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An Unexpected TV Rerun Sends Serbia’s Social Media Into Censorship Panic · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Screen capture of the promotional announcement of 24 Minutes with host Zoran Kesić on www.b92.net.
What network representatives called a post-production issue gave Serbian television audiences a momentary scare this week that yet another show occasionally critical of the government had been taken off the air.
The show, titled 24 Minutes and independently produced and broadcast on the B92 network, is a satirical news show which has taken a cue from the likes of the popular Daily Show and Colbert Report. The pre-taped show usually premieres Sunday evenings at 11 p.m. and has grown to be one of the most popular shows on national television in Serbia, with over 54,000 fans just on Facebook and a #24minuta hashtag on Twitter.
Since its start in 2013, 24 Minutes has taken a swing at active politicians and the government on several occasions. On Sunday, April 26, the lead story of the new episode was to be the public persecution of Serbia's ombudsman Saša Janković by some government officials. The ombudsman's office is an independent institution of the government and Janković was appointed for this role twice since the inception of the office in 2007.
But B92 television aired a rerun of the previous week's episode instead, immediately stoking speculation that the show might be on the network's chopping block due to political pressure. Maja Dragić, a producer and anchor on local CNN affiliate N1 Belgrade, was among the first to comment:
Izgleda da je bilo pitanje vremena. #24minuta
— Maja Dragić (@kuvanikukuruz) April 26, 2015
Looks like it was just a matter of time. #24minuta
Twitter user Ana Veličković simply called it “too many coincidences”. As some media and anyone present online that night noticed, many social media users discussing the matter in Serbia seemed convinced that it was a new case of censorship.
Janković, who was slated to be 24 Minutes’ guest, has spoken publicly about a plethora of civic rights concerns in the country, ranging from corruption to media freedom and human rights. In January 2015, his office filed criminal charges against two members of the military police on suspicion that they attacked members of a special police unit, the Gendarmerie, while they were on duty, a case that involves the brother of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić.
Despite recent pressure — including increased media scrutiny of his past and personal life, such as the 1993 suicide of a friend in his apartment –Janković has refused to step down from his ombudsman post. A recent poll showed that more people trust Janković (36%) than the combined government in Serbia (34%).
As questions about 24 Minutes’ broadcast began pouring in on social networks, show host Zoran Kesić took to his Facebook fan page just past midnight to admit that he was just as baffled. No one from the production team could get in touch with anyone from B92 network, Kesić explained:
Voleo bih da imam vesti za vas, bilo dobre bilo loše, ali trenutno NEMAM POJMA ŠTA SE DEŠAVA. Hvala vam na brizi.
I wish I had news for you, whether good or bad, but I currently HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENING. Thank you for your concern.
Since 2013, a good number of Serbia's other popular talk shows that touched on politics and other serious topics have either been taken off the air or moved to networks and cable channels with much lower ratings. Although the reasons given by the networks for these decisions were the “low ratings” of the shows, several people who worked on them publicly claimed that the real reason was censorship.
Journalist Olja Bećković was the author of what was the longest standing political talk show in the country, spanning over 20 years from the Milošević regime through the slew of democratic coalition regimes of the 2000s to the current majority Progressive Party regime in power since 2014. She claimed that Prime Minister Vučić had called her himself on several occasions to request a change of guests on her show or edit topics.
By mid-day Monday, a B92 representative gave local news site Blic a statement saying there had been a post-production issue with the new episode, and that the new episode would be aired on Monday at 9 p.m. in the slot usually reserved for the show's rerun.
Audiences, however, remained skeptical. Avid Twitter user and BBC World journalist Dušan Mašić commented:
Veceras u 21h se prebrojavamo na piplmetrima. Vucic V Kesic. Da vidimo gde smo. #24minuta
— Dusan Masic (@dusanmasic) April 27, 2015
Tonight at 9 p.m. we'll be counted on the people meters. Vucic v Kesic. So we can see we where stand. #24minuta
— Dusan Masic (@dusanmasic) April 27, 2015
After B92 network's statement, host Kesić once again took to the show's Facebook fan page. He explained that the episode had been delivered to the network two hours past the usual practice, and given the show's length, post-production can take a while:
Ali ono što je takođe jako bitno je činjenica da nas niko sa B92 nije obavestio o izmeni u programu. Menadžment televizije je svestan propusta i lepo su nam se izvinili uz obećanje da se ovakve situacije neće ponavljati. Takođe, mi smo svesni našeg propusta, usled koga je došlo do ove situacije. Dovođenje gledalaca u nedoumicu nikome ne ide u prilog.
But what is also very important is the fact that no one from B92 informed us of the change in programming. The network's management is aware of this mistake and has apologized kindly, with the promise that this situation won't repeat itself. Also, we're aware of our mistake, which led to this situation. Bringing viewers into this predicament is of no benefit to anyone.
Although the new episode did eventually air and the scare of censorship has passed, discussion continues on social media. While some believe that this may have been a warning to the show from ruling politicians over criticism of the government, many others wonder whether the entire situation was a publicity stunt.
Either way, it seems that either one or the other are looking for higher ratings.
A možda i nije #cenzura nego #marketing #24minuta
— Zoon Politikon (@Zoon_Politikon0) April 27, 2015
And maybe it wasn't #censorship, maybe it was #marketing #24minuta
— Zoon Politikon (@Zoon_Politikon0) April 27, 2015

author: Danica Radisic


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The Quest for the Mexican Miracle · Global Voices
Dominic Fernández

Against the backdrop of elections scheduled for 7 June 2015 in Mexico, Fernando Vazquez blogging on Futuros Anticipados reflects on the quest for a miracle in development, growth and honesty, at times hindered by apathy and inaction of some.
[…] se firmó el TLC, se adelgazó al estado, se privatizó la industria pública. Creció la economía, pero no bajó la pobreza. Al contrario: cuando llegó el quiebre en el error (horror en realidad) de diciembre, la miseria se disparó a más de seis de cada diez mexicanos.
Ahora se ha reformado mucho, pero el impulso se ahogó en la pestilencia de la corrupción, la frivolidad, el abuso, la inmoralidad.
No habrá reforma exitosa sin código de ética. Ni inversiones sin ley. Ni democracia sin sanciones ejemplares a los partidos que han decidido violar la ley sistemáticamente con el cinismo absoluto que garantiza la impunidad.
Hay con todo, un signo alentador. Hay una minoría que no está dispuesta a seguir tolerando el abuso, la grosería, la arbitrariedad y la arrogancia. Esa minoría se ha unido en torno a un puñado de periodistas honestos, se ha autoorganizado, viraliza sus demandas en redes sociales.
[…] the free trade agreement was signed, the state was reduced, public industry was privatized. The economy grew, but poverty did not decline. On the contrary: When the breakdown came with the December error (indeed horror), misery soared to more than six in ten Mexicans.
Numerous reforms have been made these days, but the urge choked on the stench of corruption, frivolity, abuse, immorality.
Reforms will not be successful without an ethics code. Nor will investments without law. Nor democracy without exemplary punishment for parties who have decided to break the law consistently with complete cynicism which guarantees impunity.
Despite everything, there is an encouraging sign. There is a minority who are not willing to tolerate abuse, rudeness, arbitrariness and arrogance. This minority has grouped around a bunch of honest journalists, who are self-organized, making their demands on social media go viral.
Continue reading Fernando's post here and follow him on Twitter.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Dominic Fernández


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War Has Left Yemenis Stranded Abroad and Displaced at Home · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

A Yemeni quotes human rights articles to plead with world organisations to help return stranded Yemenis abroad home. Photograph shared by @NuhaSanhani on Twitter
Thousands of Yemenis are stranded abroad, unable to return home, since Saudi-led coalition forces started bombing the country on March 26. Another 300,000 are internally displaced in Yemen, with little to no help.
Yemenis who were out of the country for medical treatment and other reasons when war broke out in their country, were prevented from returning to their homeland for a whole month, by order of the war coalition on Yemen. The imposed embargo on Yemeni air, land and sea, caused Yemenis to be stranded overseas. With new visa requirements imposed on them by countries that previously welcomed them, and no resources to support them, and an estimated 300,000 people who have been internally displaced, Yemenis are now refugees abroad and refugees in their own country.
From Sana'a, Ali Almurtada explains:
Many Yemenis stranded in numerous airports.They can't come home (no-fly zone) and can't enter countries (Visa issues) #Yemen #Decisive_Storm
— Ali Almurtada (@AliAlmurtada) March 29, 2015
Arab coalition forces have been pounding Yemen with airstrikes since March 26. Their assault has not been limited to military sites or their main target, Houthi tribal fighters, who took control of Yemen's capital Sana'a from President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in January.
There is also massive destruction in the southern port city Aden, where the Houthis have been pushing their response, along with forces loyal to Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Saleh stepped down after three decades as president following popular protests in 2011, and handed power to Hadi through a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council, led by Saudi Arabia. The same countries are currently bombing Yemen. Saleh still controls most of Yemen's army units and wields influence in the world's poorest Arab country.
In times of conflict people usually seek refuge in neighbouring countries, but oddly Yemenis seek to return home even in times of war. Bassam Hassan tweets:
#يمنيون_عالقون ناس بيدورا يهربوا من الوطن و ناس تبكي لتعود إليه رغم المحن. #عاصفة_الحزم #اليمن http://t.co/iikbz9kiX1
— Bassam Hassan (@BassamYemen) April 14, 2015
People looking to flee the homeland and others crying to return to it despite the hardship
While there were 10,000 stranded Yemenis according to Yemen Air transport director as quoted by Alaraby Aljadeed, the media has focused mainly on the evacuation of foreigners living in Yemen who were evacuated by their countries, mainly China, Russia and India. However,India stood out as a success story by the amount of evacuation flights it secured Indians stranded in Yemen as well as helping other citizens to safely evacuate from the country.
India has evacuated 4,741 Indians from Yemen – but also 1,947 foreign nationals, from 48 different countries http://t.co/2zEuqPasyA
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) April 21, 2015
Meanwhile, the world's super power, the United States of America, which is providing logistical and information support for the war on Yemen, left its citizens behind.
As many other countries pull their citizens from Yemen, the United States is telling Americans to try to stick it out http://t.co/75xVke6epz
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) April 22, 2015
Many activists raised awareness about the plight of Yemenis stranded abroad, especially those in Egypt, Jordan and India, who are stuck in airports, or seeking medical treatment with a limited budget that is running out, facing eviction from their accommodations and in the absence of a helpful role by Yemen's embassies abroad.
PLZ help #Yemenis stranded in several parts of the world. #Rescue #SOS #Yemen #DecisiveStorm @ICRC @Refugees @Hrw #RT pic.twitter.com/lsWyJXwSEJ
— Yemen Updates (@yemen_updates) April 4, 2015
@hrw #humanrights #HumanRightsCouncil @UN @UNICEF @IOM_news #yemen please help #stranded #yemenis to get back home pic.twitter.com/Fsc8ZrWMBe
— ~ NahNoHa~ (@NuhaSanhani) April 26, 2015
In Egypt:
Many stranded Yemenis complained from the lack of support that was given to them from their own Embassy which shut its gates in their faces.
Mazen @MazenAlHebshi speaking about #Stranded_Yemenis on BBC Arabic مازن الحبشي يتحدث عن #اليمنيين_العالقين https://t.co/A3CeP6ZVkT #Yemen
— Osamah Alfakih (@osamahfakih) April 1, 2015
Mazen Al Hebshi speakes about starnded Yemenis on BBC Arabic
#yemenis stranded in #Cairo protest in front of the #Yemem embassy today pic.twitter.com/3Ahhx1XNVC
— Mazen Al-Hebshi (@MazenAlHebshi) April 7, 2015
France24 ran a report about the stranded Yemenis in Cairo and the hardships they were facing:
مصر ـ يمنيون عالقون بالقاهرة ! http://t.co/UqqLhd89zh
— فرانس 24 / FRANCE 24 (@France24_ar) April 8, 2015
Egypt: Yemenis stranded in Cairo
#البوابة بالصور والفيديو.. عالقون يمنيون فى #القاهرة يجمعون توقيعات لمقاضاة “السفير” http://t.co/yWNqyAAeEQ pic.twitter.com/jwCglncui1
— Albawaba (@Albawaba_eg) April 26, 2015
With photos and videos, stranded Yemenis collecting signatures to take legal action against the ambassador
In Jordan:
@yemeni_people @KhaledBahah Some pictures for trapped yemeni in Amman today An example of suffering @JamalBadr pic.twitter.com/GKHjvbUCqW
— mohammed mahdi (@mohamdmahdi) April 16, 2015
Belquis Alsalami, one of the few who were lucky to flee the country in a charter flight, recounts in detail on her Facebook page the unwelcome experience she and other travellers got, when their plane landed in Amman, Jordan:
حاولنا نتفاهم مع الموظفة الأردنية. ردت علينا بكل وضوح: أنتم غير
مرغوب فيكم في الاْردن!!
قلنا: ليش؟؟
قالت: أنتم لاجئين..
ردينا عليها وقلنا: ما فيش أحد مننا الموجودين يشتي يدخل الاْردن.. كلنا معنا فيز إلى دول أخرى.. ومعنا تذاكر طيران من الاْردن إلى جهات أخرى (دبي – لندن- اثيوبيا – الهند – نيوزلندا – أمريكا)
هذه كانت الجهات اللي كنا متجهين إليها..
قالوا مافيش نزول من الطيارة خااااااااااااالص
We tried to reason with the Jordanian employee.
She replied clearly: You are unwanted in Jordan
We asked: Why?
She said: You are refugees..
We replied: None of us here wants to go into Jordan..We all have visas to other countries..and we have air tickets from Jordan to other destinations (Dubai, London, Ethiopia, India, New Zealand< USA)…These are the destinations we were heading to..
They said no coming off this plane at alllllllll
Hisham Al-Omeisy describes the ordeal further, saying the passengers were held in the plane for seven hours:
#PT My cousins, mostly women & children were not allowed to leave plane in Amman Jordan for 7hrs & surrounded by army, then given temp pass.
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) April 26, 2015
In India:
@RashaJarhum http://t.co/YYvJDGjhHh
— Rasha Jarhum (@RashaJarhum) April 25, 2015
Internally Displaced:
In Yemen, more than 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, fleeing to other cities or into villages, staying with relatives or acquaintances seeking refuge from the violence, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Data compiled by OCHA as of 28 April shows that the number of people displaced by the escalating conflict in the 19 governorates has increased significantly. Humanitarian partners had estimated that at least 150,000 people were displaced as of 17 April but that number has now more than doubled. Available data shows that governorates with the highest numbers of those displaced include Hajjah, Al Dhale’e and Abyan.
Bushra Aldukhainah, a humanitarian coordinator for Care Yemen, learned first-hand what it's like to be an Internally Displaced Person (IDP). She writes in the Guardian:
I never thought I would know what it’s like to be an internally displaced person, but I do now. Working at Care, I am usually the one helping displaced people but almost two weeks ago, after air strikes began in Yemen, my family and I felt the fear and pain of suddenly having to gather your things, leave your home and run for your life.
Refugees in Djibouti & Somaliland:
Many Yemenis have been seeking refugee in other poor neighbouring countries that welcomed them. International Organisation for Migration reported that total arrivals from Yemen to the Horn of Africa, including to Djibouti, Somaliland and Puntland, have increased by 8,344 people this week. This brings the total since conflict escalated in mid March to an estimated 10,263 people.
To save his mother, wife and two children, Fairuz left one son behind while escaping sniper bullets in the port city of Aden, in war-torn Yemen.
Fairuz, a carpenter by trade describes his escape:
To save five lives is better…,” he recalls shouting to Adeeb from a neighbour’s house they were visiting when the attack began, begging him to run.
“I’m worried that my son is there now and afraid of the bullets,” he says. “The shooting was all day and all night. You cannot describe how strong the sound of bombs and missiles was.
“We longed to return, but we saw the bombs and knew we couldn’t” http://t.co/ZimBTqEVET #Yemen pic.twitter.com/7o4CUNgtf4
— UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) April 25, 2015
Disappointment:
Many Yemenis voiced their discontent with the lack of empathy and humanitarian support for Yemeni refugees abroad, who had no choice to return home.
Rich countries to the north and east, yet Yemeni refugees fleeing to Somalia and Djibouti http://t.co/hG75Mthf7F
— Abubakr Al-Shamahi (@abubakrabdullah) April 10, 2015
Coalition war to rescue #Yemen ppl from suffering. But won't take refugees fleeing nor provide humanitarian aid! https://t.co/KNFLzWzyUw
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) April 10, 2015
Shame on the world! Trying to “save” Yemen by supplying arms but no country is extending visas or housing abroad IDPs, or refugees
— Sama'a Al-Hamdani (@Yemeniaty) April 26, 2015

author: Noon Arabia


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A Chilean Real-Time Video App Launches at the Boston Marathon · Global Voices
Patricia Carolina Saucedo Añez

The application RhinoBirdTV, developed by the Chilean Felipe Heusser, who founded the NGO Ciudadano Inteligente, allows users to share video experiences in real time. The makers of RhinoBirdTV hope their product will help facilitate a more democratic world by breaking down boundaries and connecting people through simple-to-distribute live videos.
RhinoBird.TV. image from Twitter, used with permission.
RhinoBirdTV chose to launch its Android version on April 20, the day of the 119th annual Boston Marathon, allowing users to broadcast and receive live videos from the event, following the hashtag #bostonmarathon.
On Twitter, people welcomed RhinoBirdTV with enthusiasm and high expectations:
@jaimedelfuego @RhinoBirdTv más allá de la Maratón, http://t.co/7oNkj8kxJY es una maravilla made in Chile en USA
— Matias del Rio (@matiasdelrio) April 20, 2015
Far from the Marathon is a marvel made in Chile the USA.
Boston Marathon FINISH LINE in real time http://t.co/BFZkATAMoU #bostonmarathon from people for people
— Rhinobird.TV (@RhinoBirdTv) April 20, 2015
Los Chilenos en Boston son unos capos. Aguantando el frío y la lluvia para apoyar @RhinoBirdTv Emocionante.
— felipe heusser (@fheusser) April 20, 2015
Chileans in Boston are bosses. Enduring the cold and rain to support.

author: Patricia Carolina Saucedo Añez


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At Least 30 People Killled After Heavy Rains in Chile · Global Voices
Global Voices Latin America

The heaviest rains to hit Chile's northern region in decades have costed the life of at least 30 people, according to the most recent report by the National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (known as Onemi), dated April 21.
At the time of writing the original post of this translation, a new victim was found.
URGENTE : En Los Loros encuentran el cuerpo de una nueva víctima del aluvión. Sería la número 31 (vía @Soycopiapo) #Copiapo #Atacama
— RadioCeleste Chile (@rcelestechile) April 23, 2015
LAST MINUTE: At Los Loros, the body of a new victim of the flood was found. This would be number 31.
On Global Voices, we reported about what has been considered the worst rain from the past 80 years in the Northern regions (mainly in Atacama and Antofagasta) when heavy rains caused the Copiapó river to overflow.
According to press releases, there are at least 59 people unaccounted for and 29.739 affected. Meanwhile, material damages go up to 2.000 completely destroyed homes. Over 6.000 have been severely affected, and another 11.000 have suffered minor damages.

author: Global Voices Latin America


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How a Youth Collective Is Changing the Brazilian Amazon Community of Cabelo Seco · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

Sandoval Maia, Évany Valente, Elisa Dias, Caroline Valente, Carol Sousa, Matheus Sá, Camylla Alves, Rafael Varão, Pablo Diego e João Paulo Sousa, together in the Barracão da Cultura (Culture Barn) of Rios de Encontro. Photo: Rios de Encontro/Communication
In a small town near the Carajá Mountains, in the same Brazilian Amazon region where the largest mines of quality iron are still found, young people from the collective Rios de Encontro are promoting art as a way to preserve their local riverside culture. Global Voices went on a visit to Cabelo Seco, a community situated in Marabá, a town in the state of Pará, where they work, to find out about their efforts.
The collective, set up by the arts educator and cultural manager Manoela Souza and writer and fine artist Dan Baron, has 14 micro-projects underway, all of which encourage the idea that development does not necessarily have to mean destroying the local rivers and forests.
Amongst the projects are Latinhas de Quintal (Backyard Little Cans), winner of the UNICEF national prize of 2011, and the dance group AfroMundi, winner of the 2012 national prize Jovem Agente de Cultura (Young Culture Agent) awarded by the Ministry of Culture. Together, the two projects also won the 2014 prize awarded yearly by Creative Connections, an international cultural education organization, for their album “Amazônia Nossa Terra” and their dance performance Lágrimas Secas (Dry Tears):
The group traveled to New York in April to perform Lágrimas Secas. With the support of co-founder Dan Baron, 19-year-old dance company leader Camylla Alves created the choreography. She told Global Voices:
O projeto mostrou isso, que a gente tem a capacidade de sonhar e realizar nossos sonhos. A gente pode dançar, cantar, ser livre. Lágrimas Secas dramatiza os grandes rios do mundo secando e pegando fogo depois da construção das hidrelétricas e assassinatos das nascentes.
The project has shown us that we have the capacity for dreaming and making our dreams come true. That we can dance, sing and be free. Lágrimas Secas shows the drama of the big rivers of the world getting dry and in fire after the construction of the hydroelectric plants and the murder of their headwaters.
In her work, Camylla combines music and African choreography with contemporary languages to reflect the history of her people and her own ethnic roots. She was awarded a grant from Rios de Encontro to carry out artistic research, what allows her to support herself.
In a town classified among the ten most violent for young black people in Brazil, Rios de Encontro provide tools to help build self-esteem and confidence among residents there.
Hoje somos uma família, segredos tudo a gente compartilha. A comunidade ainda tem fraquezas, brigas e rixas, muita preocupação em casa e nas ruas, mas a gente tenta passar por cima disso.
Today we see ourselves as one big family, we share secrets and everything. The community still faces weaknesses, fights and disputes, a lot of worries at home and in the streets, but we try to overcome all that.
Camylla Alves, Lorena Melissa and João Paulo Sousa performing in the show Lágrimas Secas/ Photo: Rios de Encontro/Communication
Another project is called Radio Arraia, which won a grant from Rising Voices Amazonia in 2014. The project creates radio jingles to spread the news about the collectives artistic productions and to create a deeper awareness of environmentally friendly practices, such as the use of solar energy. The idea is to oppose official discourse, which favors the construction of hydroelectric plants, and bring sustainable development alternatives to the discussion.
Listen to this jingle inviting people to charge their cell phones in the Rios dos Encontros barn, where a solar plate has been made available:
And this jingle inviting the neighborhood to come to the Lágrimas Secas performance:
The collective's meetings happen in two places within the Cabelo Seco community. Near the riverbanks, where the Rivers Itacaiúnas and Tocantins come together, is the Casinha de Cultura (Culture Home), where their meetings, overseen by adult coordinators Dan and Manoela, take place. There, you can learn about everything that is going on in the neighborhood. “The window is our great communication medium,” Manoela says, laughing.
Fifty metres away is the other meeting point: a barn with covered area, where the collective puts on its artistic productions.
Elisa Dias, 18, and Caroline Valente, 18, also chatted with Global Voices. Elisa is leader of the group Roupas ao Vento (Clothes in the Wind), a project which centers on gender questions, and she is used to advising girls on how to avoid violence at home and in the streets. She tells us how important having Dan and Manoela in her life has been:
Quando engravidei, com 15 anos, recebi muito apoio de Dan e Manoela, o que não recebi em casa. Decidi ficar com o bebê (Pietro). Já estava acostumada a tomar conta dos meus irmãos. Eu cuidava dos meus irmãos enquanto minha mãe ia lavar roupa no rio.
When I got pregnant, at 15, I got a lot of support from Dan and Manoela, something I didn't get at home. I decided to keep the baby (Pietro). I was used to taking care of my siblings. I took care of my brothers while my mother went out to wash clothes down at the river.
Caroline likes to tell stories and has become the social reporter for the project. She even created the project Nem um Pingo (Not even one drop) to register the lives of the local residents:
O Rios de Encontro fortaleceu mais o que quero pra mim. Criei o Nem um Pingo e foi bem legal. A gente filmava, documentava e apresentava para a comunidade toda. Escutava várias histórias diferentes e engraçadas.
Rios de Encontro has made me stronger in terms of the decisions I make for myself. I created the project Nem um Pingo and it was cool. We filmed, documented and presented to the whole community. We had the chance to listen to many different and funny stories.
The two have been with Rios de Encontro for the last seven years, since the time they and three other girls created a musical group called Latinhas de Quintal. They are still together: Camila and Caroline are the main singers and Elisa plays the drums. Below is video of one of their shows in Cabelo Seco.
The Vale do Rio Doce train, part of a large Brazilian mining enterprise, crisscrosses the 892 kilometres between the states of Pará and Maranhão, carrying over 120 million tons of ore each year. At the same time, Rios de Encontro's artistic and cultural movement seeks to reaffirm the Amazon identity in Marabá as well as the local riverside lifestyle. The focus is on personal development and the ability to build healthy connections as a group. “We want more engagement and not the model of development imposed on us,” Manoela says.
Besides the construction of hydroelectric dams on local rivers, the community faces another danger: of disappearing. Many of its residents have gone to live in a district created by the federal government's social housing project Minha Casa, Minha Vida (My House, My Life).
Without facilities such as schools and hospitals, and situated far from any nice river, the district built by the government has the name of Morada Nova (New Dwelling). Fifteen kilometres away from Cabelo Seco, the trip from one place to the other takes up to two hours because of the infrequent public transport in the area. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and even friends start to see each other less and less.
In community teacher Zequinha Sousa's view, Cabelo Seco runs the risk of being overtaken by the interests of a touristic business:
Cabelo Seco é uma área perigosa, mas todo mundo quer. É um lugar privilegiado de beleza. As pessoas não têm consciência do lugar onde moram. Muitas foram e estão arrependidos, porque o rio deu vida à cidade. Eu fui pescador, meu pai foi pescador. Ele sofreu por causa da barragem não tem mais aquela fartura, mas ainda é um lugar com um pôr do sol todo especial.
Cabelo Seco is a dangerous area, but everybody seems to be willing to own the place. It is a privileged place as far as its beauty. People are not truly aware of the place they live in. Many people have gone away only to regret their decision later, because the river lends life to the town. I have been a fisherman, same way as my father before me. He suffered the consequences of the dam construction. There is not the same bounty as before, but it is still a place with a very special sunset.

author: Thiana Biondo


text:
In Eastern Turkey, Walking in the Shadow of Genocide · Global Voices
John Lubbock

Kurdish children play in the grounds of William Saroyan's family home in Bitlis, Eastern Turkey. Photo by John Lubbock.
In the week leading up to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, British-Armenian historian Ara Sarafian led a group of students, academics and journalists on a mission to engage with local Kurds and the descendants of Armenians in the Kurdish region of Turkey.
It was in these towns and villages, 100 years ago, that the Armenian population, as well as many Assyrians, were forced from their homes and killed or deported by the state and its deputies. The Ottoman bureaucracy, supposedly fearing non-Turkish populations would revolt and carve off Ottoman lands to create new nation-states, exploited tribal, class and ethnic tensions to encourage local Kurdish leaders to murder their neighbours and steal their lands.
Sarafian has been travelling to this region, and especially the main Eastern city of Diyarbakir, for years, engaging with locals and trying to build bridges with the local community.
“Many Armenians were skeptical; saying ‘well, Diyarbakir is an exception’,” says Sarafian. “In a way, to test that. . . [I said] let’s try to build the bridges that were destroyed 100 years ago [in Bitlis] between Armenians and Kurds.” Based in London, with no real contacts in the region, Sarafian began making contacts through social media. When he arrived in the area he organised a meeting. “Many Kurdish organisations joined and right from the beginning the sentiment was the same: the Kurds acknowledge that there was a genocide that needs to be addressed and we should do everything to reverse its consequences as far as possible.”
Old Armenian church near Bitlis. Photo taken by John Lubbock.
Sarafian took us to the sites of former Armenian villages like Khanelmali (Khntsorkin in Armenian) near Tatvan, where remnants of old churches stand, often used by Kurdish villagers as stables for animals or barns for hay. In the village of Degirmenalti (Por in Armenian and Kurdish), an old monastery includes some of the most impressive medieval Khachkar stones in existence. These monumental carved stones were made by monks to show their devotion and artistry. In the past five years some have been knocked down to build houses, though there is hope that they may survive beneath the foundations, waiting to be recovered.
Khatchkar stones. Photo taken by John Lubbock.
In Bitlis we attended an event entitled “What Happened to Bitlis Armenians, 1915-2015,” organised by Sarafian along with Kurdish and Turkish lawyers and activists. It comprised a photographic exhibition on Armenians in Bitlis, followed by presentations by speakers including the Turkish sociologist and human rights’ activist, Ismail Beşikçi, who spent 19 years in Turkish jails for speaking out on the Kurdish issue.
“I saw church ruins, so many church ruins. Where is the community of these churches? Asking this question is related to having social and historical awareness. In 1962/1963 I didn’t have awareness or information,” Beşikçi said.
Behvat Şerefhanoğlu, a local man and father of our guide Barzan, told the audience the story of what his family witnessed in 1915.
“My uncle was one of the direct witnesses of the killings. There was a stone bridge in Mutki. My uncle told me that 80% of the Armenians living in that area were slaughtered by the bridge. Those Armenians were begging, “O Muslim, for the sake of Muhammad, kill me with one bullet.” Even though they begged, they kept shooting them in their knees. This is a massacre. We are the children of two grieving nations.”
We drive into the hills near Mutki to visit what was once a huge monastery on the highland slopes. From afar, St. Aghperig looks almost intact, but up close it is covered with holes where treasure hunters obsessed by rumours that Armenians buried gold in their places of worship come to dig. St. Aghperig is beautiful even in its current state, but badly needs protection. This will be difficult without investment from outside, which will be hard to secure when the government wants to retain all land rights.
Inside St. Aghperig. Photo taken by John Lubbock.
We go next to Diyarbakir, from where we drive to the old village of Chunkush (now Cungus), to see the Dudan crevasse. On the way we are stopped by the local military police, who want to see the passports of all the attendees. Luckily the presence of so many lawyers in our group encourages the police to let us go about our business.
It was at Dudan (“waterfall” in Turkish) in 1915 that up to 10,000 local Armenians were thrown after having their throats cut by soldiers on the order of the Ottoman governor Reşid Bey. Locals have long told stories of the massacre, and we are joined by local politicians and the descendants of Armenians who threw flowers into the hole to remember the victims. It is an eerie place that represents an open wound for the local population.
Dudan Cravasse. Photo taken by John Lubbock.
Half an hour outside of Batman there is a valley carved into the landscape dotted by oil wells. Around 700 members of the local Armenian elite were floated there on rafts on the Tigris river in 1915. Ottoman soldiers handed them over to Kurdish executioners recruited by the provincial governor. Remote sites like this valley were chosen to hide the massacres from view, but those who witnessed the killings passed on their stories to the next generations. A telegram from one of the Ottoman leaders, Talaat Pasha, to a governor in Syria warned him to hide the killings from public view, because “it is important that, to save appearances, a show of gentle dealing shall be made for a time and the usual measures be taken only in suitable places.”
Not all Kurdish tribes participated in the genocide. Mihemede Miste was a leader of the Reshkota Kurds in 1915 and opposed the orders of the Ottoman governor of Diyarbakir to massacre Armenians. Miste’s house was burned to the ground and he was forced into exile. His descendants were touched to have our group visit their village to honour their ancestor’s courage. Standing by Miste’s graveside in the small village, Sarafian told his family that it was his “duty, as a historian of the genocide, to bear witness to the reality that many Muslims refused to kill their brothers and sisters. We should celebrate people like Mihemede Miste as a bridge between the past and the present and think of all the goodness that is in people”.
Mihemede Miste’s grave. Photo taken by John Lubbock.
On the eve of the anniversary we went to the newly renovated Sourp Giragos. Giragos is a success story showing how places of cultural value to Armenians can be successfully protected and restored in Turkey, despite the lack of relations between the two countries. Hundreds of Kurds and people with Armenian ancestry turned out to see a concert in the area, but no mention was made of the centennial of the Genocide.
Sarafian proceeded to ring the church bells, as other Armenian church bells were ringing at that time throughout the world to mark the canonisation of the Armenian victims of 1915. However, local Armenians made him stop, as the Istanbul Armenian patriarch had forbidden churches in Turkey from participating in this world-wide event.
Sourp Giragos. Photo taken by John Lubbock.
On the morning of the April 24, our group went to the Syriac Orthodox church of St Mary for a commemorative service where sermons were delivered to remember those who died. Sarafian was not bound by any rules here, and the bells were rung 100 times in memory of the dead.
A rally was organised by local lawyers, politicians and the London-based Gomidas Institute. Selahattin Demirtaş, one of the leaders of the opposition HDP party, gave a speech in which he told the crowd that they had nothing to fear from Genocide recognition, citing the example of Germany, which nobody today holds responsible for the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis. His presence drew hundreds of people to the dilapidated Sourp Sarkis Armenian church, and showed how connected these events are to the upcoming general election in June.
Sarafian and Demirtaş at the April 24th rally in Diyarbakir. Photo taken by John Lubbock.
HDP are the pro-Kurdish leftist party who made a strategic decision following the Gezi protests to become the main progressive party in Turkish politics, drawing people from across Turkey who dislike the ruling AKP party but have little time for the old-fashioned nationalism of the secular-Nationalist CHP party. Co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş has repeatedly recognised the genocide of 1915 and wants Turkey’s government to do the same.
“This is the result of many years of work”, Sarafian told another journalist inside Sourp Sarkis. “This is just a dot along a path that we would like to go towards reconciliation, allowing Kurds to come to terms with the reality of the genocide, which they are. Ankara can say whatever it wants, but we are going to the massacre sites, based not just on archival knowledge but local knowledge. It is important that we are here to engage in this way and create a language of reconciliation. If you don’t talk, you keep accusing people; ‘we want territory, we want this or that’, if that’s your attitude, that doesn’t allow for reconciliation.”
Beyond the sombre mourning of the occasion, there was much hope evident in Kurds, Armenians and Turks who want to set aside the animosity of the past and build a country that can accept its history and begin anew. It must be hoped that the defensiveness of nationalist Turks can be overcome in order to build the bridges and understanding necessary for recognition and reconciliation to take place.
Witnessing these commemorations which have been largely ignored by Turkish and international media, it is clear that things are changing fast within Turkish society. The dialogue must be allowed to continue.
Ara Sarafian in front of Turkish police vehicles in Diyarbakir on the Armenian Genocide anniversary. Photo taken by John Lubbock.

author: John Lubbock


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“What Does Freedom of Expression Mean to You?” · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

From their campaign site.
The International Media Support (IMS) wants to know what freedom of expression means to you, in the run-up to World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
IMS is encouraging bloggers, human rights defenders, and journalists on social media to participate in this campaign, by tweeting their response or posting it on Facebook with the hashtaq #MyFreeExpression. The response can be text, video or picture.
IMS is a non-profit media development organisation that works in 30 countries where the press and freedom of expression exists under trying contexts. With this campaign they want “to showcase the many faces of and opinions on freedom of expression around the world.”
The campaign started a couple of weeks ago and ends on May 3. A special selection of contributions is being showcased on their website, Facebook page and Twitter account.
Danish Filmmaker Nagieb Khaja participated in the campaign with a video, where he said, “Freedom of expression means being able to say what you truly believe without fearing any reprisals. ” And a participant from the Magamba Network, an organization that supports culture, new media and activism in Zimbabwe said, “Freedom is living without fear of no one and nothing.”
From the IMS Facebook page for the campaign #MyFreeExpression
IMS is based in Copenhagen, Denmark and is primarily funded by the foreign ministries of the Scandinavian countries.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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Yemen’s Catastrophic Infographics Highlight Tragedy in Numbers · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Ruba Aleryani, a Yemeni student at Brown University, has creatively presented Yemen's catastrophe in eye catching and simple infographics while naming her source. Ruba is a 20 year old, double majoring in Development Studies	and Middle East Studies and living in the U.S. She describes herself in her Twitter bio as an aspiring writer and photographer, often uses the hashtag #YemenInNumbers in her tweets to highlight what her country is facing after a month of war. She uses art to shed light on the untapped––whether it is using data visualisations to expose the humanitarian situation in Yemen or using photography and film to cast a different perspective on the country.
Arab coalition forces, led by Saudi Arabia, have been pounding Yemen with airstrikes since March 26. Their assault has not been limited to military sites or their main target, Houthi tribal fighters, who took control of Yemen's capital Sana'a from President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in January.
There is also massive destruction in the southern port city Aden, where the Houthis have been pushing their response, along with forces loyal to Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Saleh stepped down after three decades as president following popular protests in 2011, and handed power to Hadi through a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council, led by Saudi Arabia. The same countries are currently bombing Yemen. Saleh still controls most of Yemen's army units and wields influence in the world's poorest Arab country.
Ruba started on April 7 with these tweets before the number of casualties doubled. At least 1,244 people have been killed, according to figures compiled by UNHCO from health facilities and 5,044 people have been injured:
I'm starting a "#Yemen in Numbers" series. This is my first infographic based on #UN statistics (volatile/estimate). pic.twitter.com/jAXru4gtTd
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 7, 2015
Part two of my "#Yemen in Numbers" series. More to follow tomorrow. #YemeninNumbers pic.twitter.com/2nw7DuMCuh
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 7, 2015
She tweeted about Yemen's children killed in the war:
#YemeninNumbers: According to UNICEF, an estimated 74 children have died in the #Yemen conflict so far. #KefayaWar pic.twitter.com/83T81DfsVL
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 8, 2015
And those prevented from going to school due to the escalating violence that has affected 19 of Yemen's 22 governorates:
#YemenInNumbers: #UNICEF has reported that over 1M #Yemen-i children are unable to go to school due to the conflict. pic.twitter.com/rWxLBGfVue
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 9, 2015
She also highlighted the use of child soldiers in Yemen:
#YemeninNumbers: 1/3 of fighters in conflict are children. #Yemen #UNICEF pic.twitter.com/UGQ9kYe1vJ
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 10, 2015
Also read: At Least 115 Children Killed as a Result of War in Yemen
She didn't forget the Yemenis stranded abroad, now reportedly 10,000:
#YemenInNumbers: According to some reports, approximately 4000 #Yemen-is are stranded in airports around the world. pic.twitter.com/XaGcUHGu9a
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 8, 2015
Nor the Internally Displaced People who have trippled since her tweet:
#YemeninNumbers: internally displaced persons in #Yemen have increased by more than 100,000. #KefayaWar pic.twitter.com/ce5gFG1EoI
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 10, 2015
Also read: War Has Left Yemenis Stranded Abroad and Displaced at Home
On April 11 she focused on Yemen's food insecurity and dependency on imports:
#YemenInNumbers: 11.5M #Yemen-is were food insecure before conflict. #OpDecisiveStorm + #Houthis further insecurity. pic.twitter.com/seldP5qqsf
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 13, 2015
Ruba, constantly updates her infographics with the latest figures from United Nations sources:
#YemenInNumbers: #Yemen has an import dependency for 90% of its wheat and 100% of its rice. #WFP #FoodCrisis pic.twitter.com/RUck9cJX8n
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 11, 2015
On April 14, she pointed to the increase of food prices and medicine:
#YemenInNumbers: According to #Oxfam, food prices in #Yemen have doubled since the beginning of the conflict. pic.twitter.com/lz80KGTiC4
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 14, 2015
#YemenInNumbers: Medicine prices have increased by over 300% with the shortage of proper medical care/supplies #Yemen pic.twitter.com/qC23fNx3WQ
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 28, 2015
#YemenInNumbers: Wheat & flour prices have increased by 40% in a country where over 50% live under the poverty line. pic.twitter.com/BAGf9bZWtt
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 28, 2015
#YemenInNumbers: According to @UNICEF, 115 children have been killed in #Yemen and 172 have been maimed. #KefayaWar pic.twitter.com/XlanoXHXpR
— Ruba A. (@raleryan) April 29, 2015
She also made a video calling for the end of the war, entitled Voices of Yemen, supporting the #KefayaWar campaign:
Recently she wrote a satirical questionnaire for the mushrooming so-called “experts on Yemen” to take before thinking of writing a piece on Yemen, for Buzzfeed:
A screen shot of one of the 10 questions on the “Yemen Expert” quiz


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Baltimore Riots Remind Caribbean Diaspora That #Black Lives Matter · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A rally and march in Minneapolis, Minnesota to support the people of Baltimore. Photo by Fibonacci Blue, used under a CC BY 2.0 license.
For Trinidad bloggers living in the United States, the riots in Baltimore is the latest chapter of a seemingly endless story of police aggression towards young black men in the US.
Protests and looting began in the city following Freddie Gray‘s death. Baltimore police arrested the 25 year-old on April 12. He died a week later from spinal injuries, allegedly sustained in police custody. On May 1, prosecutors charged four police officers with manslaughter in Gray's death.
The protests have reinvigorated #BlackLivesMatter protests online and offline. The hashtag has been tweeted 245K times in the last week and 481K times in the last month, according to the social analytics site Topsy. #BlackLivesMatter was first used three years ago on April 11 by @NeenoBrowne after black teen Trayvon Martin was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida.
Chicago-based, Trinidad-born Patrice Grell Yursik departed from her usual fare of beauty and fashion on Afrobella to share her thoughts on Baltimore:
It’s hard to write light when your heart is heavy. And right now, my thoughts are wrapped up in darkness, in distress and in stomach churning worry for America – particularly the city of Baltimore. It’s yet another name to add to a list that’s too long, another city in turmoil, another case of police brutality that should provoke sadness and empathy but instead stirs up assumptions, retorts and defensiveness. Watching the news these past few nights has been disturbing to say the least. I hate to see what’s happening in Baltimore and I hate how the media is covering what’s happening in Baltimore.
With regard to the media's framing of the riot story, Afrobella explained that “there have been some terrible reports filed and inaccurate stories written, and there has been some really thoughtful, intelligent coverage”. In sharing the latter, she wanted people to remember the motivation for the riots:
This is happening because Freddie Gray’s horrific death is part of an awful national pattern of behavior that needs to stop.
A young man holds up a placard during the Minneapolis rally to support the people of Baltimore. Photo by Fibonacci Blue, used under a CC BY 2.0 license.
On Tumblr, Soul Sistrin illustrated the extent to which the #blacklivesmatter hashtag was being ignored:
Every article I’ve read about Freddie Gray underlines the fact that he was innocent. But even if he had committed a crime, he didn’t deserve the brutality he received. But we have to make sure to remind people he’s innocent for the public to believe that what happened to him was an injustice. That’s how much Black lives don’t matter.
#black lives matter
Trini Like Salt had had enough, saying it was time for white people to step up:
I don’t want to hear about your outrage at the riots.
I don’t want to hear of your hand-wringing and self reflection.
I don’t want to hear how sad you are that it has come to this.
I don’t want to hear of your sympathy for or derision of the protesters.
All I need to hear from you is that you will do something about the police killing and maiming black human beings with impunity. That’s it. Nothing else.
If you have nothing to say about black men being lynched on the daily, I want nothing to do with you. Black lives do not matter to you. So you do not matter to me.
The blogger was also incredulous at the claim that Freddie Gray severed his own spine, later posting a statement by Gray's family rejecting that implication and commenting:
That someone had to actually make this statement makes me sad beyond description.
#MARCH2JUSTICE In Baltimore 16 on Sunday April 19, 2015, the day of Freddie Gray's death. Photo by Stephen Melkisethian, used under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Many bloggers referred to President Obama's statement on the riots. Afrobella said:
It feels like history is repeating itself again and again in an endless loop that’s destined to break. And we have to learn these lessons and make real changes soon, before this happens again. And again. And again. Because this could happen in Detroit. Or Miami. Or Chicago. It can happen anywhere, and it’s happening everywhere.
Trini Like Salt, who agreed with Obama that America could solve the problem if it really wanted to by paying attention and considering the plight of young black kids, ended on a slightly more hopeful note:
Our kids.
Not theirs.
Not those people’s.
Ours.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Filipino Workers’ Lives in Paintings by Antipas ‘Biboy’ Delotavo · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

“Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan” (Dagger at the Heart of Mang Juan). Watercolor on Paper, 1978. Republished with permission.
In honor of International Labor Day, Global Voices is featuring several paintings that portray the situation of Filipino workers.
Antipas “Biboy” Delotavo is a popular Filipino visual artist who has committed his art to revealing some of the harsh realities experienced by ordinary individuals in Philippine society. Aligned with other social realists who exposed the dark side of the dictatorship in the 1970s, Biboy continues to produce paintings that enlighten the public about the impact of poverty, oppression, and injustice in the country.
One of his most famous works featured an old laborer walking in front of a logo of a transnational company (see the photo above). Some critics describe it as “crucifixion of the proletariat by a harsh capitalist system.”
Asked by Global Voices about his inspiration, Biboy said:
Most great art emanates from pleasant positive spirit which is uplifting that inspires it. My art seems to contradict it. Social burden initiates it and I seek relief by painting it. I’m not sure if it’s inspiration. I think it’s more of a responsibility as a social being with a conscience.
This is Biboy’s advice to young artists:
What you create as an artist reveals what you are. If you paint solely for money or otherwise it will surely show it. Sincerity, conviction, passion and talent are always the ingredients of enduring works of an artist.
This painting captures the mass exodus of Filipino workers. There are 12 million Filipinos working overseas, who have left behind their friends and families.
Diaspora. Oil on Canvas, 2007. Republished with permission.
Art scholar Patrick D. Flores says of this the painting:
They are facing a horizon that seems to be a dis-place, but their strides are decisive, their load roots them to their ground, and they are resolute in “being there” and disappearing into a depth. Are they coming or going? Are they in a vast terminal in the airport or on the tarmac to catch their flight or have they arrived?
The Philippines has a large population of informal workers like the street vendors who are often harassed and abused by authorities.
Bawal Hanapbuhay (No Vendors Allowed). Watercolor, 1978. Republished with permission.
There is a wide income disparity between the rural and urban regions. Many farmers experience chronic poverty that forces them to migrate to urban areas.
Oil on Canvas, 2012. Republished with permission.
An art critic described this piece as a reminder of “the false benevolence accorded to Filipinos more than 100 years ago by American invaders, effects of which still plague us today.” The Philippines was a colony of the United States from 1898 to 1946.
Lead White. Oil on Canvas, 2011. Republished with permission.
War games between Philippine and American troops became more frequent during the so-called “War on Terror” after the September 11 attack in New York City.
America Gave Us John Wayne. Oil on Canvas, 2003. Republished with permission.
This painting is described by a critic as an allusion to the “embarrassments of affluence resting on a tattered Philippine flag.”
Steal Life. Oil on Canvas, 2008. Republished with permission.

author: Mong Palatino


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How a Russian Journalist Ruined a Chechen Wedding · Global Voices
Karena Avedissian

Dustin Hoffman's character crashes the wedding of Elaine Robinson in the 1967 classic film “The Graduate.” Image from YouTube, edited by Kevin Rothrock.
When Elena Milashina, an investigative journalist at the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, spoke up against an attempted cradle robbing in Chechnya on Facebook, she probably did not expect it to become what might be the first successful grass-roots social media campaign for the republic.
Milashina was contacted recently by 17-year-old Heda Goilabieva from the village of Baitarki of Chechnya's Nozhai-Yurt District. Goilabieva told Milashina that Nazhud Guchigov, the 57-year-old head of the Chechen Interior Ministry in Baitarki, wanted to marry her. Despite clear indications from the girl and her family that this was not acceptable, Guchigov was relentless. Milashina wrote:
…выставил посты по всему селу, чтобы родители, наотрез отказавшиеся выдавать дочь за человека, которому она годится во внучки, не увезли ее подальше от престарелого жениха.
…he set up posts around the whole village, so that the parents, who categorically refused to give their daughter to a man old enough to be her grandfather, would not take her away from the aging, would-be groom.
Guchigov apparently gave the girl’s parents an ultimatum: hand her over by May 2, or he would take her by force.
Heda Goilabieva, age 17, and Nazhud Guchigov, age 57. Photo: Novaya Gazeta.
Fellow villagers and the girl’s family were understandably terrified of challenging Guchigov, for fear of openly resisting a state official. Milashina reported that Heda’s friends tried to help by writing to Ramzan Kadyrov through Instagram, where the Chechen leader is extremely active. The website KavkazCenter linked a screenshot of their message (written in Chechen), but it appears it has been deleted from the original Instagram post, presumably in the spirit of up keeping Chechnya’s positive public image.
Milashina wrote about the matter in a story for Novaya Gazeta, which she reposted on Facebook, appealing to fellow colleagues from news outlets Echo of Moscow and TV Rain to help disseminate the story. She said:
Не только мы читаем инстаграмы чеченской власти. Чеченская власть читает с такой же активностью – нас. Времени на официальные запросы (из-за праздника и даты ультиматума) нет, хотя их я тоже сегодня пошлю. Пожалуйста, распространите информацию, если есть такая возможность.
Это единственное, что может помочь 17-летней Хеде.
We read the Instagram of the Chechen leadership, but the Chechen leadership reads us with the same intensity. There is no time for an official inquiry (because of the May holidays and the date of the ultimatum), although I will send them one today as well. Please, share this information if you can. This is the only thing that will help 17-year-old Heda.
Echo of Moscow republished Milashina's article.
Drawing attention to the fact that Ramzan Kadyrov had actually banned bride kidnapping in 2010 and underage marriage in 2012, Guchigov’s threats, Milashina emphasized, also went against the leader’s will.
On April 30, after pursuing this social media campaign, Milashina reported on Facebook that she was finally able to contact Guchigov on the telephone. She confronted the would-be kidnapper, who denied any role in the affair, pointing out that Guchigov already has a wife and does not need a second.
Finally, Milashina reported confirmation that the betrothal had been averted, adding an update to her story that read:
Обновлено 18:00 (мск). Свадьбы не будет.
Updated 6:00 p.m. (Moscow time) There will be no wedding.

author: Karena Avedissian


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Police Violently Crack Down on Protesting Teachers in Brazil · Global Voices
Taisa Sganzerla

Teachers were welcomed with rubber bullets while protesting in front of Paraná's State Congress building. Photo: Melvin Quaresma/R.U.A. Foto Coletivo. Published with permission.
Downtown Curitiba, the capital of the Southern Brazilian state of Paraná, became a war zone on Wednesday as police violently suppressed a protest by public school teachers.
Police fired stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators, who numbered 20,000, according to organizers. The protest took place in front of the State Congress building, where legislators adopted a law that would reform pension benefits for public servants in Paraná.
The police crackdown enforced a judge's decision to forbid demonstrations at the building, following smaller demonstrations in the area over the past week.
Local newspaper Gazeta do Povo reports 213 demonstrators and 20 police officers were injured. According to Curitiba city hall, police arrested seven people. There is some disagreement about the number of injuries, however. The Paraná state government, which is controlled by the rivals of the city government in Curitiba, say only 160 demonstrators were hurt.
Photo: Walter Thoms/R.U.A. Foto Coletivo. Published with permission.
On social media, photos, videos, and testimonies from the protest have been springing up.
#Brazil: Police Commander states that 17 policemen were arrested for refusing to surround the teachers in #Curitiba pic.twitter.com/w8tBnBqCJ0
— ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) April 30, 2015
Carolina Werneck, a resident of the city of Londrina, posted a heartbreaking account on Facebook of how she discovered a photo of her father (one of the teachers protesting) on a local newspaper's website. In the photo, he is shown as having been injured and firefighters were giving him first aid.
A young woman came across in the internet with a photo of her own father injured in the protest. Photo: Carolina Weneck/Facebook
Nesta quarta-feira, enquanto acompanhava pela internet a votação do projeto que altera a ParanaPrevidência, liguei preocupada para o meu pai, que está em Curitiba, lutando, mais uma vez, pelos direitos que deveriam ser a ele assegurados por lei. Quando me atendeu, ele estava dentro de uma ambulância, porque foi ferido na perna por uma bala de borracha. Minutos depois, vi essa imagem no site da Gazeta do Povo. Esse professor deitado no asfalto, sendo atendido pelo Corpo de Bombeiros, é o meu pai.
This Wednesday, while I was browsing the Internet about the vote on the legislation that changes Paraná's public servants’ pension fund, I called my father, who is in Curitiba, fighting, once again, for rights that should be guaranteed by law. When he picked up, he was inside an ambulance because he'd been shot in the leg with a rubber bullet. Minutes later, I see this image on Gazeta do Povo‘s website. The teacher lying in the street, being cared for by firefighters, is my father.
Internet users have also not missed the chance to make references to the recent right-wing protests that took over the streets of many Brazilian cities and during which many protesters took selfies with the police.
Selfie for some, rubber bullets to others. Image: Vitor Teixeira/Facebook
o brasil é este país fascinante em que todos podem protestar pela educação, desde que não sejam professores
— Ricardo Coimbra (@coimbraricardo) April 29, 2015
Brazil is this fascinating country where everybody can protest for education, except teachers
An injured professor leaves the protest in a cab. Photo: Rádio Banda B/Facebook
Despite the protest and the subsequent crackdown, legislators still approved legislation that will save the state's treasury an estimated R$ 1.7 billion ($563 million) annually. Teachers’ unions say the law jeopardizes public servants’ retirement benefits.
In a press conference, Paraná Governor Beto Richa defended the police's handling of the protests, blaming “infiltrated black blocks” and “vandals” for provoking the officers.
Local media is reporting that 17 police officers were arrested after refusing to obey orders to attack the demonstrators and might be expelled from the corporation.

author: Taisa Sganzerla


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Russia’s Democratic Opposition Is Trying to Unite and the Road Ahead Is Bumpy · Global Voices
Will Wright

The road ahead for Russia's democratic opposition won't be an easy one. Images edits by Kevin Rothrock.
Two of Russia’s leading democratic opposition parties recently announced the formation of a “democratic alliance.” The Progress Party, led by charismatic anti-corruption crusader Alexey Navalny, and RPR-Parnas, co-chaired by former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and, until recently, the late Boris Nemtsov, will run a joint list of candidates in upcoming regional and national elections, party leaders said on April 17.
Объединение состоялось, у нас будет предвыборный список https://t.co/JBkYvPAooE pic.twitter.com/H7hdFH5rgy
— Партия прогресса (@Party_Progress) April 17, 2015
An alliance has been formed, and we will run on a joint ticket
An important factor in motivating this attempt by Russia’s beleaguered opposition to consolidate its strength and become a more serious political force was the shocking assassination of Boris Nemtsov in late February. In a radio interview with Ekho Moskvy, Navalny cited Nemtsov’s killing as a decisive factor in spurring the creation of the new political alliance.
The parties will not formally merge, but rather form a broad democratic union, “in which social democrats, liberals, and conservatives of the European type can comfortably exist,” wrote Navalny on his website. Navalny further explained:
Это поразительно, огромное количество людей в стране считает, что Россия должна развиваться по европейскому пути и нам нужна сменяемая власть, независимые суды и свободные СМИ, а нет ни одной представленной в законодательной власти партии, которая поддерживает четыре этих простых вещи без пятисот оговорок.
It’s astounding that a huge number of people in this country believe that Russia should develop in a European way and that we need changeable leadership, an independent judiciary, and free media, yet there is not one representative currently in the legislature who supports these four these simple things without five hundred limitations.
Since the unveiling of the new alliance on April 17, several like-minded opposition forces in Russia have rallied to the coalition, like Democratic Choice, a registered party led by former Deputy Energy Minister Vladimir Milov. Two unregistered opposition parties, the December 5th party and the Libertarian Party, have also joined.
Готов подписать этот меморандум от имени @demvybor https://t.co/YtdbjOrx2k
— Vladimir Milov (@v_milov) April 17, 2015
I am ready to sign this agreement on behalf of [Democratic Choice].
The opposition movement Solidarnost and the Open Russia network have both pledged support for the new coalition, as well. Open Russia was created in September 2014 by former oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and defines its mission as the promotion of European political values in Russia.
Мы поддерживаем решение РПР-ПАРНАС и Партии Прогресса о создании коалиции. «Открытая Россия» — общественная организация, и у нас не может быть своего отдельного списка на выборах. Мы поддерживаем список демократических кандидатов. И постараемся помочь сделать выборы демократическими.
Михаил Ходорковский
We support the decision of RPR-PARNAS and the Progress Party on the creation of a coalition. “Open Russia” is a societal organization, and we do not run our own candidates in elections. We support the list of democratic candidates. And we will try to help make elections democratic.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
The new coalition is already facing its first setback, however, following the Justice Ministry's decision on April 29 to cancel the legal registration of Navalny's political party, blocking it from participating formally in elections later this year. A lawyer for the Progress Party vowed to challenge the government's decision in the European Human Rights Court, saying he is confident that the party will regain its registration in time to compete in the December 2016 Duma elections.
Even before Navalny's party lost its registration, Yekaterina Vinokurova, a columnist for Znak.com, argued that Russia's opposition has failed to coalesce, despite the clarion call of Nemtsov's murder. Vinokurova says the Kremlin's adversaries have not been able to overcome mutual distrust, and will head to future elections in at least three different groups: the new coalition with Navalny and Kasyanov, the familiar and perennially unpopular political party Yabloko, and the Citizen Initiative party, which Navalny's new coalition has wooed with only partial success.
According to Vinokurova, one of the biggest disagreements between Russia's oppositionists is the role of Internet voting in primaries. “If they hold Internet-primaries,” she writes, “a lot of Muscovite bloggers will win spots, excluding promising politicians at the regional level.”
In a joint press conference on April 22, Milov, Navalny, and other leaders talked more about specific plans for the new alliance.
The coalition plans to run candidates on the RPR-Parnas ticket in Russia’s next Duma elections in December 2016. This move takes advantage of the fact that RPR-Parnas does not have to collect thousands of signatures to support each candidate, as is required of less established parties. In 2015, the alliance will run candidates in six regional and district elections in the Russian regions of Kaluga, Kostroma, and Novosibirsk.
Can #Russia’s Democratic Opposition Get Serious? http://t.co/Lww0pLA1fe @Party_Progress @navalny @v_milov @demvybor pic.twitter.com/wlxJWWkwMG
— Will Wright (@wi1lwright) April 25, 2015
The leaders also explained that all members of the coalition have agreed to form “people’s lists” for each election, and candidates will compete to win a spot on these lists through “open, honest primaries.” The successful introduction of primary elections, a common feature of political life in some countries absent in modern Russia, could be a notable way for the new alliance to get started on its goal of shaking up Russian politics.
A post published on Navalny's website on Monday further expands on the coalition's plans to hold primaries in order to choose candidates to run in legislative elections scheduled for September 2015 in the Russian regions of Kaluga, Kostroma, and Novosibirsk. The post details how the new alliance is already hard at work, setting up headquarters, recruiting manpower, and initiating all the background preparations needed to organize primaries and back candidates in the upcoming election cycle in these regions.
“General Timeline for Primaries.” Graphic: “Registration of candidates, Registration of voters, Debates, Voting.” “Voting dates by city: Novosibirsk: June 12-14, Kaluga: June 20-21, Kostroma: June 27-28.”
A press primer issued by the alliance explains that any Russian who is a registered voter wishing to participate in the primaries can sign a declaration in their region affirming the coalition's basic political values, and submit the necessary paperwork that successful candidates will need for the general election. Primary voting will be held in June at polling stations set up by organizers, as well as online, the primer explained.
It remains to be seen whether or not this new democratic coalition can win seats in regional elections this fall, much less the 2016 Duma election. The alliance does appear to be a serious step by Russia's non-systemic opposition toward consolidating its strength, however, and this alone is a notable development in Russian politics today.

author: Will Wright


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Social Networks Help Take Down a Peg Mexico’s Most Privileged · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Social media has been instrumental in shaming affluent Mexicans when they're caught on film abusing other people they believe “beneath” them socially. Roughly a year ago on Global Voices, we spoke about the “Mirrey”: a term used to describe a particular kind of lifestyle in Mexico. In that post, our collaborator from Mexico, Juan Tadeo, explained:
El estilo de vida “mirrey” probablemente pueda ser comparado al de las celebridades de la cultura popular del mundo occidental, basados en el glamour, el consumismo, el exceso (o una aspiración desmedida hacia ellos) y el despotismo. Se trata quizás de una apología al clasismo, profundamente arraigado en el país […].
The “mirrey” lifestyle can probably be compared to that of Western pop culture celebrities. This is based on glamour, consumerism, excess (or a disproportionate aspiration towards it), and despotism. Perhaps it has to do with advocating classism, which is deeply rooted in the country.
More recently, Mexico's class-based society has welcomed a new group: the so-called ladies and gentlemans [sic]. In an article for the newspaper EL PAÍS, Óscar Granados defines this new group in the following words:
Son una clase privilegiada en México. Su poder es inmensurable. Golpean a policías, clausuran restaurantes y agreden a las personas que no son de su misma clase. En su mayoría son hijos de políticos, personajes del espectáculo, incluso hasta legisladores que se creen diferentes por su posición social.
They are a privileged class in Mexico. Their power is immeasurable. They hit police officers, they shut down restaurants, and assault people that are not part of their social class. They are mostly children of politicians, show-business figures, and even lawmakers who consider themselves to be special because of their social position.
One cases that has been widely discussed in Mexico's social media took place in Mexico City, in the area of Polanco, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the capital. As seen in a YouTube video, a police officer was attacked by two women he stopped after a traffic collision. Both women reacted violently and aggressively, using heated language (they called him “salaried employee” repeatedly in a pejorative way) to let the officer know they were above him socially—all this while punching and threatening him:
It wasn't long before the incident became widely known, and the hashtag #LadyPolanco fast gained notoriety on Twitter. People used the hashtag to refer to this particular case and other similar ones, quoting the women's insults for laughs:
#Falta de argumentos Yo soy #LadyPolanco“, “¿Conoces al particular?… Pues es mi esposo”. (hoy una clienta a la cajera del supermercado) ja
— Verónica Gil (@la_verogil) abril 3, 2015
Without any arguments. “I am Lady Polanco”, “Do you know So-and-So?… Well, he is my husband” (today a costumer told the supermarket checker) LOL!
@Pecora_ el prefijo “lady” es empleado para zánganos sociales, ejemplos: #LadyChiles #LadyPolanco #Ladygaga — Xtian (@Xtianmx) febrero 16, 2015
The prefix “lady” is used by social lazybones, examples #LadyChiles, #LadyPolanco, #LadyGaga.
#LadyIMSS #Ladypolanco #LadyÁngeles y ahora aparece …. #LadyGoliat — Dave Esparza  (@DaveEsparza88) febrero 11, 2015
#LadyIMSS (IMSS is the Mexican social security institute), #LadyPolanco, #LadyÁngeles and now comes… #LadyGoliat.
Benditas sean entre las mujeres #LadyChiles #LadyBoobs #LadyTlalpan #LadyIMSS #LadyPolanco #LadyChapultepec ¡Qué haríamos sin ustedes!
— Mollo Con Pole (@Rlyepops) febrero 4, 2015
Blessed art thou among women #LadyChiles #LadyBoobs #LadyTlalpan #LadyIMSS #LadyPolanco #LadyChapultepec. What would we do without you!
In April 2013, there was another case involving Andrea Benítez, the daughter of Humberto Benítez Treviño, who was at the time the acting Consumer Protection Attorney (a government institution known in Mexico as Profeco). The scandal with Benítez unfolded when she showed up at a restaurant without a reservation, behaving rudely, when she wasn't seated ahead of other customers:
De acuerdo a la propietaria del restaurante Gabriela López, la joven aguardó su turno durante media hora, tiempo en donde hizo patente su descontento por tener que esperar como cualquier “hijo de vecino” al apersonarse en el local sin reservación previa.
Tras rehusar una mesa en el interior del restaurante […] comenzó a amenazar a los empleados del Bristot y a “charolear” con que su papá era el Procurador General del Consumidor.
[…]
Dos horas después, efectivamente llegaron tres inspectores del Profeco al lugar y colocaron tres sellos de clausura por supuestas “irregularidades” en el sistema de reservaciones de mesas […].
According to restaurant owner, Gabriela López, the young lady waited for her turn for about half an hour while she made evident her annoyance for having to wait just like “anybody else” after showing up at the restaurant without having a reservation.
After refusing a table inside the restaurant […] she started to threat the bistro employees and to “bluff” with her dad being Consumer Protection Attorney.
[…]
Two hours later, three inspectors of Profeco arrived there and set up three seals indicating closure due to alleged “irregularities” with the reservations system […].
After learning of the incident, Benítez apologized for his daughter's actions in a public statement to a local newspaper, calling her behavior “inappropriate” and an “overreaction.”
In the end, however, Benítez resigned. After this, the hashtag #LadyProfeco soon appeared, and despite the passage of more than two years, the discussion is still alive on Twitter, where users point at abuses of power using angry tweets and sarcasm:
#LadyProfeco Una muestra clara q en el México del PRI.el juego y uso del Poder y justicia es a su antojo. nunca cambiaran. cerdos.
— Luisa Andrade (@_LuisaAndrade03) abril 12, 2015
#LadyProfeco clearly shows that in Mexico, under the [ruling party] PRI, games and use of power and justice happens as they please. They will never change. Bastards.
Sigan votando por el PRI , total que los hijas de papi como #LadyProfeco no usan las dependencias a su antojo.
— Lety Ramirez (@LetyRamirez_34) abril 12, 2015
Keep voting for the [ruling party] PRI. In the end, spoiled daddy's girls as #LadyProfeco don't use state offices as they please.
La importancia de la redes sociales un arma maravillosa q tenemos los cdadanos vs los abusos llevamos 2 #LadyProfeco y #korenfeldrenuncia
— David Mtz Staines (@DMStaines) abril 9, 2015
The importance of social networks, a wonderful weapon we citizens have against abuses, we have two already #LadyProfeco and #korenfeldrenuncia [A reference to former the General Director of Water National Commission resigning after being accused of misappropriating public resources]
Unfortunately, these social tensions and issues in officialdom are not limited to Mexico. In the past two years alone, there have been similar cases of abuse in Peru, for example.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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The Troubling State of Abortion Rights in Ecuador · Global Voices
Dominic Fernández

This text is part of the 49th edition of #LunesDeBlogsGV (Monday of blogs on GV) on April 13, 2015.
Underage pregnancy has been rising in Ecuador for the past several years, while abortion even in cases of rape or incest remains criminalized. According to the State Prosecutor, 98 percent of rapes in Ecuador last year occurred within family circles, and 271 took place on the campuses of schools and colleges.
Writing on the blog Plató Mundo, Valeria Coronel and Antonio Jurado took a look at a recent controversial statement by a government official:
El comentario realizado por Alexis Mera (Asesor Jurídico del Estado), en diario El Comercio: “El Estado debe enseñar a las mujeres que es preferible que retrasen su vida sexual y retrasen la concepción para que puedan terminar una carrera” […] denota una falta de conocimiento ante las estadísticas reales de esta problemática y sus causas. Su opinión es grave y alarmante porque solo se refiere a la mujer, […] esto es un reflejo claro de la sociedad machista en la que vivimos.
Nuestra cultura simboliza una falta de educación grave, que sigue atentando directamente a la imagen de la mujer dentro de la sociedad. Éste es el verdadero problema que se debería combatir.
The remark made by Alexis Mera (Legal Counsel for the State), in the newspaper El Comercio: “The state must teach woman that is preferable to delay their sexual life and postpone conception so they can finish their degree” […] denotes a lack of knowledge about the real statistics of the problem and its origin. His opinion is serious and alarming because he only refers to the woman, […] this is an obvious reflection of the sexist society in which we live.
Our culture symbolizes the serious lack of education, which continues directly attacking women image in society. This is the real issue that must be confronted.
In March 2015, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) urged Ecuador to decriminalize abortion in cases of rape and incest.
Continue reading this text here.


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Turkmenistan Singer Gives Apple a Sales Boost · Global Voices
Anna Fergana

Kakajan in full flow. Shared on Vkontakte.
Apple's iPhone has just earned a plug from an unexpected source: a pop star in isolated Turkmenistan.
Global Voices recently noted how the government is reportedly cracking down on smartphone usage as a video of schoolgirls thrashing around to the Far East Movement's Turn Up the Love continues to get thousands of hits on YouTube.
But they cannot get rid of them completely.
Kakajan Rejepov has recorded an original music video destined to be a hit in Turkmenistan called ‘iPhone’, dedicated to the most popular cellphone model in the country.
According to one commenter on the Russian social network Vkontakte, the song makes you burn to buy an iPhone.
I must immediately buy an I Phone 6 White, white without doubt =)
The song's lyrics are as unsophisticated as the beat is hypnotic, a catchy combination:
Ай фон белый подключаю
Рингтон клевый – не скучаю
3G ловит, я онлайн
Любовь моя, тебя скачаю
Держу крепче, не роняю
На вес легкий мой мобайл
Ай фон белый выручает
Снимает селфи абонент
Комент оставляй
Обновляй профайл
Ставь под фото лайк
Это каре стайл
Твой ай ди забит
Из пустых страниц
На моей кипит жизнь, будто в час пик
Ты меня в сети не ищи, я их тех, кто вечно у пути
Такси, самолеты, такси
И так протекают все дни
Куда бы меня не вели,
Ай фон это мой проводник
Давай достань мобайл,
Нажми на плей
И С-Е-Л-Ф-И
Turn on the white iPhone
A cool ringtone won’t let me be bored
It catches 3G and I’m online
I will download you, my love
Hold it tight and don’t drop it
My mobile doesn’t weigh much
My white iPhone does me favours
The user makes a selfie
Leave a comment
Update your profile
Put a like under the photo
This is Kara-style
Your ID is polluted
By empty pages
And mine is full like in rush hour
Don’t search for me on the networks, I always travel
Taxi, planes, taxi
This is how my days go
Wherever I go
iPhone is my guide
So take your mobile out
Push play
And S-E-L-F-I-E.
Kakajan has his own VKontakte page  where a lively discussion of the new video is underway.
Gundogar Turkmen wrote:
Kakajan you are great! Super! Nobody has ever done anything like this! The video is cool! The music and the text are great as always!
Asadbek Ibragimov:
You are the best of the best
Всем очень благодарен ваши комментарии вдохновляют друзья
Thank you everyone. Friends, your comments inspire me.
Photo from official VK page of Kakajan Rejepov.
Similarly to other Turkmen performers, about whom GV has written in the past, Kakajan's songs focus on apolitical topics such as love and life for young people in the capital Ashgabat.
Although he is not one of the mainstream “ethno-pop” performers promoted by the government due to videos like this one, he is still one of the country's most popular artists.
Another video on YouTube shows Kakajan performing at the recently opened Berkarar trade centre, a popular recreation zone for Turkmen youth, although his performance probably deserved a more lively audience.
If Kakajan got you into Turkmen pop, check out more of his videos.

author: Anna Fergana


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‘Humble’ Honduran Teen Gives Viral Advice on How to Make Do With Less · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Paola Mejía in one of the photos that accompanies her advice. Image from Instagram @lachiki504
At only 14 years old, Paola Mejía has shot to celebrity status online in Honduras thanks to her videos on how to be happy without pricey material goods.
With a straightforward style and a touch of humor, her advice has resonated with many people in the Central American country, where two-thirds of the population live in poverty.
She calls herself “La Chiki” (the little one) and has a Facebook page called Catrachiki (which has some imitators already). Her catchphrase “be humble, Chiki” has become a popular hashtag.
In one video, titled “El alucín del celular” (roughly translated as “The hallucination of the cellphone”), she addresses people who spend their limited resources on an expensive cellphone instead of prioritizing basic necessities like food. The humble blogger says, “If you can afford one of those cellphones, it's OK, but there are also those people who are poor like me […] who are not sure about [if they will be able to buy] their beans or eggs.”
She then lists the advantages of Chinese-made cellphones, which she says are much cheaper with all the same capabilities as name-brand phones:
In another video, she demonstrates how to straighten hair using a clothes iron instead of a hair iron:
More videos are available on her new official Facebook page, which has more than 30,000 followers. Her previous Facebook page, which she said was hacked last month, had more than 100,000 followers.
@fervarelahn @NonoElBohemio Hola! A la chiki le robaron la cuenta en Fb, la nueva cuenta es catrachiki en fb :)
— Lilian Hernández (@Ivtt_Herndez) abril 27, 2015
Hello there! The Chiki has her Facebook account hacked, her new account is Catrachiki on Facebook :)
On Twitter, Mejía has a large fan base:
¿Ya conocen a la chica que nos enseña a ser humildes en Facebook? http://t.co/YDnZqxa5bc pic.twitter.com/d9nhcorx10
— Sopitas (@sopitas) abril 28, 2015
Do you know the girl who teaches us how to be humble on Facebook?
Jajaja no maaaa!! #Catrachiki para Presidenta de Honduras!!! Sea humilde chiki, que nada le cuesta! https://t.co/n5AWoFOJVR
— pomish (@lizziemorante) abril 28, 2015
LOL! No way!!! #Catrachiki for president of Honduras!!! Be humble, Chiki, it's an easy thing to do!
“Sea humilde chiqui, que nada le cuesta” // Joven bloguera te enseña a vivir con poco y ser feliz: http://t.co/RmiHjex0KK — Ximena Rodríguez B. (@XimenaRodBel) abril 29, 2015
“Be humble, Chiki, it's an easy thing to do” // Young blogger teaches how to live with not that much and be happy.
“La Chiki 504″, la hondureña que se ha hecho viral por su humildad: http://t.co/DIsPgVLeUw pic.twitter.com/xGdye31tvO
— Soy 502 (@soy_502) abril 29, 2015
“La Chiki 504″, the Honduran girl whose humbleness has made her become viral.
Ver a Chiki y sentir la mera felicidad
— Erika シ (@I_Love_Rasta) abril 29, 2015
To watch Chiki and feel pure happiness.
Mejía's popularity caught the attention of BBC World. In a piece dedicated to her, the reporter wondered if “La Chiki” would remain humble now that she is a celebrity and has given product endorsements for a pizza chain and a cellphone company. It remains to be seen if these are a teen girl's 15 minutes of fame or if she's humbly here to stay.


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Let’s Change How the United Nations Secretary General is Chosen · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

Who is Ban Ki-Moon answerable to? Wikipedia image.
The UN Secretary-General plays a crucial role in tackling global challenges and improving the lives of seven billion people. It is vital that the best person is chosen for the job. But, do you know the selection process is secretive and outdated? Just five countries hold sway over a decision that affects us all.
An online campaign is urging individuals and organizations to push for a more inclusive and transparent process in electing the UN Secretary General, who will take office in 2016.
In this video, the campaign's organisers explain why:
The post of UN Secretary-General is said to be the world’s most impossible job. It is also one of the most important.
The informal steering committee of the 1 for 7 billion campaign includes:
They argue the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General should be:
The campaign included a Thunderclap* on April 27 when a debate on the process took place in the General Assembly. That Thunderclap reached almost 1.3 million people.
The organization's Twitter account expressed pride at seeing some of the campaign's efforts succeed:
Great to see so many of our ten reform proposals getting support in today's debate: http://t.co/NGlS91QZ9E#FindTheBestUNLeader
— 1 for 7 Billion (@1for7billion) April 27, 2015
On the campaign's website, they also have a list of potential candidates endorsed by either their governments or by the press.
1 for 7 billion campaign thunderclap for April 27 debate
It includes several women such as Irina Bokova from Bulgaria, the current Director General of UNESCO, Michelle Bachelet the Chilean President that used to head UN Women, and Amina Mohammed of Nigeria, the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on post-2015 Development Planning.
The U.N. has thus far never had a female Secretary General.
The campaign's policy platform is available in six languages: English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, French and Russian.
Some Twitter users have already shared their thoughts on the matter , reflecting on the various countries’ positions at the debate:
The next #UNSG will need to be qualified to address climate change and post-2015 development. #FindTheBestUNLeader
— Tony Fleming (@tonyfleming) April 27, 2015
#SG election and voting does not weaken mandate. It strengthens it. #FindTheBestUNleader@1for7billion
— Maritza Chan (@MaritzaChanV) April 27, 2015
Cuba – by failing to act, are we saying SG selection is a “private matter” for the SC? @1for7billion
— Natalie Samarasinghe (@Natalie_UNA) April 27, 2015
Indonesia – SC should recommend more than 1 candidate&veto shld not apply. Need GA/SC dialogue to create political will @1for7billion
— Natalie Samarasinghe (@Natalie_UNA) April 27, 2015
You can follow the campaign by signing in on to their website, via the Twitter hashtag #FindTheBestUNLeader and the handle @1for7billion.

author: Elizabeth Rivera


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Mozambique’s Life-Saving Surgeons Aren’t Doctors at All · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Nilza Munambo listens to a fetal heartbeat. She's in charge of the maternity ward at Chokwe District Hospital and regularly performs cesarean sections even though she's not a doctor. Credit: Bridget Huber. Published with PRI's permission.
This article and radio report by Bridget Huber for The World originally appeared on PRI.org on April 27, 2015, and is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement.
In the maternity ward at the hospital in Chokwe, Mozambique, Nilza Munambo is the woman in charge.
As she bustles through her morning rounds, she checks in on a woman who's recuperating from a Cesarean section that Munambo performed a few days ago. The mother’s doing all right, but the baby is almost too weak to cry — and he’s not nursing.
“He latched on once,” Munambo says. “He sucked one or two times and then stopped. Now he can't even do that.”
It's an average day for any doctor — except Munambo isn't a doctor at all. She's part of a class of health workers that don't really exist in the US. They're called tecnicos, or technicians, and they perform almost almost all of the surgery in Mozambique. The country only has about 20 practicing surgeons for a population of some 26 million people.
Africa's unequal distribution of surgeons Credit: David Conrad. Published with PRI's permission
After Mozambique won independence from Portugal in 1975, there was an exodus of doctors. Many were under contract with the colonial government and departed for Portugal. Others didn’t want to practice medicine under the new socialist government, which had abolished the private healthcare system.
The physician shortage only got worse when civil war broke out two years later, says Dr. Fernando Vaz, a former health minister who is now a professor at the Superior Institute of Health Sciences in Maputo.
The situation was “lamentable,” especially in rural areas, Vaz says.
“People were dying of the simplest things,” he says. “Miscarriages were killing women. People died if they got shot in the leg.”
So Vaz, who is a surgeon, came up with what started out as a temporary solution: Train lower-level health workers to do lifesaving surgery — a tactic several other African countries have also adopted.
Vaz estimates that technicians who specialize in maternal health, pediatrics or general surgery now handle about 80 to 90 percent of the surgical health problems in rural areas. That includes Munambo, who does a lot of what an obstetrician would do.
A patient is prepped for surgery to repair a hernia at the Hospital Rural de Chokwe. Before Mozambique began training non-doctors to do surgery, according to the former Health Minister, people were dying from things like miscarriages or getting shot in the leg. Credit: Bridget Huber. Published with PRI's permission
Some medical experts have raised concerns about relying on non-physician clinicians, but studies of technician surgeries in Mozambique and elsewhere suggest the complication rates in surgeries performed by technicians are roughly the same as those performed by MDs.
The work isn't without challenges, though. As I'm in the operating room with Munambo's colleague, Victor Muitiquile, the power goes out just as Muitiquile is preparing to operate on a man who was stabbed.
The hospital recently got a generator, but it isn’t working yet, so they had to send someone to find a light. The patient was restless, moving around on the table, and Muitiquile tried to calm him down so he could sew him up.
A few minutes later, a nurse came back with a light — of sorts. It was a dinky little Nokia cellphone. Muitiquile and the nurse rolled their eyes and laughed, a bit ruefully.
Waiting outside the maternity ward at the hospital in Chokwe. Credit: Bridget Huber. Published with PRI's permission
“Poverty. Absolute poverty here,” Muitiquile says.
Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. Munambo and Muitiquile are up against a lot of material difficulties that have nothing to do with their training. X-rays come back too dark to read; scrubs are in short supply because they’re all washed by hand.
Just being a surgical technician can take a personal toll, too. Muitiquile left his family behind in the capital, Maputo, and only sees them a couple of times a month. But as he sits in his office — in the dark — he says it’s worth it.
“Every day I help alleviate peoples’ suffering,” Muitiquile says. “It's [we] who are out in the country, out in the field. We resolve really serious problems, and we do it all at the local level.”
The next morning, Nilza Munambo prepares do another C-section. The procedure had to be delayed because of the power outages. Now the patient is in labor and she clenches her toes with each contraction.
The woman already has two kids and has decided this one will be her last; Munambo will sterilize her after she delivers the baby.
Munambo made a cut into her abdomen. First there's a layer of fat, then a smooth purplish layer of muscle — the uterine wall. Sooner than I was expecting, Munambo stuck in her hand and in one motion, pulled out a slippery little human.
“Not even a cry,” Munambo says.
Nilza Munambo delivers a baby via cesarean section. Credit: Bridget Huber. Published with PRI's permission
A nurse grabbed the newborn and hustled her out.
I was a little dazed — but I snapped out of it when a squirt of blood shot past my head, just missing me.
As Munambo and the scrub nurse finished up, I headed over to the maternity ward to see about the baby. I heard they had to give her oxygen. But when I found her, she was in a nest of white blankets, fast asleep in her grandmother’s arms.
Welcome to the world, baby girl.
Bridget Huber's reporting was funded by a grant from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.

author: PRI/PRX's The World


text:
Photo of a Mexican Revolutionary Who Looks Like Pacquiao Goes Viral · Global Voices
Global Voices Latin America

A photo of a Mexican revolutionary who looks like Manny Pacquiao has gone viral few days before the Filipino boxing icon's fight today against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas for three champions belts (OMB, CMB y la AMB) in the welterweight division.
In Twitter there were many tweets related to the picture:
Resulta que el abuelo de Pacquiao anduvo en la Revolución… México apoya a Pacquiao pic.twitter.com/dXtC5lpUoC
— Luis Cardenas (@lcardan) May 1, 2015
So Pacquiao's grandfather participated in the Mexican revolution… Mexico supports Pacquiao
On Facebook, Latin Post uploaded the photo which has more than 50,000 shares and 150,000 comments.
“Besides being a boxer, Manny Pacquiao also participated in the Mexican revolution,” was the most common phrase among the comments, which also refers to the men in the picture as “Pacman” grandfather, according to the web portal Infobae.