text:
‘Africa Is A Country’ Blog Challenges West’s Idea of Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This isn't another blog about “famine, Bono, or Barack Obama,” warns the blog Africa is a Country in its description on Facebook.
The ironically titled blog aims, among other things, to do away with the the narrative told and retold by western media that Africa is “a perpetual sob story”, Africa is a Country founder Sean Jacobs told Global Voices.
At the same time, Jacobs said, the blog is a collective of scholars, writers, artists, filmmakers, bloggers, and curators who together produce online commentary, original writing, media criticism, short videos, and photography that is working to reimagine Africa as a community.
The founder of the Africa is a Country blog, Sean Jacobs. Photo courtesy of Sean Jacobs.
We recently caught up with Jacobs, a media and international affairs scholar who currently teaches at The New School in New York, to talk about the blog.
Ndesanjo Macha (NM): Will you briefly tell us about yourself?
Sean Jacobs (SJ): I was born in Apartheid South Africa and grew up in a working class coloured township in the city. I am very much a product of segregation, anti-apartheid student movements, affirmative action and the euphoria represented by political freedom in South Africa. I went to the University of Cape Town (still very white at that time) on a scholarship and worked briefly as a journalist before I came to the US as a Fulbright Scholar in the mid-1990s […]
I returned to South Africa at the end of my studies as I felt I would miss out on the experience of working there while democracy was still fresh. So, in 1997 I got hired by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, an organization which played a central role in South Africa’s political transition. […]
In 2001, I came to New York City to take up a graduate fellowship at The New School. I eventually settled in New York City and got married.
I suppose I consider myself an African immigrant in America now (I have two children who were born here) and while I keep up with specifically South African politics, I have also come to care more for how the continent and its people is represented in media here. That’s where Africa is a Country came into the picture.
NM: What is Africa is a Country?
SJ: Africa is a Country is a blog that developed over time — and I want to emphasize this process as it wasn't always clear what it would be become — into a collective of scholars, writers, artists, filmmakers, bloggers, and curators who together produce online commentary, original writing, media criticism, short videos, and photography that deliberately challenge and destabilize received wisdom about the African continent and its people in Western media (that definition includes “old media,” new social media as well as “global news media” like Al Jazeera).
Our main outlet at present is the blog, though we've collaborated with film festivals, print publications and co-hosted public events. We also count as part of our community people who read or comment on our site each day. We've sourced some blog posts and eventual regular contributors from amongst our readers.
NM: Why “Africa is a country”? Isn't Africa a continent?
SJ: Of course we don’t literally believe Africa is a Country. The title of the blog is ironic and is a reaction to old and tired images of “Africa.” As one of the core members of the collective, Neelika Jayawardane, explains in the “About” section on our Facebook page, the blog is that and more. That is, Africa is a Country is also about constructing a kind of “country.” One where the “nation” operates outside the borders of modern nation states in Africa and its continental and conceptual boundaries. So, yes, the blog announces that Africa is indeed a “country,” an imagined community whose “citizens” must reinvent the narrative and visual economy of Africa. I hope that makes sense.
NM: How did you come up with the title of the blog?
SJ: I can’t pinpoint the exact source or moment. It was definitely a mix of factors. There were countless instances of celebrities, politicians (including some who denied immediately that they had said so) who would make the mistake of talking about “the country of Africa” or be very vague of where they traveled when they visited the continent or who exactly (a country, a people, a city, etc) they were describing. In other cases, some journalists implied that Africa was a country in their writings or reporting. But there was something else I did regularly. While blogging as Leo Africanus, I started writing the words “Africa is a Country” in one or other incredulous post about some clearly misdirected reporting from and about Africa. One day I decided to just rename the blog Africa is a Country. It helped that the title attracted more people to show a sudden interest in or reading the blog or that searches for “Africa is a country” led to us.
NM: Who are other authors involved in creating content for the blog?
SJ: Currently the collective consists of about 30 core members and a fluid cast of contributors. So we’re a mix of graduate students, professors, activists, development workers, writers, journalism students, art critics, novelists, photographers, activists, filmmakers, a DJ, and a film curator, among others. […]
NM: What kind of readers visit your site and where do most of them come from?
SJ: We now have more than 11,000 Facebook “Likes,” close to 20,000 Twitter followers, and average between 7,000-10,000 hits per day on the blog, which has had over three million total views since we made the name change. Readers come from all over, though a fast reliable internet connection helps. So most readers live, work or study in the United States and/or Europe. On the continent, most of the readers come from Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.
NM: What are your greatest achievements with the blog so far?
SJ: That’s for our readers to decide. Again, let me drew on something Elliot and wrote down recently when asked the same question: We feel that global, by definition that’s usually Western, media — with few exceptions — have shown themselves time and again to be utterly unable to cover the continent in the depth and detail it demands, still less with any appreciation for Africa as a site of astonishing cultural and artistic production. Africa is a Country aspires to offer an international-scale corrective to this, not in terms of patronising “positive” news stories or PR-style neoliberal boosterism, but through the sustained daily work of presenting and engaging critically with the cultural and political life of Africa and its diaspora. […]
Of course, not everything we do is hardcore: Something we are very excited about is the launch recently of a page on the blog titled “Football is a Country.” We've managed to convince some excellent writers, photographers, film makers and bloggers to commit themselves as contributors and we’re hoping to expand on it.
NM: What is most read post so far?
SJ: The most read post on the blog thus far has been by Elliot Ross on Kony 2012.
But I also want to mention a number of other excellent posts (and I am going to have to leave some posts out of this list, though that does not make them less deserving): There’s Boima Tucker’s explorations on DJ culture and Jeremy Weate's “When Kim Kardasian Came to Lagos and “419ed the 419ers”. Separately, we’ve featured a number of interviews such as Zachary Rosen’s interview with artist Toyin Odutola, Corinna Jentzch’s interview with the German photographer Gregor Zielke, Amkelwa Mbekeni’s interview with Bongeziwe Mabandla and historian Dan Magaziner’s interview with the author of a book on Marcus Garvey.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
‘Agroam’ Lends Hand to African Farmers  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Agroam is a website designed to help African farmers market their products as efficiently as possible and give more opportunities to match buyers and sellers at fair prices.

source: news-globalvoices

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


text:
Brewery Lifts Seizure of Panamanian Football Federation  · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

Despite a tweet from President Ricardo Martinelli that incited controversy, everything is returning to normal after a few turbulent days between the Panamanian Football Federation and Baru Brewery.
On April 29, 2013, President Martinelli (@rmartinelli) [es] made a reference on his Twitter account to one of Baru Brewery's products:
@rmartinelli: Le pido respetuosamente a la Cerv Panamá que retire YA la demanda a Fepafut. La pelea de ellos es contra todo Panamá y ahora es conmigo.
@rmartinelli: I respectfully ask Beer Panama to retract their demand from Fepafut ALREADY. Their fight is against all of Panama and now it is with me.
The president's words sparked opinions both in favor and against his comment. User Joanna (@Buhenona) [es] believed the tweet promoted irresponsibility:
Beer Panama, photo from Flickr user Erik Cleves Kristensen, under the Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)
(@Buhenona) @rmartinelli que falta de todo! Apadrinando la irresponsabilidad de los ladrones esos ¬_¬
(@Buhenona) @rmartinelli what a lack of everything! Sponsoring those thieves’ irresponsibility ¬_¬
For Jesús Chucho Barrios (@chucho507) [es], however, it is a demonstration of love for the national team on behalf of the president:
@chucho507: @rmartinelli Definitivo nuestro Presidente no es un Robot, el se expresa y siente como cualquiera de nosotros. #ApoyoAlPresi @la_cascara
@chucho507: @rmartinelli Our President is definitely not a Robot, he expresses himself and feels just like any one of us. #ApoyoAlPresi [#SupportThePresi] @la_cascara
Baru Brewery lifted the embargo that it had against Fepafut the morning of April 30, as they informed Diario Pro [es]:
En conferencia de prensa convocada en la mañana del día martes, la gerente de Cervecería Barú, Helene Weesie, confirmó que le han notificado a la Federación Panameña de Fútbol que el secuestro que habían interpuesto el día jueves ha sido levantado y que el proceso se retomará después del Mundial 2014.
At a press conference held on Tuesday morning, Baru Brewery manager, Helene Weesie, confirmed that they have notified the Panamanian Football Federation that the seizure which had been interposed on Thursday had been lifted and proceedings will resume after the 2014 World Cup.
The company also used the Twitter account for Panama Beer (@Cerveza_Panama) [es], its main product, to make it known that despite retracting the seizure, they hope justice is done:
@Cerveza_Panama: Los consumidores quieren trasparencia y justicia, nosotros también, por eso continuaremos con el proceso de arbitraje despues del Mundial.
@Cerveza_Panama: Consumers want transparency and justice, as do we, which is why we will continue with the arbitration process after the World Cup.
The company also posted a video [es] on its YouTube channel, where manager Helene Weesie explains the brewery's behavior and clarifies the company's intention, as well as that of all Panamanians, that the national team play. Additionally, the manager spoke about pressure the brewery came under in recent days for simply reclaiming its rights. Finally, Wessie clarifies that Baru Brewery promises to continue searching for justice and will postpone arbitration until after the 2014 World Cup:

author: Ariel Moreno


text:
Savar Tragedy: Where Humanity Shines Amidst Rubbles · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

On 24th of April, a nine storied building collapsed in Savar, in the outskirts of Bangladesh capital Dhaka, where thousands of workers were either killed or trapped (see Global Voices report). A long and difficult rescue operation has been going on ever since and more than 2834 workers have been rescued alive so far from the rubbles. The death toll has risen to 397 on Wednesday (May 1, 2013) and thousands of injured have been hospitalized. Authorities claim that 149 persons are still missing in the country’s worst ever industrial disaster.
More than a thousand rescuers from armed forces along with the firefighters and police were deployed. There had been criticism that the government rejected offers from foreign countries to aid rescue operations with modern tools and experts. However, they defended saying that they were confident that they could manage the crisis on their own and in quick times.
Volunteers inside the collapsed building trying to rescue trapped workers. Image by Rehman Asad. Copyright Demotix (24/4/2013)
Amidst the situation an extraordinary thing happened. Ordinary people came forward to volunteer to rescue the victims along with the professionals. Where the rescuers from armed forces didn't even dare to go these people were brave enough to go there. This article looks at some stories of those brave people.
Some were students, some street vendors, some brick masons, some were day laborers or housewives. They were very ordinary people. Neither did they have any training, nor they had participated in any drills, let alone being equipped with necessary rescue tools. But they took the brave steps – they went inside the rubbles to bring out thousands of injured and hundreds of dead garments workers.
Blogger Arif R Hossain was involved in the rescue efforts right from the start. He has seen everybody's participation from up close. He wrote in facebook about a simple housewife, who engaged in the rescue efforts with a kitchen gadget immediately after the collapse:
সর্বপ্রথম এগিয়ে এসেছিলেন লিটনের মা, খুন্তি নিয়ে…এমনভাবে দৌড়ে এসেছিলো যে পারলে তিনি তার হাতের খুন্তিটা দিয়েই সব ধসে পড়া ছাদগুলোকে আল্গি দিবে। কালকে ওখানে আমি দাঁড়িয়ে হঠাত্ শুনলাম, দমকলের এক কর্মীকে বলতে, “কেউ একটা ডাইলের চামচ দেন আমাকে… নিচে একজনকে দেখা যাচ্ছে… ওকে পানি খাওয়াতে হবে।”
At first Liton's mother came forward, with a Khunti (a pointy kitchen gadget)… as if she would move the collapsed roofs with her khunti. Yesterday I suddenly heard her yelling at a firefighter, “Please give me a Daal (lentil soup) spoon.. I see someone under.. have to feed her water..”
A female worker is being pulled out by civilian volunteers and members of armed forces. Image by Rehman Asad. Copyright Demotix (26/4/2013)
A lot of people from across the country had come to volunteer for the rescue efforts. Blogger Arif Jebtik shares a personal story in Facebook about two persons, who hitchhiked with him to Savar:
দুইজনের হাতে বড় দুই ঝোলা। এতরাতে এসব দেখে সন্দেহ হলো গাড়িতে বসা একজনের। সে সোজাসাপ্টা লোক। সোজা বলে বসলো, ‘ঝোলা দেখান, দেখি ঝোলাতে কী ঝনাত্ ঝনাত শব্দ করে। মাঝরাতে গাড়িতে তুলবো আর গলা কাইটা ফালায়া যাবেন, তা হবে না।’ ঝোলা পরীক্ষা করে দেখা গেল সেখানে ছেনি-বাটাল আরো কী কী দেশি যন্ত্রপাতি!
জানা গেল এরা পেশায় রাজমিস্ত্রি, তবে মূল কাজ পুরোনো ভবন ভেঙ্গে বিক্রি করা দলে শ্রম দেয়া। কাজ করছিলেন ভৈরবে, কিন্তু সাভারের খবর পেয়ে মন মানেনি, নিজেদের কাজ শেষ করে রওনা দিতে অনেক রাতই হয়েছিল, অন্যরুটের বাস ধরে আপাতত গাজীপুরের এই জংশনে নেমে পড়েছেন। সাভারের জন্য কোনো গণপরিবহনের অপেক্ষা করছেন। সাভারের এই কারখানাগুলোতে তাদের কেউ কাজ করে না, কিন্তু তারা এসেছেন বিবেকের দায়ে।
এদের মধ্যে প্রৌঢ়জন দাঁতমুখ শক্ত করে বললেন, ‘২১ বছর বিল্ডিং ভাঙ্গার কাম করি। এই বিপদে আমি না থাকলে কে থাকব কন?’
Both had big bags in their hands. One passenger got suspicious. He asked bluntly: “show us whats in your bag. There are sounds of metal coming from there. We don't want to invite robbers in our car in midnight.” After examining their bags some local masonry tools were found.
Then we learnt that they are brick masons, but they are specialized in dismantling houses and selling scraps. Both were working in Bhairab, but hearing about Savar, they could not wait. They started after work, so the journey was already late. They took a bus till Gazipur and got out here. They were waiting for a public transport towards Savar. They don't have any kin working in the collapsed factories. They just came here out of their conscience.
The elderly among them spoke, “I dismantle buildings for 21 years. If I am not available for the rescue operations for this disaster, who will be?”
The crumbled roofs of the nine-story factory. Many workers were trapped in pockets inside. Image by Firoz Ahmed. Copyright Demotix (26/4/2013)
Mohapurush Shoeb shared a photo of a rescue worker in Facebook whose name is Babu. He alone saved 30 persons from the collapsed rubble. Risking his life he entered inside the building. He shared his experience:
ইটের স্তুপ সরিয়ে ৮ তলা থেকে একেবারে ৬ তলা পর্যন্ত নেমে আসি। সঙ্গে আরো দুজন ছিল। সেখানে ৫০ থেকে ৬০ জনের লাশ দেখতে পেলাম। লাশের স্তুপের মধ্যে থেকেই একজন হাত ধরে বললো, আমাকে বাঁচান। টেনে তাকে বাইরে বের করে নিয়ে আসি।
I moved the stack of bricks and climbed down to the 6th floor from the 8th. Two volunteers accompanied me. We saw 50-60 dead bodies. From the pile of bodies one hand grabbed me. The feeble voice said “save me”. I pulled her out from there and saved her.
Babu became sick after working many hours. After a break he joined the rescue work again.
Savar's Enam Medical College Hospital has created an unique example of providing medical help to so many injured people (for free) who were admitted there immediately after collapse. Maruf Raihan Khan, a student of 3rd year of this medical college has experienced the situation and shared in Doctors Cafe facebook page:
[…] অ্যাম্বুলেন্স করে এতো মানুষ আসছে কেন? কয়েকজনকে জিজ্ঞেস করতেই জানা গেল। কি অবস্থা একেকজন রোগীর! তাকানো যায় না! চোখে জল টলমল করা শুরু করলো।
এক অ্যাম্বুলেন্স থেকে রোগী নামাতে না নামাতেই চলে আসে আরেকটা। যারা উপস্থিত সকলে যেন দিশেহারা। এতো ট্রলি, এতো হুইল চেয়ার আন-নেয়ার লোক কোথায়? কর্মচারীদের সাথে হাত লাগালো এখানেও ছাত্ররা, আশেপাশের মানুষরাও।
[…] why so many people are coming in ambulances? I asked a few and learnt. I couldn't look at the injured bodies, such a disaster. My eyes filled with tears.
The staffs could barely finish unloading one injured person, and another appeared. Everyone was at a loss. Where are so many trollies or wheelchairs required for so many victims? The students came forward to help the staffs on duty. Even the local people started to give a hand.
He wrote about the blood donation of the common people:
তখন রক্ত দরকার, প্রচুর, প্রচুর। একটা টেবিল আর টুল নিয়ে বাইরে বসা হয়েছে। যারা রক্ত দেবে তাদের তালিকা করা হচ্ছে। লিখে কূল পাচ্ছি না। পাশে থাকা আরো দুই লোক আমার সাথে লিখতে থাকলেন। শত শত মানুষ রক্ত দিতে চলে এসেছেন, শুধু সাভার থেকে নয়; বহু দূর-দূরান্ত থেকে। কার আগে কে রক্ত দেবেন, এই নিয়ে প্রতিযোগিতা।
We needed blood, much, much blood. A tool and a table was placed outside. The list of blood donors was being prepared. I just couldn't stop writing and rest. Two colleagues joined me to prepare the list seeing hundreds of people lining up to donate blood. Not only from Savar; but also from far away they came. There was actually a rivalry on who was going to donate first.
Every day new missing people information are being added to this wall. Image by Shuvra Kanti Das. Copyright Demotix (30/4/2013)
Many people also donated blood in Shahbag Gonojagoron Moncho. A lot of contribution were in the form of water, saline and medicine for the injured victims. This poor man could bring only one bottle of water, one packet of biscuit and one packet saline. But he felt he should do something for the injured. Some even offered free phone service for those searching for missing people.
Parvez Alam writes in Facebook about this amazing response from common people:
রাষ্ট্র যেমনি হউক আমাদের সমাজ পিছিয়ে নাই। এর প্রমাণ গতকালই হয়েছে যখন জনতা নিজ উদ্যোগে লাইন দিয়ে রক্ত দিয়েছে, ঝুঁকি নিয়ে উদ্ধার কাজে নেমে পড়েছে, নিজেরাই যে কয়জনকে সম্ভব বাঁচিয়েছে।
No matter how the state performed our societies did not let us down. A proof of this can be found in the long line of blood donors, how they engaged in the rescue efforts and saved many lives on their own.

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


text:
South Korea Pulls Out of Joint Industrial Complex in North Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A nearly decade-old, jointly run industrial complex in North Korea, a place often referred as “last bastion of hope” [ko] for Korean reunification, is on the verge of a shutdown.
The South Korean government has ordered the withdrawal of South Korean workers from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, almost emptying the park by April 29, 2013 and leaving only seven workers behind to negotiate unpaid wages for North Korean workers.
The Kaesong Industrial Complex of North Korea is a special collaborative venture with South Korea which began operating in 2004. North Korea offers South Korean companies with cheap labor and inexpensive land, and South Korean companies, in return, provides basic infrastructure, raw materiel and the capital to run the site and most importantly, employ North Korean workers and pay them with the precious foreign currency.
Model Industrial Complex (factories) in Kaesong Industrial Area, North Korea, Image by User Mimura, Uploaded in Wikipedia (CC 3.0)
Until this most recent flare-up of tensions between the Koreas, business has thrived in the complex despite moments of cross-border conflict. As of early 2013, 53,000 North Korean employees in the complex collected around $90 million a year in wages, an important source of income for the impoverished North.
But the shutdown is a terrible financial blow for the South, as well. The South Korean government estimates [ko] the loss caused by the end of operations will be around one trillion Korean won (about 902 million United States dollars), while the companies involved claim [ko] it could surpass ten trillion won (about 9.02 billion US dollars).
South Korean hawks have flooded the Web welcoming the news of the country's withdrawal from the industrial complex, while others lamented the loss of the cooperative effort between North and South.
Some net users pointed out the shutdown means more than financial consequences:
@tenelux: 개성공단 피해액이 최대 10조원이 될 수도 있다고[…] 게다가 그 자리에 장사정포 다시 들어서면 안보리스크도 올라갈테고.
@tenelux: The loss of companies in the Kaesong Complex can amount to 10 trillion Korean won […] Worse, what if that space is replaced with long-range missiles? It will only increase the national security risk.
@histopian: 개성공단은 북한군을 15km 후퇴시켰고, 남한 체제를 부러워하고 학습하는 5만 여 명의 북한 노동자를 만들었습니다. 경제적 손익과 별도로, 군사적 손익도 따져 봐야 할 겁니다. http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/Show.asp?IDX=2479596 …
@histopian: By building Kaesong Complex, the North’s army [in the region] moved 15 kilometers to the north [from their previous frontline]. The complex, furthermore, has made 50,000 North Korean workers think highly of South Korea’s [free-market economic] system and be willing to learn about it. Apart from pure economic profits aside, the military benefits should not be ignored. [link to related news article]
This particular tweet [ko] highlighting the significance of the Kaesong Complex has been retweeted more than 280 times:
@jiksseol: 개성공단은 상품만 찍어내 온 게 아니다. 이는 평화의 공장이자 숨쉬는 기념탑이고, 남북 사이 가장 현실적인 완충지대였다[…]
@jiksseol: Kaesong Industrial Complex is more than a place where they churn out products. It is where peace was made and it was a living monument of peace, and one of the most realistic buffer zones between two Koreas.
Intense verbal conflicts erupted online between hawkish conservatives and progressives who support the “Sunshine Policy” that made Kaesong possible in the first place. Under this policy, South Korea gave various economic aids to the North, so that “sunshine” would create a wedge between the North Korean regime and its people and eventually lead to reform from the inside. Conservatives lashed out at the North for politicizing the venture for years and even pointed the finger at the former South Korean president who initiated the venture. Since the Complex's opening in 2004, operations have intermittently halted as the North uses it to express its displeasure with the South by refusing South Koreans entry to the Complex:
@cosmicgag: 그리고 개성공단은 평화유지를 위한 남북 채널이라고 사기치는데 그래서 북괴가 대포 쏘고 마사일 쏠때 개성공단 통해서 알려줬나? 개그는 개그맨이 하는거지.. 진보팔이, 종북들은 정신 좀 차려야죠.
@cosmicgag: Some people falsely claim that Kaesong has been a [good] communication channel between the two Koreas that maintained peace. But think what the North did so far: did they warn us about their shelling and missile launch via Kaesong Complex? [No.] Don't kid yourself. It is not funny at all. You progressive scammers and pro-North people need to wake up.
@gvoice01: 개성공단은 평화의고리가 아니라 인질이고 볼모였지. 문제의 시작이 북이거늘[…]
@gvoice01: Kaesong Industrial Complex has been never been “the bridge to peace”, but rather the hostage [held by the North]. Every problem has originated from North Korea.
The mainstream media's use of the word “hostage” in its characterization of any South Korean worker in the Kaesong Complex has fueled accusations of biased, sensational reporting. Actually, the workers who actually stayed at the Complex said [ko] their stay was not unusual, with plenty of water and food no physical threats from North Korean side whatsoever. Some net users chimed in:
@sh4corea: 보수언론, 개성공단 기사 모두 엉터리. ‘돈벌이수단 폐쇄못해’ ‘인질우려’? 북한, 직원 한명 붙잡지 않았다. 정부의 인질구출작전? 정부와 언론이 합작으로 ‘007영화’ 시나리오 썼다. 개성공단, 스파이영화·소설 소재 아니다[…]
@sh4corea: Conservative media’s coverage on the Kaesong Complex is all sham. They claim that the North “held [South Korean] workers hostage” since they “cannot let go of the cash cow”, but actually the North did not ask, not even one worker, to stay. [Some media outlet's headline read] “The government pulled off the hostage-rescue operation”. It is a far-fetched 007 story co-written by the media and the government. Kaesong is not a subject of spy novel or movie.
As South Korean companies in the Kaesong Complex are facing near bankruptcy by the current crisis, some of them are planning to file a lawsuit against the government for their astronomical financial loss. Discussions formed around how to understand the case — whether to treat it as an ordinary civil loss in need of government help, or a damage inflicted by the government itself:
@murutukus: 개성공단 업체들이 정부 상대로 소송을 걸게 되면 그 판결은 과연 어떻게 되는 건가.. 정부의 대북 정책 변화에 따른 피해니까 이게 보상이 되는 건지 배상이 되는건지.
@murutukus: When companies in the complex file a lawsuit against the government, how should the court treat this case? Since it was damage done by the change of the government’s North Korean policy, should it be treated as “compensation” or “reparation“

author: Lee Yoo Eun


text:
Spies, Bloggers and Raids in South Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean state prosecutors raided the National Intelligence Service headquarter amid allegations that the agency hired bloggers and used its agents to manipulate public opinion before the presidential election. The Daum Agora site posted [ko] a snippet of data on the agency's electioneering which was collected by the Lawyers for a Democratic Society.


text:
Tensions Grow at Moldova-Transnistria Security Zone  · Global Voices
Diana Lungu

Tensions increased during the night of April 26-27 in the Security Zone of the Republic of Moldova, according to Moldovan media reports. The Security Zone was set up at the end of the Transnistrian war (March-July 1992), a conflict that aimed to put an end to the separatist movements in Moldova’s Eastern part and regain the breakaway republic of Transnistria.
Last week, the Transnistrian authorities unilaterally installed two checkpoints between the village of Varniţa (a commune that remains controlled by the Moldovan government) and the city of Bender (controlled by the separatist authorities of Transnistria). This led to clashes between Moldovan civilians, who tried to remove the checkpoints, and the Transnistrian militia, who intervened to stop them. The conflict was brought to an end a few hours later, by the Unified Control Commission, a joint mechanism established to monitor, among other things, the Security Zone. While Transnistria claimed that the new checkpoints were aimed at combatting smuggling, the reactions from the Moldovan netizens highlight some of the reasons why the tensions arose.
A map of Moldova and the breakaway region of Transnistria, Wikimedia Commons
Dragoș Galbur believes this was an attempt at occupation. He writes [ro]:
I could not sleep until 4 am, following live what was happening in Varnița, where several Russian soldiers and Transnistrian militians attacked the territory of the Republic of Moldova. And when I say ‘attacked’, I know what I am saying. You cannot come in military uniforms to a land that does not belong to you, (according to the Moscow peace treaty) and start hitting the people from Varnița, installing your wagons under the pretext that you are establishing a checkpoint there. This is called occupation!
Galbur is disappointed by the reactions of the Moldovan officials:
Besides Facebook, in [Chișinău, the capital of Moldova] it was very quiet. Not a single reaction, nothing. No one was picking up the phone. If there had been a shooting by a careless participant, for sure the scenario from 1992 would have repeated itself. But who cares? In Chișinău, there is a big fight, for money and power.
The blogger refers to the deep political crisis affecting Moldova. After losing its government earlier this year, last week Moldovans watched the speaker of the parliament being dismissed.
A recent opinion poll from Moldova (April 2013) uncovers that 81 percent of the surveyed population believe that the country is not governed by the will of the people and 84 percent affirm that the country is heading into the wrong direction; 82 percent of the respondents are also not happy with how the country's ruling administration is dealing with the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict.
The same dissatisfaction is voiced by journalist and blogger Andrei Cibotaru, who thinks that the Alliance for European Integration (AIE) deserves to be called the Alliance for the Eternal Intermission, because of the constant power struggle, which left Moldova without a president for nearly two years, then without a prime minister, and now also without a speaker of the Parliament.
Cibotaru writes [ro]:
Meanwhile, they [AIE] they are intimidating us with the anticipated elections. They keep saying that if the elections come, we will not win, but the communists will. But why should we (and not them!) be scared of that?
The political comeback of the Communist Party might as well be a realistic scenario.
Asked who they would vote for should there be parliamentary elections next Sunday, 32.5 percent of the respondents in the April opinion poll chose the Communist Party, as opposed to the current ruling parties, which gained respectively: 12.6 percent (the Liberal Democratic Party), 10.5% (the Liberal Party) and 6.8% (the Democratic Party).
Journalist and blogger Vitalie Cojocari writes [ro] that “Transnistria is lost forever for Moldova”:
[…] Only a stupid person cannot see this. Transnistria exists as an independent state and does not need the recognition of the entire world, as long as its world is Mother Russia. Transnistria does not represent Moldova and only the naives from the Chișinău-based NGOs still consider the territory across [the Nistru] to belong to the Moldovans. It cannot be otherwise. Twenty years after the war, in Transnistria a new generation was born. This generation has grown and for them it is evident that there exists Moldova, there exists Transnistria and these two entities are completely different states.
Cojocari suggests there are two solutions for Transnistria – one is simple and rapid, and the other one tough and protracted:
The difficult one entails getting the Transnistrians to want to unite with the Moldovans. For this, however, the Moldovan economy needs to be booming, people need to have everything, and life should be a small paradise. Dear theoreticians of coffee-breaks, you will not convince the people on the left bank of the Nistru to unite with the right bank if you don't offer them an alternative. What could we give them? Poverty? Bad roads? The easy solution is to give up Transnistria. It is only in our way. We have a goal. We have to be part of the European Union. With them [Transnistria], we will not be able to do it, without them – yes. I only feel sorry about one thing. These poor people from Varniţa and other villages, forgotten by the authorities from Chişinău.
Meanwhile, popular support for the European Integration of Moldova has decreased in the past few years. This year's opinion poll shows that citizens views and support are equally split regarding integration with the European Union (51 percent) and a Russian Union (52 percent).
In a blogpost entitled ‘Russian Army go home,’ blogger Nicu Gușan is convinced that the only hope lies not in the ruling political class, but in Moldova's citizens:
The Russian military will not take even a single piece of this already crippled republic! This time, despite the impotence of our authorities, we will not allow for another part of our territory to be taken under Russian occupation. Today's citizens will stay on guard just like they stayed in 1992 and thanks to whom this republic has not been entirely occupied.

author: Diana Lungu


text:
“Women Can Change Afghanistan”: Interview with Noorjahan Akbar · Global Voices
Omid Bidar

Noorjahan Akbar, 22, is an Afghan women's rights activist and a prolific blogger. Although she is now studying in the United States, Noorjahan writes about the issues confronting women in Afghanistan for online magazines and blogs. Global Voices Online has recently interviewed Noorjahan.
Global Voices: Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Noorjahan Akbar: I was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. When the Taliban ruled my country, I lived with my family in Pakistan. I then came to the United States where I graduated from a high school. Now I study sociology at the Dickinson College [in Carlisle, Pennsylvania]. After the graduation, I am planning to go back to my home country -where I travel every summer – to work on women's issues.
I became engaged in efforts to empower women in 2008, when I did research on women's music in northern Afghanistan. That experience shaped how I think about women. It allowed me to talk to women and listen to their songs and stories. I also worked with a youth group dedicated to social reforms, helping them with organizing protests and other events. In 2011, I co-founded the organization Young Women for Change (YWC) and worked with them until September 2012.
Noorjahan Akbar. Photo by Alex Motiuk, used with permission.
GV: Why did you choose to campaign for women's rights?
NA: As a woman, I have frequently experienced injustice and discrimination, and I am aware of the many ways in which women are treated as second-class citizens and are not being recognized as whole human beings. I believe, however, that women have the power to change Afghanistan and help it move towards becoming a modern and developed nation. And I want to work on empowering women to realize that they have this power, as well as to harness and use this power. I hope that my efforts will help change the way people – both men and women – think about women so that we may be recognized as human beings and our rights as human rights.
GV: Campaigning for women's rights in Afghanistan can be quite dangerous.
NA: Yes, but I believe the cause is worth the risk. We have one life only, and I believe in spending this life on something that will create a lasting change. I also know that threats are not the whole story; there are many people standing behind and beside me and supporting me, even if they are unable to say it out loud at the moment.
GV: What do you think about women's rights in Afghanistan over the last decade? Has there been positive change?
NA: Definitely. There has been a lot of change, particularly in how women view themselves. A major part of the force behind that change is media.
GV: In your view, what does the future hold for Afghan women?
NA: I think Afghan women have many challenges ahead. Our rights are being spoken about mainly for political purposes. Our access to justice is minimal. Our numbers in media and public offices have gone down since 2010. Many of us still do not finish high school, and a majority of us are forced to marry, often at an early age.
However, there are also signs of hope. Women around the country learn about their rights, stand up for themselves, and speak up. Women are taking jobs, graduating from universities, and creating businesses. These women will shape the future of the country. They will not be caged again.
GV: What role do women play in Afghan media?
NA: There are many women working in Afghanistan's media. There are also many newspapers, magazines, and websites dedicated to women's issues. Recently, women's magazine Rastan (Awakening) was created to bridge the gap between different groups of women.
However, the number of women working in media has gone down over the last two years. The reason for that is the lack of protection for women who dare to show their faces on TV or raise their voices on radio. Overall, there is very little protection for journalists in Afghanistan. This is something we need to focus on if we want to move towards real freedom of speech and democracy. There needs to be a stronger movement to hold the government accountable for the protection of those who use media to highlight people's voices and concerns.
GV: You are a blogger, too. Which blogs do you write for?
NA: I have my own blog in Farsi, but I also blog for UN Dispatch, Safe World for Women International, Negah-e-Zan [Woman's Vision, in Farsi], Rahe Madaniyat, Afghanistan Express, and Afghanistan Outlook.
GV: In your opinion, how effective is blogging as an avenue for Afghan women to highlight their plight?
NA: Very effective. The number of women who are blogging, reading each other's writings, and sharing them on social media is increasing. This has led to the creation of a dialogue about women's literary powers and women's agency through writing. This is most apparent in the efforts of Afghan Women's Writing Project [AWWP], for example.
GV: What is your message for the women and men in Afghanistan?
NA: It's time to realize that Afghanistan will not reach its full potential without the participation of all of us in the process of rebuilding it. We need to take the ownership of our country and lead it to becoming an independent and stable nation. Women can contribute tremendously in that process. Preventing women from education, employment, or from exercising other basic rights is not only a violation of their human rights but also a betrayal of the land we all share.

author: Omid Bidar


text:
Australia: National Disability Insurance Scheme Funding At Last · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

The funding of a National Disability Insurance Scheme has been a political football in Australia. Legislation for the NDIS passed with unanimous support in March 2013. Both sides of politics had argued that it should be funded from general revenue. However, the opposition questioned whether the national budget could afford new spending.
(NDIS campaigning logo – Courtesy: Every Australian Counts)
On 1 May 2013, Prime Minister Julia Gillard opted for an increase in the Medicare levy instead. She threatened to make it a key issue in the Federal election in September unless Opposition leader Tony Abbott agreed to pass legislation for the levy beforehand. He has relented and given it conditional support.
Julie Novak at group blog Catallaxy Files explains why some oppose the levy:
With many Australians effectively feeling the economic pinch of numerous cash-grab tax increases of recent years, it was with lightning speed that folks generally figured out for themselves that the NDIS levy is merely a crude and nasty generalised income tax-increase con, that won’t cover even the net costs of running the NDIS in its first year of operation.
On the trending twitter hashtag #NDIS, there have been lots of people prepared to pay the levy whether it’s really a tax or not. Weezmgk is amongst them:
@weezmgk: Show me a person who begrudges the 0.5% #NDIS levy & I'll show you a person who failed ‘sharing’ in kindy & never has learned the lesson.
RubyRainbow is not happy with the media meme that it has been all about political advantage:
@ColouredView: Most journalists simply cannot comprehend, let alone report, that the Govts support for an #NDIS may be because it's the right thing to do?
The OzPolitic forum has been busy discussing its merits. Its New NDIS Levy thread soon became a popular one. John Smith led off:
I personally don't mind paying a little extra for this type of service, especially if it can help a lot of my opponents on this forum, who will most likely complain about it.
Meanwhile a sideshow opened up following controversial remarks by the CEO of Myer, one Australia’s largest retail chains. Bernie Brooks suggested that the levy would affect sales. The backlash was immediate, especially online.
Stafford tweeted:
@HollywdBubble: Save $5.76 a week 2 pay 4 the #NDIS by Not making a purchase at Myer, Target, Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, Officeworks or Coles #boycottMyer
Andrew Reid was concerned about Myer's employees:
@surrenderdotty: While I understand the calls for a Myer boycott, let's not forget that a large % of the people it will affect are casual staff. #NDIS
Gary Sauer-Thompson at Public Opinion suggested that the disabled are consumers too:
The Bernie Brooks Myer episode over the proposed funding of the NDIS exposes the nature of business intervention into political debate. It is intervention from the position of self-interest in the form of profits before people.
This ignores that the aim of the NDIS is to redistribute Australia’s considerable per capita wealth to allow around 400,000 of the most disadvantaged in our community a better shot at earning a living.
His second link is to The Conversation where medical specialist and academic Michael Vagg offered this advice:
I have a one particular patient with a lifelong severe disabling illness which she has had since birth, who has now lived 10 years past her predicted life span, and shows every sign of going on longer than that. She has gotten her driver’s license and now has to fundraise to afford a modified car. I’d be happy to organize for Mr Bernie Brooks to give her one, if he is looking for a public gesture to make up for his unintentional but enormously offensive comment.
Myer's Facebook page was the target of lots of negative feedback and threats of a boycott. Elizabeth Streep‘s comment was typical:
I called my mum and asked her what she'd like for mothers day and she replied “ANYTHING NOT FROM MYER!” Mum- happy to oblige.
The apology was quick in coming: Myer apologises for NDIS remarks after social media backlash. It has been a brutal lesson in the power of social media.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Bermuda: Bag Tax or Bad Tax?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Local charities are lobbying the Bermudian Government to institute a bag tax to encourage people to shop with reusable bags and reduce waste – but Vexed Bermoothes insists that “it’s nice to think that you can tax people into living or acting better;  it rarely works out that way.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Blaming the Blind Dog: Hungarian Politician’s Domestic Violence Case · Global Voices
Marietta Le

Hungarian netizens are furious over a governing Fidesz party politician's alleged involvement in a domestic violence case. József Balogh, who is reported to have beaten his partner so badly she had to be treated at a hospital, stated that she had been drunk and got hurt because she tripped over the family's blind dog. According to Origo.hu news site [hu], however, the woman said the politician had hit her.
FN24.hu news site conducted an interview [hu] with Mr. Balogh after the case came to light. Here is what Mr. Balogh had to say about it:
Is Terike, who is being treated at a hospital in Kecskemét [city] with a skull fracture, your partner?
Yes, she is. So it was, like, we arrived home on Sunday at five in the morning from the feast, Terike grabbed a bowl of meat, which we brought home to taste, from the trunk, and started carrying it into the house. But we have a Komondor dog weighing 80 kilograms, he is blind and was scared of something, so he ran ahead, and pushed Terike, who fell and hit her head.
Komondor is a Hungarian breed of sheepdogs, well-known for the special long and corded white coat. The suspicious story of the blind Komondor started a series of memes featuring the dog or a woman falling in a strange way. FN.24 posted a collection of these memes [hu], while the mock blog Hírcsárda started a Facebook campaign [hu] for the blind dog.
Hírcsárda blog shared this picture on Facebook with this caption: “One million likes and I will see again.”
A meme from m00kid.tumblr.com.
A group of citizens organized a rally against domestic violence on May 1, titled ‘Walking the dog together – the Komondor is innocent’ [hu].
After the recent discussions on domestic violence in Hungary, this case has brought up the sensitive issue again. According to the account of Mr. Balogh's ex-wife [hu], the man had subjected her to domestic violence during the 25 years of their marriage.
Rosa_parks on Kettős Mérce blog [hu] called for the government to finally take a step, since the issue of domestic violence has to be tackled in this Eastern European country:
We are still living in a subservient, submissive, sneaking country where [one has to be brave enough] to report a family member for domestic violence. The uncertain legal background is only partially the reason for the low number of police investigations – fear is much more common. The absolutely legitimate and intelligible fear. Every sensitive person's heart goes out [to the victims of those cases], because domestic violence is present in almost every family.

author: Marietta Le


text:
Game Over: Pakistan’s Young and Rich Head to the Polls  · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

This post is part of our Special Coverage Pakistan Votes 2013.
By the creator of “It's election time in Pakistan: Go rich boy go!” Jahanzaib Haque, from his Facebook page Jay Toons. Uploaded on April 24, 2013.
A timely online game and mobile app that packs humorous punches at Pakistan's young and rich voters, some of whom say they will bravely dodge bombs to cast their vote next week, has been played by thousands of people.
Karachi-based journalist Jahanzaib Haque created the game “It's election time in Pakistan: Go rich boy go!” ten days ago on April 21, 2013.
The months leading up to the 2013 elections have been rigged with violence, dozens of people have been killed in bombings targeting campaigns, rallies and crowded places. Last month the Pakistani Taliban warned voters and vowed to step up attacks against secular politicians.
About half of Pakistan's 84 million registered voters are under 30 and will be heading to the polls for the first time. An increasing number of young and educated Pakistanis have started to show an interest in politics by attending political rallies and voicing their opinions on Facebook and Twitter. Sarah Munir, a young Pakistani blogger based in Karachi writes:
in the past four months something changed. The conversation steered from what others had done to what we were going to do. We started listening, talking, exchanging views, discussing plans and the most dangerous of all, believing. We started talking about who we were going to vote for and why.
But the Facebook generation is often considered cut-off from the real youth of Pakistan, most of whom have no access to the Internet.  On his personal blog Haque explains his motivation behind creating the game:
When I came up with the idea of writing a text adventure based around the Pakistan elections, I had no idea the game would go beyond my small circle of friends, much less get thousands of plays, leading to a mobile app version, and even more plays.
Hosted on a text adventure website, the game's homepage explains:
You're rich, you're privileged and high on democracy in an ultra-poor, ultra-conservative society!  Are you ready to vote in the urban badlands of ol’ Pakistan? Screw the terrorists, and damn the summer heat – its time to get your vote on.
At the start of the game, Haque breaks down the scenario of the upcoming adventure: “It's election day! You wake up in the morning, excited about going to vote because all your friends on Facebook say they are going too!”. (Facebook is the most frequently visited website in the country.)
Next up you have to decide if you want to take a friend, a date or your guard [note: most upper income households employ private security guards in Pakistan]. If you chose to take your friend or “best buddy Omar (metal head and hipster)”, your first obstacle turns out to be a parent:
Your mom blocks your path. She looks pretty agitated, clutching a copy of today's paper with the headline:  Taliban Plan to Bomb all Polling Stations, Especially Those in Urban Rich-Folk areas
“There is no way I am letting my son go off on a suicide mission and get himself killed voting for a bunch of vultures in an election that won't change one thing about Pakistan!” your mom says firmly.
What do you say? [click on one of the three options to proceed to next round]
(Lie) I'm going to hang out with my friends
You're right. There is no point voting mom.
I'm off to vote!
In a review on the site, filmmaker and blogger Karachi Khatmal writes:
Its tough to decide what's better about this game – a largely accurate description of elite bewilderment at the social and bureacratic mechanisms of Pakistan, or the fact that it's extremely fucking funny.
Haque also runs a popular Facebook page called Jay Toons, where political satire and cartoons come together. Another reviewer writes:
The humor was sometimes a little too dark for my taste (killing children) [sic], but the story felt “real” and at the same part totally crazy. I learned something about pakistan, too, and learning while having fun in a game is the best kind of learning.
Pakistan's British Council recently released a report on young voters in the country, which the newspaper Express Tribune says really drives home that “this is a generation that has been scarred by terrorism, inflation and instability, and yet its members still plan to vote.”
Pakistan's elections, the first democratic transition of power in the political history of the country, are scheduled for May 11, 2013.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


text:
Guatemala: State of Siege After Anti-Mining Protests · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

State of siege in San Rafael Mine in Guatemala. Photo shared by James Rodriguez in the MiMundo.org Facebook page
Residents of four towns east of Guatemala's capital woke up to news that their communities had been placed under a 30-day state of emergency by the administration of President Otto Perez Molina, following anti-mining protests that turned violent.
Xeni Jardin reports on the state of siege in the San Rafael Mine for BoingBoing. Photojournalist James Rodriguez shares photos on his Facebook page MiMundo.org.

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
PHOTOS: Thousands of Workers March for Rights across Southeast Asia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Global Voices reviews the May 1, 2013 Labor Day protests in Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. The rallies, which were organized to echo the various demands of workers and advocacy groups, were relatively peaceful across the region.
In Cambodia, more than 6,000 garment workers were joined by students, NGOs, and urban poor residents in Phnom Penh City who marched from the Freedom Park to the National Assembly calling for living wages and improved working conditions.
Garment workers march in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo from Licadho
Cambodian protesters near the National Assembly. Photo from Licadho
In this video uploaded by the Community Legal Education Center, the main demands and situation of Cambodian workers were summarized:
In Indonesia, thousands of workers marched in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta to commemorate Labor Day. Among their demands were the “fulfillment of the minimum wage, health insurance and safety for workers, as well as refusing outsourcing.”
Thousands of workers march in Jakarta. Photo by Ibnu Mardhani, Copyright @Demotix (5/1/2013)
Workers march in Jakarta during Labor Day. Photo by Ibnu Mardhani, Copyright @Demotix (5/1/2013)
In the Philippines, labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno is disappointed with the labor policies of the government:
We mark the 127th International Workers’ Day and its 110th celebration in the Philippines with a nationwide protest condemning the rabidly anti-worker and pro-capitalist regime of Pres. Noynoy Aquino.
Aquino has again rejected workers’ calls for a significant wage hike, the junking of contractual employment and a stop to trade-union repression. He has bragged about non-wage benefits and his government’s efforts at creating jobs.
Filipino workers march near the presidential palace demanding higher wages and rollback of prices. Photo from Facebook of Tine Sabillo
Labor Day rally in the Philippines. Photo from Facebook of Tine Sabillo
Highlights of the Labor Day events in Manila were featured in this video uploaded by EJ Mijares:
In Singapore. Gilbert Goh of transitioning,org wrote about the historic Labor Day protest in Singapore:
We realised that we are also creating another piece of history in Singapore here as so far no one has managed to organise a labour day event from the ground up – ever and we are proud to be able to do so for the first time!
We may even contemplate doing an annual labour day protest from now on – like what many other countries have done for decades.
Thousands of Singaporeans assembled in Hong Lim Park on Labor Day. Photo from Facebook of Lawrence Chong
Singaporeans participate in historic Labor Day protest to air their views on the government's population policy paper. Photo from Facebook of Lawrence Chong
The event is a sequel protest to the February action which gathered thousands of Singaporeans opposed to the government’s population policy paper. In this video, Singaporeans explained their reasons for organizing and joining the action.

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Peru: A Little Girl’s Sacrifice · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

The website Regionlimaaldia.com [es] shares the story [es] of 9-year old Tatiana, who:
[…] didn't hesitate and got her long hair chopped and sold it in order to buy medicines for her mother, who suffers of hypertiroidism that has caused her a tumor located on her neck.
In spite of her sacrifice, Tatiana wasn't able to buy all the necessary medicines, so she asked for help.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


text:
President Barack Obama visits Mexico and Costa Rica · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

On May 2, U.S. President Barack Obama began his trip through Mexico and Costa Rica with the intention of addressing vitally important themes for the region that include the expansion of commerce and economic and energy cooperation, as well as issues of security, immigration, government and control of illegal drug trafficking. With this visit, Obama completes his fourth visit on Mexican soil.
President Obama's visit arrives at a time when the possibility of establishing migration reform that permits the legalization of more than 11 million undocumented immigrants is still being discussed in Washington. Therefore, before beginning his visit, the president met with dozens of Hispanic leaders in the White House to discuss the cultural, familial and economic ties that the U.S. maintains with its Latin American neighbors.
President Barack Obama begins his trip through Mexico and Costa Rica. Photo from Flickr/jamesomalley (CC BY 2.0)
Many analysts agree the visit should not only concentrate on issues of security, as Obama used to do during Felipe Calderón's term, but should also address the economic growth that Mexico has experienced in that past years, the growth of the middle class and the purchasing power in the countries that he intends to visit. According to a recent article from Foreign Policy, Mexico has decreased its use of U.S. military services to capture mafia “Big Fish” such as Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, stemming from the Mexican's impatience with the way the U.S. has approached the issue of drugs.
Some Twitter-users, like Mexican Martha Delgado (@marthadelgado) [es], expressed their expectations before Obama's visit.
@marthadelgado: Costa Rica pedirá inversión en energías limpias al presidente Obama…¿serán energías limpias tema en la visita de Obama a México?
@marthadelgado: Costa Rica will ask President Obama for investment in clean energy…will clean energy be a topic in Obama's visit to Mexico?
Angélica Fernández (@OyeAngelica) [es] does the same:
@OyeAngelica: #Latinoamerica México recibe a Obama con la esperanza de definir una nueva relación estratégica http://bit.ly/18npnwY
@OyeAngelica: #Latinoamerica [Latin America] Mexico receives Obama with the hope of defining a new strategic relation http://bit.ly/18npnwY [es]
The economy will be the primary topic, according to Blogtico.com (@blogtico) [es]:
@blogtico: Según la Casa Blanca: la visita de Obama a México y Costa Rica tendrá acento económico http://goo.gl/w2Y18  #costarica
@blogtico: According to the White House: Obama's visit to Mexico and Costa Rica will have an economic emphasis http://goo.gl/w2Y18  [es] #costarica
Others, like Razor (@hale_razor), argue that President Obama should do more for the local economy than for the economies of other countries.
@hale_razor: Obama heads to Mexico & Costa Rica in May to promote economic growth & development in Central America. He might want to try that here. #tcot
Others, like Pablo Ventoso (@blito_amargo) [es], are not optimists about Obama's trip:
@blito_amargo: Obama sobre viaje a México y Costa Rica: “Queremos asegurarnos de que nuestro hemisferio esté más integrado” Ojalá y hable del cerebral
@blito_amargo: Obama on his visit to Mexico and Costa Rica: “We want to make sure that our hemisphere is more integrated.” I hope he is referring to the cerebral [hemisphere]
María Hilaria Max (@mariamasherrera) [es] affirms that the delicate topic of Venezuela will also be discussed during the trip:
@mariamasherrera: Obama espera abordar el tema de la situación política de Venezuela en su gira por Latinoamérica http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noti… vía @noticias24
@mariamasherrera: Obama hopes to address the political situation in Venezuela during his trip through Latin America http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noti… [es] from @noticias24 [news24]
Desiree Rivas (@DesireeRivasRui) [es] disagrees about the possibility that Venezuela will be a topic of discussion:
@DesireeRivasRui: Quien le dijo a Obama q aborde el tema de Venezuela en su gira por latinoamérica? Ojalá nuestros hermanos no c presten para este tema interno
@DesireeRivasRui: Who told Obama to address the topic of Venezuela in his trip through Latin America? Hopefully our brothers don't lend to this internal issue.
Vanessa Ortiz (@VanessaOrtiz) [es] affirms that Obama's visit will only create arguments:
@VanessaOrtiz: @FGM91 @MexicanoHoy Esa visita de OBAMA por la Latinoamerica me trae sospecha, de seguro para crear conflicto contra MADURO.
@VanessaOrtiz: @FGM91 @MexicanoHoy [Mexican Today] Obama's visit through Latin American makes me suspicious and will surely create conflict against Maduro [Venezuelan President].
Meanwhile, other Twitter users, like Politico Incorrecto [Incorrect Politics] (@El_incorrecto_) [es], come to Obama's defense:
@El_incorrecto_: Que fácil es echarle la culpa a Obama de todo los males de Latinoamérica. Que difícil es asumir responsabilidades y trabajar.
@El_incorrecto_: How easy it is to throw the blame on Obama for all the problems in Latin America. How difficult it is to assume responsibility and work.

author: Robert Valencia


text:
Saudi Authorities Continue Crackdown on Human Rights Activists · Global Voices
Guest Contributor

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian authorities detained yet another member of the country's defiant leading human rights organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). Umar Al-Saeed is the seventh ACPRA member to be detained since the kingdom initiated a crackdown on human rights activists in 2012.
Under Saudi law, most forms of association are banned and public assembly is restricted. Organisations like the ACPRA have to get a license from the Kingdom's Interior Ministry to operate, but the ministry rarely issues licenses to human rights organisations. The monarchy does not acknowledge basic human rights like freedom of speech. Most of the legal proceedings initiated against human rights activists in the last year have been because they are involved in organisations that “don't have permission” to operate.
Umar Al-Saeed Detained
Al Saeed was asked to appear before the investigation and persecution bureau on April 28, 2013, for his involvement with the ACPRA. He went with his lawyer, Bader Al-Harbi, who came from Kuwait to attend the session with him. After waiting for two hours, Al-Saeed was asked to enter the interrogation room alone.
Umar Al-Saeed (@181Umar) tweeted [ar]:
@181Umar: كتابة العدل في المحكمة الكبرى ببريدة رفضت طلب توكيل المحام بدر عماش الحربي وأفادوني بأن توكيل الأجنبي لا يسمح به حتى لو كان خليجي ! #حسم
Notary at the Supreme Court of Buraidah has rejected hiring Badar Ammash al-Harbi on the basis that he is not Saudi. They have informed me that hiring a foreign attorney is not permitted even if he is a GCC citizen.
He insisted on his right to a lawyer and argued with the investigator who then ordered his arrest. Online activists and human rights defenders saw this as a growing trend to suppress activists in the country.
Thumar Al-Marzouki (@thumarm) tweeted [ar]:
@thumarm: سجن عمر السعيد عضو جمعية #حسم .. لن يثني الشباب ولن يرهبهم عن مواجهة و رفض إستبداد الدولة وقمع أجهزتها الأمنية، عمر جزء من كل، ليس النهاية
Imprisoning Umar Al-Saeed, ACPRA member, won't discourage youth or terrorize them from defying the country's tyranny and the repression of its security agencies. Umar is part of a whole, it's not the end
Waleed Abualkhair (@abulkhair) tweeted [ar]:
@abulkhair السعيد اعتقل لأنه رفض التحقيق دون محامي ود.الخضر اعتقل لأنه رفض المحاكمة دون حضور النساء يبدو أنهم قد سأموا مسرحية الاعتقال وفق القانون
Al-Saeed was arrested because he refused investigation without a lawyer. al-Khudar was arrested because he refused the barring of women from his trial. Apparently, they have given up on carrying out arrests according to legal procedures.
Authorities now after the Union for Human Rights
Mohammad Ayed Al-Otibi, one of the founding members of the Union for Human Rights, a human rights organization recently established in the country, was also summoned for interrogation on April 28. His cofounders Abdullah Al-Atawi and Mohammed Abdullah Al-Otaibi accompanied him to the bureau of investigation and persecution and were surprised to learn that they would be interrogated as well. Mohammad Abdullah Al-Otaibi appeared before the bureau on April 29 and Abdullah Al-Atawi on April 30.
Mohammad Ayed Al-Otibi, was accused of establishing an association without permission. He was asked to re-appear on Wednesday. He requested more time to find a lawyer but the investigator rejected his request.
Mohammad Abdullah Al-Otaibi was also accused of establishing an association without permission and creating websites on the Internet for it.
Another member of the Union, Abdullah Al-Harbi was summoned by the bureau of investigation and persecution later. He appeared before the bureau on April 30, along with Abdullah Al-Atawi. Both were accused of establishing an association without permission. The investigators offered to drop the charges against Abdullah Al-Harbi was in exchange for him leaving the association, but he rejected the offer.
The Union for Human Rights, published a satatement [ar] claiming that the establishment of their union is legal and protected by international and Arab laws.
None of the charges against these four men relates to an internationally recognizable crime, and the irony is that it was precisely because of their attempt to formally register the organization that the authorities clamped down on them, said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.
Trial of Eisa Al-Nekhaifi
On April 29, the trial of Eisa Al-Nekhaifi, the Saudi activist who became known for the Southern border case resumed. Al-Nekhaifi, was jailed for his solidarity with the families’ sit-in in the southern region of Saudi Arabia; who were forced to leave their homes upon the clashes between Saudi forces and the Houthis and never allowed back.
The judge, Omar Al-Husain, sentenced Al-Nekhaifi to three years in prison, slapped him with a four-years travel ban, and ordered the “expropraition” of all of his accounts and pages on social networks. This is the second time a Saudi judge issue a verdict involving social media accounts of a Saudi citizen. (The first was issued against the ACPRA last month.)
Saudi Arabia has a distressing human rights record which includes arbitrarily detaining over 30,000 people.
This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

author: Guest Contributor


text:
Science Fiction in China · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Alec Ash from LARB talks with Chinese science fiction writer Fei Dao about science fiction in China.

author: Abby Liu


text:
No Taxis for the Blind in Singapore? · Global Voices
Chan Myae Khine

A visually impaired lady from Singapore wrote about the lack of public awareness on the helpfulness of guide dogs as a taxi driver refused to let in her guide dog saying “Dogs are not allowed” on taxis.
Would Singaporeans only accept blind people with their guide dogs when there is a protective Law with penalties?

author: Chan Myae Khine


text:
Teargas and Water Cannons for Istanbul’s Labor Day Protesters · Global Voices
Stratos Moraitis

Teargas enveloped Istanbul as demonstrators defiantly merged onto the city's symbolic Taksim Square, where they hold May Day protests every year. The government banned all events there this year, because the square is under construction.
As protesters and police clashed they turned the 15 million strong metropolis into a war zone, leaving behind destroyed property and reportedly dozens of injured people. To get a grip on the increasing number of protesters, Turkey's police fortified their ranks with four planes full of officers transfered [tr] from other cities.
Among the injured were four journalists and a teenage high school student who suffered head injuries [tr]. and is in critical condition at the  hospital. Opposition politicians affected from gas and police brutality were also hospitalized [tr].
Istanbul demostrators under teargas during Labor Day celebrations. Photo by Burak Kara. Used with permission.
Taksim Square, the usual venue for Istanbul's Labor Day demonstrations has been under construction for months, to help relieve the bottleneck of traffic that develops around it. City authorities and the unions who insisted on celebrating the day at Taksim, had been in negotiations to find alternative venues, but that talks failed on April 30, 2013. The city administration immediately issued an order to cancel all public transportation between the Asian and European sides of Istanbul that lead to Taksim Square. Later, during a press conference, Istanbul Governor Mutlu banned all events at Taksim on May 1st.
Journalist Ayla Jean Yackley (@aylajean) provided insights as to the political importance of Taksim Square for both the government and other groups:
@aylajean: Taksim project seen as PM Erdogan's pet project. Square has immense political, cultural significance for many factions in Turkey
The lack of public transportation in a city of 15 million brought civic life to a screeching halt on May 1. Workers Unions, non governmental organizations and opposition political parties had a different plan. Thousands merged in the Besiktas, Sisli and Mecidiyekoy neighborhoods, surrounding Taksim from all sides, commuting through their own private or collective means. As the sun dawned on Istanbul, the fight first broke out in Besiktas:
Labor Day rally teargassed in Besiktas, Istanbul, on May 1, 2013. Photo tweeted by Deniz Atam. Used by permission
@aslitunc: İstanbul is under police siege today, Public transport banned, roads blocked, pepper spray used extensively, police attacks demonstrators.
Raising the bridge between the historical peninsula and central Taksim was another method to prevent workers to reach their destination:
Galata Bridge raised to stop protesting workers. Photo by Dilek Zaptçıoğlu on Twitter, used by permission
While different groups tried to march towards Taksim, police in small and large groups attacked protesters on main and back streets with water cannons and teargas canisters. Within two hours, the European side of the city had turned into a war zone. Ambulances and tourists were reportedly targeted with teargas by police:
@oemoral: Tweeps reporting fr side streets of #Besiktas tweet it's like a war zone.Stores,people in shambles due to gas & water guns #MayDay #Istanbul
@ErdiErge: Police in Besiktas throws gas bombs on ambulances several wounded in #istanbul #laborday #Turkey
@CeylanWrites: Even tourists have had tear gas fired at them! Radikal reports#istanbul #1mayis
@Ziya Meral: Best sarcastic tweet to emerge from Istanbul today thus far: “Yesterday we had the Jazz Festival, today is the Gas Festival”
Even some mainstream media complained about police brutality. Otherwise, the press was very reluctant to report on the terrible events of this day in Istanbul. News organizations close to the government used a picture [tr] of a demonstrator throwing a petrol bomb to propagate the official thesis that Labor day's protesters were “radicals.”
On Twitter, some compared Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's tactics to those of former dictators in the Middle East:
@erdierge: Police violence in #istanbul is worse than #ArabSpring Mubarak's police was better than #turkey‘s Erdogan #laborday #1mayis
Teargas canisters also caused damage to private property:
Damage caused by teargas canisters to homes. Photo tweeted by @farkindayimm, used by permission.
Demonstrators finally dispersed after the Workers Union Confederation leader negotiated an armistice with the police:
Protesters teargassed in Besiktas. Photo tweeted by @13melek, used by permission
The International Trade Union Confederation was quick to condemn police brutality in Istanbul.
After a day of brutality leading to injuries, and irresponsible and sometimes outright outrageous comments by government officials [tr] and journalists [tr] alike, all went home for an evening of Turkish TV series and business as usual.

author: Stratos Moraitis


text:
The Kremlin Defeated the Russian Opposition? · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

“Do you really have the feeling that the old system collapsed after the December 2011 protests? The system defeated the opposition. It’s a fact.” Vladislav Surkov delivered this line [ru] earlier today to a crowd of reporters and students at the London School of Economics. Surkov is the former First Deputy of the Chief of the Russian Presidential Administration, having worked in the Kremlin for over a decade, under both Putin and Medvedev, until his ouster in late December 2011. He is also widely credited with having masterminded the federal government’s “ideological policy” of engaging, but mostly suppressing, the protest opposition throughout the post-Yeltsin era.
The 2011-2012 winter protests that erupted in Moscow and other large cities owe much of their organizational success to the country’s increasingly active netizens, who reacted to Surkov’s statement today with the expected explosion of anger.
Vladislav Surkov, 25 September 2009, photo by Juerg Vollmer, CC 2.0.
Opposition activist Ilya Yashin tweeted [ru]:
“Система победила оппозицию”, сказал Сурков. Пока она, по-моему, победила только самого Суркова, которого в аппаратной борьбе сожрал Володин
“The system defeated the opposition,” Surkov says. Though it seems to me that it defeated only Surkov, who was gobbled up by Volodin in the fight for top dog.
Offering quick proof of Godwin’s Law, Twitter user Vagif Abilov wrote [ru]:
Сурков считает, что система победила оппозицию. А Гитлер победил евреев.
Surkov thinks that the system defeated the opposition. And Hitler defeated the Jews.
Albert Alkhazov, on the other hand, tweeted [ru] earnestly:
Сурков:”Cистема победила оппозицию” ? Cмешно :) Победить оопозицию можно только на честных выборах, которых вы боитесь.
Surkov: “the system defeated the opposition”? Hilarious ☺ You can only defeat the opposition in honest elections, which you fear.
Meanwhile on Facebook, the group “We Were at Bolotnaia Square and Will Come Again” posted [ru] a link to an article containing Surkov’s London remarks. Facebook users’ reactions to that post are universally hostile.
In a comment that attracted 30 “likes” (more than any other comment) and attacked another of Surkov's jabs at oppositionists’ “extremism,” Nikolai Kladovoi wrote [ru]:
Я думаю, слова Суркова следует трактовать по статье УК “Клевета”, и подать соответствующее заявление, от лица кого либо из участников “Болотных” событий. НИКТО из этих участников не был привлечён к ответственности по статье “Экстремизм” (282), и г-ну Суркову, конечно же известно об этом. Следовательно, данное заявление, 100% клеветническое.
I think that Surkov’s words ought to be addressed according to the criminal code against slander, and any one of Bolotnaia’s participants should file suit against him. NOT ONE of these participants has been convicted of violating the extremism statute, and Mr. Surkov is of course aware of this. And so Surkov’s announcement today is 100% slanderous.
In another popular comment, Victoria Koshkina wrote [ru] ironically:
это он в очень правильном месте сказал – Лондон должен знать, кому предоставляет визы
he said this in a very appropriate place—London should know whom it grants visas
Today in London, Surkov didn’t only taunt the protest movement. He also responded to questions about the Skolkovo Innovation Center, a high technology “science city” (still under construction) that’s meant to become Russia’s own Silicon Valley. Federal investigators have recently opened an embezzlement case [ru] against Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev, who earned $750 thousand between February 2011 and February 2012.
Today, Surkov criticized investigators’ conduct in the case, saying [ru]:
На мой взгляд, так громко говорить о правонарушениях до решения суда, это может быть, и неправильно. Говорить нужно, но вопрос в громкости, можно говорить громко, а можно – не очень громко.
In my view, talking so loudly about legal offenses before a court decision might be inappropriate. We need to talk about it, but the question is about that conversation’s volume—we can talk loudly, but we can also talk not so loudly.
Ponomarev, incidentally, was a prominent figure in the winter protest movement. In an article [ru] for the website Slon.ru (written before Surkov’s London performance), political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky noted that Ponomarev’s scandal could harm Medvedev and anyone else associated with Skolkovo. Did Medvedev and Surkov funnel three-quarters of a million dollars to a man who played a central role in the massive anti-Putin protests of 2011-2012? Could this compromising link have influenced Surkov’s London declarations of victory over protesters? What’s he trying to prove? And who exactly was his intended audience?

author: Kevin Rothrock


text:
Absurdity Takes to the Streets in Russia · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

May Day might not be as big of a celebration in 21st century Russia as it was in the Soviet Union, but it is still a day for demonstrations and marches. This May 1, along with photographs of political signs urging to Free Navalny! [ru] and accounts of arrests at political rallies [ru], RuNet was flooded with reports of a different kind. The photographs stand out from a sea of red (Communist) or blue (United Russia) flags — an odd slogan here, a carnival mask there. These are participants in “Monstration” (the word comes from “demonstration” with the “de-” removed, rather than “monster”), a quirky celebration of absurdity brought to you courtesy of Siberia.
Самые крутые монстранты  #монстрация
A photo posted by Sergey Mordvinov (@s_mordvinov) on
This year was the tenth anniversary of Monstration. Founded in Novosibirsk by the artist Artyom Loskutov, and always held on May 1, it quickly caught on in other Russian cities, as well as the Ukraine. The idea is simple — a public art performance in the form of a political march, with absurd posters and costumes used by participants to express themselves. As one Omsk blogger described it in his report [ru] from the event:
Монстрация — это пародия на традиционную демонстрацию с абсурдными требованиями и плакатами, где каждый участник заявляет то, о чём хочет.
A Monstration is a parody of a traditional demonstration, with absurd demands and slogans, where every participant says what he wants.
Юрец – молодец! @mutantcornholio #монстрация
A photo posted by Sergey Mordvinov (@s_mordvinov) on
Although it has been adopted by other cities, Monstration still remains a largely Siberian, and specifically Novosibirsk, endeavor. This year it took place in Omsk, Tyumen, Khabarovsk, and Novosibirsk (all Siberian cities), as well as Krasnoyarsk, Yekaterinburg, Yaroslavl, and five cities in the Ukraine and Moldova. Attendance is telling — this year Novosibirsk drew a crowd of over two thousand [ru] (as it has for the last four years), while Krasnoyarsk had around 40 participants [ru], and Omsk does not look to have broken [ru] the several dozen barrier. Even Moscow's rally in 2011 only had 200 in attendance. Curiously, Yekaterinburg's first attempt at a Monstration this year was a major success — the citizen journalism portal Ridus reports [ru] that there were over 1000 marchers.
#1мая #монстрация #шествие
A photo posted by Andrey Mil (@andreyeesti) on
Leonid Agutin performing in 2003. “Russia without Agutin” is a slogan many people could probably get behind. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons.
Monstration is all about funny slogans, and the slogans are funny. The one above reads “Россия без Агутина” (“Russia without Agutin”) referring to the cheesy 90's era pop singer Leonid Agutin [ru], and plays on the fact that the name rhymes with Putin. Although this slogan could be construed as marginally political, most aren't — for example monstrators at the Krasnoyarsk event chanted “Хей, хей, хей, к нам едет Саша Грей” (“Hey, hey, hey, who's coming to town, Sasha Grey”), namechecking the famous retired porn-star who for some inexplicable reason is immensely popular in Russia. (The fascination with Grey's upcoming visit to Russia led the poet and journalist Ivan Davydov to joke on his blog [ru]:
Национальная идея начинает постепенно вырисовываться: всей страной влезть в желтую Ладу-Калину, и овладеть решительно Сашей Грей. Как Америкой, ненавидимой и вожделенной. Желательно – на фоне ковра.
A national idea is slowly emerging: the whole country wants to get into a yellow Lada-Kalina [ru], and to decisively “take” Sasha Grey. Like America, hated and coveted. Preferably with a wall carpet [ru] in the background.)
Other examples of slogans from this year included [ru]:
Вперёд в тёмное прошлое!
Forward into the dark past! [A play on the old “bright future” canard.]
Виктор Цой предупреждает — автобусы убивают!
Victor Tsoi warns — buses kill! [The famous rock star died when his car collided with a bus]
Хватит выкладывать еду в Инстаграм
Stop posting food in Instagram
and
Я живу с циничным сусликом
I live with a cynical gopher
“Forward into the dark past!” YouTube screenshot, May 2, 2013.
Although it is technically not a “flashmob,” the Monstration phenomenon probably would not exist without the internet. The events in the various cities were organized through the monstration.ru [ru] blog, which posted the time and place of the meetups, as well as city-specific [ru] pages [ru] on the social network VKontakte [ru]. The pages also noted whether the event was coordinated with the respective city governments. The importance of the Internet also goes for the slogans and posters. There are several online repositories of past Monstration slogans — the biggest one [ru] lists them by year and city, presumably for those people too lazy to come up with their own. And sure enough, the “Russia without Agutin” slogan already appeared once in Novosibirsk, 2011.
Монстрация в Новосибирске #монстрация #новосибирск #миртрудмай #holiday #fiesta #novosibirsk #instaphoto
A photo posted by Maksim Voytenko (@makssib) on
Because Monstrations are consciously apolitical, attempts by political groups to hijack the movement are usually met with hostility. For example, after members of the opposition tried to associate themselves with Moscow's Monstration in 2012, Loskutov reportedly forswore any future Monstrations in Moscow. Of course, the fact that these events take place on a day that is consummately political, just adds to the absurdity, and makes for some ironic opinions [ru], like this gripe from one Monstration attendee:
Не понравилось, что коммунисты вышли с коммунистическими плакатами. Извините, что это, блядь, такое? […] Зачем вы вечно лезете даже туда, где вам нет места?
I didn't like the fact that the communists came with communist posters. Sorry, but what the f*ck is that? […] Why are you constantly trying to infiltrate even where there is no place for you?

author: Andrey Tselikov


text:
From Russia with No Love…for Central Asia · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

Despite being the major destination for Central Asian migrant workers, Russia is famous for regular intolerance towards ‘non-Russians’ residing within its borders. Hate crimes based on race and ethnicity are not rare in the multinational federation, and migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus are the usual victims [ru] of racist sentiment. Aware of deepening anti-migrant feelings, many of Moscow's politicians look to boost their capital among voters by promoting right-wing policies. But there is always one politician that goes a step further than the rest.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party, is a combustible MP famous for making statements that are neither liberal nor democratic. Long-accustomed to playing the fool in domestic politics, Zhirinovsky's April performances seemed designed to send the entire Central Asian region into non-comic uproar.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, image from the LDPR's website, used with permission.
His assault on the peoples of the area began with a proposal in the Russian parliament to relieve [ru] the Kyrgyz Republic of the Issyk-Kul, a picturesque lake ringed by the awesome Tien Shan range, in order to pay off the large debt the former Soviet republic owes Moscow.The following week he was at it again, ranting [ru] at Central Asian migrants on a political talk show.
While Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs laughed off [ru] the suggested lake-for-debt deal, a number of Kyrgyz internet users failed to see the funny side of the suggestion.
Under a YouTube video of Zhirinovsky's parliamentary speech, bekturel commented [ru] :
Иссык – Куль он захотел. Ни одной кыргызской лужи не получите! Долг мы вернем, только не водой, и не землей, а бумажками.
So he wants Issyk-Kul. You will not get a single Kyrgyz puddle! We will pay off our debts, not with water or land, but with [paper money].
‘They are like slaves…’
Russia's parliament ignored the proposal of the ‘showman of Russian politics‘ and ratified a write-off of the $500 million Kyrgyz debt without confiscating any national treasures. But Zhirinovsky did not stop at that and, a few days later, made another colorful performance [ru] at a political talk show on Rossiya, a state-owned television channel. During the show, Zhirinovsky spoke of the need to introduce visa requirements for nationals from Central Asian states, who currently do not need visas to travel to Russia. He also indulged [ru] in expressive descriptions of Central Asian labor migrants:
Им не надо жилья, страховок. Oни как рабы крепостные, спят в подвалах, едят любую гадость.
They don't need accommodation or insurance. They are like slaves or serfs, sleeping in basements and eating any filth.
Banner of Zhirinovsky-led LDPR, reading “LDPR for Ethnic Russians!” Image by Ilya Radnets, used with permission.
The majority of people commenting under the YouTube video of the debate agreed. A user under the nickname ‘nekto1rublik’ wrote [ru]:
давно пора уже ввести самый жесткий режим для их въезда вы посмотрите на улицы наших городов скоро на нас уже будут смотреть как будто мы не у себя дома кругом одна чернота сколько можно то уже….а те которые уже приехали нужно в вагоны и желательно грузовые и в Таджикистан!!!!!!
It is high time to introduce the strictest regime for the entry [of migrants from Central Aisa]. Look at the streets in our cities. Soon we will be looked at as if we are not at home, there is blackness everywhere. How much more can we take?… Those who have already arrived should be put on trains, preferably on cargo carriages, and sent to Tajikistan!!!
The comment voted most popular came [ru] from a user ‘CSKA Ultra’, whose name refers to the group of right-wing football hooligans supporting the football team CSKA Moscow:
ЗА визовый режим с чуркостанами.
I am for a visa regime with Churkostans [‘Churki’ is  derogatory slang for Central Asians].
Later during the same debate, Zhirinovsky argued that the Taliban might “trample on Tajikistan” and “hang [Tajik President Emomali Rahmon] in the center of Dushanbe”. This statement provoked mixed reactions, earning the politician some respite from Tajik internet users who oppose their country's regime. But it led the Tajik parliament to register a complaint [ru] with the Russian ambassador.
‘You all have 15 children…’
Zhirinovsky concluded [ru] one of his anti-Central Asia rants during the talk show with some damning stereotypes:
Все бывшие советские республики живут лучше нас. То есть Россия через 20 лет снова всех кормит. Они все откормленные, все одетые и едут сюда погулять, бандитизмом заниматься, понасиловать. Естественно там у них работы не хватает, но эта причина ваша, это ваша релишия, у вас по 15 детей. Если  у вас как у русских будет один ребёнок, вы вообще не будете думать о России. Пускай все Таджикские семьи имеют два ребёнка в семье и проблемы никакой у вас не будет! Тоже самое узбекистан и весь исламский мир
All post-Soviet countries live better than us. Twenty years [after the break-up of the Soviet Union], Russia feeds everyone again. They are all well-fed and well-dressed, and they come here to have a good time, to do banditry, and to rape. Of course they don't have enough jobs at home; but that is your fault, [the fault of] your religion. You all have 15 children. If you had only one child, like Russians, you would not even think about Russia. Let all Tajik families have only two children and you will not have any problems! The same [concerns] Uzbekistan and the whole Islamic world!
During his long political career, Zhirinovsky has earned the reputation of an eccentric, populist, and nationalist politician. Born in Kazakhstan, the son of a Jewish lawyer, he still has some close friends in Central Asia and remains something of a contradiction in terms. Only 6 percent of Russia's electorate voted for him in the 2012 presidential vote that secured Vladimir Putin's re-election as head of state.
Given these discrepancies, it has often been suggested that Zhirinovsky is a kind of diversion for Putin's United Russia party: a way of soaking up nationalist votes without offering a credible alternative to the ruling elite. That refrain was echoed [ru] by MrFury1984 under a YouTube video of Zhirinovsky on another television show, where he was asked to change his profession:
Да жирик не хочет быть у руля ))) это много ответственности , он часть пирога имеет от бюджета.. и радуется )))
[Zhirinovsky] doesn't want to be in the driver's seat ))) That would be too much responsibility. He is happy getting his piece of the budget pie )))
That is good news for Central Asian migrants in Russia, but the plain fact that Zhirinovsky is supported by thousands of people is a reason to be concerned. YouTube user ‘Anonim Anonimov’ writes [ru] underneath the video of the talk-show with Zhirinovsky:
А были ли фальсификации на недавних выборах если Жириновский из передачи в передачу побеждает адекватность с подобным перевесом? Может у нас и вправду с народом просто что-то не то?
Maybe there were no falsifications during the recent elections if Zhirinovsky goes from debate to debate winning with such massive margins? Maybe there is really something wrong with our people?

author: Chris Rickleton


text:
Hostages and Ransom Payments: What is France’s Policy? · Global Voices
Laurent Delors

Around three months after the French President François Hollande’s decision to stop paying ransoms to hostage takers, the Moulin-Fournier family were finally released, to the immense relief of their family and friends. However, there is still no information to shed light on how this liberation occurred.
Video of the hostages following their release via zoominwal [fr]:
In January 2013, François Hollande told the families of French citizens around the world that France would henceforth follow a policy of refusing financial dealings with the hostage-takers. The time of giving in to ransom demands had come to an end.
This change had been considered during the Sarkozy era, due to payment of ransoms increasing the greed of kidnappers. Abdoulaye Bah of Global Voices noted in 2010 that [fr]:
Plus de 90% du financement des groupes terroristes proviennent de paiement de rançons. [..] Tant que les pays occidentaux paient pour libérer leurs otages, les groupes terroristes garnissaient leurs «comptes».
The crisis in Mali accelerated the process [fr]. Since when, intelligence service agents have tried to adapt their negotiation methods, breaking with the French techniques which had prevailed until that time. The adopted model was along the lines of those used in Britain and America.
Bernard Kouchner talked of the different approaches [fr] when trying to resolve hostage situations:
On oppose souvent un modèle français qui paie et un modèle anglo-saxon qui ne paie pas mais les choses ne sont pas si claires que cela, chaque affaire d'otage est unique et plus complexe qu'on ne le croit.
Contrary to in Britain and the US, where it is clearly spelled out to citizens that government policy will not make any type of concession regarding individuals or groups who take hostages, France has not set out a precise policy in its official documents, and instead only used to warn against kidnappings.
François Hollande therefore set in action a radical change when he made his clear announcement of France’s refusal to give in to ransom demands. However, the lack of transparency over the latest liberation of hostages in Cameroon leads the onlooker to believe that the actual situation is more complicated.
The French family were taken hostage on February 19, 2013 in Cameroon, and claimed by Boko Haram, the Nigerian terrorist group. The hostages were freed on April 19. News website Slate Afrique asked Did France pay a ransom to Boko Haram? [fr] the day after their liberation:
Des questions qui se posent avec d’autant plus d’acuité que l’on se souvient des revendications de Boko Haram, lorsque la secte nigériane a confirmé être l’auteur de l’enlèvement de cette famille française, dans la localité de Dabanga, dans l’extrême-nord du Cameroun, le 19 février dernier
The article also remarked upon the discretion of the French and Cameroon governments on this affair.
The French government has reaffirmed that it did not break its resolution and that it did not pay a ransom. The members of Boko Haram had let it be known in a video uploaded on February 25 that they wanted family members “imprisoned in Nigeria and Cameroon” to be freed. The Nigerian government then intervened, however, details of any negotiations [fr] were not disclosed.
As for the Moulin-Fournier family, they told the media through crisis management consultants gestiondecrise.com [fr] about their tough experience without disclosing any information concerning the conditions of their release. The question of what is French policy in hostage situations therefore remains open.

author: Laurent Delors


text:
Internet Freedom Camp in Lima, Peru · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Are you in Lima? Would you like to do something to preserve the Internet? Sign up for the 2013 Internet Freedom Camp: two days of free culture and activism in Lima [es].
On May 4 and 5, 2013, activists, designers, linux users, audio-visual artists, lawyers and journalists will come together for a ‘Radical collaborate communication action in defense of the internet‘ [es]. You can also follow the event through the hashtag #yaratpp.

author: Juan Arellano