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Kenya: Non response of the government  to media raid · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Thinkers Room comments on the response by Kenyan government minister to the raid on the Standard media group last week. “The response from cabinet ministers continues to be disjointed, confused and verging on the ridiculous.”


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Kenya: Raid on media · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Pundit publishes the articles that led to the Kenyan government's raid on the Standard Media group last week in Nairobi.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Sokari Ekine


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Nepal: Conflict and Women · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Bahas on the implications of the widespread conflict on women in Nepal.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Nepal: Remember Iraq · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Parallels between pre-war Iraq and Nepal at Democracy for Nepal – “There are maybe 30 families, perhaps 50 individuals in the army, maybe 10 relatives to the king, maybe maybe five cabinet members but that's about it. That is the extent of the support the king has.”


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Nigeria: Big Brother · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Naijablog reports on the launch of Big Brother Nigeria on Sunday -


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Nigeria: Niger Delta · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Grandiose Parlor asks how to explain the madness of  the Niger Delta to an American in 5 minutes?


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Oman: The Singles Club · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Ali Mehdi from Sleepless in Muscat blog talks about an alarming trend in the Omani community. As according to a recent census that was achieved back in 2003, there are now 3 Omani women to every 1 Omani man in the country. Find out the reasons.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Palestine: Art, creates dialogue · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Sabbah and Laith agrees that even “Paradise Now” didn't win the Oscar, but it won more than the academy award. Laith agrees with the film's director statement that this film would let people talk and discuss the issues that are presented in it. “Art, creates dialogue”.


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Poland: Avian Flu Media Frenzy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about media frenzy that hit Poland after it had been confirmed that two swans died of avian flu.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Serbia & Montenegro: Montenegro Travel, Part One · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mat Savelli of Roma Roma posts the first part of his Montenegro travel account, which includes a moving story of his encounter with two independent-minded Roma kids.


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Slovenia: “The Shit in Yugoslavia” Freudian Slip · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michael of The Glory of Carniola posts a video clip of a Slovenian newscast aired shortly before the disintegration of Yugoslavia, in which the host describes the situation in the country using a term that, although “not completely wrong,” could've gotten him fired nevertheless.


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South Africa: Zuma trial · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Yebo Gogo comments on the trial of Jacob Zuma in South Africa. Zuma is accused of rape.


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Sri Lanka: Walls all around · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Mahamoor.com laments the “walling up” of houses in Colombo. “Why the walls? Is crime really that bad? I can’t really say whether I know – I’ve heard horror stories of army deserters burgling houses in the dead of night and so on, which would, in a sense, justify the walls…”


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Sudan: Archbishop silent on Darfur · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Passion of the Present as points to an article in the UK Observer which questions why the Archbishop of Canterbury failed to mention the “arson rape massacres” taking place in Darfur


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The Burning of Diego Portales · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

No, Diego Portales is not living person. This Chilean building has a lot of historic memory in it walls. Since democracy arrived in our lives, in 1998, this building had been used as the central base for counting votes and for announcing the official results of the vote. A branch is occupied by the Defence Ministry. Before that, in 1972, the president Salvador Allende declared it a Cultural Centre, and in 1973, after the coup, it became the base for the Pinochet administration. Jorge Pérez explains this and other details in his blog (ES) , that are necessary to understand the historic value of this building.
The official reason for the fire, is that the building's electrical system hasn’t had proper maintenance. The fire damaged 40% of the whole structure. About the maintenance issue, Jorge Sepúlveda posts in his blog (ES) “the institutionalism falls down because of bad maintenance” he explains about different historic events and personal experience that helps to understand why these things happen, and how they are reflected in culture.
Another view of the situation comes from Pitufa, a witness of the fire, she was with some friends in the neighbourhood and wrote that the smell made them walk to Diego Portales building. While they were on their way, Pitufa shot photos, which are available here.

author: Rosario Lizana


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This week in Israel: elections in three weeks? (yawn) · Global Voices
Lisa N. Goldman

So here we are, three weeks before national elections – and nobody in the Israeli blogosphere has anything to say. This, despite all the upheavals of the past few months: The surprise election of Amir Peretz, the former leader of Histadrut, Israel's largest labour union, as leader of the Labour party; despite Prime Minister Ariel Sharon‘s decision to leave the Likud party and found Kadima; despite the fact that Sharon is now lying in an apparently irreversible coma after suffering a massive cerebral hemmhorage two months ago; and despite the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian national elections.
Given all that drama, you'd think that people would be really fired up about the elections, wouldn't you? But nooooo……
Perhaps next week, once the television broadcasts of the campaign messages are in full swing, Israeli bloggers will have something to say about the elections. Meanwhile, this week I've just put together some random posts that, taken as a whole, give readers a sort of intimate snapshot of what's going on in Israel – behind the headlines.
Stephanie Fried, a freelance journalist who blogs at Stefanella's Drive Thru, illustrates the complexity of life in Israel in this description of the people she met at a Tel Aviv hospital ward, where her son was hospitalized following a fever-induced seizure. Stephanie's son is half Danish; two of his fellow patients were children from Gaza, accompanied by their mothers; and a third was a 12 year-old Israeli girl whose father was an undercover agent in the occupied territories during the first intifada. And there they were, all being treated in the same ward of a Tel Aviv hospital. This post is required reading for anyone who thinks that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be defined in absolute terms.
Or, as Stephanie puts it,
“With perpetual conflict and enmity in abundance how do Gazans end up sharing a Tel Aviv hospital room with a part American/part Danish kid (he doesn't draw cartoons. Yet) and a former undercover agent?
Grey grey grey. The closer you get the blurrier the view.”
more
Stephanie just wrote another fascinating post about the refusal of a London-based dance magazine to publish an article about an Israeli dance troupe that just returned from New York, where it performed an originally choreographed piece about breaking down boundaries between cultures and people . The dance troupe is scheduled to perform next in Cuba and around North America. This is what happened when Stephanie called to make her story pitch:
“The head of advertising answers and immediately launches into a quiet but resolute political diatribe upon hearing where the company is based. I'm thinking: ‘WTF? Why is a dance magazine guy talking politics to me?’ And never mind my interjections on artistic director Sally-Anne's behalf…that she broke away from apartheid South Africa, that her most recent creation is called Borders and addresses breaking down boundaries both personal and political….
He basically tells me that because of the occupation the magazine doesn't run stories on dance companies out of Israel. He also assures that he is in no way, shape or form racist because he's a Sikh from Northern India. But of course.”
Meanwhile, Shai Tsur of Shaister comments on the Israeli couple whose insane decision to set off firecrackers in Nazareth’s Church of the Annunciation, during prayers, led to violent demonstrations by the Christian Arab residents of the city.
Shai points out that there is ample evidence showing that the Havivis, the couple who set off the firecrackers, are not exactly the most mentally stable people in the world.
“Havivi is in fact certifiable. He is also somewhat infamous. A few years ago, he and his family showed up at the Muqata’ah in Ramallah and begged Yasser Arafat for permission to settle in the Palestinian Authority. That, as it turns out, was a publicity stunt geared to draw attention to the Havivis’ economic problems and their battles with social services. So was the little attack in Nazareth.”
Shai then goes on to criticize Israeli Arab leaders for taking advantage of the event for political gains.
“No sooner had the incident in Nazareth started to cool down that Ahmad Tibi and other Arab MKs rushed to the news studios to decry Havivi’s act as representative of institutional racism in Israel.
In response, acting PM Olmert called for calm and suggested that the incident — “the act of a spaced-out couple”, in his words — not be used to rile up race relations. So, today Hadash MK Mohammad Barakeh attacked Olmert as a racist.
Clearly, it’s election season and the Arab parties have decided to use this incident as a campaign issue. Which is a pity, because it doesn’t deserve to be. There are many legitimate examples of problematic policy (both de jure and de facto) when it comes to Israel’s Arab minority. This isn’t one of them.”
Bert de Bruin, of Dutchblog Israel, echoes Shai when he writes:
Almost all religious officials, political leaders and security forces behaved in a very responsible way, and they did a good job of crisis management and cooperation. The only ones who should be ashamed of themselves, since they showed an absolute lack of responsible leadership by trying to use this incident – which was caused by troubled individuals, not by political or religious fanatics – for their own political gains, are men such as Mohammad Barakeh, Ahmad Tibi, Sheikh Salah and Azmi Bishara.
Further on the subject of Israel’s Arab minority, Don Radlauer, of On the Contrary, takes another Israeli blogger to task for writing a racist post about the rights of Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin.
And over at Slightly Mad, the leftist blogger Purple Parrot confesses to being rather satisfied that Paradise Now, the Palestinian movie about suicide bombers, did not win the Academy Award for best foreign film.
“So for any of you who were assuming I'd be seething at being “robbed”, I will surprise you by saying that I was actually satisfied with this outcome: I do stand by my previous contention that people – Israelis and Jews in particular – should not boycott Paradise Now. But I don't think it deserved this particular statuette, and certainly not the accompanying hype which would have degenerated into a nasty PR war between bereaved families, propagandists on both sides, and the like: I shudder at the very notion.”

author: Lisa N. Goldman


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Women’s Day & Solidarity · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian women and bloggers are organizing conferences for Women’s day.  Zannevesht (Persian), an Iran based blogger & journalist, informs us that at 8th of March a conference will be organized in social sciences faculty in university of Tehran. Main topic will be violence against women.
Cafe 84 (Persian), an Iran based blogger, informs us that another conference has been organized in Law faculty in university of Tehran. There was a book exposition too. Only books about prostitution, street kids and begging were banned.
Shahram Kholdi, UK based blogger & academic, has analysed Roya Hakakian's piece in the Wall Street journal. Mrs. Hakakian said there is no real solidarity between Iranians to back protest movements such as bus strike. Mr.Kholdi writes:
“I agree with Roya that the Iranian Human Rights Activist Community has failed to show the much expected solidarity, not only in supporting Tehran's Bus Drivers’ Strike, but also in acting upon many other instances of severe violation of human rights. We, those of us who claim to promote human rights (especially those of us who prefer to focus on Iran) to ensure that the Tehran's Bus Drivers’ Strike to be appear as frequently as possible on the front page of as many major Western newspapers. Iranian human rights activists have failed to mount a publicity campaign throughout the Western media to expose the most recent atrocities committed by the Islamic Republic's Judiciary-Intelligence complex internationally. From the young female journalist Elham Forutan, who was even rumoured to have attempted suicide in the Evin prison, to the Bus Drivers’ Strike, we could and should have done more and we have not.
I disagree with her that we have not been doing much at all. At least in the blogosphere, there have been many who have been active to ensure that the voice of the Striking Bus Drivers to be echoed as much as possible. Unfortunately, the Blogosphere's reach is limited and cannot be exaggerated. Starting with Regime Change Iran in December 2005, to Freethoughts Babak Seradjeh's piece . Indeed, Farid Pouya covered on Global Voices online, as well as his own weblog. These are just two examples, there are many others.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Zimbabwe: Gender violence · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Zimbabwean blogger, Fire Pussy points to a book by IRIN on gender violence “Broken Bodies, Broken Dreams: Violence against women exposed.  Some horrendous statisticw – “On average five Indian women a day are killed in “accidental” kitchen fires because dowry payments have not been met. 25% of girls and 8% of boys around the world have been subjected to child sex abuse. The United Nations estimates that one in three females will be beaten, or raped in her lifetime.”


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Argentina: Mayor Convicted of Mismanagement in Nightclub Fire · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Jeff Barry has two descriptive posts of protests by opponents and supporters of Argentine Mayor Anibal Ibarra who was given a pink slip yesterday after a court convicted him of mismanagement in 2004's fatal Cromagnon nightclub fire where 194 concert goers died.

author: David Sasaki


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Armenia: Notes from the Blogosphere · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Oneworld Multimedia rounds up the English-language and Armenian-language Armenian blogosphere.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Armenia: Purchased Diplomas · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

ArmYouth Blog writes about purchased diplomas and other problems in Armenian higher education.


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Armenia: Yerevan’s Homeless Shelter · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Oneworld Multimedia goes inside Yerevan's new homeless shelter, the city's first.


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Belize: Local elections results · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Melody reports that Belize's opposition party captured the majority of seats in two cities and seven towns in local elections held yesterday, “handing the ruling Peoples United Party its first electoral defeat in ten years”.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Brazil: Overmundo · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Made in Brazil introduces Overmundo, a collaborative news site meant to “promote Brazilian culture in a democratic way over the web.” All content is Creative Commons-licensed and can be syndicated with RSS feeds. In addition to text, the site also offers audio and video files which can be downloaded.


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Cambodia: Collecting Honey · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Maytel 2020 takes pictures of a day collecting honey in Cambodia.

author: Jose Manuel Tesoro


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Caucasus: Anything New? · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The United States claims to have a new approach to development aid to the states of the southern Caucasus. Marianna Gurtovnik examines the approach and asks how new it really is.


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Caucasus: Sex Ed · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Young Caucasus discusses sex education this week.


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Central Asia: Evangelical Missionaries · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Amira at The Golden Road to Samarqand writes about Christian evangelicals in Central Asia, and pleas for more understanding and respect among both missionaries and local governments and societies.


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Central & Eastern Europe: International Women’s Day · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

March 8 has been an official day off in Russia and Ukraine, and here are some bloggers’ reactions to the holiday – in Russia and Ukraine, as well as elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe.
Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes, a Kyiv-based blog, is not happy about the universality of the day off:
[…] everyone, or most everyone, has it off including the elevator repairman for our building. Hiking up 13 floors with the littlest Clark in hand is not my idea of the perfect holiday.
Oleksandr, a Ukrainian living in Montreal and writing Messages From Canada, wonders why March 8 is considered an international holiday when it's more of a Soviet holiday and should be treated as such:
Like my sister's friend said: I am not Soviet Union woman (“sovetskaya zhenshyna”), so that I don't celebrate this holiday at all. Me too, I am not Soviet Union man, so that if I met any of my female friends this day in Ukraine, I would say just “have a nice day” ;)
Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog and Konstantin of Russian Blog both reproduce Soviet-time March 8 posters: “Down with kitchen slavery” from the former and “[Soviet-Chinese] friendship is unbreakable” from the latter.
Sergey Belyakov of the Novgorod-based RUBLog sends his warmest wishes to the women of the world and reminds the rest of the humankind that it's not too late to buy flowers online, thus revealing yet another aspect of March 8 – as any other holiday, it's very good for commerce:
For mens:
In Russia, it is usual to present flowers on 8th March. You still have time to make it, with Send Flowers or Flowers 2 Russia.
Norvezhskiy Lesnoy (LJ user nl) has created a generic March 8 greeting (RUS) for Moscow's Bolshoi Gorod  bloglike website: every year, press services of “presidents, governors, heads of oil corporations, etc.” across Russia have to revise their last year's greetings – and often they repeat themselves or each other; by taking it a step further and combining quotes from various official addresses, NL helps those busy men save time and avoid embarrassment.
Olga Sagareva criticizes (RUS) a recent order issued by Chechnya's new prime minister Ramzan Kadyrov: from now on, women in Chechnya are required to wear headscarves in government institutions and on TV.
[…] no one has probably told Kadyrov that March 8 is the day of fighting for women's rights, and this is the reason it was so dear to the Soviet people, and not to them alone.
(A year ago, Kadyrov's March 8 present to the Chechen women was – very inappropriately – the dead body of his main opponent, Aslan Maskhadov.)
Jane Keeler, an American teaching English in Vladimir, notes this in her From Russia With Blog:
I find it fascinating to read about the history of IWD, and it's kind of disappointing to see how it has evolved. On one hand, I got chocolate, cards and potpourri from various people all because I am in possession of a vagina. Easiest chocolate I've ever received.
Becca at the Polish blog Boo mentions the holiday's popularity in Poland and its growing “recognition everywhere,” but isn't sure Iowa United Methodist Women's suggested activity for the day has much value:
Right, you'd like women ‘wherever’ they live, to go into churches and ring the bells ‘all day’.
Annabengan of annasblog marks how the meaning of March 8 seems to differ in her native Sweden and in Albania, where she now works:
In Sweden it's not really a “happy event” it's kind of a heavy day full of shame and guilt as we read and hear about inequality concerning salaries of men and women, the ratio women – men in Boards of private enterprises that still exist, gender based violence, women's rights etc etc. I understand zero Albanian so I don't know what's up in the Albanian news papers and media today – maybe it's the same…?
Finally, Pestiside.hu, a Hungarian blog, has forgotten about the holiday: “Honestly, Dear, the Dog Ate Our Flowers” is the title of the relevant post. Last year's entries are offered as compensation, though.
UPDATE:
Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog cites some interesting holiday-related statistics:
1. Prices on flowers rose on average 170%.
2. L'Oreal Paris made 40% of its planned sales of perfume on one day only.
3. Tables at Moscow restaurants were all booked 2 weeks before the day.
Stephan Clark of Everybody I Love You reports on how he combined his Russian lesson with a little celebration with his teacher, and also notes that the mobile network in Kharkiv, Ukraine, was overloaded on March 8:
[…] My tutor had received roses and tulips before getting my flowers, and her daughter was all dressed up and entertaining guests when I came over for my thrice-weekly lesson. Others I know measure the day in text messages — and if one woman got sixteen, I'm sure every other woman in the country got four, or seven, or twelve or twenty-two. Just trying to send a text-message today was hard. […]
Lyndon of Scraps of Moscow recounts what he did on March 8 as a kid in the Soviet Union in the mid-80s and links to his last year's March 8 post, which dealt almost exclusively with the TV coverage of Aslan Maskhadov's death:
[…] I am sure that appetites at more than one 8th of March feast were spoiled by the extensive footage of Maskhadov's body (turns out that “destroyed” is a polite way of saying “killed” – his body was very much intact, although pretty beaten up), in a pool of blood, from every conceivable angle. […]
Katerina, a Russian co-blogger at The Accidental Russophile, writes about the reasons people still celebrate this Soviet holiday and describes what an ideal March 8 should be like and how it normally goes.
LJ user yellow-reporter posts an AFP picture of Moscow feminists protesting next to a huge panties-shaped poster with this message  (RUS) on it:
“Flowers – today, shackles – everyday?”
One commenter calls this “fanatism,” the other describes the protesters as “losers” (RUS).
Rachel of  Pustolovina: adventure in Serbian describes a very eventful day in Belgrade, filled with protest, activism as well as some “very stereotypically feminine” activities. She concludes:
I enjoyed all of those tasks & I suppose that's what International Women's Day, feminism, etc. is all about: doing tasks because you want to do them, not because they're expected of you.
UPDATE 2:
Having forgotten to celebrate the International Women's Day, Gazing into the Abyss writes about how the holiday is perceived in the Czech Republic now:
[…] If I brought flowers home yesterday – well, I could; there is no such thing as too many flowers. But if I brought flowers with congratulations on International Women's Day, oh my! – it would mean that either I am completely crazy after all, or I make tasteless jokes. That's what remains of a once high-minded idea: a tasteless joke.
Most of us here in the West's East would like to forget about the past, just as I have forgotten about the Woman's Day. But the past won't forget about us.


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China: Double standards · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Angry Chinese Blogger notes that while the Chinese papers have plastered Oscar-winning Taiwan-born director Ang Lee  and his “Brokeback Mountain” all over the headlines, claiming his success as ‘a victory for all Chinese, everywhere’, most papers gloss over the fact that the film is a story of love between two male homosexuals, or that it remains on Beijing's list of prohibited movies.

author: Luisetta Mudie


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China: Gender issues in labor · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Corporate Social Responsibility Asia quotes Gu Xiulian, president of the All-China Women's Federation, as saying that “inequality in employment is still a serious issue”, citing the Labour Law that employers should not raise the bar when recruiting women or reject them on grounds of gender.


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China: Go-getting newshounds · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Via Asia Pundit, Non-Violent Resistance is also somewhat aghast at the media circus surrounding the annual National People's Congress in Beijing, especially when the equation of physical endurance versus content is worked out in full.


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China: Massage Milk archive · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

ESWN digs out a translated archived post of a self-description by Massage Milk/Cream, whose blog appears to have been deleted by Chinese censors.


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Colombia: Trafficking of Women · Global Voices
David Sasaki

On this International Women's Day, John Guzman is saddened that when you search for “Colombian women” on the internet, the majority of results are “buy a bride” websites. Juan Gratinaiano Lopez reminds (ES) readers to “not see women only as a sexual object, but rather like human beings with great potential to fight for a better world.”


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Costa Rica: Papaya Fest 2006 · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Roy Rojas summarizes the Central American music festival, Papaya Fest 2006 (ES). He's also got a great flickr gallery of images from the week-long festival. Fusildechispas has another review (ES).


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Costa Ricas: Taxistas Protest · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Jacqueline Mackie Paisley Passey has an impressive set of photographs from yesterday's Taxi driver strike in San Jose.


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DRC: Shots of Mbuji-Mayi · Global Voices
Alice Backer

At Renouveau Congolais, DRC blogger etngandu posts  (FR) pictures of  public sites in remote Mbuji-Mayi, the capital of East Kasai province: the Cathedral of Bongola, recently built electric poles and the future  administrative headquarters of East Kasai province.

author: Alice Backer


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Ethiopia: Explosions · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Aqumada reports on three explosions in Addis Ababa yesterday.  Although no group has claimed responsibility, Aqumada feels that the Ethiopian government is involved.


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Hungary: Cliched Coverage · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Pestiside.hu reviews (unfavorably) the recent coverage of Hungary in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Smithsonian: “Because as it turns out, even when an editor sends a consummate professional with exquisite taste and cultural sensitivities to Hungary to write a feature about the place, it still ends up being illustrated with pictures of dried paprika […].”


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India: Bomb blasts in Varanasi · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Rana on the bomb basts in Varanasi – a pilgrimage centre in India, and an account by Jagadish whose family was at the same Railway Station as one of the bomb blasts that very time.


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India: On Street Harrasment · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Some extremely engaging posts on Street Harassment from India for Blog-a-thon 2006 by Annie, Sowmya, km, Mangs and Akshay.


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Indonesia: Investment Ironies · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Yosef Ardi points out that Indonesia's government makes it difficult for foreign investors (but not creditors) to do business in the country. “If we couldn't trust foreign investors (FDI) and the government who invited them in the first place can't protect their existence, why the cabinet should waste their time to make an investment policy package? Why not asking Indonesian businessmen instead if that's the nationalism sentiment is all about.” However, the problem is that local tycoons already prefer to invest abroad.


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Iran: Channel4 Blogging  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Shahram Kholdi, UK based blogger, talks about UK Channel4  journalist's blog about Iran & from Iran. Jon Snow is heading Channel 4 team in Iran and they are posting interesting news and thoughts about Iran on their blog.


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Iran: Photos & Women’s Day · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kosoof, an Iran based photo journalist & blogger, has taken very interesting photos from women's gathering in Tehran (Persian). Same meeting was attacked by security forces. Slogans in photos are  such as education & jobs are women's right or peace, solidarity & equality.


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Iran: Women & Repression · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Fanous informs us that peaceful meeting of Iranian women in  Tehran has been repressed by police (Persian). Blogger adds that Iranian famous  poet, Mrs. Simin Behbahani was attacked and wounded by security forces. She is 78 years old.


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IWD: Honouring African Women – Part 1 · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

On International Women's Day, African bloggers have chosen to honour African women.  We honour our mothers, sisters, grandmothers and daughters.  Women whose names you will not see written in newspapers or hear on the radio but nonetheless women with courage whose spirits will always remain with us and guide us through our daily lives.
Ore's Notes
In my life, I feel that I have been touched by so many great, wise and wonderful women — from my mother, other family, women I've worked with and many great friends — so it is very hard for me to pick just one woman to pay tribute to. For that reason, I decided not to select just one woman, but to celebrate ALL the women who have been significant in my life
She honours her mother  “She is an engineer (still a fairly rare job for a woman), a leader of (many) men, an enterpreneur, an amazing mother, who despite her frenetic schedule still manages to keep up with the minutae of her family's life“;  A  Kenyan lady she worked with in Boston for some years who “showed me a different life for an African woman than I was accustomed to“; her best friend who “serves as an inpiration for living life by your own rules“; and her sister who is “someone I can always count on to tell me the often hard, cold and unpleasant truths that no one else will.”
What An African Woman Wants  celebrates The Ordinary.
I’m inclined to celebrate ordinariness for the very fact that it does not stand out in a crowd and therefore it is about you and me and her. ……..Once upon a time, she was the daughter of M. Then she was Mrs K. Now, for the most part, she is Mama W, W being the name of her first born. Or Mama M, M being the name of her only son. This is what her friends, her neighbours, her acquaintances, even her husband, call her. Mama W or Mama M. Her children, of course, call her mother, mum. And at the office, she is Mrs K.
007 in Africa  uses poetry to honour the mother she met from the village of Kole in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Because you are raising 10 grown children; without the help of a husband by your side (he exists but is unseen); Because you smiled for the full 24 hours; I spent with you and your girls; Because, in you, I can see the way my ancestors lived; and it inspires me to continue working in health and development
Sokwanele – This is Zimbabwe  celebrates the women of Zimbabwe through WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise)
WOZA stand out as a group of women who, through non-violent peaceful action, give a public face and press-friendly words to the experience that weighs on all women in our country……..We honour them not only because they are undeniably brave, but because we recognise that their actions give a voice to the experiences of Zimbabwean woman struggling to survive on a daily basis. And through honouring them we recognise the courage of all Zimbabwe women battling in these difficult times – not just for today, but for every day of the year.
Weichegud!ET Politics  honours Ethiopian mothers who have buried their children – “slaughtered in the name of a wanton revolution“
On International Women’s Day, I honor the many thousand Wubalems of Ethiopia- past and present; women who, as my mother put it, “have not stopped crying for thirty years.”
Jangbalajugbu Home Stories honours Dora Akunyili who as head of the National Agency for Food and Drug Andministration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria swas shot by would be assasins in December 2003 but survived her bullet to her head.
Numerous letters have also been written to this woman, threatening her life and that of her family. Her job has been described as “the most dangerous job in Nigeria”. Many in her shoes would have given up for fear of their lifes and that of their loved ones. But definately not Professor Dora Akunyi
Guessaurus honours  honours her mother…
the ones we overlook coz they are so ‘obvious’ and aren’t celebrated worldwide, or in the media or on TV or even in our everyday lives. They are always there, always ready, always willing, and always supportive, they seem to have supernormal strength – taking care of others, of us, seemingly not needing any support themselves (or so we think) and seeming to get along alright, make all the right decisions, do all the right things, even in suffering they don’t complain.
Feminist African Sister chooses to celebrate the progress women have made in the struggle for equality. She names her grandparents, her mother, younger women signing up for the struggle, a civil servant who has brought gender awareness to her community, the women who have gone before her and the sisterhood of her friends.
To women in this struggle, this year has taught me several things I wish for you all to take on the long journey ahead. Speak out! Standing strong for equality. Remember and cherish the bond of sisterhood with all its contradictions and joys. Support each another
Black Looks  chooses to honour the women of the Niger Delta through the life of Mrs Odua, a grassroots defender of human rights who despite great personal sacrifice never waivered in her resistance to power.
She paid a high price for her activism and beliefs. Ostracised from her community, abandoned by her husband, disinherited by her in-laws.    We should not underestimate the honesty and courage of women like Mrs Odua who resist the everyday oppressions in their own local communities.
Zimbabwean Pundit Through the story of  Grandmother – “Ambuya vaSeka” he honours all the women of Zimbabwe and of Africa. Ambuya is caring for 5 children.  What happened to their parents?
Mzukuru (grandson),” ambuya intoned, her voice breaking up as the emotion welled up inside of her, “upenyu hwakaoma (life is hard). Vaurikuona ava ndivo vatova vana vangu (the infants you're looking at now my children). Vangu vekuzvara vasopera kare, amai vaChipo kadikidiki aka karimumaoko angu takavaviga pasina kana negore rese (All my offspring have long since died, you see Chipo over here, we buried her mom less than a year ago)
He calls on his fellow African men to join together with the women and quotes Jonah K. Gokova the founder and chairperson of Padare Zimbabwe's men's forum on gender equality:
Men of Quality are Not Afraid of Equality! — Real Men Do Not Abuse Women!
Molara Wood honours Marie Fatayi Williams and her son Anthony who was killed in the July bombings in London last year.  The pain at the loss of one's child is indescribable. Mrs Fatayi Williams represents all the mothers who have lost their children to wanton violence.
This is my son, Anthony, my only son, the head of my family!” she cried out, and we could not but be moved. And when it was later confirmed that Anthony had indeed died on the number 30 bus, we had a profound appreciation of the enormity of the loss to those who loved him. In an obituary published on August 3, 2005, the BBC website wrote: “No one could be left in any doubt about the passion with which Anthony Fatayi-Williams was loved by his family after hearing the deeply emotional speech delivered by his mother in the wake of the London attacks.”
Poi honours and remembers all women – her mothers, grandmothers, aunts, all Kenyan woman.
May this day be a memoriam for all fallen women! For each woman is her own self-made HEROINE! I recognize you, each woman, out there. I'm against anyone who puts down, or misjudges a woman. For how else can we know where a shoe pinches lest our foot be in it?
AfroBlog  chooses to honour her mother and  asks “What does it mean to honour an African woman?”
It means to reflect upon her life – a daily testament to her strength.
It means to be inspired by her wisdom and humility.
It means to be amazed by her vision for her family and humanity.
It means to be humbled by her sense of justice.
It means to acknowledge her dignity.


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IWD: Honouring African Women – Part 2 · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Pilgrimage to Self   honours the “unheard voices” of African women – the women who maintain our communities but never get the recognition.
This is for the woman who watches as her country is ravaged by war…..This is for the woman who has been sold into marriage for sake of family, faith or tradition…This is for the woman who suffers abuse because of her colour, lifestyle, faith, opinion, background, ethnic group….This is for the woman looked down on because she has chosen to stay at home and look after her kids….This is for all of us who in one way or another are forgotten and maligned because of who we are – Women”
au lait  celebrates herself – today is also her birthday –
I share my day today with millions of extraordinary women around the world, and that is a great honour for me…..I cannot forget to celebrate my MUM who continues to amaze and inspire me with her beauty, strength and resilience. Mum, one day, I will be half the woman you are, and I will be glad.”
Soul on Ice   honours his mother – “Sweet Mother”
we'd been through rough times growing up and without her I would never have come to a point were I would be responsible and have my own family. My dad was the archetypal business man, taking the risks, hitting and missing. Rocking the boat. My mum was the captain keeping us all on course.
AfroMusings honours all the women in her family especailly her aunt S.
She reminds the younger members of the family that education is a lifelong endeavour. She graduated with a masters degree last year, all the while taking care of 4 children, well they are adults now… She concentrated on research on a little known genetic disease that afflicts a small number of kenyans including our cousin K.
Uaridi honours “her special heroine – the working mother”
A memory that stays with me is one I once saw in my infrequent journeys upcountry. A woman was walking home in the evening, on her back was a basket filled with food; a load of firewood, and her youngest child. Next to her was another child, and as she was walking, she was shelling peas – for supper of course
Adeunke on Adefunke writes of the many women who have touched her and others and chooses to celebrate them all through her mother, Princess.
she has managed to do a good job of raising two children, me and my 20 year old sister who has cerebral palsy. I learned the meaning of forgiveness as I watched her struggle with the hand fate dealt her. I learned the meaning of beauty as I watched her touch people with her kindness. I learned the meaning of perseverance as I watched her lovingly not give up on my sister.
Nyakehu celebrates the women in her family and tells us a story about her grandmother, mum and aunt during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s.
the Kikuyu women were put in concentration camps while the Kikuyu men were detained elsewhere. The women had home guards and one guard had it for Cucu, Mum and Aunty and would whip them without provocation.
For Mshairi there are so many  women to celebrate that she would end up with lists and  lists of women including her mothers, activists, peacemakers, women bloggers to name a few.  This year she chooses to especially honour African women musicians: Angelique Kidjo from Benin, Sibongile Khumalo from South Africa, queen of Taraab’ Zuhura Swaleh from Kenya, Cesaria Evora from  Cape Verde and Mama Africa, Miriam Makeba from South Africa.
These musicians have seen me through sad times and brought calmness, joy and contentment in my soul when these were lacking. Their powerful songs can bring tears to the eyes or a smile to my face, depending on the ocassion. This list would also be very long thus, I am concentrating on five.
Harare Diary remembers Zoliswa Nkonyana, a young 19-year-old lesbian who was murdered in Cape Town on the 4th February this year. She wonders
why Nkonyana’s vicious assault took over two weeks to filter from the streets to the media, finally ending up as a page 7 story in a weekly newspaper. Would it have been different if Nkonyana had been middle class, middle aged or a visiting foreigner like Amy Bhiel, instead of just a queer girl from the ghetto?
SisiOgeBlogs!
a mother herself choose to honour those women  “who do wonderful and great acts of their feminism but choose not to give birth”.  She writes that despite choosing not to have children, this should not be confused with the act of mothering.
I would like to praise and thank these women for showing that mothering is not synonymous with birthing. It’s not something that gets switched on during childbirth but a feeling that comes from a deeply entrenched selfless love and is and always remains absolutely and enduringly unconditional.
Nubian Soul chooses poetry to honour Madam Tinubu, The Iyalode of Egbaland and other warrior women of Nigeria.
Warrior, trader, freedom fighter, History tries to erase you, but we will never forsake you, Your blood runs through our veins, we will never be bowled over in shame, left to be declared a ‘weaker sex’
But respectfully madam, you were not the first and you will not be the last, before you there were more, Queen Bakwa Turunku of Zazzau (now Zaria) gave birth to Amina, You became Queen Amina in the mid 1500's
Nakeel honours her father's girlfriend…
She is a woman with a big heart, kind, caring and very accommodating. She always has an ear for everyone and a place for all. Can put a shelter for those who need one at any time.
I am what I am today for she built me to be. I wear a smile for she told me a good girl is always happy. Am confident because she built it in me. Am a conquer for she taught me how to be one. Am disciplined for she made sure that I be no matter how painful it was to inflict it.
Kenyan Pundit has chosen to honour all the women that ran for and won political office this past year.
Ellen Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia – the first elected female President in Africa; Michelle Bachelet former defense minister and first female President of Chile; Portia Simpson-Miller, a former minister of local government in Jamaica, won the presidency of the ruling People’s National Party and who will take over the premiership from retiring P.J. Patterson in Jamaica; Angela Merkel first female chancellor in Germany.


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Jamaica: Returnees’ advantage · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Francis Wade offers an explanation as to why Jamaicans educated at foreign universities have an advantage in the workplace.


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Kenya: raid on the Standard · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

You missed this comments further on the recent raid on the Standard by the government of Kenya…”There is increasing evidence that behind the scenes, there is a very serious battle for supremacy going on. This battle began proper during last November’s constitutional review referendum“


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Kurdistance: · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

Wow, it's Wednesday again, with school and several threatening comments on my personal blog today I almost forgot. But don't worry dear readers, I am here to give you your weekly fix of Kurdish blogs!
For a quick update on last week's column, I had reported about a blog site being abuptly taken down, it turns out that all is well and that particular blogger is back up and running again. Additionally, we had mentioned last week about a Turkish club singer who is working on a Kurdish film; Vladimir gives an update on his blog From Holland to Kurdistan:
I especially liked her answer to this question:” A kind of odd question for you Ozzie, How do you think the Turkish government reaction might be towards everything you're doing for Kurdistan?”
She said she doesn’t care and wants to unite Kurds and Turks. “We are neighbors and I want the two nations to live in peace and have their rights.”
The Is-Ought Problem calls for the internet publication of persecuted Kurdish author Marywan Halabjaye, who I erroneously reported as a female author last week. The fatwa against his life was issued for the book entitled: ” Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam”.
Hiwa from Hiwa Hopes writes about a private screening he was invited to for the new film Ahlam.
Save RojTV writes about a new letter campaign they began to save their television station in Mardin (Northern Kurdistan, Southeast Turkey). Their long list of supporters continue to grow including Kurdish author Handren:
This national awakening of the Kurds towards Kurdish Language and identity is a respond to the Turkish states violation of human rights, and it wont stop. Turkey can't shut down the voice of Roj TV, and continue with its policy of human right violation, whilst trying to become a member of the democratic society.
Rasti writes this week comparing the Three Stooges and Iran, and about memories brought on by a recent article written by Kevin McKiernan.
Roj Bash wrote about alleged poisonings of Iranian Kurds and gives a personal account of an encounter of the Kurdish kind in Turkey.

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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Le Blog du Congolais critical of international officials overseeing DRC  elections · Global Voices
Alice Backer

At the group blog Le Blog du Congolais, blogger Anthony MK Katombe expresses (FR) skepticism at European Commissary Louis Michel's enthusiasm and optimism that DRC elections will take place in June 2006.  Not impressed with the 26,000,000 voters that have been registered so far, Katombe cites challenges such as minority boycotts of  the election.  Katombe also deplores the weight afforded minority groups by the international community.


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Malawi: Anti corruption · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Malawi blogger,  Anti-Bakili Muluzi reports that Malawi's anti corruption stance is impressing Britain.…We very much support what the President is doing in terms of governance generally and the problem of corruption in particular. Clearly corruption is damaging the economy, it’s absolutely right that it should be a high priority to deal with that and it is an on-going process”


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Malaysia: Absence of Choice · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Mack Zulkifli at Brand New Malaysian writes about the irony of politicians and bureaucrats telling those hit by recent fuel price increases to “change their lifestyles.” Many politicos have drivers and government cars to ferry them around. “These people do not have to change their lifestyles. They can afford not to. But no, not us. Yes, dear sir, we have to change our lifestyles.”


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Mali: Ali Farka Toure · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

A number of African bloggers remember Malian musican, Ali Farka Toure who passed away this week from cancer.   Black Star Journal writes “One of the reasons I loved his sound was that while the music of many other African artists popular in the west is overproduced, Ali Farka Touré's music was very simple and organic”


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Nepal: Infrastructure Crisis · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Beyond the political crisis in Nepal, the one of infrastructure is looming large. Blogdai on the crisis of energy and electricity.


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Pakistan: Big Sibling watching · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Pakistani Government turns into Big Sibling. Metroblogging Islamabad – “The government has decided to fix automatic security cameras in the capital city, Islamabad to keep an eye on reprobates and other subversive activities.”


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Panama: Legendary Cocada Maker · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Chef Melissa De Leon takes a trip to Monagrillo to meet legendary cocada maker, Juan Deago. Find out more about the Latin American treat as well as mister Deago's blogging niece, nephew, and daughter in California.


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Philippines: A New Voice · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

On Feb. 27, in the wake of demonstrations calling for the overthrow Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Filipino blogger Bong Austero wrote a post called an “Open Letter to Our Leaders” in which he expressed his frustration and anger at opposition leaders’ grab for power. “You know why?,” he wrote. “Because all you do is whine and sabotage this country.” The post was forwarded on email and reposted on other blogs, turning its author into a celebrity. Many responded that he had captured their feelings exactly. Some said it had caused them to think and reflect and others have penned rebuttals.


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Romania: Businesses and Holidays · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andy H of Csikszereda Musings comments on the smart strategy of naming businesses in English to avoid having to use both Romanian and Hungarian languages. He also writes about Martisor, a spring holiday celebrated by the ethnic Romanians, but not the ethnic Hungarians, of the area.


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Russia: Bribery and Urban Development · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lyndon Allin of Scraps of Moscow links to an amazing story of two Russian cities and the role a 19th-century bribe played in their development.


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Russia: “Cancer Ward” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Raffi Aftandelian of maaskva: nashimi glazami writes about a Chechen friend who had to share a hospital room with a biased Russian woman. (The post is both in English and Russian.)


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Russia: Svetlana Gannushkina’s Declaration of Guilt · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time has translated an open letter to the Russian Federal Security Service written by Svetlana Gannushkina, head of the Civic Assistance Committee, in which she mockingly confesses to “have undertaken activities which may be considered by the addressees of this statement as espionage.” These activities include helping internally displaced persons and refugees in Russia.


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Serbia & Montenegro: Climbing in Montenegro · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mat Savelli at Roma Roma posts another installation on his travel in Montenegro: “It's fantastic though because there are seemingly no tourists here (save myself) and absolutely no limits in terms of wandering. It's a bit like being in Rome, except everything is better preserved and you can climb, touch, and explore whatever you want.”


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Singapore: Success Reexamined · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Mr. Wang discusses how what Singaporeans used to define as success – the 5 “C's” (club membership, credit card, condo, car and cash) has now become out of reach. But the problem now, he concludes, is that Singaporeans haven't come up with new aspirations to replace them.


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Taiwan: How to feel about China? · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

How, asks London Calling, a Taiwanese woman doing an MBA in the U.K., is a Taiwanese person supposed to feel about China? “There are in total 784 Chinese missiles aiming at Taiwan at the moment. If the Chinese party leader orders to attack, China can bomb Taiwan for 10 hours non-stop. What do you think Taiwanese feel about that? How would you feel about that if you were in our shoes?” she asks. Via Peking Duck.


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The Balkans: Grbavica Screening in Serbia and Other News · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

There was talk that Grbavica, the Berlinale's Golden Bear winner film, would not be shown in Serbia – but it was and, moreover, was well-received. This and other news in Eric Gordy's news roundup over at East Ethnia.


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The Moroccan blogosphere celebrates women and discusses taboos · Global Voices
Farah Kinani

The Moroccan bloggers paid their tribute to the woman who is, Today, celebrated all over the world. They also discussed sensitive issues like being gay in a conservative environment. Samir blogged about Rif, where two-thirds of farmers grow cannabis, while IBAHRINE stressed the revolutionary role of the internet in the Arab world.
Woman..we love you!
Larbi has a very personal way of celebrating the international women's day. He's asking the readers of his blog to write about women bloggers they find special (French). And based on the big number of comments his post received, I can say that the Moroccan woman who blogs is highly appreciated!!
Bsima dedicates a nice poem to the woman you  remember one day  while she dreams of being around you forever(French).
Anima celebrates the Palestinian woman Oum Ibrahim(Arabic) who refuses to denounce her son, while Bluesman declares that it's a nightmare to have no women in the world!(Arabic).
Gay in morocco
Lemrina is starting an e-debat about the homosexuality in Morocco(French). Her blog received more than fifty comments, most of them reflecting the willing of their writers to discuss “being gay in Morocco” and go beyond taboos.
Anima met Samira, a Moroccan lesbian and had an interesting discussion with her. She blogs about the story of this girl raped by her own brother (Arabic) when she was only 6 years old.
Fight hashish to..starve?
Samir is still traveling in Australia, but he couldn't t help noticing a story about the anti-Cannabis drive in Morocco. Samir says that if Morocco's drive to stamp out cannabis cultivation has won praise abroad, farmers in the world's top hashish producer say they face destitution without more help to find alternative incomes.
In Al Koulla and other villages, people live in homes built of mud and travel by donkey along bone-shaking roads. Many houses are without electricity, running water or toilets and food supplies are often threatened by drought.
By the way, Samir announces that The View From Fes will be back at full speed by Friday. Good news!
IBAHRINE posts an article about how the Internet can be a historical opportunity for Arab liberalism.The Internet provides Arab liberals with the platform and anonymity that they need.
Authoritarian and sectarian and tribalist notions are easier to explain than liberal ones, and it is inherently harder to build trust in mercurial markets and flowing democratic coalitions than in charismatic leaders, visionary clerics, and esteemed elders. The liberal world's intellectual underpinnings are as difficult to grasp as its cultural reach is difficult to escape. Thus the disjunction within which Baathism, Islamism, and Arab tribalism have festered.
Coup de coeur
I want to introduce you to a blog I'm discovering. The author is Abdessamad Bencherif, journalist “star” in the Moroccan television channel 2M. The blog called The world of Abdessamad Bencherif is  in Arabic and its posts are updated news about Moroccan issues such as the illegal immigration to Europe or the conflict with Polisario.
That's it for today. See you next Wednesday, inshallah.

author: Farah Kinani


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The Week That Was – Bolivian Blogs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

This article was written by Rolando Lopez from Rocko Weblog.  This article originally appeared in the Bolivian blog community site Blogs de Bolivia.  The original Spanish version can be found here.
Bolivia, Blogs and Music
Whether it is watching the birth of a new album, providing insight into what it is like to be in a band, reflecting on the sensation that attending a concert leaves us, sharing the sounds of a person who lives off of music, reading the lyrics of a musician whose passion with the guitar provides us with so much, remembering bands from all across the globe from long ago or simply writing about music, it all is done so with passion.  The musical universe has opened up a space for blogs and in Bolivia particularly, blogs are a way to bring all of this together.  We’ll try to recap the different pages devoted to music.
Almaqueloide
To talk about contemporary Bolivian rock, one must mention the name Rodrigo Villegas, who also was part of the band Loukass, one of the most important Bolivian rock bands in the 1990s.  “El Grillo” has released seven solo albums and is one of the most important reference points in the Bolivian rock world.  Villegas (Grillo) writes the blog Almaquelodide about his diverse experience as a musician.  There he shares anecdotes about his life and especially about his outlook on the international music world.  Sometimes he writes about football (passionate fan of the club Bolivar), and less often he writes about politics without letting go of the thread that unites the reality of the country.  A few weeks ago, Grillo started his second blog: Detailed chronicles of an album, where he writes about the creation of his most recent production which will be released in May.  He promises a new sound, different to what many are used to and between the stories of barbeques, guitars, and photos of the recording sessions, he allows us to accompany him during the creation of an album.
Magister Gorditus Blog
The band Scoria was formed on June 4, 1992 during a time where it was necessary to create a group with unique characteristics.  This is important in the “national movement” because it introduces original compositions with a high degree of social content and commitment for the society in which we live.  The first lines that can be read in the blog, which is written by Sergio “Pelu” Larrazabal, are the day to day activities of Scoria.  These anecdotes include late night partying, trips, and concerts.  There are also reflections on the social commitment that the band’s lyrics are centered around.
Espina Dorsal
One of the most well-known musicians involved with electronica es Álvaro “Conejo” Arce, who in a certain way swims against the musical current in Bolivia. The producer, composer and leader of “Ra Beat”, he writes about his start within electronic music.  He also writes about the creation of the project called “Ra Beat” and his music influences.  “Conejo” Arce is synonymous with electronic music in Bolivia.
Bandas en vivo
This blog is written by Sergio Candia, a former guitar student in the Music Conservatory in La Paz.  In his free time, he dabbled in various amateur bands whose names slip my mind. His blog contains reviews and essays about the music in La Paz.  He critiques the live performances in the various clubs in the city.  His page is located at La Paz-Rock, maintained by Carlos Rocabado y Knk. Sergio also is responsible for another blog “Think M Music” where he opens new frontiers by reviewing and providing an overview of new albums, which is his strength.
Musicantos
“I try, although at times in a chaotic way, to express how I live my life and alongside music which helps nourish my daily thoughts.  The music that I share here is done so without any aim to profit and that’s how it should be.”  This blog accomplishes that by gathering songs, which have become important in the world of troubadour music and songs of protest.  Edgar maintains the blog by gathering songs and writing introductions from the heart. The songs he assembles have impacted his life and of others.  He provides lyrics and an audio file of each song, which adds much to each entry. Within his musical repertoire is Leon Gieco, Amaury Perez, Manuel Monrroy Chazarreta and Victor Jara, among others.  There is also a testimony of the events of October, which recalls events that should never happen anywhere in the world.
Página Trovadicta
For fans of troubadour, this page contains news, activities, music, lyrics and everything related to Bolivian and Peruvian troubadour music, without overlooking important milestones.  At one time, I thought that this type of music was rather boring, but I woke up to the reality to what troubador really means and thanks to the blog I got to know people who really love this type of music.
ERGOTH
Ergoth’s blog is not necessarily only about music, but a few months back, Ergoth released her first album of Catholic music, under the name “Exultet” (praise with jubilation), and the album name is “Together with you , Father”.  The creation of the album, which took three years to be released, is highlighted in a couple of posts.  There are also posts about her experience as a singer, the first experience with hearing her recorded voice and the hopes that she has with her band.
En el idioma de Cervantes
Did Cervantes create a language more flexible to express emotions?  There are bands that mark lives and times and others that have transcended time and continue to sound like before.  Remembering Led Zepplin, Def Leppard, the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, U2, Uriah Heep, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, among others, takes us back to another time.  There is also a new breed of musicians such as Linkin Park, Seether, Foo Fighters, Evanescense, Coldplay and there is a little game of wanting to know what these lyrics say by attempting to translate from English to Spanish. That’s the game and the attempt of “in the language of Cervantes”  recalls those groups that have become figures in the world of music and look for bands that could possibly become reference points in the near future.
Even though there are very few individuals that write about music, many of those write with quality and others have a wealth of experience, but without a doubt all are united by a love of music.  At the end of the day, who doesn’t love music?

author: Eduardo Avila


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This Week on West African blogs · Global Voices
Oluniyi D. Ajao

Today is International Women's Day and it is only expedient that I started this week's round-up with a look at a couple of blogs who have blogged about this.
Jangbalajugbu-Homeland Stories chooses to celebrate Professor Dora Akunyili, boss of the National Agency for Food and Drug Andministration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria.
“Numerous letters have also been written to this woman, threatening her life and that of her family. Her job has been described as “the most dangerous job in Nigeria”. Many in her shoes would have given up for fear of their lifes and that of their loved ones. But definately not Professor Dora Akunyili.
For so long, major sectors in the Nigerian state, including health have experienced stunted growth as a result of prolonged military rule. Prior to 2001, fake and substandard drugs were paraded on the street of Lagos and in road side supermarkets. Hospitals were not spared and the unsuspecting masses have swallowed a lot of those chalks as paracetamols. The Drug Aministration and control Agency (NAFDAC) was not as popular as it is today, as the staff there were either brided to keep quiet or were just not doing their job.
However things started changing when Dora Akunyili took over at the National Agency for Food and Drug Andministration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria.”
Ore's Note chooses to title her blog entry about this issue: “Honouring African Women“. She starts by saying…
“This post is in honour of International Women's Day (March 8). Sokari and Mshairi had a great idea to have African women bloggers pay tribute to the African women who have been important to them. They will be doing a round-up of all the tributes on Global Voices Online sometime in the coming week.”
She continues in the third paragraph by celebrating her mother:
“My mother obviously has been a very important to me. She was my very first role model for what a woman (mother, wife, sister and friend) should be. Inspite of our differences of opinion on a variety of subjects, I have learnt so much from her and think that she will continue to be one of the most influential role models I have. She is an engineer (still a fairly rare job for a woman), a leader of (many) men, an enterpreneur, an amazing mother, who despite her frenetic schedule still manages to keep up with the minutae of her family's life. While I really do not want to work the ‘double shift’, like she has done, in my future family life, she gives me great hope that with good managerial skills and lots of faith, anything is possible.”
Big Brother Nigeria went on air this week in Nigeria. Nigerian bloggers who cannot be left out share their thoughts, through their blogs.
Ijebuman's Diary sets the ball rolling with this comment:
“The BB phenomenon hits naija, should be interesting, shame i won't have the opportunity to actually see it. Not that i'm a BB fan, although i did watch the first UK series when it first started just to see what all the fuss was about. My interest in the Nigerian version is purely for sociological reasons. ; – ) It'll be a great opportunity to see how Nigerians react in such an intense environment.”
Naijablog (exp) addeds his voice:
“Big Brother Nigeria launched on Sunday amidst fanfare and expectation (of what I don’t know). The US$100,000 prize money seems excessive. Things may likely turn ugly. Watching it (on DSTV channel 37) is both excessively boring and highly interesting. The conversation, when one can hear it, is tedious and banal, quite puerile/adolescent in many ways. Also, they seem to be having transmission problems – the screen had lines running down it by yesterday evening. However, what is interesting is to observe patterns of behaviour. Most of the time, everyone hangs out together in a large group. In the UK Big Brother’s (ordinary or celebrity), there tends to be more dispersed social clusterings – three or four people at most in conversation – unless ordered to be together by Big Brother. Also, there is a tactility amongst the Nigerians one would never see at this early stage amongst Northern Europeans – which is already reaping consequences as the men set their sights on specific girls. There is also a conservatism at work. For example, last night a Jacuzzi/hot tub scene was set up. Only two women dared put on their cozzies to join the men (there was about 5 or 6 men in the water). These things wouldn’t be an issue elsewhere. Earlier in the day, the group started to play music on the lawn. It was quite astonishing that a random group of people could make such interesting sounds, telling stories spontaneously through song and dance. Here we see the creativity hard-wired into Nigerian youth that goes largely untapped by the culture (or by the culture industry).”
Grandiose Parlor is throwing a spotlight on Nigeria's Niger Delta area, in reaction to a publication by a media house in the US. He titled his question: “Niger Delta: How do you tell a story under 5 minutes?“
I have seen many headlines on Nigeria in the local newspapers here in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota; I usually don't think much of them.
Today's piece for one reason or the other had a different reaction on me: “Oil rich and Dirt Poor” was the headline that screamed at me from the international section of the Star Tribune.
Despite the fact that I have blogged on this topic and have read a lot about it- seeing the headline and the now ubiquitous picture of some oil pipes in the middle of the Niger Delta jungle did a number on me. And it was one of anger and frustration. What is happening in that part of Nigeria is an abomination. It is also a lose-lose situation for all the parties concerned.
Now, we turn to Ghana. Ghana celebrated her 49th Independence Anniversary on Monday (March 6th).
Exploring the Globe had said: “HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, GHANA“
“Ghana is celebrating its independence today. This West African country has a population of 21 million people. It is twice as rich as its poorer neighbours, but it is still struggling economically. Ghana is an important country for every chocoholic. Ghana is not only one of the leading cocoa growers, but it is also growing some of the best cocoa in the world.”
Emily, a tourist and author of The Ghana Journal said:
“Now that I know I'm leaving all too soon, I'm taking this tourist thing up a notch. Yesterday, the Indepedence Day holiday, I went to the Accra Zoo, not as sad as I thought it would be, the lions were beautiful. And on Saturday, I went to Boti Falls, outside Koforidua, the captial of Ghana's Eastern region.”
And continues by saying:
“We got to the nice, busy little city with elements of most African towns I’ve seen – wide-open stalls and storefronts selling clothes, fruit, pens, etc., with shoppers and pedestrians mingling with taxis, trotros and trucks. Richard asks me if I had seen towns like this in Kenya, I said yes, certainly, outside of Nairobi. But he says, I bet not as nice as this!
At Koforidua (which took me a few months to be able to pronounce) we hop in a shared taxi that will drop us at the gates of the Boti Waterfalls, Richard tells the taxi driver how improper and dangerous it is for him to try to load four passengers in the backseat. “Sometimes we are the causes of our own problems,” he said to the car, and the man next to him nodded in sage agreement. The two of us paid for three seats.”
The Trials & Tribulations of a Freshly-Arrived Denizen chose to blog about “Ghana's Day of Shame“
“On 24 Febraury, 1966, the first President of Ghana would be overthrown in a CIA-inspired coup whilst in Hanoi mediating peace. Today, 40 years later, Ghana remembers him.
I sent this text message to Bernard Avle's CITI FM Breakfast Show on Ghana's 97.3FM band:
ROPAB , a law to compel external ghanaians 2 vote was passed on eve of 40th anniversary of a coup that involved external forces 2 remove Nkrumah. Is the irony lost over you?–emmanuel, spintex”

author: Oluniyi D. Ajao


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Three Renowned Chinese Blogs Blocked · Global Voices
Frank Dai

UPDATE: At least two of these blogs appear to be back up. See comments section, or this round-up post.
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Three renowned Chinese bloggers are blocked by their BSPs, including one of the most popular bloggers in the country and DW Best of Blog winner, Milk Massage.
The three blogs are Milk Massage, Milkpig and Pro State in Flames. The first two are hosted on Yculblog and the last is hosted on Sohoxiaobao. Now trying to access to those blogs, you will get message like “Due to some unavoidalbe reasons that all of us know, this blog is temoprarily closed” or “For nontechnical reasons, this blog is closed from today”. Here is a screenshot.
Apparently, this blockage is not done by the government but by the personnels in the Blog Service Providers who consider the three blogs offending and dangerous. Danwei has a story. He aslo compares this with another blogger, who is a member of CPPCC that is having the yearly joint session in Beijing.
The news quickly spread in Chinese blogosphere. Lianyue, a columnist said on his blog with  his usually ironical style(in translation):
Yesterday, the officals at “Administration of Blog” has receieved an email, demanding the shutdown of “Lianyue's Blog”. It's wonderful that the sender of the mail is Lianyue himself. His reason is “All are blocked except for me. So I am faceless”
Hellomedia, a blog dedicated to tracing the development of new media, analyzes the reasons leading to the blocking. Showing a screenshot, he thinks that it is the mention of FaLungong that close the blog Milk Massage. For Milkpig, it seems quite unreasonable since she only talk about celebrities stories and gossip. And the “Pro State in Flames” has long been politically aggressive and it's blocked because the two major political conferences are undergoing in Beijing:CPPCC and CPC.

author: Frank Dai


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Trinidad & Tobago: Trini to the bone? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“Why should not being native born mark one apart from the Trini born among us who have the nation's welfare at heart?” asks Jonathan Ali, riffing off a journalist's description of two organizers of an exhibition on a Trinidadian icon.


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Trinidad & Tobago, UK: Pretend Carnival fete · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Franka P. and her London friends pay homage to “that staple of Trinidad Carnival – the All Inclusive Fete” by organizing the “Carnival Saddos Pretend All Inclusive Fete”. Everything turns out fine — except the doubles.


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Turkmenistan: An Expert Speaks · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Peter of neweurasia translates into English an opinion article from Rafis Abazov on Turkmenistan's future challenges that originally appeared in Russian on the Turkmen blog Karakum.


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Turkmenistan: French Flattery · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Peter writes about French flattery of Turkmenistan's president at neweurasia.


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Turkmenistan: Without Water · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia reports that the Turkmen city of Turkmenbashi has been without water for two months.


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Uzbekistan: Musical Tradition · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

On his own blog, Nick Walmsley writes about one of Uzbekistan's best known classical singers who strictly sticks to tradition. Part of this includes a heavy emphasis on the master-apprentice relationship and an unwillingness to give in to commercial pressures.


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Uzbekistan: New Media Law · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Nick Walmsley writes that Uzbekistan's new law on foreign journalists will make a bad situation even worse.


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Venezuela: Narrated Photo Tour · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The blogosphere is busy, as always with news from and about Venezuela. Daniel Duquenal is back from vacation with what he calls a “crazy round up of news.” MIguel Octavio has a thorough explanation of a proposal in the state of Zulia which would grant it more autonomy. Resource-rich Zulia has long contributed much more to federal budget than it receives. Oil Wars has photographs of a protest march against the war in Iraq. And finally, something I had never seen before on a blog: a narrated photo tour of Caracas by Economic Professor Alfredo Ascanio. It's especially useful if you understand Spanish, but just seeing the pictures and hearing Ascanio's voice reminds us of the, at times, intimate nature of the web.


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· Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Stunner finds that there's a price to be paid for being light-skinned in Jamaica.


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A plea against the 26 province parcelling of the DRC  · Global Voices
Alice Backer

At  UDPS Liege [blog of the Liege, Belgium  chapter of  a  DRC opposition party] blogger  Kayembe Tshipamba Jean P. opposes (FR) the parceling of the DRC in 26 provinces, deplores interim President Joseph Kabila's blaming of the continent's problems on the West, invites the DRC to cooperate with Belgium in bettering the DRC and incites the East Kasai province to continue protesting the 26-province parceling.


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Africa: How to write about it · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Idland has a great post on “How to write about Africa for the New York Times.  He lists 9 essential criteria such as:  Remind us how much the poor little child is suffering: When the facts don't seem grim enough, make them seem worse through thoughtful omission: He gives examples from the NYT for each one of his points.

author: Sokari Ekine


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Africa: Searching for your roots · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethnic Loft comments about the growth in genealogy in the US amongst African Americans seeking to trace their ancestoral roots. “South African has introduced a different twist to the topic by using geneology to lure tourists to the country. South Africans and international tourists are being invited to test and match their DNA against Nelson Mandela’s”


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Africa: Stats on Niger & Burkina Faso · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Adventures of a Retired  Armchair Traveller points to an article in the IPS.  One  cites some interesting statistics from Burkina Faso and  Niger. She also points to a piece in the Washtington Times “Ethiopia's Trail of Tears”


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Algeria: Vieux Turbans and Algerian National Identity · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Where did the Algerian Revolution, or perhaps more importantly, the Algerian national movement come from? It is often debated, mainly among Algerian nationalists and others that the movement arose as soon as the French landed ashore in Algiers, that the Revolution was a continuous process from Abdel Qadir and Ahmed Bey right up to the F.L.N. This contention is however, not true, Nouri Lumendifi said.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Bahamas: Why no treasure report? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Larry Smith attributes the absence of reports about the cache of treasure rumoured to have been found in San Salvador (Bahamas) from the mainstream media to laziness and dependency on press releases.


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Barbados: Bridgetown Film Festival · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Titilayo announces the Bridgetown Film Festival, scheduled to run from May 6-14, and now accepting submissions.


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Belarus: Opposition “Decapitated” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

br23 blog reports on the arrest of one of the opposition figures, Vincuk Viachorka: this is “the end of the elections.” Russian observers, however, think otherwise.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Caribbean: Sci-fi interview · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Grenada-born sci-fi writer Tobias Buckell links to an interview in which he talks about his first novel. Among the issues he addresses are the representation of Caribbean voices and researching Aztec culture.


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China: Critical Readers Named · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Wang Yi's Microphone posts a list of the core members of the Critical Reading Group of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department, and key officials in the secretive Propaganda Department itself. The former includes: Foreign Affairs Ministry News Department officer Song Ronghua; Ministry of Information Industry inspector Song Naiqi; People's Daily deputy editor-in-chief Jiang Shaogao; deputy director of the Internet bureau of the State Council News Office, Liu Zhengrong; and the deputy director of the News Office itself, Cai Mingzhao.


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China: Human rights stand-off · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

The Opposite End of China summarizes and compares the accusations of human-rights violations traded by Beijing and Washington and finds strong similarities.


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China: The Great Blog Hoax · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

After managing to get some overseas MSM stalwarts to report on their ‘demise’, Massage Milk and MilkPig  are back. In this post, entitled ‘Sorry’ (ZH), Massage Milk says this wasn't the intention. Read all about it, here on ESWN.


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China: Watching Hanoi · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Michael Anti posts a long article (ZH) analysing the current debate going on ahead of the Vietnamese 10th Communist Party Congress in April, about the direction the country's socialism should now take. Says one commentator: “Basically this is just a pirated version of China.”


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DRC: Towards elections or turbulence? · Global Voices
Alice Backer

At Le Blog du Congolais, blogger Philippe Lomboto Liondjo questions (FR) whether elections will happen as scheduled on June 30, 2006.  Liondjo thinks back to the aborted election of June 30, 2005 and fears that the DRC will have to endure another extension. Among reasons for his skepticism, Liondjo cites the wavering of opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, tensions over the presidency of Parliament, poor governance on the part of the European Union's Commissary Louis Michel,  an uncertainty over whether international aid or government monies should pay the military.


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El Salvador: Elections on Sunday · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Tim Muth has asked five Salvadoran bloggers for their predictions on this Sunday's elections. Their answers were almost unanimous. U.S. – El Salvador Sister Cities has a good description of a building movement against the Central American free trade agreement.


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Eritrea: Diplomatic games with Italy · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethiopia Watch reports on an Eritrean diplomat expelled from Italy in retaliation for an Italian expelled from Asmara. The Eritrean government says the man was expelled for breaking the law.


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¡Feliz Día de la Mujer! · Global Voices
David Sasaki

You certainly don't need to speak Spanish to feel the raised hairs on your neck as you watch this moving video, edited by Argentine blogger Malearg, which recounts the progress and achievements made by women across the globe.
Erwin of The Latin Americanist points out that this year has brought to the region a “growth of female employment, but also a lack of quality jobs for women, and the prevalence of racial and gender discrimination.” He also notes the rise of female heads of state throughout the Americas including Michelle Bachelet in Chile, Portia Simpson-Miller in Jamaica, and front-runner Lourdes Flores in Peru's upcoming elections.
Victor Ruiz, writing from Spain, used the occasion to look through various blog rankings and mention the most-linked-to weblogs (ES) written in Spanish by women. According to Alianzo, six of the top 100 blogs are written by women. When rating by feed traffic, two women bloggers fall into the top 40. In the top 100 weblogs of Atalaya 2005, ten are written by women. Ruiz concludes his post with a rallying call to all female bloggers that they change the disproportionate number of highly ranked blogs by men in the Spanish-speaking blogosphere.
A Flickr group, 8 de Marzo Día de la Mujer / 8th March Women's Day commemorates the day with creative images, mostly from around Latin America and Spain.
Chilean blogger, Roberto Arancibia, never short on charm nor prose, says:
Day of the Woman. Even though every day is theirs. When I caught on that they are in charge of everything, from then on I've been happy. Seriously. That's the order of the universe. No need to fight against the current. That's just how it goes.
Some time ago I wrote the same thing here and I continue to feel that way. Although, in reality, now I believe it even more. I continue to think it's useless to try and understand their secret languages, their moments of silence, their desire to talk. They are accomplices in solidarity with each other, but enemies when they feel threatened. Bodies and souls. Judgement and seduction. Minds and heart. Mysteries of the woman, mysteries of the world. 100 lives I have lived loving them yet still I do not understand. And so, a very happy day. To all. To each I owe something.
Maria Pastora – also from Santiago, Chile – shares her thoughts about the day and why there is not a male equivalent.
More than once, some guy has asked me why he doesn't have his own “International Day.” According to them, it's unjust that they are not celebrated. To commemorate a day for our feminine gender has its background which – more than historic – is “vindicative.” [“reinvindicatorio” in Spanish]. “To reclaim/restore something which is rightfully theirs” is the first definition by the Real Academia Española of the term “to vindicate. And defined so, with permission of the guys and without encouraging argument, it's a day that corresponds to us.
… since the beginning, men have been celebrated day after day in public as leaders and recognizable figures. Let us celebrate the International Day of Women, the silent work of women behind the scenes, where they receive no applause and from where today we are beginning to understand just how much they deserve this deed.
And finally, the ladies behind TecnoCHICA introduce (ES) a new project that originated in various online conversations over Gtalk. BlogsMujer.com is a Spanish-language directory and community of female bloggers much akin to BlogHer. Appropriately enough, the first post wishes a happy International Women's Day to all. The first BlogsMujer.com blogger of the week is Patricia Villanueva from Mexico City.


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Guatemala: Reparations to Plan de Sanchez Massacre Survivors · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Guatemala Solidarity Network gives an update to the reparations which are finally being distributed to the 300 survivors of the 1982 Plan de Sánchez massacre.


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Hong Kong: Blogger takes break · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Glutter, post-relationship break-up, vows to take a break from blogging, in quest of reality and solidity, as opposed to the disembodiments and shifting perspectives of cyberspace.


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India: Carnival of Feminists · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

IndianWriting hosts the Carnival Of Feminists and has an incredible set of links to posts all over the world.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: No women please · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Emma decides to check out a school, and discovers that women are not allowed much mobility inside.


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Indonesia: Experiment on Superstition · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Indonesia Anonymus conducts another one of their social experiments: this time they try to see whether superstition has a hold on urban office workers.


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Jamaica: Four charged with Harvey murder · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Andrés Duque links to a Jamaica Observer report which states that three men and a woman have been formally charged in relation to the murder of Jamaican AIDS Support staffer Lenford “Steve” Harvey.


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Japan: Volunteer firemen · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Miyakonojo gives a heart-warming (and lung-burning) account of his debut at the volunteer fire department in a small town in southern Japan, where visits to Filipina hostess bars punctuate the sameness of fishing and pachinko.


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Jordan: Replacing Burqa with Surgical Mask · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

If the Netherlands becomes the first European country to ban the burqa and other Muslim face veils this month, Hope says she’ll resort to wearing a surgical mask to dress in accordance with her religious beliefs, Sabbah said.


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Kenya: Standard raid on video · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Video Journalist blog is a video streaming blog by Dutch reporter working in Kenya.  His last two posts are on the Standard raid and he has some video streams of the printing press and an interview.


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Kenya: Standard raid · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Jewels in the Jungle provides an update to the Kenya Standard raid with links to various media reports.


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Korea: Metrosexuals, men, manicures · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

The Asia Pages rhapsodizes about Korean men, berating herself as a defector and a racist for doing so. “Korean guys do something that absolutely drives me nuts and it is related to their soft hands, skin and groomed nails,” she says in defense of male manicures–and her own predilections.


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Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome · Global Voices
Salam Adil

These days in Iraq, death is never far away. In this weeks posts several bloggers deal with the different aspects of death. The death of someone close, death of a stranger, the direct threat of death, the danger of dying in random violence and the fearlessness of risking your life to save another. And finally the complete avoidance of the subject by blogging about something completely different.
I must first welcome a new blogger. Nadia, who had been active in the comments section of several blogs has secretly started her own. Her interests include Scuba Diving, Travel and Yoga and she blogs about politics. She is Talking About Iraq.
How do you cope with the sudden death of someone close because of the violence that is gripping Iraq? I guess one way is to blog about it. Sunshine's close friend, R, lost her father, cousin and uncle in the space of four days. Sunshine was the brave one among her classmates and went to console R:
“But when she said “what I will do with those high marks, my dad is gone , I wish I got low marks & return him back instead….. I pray to god to protect your dad & mom”, at that time I couldn't control my tears at all , it is hard to do that when you see someone you love is really hurt because of losing someone close …..
That made me think to improve my relationship with my dad , as you know we have bad relationship ,at that night I kissed him ,gave him a hug & wished him a good night, for the first time since a long time , I think he wondered why ???!!!!”
What do you do when gunmen kill three people in your neighborhood and put a note on the body of one threatening to kill 20 more? This was the dilema facing Caeser of Pentra. He writes, “For God’s sake, we’ve been terrified for the sight of any new unfamiliar fishy vehicle…. Today’s noon, we were standing infront of a centre for young men … chatting about yesterday’s catastrophes when a white Daweoo … marched slowly across us then the car’s window went down slowly too…”. Read his blog to find out what happened.
How do you try to understand life when battles in Baghdad come too close to home to feel secure? Mohammed turns to his father for an explanation. And his father does not disappoint. He explains: “we are a state still run by sentiments rather than reason which means it's a brittle state and any sentimental overreaction can turn the tide it in either direction. … we do not possess the institutions that can abolish the effects of severe sentimental reactions.?” He goes on to say “And this stability is not going to happen soon…Why do you always want things to be the way you like them? Failure exists just like success does.” In one conversation it all falls into place.
In Iraq the horrific becomes the ordinary. Shaggy blogs about a fairly ordinary visit to Baghdad Medical Centre. He mentions in passing:
“As we were driving out of the car park, Od pointed out an Iraqi Police Technical (a pick up truck with a machine gun on the back) carrying a dead bloated body blindfolded with a head cloth and hands tied behind his back. Od pointed out that the man had been tortured and thrown in the water (Od's been studying his forensics).”
The situation also brings the best out in people. Caeser risks his life moving a burning neighbor's car away from the house. Because, in his words, “I prefer to die and people helping others better than living this shitty life.” And bravery has its rewards: “it was impressing moment when that man thanked us (me and ma brother and of course that extinguisher guy). I think I will never forget that.”
But the situation also brings depression. HNK writes a sad poem:
“Twinkle Twinkle my darkness life
Let me see the headlines
I am hurting because I am blind
…
I can swear that this war changes my life 80 -degree. I am 16 years old. I should live the happiest part of my life; I must be a crazy girl doing foolish and stupid things while I am not. I am talking like some one in 35. I feel I am nothing, I do nothing in my life and I going to do nothing.”
International Women's Day:
Faiza of A Family in Baghdad is in America with a delegation of Iraqi women participating in activities for Women's Day with the Global Exchange organization. She is shocked at how police treated the demonstrators: “yesterday we were in NewYork city in the rally moving from UN building towards American mission office when the police stopped us, and arrested Medea Binjamin and Cindy Shehan and other mothers.. we were surprised, we have been told this is the land of freedom and democracy, what is going on here?”
Baghdad Dweller tells us that the Iraqi women rights organization reported on Womens Day that not less than 2000 Iraqi women kidnapped and sold inside Iraq and abroad in the three years of occupation.
Morbid Smile advises all Women to Be a Queen for the day. She quotes Oprah Winfrey because Oprah is “Chicken Soup for The Woman's Soul.”
In other Worlds:
Mama felt like stopping blogging but was encouraged by several supporting letters. She writes an emotional post about the Samarra crisis. From the bombing of the Shrine: “I am describing it's dearness to make you imagine how devil is the faction that dared to blew it” to the violent reaction: “those MURDERERS did not come after midnight or came swiftly , they came in the midday ,and stayed … for hours and burned every mosque more than once ,… and No police or national guards stopped them “
24 Steps to Liberty teaches us a new Iraqi saying: “Teeti Teeti, Mithil Ma Rihti Jeeti!” It means ‘after all, nothing has changed’. And he is writing about how Iraqi politicians are no closer to forming a government now than three years ago. This is a theme taken up in other blogs. Iraq the Model says the UIA is “Selling the Same Bird Twice” and cheating other politicians about their true intentions. Hammorabi feels the political situation has become unbearable and calls Iraqi democracy a farce. Both Asterism and A Free Iraqi give detailed analysis of the current political situation. They both agree that the current politicians in power are the enemies of democracy but suggest different solutions. Free Iraqi wants the Americans to give a full commitment and work with Iraqis to achieve a stable democracy while Salam Adil says Iraqis must define their own unity independently.
Does anyone think the Iraqi politicians are doing a good job? Well IraqPundit does. He says: “For the first time in a very long time, Iraq's leadership might change through negotiation, rather than at gunpoint.”
Emily Messner of the Washington Post's The Debate Blog is my honorary Iraqi for the day. She reviewed the Iraqi blogger for her own blog and realized the US and Iraq is not that different:
“It seems that in both countries, politicians would rather play a lucrative winner-take-all game, risking everything, than be assured of losing out on just some of their priorities. There is, however, a dramatic difference in degree: in the United States, the game is played with big bucks and ethical chicanery; in Iraq, the game is played with mortar fire, kidnappings and assassinations, with the only sure outcome being trauma for those caught in the middle.”
And the Oscar goes to…
Riverbend has been watching too much television and is suffering from Oscar mania. She has made up her own Oscars – or as she calls them ‘Sayids’ for the best actors in Iraqi politics. Read her blog to see the nominations. No word, however, on who the winner is – maybe we are all the losers?
And Finally…
Fayrouz posts predictions for Iraq after 2055. Fortunately for us Truth About Iraqis translates his favourite ones:
In the year 2055, Japan celebrates the largest purchase of computers from Iraq after three months of heated debate in the Iraqi Parliament.
In the year 2057, Iraq threatens to deport Canadians studying in Iraqi universities because of one of them – a PhD candidate – plagiarized a thesis written by an Iraq Bachelors student.
In the year 2064, the terrorist known as Abu Musab Zarqawi is arrested at the age of 98 and admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

author: Salam Adil


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Latvia: President May Be Future UN Secretary General · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time reports that Latvia's President Vaira Vike-Freiberga might replace Kofi Annan as the U.N. Secretary General at the end of the year.


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Libya: Libyan Berber and a remarkable Laghouat archaism · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

In case you ever wondered where in Libya Berber languages are spoken, check out this map at Tawalt (Arabic). Note at least two oases that don't get any mention in the Ethnologue – Ubari and al-Fogaha, Lameen Souag said.


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Malaysia: Marathon Man · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Kenny Sia gets up before dawn to run in the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon. His pictures tell the tale.


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Mexico: President’s Website Adopts CC License · Global Voices
David Sasaki

León Felipe Sánchez announces that the website of the Mexican Presidency (ES) has officially adopted a Creative Commons license.


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Nepal: Responsible Journalism · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Indian Mainstream Media doesn't seem to indulging in responsible journalism in Nepal says Nepali Netbook.


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Nicaragua: Clinics in Sebaco and Somoto · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Mission World details a trip to two medical clinics in Sebaco and Somoto.


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Nigeria: 3rd term for the president · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Oluniyi David Ajao comments on the possibility of Nigeria's Obasanjo running for a third term which would require a change to the constitution. He asks: “What precident are we laying down for the next generation? What if Nigeria later has a tyrant for head of state who decides to usurp power by automatically extending his mandate with a third-term bid, what do we then do”?


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Nigeria: Vagina Monologues · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nigeria coments on the showing of the Vagina Monologues in Abuja….”was pleasantly surprised to find that it has come to Nigeria! I was pleased that no riots or protests happened. The enjoyable parts of the show made me giggle, even though it could've been tailored more to the local Nigerian context. What better way to celebrate International Women's Day”


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North Korea: Multiple choice · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

NKZone picks up a report from the official Chinese Xinhua news agency about changes to middle school testing in North Korea, where authorities are opting for multiple choice test formats as opposed to the traditional essay-based exams used in the past. Includes links to interesting background.


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Pakistan: Celebrating Women’s Day · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Shirazi on Dr. Senta Siller for International Women's Day – “With her right skills and motivation, she was able to give each woman in Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka – a small village in the backwaters of Punjab, a strong foundation for working hard and helping own sleves.”