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‘Stand with Standing Rock’: Demonstrators in the US Rail Against the Dakota Access Pipeline · Global Voices
Tori Egherman

This image was taken by Josué Rivas who is photographing at Standing Rock.
For months the indigenous Lakota Sioux have been gathering to block an incursion on their lands by the Dakota Access Pipeline. They call themselves the “Water Protectors”, since construction of the pipeline endangers the drinking water at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.
The Lakota have been joined by more than 200 other First Nations tribes, along with activists from around the world. In September 2016, after the destruction of sites sacred to the Sioux, the Obama administration issued a temporary halt on construction of the pipeline.
On October 27, however, riot police advanced on demonstrators protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The justification for the advance was that the demonstrators, led by the Lakota Sioux, were camped on private land.
The pipeline was originally planned to pass near Bismark, North Dakota but was rerouted to pass through the lands of Native people. This short clip from a documentary on the women at Standing Rock provides a summary of the issues at stake. “We're still fighting this fight from the 1700s,” says one interviewee.
This post takes a quick look at some of the messages shared by the people at Standing Rock or connected to it in some way.
Social media has given rise to voices that would have otherwise been silenced. Many standing up for water rights and the protection of Native lands are poor. In a short film posted on the BBC Juliana Brown Eyes stated:
We live in a rural area. We live in an impoverished area. Before social media, we didn't have this kind of pull — you know — in the world.
Below is an image she shared on Instagram. She was in Standing Rock to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. Her hands are painted blue as a symbol of the water.
Oglala Lakota Tribal members Scotti Clifford & Juliana Brown Eyes-Clifford from the band Scatter Their Own have been arrested for protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline. They have been standing in solidarity with their relatives in Standing Rock SD to protect the sacred water! You can contribute to the Legal Defense Fund for Sacred Stone Spirit Camp. https://fundrazr.com/d19fAf
A photo posted by Juliana Brown Eyes (@julianabrowneyes) on
On Instagram, user schwifty.squanch shared an image comparing the battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 and Standing Rock in 2016. In 1890, at least 150 Lakota Sioux were massacred by the US Cavalry.
She writes:
The pipeline was supposed to be built north of #Bismarck #NorthDakota but was called off due to the ‘potential danger’ it held for the community. So what'd they decide? ‘Let's put it north of the #Natives. But this is the crazy part it threatens a city but not a small community? Because why? We're expendable?
#nodapl this is not a native Issue it's a human issue this is going on literally less than an hour from where I am it's scary it's heart breaking and unnecessary. What's going on is there is a pipeline attempting to be built that is right north not even a mile north of the #StandingRockSiouxTribe and less than a half mile west of the #MissouriRiver and a mile north or the #CannonballRiver there is the community of #Cannonball directly south of this pipeline. When the pipeline bursts it'll take less than 2 minutes for the people water to be contaminated it'll take an hour and the capital of #SouthDakota and so on and so fourth. The pipeline was supposed to be built north of #Bismarck #NorthDakota but was called off due to the ‘potential danger’ it held for the community. So what'd they decide? ‘Let's put it north of the #Natives. But this is the crazy part it threatens a city but not a small community? Because why? We're expendable? The pipeline shouldn't even be built because if it is moved south of this reservation it's directly above another if it's moved south of there it's directly above a major city if it's moved south of there it's over another rez and so on and so fourth. This is not just #NativeLands we are protecting it's ALL of ours. Anyone who lives in the #greatplains region this is your battle too. #nodapl #WakeUp
A photo posted by B.M.W. (@schwifty.squanch) on
On Facebook, writer Anthony Roberts summed the struggle up in simple terms: “The Power of Love vs. The Love of Power”.
Cheyenne and Sioux tribal leaders have spoken out about their treatment at the hands of Morton County Sherrif's Office (the police force in the region).
Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II stated:
We are being arrested for trespassing on our own land […] All we have is support. All we have is unity. All we have are our prayers. And it's strong. We still have a chance.
Senior editor for Mother Jones magazine Wes Enzinna posted about what he calls a “hopeful sign” — the Morton County Sheriff meeting with tribal elders.
Hopeful sign: Morton County sheriff, tribal chiefs meeting on bridge on route 1806 #DAPL#NODAPLpic.twitter.com/76Y5UsNQnI
— wes enzinna (@wesenzinna) October 29, 2016
After the camp was broken up by riot police, musician Kelli Love shared a poem she wrote on Facebook:
I speak to your warrior heart,
Sometimes it is not easy to find compassion and love in the face of violence.
To pray for the men in uniform waging war on my brothers and my sisters…
so I will pray for the great awakening
To fall on every man in all the lands.
This is a big story, with many threads. The struggle for the protection of the water and the Native lands goes back generations. There is a history of environmental degradation and property theft that goes beyond Standing Rock in 2016. This is a story that involves wars, massacres, and treaties, both broken and honored.
It pits the right to culture against forced cultural indoctrination. It involves the integrity of the families of indigenous peoples. All of these issues and many more beside are being played out right now at Standing Rock.
Below are just a few resources for those wanting further information on the struggle:
Please feel free to add more resources in the comments section.

author: Tori Egherman


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Timbuktu, Where There’s ‘Justice for Monuments, but Not for Victims of Rape’ · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Timbuktu – Residents pass by Djingarey Berre Mosque, one of three UNESCO World Heritage mosques of Timbuktu, North of Mali. Photo MINUSMA/Marco Dormino
Georges, a Malian journalist and blogger, has made a heartfelt appeal, condemning the fact that while monuments have been meticulously restored in his country, the same care has not been taken to confront sexual assault and rape of women.
In his blog, which has the rather long title “Au Grin, Il se dit beaucoup de choses autour d’un verre de thé” (At the Grin, Much IS Talked About Around a Cup of Tea), he posted an article titled “Timbuktu: They are as innocent as the shrines!”. In it, he accused Malian and international judicial bodies of wanting to sweep the violence against women under the rug:
Si vous suivez l’actualité internationale la condamnation de Ahmed Al Faqi Al Mahdi à neuf ans de prison n’a pas dû vous échapper. La Cour Pénale Internationale (CPI) a reconnu coupable ce djihadiste malien de la destruction en 2012 de la  mosquée Sidi Yahia de Tombouctou ainsi que de 9 mausolées. Ahmed Al Faqi est le premier à être jugé pour des crimes commis au plus fort de la crise malienne, sous l’occupation des régions nord du pays.
Mais les crimes commis ne se limitent pas uniquement à la destruction de biens culturels. Les groupes armés qui occupaient les lieux ont aussi perpétré des viols ainsi que d’autres formes de violences sexuelles sur des femmes et des jeunes filles. Malgré les 171 victimes recensées et les 113 plaintes portées pour les crimes de violences sexuelles personne n’a été inquiété par la justice à ce sujet. Ces victimes sont aussi innocentes que les mausolées, comme la porte de la mosquée Sidi Yahia. Mais où est passé l’important ?…
Les mausolées détruits ont été restaurés et réhabilités avec l’aide de l’UNESCO. Il restait alors la porte de la mosquée Sidi Yahia, qui a elle aussi a été restaurée en septembre 2016 en présence de notables, d’habitants de Tombouctou, du représentant de l’UNESCO et de la MINUSMA … Je ne dis pas que la restauration de ces biens culturels, classés patrimoine culturel de l’humanité, n’est pas important. D’ailleurs je me réjouis pour la justice rendue aux édifices de Tombouctou. Mais ça ne doit pas se limiter à ça et s’arrêter là….
If you follow the international news, then you must have heard about Ahmed AL Faqi Al Mahdi’s condemnation to nine years in jail. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has found this Malian jihadist guilty of the 2012 destruction of Timbuktu’s Sidi Yahia mosque, as well as nine mausoleums. Ahmed Al Faqi is the first one to be sentenced at the peak of the Malian crisis, during the occupation country’s northern regions.
But the crimes committed are not only limited to the destruction of cultural assets. The armed forces occupying the area have also committed rapes as well as other types of sexual abuses against women and young girls. Despite the 171 reported victims and the 113 complaints made on the account of sexual abuses, no one has been questioned by judicial authorities about this issue. These victims are as innocent as the mausoleums, or the Sidi Yhia mosque door. But, what is more important?…
With the help of UNESCO, the destroyed mausoleums have been restored and renovated. The only thing left was the Sidi Yahia mosque door which was restored in 2016 in attendance of notable residents of Timbuktu, the UNESCO and MINUSMA representatives…I’m not saying that restoring these cultural assets which are classified as world heritage sites is unimportant. It actually gives me great pleasure to know that justice has been served for the sake of Timbuktu buildings. But it shouldn’t be limited to these things, and stop there…
The crimes against women Georges is referring to stem from a rebellion in the north of Mali in 2012 that left some areas under militant jihadist occupation for many long months. On 22 March 2012, President Amadou Toumani Touré was ousted in a coup d'état over his handling of the crisis.  As a consequence of the instability following the coup, Mali's three largest northern cities—Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu—were overrun by rebels. A newly formed government of Mali asked for foreign military help to re-take the north.
By early 2013, the jihadist-held territory had been re-taken by the Malian military. Still, the conflict has resulted in Mali's worst human rights situation, as reported by Amnesty International with documented instances of gang rape and executions. On the other hand, Human Rights Watch report human rights abuses committed by the Malian army in the central Malian town of Niono. Tuaregs and Arabs were especially targeted. An International Criminal Court investigation in Mali is investigating the crimes that have happened during the conflict. Only one person has been indicted since the court has been in place — for offenses related to the destruction of ancient monuments in Timbuktu.
After recalling the various crimes committed against women, such as rape, by the jihadists during the occupation, Georges added:
Comme l’atteste un rapport établi en 2012 par le Haut Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme sur la situation des droits humains au Mali. L’ONG Wildaf-Mali (Women In Law and Development/ Femme – Droit et – Développement en Afrique) a recensé 171 femmes victimes de violences sexuelles venant des régions du nord du Mali. Selon Bintou Bouaré, présidente de Wildaf-Mali« sur ces 171 femmes, 113 ont accepté de porter plainte. En trois ans, 30 femmes seulement ont été écoutées par le procureur de la commune 3 de Bamako ».
As evidenced by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the 2012 report on the human rights situation in Mali, the Wildaf-Mali NGO (Women in Law and Development) has identified 171 women who have been the victims of sexual abuse in the northern regions of Mali. According to Bintou Bouaré, president of the Wildaf-Mali organization: “Among these 171 women, 113 have accepted to come forward and press charges. In three years, only 30 women have been listened to by the chief prosecutor of Bamako’s III Municipality.”
In order to understand the problem these women face in their community in the north of Mali, he wrote:
Le viol est un sujet tabou au Mali. Les lèvres des victimes sont scellées par le regard de la société. Parmi les 171 femmes et filles victimes recensées de violences sexuelles, 58 n’ont pas voulu porter plainte. “Certaines se sentent responsables de leur sort. Tandis que d’autres ont peur de témoigner parce qu’elles vivent dans la même localité que leurs violeurs qui errent librement dans la nature” me confie Bintou Bouaré, présidente de l’ONG Wildaf-Mali.
In Mali, rape is a taboo subject. The victims’ lips are sealed by society’s gaze. Among the 171 women and girls, victims of sexual abuse, 58 refused to press charges. “Some think they are responsible for their fate, while others are afraid to testify because they live in the same area as their rapists who are still at large,” says Bintou Bouaré, president of the Wildaf-Mali NGO.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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A Man’s Haunting Tale of Escape After the Vietnam War · Global Voices
Loa

Vietnamese refugees wait to be taken aboard an amphibious command ship. Photo by PH2 Phil Eggman, via Wikimedia Commons
This edited article by Chris Lê is from Loa, an independent news website and podcast that broadcasts stories about Vietnam, and is republished by Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Many believe that countries torn by conflict are inhabited by the spirits of those whose lives were lost. In the case of Vietnam, the war spread beyond land and into the sea, as hundreds of thousands of people fled the country by boat after the war.
For our story today, we hear an eerie tale of loss during an attempt to vượt biên – escape the country by boat. This is a story told to me by a man named Dũng Hoàng, about his experience as a 15-year-old. It happened during a journey from Huế to escape Vietnam after the war.
Dũng Hoàng is only 15 years old when he and his older sister Lý decide to take off for the riskiest journey of their lives.
The year is 1983. Dũng and his sister attempt to escape Vietnam by boat. Late one evening, deep in the middle of the night, they trek towards Thuận An beach, sneaking past security checkpoint after security checkpoint. Finally, a small, rickety boat emerges in the black water – and they embark.
Early in their journey, the boat encounters dangerous conditions. Heavy rains and harsh winds punish it violently. It gets worse the farther they get. Storms shake the boat day after day, making everyone aboard sick to their stomachs.
People begin to die, just days into the trip.
And then, the same illness hits Lý. She is violently sick: vomiting, complaining of aches that shake her to her core, with hot flashes of fever.
Without proper medication and adequate food, it soon becomes apparent to Dũng that his sister will not survive the voyage.
And so he prepares her for death. Dũng dresses Lý in clean clothes: red pajamas with pink stripes. She hands him her necklace and jade pendant, and asks him to keep it safe. It was one of the few things she has brought from home, and her most prized possession. Dũng stores it in an empty pill box. He sits with his sister until she quietly takes her last breath.
Anyone who died on the boat was given a sea burial. They didn’t really have any other options. Of the 28 people on board, eight passed away. The survivors would cast the bodies of the deceased into the water.
When it was Lý’s turn, Dũng and his boat mates placed his sister into the ocean. He watched in despair as his sister’s body floated away.
The next day, they spot a large boat in the distance. They set sail towards the boat, and it turns out to be a fishing boat from Quãng Ngãi. It takes them three hours to reach the boat. When they climb aboard, they think they have finally found freedom.
Dũng decides to give his sister’s necklace to the boat’s captain as a gesture of gratitude. It wasn’t much, but he wanted to repay the captain for rescuing them.
But when the boat brings the group back to Vietnamese shores, they are caught by security forces on the lookout for escapers. Dũng and his fellow boat mates are locked up in a camp in Quãng Ngãi for nine days before being transferred to Huế, close to his family’s home. Because he is under 18, Dũng is released early.
Shattered by the loss of his sister and the arduous, failed trip, Dũng makes his way home to break the news to his family. Just as he arrives home, his cousin opens the door. She sees him, screaming and overjoyed at his return. Before Dũng can even get a word in, she tells him that she had a dream about Lý the night before.
Lý came to her in red, she says, wearing a striped outfit.
In this dream, Lý had asked her to tell dì Hương, Dũng and Lý’s mother, to bring her the necklace. Lý then rushed away, but before doing so, she tells Dũng’s cousin to send the family her regards.
As Dũng’s cousin is telling him about her vivid dream, she suddenly stops. “Where is Lý?” she slowly asks. She now sees that it’s only Dũng at the door — and without Lý.
Dũng never had a chance to tell a single soul about Lý’s death: not about the details of the clothes he had put on her, not about the striped pajamas.
Not about the necklace he had given away.
Throughout the day, the family pieces together what happened, and decide to honor Ly’s request. The next morning, Dũng goes out to the central market to buy a symbolic necklace as a replacement. He brings it home and presents it as an offering on his sister’s altar, so that her spirit can pass on peacefully.
Dũng Hoàng is now 49 years old and lives in San Jose, California with his wife and four children. After more than 30 years, the necklace still sits on Lý’s altar at the family home in Huế.
“This story was something beyond my imagination, so I believe it to be true.” Dũng says, “To this day, in my heart, I feel like my sister is still by my side.”
Listen more to this eerie tale of loss through this podcast:

author: Loa


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Australian Government Plans Lifetime Visa Ban for Asylum Seekers Arriving by Boat · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Asylum Seekers intercepted near Australia – Screenshot from Australian Border Force 2014 video ‘No Way’
Divisions within Australia about the treatment of asylum seekers arriving by boat have been widened by the latest government proposal — Malcolm Turnbull's conservative government wants to slap a lifetime ban on them getting visas.
Currently, Australian policy deals with asylum seekers arriving by boat in two main ways: housing them in offshore detention centres on either Nauru or Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, and turning those headed to Australia back. Those who are detained and their asylum claims accepted are only supposed to stay in the centres until they are successfully resettled in a regional country. But the lack of acceptable countries for relocation means many asylum seekers languish in the detention centres for extended periods of time.
John Lord at The AIM Network (The Australian Independent Media Network) is among many who are outraged at the proposed lifetime visa ban:
It makes a mockery of international law to outlaw genuine refugees from forever entering Australia. That is the most draconian thing I have ever heard of. It applies to any adult despatched to Manus Island or Nauru since July 2013.
It confirms the fact that our government, if they cannot find third country placement will condemn those on Nauru and Manus to a life of incarceration, a death sentence despite the fact that in their entire lives they have never committed a crime. Shame on my country.
Many others online also see the issue in strong terms. Lawyer Andrew Laird is clearly one of those opposed to the plan:
Opinion divided (between nutters/decent people) as Govt seeks life ban on asylum seekers entering Australia #auspol https://t.co/asvKCPeGAm
— Andrew Laird (@ReclaimAnglesea) October 30, 2016
Supporters of the proposed ban have been fairly quiet on Twitter. @redpill1811 is one of the exceptions:
Happy with the new #AsylumSeekers policy this will discourage illegal migrants to seek the services of illegal people smugglers #auspol
— skankhunt24 (@redpill1811) October 30, 2016
Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has taken some of the credit and copped some of the blame. It has four members in the Senate where the government requires the votes of nine cross-benchers to pass legislation. PHON is an anti-immigration and anti-Muslim party.
Good to see that it looks like the Government is now taking its cues from One Nation. Just like last time. #auspol #PHON #Nauru #Manus https://t.co/c0GQew7vR8
— Pauline Hanson (@PaulineHansonOz) October 30, 2016
@Ann1912 hoped for history to repeat itself. Hanson served a three-year term in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 1998.
.@PaulineHansonOz I smile when I remind myself that, #JustLikeLastTime you will eventually be gone! https://t.co/OetqyhQZXB
— BroadspectrumOfAbuse (@Ann1912) October 30, 2016
But others blame the major parties:
Let's not blame Pauline Hanson for the latest attacks on asylum seekers. The major parties have been going down this path for a long time.
— Simon Copland (@SimonCopland) October 30, 2016
However, it is doubtful that the Labor Party opposition will support the legislation necessary to enact the ban:
Malcolm Turnbull is in Pauline Hanson's pocket and HEAR HEAR @billshortenmp for calling it out. #auspolhttps://t.co/PzxcSbKgpQ via @smh
— Van Badham (@vanbadham) October 31, 2016
Former Labor heavyweights Kristina Keneally and Craig Emerson are clearly against the ban:
So now we're banning refugees who found refuge in other countries from even visiting Australia? That's ridiculous. Shameful. Appalling.
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) October 30, 2016
Agreed, KK. Seeking asylum is not a crime. Pauline Hanson has claimed credit. Disgraceful Liberal Party endorsed by One Nation. https://t.co/mJ5002CRlx
— Craig Emerson (@DrCraigEmerson) October 30, 2016
Some people believe that an international deal is in the offing to resettle refugees held on Nauru and Manus Island in a third country, possibly New Zealand or the USA:
Is the #AsylumSeekers legislation change the result of an impending deal with NZ? Can't think of any other reason for it. #auspol
— Janet Cumming (@Polyquats) October 30, 2016
For Jane Gilmore (@JaneTribune) the plan is merely a government ploy to divert attention from its own failings:
Me @junkeedotcom “latest attempt to distract us frm their failure 2 govern is sphincter-looseningly cynical” #Nauru https://t.co/oPvwpeEk8a
— Jane Gilmore (@JaneTribune) October 31, 2016
The proposal has been getting news coverage and social media attention overseas:
#Australia moves toward lifetime entrance ban on offshore #refugeeshttps://t.co/uP4sD0TYiz
— Marianna Karakoulaki (@Faloulah) October 30, 2016
Doubtless, it will receive more when the legislation reaches parliament in the near future.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Halloween: Ghoulish Fun or Grand Western Conspiracy? · Global Voices
Akhal-Tech Collective

Halloween celebrations in Kyrgyzstan. Photo from Kloop.kg.
A harmless annual treat or a vile Western trick?
That is the question that is being put before citizens of the ex-Soviet region every year as the debate surrounding the alien holiday marked on October 31 intensifies.
Tajikistan's government is probably the region's biggest Halloween hater (police states Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan need not apply) with young Tajiks detained and sternly lectured by police for celebrating the holiday in 2013 and 2014.
And this year in Kyrgyzstan, where relative civil freedoms are coming into conflict with calls to reassert traditional values at the level of the state, a popular local celebrity Assol Moldokmatova joined in public criticism of the night of All Hallows:
Я – против праздника Хэллоуин и запрещаю моим детям, родным и близким праздновать гвалт «восставших из ада». Дети, столь часто вовлеченные в эту вакханалию, нередко испытывают буйство эмоций, подавленность, одиночество, озлобленность и склонность к суициду
I'm against Halloween and forbid my children, family and friends from celebrating this “Hellraising” hubbub. Children are so often involved in this orgy, and often experience a riot of emotions leading to depression, loneliness, anger and suicide.
Then it wouldn't be Halloween at all without an appearance from spooky Sputnik, a state-controlled Russian media outlet whose Azerbaijan arm popped up to ask the question (on behalf of Azerbaijanis) Who is Giving Birth to (Halloween-Celebrating) Traitors Across the World?
Answer: The United States, of course.
Screenshot from the website of Moscow-controlled Sputnik.az. The introduction notes that “according to experts” the Halloween fad is being driven by “vested interests”
While she had plenty of supporters, Kyrgyzstan's Moldokmatova offered no specific proof of Halloween-related suicides in her native country, and a highly polarised debate quickly ensued on Facebook.
One user, Lawyer Kg, angrily suggested that “Banning Assol” would be a “better suggestion”, while another user made an unkind reference to Moldokmatova (pictured below) wearing “a mask in real life.”
Screen capture of Assol Moldokmatova from YouTube.
For the moment, in Kyrgyzstan at least, the controversy is only making Halloween sweeter for young people, as this video report produced by the youth-run media outlet Kloop.kg attests:

author: Akhal-Tech Collective


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Inside Chin, Myanmar’s Picturesque but Poorest Province · Global Voices
The Irrawaddy

Tedim town amid clouds. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
This article by Pyay Kyaw is from The Irrawaddy, an independent news website in Myanmar, and is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Despite its pristine natural beauty, bad transportation is a serious obstacle for the development of Chin State. Anyone who has been there, especially during the rainy season, knows this to be true.
Landslides plague the impoverished state when the rains come. Vehicles frequently hydroplane as they snake around the dirt roads of the mountainous region in northwestern Myanmar. Roads barely wide enough for one car are choked with lines of vehicles for hours until the roads are clear.
At 8,000 feet above sea-level, passersby can see stunning mountains shrouded in clouds but also the scary site of four-wheelers lying turned-over on muddy roads or hills after an accident. For anyone traveling in a small van, pushing the vehicle out of knee-deep mud or being towed is unavoidable.
The distance between Kalay and Tedim is about 60 miles but the trip can take 12 hours thanks to rain, landslides and accidents on the road. The famed, heart-shaped Reed Lake is about 20 miles from Tedim and near the India-Burma border. Stark differences between the two countries can be seen while standing on a bridge that links the two countries for trade. Awash in twilight, India’s Mizoram State is lit up, while in Myanmar’s Rihkhawdar, only a small glimmer of light gathers like fireflies starting their night in the darkness.
The famed heart-shaped Reed Lake. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
A man canoeing on Reed Lake. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
A jeep on its way from Kalay to Tedim. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
A truck carrying goods for the border gate on its way to Rihkhawdar, a Burmese border town near India’s Mizoram State. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
An overturned lorry on the way to Reed Lake in Tedim Township. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
People wait for a clear road on their way to Rihkhawdar, a Burmese border town near India’s Mizoram State. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
Workers push carts carrying goods to Mizoram State in India through the border bridge that links India and Myanmar. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy
School children go back to Myanmar across the border bridge before it closes. Photo and caption: Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy

author: The Irrawaddy


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International Film Festival Brings Some Good News to A Beleaguered Mexican State · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Official poster of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM). Photo from the official website.
Michoacán de Ocampo, a state in the west of Mexico, hosts the 14th annual Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), an event that attracts enthusiasts and connoisseurs of the “Seventh Art”.
Michoacán is one of the states in Mexico that have been besieged by the so-called war against organised crime. This is the place whence the armed group known as Los Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar) emerged, and it's also the main area of influence for the Los Viagras (the Viagras) cartel. Fausto Vallejo and his son nicknamed “El Gerber” are also from this area.
Today, though, the news coming out of Michoacán is not about these criminals — today, the news is good because it is focused on art.
The biographical film “Neruda” — about the political persecution faced by the Chilean poet, legislator, and diplomat Pablo Neruda — was the first screened at the festival, as reported by the Proceso website:
La cinta ‘Neruda’, protagonizada por el mexicano Gael García Bernal, del director chileno Pablo Larraín, fue la película que descorrió esta noche el telón de la 14 edición del Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia.
The “Neruda” film, starring Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, opened tonight at the 14th annual Morelia International Film Festival.
The film was released in mid-2016 at the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival in southeast France.
On Twitter, Gonzalo Lira commented on this particular film:
Me entero que #Neruda, hasta ahora lo mejor que he visto en el #FICM2016, será estrenada por @CinepolisDist en @SaladeArtecine. #Imperdible. pic.twitter.com/4XnyV8aSfZ
— Gonzalo Lira (@gonyz) October 23, 2016
I find #Neruda the best film I've seen so far at the #FICM2016, it will be released by @CinepolisDist in @SaladeArtecine. #Imperdible (#Not to be missed).
Twitter users who have not been able to attend the film festival, like Yenny, say they're eager to see it:
#tristeza es no poder ir Al #FICM2016 ¿😢 alguien quiere llevarme?
— Yenni (@YenniGump) October 21, 2016
#tristeza (#sadness) for not being able to go to the #FICM2016. Is anybody willing to take me there?
José Arrieta recalled the number of Mexican films that will be presented at the FICM:
FICM: RT TimeOutMexico: ¡Ya viene el FICM! Esta edición 14 presumirá de 106 películas mexicanas #FICM2016 pic.twitter.com/JoiDew2eRl
— José Arrieta (@Atzerriratu) October 5, 2016
FICM: RT TimeOutMexico: Here comes the FICM! This 14th edition will present 106 Mexican films #FICM2016
Mexican cinema has enjoyed the international spotlight in recent years, with the awards received around the world, but especially thanks to honors earned in the United States from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (for example, by Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Emmanuel “the Goat” Lubezki).
This year, the FICM features several special guests, including French actress Audrey Tautou and American actor Willem Dafoe. The names of the rest of the film industry celebrities who are invited, as well as of those who make up the jury, can be found on the official website of the event.
On Twitter, the details are announced on the account @FICM.
HOY: Función de gala SULLY, de Clint Eastwood.
Cinépolis Centro, Sala 4, 20:30 horas. pic.twitter.com/YWZfZsnanD
— Morelia Film Fest (@FICM) October 24, 2016
Today: Gala for the film ‘Sully’ by Clint Eastwood.
Cinepolis Center, Room 4, 20.30.
[Poster translation: Special guest at the 14th FICM: American actor Aaron Eckhart.]

author: J. Tadeo


text:
Mexicans Prepare Their Offerings and Calaveras Ahead of Day of the Dead · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Paper calaveras carrying a coffin. Day of the Dead in Mexico. Author's image used by Global Voices with permission.
Every year in Mexico, people commemorate the Day of the Dead, or el Día de Muertos, on November 2. The Catholic portion of the country  – which makes up Mexico's majority – knows this day as All Soul's Day, or el Día de los Fieles Difuntos.
On this occasion, many Mexicans remember those who are no longer among the living in a way that is eccentric and thus attracts the attention of people from around the world. In fact, people in the United States of America also celebrate this day, according to our colleague Lupita Peimbert, who last year wrote:
En todo Estados Unidos, la gente conmemora el 2 de noviembre como el Día de Muertos, celebración mexicana que honra a los fallecidos y convierte a la muerte en algo a tener en cuenta de manera diferente.
Across the United States people commemorate November 2 as the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos), a Mexican celebration that honors people who have passed away and makes death something to think differently about.
The two countries have slightly different names for the same festivity. Regarding the nomenclature, Twitter user Yamileth Ruiz Aviña explained:
Si eres mexicano en México:Día De Muertos.
Si eres descendiente mexicano en EUA o no sabes español y conoces la fiesta:Día De Los Muertos.
— Yamileth Ruiz Aviña. (@yamilethra) November 3, 2015
If you are a Mexican in Mexico: [you say] Día De Muertos.
If you are a Mexican descendant in the USA or don't know Spanish and are familiar with the celebration: [you say] Día De Los Muertos.
La Calavera Catrina. Public domain.
One image – or different versions of an image – serves as the perfect illustration of this festival: the caricature of a skull or the whole human skeleton, which Mexicans call a calavera. The Calavera Garbancera, now known as La Catrina or the Dapper Skeleton, was created by Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada in the early 20th century, and it has since been adopted, replicated, and modified by millions of people participating in this celebration.
The calavera in a sweet and edible form, commonly referred to in English as sugar skulls, is also a traditional sight. Their colorful design has been used as a costume and as an artistic element by those who celebrate the occasion in the United States of America, as Amber Lena explains on her blog via a controversial piece that generated more than 80 comments.
But there is more paraphernalia surrounding this celebration than a simple skeleton. Families set up offerings, or altars, dedicated to their deceased loved ones, complete with food and photos. In 2010, Global Voices author Andrea Arzaba thus explained the reason for these offerings:
Es muy común que las familias mexicanas construyan sus propios altares o pequeños santuarios en sus casas, pues creen que las almas de sus queridos difuntos vendrán por la noche y se llevarán la esencia de las cosas que ponen en el altar.
It is very common for Mexican families to build their own altars or small shrines in their homes, as they believe that the soul of their deceased loved ones will come that night and take the essence away from the things they place in the altar.
Those who are currently preparing their offerings are circulating their images on Twitter, sharing them with their followers:
Preparando la #ofrenda de la Facultad. pic.twitter.com/wcqqOOXvkC
— Fac. de Humanidades (@uaemex_fhum) October 24, 2016
Preparing the Faculty's #offering.
Nuestra #Ofrenda tradicional mexiquense a Isidro Fabela, hasta el 6 de noviembre, entrada libre #DiaDeMuertos@sanangelvivepic.twitter.com/FJLXJaXfBv
— Museo Casa del Risco (@CasadelRisco) October 24, 2016
Our traditional Mexican State #Offering to Isidro Fabela, until November 6, free entrance. #DayoftheDead
Photo taken by the illustration's author for the series of conferences called “Pensar la muerte,” or “Think Death.” Published with permission.
In the spirit of increasing awareness by capitalizing on the date, the National College organized a series of activities in 2016 entitled Pensar la Muerte, or “Think Death”:
El primer encuentro “Libertad por el saber” reunirá a más de cincuenta científicos e intelectuales de todo el mundo para “Pensar la muerte”. El Colegio Nacional te invita a las conferencias, mesas de diálogo y conciertos que forman parte de esta experiencia. Acompáñanos a reflexionar, disfrutar y vivir el conocimiento.
The first meeting, “Freedom Through Knowing,” will bring together more than 50 scientists and intellectuals from all over in order to “Think Death.” The National College invites you to the conferences, discussion tables, and concerts that make up part of this experience. Join us to reflect, enjoy, and live knowledge.
In the conferences, profound and controversial – or profoundly controversial – issues were addressed, such as euthanasia, death within law, and even Schrödinger's cat. More details regarding said conferences can be found on the official site.
There's a lot out there written about the Day of the Dead in Mexico, but for now, these brief lines are sufficient for remembering that the Day of the Dead is like a polyhedron with multiple edges to study, to analyze, and even to enjoy.


text:
Russian Activists Dox Prison Official Who Allegedly Ordered Torture of Inmates · Global Voices
Aric Toler

Photo taken in Shlissel'burg, Leningrad Oblast. Flickr: CC 2.0
Imprisoned political activist Ildar Dadin reported this week that he has suffered torture and brutal conditions while incarcerated at Penal Colony 7 in the northwestern town of Segezha.
Dadin, who was sentenced last December to three years under a new law that criminalizes “repeated breaches of public-assembly rules,” reportedly dictated the letter to his lawyer and addressed it to his wife. The independent Russian news website Meduza published the letter on November 1, 2016.
The letter, which is graphic and may be disturbing for some readers, describes the systematic torture and abuse of prisoners under the guidance of prison head, Major Sergey Kossiev. In his first week at penal colony 7 (the same facility that once held former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky), Dadin says he was beaten by about a dozen people at once, suspended by handcuffs for half an hour, threatened with sexual assault, and told that he would be murdered if he complained about his conditions to the outside world.
This treatment of prisoners will be familiar to anyone who has read the canon of Soviet-era GULAG literature—including classics like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s GULAG Archipelago, Varlam Shalamov’s Kolyma Tales, and Vasily Grossman’s Everything Flows, all of which detail life in Soviet prison camps. While citizens of the USSR interested in the topic had to rely on samizdat (illegally printed and distributed publications) to read these stories, modern Russian activists use social media to share such information.
And some are even using technology to take matters into their own hands, in a way. Russian political activist Vladislav Zdolnikov, who is active with the oppositionist Progress Party and the protest- geared Newscaster.TV, has been targeting the prison director himself with the help of social media.
Since the release of Dadin's letter, Zdolnikov has been tweeting information about Major Kossiev, whom Dadin named as being complicit in his torture. He has also been pointing others to Kossiev's Vkontakte page:
Кажется, настоящая страничка начальника ИК-7 https://t.co/LxEOdQBP1k
Давайте расскажем ублюдку, что с ним случится после смены власти
— Vladislav (@unkn0wnerror) November 1, 2016
This appears to be the real social-media page for the head of prison colony 7. Let’s tell the bastard what’s going to happen to him after a big changes politically.
Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny also shared the link to Kossiev’s Vkontakte profile, including a few photographs of him in normal situations—relaxing, and spending time with his family on the beach—juxtaposed with Dadin’s description of Kossiev ordering the prisoner to be tortured.
А вот вконтакт палача Коссиева https://t.co/0QwRqqHCjP pic.twitter.com/gQJxnVNlz3
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) November 1, 2016
Here’s the Vkontakte page of the torturer Kossiev.
Zdolnikov has publicly identified members of Kossiev's family, including his wife and children, and pointed to their social media pages. He has urged his followers to contact them and write that Kossiev is a “bastard.”
@nemtsovmost конечно считаю. Писать родне о том, что их муж или отец — ублюдок — это хорошо и правильно.
— Vladislav (@unkn0wnerror) November 1, 2016
[In response to being asked: “Do you consider yourself better than the torturer?”] Of course, I consider myself better than him. Write to his relatives about how their husband or father is a bastard. This is the right thing to do.
RuNet Echo's Aric Toler spoke to Vladislav Zdolnikov and asked him what he hopes to accomplish by exposing Sergey Kossiev's personal information.
RuNet Echo: Why did you decide to bring attention to Kossiev and his family on social media?
Vladislav Zdolnikov: When we're talking about massive violence against prisoners that has clearly been organized by the prison colony administration, one of the few ways to affect change is to publicize the event widely.
I think that it's important to bring this information to the attention of those close to the administrators who committed the crimes, including their friends and family members. They should know what this person, with whom they're living and socializing, is doing.
So we're translating what has happened from the professional to the personal realm. I'm sure [the prison administrator] doesn't come home and say, “Today, I tortured a prisoner, suspending him in the air by his handcuffs.” He doesn't say to his wife, “Today I threatened to rape a prisoner,” because he knows she won't understand why.
I think this kind of moral pressure should positively influence Dadin's situation.
But I should clarify that I don't think that his family should be held responsible or suffer for his actions. I would never call for them to be “poisoned” by this information or negatively affected in any way.
RuNet Echo: Reading your tweets and looking at the social-media pages of Kossiev, juxtaposed with Dadin's letter, reminded me of the “Banality of Evil.” What impact on the average Russian, on public opinion, and the situation in the prison colonies can be made by raising this juxtaposition?
Vladislav Zdolnikov: I think that this definitely has an effect on people's relationship to this person. They recognize that this person, who tortures people at work, might be lying next to them at the beach. This, at a minimum, makes you think.
Social media gives us the ability to act in situations when it seems like we can't do anything. We don't have any hope of an audit from the prosecutor's office, or of the guilty parties being fired or punished. When you feel empathy for what's happening, when you get worried, it makes you think about what you might be able to do to help a person. I know Dadin personally, and I am especially worried about what he wrote in his letter. So I needed to think up something, the result of which was this action. I don't know how better to call it.
RuNet Echo: In the West, we know about Soviet prison camps thanks to literature of the time. Now, we don't know much of anything about them, except for what we saw from the Pussy Riot case. What would you tell a Western audience about the current situation of modern Russian prison colonies, and through what channels could we (in the West) learn more about them?
Vladislav Zdolnikov: The situation that we learned about in Dadin's letter is an absolutely familiar one for the majority of Russian prisons. Prisoners are not treated like people, and they're kept in constant fear, in order to subdue and suppress their willpower.
We learned about the situation with Ildar Dadin only thanks to the fact that he and his wife have a certain prominence in opposition circles. This helped the text of his letter be disseminated quickly.
A quick Google search turns up hundreds of stories like Ildar's. Here, for example, is a letter from a prisoner from 2012 from a prisoner in the same penal colony. The torture described there is exactly the same as the torture described in Ildar's letter.
Less than 24 hours after Meduza published Dadin’s letter, the move already already seems to have had an impact. Activists and demonstrators have assembled outside the Federal Penitentiary Service office in Moscow to hold protests in support of Dadin and prison reform.
Акция против пыток над Эльдаром Дадиным рядом со зданием ФСИН pic.twitter.com/p0PnlBVgnL
— король тушканчиков (@Romenskiy) November 1, 2016
A demonstration against the torture of Ildar Dadin near the Federal Prison Service building.
Also on November 1, the Russian television station REN TV published a photograph of Dadin reportedly taken earlier the same day, showing no obvious bruising or signs of violence. Dadin's wife, Anastasiya Zotova, contends that her husband was injured in mid-September, and that the wounds would have healed by now.
Federal penitentiary officials have promised to allow “independent medical specialists” access to the prisoner, in order to confirm the government's claims that he has not been subjected to any form of illegal physical abuse.

author: Aric Toler


text:
Singaporeans Urged to ‘Embrace the Ugly’ to Reduce Food Waste · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Image from Happy Plate SG.
A social-media campaign is calling on Singaporeans to reduce their food waste by buying and using so-called “ugly food” — food products that are visually unappealing.
According to the National Environment Agency, Singapore generated 788.6 million kilograms of food waste in 2014. This is roughly the size of 1,500 Olympic-size swimming pools, or the equivalent of about two bowls of food per person per day, all year long.
Meanwhile, a consumer survey revealed that 83 percent of respondents said they would only purchase fruits and vegetables that look fresh and good, while 52 percent said they would most likely avoid purchasing “ugly food,” such as bruised, misshapen, or discolored fruits and vegetables, plus off-cuts of meat.
For Eugene Tay of Zero Waste SG, discarding “ugly food” contributes to the country’s waste problem:
For a long time, cosmetic filtering of ugly food is a problem. Ugly food is still food, and a lot of resources go into growing the food. If we throw it away just because it doesn’t look nice, then I think we are wasting these resources.
To remind consumers about the importance of reducing food waste, there's a new campaign urging Singaporeans to rethink their perception of “ugly food.” Some chefs have even submitted simple recipes explaining how to cook “ugly food,” instead of throwing it away.
Internet users are being encouraged to post photos of “ugly food” and emphasize the need to reduce food waste. This social-media campaign uses the hashtags #happyplateSG and #uglyisthenewgood.
Below are some of the “ugly foods” photographed by Singaporeans.
Your food doesn't need to look pretty to be nutritious and delicious. 🙅🏼😋💦 . Embrace the ugly because #UglyIsTheNewGood. What would I do with these okra? Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle salt over + pop them into the oven for a quick baked snack. Taa-daa! 🙋🏼✨ . Let's get the Food Bank Singapore's Fresh Food Truck on the road for a year so that they can collect and distribute excess perishable food items to families most in need in Singapore. #HappyPlateSG . For every 8 hashtags (both abv) shared to raise awareness for the cause, Electrox will help fund the Fresh Food Truck for a day too! 🚛💨 . Still not sure what to do? Just repost this image with my caption lor 😁😁😁
A photo posted by Marcus C. (@marczjr) on
This lemon has been in my fridge for more than a week and I had no intention to eat it cos it has got bruises and a puncture in the center. Then my friend told me about #happyplatesg . So I took the lemon and made myself a cup of lemon juice with warm water & honey, my dose of Vitamin C for today. Post a picture of your ugly food and share how you use the food for your meal, hashtag #uglyisthenewgood & #happyplatesg . For every 8 hashtag, Electrolux will fund the Fresh Food Truck for 1 day, ensuring the food bank Singapore collect and distribute excess perishable food items to families most in need across Singapore. About a third of the planet's food goes to waste, often because of its look. That's enough to feed 2 billion people. So from today, let's not waste food.
A photo posted by #ShaunLee_makeup (@shaunleelee) on
Some say ugly (and bruised and useless), I say snack. If you're squeamish, eat around it. Or pop it into the blender and get grape juice. Or slice off the brown bits. The fruit is still good. Don't be wasteful. And if you have an “ugly” food item on hand and you can do something with it, share a pic and use the hashtags #UglyIsTheNewGood and #HappyPlateSG, and for every eight hashtags shared, Electrolux – bless their heart!! – will fund the Fresh Food Truck for a day, ensuring The Food Bank Singapore can collect and distribute excess perishable food items to families in need. This will go on till the end of November!
A photo posted by Weeteck Yeoh (@weeteck) on
Ba ba ba ba ba na na 🍌 don't judge a banana by its skin! Let's all post pics of our ugly food and hashtag #UglyIsTheNewGood #happyplateSG 😊 Fr every 8 hashtags, Electrolux will fund Food Bank's fresh food truck fr a day!! Don't just like ah, support ugly food plox ✌🏼 🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍌🍉🍇🍓🍈🍒🍑🍍🍅🍆
A photo posted by Tabitha Tan (@tabbytummies) on
Don't judge a fruit by its cover 🔎💔 Food that looks less attractive on the outside is just as #nutritious and #yummy as their ‘perfect’ cookie-cutter counterparts (sometimes cheaper too 😉) Wrinkly and dried out on the outside, this passion fruit opened up to reveal plump golden sacs of insanely sweet flesh 💛 Super committed…unlike those other sweet-sour makes-you-squint fruits🙅🏼 Made this into the best jelly dessert ever! . #uglyisthenewgood #happyplateSG #zerowaste #nofoodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #fruitsmoches #goodfoodwarrior #perfectimperfection #dontwastethetaste
A photo posted by Charlotte Mei de Drouas (@apennyfortea) on
Apple, I choose you 🍎 || Look at not what's on the outside, but the inside. This bruised apple is a timely reminder to quit judging before seeking to understand. Honestly, this apple is sweeter, juicier and crunchier than any I've had. I just had to spit out a tiny bitter part. It's amazing what a little acceptance can do. . . . . . #uglyisthenewgood #happyplateSG #zerowaste #nofoodwaste
A photo posted by Estelle Low (@estellelow) on
✖ugly is the new good✖ I watched a video the other day about how much food is wasted on a day to day basis. It's quite horrendous. So when I walked past a fruit shop the other day, I decided to buy the UGLIEST passionfruits 😁 they're sweeter, more succulent and whilst they're not much to look at, they tasted amazing. To help reduce food wastage, for every 8 times the hashtags #uglyisthenewgood and #happyplateSG are shared, Electrolux will fund Food Bank Singapore's Fresh Food Truck for a day to collect and distribute excess perishable food items to families that need it most – which is a cause I could get behind any day. So please post your ugly food shots, use the hashtags and lets reduce waste whilst helping to feed those in need. Thank you. #goodthingsmustshare #forthecommongood #uglyisthenewgood #happyplatesg #goodkarma #wastenotwantnot #singapore
A photo posted by Kelly Latimer (@kellylatimer) on
Happy Monday! We just want to shout out for a meaningful campaign of not wasting food wherever possible. You can also post a picture of your “ugly food” on Instagram with the hashtags -#UglyIsTheNewGood and #HappyplateSG before the end of November 2016. For every 8 hashtags shared, Electrolux will fund the Fresh Food Truck for one day, ensuring The Food Bank Singapore can collect and distribute excess perishable food items to families most in need across Singapore. P.S I finished these leftovers by my friends. . . . #NotSponsored #UglyIsTheNewGood #HappyPlateSG #sgig #sgfood #foodsg #foodie #sgfoodies #instasg #sgcafe #instafood #igfood #igdaily #sgfoodporn #vscocam #vsco #foodporn #foodgasm #foodstagram #sgeats #foodpics #foodlover #foodspotting #therantingpanda
A photo posted by theRantingPanda (@therantingpanda) on

author: Mong Palatino


text:
As Economic Crisis Deepens, Russians Switch from Vodka to Beer. And Moonshine. · Global Voices
Victoria Pardini

Russian lubok about alcoholism. Source: paukrus, Flickr. CC 2.0
The economic crisis in Russia is causing many alcohol drinkers to switch from vodka to beer, according to an article published in Gazeta.ru last week.
Experts from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) say vodka sales have dropped 13.4 percent against the same period last year. And it’s a long-term trend: hard alcohol sales peaked in 2007 and have been on the decline ever since. Retails sales of vodka fell from 53 percent of total sales based on absolute alcohol content from 2007 to 2009 to 39 percent in 2015. The share of beer increased from around 31 percent to 43 percent of total sales over the same period.
According to Alexandra Burdyak, a senior researcher at RANEPA and one of the authors of the study, the trend might be generational: “The taste of Russians born in 1985 and later has been influenced by the west, mostly Europe. They prefer wine, beer, and other light alcoholic drinks.”
Russians have some of their own theories to explain the drop in vodka sales. The most optimistic hypothesize that the downturn in vodka sales is due to a general improvement in behavior and lifestyle in Russia:
As Lyudmila Ermolaeva wrote on Facebook,
Сужу по своему окружению, друзьям, родственникам, знакомым: все пить стали гораздо меньше. Моя семья последние 10 лет не пьет крепкие напитки совсем, только вино и иногда пиво.
Judging by my surroundings, my friends, family and acquaintances, everyone is drinking much less. My family hasn’t had hard alcohol in the past ten years, just wine and beer.
Other Facebook users, including Aleksandar Bandar, noted different trends in the data, for example, seasonal changes in alcohol consumption:
Летом пиво, зимой водка, закон природы..
Beer in the summer, vodka in the winter – it’s a law of nature.
Still other are taking the news as a rallying cry to root out the real menace in Russian society:
@GazetaRu @kononenkome пивное лобби спаивает Россию!
— Albert Bityutsky (@albert_nik27) October 22, 2016
The beer lobby is coercing Russia!
The comments section of the Gazeta.ru article is rife with clever reactions to the news. As Petr Ivanov joked,
Пить меньше – это непорядок. Такое поведение граждан подрывает основы экономики. Надо объявить иностранными агентами и лишить социальных прав всех, кто выпивает меньше четырех бутылок водки в месяц на каждого члена семьи.
Drinking less isn’t orderly. This behavior undermines the foundations of the economy. It’s necessary to declare as foreign agents and strip the social rights of all those who drink less than four bottles of vodka per month per family member.
Most, however, note that retail data do account for the consumption of moonshine. Early on in the economic crisis, experts warned that increased consumption of self-made alcohol could be dangerous and potentially lethal. For the most part, however, making moonshine is a relatively safe and popular tradition in Russian dachas, and is the explanation many have given for the decline in vodka sales. Russians are still drinking hard alcohol, they’re just finding more creative ways to get it. As Alisa Neonova wrote on Facebook,
Посмотрели бы они статистику продаж самогонных аппаратов – та же кривая только ввысь….не думаю, что пить стали меньше, скорее больше – тут уже нет ограничений в виде финансов – сколько нагонишь- все твоё…
If you look at the statistics on the sale of moonshine distillation equipment, it’s an upward trend. I don’t think that people are drinking less – they’re probably drinking more. With moonshine, there aren't any financial restrictions; whatever you make is all yours.
@nkrichevsky @GazetaRu рост запросов подтверждает! pic.twitter.com/MWMjLoenX2
— Max Orekhov (@MaxOrekhov) October 22, 2016
The growth of searches [for moonshine distilling instruments] confirms it!
As Gazeta.ru reader Aleksandr Kochmasov argued,
Смешно. Как Вы думаете что начинает в кризис делать русский мужик. При этом пиво он сам делать не умеет. Ну конечно ставить брагу и гнать самогон. Даже Москва начинает подсаживаться на самогон, но только собственного изготовления.
It's funny. What do you think a man does in a crisis? He can’t make beer, so of course he starts to brew moonshine. Even Moscow is beginning to get hooked on moonshine, but they make it their own particular way.
@GazetaRu россияне не покупают водку, потому что везде есть спиртзаводы. Как говорят,купить спирт-не проблема.
— Ирина_В (@Volk_Irina) October 22, 2016
Russians aren't buying vodka because there are distilleries everywhere. As they say, buying spirits isn't a problem.
Regardless of the exact reason for the trend and whether beer really is becoming more popular than vodka, most agree that the crisis won’t seriously dampen the spirit of those seeking to drink a little (or a lot) in Russia.

author: Victoria Pardini


text:
Big Fat Tajik Wedding Hides Nest of Central Asian Intrigue · Global Voices
Eurasianet

Screenshot from YouTUbe video uploaded by Uzbekistan 24 news agency.
The following is a partner post from EurasiaNet.org. Republished with permission.
A lavish wedding in Moscow has drawn gasps of envious amazement even from Russians inured to garish displays of wealth.
Observers of the inner workings of Central Asian politics, however, may be more interested in the identity and background of the bride’s father, of whom little is known publicly.
But to the wedding first. Madina Shokirova has provoked jealously all around with her flowing $600,000 dress designed by British haute couture fashion house Ralph & Russo. As online tabloid life.ru reported, the dress was made of several layers of tulle, embroidered with metallic threads and inlayed with silver and several thousand pearls and Swarovski crystals.
As is customary for such events, a number of Russian rent-a-celebrities turned out to entertain the guests.
The man paying for all this was Shokirova’s father, Ilhom Shokirov. His wealth ostensibly stems from his ownership of several hotels — the high-class Grand hotel in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, and several hotels outside Moscow. life.ru reported that he also has a 65 percent stake in the Demir shopping and entertainment complex in Tashkent.
And there is speculation that there are some dynastic and political dimensions to these nuptials.
A Khujand-based (second largest city in Tajikistan) writer for ferghana.ru, Aziz Rustamov, recently reported rumors that Shokirov offered up his daughter in marriage to a relative of the PM and acting president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It isn’t immediately clear, but it is possible that this was an allusion to the wedding that just took place in Moscow.
And that isn’t the full extent to Shokirov’s match-making. As life.ru noted, Shokirov in 2010 married off his son to the daughter of Uzbekistan’s deputy prime minister, Rustam Azimov, who had been touted as a possible future president at the time. Azimov appears set to continue playing an important role in Uzbekistan, despite Mirziyoyev’s predominance.
Rustamov, the ferghana.ru writer, alludes to yet another recent wedding in the northern Tajikistan city of Isfara, again organized by Shokirov. It is likely that this was the first stage of Madina Shokirova’s wedding as monied Central Asians often stagger grand nuptials into multiple stages across different locations.
By process of deduction, it is possible to surmise this wedding was organized under the guise of a surprise visit to Tajikistan’s Sughd region by a delegation of top Uzbek businessmen and “members of the intelligentsia” on October 16-17. As officials in Sughd region told RFE/RL’s Tajik service, Radio Ozodi, the businessmen visited Khujand and Isfara to “become acquainted with the activities of industrial enterprises, companies and cultural institutions in the area.”
“The visit was unexpected, but pleasant,” Muzaffar Yunusov, a spokesman for the Sughd regional administration, told Radio Ozodi.
Although Shokirov has most of his commercial interests in Uzbekistan and Russia, he also has roots in Tajikistan, which is where he originally appears to be from, although it is also evident he has long been settled in Russia. In fact, Shokirov has had a spot of trouble in Tajikistan in the past, which might explain the element of subterfuge in the Isfara wedding.
A curious vignette is provided courtesy of Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, back in 2002. Although it was far off the time when Tajik President Emomali Rahmon would have to run again for office, he was already looking around for possible rivals, the newspaper reported.
“One example is the story of Ilhom Shokirov, who is, by the way, a high-ranking official in the Russian government (!). The devil got it into his head that he wanted to return to his historic homeland to visit his parents,” the newspaper wrote.
But upon arrival in Tajikistan, Shokirov was scooped up the security services and placed in detention without access to a lawyer.
“Why did they pick him? Just because, as they believed, Shokirov planned to take part in upcoming presidential elections. Or he wanted to support somebody else that wanted to take [Rahmon’s] place,” the newspaper stated, without ever revealing the source of its reporting.
Novaya Gazeta goes on to claim that Shokirov cooled his heels in Tajikistan for at least five months, virtually without a squeak from the Russian government.
“President [Rahmon], they say, is very proud that he has a Russian in his dungeons: ‘Everybody thinks we are puppets of the Kremlin, but we have a big Russian official in our jails. And they just put up with it,’” Novaya Gazeta writes, citing a putative Rahmon in what sounds like a largely impressionistic account.
In any event, Shokirov must subsequently have been released and gone on to greater things, but it is hard to imagine he does not bear a grudge against his former captor, which makes the wedding in Isfara all the more remarkable.
For all that little is known about this intriguing web of facts and half-facts, there is much about which to speculate wildly. An immensely rich businessmen with purported ties to the Russian government, close family ties to the most influential men in Uzbekistan and a bone to pick with the leader of Tajikistan? What could be more tantalizing?

author: Eurasianet


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GV Face: How We’re Feeling Six Days Before the US Elections · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Who will win on November 8: Trump, Hillary or Stein?
Even though many Global Voices contributors cannot vote in the US, we all feel invested in this American presidential race like few elections ever before.
The questions that come to our mind:
To express our angst and get our thoughts out, every Wednesday, from October 26 to November 9, four Global Voices contributors will get together and talk about the latest news coming out of the US elections, what people outside the US think, and how our American contributors—who travel around the world and are familiar with political processes in other countries— feel about this election.
With just six days to go until this roller coaster of an election campaign is over, everyone's nerves are thoroughly frayed.
To discussed our frazzled reactions to the campaign, this second episode of this three-part series is a fun, fast-paced conversation between:
This conversation was moderated by Nevin Thompson, Global Voices social media editor and Japan editor.
Last week, our Beirut-based social media editor Zuhour Mahmoud moderated a discussion that included our Middle East and North Africa editor Joey Ayoub, Amsterdam-based US voter and Iran contributor Tori Egherman, and Sahar Ghazi, San Francisco-based US voter and Global Voices managing editor. You can watch that episode here.

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
Netizen Report: Will Indonesians Enjoy the ‘Right to Be Forgotten’? · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

Image licensed to public domain, without attribution.
Indonesia is poised to become the first Asian country to adopt the “right to be forgotten”. On November 1, government officials announced plans to revise the Electronic Information and Transactions Law so that citizens may pursue a court order requiring online content providers to remove information relating to criminal and civil cases against them, if they were acquitted.
The text of the amended law has not yet been released. But officials say the rule would apply to all online content providers, meaning that any entity posting information online — from Google to local news sites — could be held responsible for removing content in response to a court order. This approach goes beyond that adopted by the European Union, which allows users to ask search engines to remove links from searches for their own name. Content providers who did not comply with an order would face sanctions, but it remains unclear what these would entail.
The policy’s proponents say it would only be used by persons “involved in criminal or civil court cases who are acquitted and want to clear their names.” In an interview with the Jakarta Post, Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy researcher Wahyudi Djafar expressed his concerns about the measure: “Granting the government full authority to terminate access to prohibited content on the internet is dangerous because it carries huge risks of power abuses,” he said.
The Turkish government cut Internet access in 11 cities in Kurdistan in the face of protests on October 26. Demonstrators are demanding the release of Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı, co-mayors of the city of Diyarbakir, who were arrested on October 25 reportedly for belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which the Turkish government considers to be a terrorist organization. From October 26 until October 31, there were routine, prolonged disruptions that lasted from 12 to 27 hours each. In addition to blocking access to the Internet, the shutdowns rendered banks and point-of-sale machines inoperable, leaving businesses and people needing to buy food and supplies in a lurch.
The popular messaging app WhatsApp has been blocked on the networks of major Yemeni mobile service providers since October 5. While some customers are using circumvention tools to get around the block, it is hampering communication for millions of citizens. According to Global Voices’ sources in Yemen, the application is now blocked nationwide, after it was first blocked intermittently. The blocking of Whatsapp by Houthi rebels, who are in control of the capital Sanaa, may have been motivated by calls for protests against them made on Whatsapp and Telegram. Telegram is also blocked in Yemen.
UK-based telecom giant Vodafone will soon initiate a partnership with Iranian telco HiWEB in “modernizing infrastructure and expanding landline and mobile internet services for personal and business customers,” according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The potential for complicity between Vodafone and Iran's existing telecommunication surveillance infrastructure is hard to ignore, especially given Vodafone’s less-than-perfect record in this area. In 2009, the company revealed they had handed over communication data to Egyptian authorities in their quest to identify the anti-government rioters protesting over the bread crisis.
A Belgian court fined Skype EUR 30,000 for its failure to comply with a court order to intercept calls in a criminal case in 2012. The company, which is owned by Microsoft, claims it was technically impossible to comply with the request at the time, due to the product’s architecture. Along with jurisdictional questions about the request, the company has argued that it should not be subject to wiretap laws in Belgium because it is a “software provider”, not a service provider.
The Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden issued new rules making it illegal to use cameras on drones unless they receive a license, ruling that camera drones constitute camera surveillance.
The US Federal Communications Commission issued new rules that may place limits on how Internet service providers use and sell data, by giving consumers the right to forbid their providers from sharing sensitive personal information. This will inhibit ISPs in the US from using the data they obtain from users in order to serve targeted ads across the user’s devices. ISPs will also be required to tell users what data they collect and why and notify them when their data may be compromised by breaches.
The Internet Archive celebrated its 20th birthday in October. The Archive is most famous for its Wayback Machine, which includes archives of over 370 million websites and 273 billion pages. But to celebrate, it launched a new tool perfect for today’s 90s nostalgia – GifCities, a search engine for GeoCities GIFs.
Afef Abrougui, Renata Avila, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Bojan Perkov and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team


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These Are the Stories of Teachers Who Resist Violence in Northern Paraguay · Global Voices
Kurtural

¨Within the conflict between criminals, the military and drug traffickers, there are teachers trying to save their communities¨. Photograph published by Kurtural and used with permission.
Below is a condensed version of a report originally published by Kurtural and republished on Global Voices with permission. The article is a part of the series “Cows That Fly, Schools That Crumble,” which will be edited and republished on Global Voices.
To protect the identity and integrity of the people interviewed, many names have been changed.
In many communities in Concepción, one of the poorest departments in Paraguay, using a helmet is considered suspicious. For teachers and students who need to get to schools, especially in rural areas, motorcycles are as necessary to their education as pencils and notebooks. But in Concepción they can't use a helmet. People say only hit men use helmets.
In towns like Yby Yaú or Arroyito, about 350 kilometers north of the country´s capital Asunción, it is common to see uniformed children going to schools on motorcycles without protection. But this is only one of the many risks they face.
In August this year, a Paraguayan member of congress suggested napalm attacking the north of the country to rid it of the Paraguayan People´s Party (EPP), an armed criminal group accused of kidnappings, attacks and deaths. Two months earlier, another member of congress and the Senate Human Rights commission had suggested something similar: bomb the area even if “innocent people must die” in the process.
What legislators fail to mention is that the violence associated with the north today goes hand in hand with another characteristic of departments like Concepción: a decades-long, systematic abandonment by the state.
Beyond the armed groups, hit men, drug trafficking, army, lack of access to basic services and the advance of an economic model that excludes them, a group of teachers —some of the innocents that “could die” in the congress member's plan— work in their communities in an effort to continue offering children in the area the chance for an education.
To get her teaching degree, Perla Rodríguez had to travel — over a period of five years by motorcycle without a helmet — the almost 50 kilometers it took to get to the neighboring town of Horqueta because their was no place for her to study where she was born.
In fact, she left high school four times and finally finished recently, when she was 35 years old. Later on, she decided to go to a private university with the dream of studying social sciences. However, she thought about dropping out when her friend Lorezo Areco was assassinated by hit men in the middle of the street on August 14, 2013. Areco was part of the Concepción Regional Peasants Organization (OCRC), and is one of the 115 documented agricultural leaders to be killed or disappeared since 1989, according to a report by the Coordinator for Human Rights in Paraguay (CODEHUPY).
“Lorenzo's assassination scared me a lot because I would get to my house at night. I had to change my schedule,” Rodríguez said. Being a teacher and defending the rights of the inhabitants of northern Paraguay can be lethal. Just like driving a motorcycle without a helmet. Or even with a helmet.
Like Perla Rodríguez, Marciano Jara is a teacher in his community. He lives in Arroyito, about 40 kilometers from Yby Yaú. To get there, you must pass through a 15-kilometer stretch of red dirt that looks like it could be a part of the Dakar Rally, with hills, dunes and pits created by erosion. It is a 40-minute ride through dust that burns your eyes, makes it difficult to breath and leaves streaks on your shoes, clothes and skin.
Jara is a man who is careful with his words. It's understandable. His partner and agricultural leader, Benjamín Lezcano, was executed by hit men in his own house in 2013. Lezcano was opposed to advancing soy farming in Concepción. To this day, nobody knows who killed him, or who ordered him killed.
View of the Maricevich school, where students learn to plant in a community garden. Photograph by Juan Carlos Meza, used with permission.
“Education in context” is a term that is repeated often in conversation with various teachers in the area. According to them, the Ministry of Education only thinks about teaching methods that work for the city. These methods don't work in the countryside.
Schools in Arroyito are isolated. A lack of roads and public transportation further complicates getting to class, especially on rainy days or for people with back problems or prostate problems forced to make the daily journey by motorcycle. The schools are also lacking educational support and minimum infrastructure to function.
The government created the National Fund for Public Investment and Development (FONACIDE) in 2012 to build and maintain schools throughout the country, especially those located in “vulnerable areas.” However, any benefits that people hoped for have been impeded by difficulties managing the resources and corruption scandals.
Motorcycles are as necessary to education in the north of Paraguay as pencils. Here is the parking lot in front of the 12th of April School in Arroyito. Photograph by Juan Carlos Meza, used with permission.
Arroyito also finds itself in the middle of a crossfire between the Paraguayan People's Party (EPP) and the Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta (FTC), a unit of the Paraguayan Armed Forces. This group was the government's only response to the armed criminal group. It was established by President Horacio Cartes in 2013 with a decree that militarized and suspended individual liberties in the north of the country. It is made up of military, police and anti-drug commanders.
For people in the city, the EPP is like a distant specter, only appearing once in a while in headlines and political speeches. In the countryside, it is a very real ghost. The deaths attributed to the EPP add up to more than 60, and among that number are civilians.
In three years, there have been many complaints of human rights violations at the hands of the FTC that in many cases were covered up by the district attorney. Arroyito is surrounded by military detachments that patrol the area at night. For the people who live there, it is normal to stay at home at night or avoid getting together past 6 p.m. They are under a permanent curfew.
Many teachers have been threatened by the EPP or the FTC if they say they for or against either group.
Laura Martínez was trapped in one of these confrontations. She is a theater teacher. She was harassed by both the EPP and the state — all over a school play. “I liked doing historical plays with the children and one day I thought about doing a production about Arroyito and the history of military repression from its beginnings,” she said.
Dressing the children up like soldiers made the EPP presume that she was in favor of armed conflict. “They started sending me cell phone messages and leaving them at the radio station where I worked as a presenter, telling me that they were going to look for me, that they knew where I lived. They wanted me to join them,” she said.
Desperate, Martínez made a complaint to the district attorney, but instead of protecting her, they treated her like a suspect. “They started asking me questions, accusing me directly of being one of them [EPP].” The strangest thing for her was that the district attorney knew everything about her, her schedule, her friends. “It seemed like they were watching me. I would see military trucks pass by my house at night,” she said.
Harassed by the EPP and accused by the district attorney, Laura Martínez left her radio job and her church activities for fear that something would happen to her three children. She also stopped putting on historical plays in the school. She burned the costumes and all of the props.
A tank with armed soldiers are posted in front of the Maricevich school in Arroyito. Photograph by Juan Carlos Meza. Published with permission.
For Miguel Rolón, an art teacher, the answer is the military. For him, Yby Yaú is the heart of the north. “It could be a wall against all of the problems in this part of the country, if they invested in the arts and the welfare of the people instead of investing in guns. The problem is cultural. The solution, cultural,” he said.
Children, who were painting in his house, come outside to say goodbye. A girl asks if she could come back the following week to keep painting. Rolón says yes. Before she leaves she shyly holds up that day's drawing with her right hand. It is a yellow and purple flower. It is inspired by another flower, a real one, that she's holding with her left.

author: Kurtural


text:
Viewed from Central Asia, US Democracy Is Looking More and More Like the Region’s Own Version · Global Voices
Abdulfattoh Shafiev

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The Clinton caricature was adapted from a photo in the public domain from the East Asia and Pacific Media's Flickr photostream. The body was adapted from a photo in the public domain from the U.S. Department of State's Flickr photostream. This caricature of Donald Trump was adapted from Creative Commons licensed images from Max Goldberg's flickr photostream. BY: DonkeyHotey (CC BY-SA 2.0)
On the eve of the most important, most expensive election in the world, Central Asia's rulers-for-life have plenty of ammunition with which to dispute the value of a competitive domestic political system.
For long-time leaders in the post-Soviet region who champion a colourless and sometimes brutal authoritarian ‘stability’ over genuine electoral contests and basic individual rights, the current US presidential campaign, more than any other before, has demonstrated the divisive influence that populism and even simple political competition can have on a society.
Moreover, regardless of whoever claims victory on November 8, the citizens of the five “Stans” will be able to see something of their own countries’ systems in the new US president. The effect of that recognition might be a further erosion of the faith some of them once had in democracy in the traditional sense, and a deeper cynicism regarding the importance of public participation in politics.
If former secretary of state Clinton, as is expected, becomes the next US president, it will bolster the view—reinforced following the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush—that US politics is dominated by a handful of powerful families with access to a seemingly never-ending stream of funding for political campaigns.
The parallels with states like Azerbaijan, where President Ilham Aliyev succeeded his late father Heydar Aliyev more than a decade ago, and Kazakhstan, where many see 77-year-old President Nursultan Nazarbayev‘s daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva as a potential successor, are there to be made.
The point that Clinton is poised to take power through the ballot box rather than her predecessor's death is moot. Discussions on social media in Central Asia point to the fact that in the United States, Barack Obama's two-term presidency notwithstanding, the same families are propelled towards power by wealth rather than by the people.
Ironically, the United States has been more tolerant of political dynasties than the former Soviet Union. In Kyrgyzstan, President Askar Akayev and his successor Kurmanbek Bakiyev were both chased out of office while trying to edge family members into power. In Uzbekistan, a recent presidential succession appears to have bypassed the hated offspring of late President Islam Karimov, echoing the succession process that occurred in Turkmenistan in 2006, where the presidential family was kept out of the public eye. Only presidential offspring Nazarbayeva, 53, in Kazakhstan, and Rustam Imomali, 28, in Tajikistan offer Central Asia the opportunity of catching up with the U.S. in the “political families” stakes.
Despite the fact that his path to Oval Office seems to throw up more obstacles by the day, there is still a small chance that a racist, sexist, soulless representative of a wealthy clan claims the presidency instead of Clinton. Trump would be the first of his kind in the White House, and a blow to liberal Central Asians trying to make the argument that the politics of the West and the “Stans” are fundamentally different.
One commentator from outside the region has already referred to Trump as Trumpmenbashi—a play on the self-imposed sobriquet the late first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, who styled himself Turkmenbashi, or Father of the Turkmen. And Trump's obsession with building enormous towers and anti-migrant walls broadly mirrors the construction craze fuelled by leaders across the Central Asia region. Trump also threatened during a debate to lock up Hillary Clinton, echoing a pro-incarceration sentiment that ex-Soviet politicians tend to harbour towards their opponents.
Although Trump is reportedly popular in certain parts of Moscow, many Central Asians feel he is essentially a businessman out to create a legislative and political environment where his business interests will dominate. Not too different, then, from the kind of ‘tin pot’ dictator they already know well enough.
In spite of being peddled on conservative news sites, it's actually not true that incumbent President Barack Obama has said he might not stand down if Trump wins on November 8, and that he is examining a constitutional loophole that would allow him to stay in power until a second election is held.
Were this the case, however, this would be exactly the kind of political sleight-of-hand that populations in the Central Asia region are all too used to seeing. This year both Turkmenistan and Tajikistan tweaked their constitutions to empower incumbent leaders, while a major tug-of-war is currently brewing over Kyrgyzstan's constitution.
While Obama staying in office is an unlikely eventuality, it would be the perfect gift to the perennial pummellers of Central Asian constitutions. For their insidious political propaganda, however, both Trump the Great and Clinton the Second would still do quite nicely.

author: Abdulfattoh Shafiev


text:
A Japanese Idol Group’s Nazi-Like Costumes Highlight the ‘Fundamental Problem’ of Historical Ignorance · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Image widely shared on social media, from Keyakizaka 46 blog, since removed.
A Japanese idol group caused international outrage after it dressed up in what looked like Nazi uniforms for a Halloween concert in Yokohama on October 22. By October 31, the group's producer as well as their record label Sony Music had made public apologies after being urged to do so by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a global human rights organization that works to combat Antisemitism.
The group's choice of costumes has also generated a discussion about whether or not claiming to be ignorant of history can truly be used as an excuse for displaying Nazi symbols in Japan.
Keyakizaka46 is an all-girl idol band conceived, created and overseen by legendary Japanese music producer Akimoto Yasushi. Akimoto, 58, has created a number of widely popular bands, including AK48. Music acts such as AK48 and Keyakizaka46 are produced more as musical franchises, with spin-off or satellite groups in different parts of the country, in order to serve local fans.
Founded and manufactured by producer Akimoto Yasushi, AKB48 has spun off a wide number of associated franchises, including Keyakizaka46. Screencap from Wikipedia.
The aim of idol bands is to generate as much revenue for record labels, and the young girls who make up bands and their various affiliates are just one cog in a slick marketing machine. The girls are recruited young (many have not even completed middle school before working in the entertainment industry), and their main job is to look cute (rather than intelligent) while on stage.
Wearing uniforms and other costumes is all part of developing a distinctive brand to help differentiate each idol band.
In this case, as producer, Akimoto chose quasi-Nazi uniform to market Keyakizaka46.
So, there was little reaction at first from their Japanese fans the day after Keyakizaka46 unveiled their Halloween costumes in Yokohama in October 22.
The morning after the concert, ZIP TV, a television program appearing daily on Yomiuri-affiliated Nippon TV, remarked that two of the band members looked like “witches” in their military get-up at the Yokohama show:
#欅坂46　#ZIP #平手友梨奈　#めざましテレビ pic.twitter.com/BYrVmxhrAy
— ゆうにゃん＼(∵)／(ラウル) (@SweptOverboard) October 23, 2016
TV screencap caption: Keyakizaka46's black uniforms make them look just like witches.
Tweet: #keyakizaka46 #ZIP #HirateYurina #MorningTVShow
However, the costume's obvious resemblance to a World War II Nazi uniform was quickly noticed by many Japanese social media users. The term “Nazi uniform” began to trend on Twitter almost immediately.
A day later, one image that explicitly demonstrated the resemblance between the idol band's costume and a Nazi uniform was being widely shared on Twitter and pop culture forums.
欅坂４６の新衣装がナチスの件ｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗ （※画像あり） https://t.co/DT2RloaxZa pic.twitter.com/WoKfz943HO
— 高校生のトレンド (@kohkoh_torendo) October 24, 2016
About Keyakizaka46's new costume looking just like a Nazi uniform… LOL! (click through for an image)
— High School Trend Report (@kohkoh_torendo)
The story was then picked up by the English-language media outside of Japan, mostly as another example of “weird Japan”.
The story simmered on social media and in the English-language press for at least week, until the Simon Wiesenthal Center called on Keyakizak46's record label, Sony Music, and producer Akimoto Yasushi to apologize on October 31:
#SWC Urges Producer and Sony Music to Apologize over the use of Nazi-themed Costumes by Japanese Girls Group,… https://t.co/o34lKpBXG7
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) October 31, 2016
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, as an international human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust, has long spoken out against Antisemitism all over the world. In its statement about the band's costume, after directly calling on band producer Akimoto to apologize, the Center expressed its “disgust”, quoting Rabbi Abraham Cooper, who said:
Watching young teens on the stage and in the audience dancing in Nazi-style uniforms causes great distress to the victims of the Nazi genocide.
Coincidentally to the furor over the band's uniforms, Rabbi Cooper had been scheduled to travel to Japan as part of an ongoing exhibit on Anne Frank and Sugihara Chiune (a Japanese wartime diplomat given the honor of Righteous Among the Nations) organized jointly by the Wiesenthal Center and Japan's Soka University.
The condemnation by the Simon Wiesenthal Center was in turn widely reported the next day by the Japanese media.
ユダヤ系団体、欅坂４６の衣装がナチス軍服に似ていると謝罪要求 https://t.co/jjiWNFmTiN #tbs #tbs_newsi
— TBS NEWS-i (@tbs_newsi) November 1, 2016
Tweet: Jewish group asks Keyakizaka46 to apologize for costumes that look like Nazi uniforms.
Article excerpt: After idol group “Keyakizaka46″ wore costumes that resembed German Nazi uniforms on-stage, a Jewish group (called for them to apologize).
Just over 12 hours after the Simon Wiesenthal Center sent out its tweet, both Sony Music and Akimoto Yasushi had made a public apology.
The mea culpa was widely covered in the Japanese media. NHK, the national broadcaster, interviewed Akimoto and an associate company, Seed and Flower, about the controversy surrounding the uniforms.
欅坂46 ナチス問題の
謝罪コメントが
NHKに続きテレ朝でも
放送される。 pic.twitter.com/V9CuYHzocr
— Rヨシオ (@uetomo0730) November 1, 2016
The drama over the Keyakizaka46 apology keeps getting coverage on NHK (the national public broadcaster)'s morning programs.
What stood out in the NHK interviews of Akimoto and Seed and Flower were the bolded titles that headline the respective apologies: “I'm terribly sorry” (大変申し訳なく思う) from Akimoto, and “We give our heartfelt apologies” (心よりおわび) from Sony.
But the two sides also made an attempt to evade responsibility and even deflect blame for the Nazi-like costumes. Both Seed and Flower and Akimoto claimed a general “lack of awareness” just how much the band's Halloween costume resembled a Nazi uniform.
Akimoto, who is responsible for building the brand strategy of Keyakizaka46 and other music franchises, claimed he didn't know about the uniforms until after learning about it in the media, and seemed to blame his “staff”, Seed and Flower:
「ニュースで知りました。ありえない衣装でした。事前報告がなかったので、チェックもできませんでした。スタッフもナチスを想起させるものを作った訳ではないと思いますが、プロデューサーとして、監督不行き届きだったと思っております。[…] すべて事前にチェックし、スタッフ教育も徹底して行いたいと思います」
I learned about [the costumes] from the news. Those were really unbelievable as costumes. Since I was was not notified beforehand [that such costumes would be used], I wasn't able to check [to see if they were appropriate]. While I doubt my staff had the Nazis in mind when they created the costumes, I was negligent as a producer and as a director. Going forward I'll review [costumes] and will also work to ensure my staff are properly educated.
Seed and Flower, which Akimoto seems to have delegated the responsibility for planning the Halloween appearance, seemed to plead ignorance accompanied by a classic non-apology:
私どもの認識不足により、衣装の色やその他を含む全体のデザインが、そのようなイメージを想起させる部分があり […] 心よりおわび申し上げます。
私どもの認識不足により、衣装の色やその他を含む全体のデザインが、そのようなイメージを想起させる部分があり、ご不快な思いをさせてしまったことに対し、心よりおわび申し上げます。
We were all unaware of any resemblance [to a Nazi uniform] that might be made in regards to the color of the costume and its overall design. We give our heartfelt apologies if we have offended anyone.
The apologies were not enough for everyone. Japan's Counter-Racist Action Collective (C.R.A.C.) noted that LITERA, a news site aimed at women that covers literature, media and pop culture, blasted the apologies in an article that has been shared thousands of times on Twitter and Facebook:
欅坂46ナチス問題で秋元康の謝罪が酷すぎる！ スタッフに責任押し付け、歌詞や振付でも差別を繰り返す体質に反省なし https://t.co/LccigCvpJa
— C.R.A.C. (@cracjp) November 1, 2016
“Akimoto's apology for the Keyakizaka46 Nazi costumes is just the worst! He blames his staff, and has no intention to reflect on how the group's act perpetuates discrimination.” [Headline from LITERA article]
Tabloid Nikkan Gendai was also left unsatisfied. In an unattributed article published on November 3, a writer noted the importance of understanding both the historical and contemporary context of costumes that use Nazi imagery:
[…] ヨーロッパでは若者世代を中心に排斥主義が進み、ナチスを肯定する極右のネオナチ思想が台頭する中での大チョンボだけに、ウェブ上の謝罪で幕引きとはいかないだろう。
無邪気に歌って踊ってファンに手を振るアイドルの子たちは衣装の持つ意味など「カッコイイ」「ヤバイ」という以上には考えもしなかっただろう。だが、今回の騒動が単なる衣装のセレクトミスで済まされないのは、戦争体験や虐殺の記憶の風化に手を貸していることへの無自覚さこそが問題だから根が深い。欅坂は解散の危機を乗り越えられるか。
This is a huge bungle at a time when we see youth in Europe embracing xenophobia as neo-Nazi ideology gains prominence. An apology posted on the web is just not enough.
There may have been no greater intention than get people to think the uniforms were “cool” or “wild” as the idols simple-mindedly waved their hands at their fans as they sang and as they danced. However, this brouhaha can't be simply excused as a “wardrobe malfunction.” It's a more serious issue. The real issue is that there is the tendency to erase the memory of the war and its horrors—to be guilty of being willfully ignorant of history.
Twitter user @lautrea noted there seems to have been a long-time effort to incorporate Nazi imagery into the Keyakizaka brand. Members of the idol group have appeared in the past in similar uniforms—created by noted AK48 costume designer Onai Kimika—on a prime-time program that actually talked about the history of Nazism:
ナチスの歴史紹介で話題になった「しくじり先生・中田歴史塾」の出演者の衣装も欅坂46のナチ衣装をデザインした尾内貴美香の作品。やはりな。https://t.co/xkp7iLxnZZ pic.twitter.com/uvTVhcrnr7
— mold (@lautrea) November 1, 2016
Members of Keyakizaka46 appeared on an episode of “Shikuji-sensei – Tanaka History Cram School” devoted to introducing the topic of Nazism, while wearing Nazi uniforms designed by — you guessed it — Onai Kimika.
こういうミリタリー・ルックのデザインが得意ということだね。https://t.co/5kR50UPEmA pic.twitter.com/1wa0kSNMoT
— mold (@lautrea) November 1, 2016
She's really good at creating this military look.
Another Twitter user pointed out that this wasn't the first time a girl idol band has been associated with Nazism. In 2008, an associate of Hello Project, an ensemble directed by legendary male producer Tsunku, called Adolf Hitler a “great man” (偉人) while appearing on the television channel TV Tokyo. The incident also prompted an apology and claims of “historical ignorance”:
AKBではこういうこともあったと教えてもらった。こう度重なるとかなりまずい。根本問題はどこ？やはり秋元康？https://t.co/rRZAwMRj2V
— 本村睦幸＠11月2日にリコーダーデュオ (@lusthofmeester) November 1, 2016
Tweet: I learned that AK48 (sic) also had the same thing happen. The fact that history repeats itself like this is really bad. A fundamental problem?
Article excerpt: “Hitler, a great man”? TV Tokyo posts written apology for “misunderstanding of history.”
For Twitter user @lautrea, who had noticed the recurring Nazi theme of Keyakizaka's costumes, TV Tokyo's apology seemed to be more appropriate than Keyakizaka producer Akimoto's was:
8年前のテレビ東京の謝罪文の方がまだマシだったかもしれないな。「誤った歴史認識」と書いていたし。 pic.twitter.com/2iVmLaN1T6
— mold (@lautrea) November 2, 2016
The TV Tokyo apology from eight years ago seems to be how it should be done. TV Tokyo did indeed write that they had “misunderstanding of history” [rather than claiming simply to be unaware of it, as Akimoto had done].
TV Tokyo apology:
Our Apologies
Last week on the program Yorusen, there was a segment called “The World's Great People!” On December 4, we discussed Adolf Hitler. Based on a misunderstanding of history (誤った歴史認識), we aired inappropriate content. To all of our viewers we would like to express our deepest apologies.
NOTE: This is article has been updated.
Masae Okabayashi contributed research to this article.