on YouTube by shoshgh2008's:
A march in Sanaa yesterday commemorated the Friday of Dignity and rejected dialogue with the killers (video by:TheRYemen):
A massive protest yesterday in Aden, Southern Yemen, chanted “the decision is ours” demanding the right to self determination and rejecting the National Dialogue. (video by: abwboten)
The day was also not incident-free. According to Saeed AlBatati a man was shot dead by police in Tarem:
@saeedalBatati
Photo of Rami Al Bur,who was shot dead by police today in Tarem .#Southyemen #NDCYE pic.twitter.com/aF2ogg70Rx
And Haykal Bafana added:
@BaFana3: National Dialogue in #Yemen : In Hadhramaut this morning, 1 unarmed man shot dead, 1 hurt in Seiyun by grenade shrapnel & dozens arrested.
Summer Nasser tweeted:
@SummerNasser: Participants that are from the south of #Yemen at the National Dialogue lift up the southern flag of #Yemen.
#NDCYE pic.twitter.com/QlfPoFnQwW
In Sanaa yesterday, First Army Division soldiers shot unarmed Houthi youth, injuring three of them who are currently all in a critical condition.
The shooting was caught on camera and uploaded on YouTube by YouthStandYEMEN:
Farea Al-Muslimi tweeted:
@almuslimi: Those who MIS-run #Yemen for the last 50 years were on the podium of the national dialogue conference today. A fish can never deliver birth.
Haykal Bafana wondered:
@BaFana3: Is #Yemen's National Dialogue viable when justice is denied & law is absent? Ask the diplomats who peddle immunity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/letta-tayler/yemens-friday-of-indignit_b_2900325.html
Many Yemenis are torn between supporting and boycotting the National Dialogue. Although some are hopeful that it may resolve Yemen's woes, many consider it to be meaningless if it fails to serve justice for those killed and wounded during the revolution, especially when blood is still being shed at the same time as the opening of the conference. One wonders six months later what the outcome may be and to whose benefit will it be this time?
To follow updates about the dialogue follow the hashtags #ndcye and #NDCYEMEN.

author: Noon Arabia


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Zambia Readies Corruption Case Against Former President Rupiah Banda · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

The stage has been set for the prosecution of Zambia’s former president Rupiah Banda on corruption charges after his presidential immunity was lifted by parliament in a raucous sitting in which the speaker was heckled and opposition members walked out.
President Banda was the country’s head of state for three years, from 2008 when he took over from President Levy Mwanawasa for whom he had been vice president, up to 2011 when his party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy was defeated in presidential and parliamentary elections.
Former President Banda whose immunity has been lifted by Parliament. Photo courtesy of zambianeye.com
It is not the first time a former president has had their immunity lifted. Zambia’s second president Frederick Chiluba, who died in 2011, spent most of his post-presidency retirement defending himself from both criminal and civil suits after his immunity was lifted on allegations of plundering national resources leveled at him by the late Mwanawasa, the man Chiluba personally anointed to take over for him.
Among the allegations presented to the 158-member National Assembly on March 15, 2013 by Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba, who is also secretary general for the ruling Patriotic Front party, were that Banda and his family in 2011 reportedly spent more than 20 billion kwacha (370 million US dollars) on the purchase of election campaign materials, a sum that was personally handled and disbursed in cash by Banda and his sons. Kabimba said:
The GJIT [Government Joint Investigations Team] has now established that K21,907,847,170 cash was personally disbursed by Mr. Rupiah Banda and his family and that the MMD [Movement for Multiparty Democracy] never had such sums of money in its bank account at any time. During the period, Mr. Banda purchased bicycle spares and accessories from Atlas Cycles and printed fabrics from India at declared value of K371,908,000 with duty at K81,076,292 while 42 Toyota Hilux Vigo from Western, a United Arab based firm with valued [sic] at K1,869,840,000 and K892,434,129 as duty.
Similarly, materials including branded candy lollypops, 40 used Bedford Trucks, branded T-shirts, caps, badges, hats, balloons, hand flags, and flags were bought from various suppliers in the Emirates, United Kingdom, and China.
Underpinning the allegations against the former head of state, Kabimba further said:
Mr. Banda’s personal handling of such large sums of moneys and his activities constitute acts of money laundering and, or the presumption that the funds in question came from the national treasury as public funds for which he is liable to prosecution.
President Banda’s international lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, was quoted by citizen media website Zambian Watchdog, saying:
The removal of former President Banda’s immunity fails to pass the litmus test for legitimacy. Keeping in mind that this is the same government that only days ago fired live rounds into crowds of voters, the same people that have repeatedly arrested opposition leaders on bogus grounds, and the very same Justice Minister, Wynter Kabimba, who himself defiantly refused to answer corruption questions before the authorities, there can be little doubt about where the PF stands on matters of justice.
At the time of writing this report, the Zambian Watchdog was reporting that President Banda had been summoned to appear before the JGIT [Government Joint Investigations Team] on March 18, 2013, barely two days after his immunity was lifted.
Castigating opposition members for walking out of the house during the motion, Sidique Abdullah Gondwe Geloo wrote on Facebook page Zambian Eye:
It was highly irresponsible of you and I should add shameful that you had to start playing politics over RB's immunity removal proposition by not attending Parliament. Opposing for the sake of opposing only makes you look like losers that are plain adamant. Corruption is the GREATEST evil in Zambia, and no matter how much you hate the party in power, you should always support any move against corruption regardless of the motives. Any leader, including RB (I love RB, we rarely chat but are in good fellowship with each other) should be happy to accept the immunity removal so that he can prove to the world he wasn't corrupt.
Commenting on a story on Zambian Watchdog about the lifting of Banda’s immunity, a reader calling himself Maverick stated [individual comments have no links]:
[…] I was never a fun [sic] of RB during his short lived presidency and I’m all for prosecuting him if he indeed abused that high office. But can someone tell me: what did the country gain or benefit from lifting FTJ’s immunity and subsequently prosecuting him? Why can’t opposition MPs ask the government to tell the nation the gains achieved from that long winding prosecution of Chiluba up to and until his death? Equally how much was lost by the country through the expenses that came with the prosecution?
My gut instinct tells me NOTHING was gained, apart from fattening the bank accounts of some now fat public officers and enriching a Fraud Member of the public who benefited from FTJ’s misfortunates. So are we that gullible to go through the same expensive route as a nation to prosecute RB until his death, and enriching the same individuals in the process and adding the 3rd Seasonal person to enrich them?
On Twitter, the debate was no less intense. Rocky Chisupa (@RockyChisupa) warned that current President Michael Sata would face the same fate after his tenure:
@RockyChisupa: We NOW know Sata's immunity will be lifted after his tenure. So, why not avoid future costs of time and investigations by lifting it now?
“IamCathyPhiri” (@cathyphiri79) simply asked:
@cathyphiri79: Who there is free from corruption really?
Zambian journalist Lwanga Mwilu (@lwangamwilu), who was live tweeting the proceedings, quoted one opposition member, writing:
@lwangamwilu: Hon Muntanga: If MMD campaign money came from state, where is PF's by-election money coming from? They are suddenly rich.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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30 Films That Inspire Activism · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Social Impact Media Awards 2013
30 documentary films from around the world have been nominated for the Social Impact Media Awards.

author: Solana Larsen


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As Brazil’s Media Struggles, Magazine Axes Striking Staff · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

[All links lead to sites in Portuguese.]
Eleven journalists were sacked from alternative Brazilian magazine Caros Amigos in March 2013 after going on strike against poor working conditions, becoming the latest casualties of Brazil's struggling media industry.
Founded in April 1997 by a group of journalists, publicists, writers and intellectuals, Caros Amigos had eleven journalists and designers as well as many other collaborators. Its director, Wagner Nabuco, said that he was planning to halve the size of their office and their workers’ salaries. In response, on March 8, 2013, the workers announced on Facebook that they would go on an indefinite strike against what they call “instability at work”:
Nós, integrantes da equipe de redação da revista Caros Amigos, responsáveis diretos pela publicação da edição mensal, o site Caros Amigos e as edições especiais e encartes da Editora Casa Amarela, denunciamos a crescente precarização das nossas condições de trabalho, seja pela ausência de registro na carteira profissional, o não recolhimento das contribuições FGTS [Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço] e do INSS [Instituto Nacional da Segurança Social] e, agora, o agravamento da situação pela ameaça concreta de corte da folha salarial em 50%, com a demissão de boa parte da equipe.
We, members of the editorial team of the magazine Caros Amigos, directly responsible for the publication of the monthly issue, the website, and special editions and inserts published by Casa Amarela, denounce the growing instability of our working conditions, the absence of registration of the carteira profissional [document that regulates admissions, dismissals and wages], the non-payment of contributions to the FGTS [Time of Service Guarantee Fund] and the INSS [National Institute of Social Security], and now the worsening of the situation by the very real threat of cutting the payroll by 50% and the dismissals of the majority of the team.
“The staff of Caros Amigos declares a strike! End instability at work”: Image taken from the Facebook profile of those fired from the Caros Amigos magazine. Free to use.
Since March 4, 2013, when they were warned by Nabuco of his intentions to make the magazine workers’ situation even less stable, they have tried to negotiate a way to avoid the strike without success.
Immediately after the announcement of the strike, the Chapa 2 “A Union is to Fight!”- the group in opposition to the current management of the Journalists’ Union of São Paulo- reproduced the message from the striking workers and provided solidarity.
On March 11, workers were summoned to a meeting and were informed that due to “breach of trust” they were all fired, a blatant violation of the constitutional right to strike in the country. Journalist André Deak was among the first to spread the news on Facebook, posting the team's letter:
(…) lamentamos a decisão da Direção. Consideramos a precarização do trabalho e a atitude unilateral como passos para trás no fortalecimento do projeto editorial da revista, que sempre se colocou como uma publicação independente, de jornalismo crítico e de qualidade, apoiando por diversas vezes, inclusive, a luta de trabalhadores de outras áreas contra a precarização no mercado de trabalho.
(…) we regret the management's decision. We consider the instability at work and the unilateral attitude as steps backwards in strengthening the editorial project of the magazine, which has always stood as an independent publication priding itself on its critical journalism and quality, including supporting workers’ struggles in other areas against instability in the labour market on numerous occasions.
The editor of the magazine, Wagner Nabuco, tried to justify himself in an article for the newspaper Brasil de Fato, reproduced by the blog Vi o Mundo, in which he says he made the decision amid a financial crisis for the magazine, without further explanation of the intended layoffs or instability:
Ressalto que nessas reuniões mostrei todos os números da editora, sua movimentação financeira e o prejuízo mensal que a revista vem acumulando pois, mesmo com os milhares de leitores, as receitas de publicidade são pequenas (e agora com mais restrições da SECOM/PR [Secretaria de Comunicação da Presidência da República]), todo o mercado de circulação – bancas e assinaturas – está em queda, os custos vem aumentando acima da inflação, e não podemos repassar para o preço de capa. Essa situação atingiu duramente os veículos alternativos e contra hegemônicos, que tiveram que fazer ajustes para continuar suas operações e produzir um jornalismo crítico e independente.
I must highlight that in these meetings I showed all the publisher's figures, its financial transactions and the monthly loss that the magazine has been accumulating. Even with thousands of readers, the advertising revenues are tiny (and now with more restrictions from the SECOM/PR [Department of Communication of the Presidency of the Republic]), all market movement- newspaper kiosks and subscriptions- is falling, the cost has increased above inflation, and we cannot reflect this in the cover price. This situation hit the anti-hegemonic and alternative vehicles hard, which have had to make adjustments to continue their operations and produce independent and critical journalism.
Journalist Gabriela Moncau, one of those fired from the magazine, vented in an interview for the union's opposition group:
É triste ver tamanha incoerência em um veículo que cumpre o papel de crítica e contra-hegemonia em um cenário estarrecedor de concentração dos meios de comunicação. Entendemos a importância que a Caros Amigos tem e, claro, por isso muitas vezes nos submetemos a condições que em outros veículos não nos submeteríamos. Mas era o nosso trabalho, não a nossa militância. Até quando patrões de instituições de esquerda utilizarão a “militância” dos que ali trabalham para fechar os olhos às condições precárias a que estes são submetidos?
It's sad to see such inconsistency in a vehicle that fulfills the role of criticism and counter-hegemony against a backdrop of staggering media concentration. We understand the importance that Caros Amigos has and of course that's why we so often submit to conditions that in other situations we'd never accept. But it was our job, not our militancy. How long are the bosses of left-wing institutions going to use the “militancy” of those who work there to ignore the poor conditions they are subjected to?
A broader crisis
For journalist Rodrigo Vianna of the blog Escrevinhador, Caros Amigos’ situation exposes “the instability of the situation and the lack of resources affecting various sites and publications”:
De maneira crescente, empresas de comunicação (inclusive na “grande imprensa”) precarizam o trabalho do jornalista, que de funcionário passa a ser um “colaborador fixo” ou “prestador de serviços” para que as empresas cortem os gastos com impostos e contribuições trabalhistas. Há anos a situação é denunciada por entidades da categoria, mas com poucas vitórias.
Increasingly, media companies (including the “mainstream media”) play down the journalist's job from that of employee to a “stable collaborator” or “service provider” so that the companies can cut spending on labour taxes and contributions. For years the situation has been denounced by entities of this class, but they are lacking in victories.
Vianna also talks about the closing down of several newspapers in Brazil or the decision to adhere exclusively to online platforms amid the crisis, and ends by criticising President Dilma Rousseff's government, whose SECOM keeps a large part of official advertising funds “in the hands of a few”:
Age, assim, na contramão das políticas adotadas por democracias ocidentais que destinam parte da verba para “fundos de democratização da mídia”; e parece mais preocupado em não criar “zonas de atrito” com meia dúzia de famílias que, donas de revistas e jornais conservadores, se esbaldam com a verba de publicidade oficial.
It acts, therefore, against the policies adopted by Western democracies that give part of the profits to “funds of media democratisation” and seems more concerned about not creating “friction” with half a dozen families that, owners of conservative magazines and newspapers, feast on the funding from government advertising.
The Agência Carta Maior, a left-wing alternative vehicle, believes that the source of the problem is in “financial asphyxiation, resulting from the federal government's decision to suppress publicity of public utility vehicles in the alternative media”.
“WE ARE ON STRIKE”: Image taken from the Facebook profile of those fired from Caros Amigos. Free to use.
Journalist Leonardo Sakamoto agrees but goes further and also blames the disunity of journalists and the lack of action by unions in the fight against instability. He also makes a grim prediction:
Talvez o futuro seja um misto de tudo isso, emprego CLT [com carteira assinada], frilas, empreendedores individuais ou coletivos, pessoas produzindo conteúdo em redes, ONGs, enfim. Mas, hoje, o que me preocupa são os viventes e suas contas a pagar.
O que estou pedindo? Jornalistas do mundo, uni-vos? Que tamancos sejam jogados nas prensas dos jornais? Nem… isso seria muito brega. Ou melhor, kitsch. O que gostaria de lembrar é que as coisas vão mudar cada vez mais rápido. E temos duas opções: encarar isso sozinhos ou juntos, lutando contra a indiferença.
Perhaps the future will be a mix of all this, CLT employment [with full labour rights], freelances, enterprising individuals or collectives, people producing content in networks, NGOs. But today, what worries me is how they live and pay their bills.
What am I asking? Journalists of the world, unite? Throw shoes at newspaper presses? No, that would be too cheesy. Or kitsch. What I would like to think is that things will change more and more quickly. And we have two choices: face it alone or together, fighting against indifference.
Journalist and cartoonist Gilberto Maringoni reminds us on Facebook that the editor Wagner Nabuco should not be demonised “as if he were entirely responsible for the dramatic situation of the magazine”, while others like journalist Julio Delmanto, on the blog Passa Palavra, ask to boycott the magazine.
The eleven laid-off workers are Alexandre Bazzan, Caio Zinet, Cecilia Luedemann, Débora Prado, Eliane Parmezani, Gabriela Moncau, Gilberto Breyne, Otávio Nagoya, Paula Salati, Ricardo Palamartchuk and Hamilton Octavio de Souza. De Souza posted a message on Facebook that shows hope and reports that spirits are still high amongst those who were fired, who believe they have done the right thing:
Ser demitido por defender condições dignas de trabalho e fazer greve, aos 64 anos de idade, só pode ser a glória.
Ser demitido por ficar ao lado de jovens trabalhadores dispostos ao sacrifício por um mundo mais justo e igualitário, não tem preço.
Being fired for defending decent working conditions and to strike, at 64 years of age, can only be a success.
Being fired for supporting young workers willing to make a sacrifice for a more just and egalitarian world is priceless.
This post was proofread in English by Georgi McCarthy.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brides Traded In India As Sex Commodities · Global Voices
Rezwan

The blog on India's Gendercide posts a video which shows shocking stats of bride trafficking, the Indian version of domestic sex-trafficking.

author: Rezwan


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Chinese General’s Anti-War Stance Criticized  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

People Liberation Army General Liu Yuan was attacked by online nationalists for calling for a peaceful resolution of Sino-Japanese conflict. South Sea Conversations looks into Liu's opinion and netizens’ reaction.


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Cyprus Cuts Access to Banks Amid Bailout Crisis · Global Voices
Yiorgos Kakouris

If you are in Cyprus, your life's savings hangs in the balance, as the government deliberates a controversial €10 billion bailout agreement reached with the Eurogroup that puts the country's saving deposits down as collateral.
The unprecedented bailout measure threatens to snatch €5.8 billion from all savers in the country. Cypriots have had no access to their bank accounts ever since the government entered into the agreement on Saturday, March 16, 2013 and put all accounts on lockdown to avoid a bank run or a series of account withdrawals.
Leading up to the shock announcement, concern and uncertainity was abound among Twitter users in Cyprus:
@madamitsa: #Eurogroup go home, you're drunk.
@ktrnstefanou: Και έψαχνα στο λεξικό να βρω τι είναι εκείνο το watertight που περιείχε η δήλωση Λαγκάρντ. Μάλλον στα κρύα του λουτρού σημαίνει
@ktrnstefanou: And I was looking at the dictionary to find the meaning of “watertight”, mentioned in [Christine] Lagarde‘s announcement. Probably it means “left out in the cold [water]”
The most prominent feeling was the uncertainty on whether the night would end with a successful agreement or not:
@nchrysoloras: Official 1: “We don't yet have a DSA, but I believe we will by tonight” Official 2: “There is progress. Let's see”. #Cyprus #Eurogroup
At 2:00-3:00 a.m. in the morning, there were references about a “haircut” on bank deposits to use that as collateral for the bailout, and rumors that President Nicos Anastasiades had threatened to abandon all negotiations. While those were happening, Cyprus was in a carnival mood – the shock would come the next day:
@ZENONZINDILIS: Τι έκαναν οι Κύπριοι το βράδυ που παιζόταν το μέλλον τους #eurogroup; Ετοιμαζόντουσαν για αποκριάτικο γλέντι και γενικώς “δεν φακκούσαν πένα”
@ZENONZINDILIS: What were the Cypriots doing the night their future was on stake? #eurogroup They were preparing for carnival fun and generally “they didn't give a fuck” [idiom in Cypriot Greek]
The next day's reactions varied from anger and indignation to stoic acceptance. In social media platforms and mainstream media, the debate on whether the Parliament must approve the haircut plan or not remains and both sides have their own strong arguments; however, the true nature of people's uncertainty is that nobody knows the real consequences of each choice:
@ChrysanthosM: Άκου τι λέει ο κύριος στο ΡΙΚ Την επόμενη φορά θα προστατέψουμε τις καταθέσεις τους πάση θυσία: Και να μας έχουν εμπιστοσύνη οι καταθέτες!!!
@ChrysanthosM: Listen to what this gentleman says in CyBC. Next time we will protect their bank deposits at all costs: the depositors must have faith in us!!!
@antistrofos: Είχα διάθεση να μην κάνω κριτική μέχρι να δούμε τα έργα του. Η απάντηση ήλθε σαν αστραπή: Ακατάλληλος δεινόσαυρος, copy-paste Χριστόφιας
@antistrofos: I was not in the mood to criticize him [President Anastasiades] till we see his opus. I got a flash response: Ineligible dinosaur, a Christofias “copy-paste” [the previous President of Cyprus]
@iNeoNeo: Το ότι το τι γίνετε στη Κύπρο έχει μπει καθαρά στο κομματικό επίπεδο για νούμερα. Και αυτο είναι χειρότερο από κάθε μνημόνιο. #Cyprus
@iNeoNeo: What happens in Cyprus has entered the level of political parties and numbers. This is the worst thing, worse than any memorandum. #Cyprus
@SkonteBlogspot: Ψηφισα κ ´γω Νικο αλλα οσοι το ´καναν νομιζομενοι οτι θα βγει θριαμβευτης με τους Ευρωπαιους κ την Τρόικα, ειναι βαθια νυχτωμενοι
@SkonteBlogspot: I also voted for Nicos [Anastasiades], but all those who did it, thinking he will triumph over the Europeans and the Troika, are deeply benighted
@JamesKerLindsay: Probably a good thing that Google Translate can't get its head around Cypriot Greek this morning!
Apart from the government's point of view and many citizens’ objection to Eurogroup's presumed blackmail, there is also a third approach in Cyprus, summarized in a post by blogger Strovoliotis, who supports the memorandum approval by Parliament from an oppositional point of view:
@Strovoliotis: Σας τα ‘λεγα εγώ, αλλά δεν έχει πλέον καμιά σημασία. Το κλειδί: Ψυχραιμία! http://wp.me/ptcq7-172
@Strovoliotis: I was saying all this from the very beginning, but now it doesn't even matter. The key: be calm!
As expected, the anti-Eurogroup statements that “no deposits’ haircut is going to happen” by President Anastasiades and Minister of Finance, Michael Sarris, were especially popular around the Cypriot and Greek-speaking web in general.
As the Monday parliamentary vote process was approaching, there were gradually more and more arguments that the unprecedented Eurozone's ministers’ decision is bad for the European Union. Many Cypriot social media users shared this article from the Economist:
@StavrosZenios: Τζιαι θέλεις τον Ικονομιστ να σου το πει? The Cyprus bail-out: Unfair, short-sighted and self-defeating-The Economist http://econ.st/Yijtsv
@StavrosZenios: And do you want the Economist to tell you the obvious? The Cyprus bail-out: Unfair, short-sighted and self-defeating-The Economist http://econ.st/Yijtsv
On Tuesday, March 19, the government's request to suspend all bank operations is being interpreted as an effort to emphasize the rigid nature of the Cypriot economy. Α possible bank run (domino of bank withdrawals) in Spain and other countries is already being considered a probable outcome:
@offshorebella: if they can do this to Cypriots they can do it anywhere. I reckon putting your money under the mattress is safer. #Cyprus #bankrun
@kik__14: To telos tis europaikis dithen enosis ine konta arxi genomenis apo aurio.
@kik__14: The end of the European purported Union is near, starting from tomorrow.
@MsDeeCM: Dear Italians and Spaniards, please do a #BankRun tomorrow morning. Lots of love, the people of #Cyprus. #CyprusBailout #EU
However, some Europeans didn't remain indifferent to the solidarity calls:
@Igualitarista: Spaniards using hashtag #somosChipre (we are Cyprus) out of solidarity & to oppose locking out depositors from their accounts.
Finally, the parliamentary vote process was postponed; thus, it's possible that banks will remain closed for the rest of the week:
@KallergisK: Cypriot sources say that the Cyprus bank deposits tax vote is postponed for Friday – all banks to remain closed to avoid a #bankrun #Cyprus
“Cypriot banks have frozen even interbank transactions”. Screenshot by @georgiemark at Twitter
Uncertainty now reigns over the bank system itself and the European Union's existence.
@zoemavroudi: “This Union has been cancelled due to a technical issue. Cannot complete democratic processes at this time. Try again later.” #EU #Cyprus
User Coolplatanos has put on Storify the first reactions on the Cyprus haircut announcement in Greek Twitter-sphere.

author: Yiorgos Kakouris


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Hackers Publish Turkish Mayor’s Phone Number in Tit-for-Tat Cyber Attack · Global Voices
Baran Mavzer

A group of Turkish hackers who call themselves Redhack have published the cell phone numbers of Melih Gökçek, the mayor of Turkey's capital city Ankara, and his security guard on Twitter in retaliation against the mayor for publicizing the cell phone number of a college student.
In March 2012 [tr], the mayor publicized the phone number of Ayşegül Avci, a college student, on his Twitter account by mentioning that she insulted him on the microblogging platform.
On February 26, 2013, Redhack published Melih Gökçek cell phone number, along with a series of communications between Gökçek and President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges in Turkey Faik Yavuz that seemed to prove their participation in corrupt dealings.
Redhack made a name for themselves in March 2012 when they hacked the Ankara police web servers, known as the Ankara Directory of Security and POLNET, and published the index on the Internet. Since then, they have hacked several government websites and servers, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Turkish Armed Forces, the Presidency of Religious Affairs, and the Council of Higher Education.
Picture is taken from RedHack official page.
The group was deemed an armed terrorist organization in October 2012 by a Turkish court, and government officials in December 2013 decided to build an anti-hacker team of 150 people just to stop Redhack's cyber attacks. But the move did not seem to stop them, and they hacked the Council of Higher Education servers and published documents alleging corruption in January 2013.
After Redhack published the mayor's cell phone number on Twitter, the man responded in a sharply worded tweet to the group, touching off a lengthy back-and-forth between the two.
The exchange began when Redhack announced Gökçek's phone number:
@TheRedHack: Kadinlarin telefonlarini yayinlayan ve RedHack'i 1 ay'da yakalatacagini soyleyen Melih Gokcek cevap vermiyor. Cepten arasak mi=> 05323184151
@TheRedHack: Melih Gökçek, who announced the phone numbers of women and said that he would get us arrested, is not answering us. Should we call his cell phone number: 05323184151
Redhack also published the letters that Faik Yavuz wrote to the several people, including the mayor Gökçek and the prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In these letters, he was asking for favors to get jobs for his friends and relatives. Also in one of his letters to the Mayor, he was asking for some information about a land that he owns, and mentioned how it would be more valuable if the building permit would change. In his letters to Erdoğan, he denied the allegations of the Eid al-Adha (festival of sacrifice) donations fraud [en], by mentioning how he was always a supporter of AKP politics.
@TheRedHack: Kendi iclerindeki usulsuzlukler, RTE ve Melih'e yazdigi mektuplar.. Bugunluk bunlar. Devami sonra ;) Okuyun yayin=> http://redleaks.blogspot.com/2013/02/ankara-ticaret-borsas-baskani-faik.html … …
@TheRedHack: Irregularities between themselves, and his (mentioning Faik Yavuz) letters to RTE (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) and Melih… That's all for today. To be continued. Read and spread. http://redleaks.blogspot.com/2013/02/ankara-ticaret-borsas-baskani-faik.html …
The mayor responded on Twitter with a screenshot of a long message written by him, which included a lot of bad language and scoff, and the message mentioned that the publicized phone number was wrong or even if it were correct it should not count as a success, since at least 2,000 people have it. Here is the tweet:
@06melihgokcek: BU ÇAKMA RedHack'LI GIRİ ZEKALILAR İLE KUYRUĞUNA TAKILANLARA İŞTE CEVABIM… pic.twitter.com/iFlbCCt5s0
@06melihgokcek: Here is my answer for the retards from fake RedHack members and their fans hanging on their tail.  pic.twitter.com/iFlbCCt5s0
The mayor demanded an apology from the group:
@06melihgokcek: YA HATANIZI KABUL EDİP HEMEN ÖZÜR DİLEYİN…YA DA 5 DAKİKA SONRA VERECEĞİM CEVABI OKUYUP YERİN DİBİNE GİRİN…TABİ ONURUNUZ VARSA…
@06melihgokcek: Accept your mistake and apologise to me right now, or… Or be ashamed by the answer that I will give in five minutes… If you have any honor, of course…
Redhack quickly rebuffed the mayor's request for an apology:
@TheRedHack: @06melihgokcek Ulan dingil, ne ozur dileyecegiz senden? Senin adamin bilgisayarindan cikti belgeler, rusvet yiyorsaniz iz birakmayin bari ;)
@TheRedHack: @06melihgokcek Why would we apologise to you, you prick? The documents came out of your guy's computer, well at least do not leave signs after the corruption of yours.
Other Twitter users joined the unfolding argument. One person asked about the allegations of the mayor's assets that he indirectly owned through his sons, by using his political power:
@cgdm_cnr: @06melihgokcek ACityPlus Outlet,Kılıç Petrol,Dikmen Vadisi , Ostim AnkaraSpor üzerinden oğullarına edindiği kanunsuz araziler. iftirami?
@cgdm_cnr: @06melihgokcek The lands that he got by using their sons; ACityPlus, Kilic Petrol, Valley of Dikmen, Ostim, Ankaraspor. Are these true?
The mayor denied the allegations by saying:
@06melihgokcek: Çiğdem ispat edersen ben, etmezsen sen dünyanin en onursuz ve yalanci kişisisin. Hadi onurunu kurtar… @cgdm_cnr
@06melihgokcek: Cigdem if you prove this, then I am; if you cannot prove this, you are the biggest liar and least honorable person in the world. Come on, save your honor…
The day after Redhack published his phone number, Gökçek raised eyebrows by sharing photographs on his Twitter account of a 17-year-old girl named İrem Aksoy, who was taken into custody after she called him “indecent”. First he tweeted about her case:
@06melihgokcek: BUGÜN İREM AKSOY İSİMLİ BAYANI BANA “edepsizsin Melih Gökçek” DİYE (ilave cümlelerde var) HAKARET ETTİĞİ İÇİN KARAKOLA ÇAĞIRMIŞLAR…
@06melihgokcek: Today, a lady was taken into custody for insulting me, by saying “you are indecent, Melih Gokcek” (and there is more to it).
The girl, Aksoy, also tweeted about the incident:
@aksoyirm: melıh gokcek'e hakaretten bugun gozaltına alındım bu surecte benı yalnız bırakmayan tum yoldaslarıma tesekkur edıyorum
Then Gökçek shared photos of İrem Aksoy which were taken from her own Twitter account. On the photos he shared, İrem Aksoy was drinking raki (a Turkish alcohol drink) and the Mayor thought this as a sign of that she was not ‘that innocent':
@06melihgokcek: ŞİMDİ MASUM OLARAK TAKTİM EDİLEN 17 YAŞINDAKİ İREM AKSOY'U TWİTTERDAKİ KENDİ YAYINLADIĞI FOTOĞRAFLARDAN TANIYALIM pic.twitter.com/qQ54lX46wI
@06melihgokcek: Now let's learn about Irem Aksoy, who introduced herself as innocent, through the pictures that she uploaded on her Twitter account pic.twitter.com/qQ54lX46wI.
After Gökçek tweeted two more pictures of her drinking raki again (which can be seen here and here), he fired off a heated response to a Twitter user who questioned his actions. Twitter user “agolge” reproached him:
@agolge: Siz hayatınızda hiç genç olmadınız mı ayıptır… @06melihgokcek
@agolge: Weren't you ever young before? It is a shame what you did… @06melihgokcek
The mayor's response was:
@06melihgokcek: Genç olmak insanlara hakaret hakkı mı veriyor?Edepli yetişeceksinizYetişmemekte direnirseniz biz büyükleriniz size bunu öğreteceğiz @agolge
@06melihgokcek: Does being young give you the right to insult others? You will grow up as decent people. If you fight against it, we -the grown ups- will teach you that.
Twitter user Ali Remzi Gemalmaz joined in the fray by sharing an old picture of the mayor in a tweet:
@AliRemzii: @06melihgokcek rakı içmek ayıpsa aynı haltı sen niye yedin?yada niye meze oldun rakı sofrasında başgan? zavallısın.. pic.twitter.com/cUbJcglP8I
@AliRemzii: @06melihgokcek If it is a shame to drink raki, why did you do the same thing? Or why did you join the drinking session, mayor? You are pathetic. pic.twitter.com/cUbJcglP8I
After the mayor denied the photo's accuracy, claiming it was a photo montage, famous Turkish porn actor and producer Şahin K. said:
@SahinK_original: @06melihgokcek @AliRemzii Baskan benim filmlerin de hepsi montaj:))
@SahinK_original: @06melihgokcek @AliRemzii Hey Mayor, all of my movies are photo-montage based, too.
Redhack offered up one more picture of the mayor showing him years ago at a table surrounded by people drinking raki:
@TheRedHack: 17 yasinda kizin evini polislerle bastitip resmini yayinlayan çete lideri @06melihgokcek once kendi resmine baksin=> pic.twitter.com/fR0J5fTTwE
@TheRedHack: Gang leader Melih Gokcek who attacks a 17-year-old girl's house with policemen and put her pictures on the Internet should check his picture first. pic.twitter.com/fR0J5fTTwE
Redhack has recently released a documentary called “RED!”[tr] to explain who they are and what they want to accomplish:

author: Baran Mavzer


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Italy: Grillo’s Party Takes the Lead in Political Stalemate · Global Voices
Bah Abdoulaye

[All links point to Italian reources unless otherwise indicated]
At the general elections on 24-25 February, the MoVimento 5 Stelle (M5S), founded by the comedian Beppe Grillo in 2009 in Florence, won 109 seats out of 630 in the Parliament in their first electoral campaign, making them the party with the most seats. In addition they won 54 seats out of 315 in the Senate. It was a surprise as, barely a month earlier, polls were predicting that M5S would win 18% of parliament seats and 12.1% of the seats in the Senate. As has by now been noted, social media has played an influential role in the success of M5S, leading to the election of many young parliamentarians, making for one of the youngest parliaments in Europe.
Beppe Grillo, the comedian who's causing a stalemate in Italian politics. Photo from Flickr  by Jaqen, via wikimedia.org
Drawing on a recently published collection of perspectives (Il Partito di Grillo, Il Mulino), Gabriele Ainis explained on his blog:
….M5S nasce come espressione di una sinistra ecologista e libertaria, che si aggregano movimenti vari e variegati – prima di tutto nell’area dell’ambientalismo, ma anche legati a istanze puramente locali, sussecutivamente [successivamente?] integrate e ampliate dal gruppo. Finché diventa un attrattore valido anche per la destra una volta che venga cavalcata l’istanza “antisistema” (se ci si intende sul termine, naturalmente, tanto per esser chiari il “mandiamoli tutti a casa”.
…M5S was the fruit of an environmentalist and libertarian left-wing movement, which then combined with various and varied movements – mainly concentrated on environmental cause but also those linked to very local causes – and which were successively integrated into, and expanded upon by, the group.  It became attractive to those on the right as well once it came out of its “anti-system” phase (just so we're all in agreement on the terms, naturally this refers to “mandiamoli tutti a casa”)[Transl. note: mandiamoli tutti a casa [send them all home] was M5S electoral slogan].
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W7kYcXJQPw
According to several sources, the former political allegiances of those who voted for the “grillini” seem to be fairly varied. Commenting on a post by Elisa Gianni suggesting a shift from the Partito Democratico (PD) [en, Lega Nord [en] and the IDV (Italia Dei Valori) [en], reader Gianni Armani, writes that:
Il boom della lista ispirata da Beppe Grillo è stato alimentato per il 30% da elettori che alle europee del 2009 avevano scelto il centrosinistra (Pd, Idv e altri) e per il 27% da elettori che avevano scelto il centrodestra (Pdl, Lega e altri). Per Grillo il bacino più grande resta comunque quello dell’astensione, pari al 37% dei suoi consensi, cioè un esercito di oltre tre milioni di persone. Gli altri partiti al di fuori delle coalizioni principali contano soltanto per il 6%. In dettaglio, il Movimento 5 Stelle ha preso l’11% dal Pd, il 12% dall’Idv, 7% da altri. Dal blocco di centrodestra, il 18% dei consensi grillini è arrivato dal Pdl, l’8% dalla Lega, l’1% da altri.”
A chi credere?
Of the voters who fueled the election success inspired by Beppe Grillo, 30% voted for centre-left candidates (PD, IDV and others) and 27% voted centre-right (PDL, Lega Nord and others) at the 2009 European elections. For Grillo it was non-voters who made the greatest difference, making up 37% of his supporters, an army more than 3 million strong. The other parties outside of the main blocks only accounted for 6%. To break it down, the Movimento 5 Stelle, took 11% of their votes from the PD, 12% from the IDV, 12% from other [left-wing] parties. From the centre-right block, 18% of support for Grillo came from PDL voters, 8% from Lega [Nord], 1% from others. Who to believe?
The party's success was spread evenly throughout Italy, with a peak of 53.17% of the votes cast in the district of Exilles in Alta Val di Susa, where “No TAV” protests rumble on. On a regional level, M5S registered percentages close to or exceeding 33% in Liguria (32.1%), in Sardinia (33.7%), in Marche (32.1%) and in Sicily (32.7%).
The reasons behind the surge of support for M5S seem to be similar to those behind the support of thousands of young people for the Occupy movement — with the addition, of course, of a little something typically Italian. A few examples follow.
Lack of faith in institutions
On the blog clandestinoweb.com the damning judgement is that:
Nessuno si salva: le istituzioni italiane non convincono più; neanche il Quirinale che da sempre ha rappresentato assieme al suo esponente Giorgio Napolitano, un modello esemplare di costante garanzia per gli italiani. Nelle anticipazioni del “Rapporto Italia” che l’Eurispes presenterà il prossimo 31 di gennaio, il dato che emerge è chiaro: rispetto alle percentuali registrate lo scorso anno, il calo è brusco sia per il Capo dello stato che per il Vaticano.
Nobody is immune: Italian institutions are not fooling anyone any more; not even the Quirinale [Presidential Palace] which, along with the current occupant, Giorgio Napolitano, has always represented a model example of constant reassurance for Italians. The data which emerges ahead of the “Rapporto Italia” [Italy Report] that [the political institute] Eurispes will release on the 31st of January next year, is clear: with respect to the percentages registered last year, the fall from grace has been as severe for the Head of State as for the Vatican.
Parachuting in candidates.
In the comments on the site ilbombarolo.it, Luciano writes:
Giusto l’analisi fatta , e come accennai ad un Amico del PD di Settimo ante votazione; la perdita era prevista in quanto il Bersani ha paracadutato gente che non ha niente a che fare con la realta’ locale ed ha immesso in lista presone come la Bindi con gia’ troppi mandati alle spalle ! Per cui la colpa non puo’ e non deve andare alle sezioni LOCALI !
The analysis that has been made is correct, and, as a friend of the PD from Settimo alluded to before the election took place, the loss could have be predicted in light of the fact that Bersani parachuted in people who have nothing to do with the local reality and included people like Bindi [Rosy Bindi [en], first elected in 1989] in the list, who already have way too many election campaigns behind them! For which the LOCAL branches of the parties cannot and should not be blamed!
An establishment which is eating itself.
In October 2012, on the blog internetepolitica.blogosfere.it, Marianna De Palma calls to mind the sad Italian reality that:
A deliberare sulla legge anticorruzione – pare in arrivo – anche 100 parlamentari imputati, condannati o prescritti. E’ normale per gli Italiani avere parlamentari del genere?
Among those debating the anti-corruption law – which appears to be on its way in – are 100 parliamentarians who have been indicted, convicted or have been acquitted due to the statute of limitations running out on their cases. Is it normal for Italians to have this kind of parliamentarians?
As Carmine Gazzanni notes on the blog infiltrato.it:
Figli, mogli, mariti, nipoti. Scorrendo i nomi dei candidati (alcuni ufficiali, altri ufficiosi) per le politiche, si rimane increduli vista la mole di parenti di ex deputati presenti. Spesso c’è proprio una sostituzione: esce padre, entra figlio.
Children, wives, husbands, grandchildren. Looking through the names of the candidates (some official, some off-the-record) for the elections, the number of relatives of ex-deputies included is unbelievable. Often it's a direct substitution: the father leaves and the son enters.
An armchair gerontocracy.
In September 2012, luna_rossa commented on the site nuovaresistenza.org:
Nel Parlamento ad esempio l'età media dei deputati è 54 anni e quella dei senatori e 57, e anche nelle università, dove si suppone dovrebbero avere più spazio i giovani, l'età media dei professori viaggia intorno ai 63 anni.
The average age of deputies in the Parliament, for example, is 54 and that of senators is 57, and, even in universities, where you would imagine there would be more space for young people, the average age of professors is around 63.
An analysis by the IDV Senator, Stefano Pedica, only serves to reinforce this:
Ci sono persone – fa notare Pedica – che siedono in Parlamento da decenni. Un lungo elenco di persone che vantano da un minimo di 16 anni a un massimo di quasi 40 anni di presenze alla Camera e al Senato.
There are those, as Pedica points out, who have been sitting in Parliament for decades. A long list of individuals who boast from a minimum of 16 years up to a maximum of almost forty years’ presence in the Parliament and Senate.
Logo del Movimento 5 Stelle
It is, however, true that Grillo's troops have brought a massive infusion of youthful blood to the Parliament, as is stressed on their Facebook page:
Lo Tsunami che ha travolto la politica italiana ha spazzato via uno tra i Parlamenti più vecchi d'Europa (55 anni di media) restituendo i parlimentari più giovani di tutto il mondo occidentale e dell'intera storia della Repubblica. L'età media, tra Camera e Senato, è di 48 anni, più bassa rispetto non solo a quella dei paesi dell'UE, ma anche a quella degli Stati Uniti, tutti con un'età media di oltre 50 anni. …Quello del MoVimento 5 Stelle è anche il gruppo con la maggiore percentuale di laureati: l'88%, in coda alla classifica il pd con il 67% e la lega con il 40%.
The tsunami which has swept over Italian politics has swept away one of the oldest Parliaments in Europe (average age 55) and resulted in the youngest parliament in the Western world, and in all of Italian history. The combined average age of Parliament and Senate is 48, not only lower than that of [other] European Union countries, but also lower than that of the US, all of whom have an average age is over 50… The deputies from the MoVimento 5 Stelle are also the group with the highest percentage of graduates, 88% compared to the PDs with 67% and Lega (Nord) with 40%.
The elected representatives of M5S must, however, conform to the Code of Conduct they each signed up to with Grillo, which sets out, among other things:
La costituzione di due “gruppi di comunicazione”, uno per la Camera e uno per il Senato, sarà definita da Beppe Grillo in termini di organizzazione, strumenti e di scelta dei membri, al duplice fine di garantire una gestione professionale e coordinata di detta attività di comunicazione, nonchè di evitare una dispersione delle risorse per ciò disponibili. Ogni gruppo avrà un coordinatore con il compito di relazionarsi con il sito nazionale del M5S e con il blog di Beppe Grillo.
The constitution of two “communication groups”, one for Parliament and one for the Senate, to be defined by Beppe Grillo in terms of organisation, tools and choice of members, in order to guarantee professional and coordinated management of the said communication activity, and to avoid thining out the resources available for this end. Each group will have a coordinator whose job will be to keep M5S's national site and Beppe Grillo's blog up to date.
M5S deputies must also obey external orders: Beppe Grillo was not formally present on any ballot paper and, therefore, finds himself outside of the institutional structures. Even worse, he refuses to respond to the questions that so many Italians (and foreign observers) are asking, refuses any collaboration with the other political powers and insists on the fact that thoughts of the elections “should not leave anyone indifferent”. In fact, the candidate declared in ‘an interview with Lucio Cristino on YouTube that:
Puntiamo al 100 per cento – dice – poi sciogliamo il movimento. E si autoaccusa: “terrorista, populista” per dire che noi “non siamo come loro, noi non facciamo politica”…
We're aiming at 100% – he says – then we will dissolve the movement. And he accuses himself of being: a “terrorist, populist” for saying that “we are not like them, we don't do politics”…
This explains why Grillo wants to abolish Article 167 of the Constitution which declares that every member of the Parliament represents the Nation and exercises the two functions without being bound by any mandate. Justifiably, many people are asking what role Gianroberto Casaleggio, the “guru” who seems to be behind the entire MoVimento, has played. In a video investigation on Youtube, Antonio Amorosi notes that:
Potere, soldi e tecniche di manipolazione aziendale dentro il MoVimento 5 Stelle

. E’ Casaleggio che comanda, sostengono tutti gli attivisti espulsi. Ma del passato del “guru” di Grillo si sa ben poco.
Power, money and business manipulation techniques in the MoVimento 5 Stelle. Casaleggio is the one in charge, say all the expelled activists. But very little is known about the past of Grillo's “guru”…
Given the current political and institutional stalemate, in addition to the “”usual” social and economic chaos, we finally have to ask ourselves: just when will Italians (and outside observers) get clear answers to the many questions that the successes of Grillo & Co. raise?

author: Bah Abdoulaye


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Jamaica, Barbados: Vying for Tourists · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Active Voice compares advertisements from the Barbados Tourism Authority and the Jamaica Tourist Board and wonders “why is the Barbadian ad…so perfect that it could be a global model on how to sell yourselves? And contrastingly how and why does the JTB ad sell the country short?”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Photos: Day One in Trial of Former Guatemalan Dictator · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Rios Montt Genocide Trial, Guatemala. March 19, 2013. Photo by James Rodriguez, used with permission.
Documentary photographer James Rodriguez shares a photo essay with “images from the first day of the historic trial against former de facto dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and former Intelligence Director José Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez. Ríos Montt and Rodriguez Sanchez are charged with Genocide and crimes against humanity during the civil war in Guatemala (1960-1996) against the Ixil Mayan people”.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Puerto Rico Second in the Caribbean Final of the World Baseball Classic · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

The Caribbean region positions itself as a world power of the ball game with the historic victory of the Dominican Republic [es], which became the first unbeaten team to win a World Baseball Classic [es] when it defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 in the final on the night of 19th March in the city of San Francisco.
However, although Puerto Rico was not victorious, the country played memorably, managing to position itself as the number two team. Against all odds, Puerto Rico made it to the final, knocking out Venezuela, Italy, the United States and Japan, even though it was thought that they would most likely be eliminated early in the event. Both teams faced each other a total of 3 times, with the Dominican Republic winning every time.
Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic teams embrace after the Dominican Republic's victory in the World Baseball Classic.
Twitter users congratulated the sister nation, the Dominican Republic, while expressing the deep pride they felt for the Puerto Rican national team, which managed to unite the country, albeit for a short time, and carry it honorably to the final amid difficult and uncertain economic and social times.
@Nellytjiie: Hermoso lo q hico #PuertoRico eso se llama ser un buen Perdedor lindo como felicitaron #RepublicaDominicana #WBC2013pic.twitter.com/0FFY3NZqHz
@Nellytjiie[es]: Beautiful what #PuertoRico did, that's what you call being a good Loser beautiful how they congratulated #RepublicaDominicana [es] #WBC2013pic.twitter.com/0FFY3NZqHz [es]
@valnik18: Felicidades a mis chicos boricuas y a nuestros hermanos dominicanos!! Muy orgullosa de mi pais #TeamPuertoRico#WBC2013#OrgulloBoricua
@valnik18[es]: Congratulations to my Boricuan guys and to our Dominican brothers!! Very proud of my country #TeamPuertoRico[es]#WBC2013[es]#OrgulloBoricua[es]
@hectorxrivera: Felicidades a nuestros hermanos dominicanos por esa victoria! #wbc2013 #worldbaseballclassic#puñeta
@hectorxrivera[es]: Congratulations to our Dominican brothers for that victory! #wbc2013[es] #worldbaseballclassic[es]#puñeta[es]
Edwin Rodríguez and Tony Peña, captains of the Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic teams, respectively, greet each other after the Dominican Republic's victory.
@ShellyPR: Ahora es el Clasico Mundial del Caribe!!?? O.o #WBC2013#TeamBoricua
@ShellyPR[es]: Is it the Carribbean World Classic now!!?? O.o #WBC2013[es]#TeamBoricua[es]
@JeromeGarffer: Felicidades #TeamBoricua#WBC13 Contra todos los pronosticos se crecieron como un roble.Dignos de admirar y emular.Segundo mejores del mundo
@JeromeGarffer[es]: Congratulations #TeamBoricua[es]#WBC13[es] Against all odds they have strengthened in the face of adversity like an ox. Worthy of admiration and a model to follow.Second best in the world
@Josemahernandez: Al final del día el mangú y el mofongo vienen de la misma mata. Contento y orgulloso del #TeamBoricua y del #TeamDR#puñeta
@Josemahernandez[es]: At the end of the day the Mangu and the Mofongo come from the same plant. Happy and proud of #TeamBoricua[es] and of #TeamDR[es]#puñeta
@DianaMaria30: Mas orgullosa no podria estar de mi país, de mi equipo que lo dio todo y nos puso en lo alto #TeamBoricua
@DianaMaria30[es]: I could not be more proud of my country, my team gave everything and put us on top #TeamBoricua[es]
@javimole9: Nadie nos esperaba aqui, esten orgullosos hasta donde llegamos. Buena representacion boricua. #TeamBoricua
@javimole9[es]: Nobody expected us to be here, proud of where we have got to. Great Boricua representation #TeamBoricua[es]
@Calle13Oficial: Felicidades a República Dominicana. Orgulloso de que sean nuestros hermanos y muy orgulloso de nuestro equipo Puertorriqueño.
@Calle13Oficial[es]:Congratulations Dominican Republic. Proud that they are our brothers and very proud of our Puerto Rican team.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Religious Hatred on Facebook in Tajikistan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Blogger Harsavor, who previously exposed the rise of xenophobic attitudes among Facebook users in Tajikistan, now explains [ru] why religious hatred and intolerance have become widespread in Tajikistani groups on the social networking platform:
The shattered system of primary and secondary education, corrupt and rotten system of higher education, the official clergy which has lost [people's] trust, the absence of state-controlled religious education, weak and will-less intellectuals, the presence of a large number of uncontrolled websites with extremist and jihadist content – these are the major reasons why an increasing number of young individuals in our country become extremists.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Saudi Minister Threatens a Twitter User Online  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Arabia's Information and Culture Minister Abdelaziz Khoja allegedly threatened to sue a Twitter user – for insulting him on the microblogging platform.
A user by the name @Esaeed1 tweeted the minister [ar]:
يا وزير الاعلام كلنا نعرف انك صورة او بالاصح ريموت كنترول في يد اصحاب المال والسلطة رجاءاً لا نريد منك فرد للعضلات مستقبلاً
@Esaeed1: Minister of Information, we all know you are an image or more precisely a remote control in the hands of those with money and power. Please refrain from flexing your muscles in the future.
And a Twitter account (non-verified) under the minister's name responded:

@Esaeed1حقيقة من الممكن أن أقاضيك على كلامك اذا كنت شجاعا اكتب اسمك بصراحه
@abdlazizkhoja: In reality I can sue you for what you said. Be courageous and write your real name
Fahad Al Dahhas responded:
تقاضيه على رأي يا وزير..انا كنت عارف ان الوزراء عندنا شخبط شخابيط و الحين تأكدت..قاضي نفسك قبل أن تقاضى أمام الله
@FahadAl_Dahhas: You will sue him for his opinion. I knew that our ministers are rubbish and now I am convinced. Sue yourself before sue anyone
And the minister replied:
سيدي أسلوبه وتهجمه واتهامه لي بما لا يليق هو الذي دفعني لذلك اذا كان هذا الأسلوب يرضيك للحوار أنا اقبل حكمك
@abdlazizkhoja: His manner, the way he attacked me and how he accused me of what is not suitable is what drove me to do that. If this way of dialogue suits you, I accept your decision.
It is interesting to see such exchanges between netizens and officials in a country ranked by Reporters without Borders as an Enemy of the Internet.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Science and Homosexuality Through the Lens of a Brazilian Pastor · Global Voices
Pedro Henrique Tavares

[All links lead to pages in Portuguese except when otherwise noted.]
For those who fight for homosexual rights in Brazil, enemy #1 has a first and last name: Silas Malafaia. This pastor, a graduate in psychology, heads the Victory in Christ Assembly of God Church and stands behind the conservative values condemning marriage between people of the same sex. And despite heavy opposition to the ideas he espouses, Malafaia has a very large following throughout the country.
On February 3, 2013, Malafaia was interviewed by Brazilian journalist Marília Gabriela on a public television network. He used the occasion to comment on controversial  topics. He defended tithing for members of evangelical churches and denounced criminalizing homophobia – the mainstay in the complementary law bill 122, and same-sex civil marriage, which is supported by the freedom of expression for all citizens enshrined in article 5 of the Brazilian Constitution.
Danilo Thomaz provided an analysis of the topic in a February 12 article on the website of media watchdog Observatório de Imprensa. The premise is that arguments over social networks are “the virtual equivalent to a sidewalk fight in front of a corner bar.”
A discussão sobre as liberdades públicas e a igualdade de direitos – valores sobre os quais se ampara a questão dos homossexuais – é transformada em uma histeria compartilhada na qual os dois lados, munidos com seus 140 caracteres, se diferenciam no que defendem e se assemelham na forma com que argumentam. Acabam, do mesmo modo, por anular o debate e deslegitimar a questão. Populistas e vigaristas, à direita e à esquerda, de quebra, aproveitam para se promoverem.
To justify his opposition to gay people, Malafaia appeals to genetics. He says that the option of being homosexual is merely behavioral and that “there is no gay gene.” The controversy hit the social networks and soon found its way into Twitter's trending topics. The blog BHAZ said that the pastor used unknown studies to back up his views. The February 6 post stated:
Desta vez, o pastor, em meio à sua inflamada argumentação contra a criminalização da homofobia e a legalização do casamento civil igualitário, resolveu apelar para o que ele chama de “ciência”. Seu objetivo, ao lançar mão de argumentos ditos “científicos” era, em suma, afirmar que a homossexualidade na verdade não passa de um comportamento “aprendido ou imposto”, que ninguém nasce homossexual e que, consequentemente, os ativistas LGBT não teriam o direito de lutar para legalizar o casamento civil igualitário ou pedir a criminalização das manifestações de ódio e do preconceito motivados pela orientação sexual e identidade de gênero.
On the day following the program with journalist Marília Gabriela (February 4), Eli Vieira, a Brazilian geneticist pursuing his doctorate at the University of Cambrige, recorded the following video:
On February 16, Silas Malafaia posted a video response to Eli Vieira, calling him a “pseudo-doctoral student” of genetics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot9iaTqixI4
The negative reactions continued. On February 8, a petition to revoke Silas Malafaia's professional license was started on Avaaz.org. The number of signatures was high. However, those who sympathized with the pastor posted support messages on Twitter, asking people not to sign the document. This was the case for @CASSIANECANTORA, who tweeted on February 15:
Eu ja assinei… Pessoal vamos votar pela NAO cassação do registro de psicólogo do Pr Silas Malafaia acessa o link ai http://www.avaaz.org/po/petition/Pela_NAO_cassacao_do_registro_de_psicologo_do_Sr_Silas_Lima_Malafaia/?wHEFheb …
Also on Twitter, Marcelo Arantes (@dr_marcelo) supported the petition (February 13):
Já exerceu seu poder de cidadão hoje? Assine esta petição pela cassação do registro de Psicólogo de Silas Malafaia. http://www.avaaz.org/po/petition/Pela_NAO_cassacao_do_registro_de_psicologo_do_Sr_Silas_Lima_Malafaia/?wHEFheb ……
In an official act, the Victory in Christ Assembly of God Church collected names in support of not revoking the license and posted them on its website. Malafaia further expressed his wish to sue Avaaz.org. The website reads:
Após polêmica gerada em torno da entrevista do Pr. Silas Malafaia ao programa “De frente com Gabi”, foi criada uma petição pública on-line na tentativa de cassar seu registro de psicólogo. Entretanto, em nenhuma das entrevistas concedidas à imprensa Silas Malafaia se apresenta como psicólogo, e sim como pastor, o que não justifica uma petição que envolva o Conselho Regional de Psicologia.
On February 7, Maria Berenice Dias, an attorney who works to advance the rights of the LGBT population, also posted a comment on YouTube:
Pastor Silas Malafaia has also compared homosexuals to criminals. “I love homosexuals like I love criminals,” he stated. The blog Pragmatismo Político denounced his statement on February 5:
A correlação valorativa entre “homossexuais” e “bandidos” é odiosa. Ela objetiva reforçar o vínculo entre homossexualidade e desvio, sustentando, sorrateiramente, a ideia de que a homossexualidade assim como o fenômeno da delinquência atenta e prejudica a sociedade. Em outros termos, a analogia diz o seguinte: os bandidos existem, são um fato social, mas precisamos mudá-los, puni-los e “ressocializá-los” para que não lesem a sociedade. Sem afirmar diretamente, Malafaia pensa o mesmo sobre os homossexuais; eles são um fato social, existem, mas precisamos corrigi-los para que não lesem à família, os bons costumes, às leis naturais, à palavra de Deus etc.
The religious leader was also condemned for using the word homosexualism since the correct term is homosexuality. Despite this, Marlos Ápyus criticized the correction in his Facebook post on February 5:
Antes de mais nada, eu acho que vocês deveriam largar essa bobagem de condenar o uso do termo “homossexualismo” por já ter sido entendido como uma doença. Alguém muito mal informado no passado o usou neste sentido, a OMS corrigiu o erro em 1990 e, sem explicação evidente, duas décadas depois fomos “obrigados” a falar em “homossexualidade”, apenas reforçando um equívoco já reparado. Eu vou continuar falando homossexualismo. Porque comunismo não é doença, porque romantismo não é doença, porque lesbianismo não é doença. E porque homossexualismo jamais deveria ter sido considerado uma.

author: Pedro Henrique Tavares


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“Suitcase Mood”: Why Ukrainians Are Moving Abroad · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Six and a half million Ukrainians, or 14.4 percent of the population, are emigrants. Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Portugal and Spain among the most popular emigration destinations according to Migration in Ukraine: Facts and Figures [.pdf], a report published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Ukraine's population of approximately 45.5 million people “is shrinking by 330,000 per year,” says the IOM report, and emigration, no doubt, contributes to this downward demographic trend.
The theme of leaving Ukraine temporarily or for good comes up regularly in conversations that Ukrainians are having online.
For example, one may be looking at MP Mykola Kniazhytsky's Facebook item [uk] about the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, in which Ukraine comes in 73rd out of 144 countries ranked, and see this comment [uk], by user Mykhaylo Kalinichenko:
It's futile to expect economic growth in Ukraine. Everyone is trying to escape from it as quickly as possible. […]
Or, one may be reading this post [ru] by LJ user metalina_888, in which she talks about the crisis in Ukraine's metal production industry, blaming it on the metallurgical plant owners’ unwillingness to invest in modernization, and then one runs into this comment [ru] by LJ user nik968, who offers the following explanation:
Our oligarchs are panicking and don't know what to do. The majority of them are preparing for an escape, because they are just too afraid to put up some resistance [to the current regime]. […]
The issue of relocation comes up even in discussions of such local problems as, say, the unfinished subway construction in Donetsk, which has been going on since the early 1980s, with little to show except for the heavily flooded pit where Proletarskaya Station was supposed to be [video; ru]. Yevgeniy Ikhelzon wrote this [ru] on Facebook:
[…] I don't know if subway ever appears in Donetsk and whether there is any need for it, but, with all the money allotted [for its construction throughout the years], they could have built a whole new town, somewhere near a warm sea. So that any Donetsk resident could leave and not see these [ugly faces of the local bureaucrats].
A map of geographical distribution of Ukrainian labor migrants by regions of origin. Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
For years, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been a source of cheap labor abroad, feeding their families back home – and, to some extent, feeding Ukraine's economy – with their money transfers. Labor migrants, known as zarobitchany in Ukrainian, make up the bulk of Ukraine's expat community. Below are some relevant observations from the IOM report:
For years, too, have the upper-echelon compatriots of zarobitchany kept their fortunes in offshore tax havens (which is why Cyprus has been the largest foreign investor in Ukraine, before the current troubles began anyway) or “invested” in expensive real estate abroad (e.g., in 2008, Olena Franchuk, ex-President Leonid Kuchma‘s daughter and businessman Victor Pinchuk‘s wife, was reported to have acquired a villa in London for £80 million, and in 2011, Ukraine's wealthiest person, Rinat Akhmetov, paid £136.4 million for a London apartment).
Recently, however, a new type of exodus seems to have begun, as a number of Ukrainian opposition politicians and entrepreneurs relocated to Europe – and some were even granted political asylum there. MP Anatoliy Hrytsenko mentioned [uk] the most prominent cases on his Facebook page:
[Former Acting Defense Minister Valeriy Ivaschenko has been granted political asylum] in Denmark. [Ex-Minister of Economy Bohdan Danylyshyn and ex-MP Andriy Shkil] are in the Czech Republic, [ex-Head of State Reserves Committee Mykhailo Pozhyvanov] is in Austria, [entrepreneur Denis Oleinikov] is in Croatia…
[Billionaire Ihor Kolomoysky] is in Switzerland, [businessman and ex-First Vice PM Valery Khoroshkovsky] is in France, [businessman Vitaly Hayduk] has transferred his business to South Africa, [businessman Yevhen Chernyak] – to Russia, [businessman Eduard Prutnik] has sold everything and is abroad, too…
[…]
Dozens, if not hundreds, of names of lesser-known people could be added to this list; above all, the entrepreneurs who, [following the election of Victor Yanukovych as the President of Ukraine], left and/or moved their businesses abroad. There are people like this in every region of Ukraine, with no exceptions.
[…]
It's hard to stop these people, hard to find arguments… Not everyone is prepared to be patient and to suffer, people want to live in peace and security today, not tomorrow. […]
Hrytsenko's post has generated a discussion of nearly 130 comments, and the two of them translated below illustrate just how painful the issues he brought up are for ordinary citizens.
User Natalia Levchenko wrote [uk]:
[…] Why do I have to run away from my own country? But they aren't letting us live. What's the future of my children and grandchildren? God forbid, they find themselves in a wrong place at a wrong time. Is it possible to hope for justice? […] I do not own a business, do not have bank accounts or real estate, I have nothing to go abroad with, I want to live peacefully […] at home.
User Alexander Shapovalov wrote [ru]:
[People who lack imagination] comment more or less similarly: these are the thieves, the oligarchs! I agree. […] But there are many people who were not mentioned by [Anatoly Hrytsenko] – ordinary people who are tired of living in a country of [total lawlessness and corruption], and they are leaving and taking their brains and business with them […].
Back in January, journalist Vitaly Haidukevych surveyed [uk] his Facebook audience of nearly 2,500 users on their attitudes towards emigration:
Friends, who of you would like to leave Ukraine because [the situation is hopeless]? […] Let's tackle the topic of “got to go.” Disappointment and the suitcase mood…
He received a variety of responses, and below are two comments, out of nearly 300 that follow Haidukevych's inquiry.
Vitaliy Yermak [ru]:
One has to leave quietly, or else they'll soon introduce a tax on leaving.
Andrij Romanov [uk]:
People ran, are running and will run. So many have left [Western Ukraine] for Italy, Portugal and the Czech Republic, and have not returned, and more will leave. It's just that [mostly people from] the provinces used to be leaving before, and now Kyiv is moving as well. People are taking their kids to study to Poland and some even further! It's a difficult situation in the EU now, but it's still livable, while in Yanukovych's Ukraine it's 100 times harder! Me, I came to the Czech Republic five days ago, sit here without a job, but I'm not going back home.
And here are some of Haidukevych's conclusions [uk]:
[…] The suitcase mood is there. […] Young, promising people have it. […] Since they are young, they are leaving not for the sake of immediate earnings […], but to grow roots for the future. […] I assume that these people asked themselves whether it was possible to change the state of things in the country – and the answer was ‘no’. […] Some are leaving for exactly the same reason others are reluctant to join [the anti-regime] protests – they care about themselves, their families and their future. […] “what are those rapid movements for, you've got kids, think about them” – this is what those who've stayed think. And those who are leaving […] do not want to wait for the tax authorities to come and take away their last pair of underpants. […]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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China’s $20 Billion Pledge to Africa · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Deborah Brautigam from China in Africa: The Real Story looks into the nature of China's pledge of $20 Billion to Africa at the fifth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation held in Beijing last summer:
I went back to examine the Chinese discussion around this $20 billion. The very first source I found — the Action Plan that summarizes the next steps for the FOCAC — was very clear that this pledge is not about official assistance but business.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Tokyo Smog Stokes Fears of China’s Spreading Pollution  · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Anxiety is growing in Japan that neighboring China's jaw-dropping levels of air pollution may be wafting over the island nation.
A month after China's heavy pollution began to dominate Japanese headlines [ja], a yellow smog that descended over Tokyo on March 10, 2013 caused a flurry of speculation that the country's pollution was reaching Japanese shores. Citizens captured the yellowed sky on their mobile phones [ja].
The Japanese Meteorological Agency reported that hot weather conditions kicked up dust into a haze [煙霧], but some worried that the smog was Chinese air pollution or an even more volatile mix of seasonal Asian Dust from Chinese deserts and Chinese pollutants arriving in Japan.
The smog comes at a time when the Japanese public is increasingly aware of China's air pollution, thanks to a barrage of Japanese media reports on China's PM 2.5 or fine particle air pollution, which measure 2.5 microns in diameter and are small enough to enter the lungs. The particles can increase a person's chance of illness, including lung cancer.
Back in 1950s and 60s during a period of high economic growth, Japan experienced an outbreak of four manmade diseases caused by environmental pollution, including a kind of asthma caused by sulfur oxide smog. In response to the health crisis, Japan established the Ministry of Environment in 1971.
Tokyo's sky turned hazy.
Photo taken on March 10 2013 by suppaiku (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The ministry released a note [ja] on February 8, 2013, seeking to help China counter its air pollution. So far, China has not taken up the ministry on its offer.
Journalist @furumai_yoshiko [ja], who writes for Newsweek Japan, urged the Japanese government on her blog [ja] to offer China technology and wisdom to combat the air pollution:
マジな話、わしは今、日本大使館は微博やメディアを使ってばんばん日本の大気汚染対策の歴史、そして手段についての情報を中国に垂れ流すべきだと思うけどなぁ
Seriously, I think the Japanese Embassy should tell China about countermeasures and the history of Japan's air pollution through Weibo and various media platforms.
Anti-nuclear advocates, such as blogger “aoiroba” [ja], called the media hype surrounding China's pollution a distraction from radiation pollution from the Fukushima nuclear disaster:
マスコミは「西日本が危ない」と「西」を限定した論調で報道している。
私の母親も言っていたが「日本中何処にいても危険」という意識を植え付け、PM2.5を悪玉にする事で自国の汚染意識を薄らいで行かせるのが目的だろう。
Mass media emphasize the pollution risks in western Japan.
I assume they want to reinforce the idea that there's no place safe in this country, and by assigning 2.5 particulate matter as the bad guy, they manipulatively seek to avoid the nation's attention to [radiation] contamination.
screenshot of forecast of atmospheric aerosol pollution by SPRINTARS (Spectral Radiation-Transport Model for Aerosol Species)
Twitter user (Watase Yoshitaka) observed [ja] that the history of environmental pollution is repeating, not just in China but in Japan:
@yoshitaka_w: 水俣病、イタイイタイ病など、あらゆる公害の犠牲者の訴えは、常に「非科学的」とのレッテルを貼られて無視黙殺され続けた。福島原発事故でも同じことが繰り返されている。だが、ソーシャルメディアは一人一人の被害者の声を表に出すツールとなった。そこに希望がある #原発 #公害 #nhk
@yoshitaka_w: Every time victims make pollution accusations, as was the case for Minamata disease, Itai-itai disease, and all kinds diseases caused by pollution, their accusations were labeled as unscientific and ignored. I see the same patterns are occurring after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. However, social media has been a great tool to express and amplify the voices of each one of the victims. That's where I see hope.
The Japanese Ministry of Environment monitors the levels 2.5 particulate matter pollution in Japan. The latest observations are available here [ja].
This post was sub-edited by L.Finch

author: Keiko Tanaka


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

Right now the war is on for the soul of our country and if we’re not, every last one of us, actively engaged and prepared to battle, then what is the point?
A must-read post by Tillah Willah about crime in Trinidad and Tobago.


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Japan’s ‘Sex Slaves’ Phantom Fuels Petition · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The GoPetition site published Do not select Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics petition which has been introduced to many local sites. It accuses the current Japanese administration of denying the truth that more than 200,000 women and girls were indeed forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during the World War 2.

author: Lee Yoo Eun