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Fear, Love and Iran’s Favorite Internet Enemy (it’s Facebook) · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

“My Stealthy Freedom” page and Foreign Minister Zarif. Images used with permission, mixed by Fred Petrossian.
Written by Mahsa Alimardani and Fred Petrossian.
On July 13, Iran’s official state news agency reported that eight people had been sentenced to a combined term of 127 years in prison for their activities on Facebook. The eight youths reportedly were charged with “acting against national security, spreading propaganda against the establishment, insulting the sacred, and insulting the heads of the Islamic Republic.” The Iranian judiciary has not revealed the identities of those sentenced, or the particulars of this offensive activity. Iranian activists both in and outside the country seem to know almost nothing more about the case.
The sentences appear to be part of a trend. In May, a 47-year-old British-Iranian woman was sentenced to 20 years in jail for Facebook comments against the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic. Seven other Facebook users in the country were imprisoned at the same time.
Throughout its 35 years of existence, the Islamic Republic of Iran has not tolerated free expression or public gatherings beyond its control. Facebook offers some semblance of both of these things on an easy-to-use platform. What might Iranian citizens do if granted unbridled access to Facebook? Persecuting—and prosecuting—Facebook users is a way to instill fear in the population. The recent cases provide a chilling example of what could happen to Iranians who try to express their ideas online.
Iran and Facebook: A doomed romance?
The government’s relationship with Iran’s most popular social network is complicated, tenuous, and often appears to vacillate between love and hate. Despite the fact that Facebook is filtered in Iran, President Hassan Rouhani and many in his cabinet, particularly Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, are among the most savvy and popular Facebook users within Iran. All 2013 presidential candidates, approved by the highest authorities within Iran known as the Guardian Council, used Facebook to promote their campaigns. This tacit acceptance of the platform by those within the elite highlights two facts. The first is that filtering does not work within Iran. The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance has verified this claim by stating he estimates about 4 million Iranians use Facebook. Second, Iran does not hate Facebook; rather Iran wants to control.
The Rouhani government has publicly emphasized its concern about the state of Iran’s Internet and has criticized long-standing filtering practices. But Rouhani’s actions have fallen short of his pledges when Facebook users and gadget bloggers are slapped with lengthy jail sentences. These decisions technically lie outside the control of the president’s authority and within the discretion of the judiciary and sometimes the supreme leader. Still, the president has a voice and can take a stand for those unjustly jailed. Yet he has remained silent.
Facebook and the Green Movement
Facebook became a central tool during the 2009 protest movement, as millions of Iranians defied the regime and protested the controversial presidential election. Presidential candidate Mir-Hussein Mousavi, a leading figure in the Green Movement that followed the election, used Facebook to convey his message and communicate with his supporters. Fear of the popularity of reformist candidates like Mousavi on Facebook led to the filtering of the site a month prior to the 2009 election.
Four years after the Green Movement was repressed and its leaders placed under house arrest, Iranian authorities publicly denounced Facebook as an enemy of the Islamic Republic.
This repression has had double-edged effects. While some netizens stopped blogging because they were jailed, others escaped the crackdowns and moved abroad, only to lose their relevance, as well as their online audience within the diaspora. This helped create the phenomenon know as the decline of bloggers. Facebook quickly emerged to fill this gap, as successful campaigns emerged, often functioning as a bridge between Iran and the diaspora. One popular example of this is “My Stealthy Freedom,” the Facebook page of London-based journalist Masih Alinejad who published a series of photos of herself posing in Iran’s public spaces without a hijab. This started a virtual mass movement, gaining her page more than 500,000 likes, and garnering an influx of photos and comments from Iran. This Facebook page became an outlet for Iranian women to challenge the Islamic system’s 35 years of mandatory hijab.
A call to Rouhani
Today, eight Facebook users face accusations of criminal activity against the establishment, but the details of their crimes remain unknown. There are redlines within the Islamic Republic about what constitutes online criminal content, but they are difficult to identify and seem to be forever in flux. This further perpetuates ambiguities over what constitutes an online crime, leaving netizens unknowingly vulnerable to arbitrary arrests and sometimes even killings, like that of Sattar Beheshti in 2012. The vague nature of these arrests creates an atmosphere of fear where authorities can accuse anyone of acting against the state, leaving citizens to guess what consequences they will face for speaking online.
In an interview with NBC’s David Gregory, Zarif called on the West for respect for the people of the Middle East, a reasonable request. In the same vein, we call on the Rouhani government to take a stand to respect Iranian citizens, and condemn the unjust arrests and punishments of its netizens.

author: Mahsa Alimardani


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Global Voices is Looking For a Passionate Leader to Shape Our Portuguese-Language Coverage · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

A typical rabelo boat from Porto carrying the open data flag for the #OpenDataDay. Banner by Ana Carvalho / Transparência Hackday.
Are you a Portuguese- and English-speaking news buff who values justice, equality, friendship across borders and can't seem to get enough of the Internet? Are you available to work 10 hours a week? Global Voices is looking for you!
Our newsroom is unique — it's completely virtual, our writers are volunteers, our sources are multilingual and live on the Internet. Our newsgathering focus is on trending news, freedom of speech issues, online censorship, activism, and stories that are underreported or misrepresented in mainstream media.
The part-time Portuguese-language editor leads daily newsgathering from Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe and Timor-Leste. The editor will write and coordinate stories by volunteer writers and translators, while developing a robust set of sources to stay on top of regional social, political and activism trends.
Primary tasks:
Be responsible for our coverage from Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe and Timor-Leste.
Write, fact-check, and edit the most compelling and important stories from online sources in their region.
Add relevant context to stories for our global audience.
Keep on top of developing stories, buzz and trends across social media and citizen media the region.
Develop a database of reliable and vetted online sources across their region.
Manage volunteer writers.
Meet deadlines and posting requirements.
Stay engaged with virtual regional group, newsroom and larger community.
Carry out work in line with the Global Voices’ community, editorial guidelines, mission and culture.
Successful candidates will:
Be fluent in English and Portuguese.
Have a strong journalism and/or digital rights activism background.
Possess sound editorial judgment on regional issues.
Know who the credible social and citizen voices are in their region.
Understand mainstream media, local press and social media dynamics in their region.
Understand digital rights, freedom of speech, and activism-related issues and dynamics in their region.
Have proven sourcing and news writing ability.
Possess strong leadership qualities.
Have a strong and reliable Internet connection.
Be available 10 hours a week.
To apply:
Please submit a résumé and a cover letter that highlights your work and explains why you would be a great fit for Global Voices. Apply by emailing us at adminjob@globalvoicesonline.org with your name and ”Portuguese-language Editor” in the subject line.
Read 8 Solid Reasons to Work for Global Voices here.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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Global Voices Welcomes Juanita Leon to Board of Directors · Global Voices
Ivan Sigal

Juanita Leon, the newest member of the Global Voices board
We are very pleased to introduce our newest board member, Juanita León to the Global Voices family.
Juanita is the founder of Lasillavacia.com, a news site about power in Colombia. She is a lawyer with an MS in journalism from the Columbia Journalism School. She was a Harvard Nieman Fellow `06. She was launch editor of Flypmedia.com in New York and editor-in-chief of Semana.com. She is the author of Country of Bullets, about the war in Colombia, among other books. She taught Guerrilla News in the New York University Journalism School and now lives in Colombia.
“Global Voices takes to another level the idea that journalism is increasingly not so much — or at least not only — about information but about conversation,” says Juanita. “This is the platform where the smartest and most interesting voices around the world are curated and aggregated with the result that the whole is much better than the parts. Global Voices is a lab about the future of journalism, where the theory of the Internet gurus is made real. As a digital journalist and as digital entrepreneur, Global Voices is an example for me and I´m very proud to now be part of it.”
Juanita replaces one of our original board members, Rosental Alves. Rosental rotated off our board after eight years of service. We'll miss his warmth and wisdom.
Global Voices’ nine-member board meets four times per year, and has been an active, engaged and vital part of the GV community since its inception. Our board is composed of our two founders, three community representatives, and four external members.

author: Ivan Sigal


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Pro-Democracy Protesters in Hong Kong Can Face Down Police, but Not Their Mom and Dad at the Dinner Table · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Police arrest a protester during a pro-democracy sit-in in Hong Kong on July 1 and 2, 2014. Photo by Xaume Olleros. Copyright Demotix
Many activists in Hong Kong have dared to confront police during recent pro-democracy demonstrations. In fact, more than 500 protesters stood their ground against authorities by refusing to leave a sit-in in early July and were arrested for it.
But some of those same people are struggling to muster similar courage at the dinner table to argue with their parents about political reform.
The older generation tends to support the status quo; they believe protests and occupations will bring political and economic instability. The younger generation are determined to fight for genuine democracy risking their future careers. This tension is usually reflected in conversation during family meals.
China has promised Hong Kong a direct vote for the next chief executive in 2017 instead of election via committee, but insists that a committee approve the candidates. Former British colony Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China and enjoys a high level of autonomy from the communist country under the idea of “one country, two systems.”
Given that China considers “love of country” to be an important criteria for Hong Kong's administrators, according to a recently released white paper from the government, protesters suspect Hong Kong will only have pro-Beijing candidates to choose from, defeating the purpose of a direct vote.
Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers have taken to the streets and 800,000 have signed an unofficial referendum demanding the right to nominate the candidates in recent weeks. The protest movement Occupy Central with Love and Peace has promised to peacefully take over downtown Hong Kong if authorities don't concede.
Despite the vocal opposition, the Hong Kong government presented its report on electoral reform last week and concluded that mainstream opinion doesn't support citizen nomination. The report also suggests restricting the number of candidates to two or three.
Pro-Beijing civic groups have formed an alliance to collect signatures against the Occupy Central campaign, claiming that it would destroy the city's economy. The effort has so far gathered 380,000 signatures over the weekend, with a goal of 800,000.
The mobilization on both fronts has resulted in political divides within families and among friends.
Li Fung Ling, a university student who supports the Occupy Central campaign, addressed her weakness in dealing with dinner table politics on citizen media platform inmediahk.net. Her mother told her she would join the signature campaign against Occupy Central because she believed that the protesters are creating chaos in Hong Kong. Li remained silent. She explained her difficulty in confronting her parents:
我爸媽雖在香港土生土長，卻是七十年代最窮的那群，沒有受過良好教育，大半生替福建人公司打份牛工。對於他們而言，莫講香港不是什麼，其實人都不算什麼。肚皮話事 […]
他們相信，人就是要學懂「適應環境」，中國大陸有錢，帶領香港經濟發展，人人有飽飯食，還罵委屈是十分折墮。可是，或許不是因為他們大半生這樣事事「屈就」，今天都不會捱到我咁大。難道我今天讀多兩錢書就用民主理論去拋他們，罵他們犬儒？我做不到。也恕我不夠智慧，一次一次都無法把話向他們講明白。
My parents, though born in Hong Kong, were the poorest social class in the 1970s. They had never received a good education and spent their lives working in a company founded by some people from Fujian, China. For them, they don't see the value of Hong Kong. Even human beings do not carry much value. The most important thing is to keep the stomach full. […]
They believe that people have to learn how to “adapt.” Now that China is wealthy and leading the economic development of Hong Kong, people here are well fed and should not complain about not having respect. Perhaps, had they not endure humiliation throughout their lives, they could not provide me with all the material needs for my upbringing. Now that I have received an education, should I use what I have learned about democracy to confront them and criticize their cynicism? I can't make myself do that. Forgive me for the absence of wit to explain my thoughts.
To address the difficulty in cross-generational communication on politics, anonymous Facebook user “Letter to Babamama” drafted a letter to encourage activists to “come out” to their parents:
或者你們會打我罵我，但我也必需跟你們誠實，其實我去了七月二日的佔中預演，被拉了。很和平，沒有受傷，也沒有留案底。我很怕說出口，怕家嘈屋閉，怕你們傷心難過。[…]
我愛你們，我也愛香港。我希望你們知道我們不是在搗亂，我希望你們知道我們也是熱愛和平。在這次佔中之前，我們已經做了許多許多。我參加過投票運動，我去過遊行，我試過和平集會，我也寫過無數的意見書。我和很多香港人一樣，都嘗試過很多合法的途徑去表達我們的不滿，但換來的是政府一次又一次的無視。這兩三年，香港市民已退讓妥協得太多。[…]
希望你相信你那個害羞膽小的兒子。
Perhaps you will scold me or even beat me, but I have to be honest to you. I participated in the Occupy Central rehearsal sit-in on July 2 and was arrested. It was a peaceful action. No one got hurt. The arrest did not leave any criminal record. I was afraid to tell you about this because I don't want to start a family argument and make you sad. […]
I love both of you and I love Hong Kong. I hope you know that we are not creating chaos. I hope that you know we believe in peace. Before the Occupy Central action, I have tried so many other ways. I participated in elections [district and legislative council elections], I rallied and joined peaceful protests. I wrote countless opinions to the government. Like other Hong Kong people, we expressed our discontent through different legal means, but the government just plays dumb with us again and again. Hong Kong people have compromised too much. […]
Please believe in your shy little boy.
A Facebook page called “Politics with relatives” shared another story of a family confrontation. The parents believed that all protests are driven by foreign forces. A  protest against the development of Hong Kong's Northeast New Territories into two towns for more housing came up in conversation. Opponents fear that the 614-hectare project, of which less than 96 hectares or 16 percent is allocated for residential purposes, will destroy Hong Kong's remaining farming communities.
The father exclaimed that the police should arrest all the “young losers” and jail them for a decade. The son could not remain silent anymore and burst into tears while he used the calculator to demonstration to his father how he would become a “loser” under the current state of government-corporate collusion:
我大學畢業之後如果每月搵萬五蚊，要幾耐先可以儲到首期買一個天水圍ge三百呎單位，之後供樓每個月要供幾多，幾歲先有能力生仔。再講對唔住爸爸，花你咁多錢讀咁多年書，自己都搞唔掂自己，可能要到三十幾歲都仲瀨係屋企痴飲痴食。呢個政府同d商家勾結，塞曬d錢落地產商袋，我地就咁捱法，我真係好嬲好無助。
喊完之後，爸爸靜左好耐，好似有少少動搖
雖然佢好可能繼續相信政府會係東北起樓解決問題，但至少佢宜家覺得d人去示威唔係單純收左美國人錢，無咁憎d示威者。
I told my father: Let's say I received a monthly salary of 15,000 Hong Kong dollars [equivalent to 2,000 US dollars] upon graduation. How many years would it take for me to have the down payment for a 300-square-foot apartment in Tin Shui Wai [the cheapest district in Hong Kong]? How much would I have to pay for the monthly mortgage? And at what age could I afford to have children? I apologized to my father that he paid so much for my education, but I could not feed myself and I probably would have to live with my parents into my thirties. The government colludes with the corporations and transfers public resources to the pocket of property developers. We work like slaves and I feel really angry and helpless.
After my outburst, my father remained silence for a long time. It seems the he has adjusted his stance a little bit.
Although he continued to believe the government's claims that the Northeast New Territories development project would solve the land supply problem, he would not say that the protesters were paid by the U.S. and became less hostile to the protesters.
A small victory, perhaps, but small victories can make a difference, if not for the future of Hong Kong, then for the future of family dinners.
Follow our in-depth coverage: Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution

author: Oiwan Lam


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‘Syria Is With You, Gaza’ · Global Voices
Syria Untold

A vigil with candles in solidarity with Gaza in Aleppo, Syria. Source: Syria Stands with Palestine's facebook page
This post was previously published on SyriaUntold.
“Syria is being bombed, from Aleppo to Gaza” was one of the slogans raised by Syrian demonstrators in solidarity with Palestinians. “Gaza and Aleppo, glory and pride”, and “Daraa is with you, Gaza”, were others. From Syrian-Palestinian poet Raed Wahash to activists from the heart of Aleppo, where the bombs keep falling, shows of Syrian-Palestinian solidarity are constant.
The Palestinian struggle has always been very present in Syria, but it was not until 2011 that Syrians got a taste of what resistance really means.
“Suffering through the barrel bombs that the regime keeps dropping on us makes us closer to the attacks the population of Gaza suffer, and to the Palestinian struggle as a whole”, one of the coordinators of the “Syria Stands With Palestine” campaign told SyriaUntold:
“We feel closer than we ever did, and more united, especially in the field of civil disobedience and peaceful resistance.”
A message in solidarity with Gaza on a destroyed building in Daraa, Syria. The graffiti reads “Patience Gaza, This is Daraa.” Source: Lens of a Young Horani
Syrian civil society’s strong stand with Palestine is reflected on the statement signed by several grassroots groups, including SyriaUntold, as part of the “Syria Stands With Palestine” campaign “because the worst pain a people can endure is the indifference to its struggle, and to the violation of its rights.”
Such a need for international solidarity was also highlighted by blogger Syria Freedom Forever:
“It is also necessary to remind everyone that the liberation of Palestine can only be accomplished through the overthrowing of all the authoritarian regimes in the region, which are complicit in the suffering of the Palestinian people. (…) This is why opposing any popular revolution in the region is not only betraying the cause of the people of Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and elsewhere, but also betraying the Palestinian cause and its people.”
The campaign came with an avalanche of art and creativity, promoted by The Syrian People Know their Way, and Syrian-Palestinian relief organization Jafra, among others. Photographs, brochures, posters and stickers were widely shared online, reflecting the unity between both struggles.
“One concern” is the title of artist Khaled Malek’s latest piece, which depicts a missile formed by a combination of the Syrian and Palestinian flags. Ahmad Jalal, from Kafranbel, drew two dead Syrian and Palestinian children, as their angels hold hands.
Painting by Khaled Malek depicts a missile formed by the combination of the Palestinian and the Syrian revolution flags. Source: The artist's Facebook page
Artist Hani Abbas drew a mother with a child on her lap in the devastated Yarmouk camp, with the message “God protect our family in Gaza”.
Solidarity was not limited to online manifestations. Its impact was noticed on the ground as well. Sit-ins and vigils with candles were held in cities like Aleppo, with slogans such as “Aleppo and Gaza, same pride”, and “We will not be defeated, despite all the bombing, destruction and death shells.”
Syrians from the occupied Golan Heights also expressed their solidarity with Palestinians suffering the Israeli occupation. However, the clearest images of resistance came from the Yarmouk refugee camp, where Syrian-Palestinians have suffered from the regime’s siege for over a year now. “Yarmouk camp resists with Gaza against the Zionist aggression”, was the slogan seen on banners throughout the camp.
Renowned Syrian figures also took to social media to express their solidarity with Gaza. Lawyer Michel Shammas wrote: “Gaza, victim of Israeli aggression and of Hamas erroneous calculations”.
Poet Khawla Dunia criticized the Arab community’s stands regarding Palestine. “Arabism is a lie used by tyrants”, she said on Facebook.
Maher Sharaf al-Din compared detention in Israeli jails and in Assad’s jails, linking both forms of occupation. “Prisoners of Israeli occupation go on hunger strike. Prisoners of Alawite occupation die of starvation”.
Syrian solidarity with Gaza is the union of the weak with the weak, of the oppressed with the oppressed, of those who search peace in a land created for peace that has never witnessed peace.
A mother with a child on her lap in devastated Yarmouk camp, Syria, cries “God protects our family in Gaza”, by artist Hani Abbas. Source: The artist's Facebook page
This post was previously published on SyriaUntold.

author: Syria Untold


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2 Journalists Arrested for Alleged Defamation of a Minister in Madagascar     · Global Voices
avylavitra

Two journalists from the daily paper Madagascar Matin were placed under arrest at Antanimora's jail, in the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo. Earlier this morning (July 23), both of them were summoned to the Brigade of Fiadanana for a hearing.  Solo Rajaonson, another local journalist,  posted the following update in Malagasy on Facebook :
About the latest news regarding freedom of press in Madagascar: our colleagues, the Publication Manager of the newspaper Madagascar Matin, Jean Luc Rahaga and his Editor-In-Chief, Didier Ramanoelina are placed under arrest at the penitentiary of Antanimora in Antananarivo, Madagascar. This is the result of a complaint of defamation from  Rivo Rakotovao, the Minister of Transport and Industry. So much for breaking away from our recent dark past, I guess

author: avylavitra


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Burmese Reporters Get Ten Years in Jail Plus Hard Labor for Reporting About Myanmar’s Chemical Weapons Factory · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

Journalists protesting in front of Myanmar Peace Center. Photo by Kyaw Zaw Win, Kyaw Lwin Oo. From the Facebook page of RFA Burmese
Four Burmese journalists and the CEO of the Unity Journal were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour on July 10, 2014 for violating a colonial era secrecy law in Myanmar.
Unity Journal's CEO Tin Hsan, 52, and journalists Lu Maw Naing, 28, Sithu Soe, 22, The Yazar Oo, 28, and Aung Thura, 25 were found guilty of violating the State Secrets Act after they published a story revealing a hidden chemical weapons factory in central Myanmar last January.
The case of the Unity journalists has received national and even global attention. Protest actions were organized by journalists in major cities including Yangon and Mandalay. Supporters and free press advocates have also conducted prayer events in Yangon, Pathein and Sittwe for the release of the Unity journalists. Unfortunately, 50 journalists who protested during President Thein Sein’s visit to the Myanmar Peace Center on July 13 have been charged for protesting without permission.
Various press associations and interim press councils are planning to send an appeal letter to the president for the release of the Unity journalists. The opposition National League for Democracy has also released a statement condemning the government's suppression of the media. Burma News International warned that media freedom is still under threat.
The government is claiming that the chemical weapons factory reported by Unity Journal is actually a defense weapon factory.
But writer Wai Mu Thwin questioned the verdict and the harsh punishment given to the journalists:
If they are convicted for revealing national secrets, it means the government actually has the chemical weapons factory. So they (government) are breaking the Southeast Asian treaty against Weapons of Mass Destruction, which puts a restriction on the production of chemical, bio and nuclear weapons. Also, Myanmar has signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993.
However, the president's spokesperson has defended the court's decision and insisted that it is not an issue of press freedom but national security:
Any nation, any government, must control secret issues for their national security. Information that harms national security is not even tolerated in the United States. We don’t think this case is about press freedom.
Many prominent writers and journalists in Myanmar have expressed concern about the harsh punishment given to the journalists. The poet Saw Wai thinks that it is not fair especially since the country is moving towards the path of democracy. U Than Htay from the Myanmar Journalists Network believes that the conviction is an example of media intimidation by the government which is preparing for the coming 2015 elections.
The government has not changed, according to U Aung Thu:
When their secrets are revealed, they arrest and charge people. Media is always the scapegoat. Democracy is only just a show. The president is no different. Actually our country is still under military dictatorship.
U Win Myint, the spokesperson of the opposition, demands that there must be transparency in the case:
If government is (serious in) moving towards democracy, then it should respect press freedom. There must be transparency. Reporter's job is to write. The punishment must be fair in relation to the violation. It wasn't even a secret or restricted area.
The government has been aggressive in the past year in prosecuting journalists. Last December, a local reporter from Eleven Media was sentenced to three months in jail for trespassing, criminal defamation and using obscene language. Last April, a correspondent from the alternative site Democratic Voice of Burma was handed out a one year prison term for trespassing and disturbing a civil servant. Later that month, a reporter for Mizzima magazine was arrested for organising a rally in the town of Pyay to call for the release of six journalists currently imprisoned in Myanmar.
The case of Unity Journal should remind us about the continuing detention of journalists and the worsening media repression in Myanmar.

author: Juan Cebu


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Israel Struggles to Win “Hearts and Minds” in Media War on Palestine · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

“Infographics: What Would You Do?” by Israel Defense Forces via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Written and translated by Leila Nachawati. A version of this article appeared on the website of Spanish daily Eldiario.es, in Spanish.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza in 2009 were the first case of a conflict mediated by social media. Both inside and outside the Gaza strip, citizens and members of Hamas used Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms to narrate, document and condemn the attacks. But no group’s use of these platforms was as intensive and coordinated as that of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Five years later, while scenes of death and devastation repeat themselves in Gaza, Israel has redoubled its online propaganda in an attempt to show the world its kinder side.
Israeli military operations are always accompanied by robust media reports that seem intended to mitigate their impact on international public opinion. From the sensorial “Cast Lead” in 2009 to the self-explanatory “Protective Edge” in 2014, several fronts of “hasbara” (pro-Israeli propaganda, in Hebrew) have been developed to show the world Israel’s rationale.
In 2008, just before attacks on Gaza began, the Israeli administration decided to replace traditional press conferences of war time with a wide array of initiatives based on social media. Guidelines for the campaign were developed by former army officer Yarden Vatikai, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense and the Jewish Agency.
One of the initiatives consisted of teaching new media workshops to army officers in the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center.
“In terms of communicating our message, the future is in new media”, Defense Forces spokesman Avi Benayahu said in February 2009. “The IDF has moved online to win hearts and minds.”
YouTube served as the main front for the campaign, rendering Israel’s the first national army to establish its own YouTube channel. The channel includes a videoblog where army spokespersons describe the attacks as “humanitarian self-defense actions.”
The 2009 ‘hasbara’ efforts included direct contact with journalists from all over the world. SMS messages were sent on a daily basis to thousands of journalists, diplomats and influential bloggers, with press notes, informative sessions and visits to the Israeli communities of the Negev, on the border with Gaza.
“When is a House a Home?” visualization by Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli social media strategist expert Niv Calderon was hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to the invasion of Gaza. His mission was to create “an unprecedented war room to promote Israeli propaganda internationally.” In the words of Calderon, “There is a media war, and each citizen, each computer user, is a soldier.”
Haneen Zoubi, Director of I’lam Media Center for Arabs and Palestinians in Israel referred to coverage of the 2009 attacks as “a mockery of press freedom.”
In 2006, during the invasion of Lebanon, she denounced the Israeli press, saying they had “abandoned their journalistic role, without announcement or apology. (…)  It seems that they are no longer capable of performing their professional duty as they have all become subservient to “patriotism”.
International Press Director for the IDF Avital Leibovich, on the other hand, claimed to be “positively surprised” by international coverage of the conflict, even in media considered to be neutral or not pro-Israel. “Finally, the international community understands that Hamas is the aggressor,” she said.
Five years later, the involvement of the army in the documentation and dissemination of propaganda has increased, through YouTube videos and official accounts on Facebook and Twitter, which show a constant flow of messages.
Today’s media strategy includes dozens of infographics and visualizations that attempt to depict Israel’s rationale in a graphic and simple manner similar to that employed by the award-winning Visualizing Palestine project, which focused on visualizing the effects of occupation for Palestinians in Gaza.
One of the most viral visualizations shows how a house in Gaza becomes a target. “When is a house a home and when does it become a military target?”, the image reads, in response to accusations that Israel indiscriminately bombs houses in Gaza. Another one compares “what Israel does to protect civilians” vs. “what Hamas does to endanger its civilians.”
Another powerful visualization (see above) shows rockets falling over several world capitals, including New York, London and Paris.
The eye-catching graphic urges Internet users to share the image if they “think Israel has the right to self-defense”.
The 2014 “hasbara” campaign also includes video ads that pop up while a user is watching a YouTube video. The account is managed by Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and contains several anti-Hamas propaganda videos.
Between 2009 and 2014, efforts expanded to include larger segments of Israeli society in online battles, with a strong focus on universities. According to an article published by Haaretz in August 2013, The Prime Minister's Office was planning to form, in collaboration with the National Union of Israeli Students, “covert units” within Israel's seven universities to engage in online public diplomacy (hasbara).
Screen capture of YouTube Channel for Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
In 2014, the University of Haifa announced a cyberwar course to fight the delegitimization of Israel online. Other universities coordinating propaganda initiatives are Bar-Ilan, the Hebrew University and Ben Gurion University.
The story told by Israel's official propaganda machine clashes with the images of devastation in Gaza. On July 16 alone, four children were killed by Israeli warplanes as they played on the beach, and Gaza’s Wafa hospital was shelled to pieces by Israeli tanks. So far, 77 percent of the victims are civilians, a dribble that Israeli historian Ilan Pappé has referred to as an “incremental genocide”.
The military's media campaign also pushes a narrative that some Israelis firmly reject. Citizen-led online initiatives such as Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem, along with public protests, articulate a story very different from the official line.

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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Jokowi Is Indonesia’s Third President to Be Elected by a Direct Vote · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo or Jokowi is Indonesia's president-elect. Photo by Denny Pohan, Copyright @Demotix (7/9/2014)
Indonesia's election officials have declared that Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi), a popular politician from the city of Solo, will be the country's seventh president after completing the vote count late Tuesday.
Widodo, who took 53.15 percent of the nearly 130 million votes cast, is the country's third president to be elected by a direct vote.
Indonesia, the world's third largest democracy, held its presidential elections on July 9. The main candidates were Widodo and Prabowo Subianto, a former military man who is praised as a strong and courageous leader by his supporters, but who has faced accusations of human rights abuses during the three-decade-long rule of authoritarian Suharto.
Some Indonesian Twitter users immediately expressed relief and approval over the finalization of the counting:
#PresidenBaru hasil pilpres 2014 akan mensejajarkan Indonesia bersama negara-negara terdepan demokrasi dunia.
— JKW-JK 4 Indonesia (@JKW4Ind) July 22, 2014
The election result will put Indonesia on par with the world's leading democratic countries.
#PresidenBaru adalah pak @jokowi_do2…selamat yach pak kami percaya bapak akan membawa perubahan buat Indonesia — NyakBabe (@nyakbabe2) July 22, 2014
Our new President is Jokowi. Congratulations, we believe that you will bring change to Indonesia.
But earlier today, Subianto announced that he intends to ignore the Indonesia's General Elections Committee (KPU) result. Instead, he said he will mount a legal challenge to protest the alleged fraud in the voting process. However, his running mate Hatta Rajasa has distanced himself from Subianto's decision. Twitter users responded:
Ironic how Prabowo says he's for the people when Suryadharma Ali, a corruption suspect,is standing right behind him in support #PresidenBaru — David Michael Saga (@DMSaga) July 22, 2014
More like a desperate act from Prabowo, bailing out of the election won't make u win also. This is the voice of the people. #presidenbaru
— MC BLAKE (@jason_blake) July 22, 2014
Indonesia's stock market reacted negatively after Subianto made his announcement. This reflected the concern of many people about the impact on Indonesia's political stability if one of the candidates, Subianto in particular, rejected the results:
Indonesia Stock Exhange drops 1.5% after Prabowo press conference. #PresidenBaru pic.twitter.com/W8k5rYY2GP
— World News Pulse (@WNPulse) July 22, 2014
#prabowo asked the supporters to calm down, but he himself is so emotional & his statement may provoke negative movement. #PrabowoKokGitu
— Elya Khoe (@elyakhoe) July 22, 2014
On his Twitter account, Former Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Professor Yusril Izra Mahendra wrote about what would happen if the presidential election failed:
3. Dlm UU Pilpres sebagaimana dlm UU Pileg dan Pilkada, seorang calon yg sdh disahkan sbg calon tdk boleh mundur dg alasan apapun
— Yusril Ihza Mahendra (@Yusrilihza_Mhd) July 22, 2014
In the presidential election law, similar to legislative election and provincial election laws, a confirmed candidate isn't allowed to resign, whatever reason he might have.
10. Kalau Pilpres sekarang ini gagal, maka akan terjadi kevakuman pemerintahan, sebab MPR tdk bisa memperpanjang masa jabatan SBY — Yusril Ihza Mahendra (@Yusrilihza_Mhd) July 22, 2014
If today's president election fails, then there will be an absence of government because the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) can't extend [current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's] tenure.
11. Kevakuman pemerintahan tsb sangat membahayakan bangsa dan negara, karena itu keselamatan negara harus diutamakanw
— Yusril Ihza Mahendra (@Yusrilihza_Mhd) July 22, 2014
The government's ‘absence’ will jeopardize the nation and state, therefore the survival of the state remains a priority.
Meanwhile, some Twitter users also acknowledged President Yudhoyono, known by his initials SBY, for his work in maintaining a peaceful democratic transition:
Terimakasih juga Pak SBY yang telah mengawal dan membantu menciptakan pemilu yang aman dan damai :’)
— A G Y L (@AgylDhani) July 22, 2014
Thank you SBY for assistance in creating a safe and peaceful election.
Widodo will be sworn in as president on Oct. 20, 2014.

author: Juke Carolina


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Kuwait, the Gulf’s Poster Child of Democracy, Strips Opposition Members of Citizenship · Global Voices
Noor Mattar

The Kuwaiti Cabinet revoked the Kuwaiti citizenship of two pro-opposition members and their families on July 21. This development rings serious alarm bells across the region, as Kuwait is often cited as the most democratic state in the Gulf region.
The move follows a threat by the government last week that it will take all necessary procedures against those suspected of trying to “destabilise” the country in the wake of protests which erupted last month demanding the release of Kuwait opposition and former National Assembly member Musallam Albarrak. He has since been released on bail.
The root of this saga goes to events that took place a few months ago, when Albarrak gave an hour long speech at a gathering where he made allegations of rigged elections, coup attempts and government corruption that led to billions of dollars of public money being wasted. Documents that support his claims were leaked in what some called “Kuwaitgate”. Among the documents were details of money transfers to a few judges, which led to a lawsuit being lodged against Albarrak for insulting the judiciary.
On July 2, @BarlamanNews a Twitter account that publishes news about Kuwait tweeted to its 17.3K followers this breaking news:
النيابة العامة تأمر بحجز مسلم البراك في الشكوى المقدمة من رئيس مجلس القضاء الأعلى.
— Barlaman News (@BarlamanNews) July 2, 2014
The public prosecution office orders the arrest of Musallam Albarak in the complaint filed against him by the head of the Supreme Judicial Council
Since then Kuwait witnessed a series of protests and confrontations that were closely followed and documented on social media, particularly Twitter.
POMED (Project on Middle East Democracy) issued a statement and tweeted:
#Kuwait More than 2,000 march in protest following arrest of opposition leader in Kuwait http://t.co/Vt0ZjhDJrP
— POMED (@POMEDwire) July 7, 2014
Albarrak was released on bail following those protests but many others were detained for protesting.
pic.twitter.com/j8G8UA77Vc مسلم البراك محمولاً على الأكتاف من قٌبل أنصاره في دوار الكرامه بعد الإفراج عنه بكفالة مالية ظهر اليوم .
— بدر فالح العنزي (@baderfaleh2) July 7, 2014
Musalam Albarak raised above the shoulders of his supporters in Alkaramah roundabout after his release on bail this afternoon
The government said last week that it will strike with an “iron fist” to defend the state's “prestige” and commissioned the Interior Ministry to take all necessary measures to fulfill the royal commands. (Details in this AlRai newspaper article in Arabic)
Among those named in the decision to revoke their nationalities is an opposition former MP Abdullah al-Barghash and three members of his family.
The government also revoked the nationality of Ahmad al-Shemmeri, owner of the independent Al-Youm television station and Alam Al-Yawm newspaper. His newspaper was ordered to temporarily shut down twice this year by a court for defying a prosecutor-ordered media blackout about an investigation into claims of the attempted coup that Albarak spoke about in one of his speeches. With his nationality revoked, it is expected that the channel and newspaper will be ordered to be shutdown as well.
The action raised concern all over the Gulf. Bahraini journalist Faisal Hayyat tweeted:
لماذا تسحب الجنسية؟ وأين القانون عندما يتوجب محاسبة أي مخالف؟ سحب الجنسيات عجز وابتزاز وإرهاب #مي_مقبولة #البحرين #الكويت #السعودية #GCC
— رياضيونا رهائن (@FaisalHayyat) July 21, 2014
Why would a nationality be revoked? Where are the laws if any dissident should be held accountable? Revoking nationalities is terrorism and blackmail. It speaks of helplessness
Saudi former journalist who turned academic Dr Omar Ualymany tweeted:
قضية سحب الجنسيات تتفاعل فى الكويت..وتهدد كيان المجتمع الكويتى ..
— Dr.Omar (@ualymany) July 22, 2014
The case of revoking nationalities in Kuwait stirs reactions and threatens the structure of the Kuwaiti community
Twitter user abo3asam, who has more than 113K followers, noted:
هم يترقبون ردود الفعل، فإذا أرعبك اليوم سلاح #سحب_الجناسي وسكت خوفاً سوف يسلبون منك غدًا حقوق إنسانية أكبر من حق المواطنة.
— أبوعسم (@abo3asam) July 21, 2014
They're anticipating your reactions so if today they scare you by revoking nationalities and you remained silent, tomorrow they will take away from you rights that are bigger than citizenship
Kuwait is an oil rich country, where individual income is among the highest worldwide. It is considered the most politically developed state in the Gulf. Therefore such developments are important and ring serious alarm bells because as blogger Ahmed Alomran tweets to his 85.5k followers:
Kuwait highlights a new reality: Arab citizens demanding rights simply on the basis of being entitled to those rights http://t.co/UMAn3TSuVV
— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) July 6, 2014

author: Noor Mattar


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Malaysia’s Government, Opposition and People Unite to Demand Justice For MH17 Crash · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysian protesters gather during a rally demanding justice for the victims of MH17 crash. Photo by Hafzi Mohamed, Copyright @Demotix (7/22/2014)
Malaysia’s Parliament held an emergency session and unanimously approved a motion condemning those who are responsible for shooting down the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 which killed 298 passengers and crew members. The plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by a missile in the eastern part of Ukraine on July 17.
The motion also urged for a “comprehensive investigation to be carried out to bring those responsible to justice.” In a rare moment in Malaysian politics, leaders of the ruling and opposition parties have set aside partisan politics to pass this resolution.
The opposition also praised Prime Minister Najib Razak for his success in clinching a deal with east Ukraine rebels that allowed Malaysia to secure the MH17 black box and the remains of the victims. On his Facebook page, Najib defended his secret negotiations with the rebels:
These were extraordinary circumstances which called for extraordinary measures. There were risks involved in pursuing this agreement. But we felt an obligation to explore all avenues to break the impasse, and secure the return of the remains and the black boxes. After meeting the families, I felt that we owed it to them to act.
Wee Choo Keong, Member of Parliament for Wangsa Maju, appreciated how Najib has refused to accuse any nation or government for the fatal shooting of MH17:
Under normal circumstances, the “popular” or easiest way out for any PM was to go along with the power that be by condemning another nation on the shooting down of MH17 but our PM did not embark on such irresponsible act.
But Stanley Isaacs feels that the government’s reaction has been “too mild and inadequate”:
The government's reaction is diplomatic, too mild and inadequate against such a horrible crime as this against innocent civilians being transported in its national airline.
Ordinary Malaysians have been holding protest actions demanding justice for the victims of the MH17 crash.
Doesn't matter if you're a Malay/Chinese/Indian ,its about justice, its about the pride of this nation. #Justice4MH17 pic.twitter.com/x0Rs6a27Ar
— Amir Adlan (@amiradlanbadrie) July 22, 2014
Msians hold #JUSTICE4MH17 banners outside parliament ahead of special parliamentary sitting on @MAS plane (via NRC) pic.twitter.com/u96fU6HC8Q
— Sumisha Naidu (@sumishanaidu) July 23, 2014
No party has claimed responsibility for the MH17 crash although Ukraine and Russia have been accusing each other of being the guilty perpetrators of the fatal shooting of the plane.
Dzulkefly Ahmad, a former MP from Kuala Selangor, advised the government not to be influenced by the ‘big powers’:
A small nation like ours shouldn’t be cowed into submission by bigger powers through aggression or subversion. Remain independent and genuinely sovereign.
Law teacher Azmi Sharom wants those who fired the missile to be brought to justice. On the leading Malaysian English-language news site The Star, the columnist writes:
This is what I know. A missile shot down MH17.
Somewhere out there, someone or a group of people have killed close to three hundred people. I also know that the scene of the crime has been tainted, probably beyond any salvation, by a group of thugs with automatic rifles.
But the tragedy has also united Malaysia. This was noted by V Shuman on the popular Malaysian citizen media site The Daily Ant:
This tragedy has united Malaysians in grieving, across racial and religious divide as well as political leanings. We see, after a long time, a rare occasion where politicians and their supporters, and even racial and religious bigots, have stopped spouting nonsense and bickering among themselves.
The MH17 crash took place just four months after Malaysian Airlines MH370, which was carrying 237 passengers, disappeared from radar during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

author: Mong Palatino


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The Death and Gloom of Donetsk and Gaza · Global Voices
Sean Guillory

Vladimir Putin in Israel, visiting a memorial dedicated to the Red Army's victory over Nazi Germany. June 25, 2012. Kremlin press service, public domain.
There were two headline-grabbing events on Thursday, July 17: the downing of Malaysian Flight MH17, presumably by separatists in eastern Ukraine, and the beginning of Israel’s ground assault into the Gaza Strip. While the former received immense attention on the Russian Internet, the latter incident went decidedly less noticed. There are obvious reasons for this. MH17 crashed in Russia’s backyard, and the fact that Moscow might have provided the missile makes the story front-page news. Also, the media onslaught in Russia, which attempts to hawk any conspiracy theory to cast doubt on the possible guilt of separatists and Moscow, makes the catastrophe ripe for online discussion.
The current crisis in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn’t arouse as much passion as MH17. It is only tangentially connected to Russian interests, and though Putin is personally sympathetic to Israel, he stops short to condoning the Jewish state’s war on Hamas. Indeed, a perusal of RT coverage of the conflict puts Russia mainly on the side of the Palestinians. Also, the latest back and forth between the Israelis and Palestinians is easily cast off as just the latest round of violence in a never-ending conflict. Despite a mounting death toll on the Palestinian side (at the time of writing, the figure is 620), few RuNet users are writing substantive comments.
This doesn’t mean that there isn’t some chatter about the conflict. It’s common for Russian users of Twitter, for instance, to post regular updates about the conflict. Tweets counting Palestinian deaths are routine. A typical tweet reads:
С начала операции в секторе Газа погибли более 500 палестинцев
— troleumkom (@troleumkom) July 21, 2014
500 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the operation into the Gaza Strip.
Or to highlight the intensity of the death, some have tweeted:
За последние сутки в секторе Газа погибли более 100 человек http://t.co/YIdqbT6H2W
— Демидова Елена (@lshewou) July 21, 2014
Over 100 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.
Another user pointed to the fact that Gaza is essentially an open-air prison.
#Палестина – самая большая в мире тюрьма под открытым небом. #Газа #GazaUnderAttack
— Marianna Abakarova (@abakarova1988) July 18, 2014
Palestine is the largest open-air prison in the world. #Gaza #GazaUnderAttack
Another Twitter user simply said:
Гуманитарная катастрофа наблюдается в секторе Газа
— Игорь Юферев (@dudtiopi87) July 21, 2014
The Gaza Strip is witnessing a humanitarian disaster.
Aside from these and other news-headline tweets, not all, of course, are pointing to Israeli-inflicted death. For updates from an Israeli perspective, Russian language users can follow the Israeli Defense Forces’ official Russian Twitter feed, @Tsahal_Rus. There, you find tweets like the following:
Всего с начала наземной фазы операции #ЦАХАЛ ликвидировал 110 террористов и нанёс удары по 1302 террористическим объектам
— ЦАХАЛ (@Tsahal_Rus) July 20, 2014
Since the beginning of the ground operation, the IDF has liquidated 110 terrorists and bombed 1,302 terrorist targets.
Besides chronicling the war casualties, some RuNet users have pondered the apparent hopelessness of the age-old conflict. Blogging on Ekho Moskvy, political analyst Mikhail Osherov argues that Israelis are unwilling to give up the spoils of the Six Day War. Reflecting on the Israeli saying, “There are no solutions,” Osherov writes:
За счёт дешёвой и бесправной арабской рабочей силы, за счёт бесплатной земли на оккупированных территориях в конце 1960-х – начале 1970-х годов в Израиле произошёл экономический бум, плодами которого местные израильтяне пользуются до сих пор. Благосостояние израильского среднего класса, благополучие целых отраслей израильской экономики, таких, как строительство, дорожное строительство, сельское хозяйство, невозможны без дешёвой арабской рабочей силы, значительную часть которой составляют жители оккупированных арабских территорий. Прекращение оккупации означает для Израиля и израильтян если не конец “халявы”, то начало его конца.
Due to a cheap and disenfranchised Arab workforce, and due to free land in the occupied territories, there was an economic boom in Israel in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the fruits of which local Israelis still use. The welfare of the Israeli middle class, and the wellbeing of entire sectors of the Israeli economy, such as construction, road construction, and agriculture, would be impossible without cheap Arab labor, much of which composed of inhabitants of the occupied Arab territories. Ending the occupation would mean for Israel and Israelis, if not the end of the “free lunch,” then the beginning of the end.
Instead of delving into the debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, some users used the opportunity to make comparisons to Ukraine, mostly to point out the hypocrisy of world opinion.
@Schrodinger1986 tweeted:
Пока в Секторе Газа #Израиль уничтожает 6-летних “террористов”, на украине… Хотя, нет – на украине то же самое. #война #украина #террор
— Константин Горбунов (@Schrodinger1986) July 20, 2014
Now, in the Gaza Strip, Israel annihilates six-year-old “terrorists,” and in Ukraine . . . believe it or not, in Ukraine it’s the same.
In a post on his Vkontakte wall, Sergey Gostev wrote:
ООН игнорирует ситуацию на Украине, где ежедневно гибнет больше людей чем в Секторе Газа.
The United Nations ignores the situation in Ukraine, where more people die every day than in the Gaza Strip [sic].
Another Vk user, Vladimir Vladimirov, asks
Мне вот интересно, летают ли гражданские самолеты над Сектором Газа? И если нет, то почему.
I would like to know: do civilian planes fly over the Gaza Strip? If not, then why.
Dark humor on the Web is never hard to find, and the news from Ukraine and Gaza is no exception. Playing off the Russian word for gas (“gaz”) and the literal name of the Gazа Strip in Russian (“the sector of gas”), some users joked,
#Путлер устроил в #Донбассе сектор сланцевого #Газа.
— Люся Тютюник (@alciona4) July 19, 2014
Putler [a play on “Putin” and “Hitler”] is establishing in the Donbass a sector of shale gas.
Израиль – Сектор Газа, Украина – Сектор Не Газа
— Николай Степашин (@untranis88) July 20, 2014
Israel—the Gas Sector, Ukraine—the No-Gas Sector.
And:
на Украине возник “правый сектор” потому что кремль вовремя не создал пророссийской партии “сектор газа” #Украина
The “Right Sector” [nationalist movement] arose in Ukraine because the Kremlin didn’t create its own pro-Russian “Gas Sector” party in time.
Not everyone was laughing on July 17. @isma_mustafaev tweeted:
Как же гадит настроение мои лента новостей!!! #новости #политика #россия #украина #Палестина #Газа
— Исмаил Мустафаев (@isma_mustafaev) July 18, 2014
How the headlines put me in a shitty mood!!! #news #politics #russia #ukraine @palestine #gaza

author: Sean Guillory


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Spanish Football Club Presents Peculiar T-Shirt · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Spanish football club Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, presented its new T-shirt on July 22, 2014, with a peculiar design that simulates a tuxedo, with shoulder braids, and even a bow tie just below the neck.
Twitter users were quick to express their opinion, not always favorable:
No sé cuál es peor: Las horripilantes camisetas del Lugo y la Cultural Leonesa -Libertad Digital http://t.co/yLywLMve3B vía @libertaddigital
— María José Grech (@mjgrech) julio 22, 2014
I can't tell which one is worse. The hideous T-shirts of the Lugo Club and the Cultural Leonesa one.
Por esto es tendencia “Cultural Leonesa” http://t.co/vfD6oA2v08 | pic.twitter.com/3ABBqMOhkp
— elEconomista.es (@elEconomistaes) julio 22, 2014
This is why “Cultural Leonesa” is trending topic.
Initially, the T-shirt was going to be used only during a pre-season friendly match. After the unfavorable opinions on social networks, the club, which founded in the city of Leon in 1923 and plays in the Second Division B – Group 1 of Spain, is considering using it as the alternate shirt or simply discarding it completely. is a sport association

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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Sri Lanka Plans to Deport 1,500 Pakistani and Afghan Refugees · Global Voices
Rezwan

A Christian man stands inside his destroyed house in Gojra, Pakistan. Image by Muhammad Tahir. Copyright Demotix (4/8/2009)
Facing persecution in Pakistan, many Ahmadiyya Muslims and Christians have taken refuge in Sri Lanka. These refugees are mostly held in Boossa and Mirihana detention centers and have to live on government-provided rations as they are not eligible for work.
According to the media, the Sri Lankan government is preparing to deport about 1,450 Pakistani and 50 Afghan refugees who have apparently fled to rural areas in Sri Lanka. More than 1,400 of the targeted refugees have been registered as asylum seekers at the UN refugee agency office in Colombo.
Human Rights Watch has requested the Sri Lankan government not to summarily deport these minorities. Meanwhile, Pakistan has disowned these refugees and an uncertain future awaits for them if they are deported.
W3Lanka English blog opines:
The practice of deporting them is very unethical. They can be economic migrants per se the claim of the Pakistan government. What if they are actually threatened people?

author: Rezwan


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Wanted to Watch Saint Lucia’s Carnival on TV This Year? You Were Out of Luck · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

The King and Queen of the Bands competition at St. Lucia's 2013 Carnival; photo by flickr user Addy Cameron-Huff, used under a CC BY 2.0 license.
Saint Lucians at home and abroad who couldn't attend the Caribbean island's Carnival, which came to a close on Tuesday, had a harder time tuning in this year thanks to a decision not to have live television broadcasts of many of the festival's events, including the main calypso competition finals.
The Carnival Planning and Management Agency's official statement cited loss of revenue as the reason behind the move:
This move serves to bolster the gate receipts of Lucian Carnival’s signature events, which have traditionally aired live on television, and in some instances via web streaming platforms. All shows will, however, continue to be broadcasted live via the festival’s various radio partners.
Carnivals throughout the region are a cultural tradition that harkens back to a pagan festival, initially observed by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans and subsequently adopted by the Catholic Church as the festival of Carne Vale — farewell to the flesh — that was introduced to the Caribbean with the arrival of European plantation owners. Slaves would watch their masters celebrate with extravagant masquerade balls, from which they were excluded, and mockingly imitate their behaviour.
When emancipation came, the former slaves turned the traditional carnival on its head by Africanising it with drums and movement and transforming it into a street festival that has evolved and endured to this day as a unique mix of music and masquerade. Part art, part theatre, carnival is a complex beast that melds fantasy and folklore, pan music with political satire.
In keeping with the Roman Catholic calendar, Carnival Monday and Tuesday are usually celebrated on the days preceding Ash Wednesday, after which all pleasurable indulgences are meant to be forfeited during the 40 days of Lent that follow. Fifteen years ago however, because of the stiff competition from other bigger and more popular events, such as Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the Saint Lucian government moved the country's carnival celebrations to mid-July in the hope of attracting more tourists.
As this year's Saint Lucian Carnival approached its climax, spectators and media personnel alike took to social media to voice their displeasure about the decision to ban any live coverage of events. Writing on the Facebook group “St. Lucians Aiming for Progress,” Clinton Reynolds was upset and felt that the rationale given for the decision was misguided:
How regressive! Did the organisers consider Saint Lucians in the diaspora, those in other countries and foreigners who might be interested in being part of Saint Lucia Carnival by viewing the competitions as they happen? And what about local fans who are physically UNABLE to attend? I hope that decision shot your gate receipts through the roof!
Caron Tobierre believed that the organizers could actually make money from the live broadcasts:
If the care was about the pocket, believe me they would have considered the live broadcast more seriously because the opportunity for revenue making is huge if done properly. Over the last 3 years the revenue received from this was probably more than $50,000 and from discussions that began last year, the opportunities for increasing were very present.
Shayne Cherry also maintained that the decision was regressive, especially for the country's artists, who could otherwise be gaining needed exposure:
Looks like we're going in reverse…Somebody is fooling these poor artistes, and making them walk backward instead of moving forward. Right now, nobody from caribana [a huge West Indian Carnival in Toronto], labour day [the big Caribbean parade in New York] or notting hill [an annual Carnival event in London] organising committees seeing you. But you hoping to get a call for gig later. You think machel [Montano, the region's biggest soca star, whose music has become synonymous with Carnival] doesn't understand the importance of a camera and making sure people see him…How you gonna make your name if you don't [get] your image out there.
Nadia Cauzabon made the point that broadcasting the Carnival shows made them more accessible to Saint Lucians, even those on the island:
I've been saying this since last week and I'm not even going to talk about the diaspora. All those ‘national’ events are in the north (Castries/Gros Islet). What about those of us who live in the rest of the island? How many can afford to commute to those shows?
Chad Alexander echoed this point, saying that the idea of events being broadcast could actually make them seem bigger and more attractive. He was also surprised at the weak marketing efforts for the festival, which, to his mind, should have been amped up considering that broadcasting was no longer an avenue with which to promote the carnival calendar:
I don't pretend to know anything about marketing, sales and events but from the point of view of Joe Public, the staging of quality productions accompanied by live broadcast can serve to create that ‘promotional vibe’ that makes people want to be a part of this festival…[the] ‘bandwagonist’ effect. And whether we realise it or not, it actually serves the dual role of marketing for next year's events. With live broadcasting, some st. lucian somewhere will make plans to make next year's carnival…and encourage their non st. lucian friends to come along.
With all the technological options available these days, though, could there be another option? One Facebook user from the diaspora, Kermz Francis, suggested that Saint Lucia's Carnival could have had its cake and eaten it too, had the festivities been pay-per-view: “There is merit in both sides of the argument but I see no harm in just charging a fee for people who want to view the shows live.”

author: Matthew Hunte


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The Hypocrisy of Outrage Against LGBT Rights in Jamaica · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

An off-colour comment by a Jamaican sports commentator who “dampened the moment of post World Cup celebrations with his shouts of ‘Heil Hitler’ on national television” leads author and blogger Kei Miller to pen a letter to the editor illustrating why his countrymen are living a double standard – outraged by the Hitler reference, most Jamaicans seem to have no problem “liv[ing] comfortably in a period of bigotry” when it comes to LGBT rights.
But wait, some may argue…isn't that like comparing apples and oranges? Perhaps, but Miller argues that the two can be compared:
The point of any comparison is never to make things equal. A thing is only equal to itself. My point really is…that it is interesting a widespread reaction against the historical REMINDER of bigotry, when there are other contemporary expressions of bigotry being tolerated and even celebrated.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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The Purple House, a Collective in Colombia’s Medellín ‘To Create, Enjoy and Find Ourselves’ · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Casa Morada. Photo by the organization, used with permission.
In a quiet part of Comuna 13 San Javier in the Colombian city of Medellín sits a bustling house painted in many shades of purple appropriately called Morada or Casa Morada (Purple House). The house is located in a very quiet spot in the neighborhood, known for its social problems related with violence and poverty. It is home to a collective that promotes art and culture through various projects, including a radio station and urban farming.
The house, itself a project of the Fundación Casa de las Estrategias and other organizations, hosts different activities each day of the week. On Mondays, there are usually computer workshops and research; on Tuesdays, writing workshops and introduction of new authors; on Wednesdays, poetry and music; singing lessons on Thursdays; on Fridays, radio and drawing workshops; and on Saturdays, Agroarte, an education and farming program, and graffiti school. People from all over the city — mostly young people, but also adults — come to Morada to attend.
The collective says it has “no desire to do business, nor to formalize or incorporate ourselves”:
Somos un colectivo con emisora, con un espacio (o morada material), con actividades, con alianzas para crear, para disfrutar, para encontrarnos.
Nos mueve el placer, nos unen unas sensaciones.
Nos movemos en red por el voz a voz, tejiendo uno a uno, no somos un espacio público, ni una sede cultural del gobierno.
Si tiene un proyecto artístico, cultural, periodistico, investigativo y necesita un lugar para crear, para el intercambio, ¡Bienvenido!
We are a collective with a radio station, a space (or physical dwelling), activities, partnerships, to create, enjoy and find ourselves.
Pleasure moves us, sensations unite us.
We move as a network by word of mouth, weaving one with another, we are not a public space or a cultural seat of the government.
If you have an artistic, cultural, journalistic, or investigative project and need a place to create, to share, you are welcome!
In an interview for the daily El Colombiano to mark the first year of Morada, active since 2012, Lucas Jaramillo, a leading member of the collective, commented:
Aquí venimos a crear. Desde la libertad del hacer queremos sentar una posición crítica hacia una ciudad que despierta amores y odios.
We came here to create. From the freedom to ‘do’, we want to establish a critical position towards a city that awakens love and hate.
Throughout its existence, the house has given shelter to various cultural and urban art projects, such as the hip-hopper and cultural promotor Jeihhco, which somehow also made them unwitting witnesses to the violence still present in the city, as recorded in a note from 2012 about the murders of rappers in the area, one of them known as Duke:
En la Casa Morada del barrio San Javier se respiraba silencio, se respiraba miedo. El ambiente que se vivía, a tan sólo 3 días de la muerte de “El Duke” (conocido cantante de hip hop de la zona), asesinado el martes 30 de octubre, era de tensión. Al parecer, los líderes y raperos allí reunidos buscaban la intervención de un sacerdote que buscara una solución al problema de seguridad tras las amenazas recibidas el día anterior. […] El motivo de la visita a la Casa Morada, […] era conocer más de cerca el pasado de Élider Varela, (conocido como) “El Duke”, como rapero y líder comunitario.
At Casa Morada in the San Javier quarter, silence and fear was breathed. The atmosphere that existed, only three days after the death of “The Duke” [a well-known hip-hop artist the neighborhood], murdered on October 30, was full of tension. Apparently the leaders and rappers assembled there were seeking the intervention of a priest to look for a solution to the problem of security after threats were received the day before. […] The reason for the visit to the Casa Morada […] was to learn more about the past of Élider Varela, [known as] “The Duke,” as rapper and community leader.
Far from intimidating the group, this experience prompted them to respond with creativity and solidarity to these unfortunate events. Carlos Mario Cano, writing for darioadn.co, relates:
dos actos simbólicos de ciudad fueron gestados desde Morada: una semana después de las amenazas en contra de 25 raperos en la 13, en noviembre del año pasado (2012), la emisora salió a las calles para dar un ‘Abrazo morado’: encuentro con la gente para recordarles que todos debían acoger a estos jóvenes a quienes les vulneraron sus derechos.
El segundo acto nació luego del asesinato del mimo Julián Taborda en el corregimiento de Altavista. En esa ocasión, a principios de febrero de este año (2013), la Federación Parcharte –también nacida en Morada– decidió hacer un evento con diversas expresiones culturales en este corregimiento azotado por la violencia.
two symbolic acts for the city were born from Morada: a week after threats against rappers in [district] 13, in November of last year (2012), the station took to the streets to give “purple hugs”: meetings with the people to remind them that everyone should welcome these young people whose rights had been violated.
The second act was born after the murder of the mime Julián Taborda in the village of Altavista. On that occasion, in early February of this year (2013), the Parcharte [‘mending’ in English] Federation — also born from Morada — decided to put on an event with various cultural expressions in this district plagued by violence.
The station mentioned in the above paragraph is Morada Estéreo (Stereo Morada), one of the most popular projects at Morada. In its own words:
Con Morada Estéreo estamos apostando a un medio independiente, completamente libre, sin censura. Encontramos la identidad y la línea editorial desde las personas con las que nos juntamos, por sus búsquedas, por lo que crean, por cómo ayudan. […] Sin voces impostadas, sin guiones insulsos, sin brutalidad, sin prisa somos una red de locutores y realizadores que vibramos. Aquí encontrará gente proponiendo, muchos de ellos inconformes, siempre explorando con la generosidad del intercambio.
Intentamos también prestarle la voz a los que no tienen voz, estamos en contra de la discriminación y la segregación, contribuyendo a abrir una Medellín que muchos hacen, sin fronteras, en trueque con el mundo.
With Stereo Morada, we are trying for an independent media, completely free, uncensored. We discovered the identity and editorial line from the people we met, through their searches, their creations, their help. […] No unnatural voices, bland without scripts, without brutality, unrushed, we are a vibrating network of broadcasters and filmmakers. Here one will find people proposing, many of them dissatisfied, always exploring the generosity of the exchange.
We also try to give voice to those who have none, we are against discrimination and segregation, contributing to open a Medellin that many are creating, without borders, exchanging with the world.
I had the opportunity to talk with Walter González about the radio project, where he shares that the goal of the radio station is to open spaces for the people of the area. The station has be on air for two years and as a virtual radio, they have listeners almost everywhere:
Another of Morada’s projects is Agroarte, a project that combines agriculture, land, education and the social fabric of the city. On Stereo Morada’s YouTube channel, there is an interview with @agroarte, the rapper who leads this project, where explains that an individual spends their whole life learning and relearning and getting involved with others, even with the environment surrounding them:
To learn more about Morada, visit them on their website, their Facebook page and Twitter. Apart from listening to Morada Estéreo, you can follow them on Facebook, visit their YouTube channel and on Mixcloud.

author: Juan Arellano


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Three Anti-World Cup Activists Accuse Brazil of Political Persecution, Unsuccessfully Seek Asylum From Uruguay · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazil traded a military dictatorship for democracy nearly 30 years ago, but some are accusing the country, fresh off hosting the World Cup, of creating political refugees all the same.
“Lawyer Eloisa Samy, politically persecuted Brazilian asylum seeker at the Consulate of Uruguay. We are all persecuted”
The Uruguayan consulate in Brazil has denied a request for asylum from three Brazilians who are accused of “forming an armed gang” related to anti-World Cup protests and wanted for arrest based on what activists and alternative media are calling false evidence.
The day before the final match, police “preemptively” arrested 28 people opposed to hosting the tournament in Brazil because the activists had participated in past protests and police suspected they would engage in violent acts during a demonstration scheduled during the final.
Eloisa Samy, a lawyer who has defended imprisoned activists since anti-government protests rocked Brazil in June 2013, was one of those arrested on July 12. Formal charges weren't filed, and on July 15, most of the group, including Samy, were released after filing a habeas corpus petition.
Three days later, police, who said they had been investigating the activists since September 2013, turned over their 2,000-page investigation to the public prosecutor's office. In less than two hours after receiving it, the office filed charges of forming an armed gang against 23 activists, citing a bus arson and an attempt to set the Rio de Janeiro city council on fire.
Lucas Sada of the Institute of Human Rights Defenders criticized the public prosecutor's speed:
Essa velocidade incrível com que a denúncia foi apresentada e recebida pela Justiça só reforça que há um movimento articulado entre os poderes de criminalização dos grupos
This incredible speed with which the complaint was submitted and received by Justice only reinforces that there is clear movement among the powers for the criminalization of the groups
Moreover, the activists are accused of supporting or being part of the Black Blocs, a protest tactic of wearing black clothing and covering the face with a mask or bandanna seen at demonstrations since 2013. Some protesters dressed this way have vandalized property or committed arson.
They have denied engaging in any violence or belonging to the Black Blocs. Journalist Igor Natusch pointed out on Twitter that Brazilian authorities appear to confused the tactic for some sort of organized group:
Em privado, um amigo dá a morta: Brasil é primeiro país do mundo a tratar Black Bloc como organização e não método. Que pioneirismo deprê.
— Igor Natusch (@igornatusch) 21 julho 2014
In private, a friend jokes: Brazil is the first country in the world to treat Black Bloc as an organization and not method. What depressing pioneering
Sketches of some of the activists who have been jailed since June 2013.
Samy, her son David Paixão and his girlfriend Camila Nascimento were ordered arrested. The three sought refuge in the Uruguayan consulate in Rio de Janeiro on July 21, saying that they were facing political persecution. The defense lawyers of those arrested have found it difficult to access the proceedings, including Judge Siro Darlan, who released many of the activists after the preemptive arrests.
Once authorities realized the three were there, military police arrived and tried to enter the consulate. An employee prevented their entry in what could have become a serious diplomatic incident, according to Idelber Avelar, a professor at Tulane University in New Orleans:
Eloisa se encontra agora no Consulado do Uruguai, no Rio de Janeiro (Praia de Botafogo, 201), que a Polícia Militar tentou invadir — coisa que não aconteceu nem na ditadura militar.
Eloisa is now in the Consulate of Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro (Praia de Botafogo, 201), which the military police tried to break in — something that didn't even happen during the military dictatorship.
“The state intends to prosecute me because of my activism as a lawyer in popular protests. Most likely the prosecution will be to link me to a criminal organization” Eloisa Samy on 21 April, 2014
The Institute of Human Rights Defenders reported that military police with motorcycles surrounded the building while the three were inside.
In a video posted on YouTube with English subtitles, Samy denounces her situation and the situation of all the others who she calls “political prisoners” and asks for amnesty:
The Collective Mariachi interviewed her inside the consulate as well as lawyer Rodrigo Mondego from the Human Rights Committee of the Bar Association. In the video, Samy says that one of the reasons that led her to seek asylum in Uruguay was the story of its president, Pepe Mujica, who spent seven years in solitary confinement as a political prisoner during the dictatorship of his country:
On the evening of the same day, the Consul of Uruguay Myriam Fraschini Chalar denied them asylum. Journalist Fernando Rodrigues posted on his blog the official position of the Foreign Ministry of Uruguay, sent to him:
O [Brasil] é um Estado de Direito, não persegue ninguém por razões políticas, e o Uruguai não interfere em decisões judiciais.
In [Brazil] there's a rule of law, [it] does not persecute anyone for political reasons, and Uruguay does not interfere in judicial decisions.
The decision was criticized by international law professor Daisy Ventura on her Facebook and Twitter account:
Como comentei ontem, qualquer decisão do Uruguai seria criticada. Mas a resposta do governo, se de fato foi esta, é muito infeliz.
— Deisy Ventura (@Deisy_Ventura) 22 julho 2014
As I commented yesterday, any decision of Uruguay would be criticized. But the government's response, if indeed this is it, is very unfortunate.
O Brasil é uma democracia, não caberia asilo. Já esqueceram Assange? Alguém acha que a Inglaterra não é uma democracia? E quando o Brasil abrigou um Senador boliviano por cerca de um ano em nossa missão em La Paz, ele pretendeu questionar o Executivo ou o Judiciário da Bolívia? Claro que não, pois Morales é aliado político do governo brasileiro.
Brazil is a democracy, an asylum wouldn't fit. Have you forgotten [Julian] Assange? Does anyone think that England is not a democracy? And when Brazil hosted a Bolivian senator for about a year in its mission in La Paz, did [Brazil] intend to question the Executive or the Judiciary of Bolivia? Of course not, because [Bolivian President Evo] Morales is a political ally of the Brazilian government.
Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was granted asylum from Ecuador in 2012. He is wanted in Sweden on sexual assault charges, but fears he will be extradited to the U.S. because of his site's release of state secrets, so he has remained in Ecuador's London consulate.
Former Bolivian Senator Roger Pinto Molina was one of the main opposition members to the government of Bolivian President Evo Morales. Molina, who was accused of a litany of crimes including corruption by the government, he sought and was granted asylum from Brazil in June 2012 claiming he was politically persecuted. But Bolivia refused to allow him passage out of the country, so he lived in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz for a year. Then, Molina received the help of the temporary ambassador Eduardo Saboia to escape, creating a major diplomatic incident.
According to various media sources, Samy, her son and her son's girlfriend escaped the consulate with the help of Deputy Janira Rock of the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), who accompanied them throughout the day there. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
Activists like professor Eduardo Sterzi soon pointed fingers at who they thought was the responsible for persecuting the 23 activists in Rio:
Tristeza imensa por nossos governantes terem nos empurrado novamente para esse tempo podre. Vergonha enorme de ter votado toda a vida no PT, um dos maiores responsáveis pela criminalização de manifestantes políticos.
Immense sadness for our rulers who pushed us back to that rotten time [of dictatorship]. Huge shame to have voted all my life for the PT [Workers Party], one of the main parties responsible for the criminalization of political protesters.
On Twitter, others were also critical of President Dilma Rousseff and her PT government:
Agora o autoritarismo do governo Dilma é de conhecimento internacional, com presos políticos pedindo asilo em consulados. Vivi pra ver.
— Mauricio Caleiro (@M_Caleiro) 21 julho 2014
Now the authoritarianism of the Dilma government is internationally known, with political prisoners seeking asylum in consulates. I lived to see this.
A ex-presa-política @dilmabr e seu @JusticaGovBR vão se manifestar quando do pedido de asilo político em plena “democracia”? #EloisaSamy
— Daniel Nascimento (@dgcnascimento) 21 julho 2014
Will ex-political prisoner Dilma Rousseff and her Ministry of Justice speak on the request for political asylum in full “democracy”? #EloisaSamy
On July 24 judge Siro Darlan granted an habeas corpus for all the refugees and political prisoners.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Venezuela Clears the Tower of David, the “World’s Tallest Slum,” of Squatters · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

The Venezuelan government has finished evacuating thousands of squatters from the Tower of David, which overlooks Caracas’ slums, and is the tallest and most distinct building in the capital city's skyline.
The one-time office tower is a symbol of how prosperous Venezuela once was and its current dilapidated state reflects growing inflation and poverty problems in the country. Some of the squatters were people seeking refuge from growing daily violence in the sprawling city.
“This is not an eviction, this is a coordinate operation, harmoniously carried out with the community of the Confinanzas towers, that implies moving from here to units in Misión Vivienda”, stated Ernesto Villegas, minister for the Transformation of Gran Caracas, to a local TV station. Those units are located in Valles del Tuy.
On Twitter, users are posting some images from the so called skyscraper-favela of Caracas:
Conozca la razón por la que desalojan la famosa Torre de David (FOTOS) http://t.co/mWtxGlo4jI pic.twitter.com/t4c5THMQFT
— SuNoticiero (@SuNoticiero) julio 22, 2014
Know why the famous Tower of David is being evicted (PHOTOS).
CARACAS: Desde anoche desalojan la “Torre de David” http://t.co/6gSMARbtNd Desde el 2007 el edif. permaneció invadido pic.twitter.com/TSWl1pJp54
— Reportero24 (@Reportero24) julio 22, 2014
CARACAS: Since last night, the “Tower of David” is being evicted. Since 2007 the building was invaded by squatters.
Una de las temporadas de la serie tv Homeland fue ambientada en Torre de David. En este reportaje se observa> https://t.co/bLbye6WSgF
— Beatriz Adrián (@Beadrian) julio 22, 2014
One of the seasons of TV show Homeland was set in the Tower of David. On this report, we watch.


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5 Modern African Thinkers on Identity, Language and Regionalism · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Street Philosophy at City Bowl, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, by Anne Fröhlich on Flickr – CC license-NC-2.0
En archéologue des idées, Séverine Kodjo-Grandvaux explore les strates d'une épistémologie qui, au cours du dernier siècle, s'est construite essentiellement en réaction à l'Occident. D'abord sous le joug de son influence impérialiste, puis en réaction contre cette emprise [..] avec le mouvement des Indépendances et l'injonction à la décolonisation des esprits, vient le temps d'une pensée cherchant à se replier sur « l'identité africaine », contre le moule occidental. Un « retour au sources » risqué : « Dès lors que la philosophie cherche à se penser de manière « nationalitaire », c'est-à-dire continentale, nationale, ethnique, elle doit éviter plusieurs écueils, notamment celui de l'esprit collectif et celui de la particularisation excessive », écrit l'auteur. L'apport de la philosophie occidentale comme celui des autres courants de pensée ne doit pas être rejeté.
In her role as an archaeologist of ideas, Séverine Kodjo-Grandvaux explores the layers of a discipline which was built mainly in response to the West during the past century. During the colonial period, it moved along under the overarching control of its imperialist colonizers, then it evolved as a counter-reaction against the colonizers’ influence […] As the Independence movement swept throughout the continent (in the 50's), the philosophy of trying to return to “the African identity” and move away from the Western mold grew stronger. Kodjo-Grandvaux argues that such a “return to the origins” ideology is a risky proposition. She writes: “As philosophy is trying to fit into a “regional “pattern, [i.e, continental, national or ethnic], it must avoid several pitfalls, including the pitfall of homogeneous thinking and excessive isolation”. The contribution of Western philosophy as well as that of other currents of thought should not be dismissed.
Kodjo-Grandvaux highlights a debate about ethnophilosophy that African philosophers have been grappling with for a long time: the idea that a particular culture or region has specific philosophy that is fundamentally different from the other philosophical trends is controversial in itself. However, many modern African philosophers argue that their work is a critical reflection on African leaderships and how it impacts their compatriots daily lives. As a result, it is paramount that African philosophy develops in the context of the African continent and communicates to an African audience.
2. Souleymane Bachir Diagne (Senegal)
Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Senegalese philosopher and pionner of the new African philosophy scence – Public Domain
Souleymane Bachir Diagne, a Senegalese philosopher and professor at Columbia University, believes that African philosophers must make their work more accessible to their compatriots. He opines:
Nous devons produire nous-mêmes des textes en langues africaines et un de mes anciens élèves américain travaille en ce sens à une anthologie de textes de philosophes africains auxquels il a demandé d’écrire des articles dans leur propre langue. Des locuteurs de cette langue sont ensuite chargés de les traduire en anglais.
We need to produce our own texts in African languages and one of my former American students is working towards making an anthology of texts written by African philosophers who were asked to write articles in their own language. Then, native speakers will translate them to English.
African Ubuntu philosophy via Pencils for Africa – Public Domain
3. Léonce Ndikumana (Burundi)
In addition to the importance of addressing their African constituents better, there are other trending ideas that are coming forth today from African philosophers. Léonce Ndikumana grew up in Burundi and is now a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In his book, “Africa's Odious Debt: How Foreign Loans and Capital Flight Bled a Continent“, Ndikumana strives to combat many of the common narratives about Africa that are held as facts worldwide, such as the thinking that foreign aid subsidizes the African continent. In fact, capital flights from the African continent (1.44 trillion disappears without a trace from African countries, ending up in tax havens or rich countries) largely exceeds that of foreign aid (50 billion to Africa).
Ndikumana is also one of they key opinion leaders in Africa pushing back against international agency guidelines that often go against the will of African citizens.
4. Kwasi Wiredu (Ghana)
Countering false narratives is a growing trend among African intellectuals. Kwasi Wiredu, a Ghanaian philosopher, is one of those trying to do just that. He argues that a multiparty political system, often regarded as the base of democracy, is not always conducive to unity and stability. Instead, a democracy of consensus is a better suited to the African context:
Given that democracy is government by consent, the question is whether a less adversarial system than the party system, which is bound up with majoritarian decision-making, cannot be devised. It is an important fact that reasonable human beings can come to an agreement about what is to be done by virtue of compromise without agreeing on issues of truth or morality.
5. Kwame Anthony Appiah (Ghana)
However, another Ghanaian philosopher, Kwame Anthony Appiah, who currently teaches at New York University, is bucking the trend of Afrocentrism from African philosophers.  He argues that Afrocentrism is an outdated concept. He believes one should encourage more trans-cultural conversation and less “regionalism”:
[Ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes] rejected the conventional view that every civilized person belonged to a community among communities […] A global community of cosmopolitans will want to learn about other ways of life on radio, on television shows, through anthropology and history, through novels movies, news stories and newspapers, and on the Web.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Bahrain’s Shia Muslims Tense as Politicians and Preachers Pledge Allegiance to ISIS  · Global Voices
Noor Mattar

Photo from the profile of Turky Albinali, a Bahraini scholar who joined ISIS @turky_albinali
For Bahrain's majority Shia Muslim population, five recent events in their small island country ruled by Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa monarchs have them on edge.
These events involved powerful Sunni Muslims openly making dangerous sectarian comments in public without consequence, and swearing allegiance to the anti-Shia extremist group ISIS, which recently declared a caliphate (Islamic state) in Iraq.
Back in 2011, Bahrainis, the majority of whom are Shia Muslims, complained of political and economic marginalization in the country of 1.3 million people, but recent events suggest a growing trend towards complete marginalization.
The military cracked down on Shia Muslim-led protests against the Sunni Muslim government in 2011. Since then, Bahrain has been accused of human rights abuses targeting Shia Muslims. Low-level protests have continued to simmer. According to Mark Lynch at Foreign Policy magazine in 2011, “the Bahraini regime responded not only with violent force, but also by encouraging a nasty sectarianism in order to divide the popular movement and to build domestic and regional support for a crackdown.”
Among the tools used to sow the seeds of sectarianism that led to the following five incidents, empowering preachers from the country's small extremist Salafist population has been at the top of the list. Besides being anti-Shia, Salafi is a puritanical Sunni sect that has inspired extremist militant organisations like Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
1. Bahraini preacher pledges allegiance to ISIS
Earlier this month, Turky Albinali, a Bahraini Sunni preacher, endorsed anti-Shia ISIS, which is accused by Human Rights Watch of abducting, killing and expelling minorities, including Shia Muslims. Albinali appeared in a YouTube video declaring his loyalty to ISIS's new khalifa (head of caliphate) Abubaker Albaghdadi (in Arabic):
2. Bahrain's top Shia cleric is declared an infidel
Last week at a press conference, powerful former military officer Adel Fulaifel, who has been accused of torture, announced that Bahrain's highest Shia cleric Isa Qassim is an infidel. He added that he “will be hunted like a rat.” He was responding to Isa Qassim's call to start a joint Shia-Sunni cleric council.
Earlier this year, Bahrain closed the country's main Shia cleric council, a move that started a series of protests around the country.
BahrainMomo tweeted to her 21,000 followers:
استقبال مشايخ تكفيرية و فليفل يكفر ويهدد بقتل علماء الشيعة واليوم اغلاق المجلس العلمائي الشيعي من قبل النظام ! سياسة دولة سلفية داعشية
— أم أحمد البحرينية (@bahrainmomo) July 15, 2014
Welcoming extremists clerics, Fulaifel threatens to kill Shia clerics and today the regime closes the clerics council! A policy of a Salafist state like ISIS.
3. US diplomat kicked out, radical Saudi preacher welcomed
Two days before Fulaifel made his threat, a US diplomat was kicked out of the small oil-rich kingdom, which the US navy has used as a military base for years. A day later, the controversial sectarian and radical Saudi preacher Mohamed Alarefe was welcomed into Bahrain to give a series of sermons to young Bahrainis, despite the outcry of netizens. The Saudi preacher has been classified as a threat to the UK.
4. Politician openly supports ISIS
Former member of parliament Nasser Alfadhala, who will be contesting the next election from the Al-Menbar party (which the UK suspects of links to terrorism), openly supported the ISIS in this YouTube video last month:
«نحن نقف مع هذه الثورة التي صبرت طويلاً وطال انتظارها، لطرد هذا الظلم وهذا الخبث، الذي تدعمه بلاد الفرس، من أجل إذلال بلاد الرشيد، بلاد العزة والكرامة»
We support this revolution [by ISIS] that has been initiated to kick out the injustice and malice supported by the land of Persia to humiliate the land of Rasheed [historic caliphate], the land of glory and dignity.
Twitter user iProtester replied to that by publishing a photo of Alfadhala with flags of ISIS in the background, close to the American embassy:
وقفة قانونية مرخصة لـ #داعش_البحرين (بأعلام منظمة غير إرهابية) أمام السفارة الأمريكية بقيادة ناصر الفضالة. pic.twitter.com/zGv9lslNfp
— iProtestor | Bahrain (@iProtestor) July 19, 2014
An authorized gathering with the flags of a non-terrorist organization (sarcasm) in front of the American embassy led by Nasser Alfadhala
Journalist and satirist Faisal Hayyat tweeted:
تمت جرجرة خليل المرزوق بين النيابة والمحاكم بسبب رفع علم الإئتلاف،يا ترى هل سيتم جرجرة ناصر الفضالة بسبب رفع أعلام داعش؟ #مي_مقبولة #البحرين
— رياضيونا رهائن (@FaisalHayyat) July 18, 2014
Khalil Almarzooq was prosecuted and taken to court for raising the flag of the youth coalition. Will Nasser Alfadhala go through the same for raising the flag of ISIS?
Almarzooq is a leading member of the largest opposition group Alwefaq. He was arrested and put to trial for holding a flag of the Bahraini February 14 youth coalition, which led protests in 2011.
5. Bahraini soldier defects
Last week, Sunni Muslim military officer Mohamed Albinali (or Abu Isa Alsalmi as he was dubbed by his fellow soldiers) tweeted:
أنا محمد بن عيسى البنعلي، ملازم في الداخلية البحرينية أعلن عن #انشقاقي عن هذا النظام منذ اكثر من أربعة أشهر #البحرين
— أبو عيسى السلمي (@bu3utbah) July 15, 2014
I Mohamed Isa Albinali, a lieutenant in Bahrain's Ministry of Interior declare my defection from this regime since over four months.
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior has been criticized for its sectarian selection policy and its use of systematic torture.
This month, even though the financial watchdog IMF warned Bahrain it might be unable to pay government employees by 2017, the tourism-dependent country banned three-star hotels from selling alcohol or hosting music bands. Bahrain hosts 2 million tourists every year.
In 2011, when popular New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof visited Bahrain he described it as a quasi-apartheid state. But as supporters of ISIS and preachers of hate and militancy like Fulaifel, Alfadhala and Alarefe are given more free reign in Bahrain, it increasingly seems like a complete apartheid state, meant to economically, politically and socially marginalize the country's majority Shia Muslims.


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Cuba’s Customs Clamps Down in “Illegal Imports”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

On September 1, 2014 the Customs Service of the Republic of Cuba will begin enforcing new regulations intended to combat illegal trafficking of merchandise by relatives, friends and ‘mules’ (a slang term for couriers of goods from overseas through airports and port facilities).
Iván's File Cabinet considers this “one more turn of the screw”, explaining that since 2011, there have been new measures every year to try and stop the illegal importation of goods by families and private businesses on the island.