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Congo-Brazzaville: Should a Colonizer Be Honored Like a Founding Father? · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

For me, this De Brazza business is like someone telling you: “We got the crap beaten out of us, but at least De Brazza put on some vaseline while the others let our wounds dry. So let's give thanks to De Brazza.” (Fr) – From a reader at Mwinda.org
This week, the remains of French-Italian explorer and colonialist Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza was exhumed in Algeria and reinterred in a multi-million dollar mausoleum in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo which still bears his name.
The international mainstream media have barely mentioned the reinterrment, and where they have, much of the coverage has stressed De Brazza's humanitarian and anti-slavery work.  However, many Congolese, as well as citizens from throughout French-speaking Africa, view De Brazza as a colonizer and are appalled by Brazzaville's decision to honor him like a founding father.  For many, the event raises difficult questions about how to remember the past and build a national identity in countries whose very existence is owed to the same foreign powers that tried to dominate and destroy their people.
Mwinda Press, the journal of the Associaton of Congolese Democrats in France, has several articles (Fr) on the De Brazza story, each of which provoked a flurry of commentary from the site's readers.  Below, I've translated some of the conversation at Mwinda Press as well as the blog of Togolese writer Kangni Alem (Fr).
Was De Brazza a “Benevolent” Colonizer?
The Congolese government and others who support the mausoleum project stress that De Brazza was different from other European colonialists, that he was a humanist and a pacifist who fought against slavery and protected African interests.
At the Mwinda Press, a reader called Moi quotes from www.Congo-site.com the official position of the Mbé royal court, which signed away its sovereignty to France in an infamous treaty negotiated by De Brazza and the illiterate king:
«De Brazza n’était pas arrivé sur nos terres à des fins de domination, de colonisation, mais plutôt à des fins humanistes, de tolérance, de justice, d’équité, contrairement à certains historiens qui ont déformé l’esprit de l’amitié entre Ilo 1er et Pierre Savorgnan De Brazza. L’histoire née de l’amitié entre les deux illustres personnages a été un certain moment avalée, elle n’existait presque plus. C’est pourquoi la cour royale se réjouit de cette occasion qui va certainement susciter à nos gouvernants du Congo, du Gabon et de France l’idée de rétablir cette histoire dans les écoles et dans les officines culturelles», a dit le 1er vassal de la cour royale de Mbé, Ngailino.
«Contrary to what certain historians who have “deformed” the spirit of friendship between Ilo I and Pierre Savorgnan De Brazza say, De Brazza did not arrive on our soil to dominate or to colonize, but rather for humanist reasons, for tolerance, justice and equity.  This is why the royal court celebrates this occasion will surely inspire the leaders of the Congo, Gabon and France to think about bring back this history to the schools and cultural organizations», said the first vassal of the royal court of Mbé, Ngailino.
Many vehemently disagree with this interpretation of history.  Moi is incredulous:
Combien a-t-il reçu pour ce discours amnésique? …Il y a toujours trop de congolais qui seraient près à vendre père et mère pour une minable enveloppe. Honte à vous Ngailino.
How much did they get to recite this amnesiatic nonsense? …There are still too many Congolese who are ready to sell their parents for a triffle.  Shame on you Ngailino.
Reader dISSIDENT offers a sarcastic treatment of De Brazza's “altriuism”:
Durant tous ces voyages, en dépit de nombreuses hostilités, il s’était abstenu de faire couler du sang humain…fut-il celui des noirs !
During his voyages, despite numerous hostilities, he did not shed any human blood – he shed the blood of blacks!
Mwinda Press, has an article titled “De Brazza, false “humanist,” real rapist?” (Fr) about a video (Fr) in which Congolese egyptologist and historian Théophile Obenga allegdes that De Brazza raped a Batéké princess, igniting a flurry of reader commentary (Fr).
cherie, a Mwinda reader, cites other alleged atrocities:
J'apprend que Brazza avait même dynamité tout un village, CE N’ ÉTAIT PAS UN HUMANISTE, SASSOU LE FAIT POUR PLAIRE AU FRANÇAIS QUI AVAIENT ADOPTÉ UNE LOI CONTROVERSÉE SUR LES AVANTAGES DU COLONIALISME…
I've learned that Brazza even dynamited an entire village.  HE WAS NOT A HUMANIST, [PRESIDENT] SASSOU HAS DONE THIS TO PLEASE THE FRENCH WHO HAVE ADOPTED A CONTROVERSIAL LAW ON THE ADVANTAGES OF COLONIALISM…
Togolese writer Kangni Alem thinks even if De Brazza the man was “just,” what he represents cannot be ignored:
Cela choque beaucoup de consciences, de voir ainsi célébré un homme qui fut quand même un colonisateur au service de puissants intérêts, même si l’on raconte que De Brazza aurait été une sorte de “colon justicier” en lutte contre les compagnies concessionnaires au Congo…
Even if De Brazza was a sort of “just colonialist” fighting against the concessionary companies in the Congo, it really is shocking to see a man who was a colonizer in the service of powerful interests celebrated in this way.
Another Minwa reader thinks that even if De Brazza was a little bit nicer than the other colonizers, it is ridiculous to be grateful:
Pour moi cette affaire de DE BRAZZA c’est comme un qui vous dirait : “On a été niqué, mais au moins DE BRAZZA mettait de la vaseline, les autres le faisaient à sec. Donc rendons grâce à DE BRAZZA”.
For me, this De Brazza business is like someone telling you: “We got the crap beaten out of us, but at least De Brazza put on some vaseline while the others let our wounds dry. So let's give thanks to De Brazza.”
Why Not Revere the Congo's Heros?  Why Revere the Colonial Past?
For many, the interrment raised questions about why the Congo would choose to honor a European colonizer like a national hero, rather than one of their own.
Reader Appolinaire KOULAMA at Mwinda Press:
renvoyer les cendres de Savorgnant De Brazza, pour les remplacer à celles des héros congolais, les contributeurs de la liberté contre la colonisation représentée par Savorgnant De Brazza…
send back Savorgnant De Brazza's ashes and replace them with those of the Congo's heros, those who gave us freedom from the colonization that Savorgnant De Brazza represents…
Kitmien commenting at Kangni Alem's blog
C’est triste de se sentir appartenir à un peuple dont les dirigeants préfèrent honorer un colon pour le prétexte de ne pas faire la moindre place à son frère du même pays !
It's sad to feel like you belong to a people whose leaders prefer to honor a colonizer than to give an inch to a brother from their own country.
Kangni Alem quotes historian Théophile Obenga's theory on why Congo-Brazzaville would choose to glorify a foreigner in this way:
Puisque les Congolais n’aiment pas les Congolais, puisque les Congolais ont une haine politique vis-à-vis les uns des autres, ils préfèrent célébrer un homme politique étranger comme Savorgnan De Brazza, ça fait sens; puisque aucun homme politique n’a de la considération au Congo, ni Jacques Opangault ni Youlou, ni les Félix Maléka, il y en beaucoup. Aucun homme politique n’a de la considération au Congo, par les Congolais, c’est tout normal que par un complexe d’infériorité, ils adorent un étranger, un étranger qui est un colonial… »
Since the Congolese people do not love themselves, since the Congolese harbor a political hatred for one another, it makes sense that they prefer to celebrate a political stranger like Savorgnan De Brazza. No politician in the Congo was considered, not Jacques Opangault, not Youlou, not Félix Maléka.  No politician in the Congo was considered.  This is normal for the Congolese who, because of an inferiority complex, love a foreigner, a foreigner who was a colonizer…”
On the Cost of the Mausoleum
Reader Mbombo Mbua at Mwinda Press:
Imaginez plus de 10 milliards de frs à investir pour la réhabilitation de l'université de B/ville. Quel bonheur pour l'étudiant congolais! Mais non, cela n'arrivera jamais car notre dictateur national n'a aucun de ses enfants à l'université aujourd'hui. Alors il brûle l'argent des congolais en construisant des mausolées à la CON.
Imagine if more than 10 billion Congolese francs were invested in renovating the University of Brazzaville.  What a thing that would be for Congolese students!  But no, that will never happen because our national dictator has no children at university. So instead he burns the money of the Congolese people by building mausoleums to an IDIOT.
EB_Toutmosis3 comments on Kangni Alem's blog:
C’est une grosse honte…..pauvre Afrique !!!!!! On construit des mausolées, on célèbre, on vénère, ceux-là qui t’ont mis à genoux, pendant que, les maladies, la misère, la mal gouvernance, les guerres inutiles nées des actions de ces gens, déchiquètent ta belle face……
It really is shameful…poor Africa !!!!! We build mausoleums, we celebrate, we honor those who brought us to our knees, all the while illness, misery, poor governance, useless wars born of the actions of these people tear [Africa] to pieces…
Blaise KIBONZI comments on Kangni Alem's blog
…on construit un mausolée à Brazzaville à grand frais dans un pays où il manque un ascenceur dans le pricipal hôpital de la Capitale…Les malades sont montés jusqu’au 5ème étage de cet hopital (hérité de l’époque coloniale) à “dos de zaïrois” (comme on dit chez nous). Idem pour les cadavres. On paye les porteurs zaïrois 1000 CFA (1,75 euros) par étage.
…we build a mausoleum in Brazzaville at great cost in a country where the capital's main hospital doesn't even have an elevator…the sick are brought up to the fifth floor of this hopsital (inherited from the colonial era) on “backs of the Zarians” (as we say).  Same for the corpses.  The porteurs zaïrois are paid 1000 CFA per floor.
Reader Bahonda at Mwinda Press:
C'est une absurdité absolue. dépenser des sommes colossaux pour un monument
en faveur d'un certain debrazza alors qu'il y a des priorités : manque de
tables banc dans les classes, niveau de santé popublique médiocre, délestage
électrique quotidien, une population malnourrit.
It is absolutely absurd to send such a colossal sum on a monument in honor of De Brazza when there are other priorities: lack of school desks in the classroom, the poor level of public health, regular electricty, a malnourished people…
Apolinaire KOULAMA this the problem is not, at its heart, about the expense.< ?p>
Mon frère Bahonda…Même si nous avons un bon niveau de vie, même si nous avons des moyens collossaux, rien ne justifie, l'honorabilité d'un colon. J'ai écouté à la radio, c'est la première fois, dans l'histoire de ce monde, qu'un pays colonisé honore son colonisteur.
My brother Bahonda…Even if we had a good standard of living, even if we were rich beyond belief, nothing justifies honoring a colonizer.  I heard on the radio that this is the first time in the history of the world that an ex-colony is honoring is colonizer.
Despite the cost of the mausoleum, Mwinda reader Potiphard thinks it could still serve a valuable social and educational purpose:
Certes ce mauselé a coûté cher, mais étant donné que le Congo ne dispose d'aucune structure de loisirs, de musée, d'endroits archéologiques, ça peut faire figure de musée, attirant ainsi les touristes et permettra aux élèves du primaire et du collège, de mieux comprendre l'histoire du Congo. N'ayons pas honte de notre passé, l'histoire ne change pas, qu'elle soit bonne ou mauvaise, elle est déjà inscrite et il faut l'accepter comme telle. Que les restes de la famille De Brazza soient au Congo ou en Algérie, on parlera toujours de cet homme dans notre histoire, il serait donc mieux qu'il soit à nos côtés, pour mieux comprendre notre passé.
Certainly the mausoleum was expensive, but given that the Congo spends nothing on cultural buildings, on museums, on archaeological sites, this could be a museum, attracking tourists and allowing elementary and middle school students to better understand the history of the Congo. We should not be ashamed of our past, history does not change, and whether good or bad, is already written and must be accepted. Whether the remains of the De Brazza family are in the Congo or in Algeria, we will always speak of this man in our history, and it would be better then that he is with us, to better understand our history.
Colonialism, Nationalism and the Problem of Building a National Identity
A strong theme explored by many of Mwinda's and Kangni Alem's readers was the challenge of constructing a national identity in post-colonial Africa and a sense of place in the context of an often painful history.
Mwinda reader Mbombo Mbua suggests that the problem is that the Congolese have no sense of who they are:
MAIS QUI SOMMES-NOUS A LA FIN?
Nous avons tout accepté. Nous continuons de tout accepter.
Revenons quelques années en arrière. Après la Révolution et pendant la période euphorique du marxisme-lenénisme, nous avons fustigé YOULOU qui avait “tout volé”. Son lit fut exposé au musée national. Auparavent, tous ses biens et ceux de ses collaborateurs avaient été détruits par les “révolutionaires”. Pourtant, Brazzaville est resté BRAZZAVILLE; le monument à la mémoire de De BRAZZA est resté intact, toujours à sa place, devant la résidence de l'ambassadeur de France.
Aujourd'hui, nous “refusons” le mausolée de BRAZZA. Regardons-nous en face. QUI SOMMES-NOUS?
Si nous avions changé le nom de notre capilale, si nous avions détruit le 1er monument de l'explorateur, qui aurait eu le toupet aujourd'hui de nous construire un mausolée en son honneur? NOUS SOMMES TOUS RESPONSABLES, car nous ne savons pas ce que nous voulons; surtout, nous ne savons pas QUI NOUS SOMMES.
BUT WHO ARE WE IN THE END?
We have accepted everything.  We continue to accept everything.
Let's go back a few years.  After the revolution and during the euphoria of the Marxism-Leninism period.  We flayed YOULOU who had “stolen everything.”  His bed was put on display at the national museum.  Before that, all of his possessions and those of his collaborators were destroyed by the “revolutionaries.” And still, Brazzaville remained BRAZZAVILLE; the monument to the memory of De BRAZZA remains intact, still in its place, before the residence of the French ambassador.
Today, we “reject” de BRAZZA's mausoleum. Let's look at ourselves in the face.  WHO ARE WE?
If we had changed the name of our capital, if we had destroyed the monument of the first explorer, if we had had the nerve today to build a mausoleum in his honor? WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE, because we do not even know what we want; what's more, we do not know WHO WE ARE.
In a similar vein, Musengeshi Katata (who also blogs at Forum Réalisance) writes:
il a perdu une grande partie de sa mémoire, sa spiritualité et son legs culturel. Et ne sait plus où il en est, ce qu´il est, où il va. Et cependant, maintenant plus que jamais il en a besoin pour se reconstituer son propre avenir, ses propres voies de réalisation. Ce qu´on voit actuellement en Afrique n´est que l´expression d´un profond égarement parce qu´on se refuse à commettre l´effort de se chercher, de se redécouvrir et de s´aimer soi-même en se projetant dans l´avenir. Trop longtemps on a supporté de se haïr en tant que noir pour ne respecter et acclamer que la culture et les ordres du maître blanc, sa culture et son sens de l´histoire. Ces temps sont révolus, mais tout le monde ne semble pas l´avoir compris
[the black man] has lost a large part of his history, his spirtuality, his cultural foundations.  He doesn't know anymore where he is, what he is, or where he is going. However, it is now more than ever that he needs to build his own future, his own path for realizing himself.  What we see happening now in Africa is really just a distraction, because we refuse to commit ourselves to the process of looking, of rediscovering, and of loving ourselves by moving forward, toward the future.  For too long we have put up with hating ourselves while respecting and glorifying only the culture and the commandments of the white master, his culture and his sense of history.  Those times are over, but no one seems to have understood that.
Reader Mouele Kibaya minimizes De Brazza's role in the country's history:
…l'histoire du Congo n'est pas le fait de Savorgnan de Brazza, mais simplement le fait du cours normal des choses due à l'évoultion de ce territoire, il se trouve que la rencontre se fit avec les Français, ça pouvait être des anglais. Tot ou tard les mbetis et les laris allaient se rencontrer, cessez de rattacher notre histoire à De brazza.
les hommes de ce territoire existaient avant et continueront à se battre pour leur survie quoi qu'il en soit peu importe la forme seules la liberté et la dignité font de nous des Humains…
…the history of the Congo is not owed to Savorgnan de Brazza, but is simply the result of the normal way of things owed to the evolution of this region, it happened that [the first interaction with Europeans] was with the French.  It could just as well have been with the English.  Sooner or later the mbetis and the laris were going to meet, so stop attaching our history to De Brazza. The people of this region existed before and will continue to fight for their survival in whatever form; it is only liberty and dignity makes of us Humans…
A few think that debate really isn't about colonialism, but about national identity and political legitimacy.  Tima Bemba,  commenting at Kangni Alem's blog, writes:
(Timba Bema ) la construction d'un mausolée en soi n'est pas un acte d'aliénation mais peut aussi être perçu comme une tentative de recréer une unité nationale après la guerre civile au travers de la personne qui rappelons le est à la base de la constitution de ce pays… il me semble donc que la critique de cet acte doit s’appuyer sur son discours de légitimation tel que produit actuellement par les responsables politiques congolais et non sur la sensiblerie anti-coloniale…
the construction of mausoleum in itself an act of alienation, but rather can also been seen as an attempt to recreate national unity after civil war through the person, let us remember, that is at the heart of this country's formation…it seems to me, then, that the critique of [the interrment] should be based on a discourse of [political] legitimacy, such as that now produced by Congolese political leaders and not on anti-colonial sensibilities.
Similary, Godefroy also thinks the government's efforts are an attempt to “create a national imagination,” but in no uncertain terms thinks glorifying colonialism is not the way to go.
(Godefroy)  La consolidation d'un imaginaire national s'effectue de plusieurs manières. On peut se sentir plus proche par notre adhésion à un projet commun, tout comme la volonté de rompre avec une DOULEUR, comme la colonisation, peut consolider le sentiment d'appartenance. Ce à quoi aura servi le NATIONALISME dans d'autres contextes. Les identités se construisent et se consolident avec des procédés de “marquage de frontières”, ce que sassou vient ROMPRE. Non seulement il détruit notre pays, par sa gestion chaotique, mais, par ses initiatives, nous rappelle une histoire dont la GLOIRE ne peut appartenir à notre patrimoine national…
The creation of a national imagination can happen in many ways.  We can feel closer to one another because of our involvement in a common project.  Our desire to break with something PAINFUL, such as colonization, can bring together these feelings of belonging.  This is the purpose of NATIONALISM in other contexts.  Identities are constructed and reinforced by a process of “drawing lines,” lines which [President Sassou] is breaking.  Not only is he destroying our country through the chaos of his administration, but, by his initiatives, he reminds us of a history whose glory cannot belong to our national heritage…
On Opposing the Government's Decision
The conversation at Mwinda Press eventually turns to what people opposed the mausoleum can actually do to make their voices heard.
Reader Moi at Mwinda Press:
Douste Blazy sera donc de la partie ou party (c'est le cas de le dire) ce mercredi? Dans une démocratie nous nous serions fait le plaisir de l'accueillir avec des oeufs et des tomates bien pourris. Mais hélas ce n'est pas possible parce que nous aurions été très vite calmés par des tirs de Kalachnikov ou, dans le meilleur des cas, avec du gaz lacrymogène et des coups de matraques, mais aussi parce que, même pourris, nous aurions préféré envoyer ces oeufs et ces tomates dans notre estomac car quand on est affamé les dates de péremption sont de la littérature inutile.
So Douste Blazy [the French foreign minister] is going to be at the party this Wednesday?  In a democracy we would have the pleasure of welcoming him with rotten eggs and tomatoes.  But no, this is not possible because we would be very quickly subdued by Kalachnikovs or, in the best of worlds, with tear gas and batons, but also because, even if they were rotten, we would prefer to eat those eggs and tomatoes, because when you're starving the expiration date has no meaning.
Of the reinterrment, The Guardian newspaper wrote that de Brazza is “one of the few white colonists still held in regard in Africa” and that the government wanted to “honour De Brazza for his work against slavery and his criticism of the abuse of African workers by Europeans.”
This is not a spin on the story most of these commenters share.
Dans notre grande impuissance tout ce que nous pouvons faire c'est du bruit. Chacun de nous peut pour une fois se rendre utile pour le projet commun de faire parler les médias sur la cérémonie du 3 octobre. A cet effet j'ai envoyé un e-mail au “Canard Enchainé” pour leur en toucher un mot.
In our powerlessness, all we can do is make noise.  Each of us can for once make ourselves useful by trying make the media cover the October 3rd ceremony.  To that end, I've sent an email to “Canard Enchainé.”
Another reader responded by automatically translating the page of what is now over a hundred comments into English and emailing them to the New York Times, L'Express, The Guardian, BBC, The Daily Telegraph.  He writes, “I hope that this will make some waves.  We must always try, especially when we have something to gain and lose nothing by trying…”


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source: news-globalvoices

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

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David Sasaki

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Peru: El Banco Financiero Listents to the Blogosphere · Global Voices
David Sasaki

A common critique of weblogs is that they have no teeth. “The important insight of a single post gets lost in the overwhelming sea of words,” they say. Or, “sure, any blogger can figure out the world's problems on her weblog, but how does that change the real world?”
One small, practically insignificant, step at a time I would argue. Here is Andres Hardrada's translation of an illustrative post by Peruvian blogger Eduardo Solis [ES]. If you are interested in volunteering for Global Voices as a translator, please leave a comment below or send a message to the appropriate Regional Editor.
Remember that some time ago I posted about the product Edu-k from the Financiero bank? If you missed it, you better read it, you won't believe what comes next.
After that post written on august the 18th, a representative of Banco Financiero wrote me, and I quote:
“…I`m pleased to salute you and sincerely thank you at the same time about those comments you made in your blog, we think your opinion regarding our new product, Edu-k, which is a part of an ambitious educational project, is very good… it`s about an educational project for children at least 12-years-old, … the project includes more than 500 affiliate facilities pre-selected by the bank, and in this way us parents can be more informed about the tips…in such case we would like to contact you so we can give you more information on our project and include with your valuable collaboration…”
When they wrote me I thought it was a joke, though the person signed, put a phone number, an adress and email, wich had the bank domain. (signed as executives of corporative accounts)
I read and read the mail, a local business place that is concern about what the blogosphere has to say about their products? mmm didn`t believe it.
I responded and after 24 hours someone answered back, in this case was the superior of the previous person. (he wrote from the ceo of corporative accounts of the division of credit cards from the banco financiero).
The explanation I was sent reads something like this:
“We have decided, as Mr Castillo commented, to intervene efficiently in the support of minor`s education carrying out this project that wish to establish a chain formed by links such as educational facilities, the parents, and pupils closing into this project tangible benefits for each of those links…part of our job is to achieve the satisfaction of our customers… one way to do so is the search on internet that allow us to get this information, this way we got to read your blog…I reiterate my request to get together on a schedule of your disposition,  so we can go
deep on the subject…”
Me? They even asked me to go to the bank to explain in detail how Edu-k works. Clearly, it's not necessary  that I go, but what impress me the most is their willingness to explain it and, overall, their preoccupation for what is been said on the web about them. But this is the case that was right for the exposition of “Blogs and Business” during the last BlogDay conference; it's a pity that it did not happen before. But it will be included in my class and in any opportunity that I have to speak on this subject.
Congratulations gentlemen of the Financiero, I`m sure you`ve caused a great impression.
Of course the power of bloggers to use their medium and reputation to review products carries a double-edged sword. Some might ask if Solis was made a pawn by a brilliant marketing campaign by Banco Financiero. Or worse, that he had some personal benefit to gain by recommending the product.
But, as with everything online, a little skepticism and a lot of research can make us much more informed consumers and citizens.


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Russia: Anna Politkovskaya’s Murder · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Vilhelm Konnander writes about Anna Politkovskaya murder and Vladimir Putin's silence: “The fact remains: When Russia's “first journalist” is silenced, Russia's “first person” stays silent. No word from Putin, no word from the Kremlin when the freedom of the press is trampled on by brutal suppression. The tacit message thus sent, resounds with piercing echo: Freedom of speech has no place in Putin's Russia.” White Sun of the Desert writes that Politkovskaya's “death is a tragedy for Russia.  If somehow the government was involved, it represents a disaster.” Edward Lucas posts the Economist's obituary. A Step At A Time translates an earlier interview with Anna Politkovskaya's editor, Dmitry Muratov. The Accidental Russophile compiles links on the tragic event; La Russophobe accuses him of “an early attack” on the murdered journalist.


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Russia: Violence Filmed by Perpetrators · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

English Russia re-posts a video from a Russian Nazi site – their “most non violent video”: “We at englishrussia.com are against violence, so we would not put such violent videos here. This is just a light version in order to give the readers an example of what’s going on in the minds of some Russian teenagers these days.”


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Serbia: A Bookstore in Pristina · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Wu Wei writes about her favorite bookstore in Pristina, Kosovo: “I don't know why I find it so satisfying a place to browse.  The stock presumably doesn't change that much, but it seems to get rearranged, so that new juxtapositions appear, surprising you and offering new discoveries.  It's rather like supermarkets are supposed to rearrange their stock every now and again so you are forced to examine new items, on the search for the familiar items you always buy.  But I am already like some of the Poles and Lithuanians in Oxford, gradually reading their way along the supermarket shelves, looking at the unfamiliar labels trying to guess what the disguised names really are.”


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Serbia: Art Exhibition in Kosovo · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kushtrim Xhakli writes about the Haki Xhakli Exhibition in Pristina, Kosovo.


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South Korea: labour relation road map · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jamie has an update on the recent labour conflicts and relation: a road map is drawn by the government concerning the relation between business, government and labour, which is considered as a setback on labour conditions.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Tajikistan: Blocked Websites · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Alexander Sadikov reports on the Tajik government's decision to block access to certain “harmful” foreign websites that criticize the government, a move, Sadikov says, that indicates the government's determination to extend control over all facets of life in Tajikistan.


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Trinidad & Tobago: More long weekends · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Hassan Voyeau has a proposal for Trinidad and Tobago: “All holidays should be changed to fall on the closest Monday or Friday thus always creating a long weekend thus maximising the usefulness of a holiday.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: On Jack Straw · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Trinidad blogger Jeremy Taylor weighs in on the Jack Straw affair: “Jack starts to sweat. He tries hard to be liberal and tolerant, poor fellow. On the other hand, he was the man who with Tony Blair helped to plan and execute Britain's role in the disastrous Iraqi war. And this figure in front of him, with only the eyes visible, could be anyone. A suicide bomber. A gunman. What if there's a grenade under the niqab?“


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Venezuela: Opposition Rally · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The established triumvirate of Venezuelan, opposition, English-language bloggers each give their own account of this weekend's rally in support of opposition candidate Manuel Rosales: Daniel Duquenal, Miguel Octavio, and Alek Boyd.


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Africa: blogger identity · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Uaridi's contribution to the 1st Carnival of African Women is a post about Blogger Identity: “I do not blog about poverty, race, gender and justice. These remind me too much of my work, and much as I love it, I want to stop thinking about it when I am at home.”


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Africa: poem for 1st Carnival of African Women · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A poem from Mshairi for the 1st Carnival of African Women.


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African Blogosphere: controversy and misunderstanding  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The African blogosphere is not immune from controversy and misunderstanding. Follow this “CNN” interview with a Kenyan blogger to learn about the latest controversy.


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Argentina: Music: Nicolás A. Alonso · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Fernando Casale introduces readers to the “brief but intense album of experimental music composed and interpreted by Nicolás A. Alonso, guitarist and pianist of Turpentine. The album was released under a Creative Commons BY 2.5 AR license so you can remix and republish it without restrictions as long as Alonso is given attribution.


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Ayatollah Khomeini’s Letter: Nuclear Weapons and the End of War · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to various media reports, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani has made public in Tehran a letter from 1988 in which Iran's top commander is quoted as saying Iran would need a nuclear bomb to win the war against Iraq. The letter was written by the father of the Iranian revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, to top officials in the final days of the war. This letter attracted the attention of several bloggers, who wrote this week about war, nuclear weapons and Rafsanjani.
No Holy War
Alpar writes that a war should never be considered holy  [Fa].The blogger adds
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, blogger and reformist politician, says Rafsanjani committed a brave act in publishing this letter and making it known to the Iranian public. He continues
as we can understand from the content of this letter, Imam believed that sometimes giving up before facts is a braver action than resistance and attack and it is more in favour of people, country, religion and values. This bravery of Imam is not less than his bravery against the previous regime…In the world of politics publishing of such letter is considered as a warning too; a warning from Hashemi to all those who ignore him. All those involved in politics, know that Hashemi has similar letters and memories.
Secrets and Nukes
Freekeyboard says that stupid censorship this time touched Imam Ayatollah Khomeini's letter at the end of Iran-Iraq war. The blogger says the authorities who omitted the words concerning nuclear and laser weapons are the same ones complaining that the western world does not believe that Iranian nuclear activity is only for peaceful purposes [Fa].
Irane Farda says this letter and the reference to nuclear weapons can create more problems for Iran, as the letter seems to demonstrate that if Iran faces a military threat, it is going to use nuclear weapon without hesitation [Fa].
Nikahang, a leading cartoonist, blogger and journalist says that Iran has been wanting nuclear weapons since the war with Iraq [Fa]. Shortly after publishing the letter, they omitted references to nuclear and laser weapons. The blogger reminds readers of which group profited from the continuation of the war.  Many revolutionary guards leaders were angry about accepting UN resolution and cease fire, he writes, it would be useful to see how much profit the authorities made from the war [Fa]. The blogger adds that the people who want to bring Iran back to the crisis days of the 80´s must be the ones with good memories of those days. According to Nikahang, fundamentalist-conservative group are not in favor of secret letters and documents being published, as they are afraid that public skepticism could block the way for another war [Fa].
People's Power and an old letter
Blue future says the letter shows that it was the people who ended the war, not the military or politicians. The blogger says that if there were sufficient numbers willing to volunteer for the military, the  authorities would probably continue it [Fa].
Arash Kamagir has published the hand-written letter on his blog [Fa] and notes this it had been published on Ayatollah Montazeri's site years ago.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Bolivia: Recommended Links and Movies · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Eduardo Ávila recommends three Bolivia-centered links. Jim Shultz reviews the film Quien Mato a la Llamita Blanca? (Who Killed the Little White Llama?) by Rodrigo Bellott and links to its trailer.


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Brazil: Lula Debates · Global Voices
David Sasaki

After citing a poll which puts President Lula da Silva in the lead with 54% compared to Alckmin's 46, Boz gives his impressions of Sunday's debate: “Alckmin risks losing votes by appearing to bully the president, who is fairly well liked.” Colin Brayton also offers his thoughts.


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Cambodia at a glance · Global Voices
Tharum Bun

Spurred by the fact that weblog stimulates open discussion among people who have common interest, Cambodians take their concerned issues online to share with the world who are listening to them. Is weblog community an open space for debate? In what way can this new tool enhance the way citizens get into discussions, have their says, and learn more what's going on in their community? In this weblog post, Cambodia bloggers talked about nationalism, marriage, youth issues and Khmer boxing on podcast.
How much do foreigners know about Cambodia?
Vireak asked ‘how much do foreigners know about Cambodia?’ The 21-year-old weblogger recalled his experience in Singapore four years ago. After spending several years with other Singaporean classmates, he was more and more familiar with many weird questions they asked him about his home country.
Just recently, another Singaporean who has never been to Cambodia described to me his impression of Cambodia as a country with a lot of land mines and khmer rouge. This is all too common for many people from the so-called highly educated nations. If we read international media reports on Cambodia, there is hardly any single report not mentioning Khmer Rouge, wars, land mines and poverty. What’s in the head of those reporters is beyond my imagination.
Housework for women only?
That's a topic Sousdey and her workmate came up for a discussion. Traditionally, women are supposed to stay at home, doing all routine houseworks, while men are out for business and job. This happens in Cambodia, her home country. But what about in Australia?
“Though we are in Aust[ralia], majority of our Khmer men still believe that housework is a woman's job, majority of the men do not help around the house. I think, back in Cambodia, it may be ok to act in such manner because the husband is the sole provider for the family, but here it does not make any sense at all.”
He did something their parents dislike
Chanbopha brought a weblog post about drug abuse from Vanndett for further discussion. Kampong Cham, their home province, Vanndett witnessed a crises of a young adult whose heartbroken led him to self-destruction.
He did something their parents dislike: returning home late at night; going to cram schools no more, and then even sneaking out from his highschool and going around with boys who are considered to be deliquent. The last activity led him go too far which was the reason he started to do drug as well. He selled his motorbike for money to buy drug, and then stole his mother's jewelry and ran away with his girlfriend. They found him badly sick in another province. Could you imagine how his parents looked like finding him in such a wicked state?
Go away in a car come back in an urn
Maytel described how Cambodians migrated from rural country to the city and even to neighboring Thailand for jobs and fortunes. The weblogger campared this as a Khmer old saying that goes “go away in a car come back in an urn.” Which means that not all immigrants return home with what they really expect of having a future in a new place.
There is a saying in Khmer that goes “dtou jis lan, troloop jis jaan”. Translation: go away in a car come back in an urn. Despite widespread fear of the perils of travel realities of Cambodian life in the villages often requires the migration of the young and able bodied out of the village in search of paid employment. Many travel within the country, to work in garment factories, or to try to make a living at a moto doup driver in Siem Reap or Phnom Penh. Untold numbers flock across the Thai border to work illegally. While not all these stories have happy endings, numerous have Mark Twain like qualities to them.

author: Tharum Bun


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El Salvador: Assassination Attempt on President · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Tim Muth has two posts on the alleged assassination attempt of President Tony Saca.


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Georgia: Primer on Conflict With Russia · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Dan O'Huiginn has a detailed primer on Georgia's current conflict with Russia


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Guadeloupe: Telecom Fair  · Global Voices
Alice Backer

InternetRapide.com explains that at a recent internet and telecom fair in Guadeloupe (Carrefour des Technologies de L'Information et de la Communication, October 5-7), telecom provides competed for consumers’ attention. Now that bandwidth problems have been solved in Guadeloupe, the blogger notes that one of the most interesting new products is Mediaserv's “Triple Play”: DSL cable, TV and Telephone rolled into one.


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India: An obit for Kanshi Ram · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The death of Kanshi Ram has Bhupinder commenting on the man, the politics he played and the times he lived in. “Yet, Kanshi Ram is significant for a number of reasons and one has to acknowledge the singular, if not stellar role that he played in the Indian political stage in general and Dalit politics in particular.”


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India: Witch hunting · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Megha writes on witch hunting in India. “While witch hunting has become a thing of the past in the western world, certain states in India still revel in this appalling practice. The folks in the rural areas of Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh (specifically the Telengana district), Tripura, Assam, Orissa and Bihar still hold on to a pathetically ludicrous fear of alleged witches or ‘Dains’.”


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Indian Bloggers on Technology, Ram Lila, Ayudha Puja, Food, Films and Photos · Global Voices
Kamla Bhatt

Technology and festivals, somehow those two are the dominant themes for   this  week's round-up about India. Of course, the round-up is peppered with some  great recipes and that all favorite Indian pastime: movies.  We round-up our review with   some real great visual images of the "Big Apple," or New York.
It somehow seems appropriate to start with technology and Web 2.0 considering that a whole lot of money was spent by Google to acquire YouTube. The virtual world is buzzing and agog with the acquisition and suddenly Web 2.0 is back in the radar.
Technology: Scribez has an exhaustive post about start-ups in the Web 2.0 space in India. It seems   like there is an Indian version of digg, and other social network sites. This is   a nice post to catch up on what is happening in India.
Nitesh   Gautam has a nice write-up about Onyomo, an Indian search engine company.   This new search engine which is still in beta mode has an SMS feature that might   just be the ticket for Indian users.
Vandana   Ahuja highlights in her post how head hunters and recruiters are harassing   the latest technology, including web 2.o, to recruit talent.
Mobile   Pundit writes that an Indian match-making site, BharatMatrimony.com will use the fast proliferating mobile phones to push its service. Speed dating anyone?
Orkut, the popular social network site has run into some problems in   India and a local court has issued a petition to Google.  Ujj of   the Great Indian Mutiny writes about the recent problems with Orkut in India,   and wonders how problems associated with online social networks and blogs should   be handled. One suggestion he has is that better cyber laws need to be   implemented. Read to find out what else he has to say.
Now, why is Orkut in trouble in India? Amit   Varma provides the background, and raises some interesting questions about   individual rights.
From technology we move to festival and catch up on dusshera.
Dusshera: It is a 10 day festival and each day has some significance that most of you probably don't know or don't remember. On the 10th day in certain parts of India (especially in the Northern parts …New Delhi and surrounding areas) they stage this all night dance drama called Ram   Lila. Kesava   India  has a nice post with an explanation and don't miss the dramatic and  vivid image of Durga that dominates his post.
Akshay   of Trivial Matters has a wonderful photo essay  about Ram Lila with a really evocative title: Backstage   with Gods. That title says it all…what happens backstage and how do the actors prepare for the show? Read to find out.
From the north, we move to South and find out how Dusshera is celebrated in these parts. While Ram Lila and Durga Puja are dominant in the northern and western parts of India, in the southern states it is Ayudha puja and Saraswathi puja.
Ayudha Puja is sometimes referred to as "car puja" in South India. At least,   that is how I remember it  growing up in Madras aka Chennai. Vivek   in Bangalore has a description of how he celebrated Ayudha Puja along with   some pictures of his shiny scooter. Mridula has a post on Ayudha Pooja with colorful pictures of vans and cars all dressed   up in flowers etc. Note: puja and pooja mean the same word, which means prayer. Rauf has   some really stunning and colorful  photos that speak to you…the photo essay   shows you what is required to celebrate Ayudha Puja. And do you think in modern-day any festivity will be devoid of an IT or tech twist. Nope. You gotto take care of your computers. Shankar Anand reminds us to clear the spam from our PCs and laptops.
We move from how Dusshera is celebrated to food.
Food is such an important part of any festival celebration in India. Saffron   Hut has a wonderful recipe for badam (almond) halva that sounds delicious. I   am going out to buy a bag of almonds and other ingredients to make this   dish.
Daily   Musings has a special milk pudding for Saraswathi Pooja, which is part of   Dusshera. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge.
FoodNewbie has some really nice recipes from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh: poornam   boorelu and kajjikayalu. Check out the recipes.
Vyanjanaa is a food blog where a mother and daughter collaborate even though they live in   different parts of the world. G, who is the daughter lives in Missouri and has a   quick recipe that appears to be yummy.
Films: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are in Pune, India   filming for A Mighty Heart. Viewer from Metroblogging Mumbai has a Bollywood round-up post where he mentions the   visit of Brad and Angelina in India.
Do you think I slipped up a chance to blog about Angelina and Brad? No, I did   not. Sitting in New York I managed to keep tabs on the famous couple and their short joyride in an auto rickshaw.
We wrap up by looking at some wonderful photographs.
Photographs: Photographs tell a thousand stories. Anand   Vivek Taneja has some fabulous pictures of New York (don't miss the   juxtaposition of the old with the new…the old spirals with the modern   high-rise). He calls these pictures The Noo Yawk Zoom.

author: Kamla Bhatt


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Iran: New Research about Iranian Blogs · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Iranian Truth, Celine Petrossian shares her research about Iranian blogs. Researcher says without a doubt, blogs have allowed Iranians to connect with their homeland and cultural traditions and freely discuss political, cultural and social issues on a transnational level.


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Jamaica: Rising stars · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Stunner gives a post mortem of the Rising Stars television talent show recently concluded in Jamaica.


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Jamaica: The 1970s · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“Before my ninth birthday I knew IMF was screwing up the economy, socialism was just an appetiser for the communist meal, gunmen would kill you for sporting the wrong colours and Reggae was the music of nasty people,” says Marlon James of growing up in Jamaica in the 1970s. “Still I wish I was in my 20's or 30's in the 70's if for no other reason that it seems that that was the last time where anybody thought there was possibility.”


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Kazakhstan: Reacting to Russia-Georgia Conflict · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Stavros says that Kazakhs are questioning Russia's actions against Georgians living in Russia to get back at the Georgian government.


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Mexico: Oaxaca Remains at Standstill · Global Voices
David Sasaki

On indigenous peoples day, Vivir Latino takes a at the ongoing protest in Oaxaca, Mexico, commenting that “it is important to look throughout our Americas at the people leading struggles in the name of their community's future.” Writing from Oaxaca, Mark in Mexico translates an opinion piece by Sergio Sarmiento of TV Azteca criticizing “all parties involved in this 4 month-long fiasco.” Juán José Díaz Bermudez describes the party politics at hand behind the street protests [ES] and, finally, Ana Maria Salazar tells us that the Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) now has their own website after warning readers to “stay away from Oaxaca.”


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Moldova: Grape Harvest and a Wedding · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Adventures in Moldova writes about grave harvest and a Moldovan wedding.


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Mongolia: Speaker on Speech · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Shards of Mongolia reports that the speaker of Mongolia's parliament is appealing to the prime minister to curtail free speech rights.


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Nepal: Baluwatar Talks · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! with more on the Baluwatar talks and the outcomes. “Very much unlike the interview of Prachanda which expressed doubts even in the occuring of the Summit Talks, both the SPA and Maoists have expressed hope of its success. At the end of the meeting which lasted for around 9 hours the two sides released a press release.”


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Northeast Asia: Nuclear test · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Sun bin blogs the google map on the North Korea Nuclear test and summarizes the test information.
In South Korea, there were much discussions in the blogsphere (although I can only get access to English sources).
Jodi observes her South Korean friends’ reactions the test:
Not surprisingly, however, was the idea that the real danger was not so much North Korea, but the United States who might react dangerously in reponse to the North. More than one person yesterday used the word “victim” to describe South Korea’s situation.
Oranckay actually said that he was glad that it happened:
First of all, it either proves that both Roh and Bush have failed, and/or, the shenanigans are over and there is no more wondering. I was getting tired of the endless limbo, the endless effort spent by Roh’s government on trying to get the six party talks started again, as if the six party talks were getting anywhere. Perhaps I’m getting old, but I’m glad to see something happening.
Timothy Savage has an anlysis in Ohmynews International in response to the right wing sentiment:
The first victim, much to the delight of critics of engagement, is likely to be what remains of South Korea's Sunshine Policy. While often attacked as “appeasement,” the Sunshine Policy was in fact a well-intentioned but sometimes badly executed attempt to achieve slow-motion reunification by increasing Pyongyang's dependence on the South.
In Japan, Alexpappas from Japundit predicts that the test will change Japan's foreign and military policy:
North Korean boasts the fifth largest army in the world with an estimated 1.8 million standing armed personnel. If ever there was a threat to modern post-war Japan, this would be it…
Today, all has once again changed and a new page of history is to be written. As Japan decides how to proceed with its now nuclear neighbour, it is certain that there will be difficult decisions made that will no doubt affect the world entire.
Japan citizen reporter, Lily Yulianti reports people reactions in Ohmynews:
On the trains, people carefully read Abe's explanations and looked at the graphics of the underground channel under a mountain in North Korea, where the test was reportedly conducted. People rushed to pick up the papers and ended up with similar comments: condemning North Korea's latest move. It was not only a headline in the media, but also the topic of the day on the streets.
For many ordinary Japanese people, North Korean issues such as abductions and missile and nuclear programs are familiar enough. Despite a stereotypical judgment that says most Japanese people do not really care about politics and security issues, when it comes to North Korean issues, it is not difficult to find people on the streets who want to talk in detail.
In Mainland China, most of the discussion of the test happens in the forum,
China citizen reporter, Wyan Hsu summarizes the discussion in ohmynews: N.Korean Civilians are the real victims:
The test triggered criticism in China's cyberspace and I read several posts on a forum. Most say that North Korea's move doesn't conform to China's interests at all, and that it could even put China in a dilemma.
They say that on the one hand China should work on non-proliferation over the peninsular and to be a more responsible partner of the international community, and on other hand it should cherish its traditional alliance with Kim's North Korea.
Taison from kdnet (BBS forum) jokingly says that the China government is really pissed off this time:
简直不给我面子，更何况，一直以来，全世界都知道金小弟的背后有我们罩着，这下可好，连大哥的话他都根本不听了，今后，人家其它国家又会怎么看我？
In Taiwan, Think alould in Talk Away's reacts more as a onlooker:
北韓核示雖然讓人憂心，但東亞的執政者傳統上大都愛權愛命，核試只是種談判籌碼，就像我們阿扁台獨是喊爽的，不會真為像回教聖戰（伊朗倒是讓人比較擔心)…
Raymondwoon, a Hong Kong doctor, feels helpless:
我已經不慬得去分析各種政治勢力的對錯，當我聽到戰爭所帶來的哭聲以及地球因這核試所承受的震動，我內心和核爆的地土一樣痛楚…


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Pakistan: Zaakat · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Metroblogging Islamabad on Ramadan and Zaakat. “Mosques are full of the faithful worshipers. The bazaars and streets are full of a new type of beggars! These men, women and children are not asking for charity any more. They are demanding ‘Zakaat’. And they are getting it!”


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Panama, Argentina: Blogging Chefs Unite · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Panamanian chef Melissa De Leon is on vacation in Uruguay and Argentina, where she met fellow chef and fellow blogger Dan Perlman.


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Panama: Zombie Walk · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Eric “Butter” Levy and Rob Rivera [ES] introduce Panama's first “Zombie Walk.” Jorge Yau has made a badge to promote the event.


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Peru: Documentary on Rural Education Competes for Prize · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The following post was originally written in Spanish at Cinencuentro.
“Camino a la Escuela” (“The Road to School”) competes in the Seed of Tolerance contest of Current TV
The director Humberto Saco writes us to let us know that a 6 minute short version of his documentary, Camino a la Escuela, will be shown on Current TV as part of the Seed of Tolerance contest; a competition directed at journalists and filmmakers who have made some type of audiovisual work about the themes of tolerance and diversity.
The five semi-finalist films will be chosen by a renowned jury. They are: M. Night Shyamalan, Jeffrey Wright, Edward Norton, Paul Haggis, Morgan Spurlock, Melissa Etheridge and Margaret Cho. The final winner will be decided by public vote.
Here you can watch Camino a la Escuela. It's important that, additionally, we vote for the movie (give it the “green light”) so that it can achieve some of the awards of the competition. Good luck Humberto!
The following is a description of the film, which you can watch below:
We have produced an edited version of a documentary we made on the struggles of a group of rural children of Puna, Peru and their teacher. The Puna is the region of mountain range of the Andes between the 4.0 and 4.8 Km of altitude, arid tableland and the climate is cold, with very little precipitation. Everyday the children have to travel for more than two hours on foot through mountainous terrain and rivers just to get to school Their teacher also has to travel a long distance to the school on a bus that sometimes doesn't reach it's destination. When the bus is not available she hitches a ride on a truck. She is separated from her husband and children, she stays along in a cold classroom with no electricity and her only source of water comes from an outside well with freezing water. Both the children and the teacher make a daily effort to get to the school. Nevertheless they lack the indispensable learning materials. Their educational situation is typical of what children face in the rural areas of Peru. The purpose of this video is to make people who live in cities aware of the reality that exists. Children and adults all over the world should analyze the educational system in the Third World.


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Poland: “Sudden Carnival of Democracy” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot covers the recent rallies that took place in Warsaw: “We had the ‘blue’ march, the ‘white and rose’ march; we had the governing party hold a rally; we had crusty anarchists with pet mongrels.”


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Russia: “Russophile-Russophobe” Divide · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time responds to La Russophobe, explaining the trouble with the “‘Russophile-Russophobe’ debate”: “…the character of the present “Russophile-Russophobe” divide, complex, call it what you will, is similarly based on emotion and personal animosity, rather than on substantial intellectual content. Thus, the movement of the debate is controlled by those whose aim is to continue the slaughter and the unreason – initially, though of course only initially, in the debating chamber, grounding the arguments in terms that can be made comprehensible to Western minds.”


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Russia: Billiards in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

White Sun of the Desert writes about a night of billiards at a Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bar.


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Russia: Police Target Ethnic Georgians · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog translates Russian police documents targeting ethnic Georgians.


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Russia: Politkovskaya Interview · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Step At A Time translates part of Natasha Mozgovaya's interview with Anna Politkovskaya.


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Russia: Tribute to Politkovskaya · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog posts a tribute to Anna Politkovskaya: “What separates her books from most journalistic accounts is not the acerbic words she uses to condemn those who don’t hesitate to stomp on humanity; it is the deep humanism that pervades her prose. While violence may dehumanize her subjects, often to a bloody pulp, she resurrects them to their full humanity. This is an art in any language let alone in Russian journalism where the cost for telling the truth has now become the lives of 42 journalists since 1992.”


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Sri Lanka: The Eelam Obsession · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Moju links to an article on the plight of the Tamils and the Eelam obsession of the LTTE. There is an interesting discussion in the comments space.


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Sudan: MySpace rocks for Darfur · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ethnicloft is a bit pessimistic about initiatives such “Rock for Darfur” organized by Myspace:”As they party hard, shamelessly, a multitude of people are being raped, maimed and killed, helplessly, in Darfur. I wonder if that ever crossed their mind.”


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Syria: Blogger Blocked in Syria · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

Bloggers in Syria are puzzled by the new move from the Syrian Government to block access to all .blogspot blogs, although access to the main www.blogger.com is still available… The service is blocked through all Syrian ISPs including private one AYA, reports Amr.

author: Yazan Badran


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Tanzania: Jay Z and Beyonce among the Maasai · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jay Z and Beyonce are Maasai warriors in Tanzania!


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Trinidad & Tobago: Double-agent graphic designer? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Nicholas Laughlin is convinced that an advertisement for a meeting of Trinidad & Tobago's opposition party was designed by a double-agent from the ruling party. He supports his claim by annotating a copy of the ad posted at caribbeanfreephoto‘s Flickr page.


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Venezuela: Rosales’ Mi Negra Plan · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Oil Wars dissects the “Mi Negra” plan of opposition candidate Manuel Rosales and concludes that Rosales is a “phony populist.”


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Africa: 1st African Women’s Carnival · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Monday, October 9, 2006 was the 1st African Women’s Carnival focussing on Blogging and Identity.


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Belize: Culture shock · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

MTV veejay-turned-Belize eco resort owner Simone Elgeln looks back on her early days in Belize when she and her husband invited a few people to watch movies at their home — and the whole community turned up.


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Bermuda: Bishop takes a stand · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

A Bermudian bishop earns points from the Limey for his refusal to support an interdenominational church service he believes excludes homosexuals.


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Bermuda: The sound of independence · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Valentine Michael Smith reports on a meeting convened in Bermuda to discuss the subject of independence, where 23% of the attendeed were “confused expats thinking they were attending a screening of The Sound of Music”.


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Central Asia: Corruption & Parking · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia reports on the correlation between a Central Asian and Caucasus states’ levels of corruption and parking violations for members of their UN missions.


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Chile: What’s That Smell? · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Chileno clarifies what he thought had been a “mysterious toxic gas cloud in Santiago.”


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China: digital sex · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wang Xiao-feng discusses about the fashion of “digital sex” writings and its potential impact on sex attitude in China (zh): some writers pretend to be experts in sex, but the writings are just pornographics.


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China: expelling the mentally ill for Olympic · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

After the plan of expelling rural migrant workers, Beijing government is preparing to expel “mentally ill” people out of the city before the Olympic. The angry Chinese blogger reminds us that “Beijing has a known history of using ‘mental illness’ as a political tool to silence protesters…”


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China: fairness and justice · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ai wei wei discusses the way how the government deal with fairness and justice by presenting two legal cases: Let us discuss fairness and equality, the foundations for social morality. Democracy
and checks and balances are the basic conditions for guaranteeing fairness and justice. Short of these basic conditions, any talk of fairness and justice becomes self-deluding.


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China: lesbian Shanghai · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Shang Tiff in Shanghaiist introduces the Lesbian or lala culture in Shanghai.


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China: little fatty net · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Lyn Jeffery in Virtual China introduces a new website called “little fatty net”. It is a new generation youth website.


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China: school murder case · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Liao Zusheng's son was beaten to death at school in Fushan. Liao opened a blog in sina claiming that his son was murdered by teachers and staffs because of his criticism on the school fee and administration in the newspapers. He pleads the central government to intervene.
One man bandwith blogs another teacher murder case in Hunan, when the teacher get away from the prosecution by schizophrenia.


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China: wikipedia unblocked? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Many people find out that they can visit wikipedia since yesterday. Shanghaiist also tests it but not sure how long will it sustain. .


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China: Youth, too much free time · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Obscurity is here to stay for the residents of a distant northern Chinese town, it seems, judging from a post this week from Chongqing-based blogger-journalist Ran Yunfei.
中国的县之多，从未听说过某一县，当然不足为奇。比如山西的方山县，我就从未听说过。但最近这个县的县委书记张国彪来了个铁腕政策，打着为保护未成年学生的幌子，关掉该县县城所有网吧，干涉商人经商之自由，以及人们了解信息之自由。还被许多人赞美，这真是滑天下之大稽。
中国历来不缺乏因噎废食之徒，因循守旧之人，清政府将沪淞铁路买回来，是为了将其拆掉；中国引进互联网，好像就是为了堵塞，乃至像湖北赤壁曾经关闭，终至如今的方山关闭该县所有网吧的丑行。我们思考过没有，别的国家也有互联网，但别的国家是怎样对待互联网的？是去搞敏感词汇的过滤，是去压制不同意见之出笼吗？不是。他们利用互联网，是最大限度地让人们了解世界所发生的现状及各种消息，同时最大限度地为人们的生活提供方便，并且让互相网成为发挥人们创造力，提供诸种创造机会及商机的场所。但在中国，我们的政府视互联网为一大不安全因素，不把他视为政府了解民意的场所，相反倒是整治不同意见的窗口。互相网就像真正的洪水，要想堵是堵不了的。那么我们会采取什么方式来解决问题呢？
SNIP
电脑的产生，改变了当今人们的生活，甚至在逐渐改变当今的世界，这是不争的事实。任何想自外于此的想法，都是愚蠢的。张国彪的做法是愚蠢的，但却受到许多人的欢呼，这真是令人有椎心之痛。有些人就是不知道自己的权利——当然有些人说，我自己家中有电脑，不受张国彪断网之影响。但请记住，今天他人权利受损，明天你的权利亦将不保——受损，不知道自己的喉咙已被扼住，不知道自己被别人卖了，还在那里大肆欢呼。按张国彪的逻辑，中国政府哪天为了”稳定压倒一切”，切断整个国际互联网也是可能的，这可能是那些欢呼张国彪裁掉一切网吧的人，始料未及的吧。如谓不信，诸位拭目以待。当然，我希望我的预言最好落空。
因电脑系统出问题，我这篇文章就是在网吧写就的。我用在网吧写作这篇文章，来反对张国彪此举对中国政府的暗示性，所带来的将来可能取消网吧，或者更加严厉地控制上网，对我生活选择权利之侵犯。
Zhao Lihua, editor of a small regional poetry magazine has the bad experimental poems in her closet dug up and mocked across the blogsphere. 24 year-old high school drop-out/one-hit teen literary sensation/race car driver/indy pop star/A-list blogger Han Han writes on his blog that there's no need for modern poems or poets to exist, and Sina.com gives the resulting blog battle—primarily between Han himself and 90s poetry star Shen Haobo—top spot—now taken down—on their blog page.
From Shen Haobo's Sina blog, September 28 with over 110000 page views and 2000 comments:
对于内心贫瘠的愚民们来说，任何一点鸡毛蒜皮都可以演变成一场乐子。赵丽华的那几首诗歌就是中国当代诗歌的一点鸡毛蒜皮，愚民们要来恶搞，要来争先恐后的对一个女诗人进行侮辱和伤害，要来一起制造一场以诗歌为幌子的乐子，呵呵，这个是谁也拦不住的。总得让这帮内心失血的青年找到点活着的存在感和喧哗的出口吧，要不，他们只能被自己的尿憋死了。
Han's response the same day:
说实话，我是很不喜欢现代诗人的，现代诗人所唯一要掌握的技能就是回车。现在这批和最早那批的区别是现在这批连社会责任感都不大有了，”诗人”这个称号是对自己混乱萎靡生活的一个开脱。毕竟，别的大多数都是要付出劳动去掌握技能的，惟独写竖着现代诗最轻松。
对
不
对
？
SNIP
原来他是下半身代表诗人。我一直以为人只有上半身才能带表呢。让我大开眼界的是，原来诗歌有这么多流派啊，我以为诗人都是闲云野鹤呢，没想到开个研讨会马上就全到齐了。那他们去哪里做什么呢？
Shen Haobo's response the next day; over 37000 page views and 1200 comments:
我为什么愿意搭理韩寒（别说我代表诗歌界，他没那么好的命）
昨天有朋友问我，说你跟一小孩计较个屁啊，还骂得那么带劲，伤害了人家多少粉死儿啊。
呵呵，是伤害了不少粉死儿。不过我这人眼拙，没看出来那小子长到今天了（80年代初期出生的），你们居然还管他叫小屁孩儿，这就不对了，算算也开始奔三张了吧，不小了，非往枪口上撞我干嘛不骂？尊老爱幼怎么着？再说，我这是替他家长教育他，从小没教育好啊，上高中的时候，写作文出了名，他爹居然也像粉死儿一样写本书，叫《儿子韩寒》吧大概，用来骗钱。这样的家教自然会教育出这么一个市侩的孩子来，并试图恶搞所有他这一辈子也不能理解的事物…
Later the same day, poet-turned-sports commentator Dong Lu got up in it, on Han's side (44,000 page views and over 375 comments):
如果不是看到韩寒炮轰现代诗歌和诗人的博文，才疏学浅的我还真不太清楚时下流行什么样的现代诗歌和诗人，在紧急饿补了一个下午并认真朗读了上百首赵丽华体诗歌之后，觉得韩寒这回的冷嘲热讽当属言之有物——赵体诗歌虽不乏个别佳作，但总体读来味如嚼蜡者甚多。
有道是：任何艺术的初级阶段都是模仿。于是随机挑拣出几首赵氏原作，加以临摹，算是为未来系统学习现代诗歌写作艺术提前做一些准备
Beijing Doll author Chun Shu has a Sina blog too:
最近真乱，上新浪BLOG的首页看到了关于现代诗的争论。我已经不再像从前一样容易激动了。想当初，如果是这样的事，我肯定立马冲过去辩论骂人或者讲道理。这次有点无聊，对现代诗的争论其实一直没有停止过。现代诗也是被”公认”的容易”操作”的文体——长篇小说好歹还得写个多少万字，可现代诗不用啊，短的五分钟就能写出来，顺利的话，一分钟也行。这就是大家所诟病的原因吧？还有就是，诗真的是没有什么商业价值，没有什么”实用性”。也许这也是我喜欢诗歌，喜欢当一个诗人的原因。
换句话说，赵丽华也好，沈浩波也好，我也好，都是在写自己的诗，没挣你的钱，没用你家的后院，你不喜欢看觉得匪夷所思说出自己的意见，这很正常。这是个人的自由。起码现在你知道了现代诗和诗人还存在，起码你知道了一些原来不了解的东西。我觉得这就已经够了。
Sounds like it might be over, then…
…heavyweight poet Yi Sha shows up, also on the 29th, with some sarcasm:
“这年头纸挺贵，好好的散文，写在一行里不好吗？”，所以没有存在的必要。
“古诗的好在于他有格式，格式不是限制，就像车一定要开在指定路线的赛道里一样，才会有观众看……”，所以，古诗有存在的必要，现代诗没有存在的必要。
还因为啊——
中国的现代诗歌没有风靡中国的中学生，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗歌的名篇里也很少有《三重门》《少年啦，飞驰》这种B名字的，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人一般只看舒马赫和阿隆索的较量，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人很少有长得像吸了鸦片的小面首的，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人也不友情链接老徐的博克，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人大部分都是上过大学的，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人还不嫉妒抄袭惯犯郭敬明，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人没有长出一个淫贱的小奶嘴，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人没有学会以撒娇的方式反传统破四旧，所以没有存在的必要。
中国的现代诗人的博克点击太低，所以没有存在的必要。
总之，韩寒说得对：”没有必要……” “没有必要……” “没有必要……” “没有必要……” “没有必要……” “没有必要……” “没有必要……” “没有必要……” “没有必要……”
Nothing more until the next morning when sex-friendly poetess Yin Lichuan, old comrade to Shen Haobo, was called in by a reader of her (Sina) blog:
有人留言说，沈浩波和韩寒吵起来了，你怎不去帮……
嗬嗬，多么熟悉。我点开天气，不宜出行，我点开帖子，看到最近的是非，从赵丽华、梨花派……到韩寒及其他。
前阵子听说过，没真去看，因我是被BBS养大的，在诗歌论坛上成长为诗人地，对这些早习以为常。对啊，诗人，就是全世界人民都有资格骂的那种人，就是没用的人，弱势的人，不与时俱进的人……赵丽华在某个阶段写的那几首诗，似乎最大的诟病就是——这就是诗，那我们也会写——那就写嘛。”回车诗”不也是建立在模仿 “废话诗”的基础上么？诗歌首先是门手艺，网民们要有这个雅兴，就先模仿着写吧，可比模仿国真慕容要好。先模仿着，写一百首，兴许就能辨别好坏，就能理解赵丽华。我暂无这个雅兴，去找废话诗的杰作给大家瞧，大家可以去看杨黎，和许多年轻人。
October 3, Shen Haobo comes back, taking to task Han's desire to see an end to modern poetry with twenty points directed at the young writer. Here are just a few:
5、 诗歌是”创造”。是在自由精神激荡下的创造。是在创造”美”，这个”美”不是你们所习惯理解的那种”优美”，它有更广泛的含义。仿写不是创造，创造需要独立的精神和个性。
6、独立的精神和个性意味着，不要动辄就想去争取群众，像韩寒做的那样，一会儿”广大网友”，一会儿”我们大伙”，这是心虚和无能，这是发动群众，这是缺乏个性，这是文化乞丐在向人民乞讨同情。独立而自由的精神要求诗人首先面对的是并且只是自己的心灵，而不是大众，群众。
7、 因为诗歌不是大众文艺，不是为群众创作的。所以，用诗人李亚伟的话说，它飞得太高，你们有些够不着。如果天天想着大众，想着团结广大网友，那你们——韩寒、董路、李承鹏们，永远够不着。
8、所以诗歌是唯一换不来金钱的文字形式。它太忠实于个人内心了。因为它换不来钱，所以被你们和广大抱团的网友视为无用。是啊，它不是商品，不可以被用来交易，它天生高贵，它不是韩寒的书和董路、李承鹏的球评。于是有”广大网友”在我的博客里留言骂道：你这穷酸。他们本能的认为诗人一定是穷酸，因为诗歌确实换不来钱。问题是，诗人怎么能忍受用诗歌来换钱呢？难道我们是韩寒吗？那穷了就写篇小说换取点度日银两的卖文者！
14、诗歌的被边缘化只是一个开始——它太精神了。纯文学的全面边缘化已经成为现实，真正面对内心的小说家们永远卖不过韩寒的文字垃圾。这是客观现实，不必忌讳和沮丧，这是最优秀的作家和诗人的自我选择，没什么可抱怨的。但是，韩寒们仍然会仇视这一切，因为你们不带他玩儿，因为你们始终觉得他是个写作文的，只不过是靠炒作、靠戏子般的脸孔和作秀的本能、靠拿捏得很准的小叛逆（他叛逆个屁呀，讨广大网友的好还来不及呢）混成了畅销书作家。所以，他内心有恨。
The least of Han Han's worries at this point is what to blog about next. His October 4 post in response to Shen's above:
我笑你们跳，我吹口哨你们叫
今天天气大好，和往日一样要出去玩。然后看了看诗人那边的反应，觉得我太残忍了。不能再玩他们了。诗人本身就有点神经质，再玩下去就要变成神经病了。看他们写诗本身就够受罪了，还为难大家要看他们写非诗类的文体。我还真没见过这样一个群体，对社会没有贡献，阴暗猥琐，爱跳墙，喜结团却不团结，无能，无功，无德，尚不能形成逻辑的思维，心理脆弱，逼着别人认可他们，发现别人不能认可后就骂别人太低等，最要命的是他们没有才华。
你们的可怜就在于，只要我哪天兴趣过了，不玩你们了，你们就再次退出人们的视线。本身退出人们的视线不是坏事，写文章的人就应该退出人们的视线。关键是我看见你们有多么踊跃想跳上舞台唱两句，舞台稍微高了点，你们诗人就自己人踩着自己人往上蹬。我笑你们跳，我吹口哨你们叫。
但是当我走了，聚光灯和观众就都没了。你们爬上来后，就用手机的光照着自己互相表演吧。
By this point China's halfway through its week-long National Day holiday and both sides seem to have cooled down, but October 10 was still not too late for cultural commentary journalist-blogger Wang Xiaofeng:
把韩寒拉出去毙了
和谐社会里不能有韩寒这样的人，他总是寻衅滋事，不管是作为一个写字的还是作为一个司机，韩寒的工作应该是把本职工作做好，写好字、开好车，做一个好孩子，让父母省心，让社会省心，这，是大家愿意看到的。
但是，这个没受过教育的孩子，总爱招惹是非，人家文坛一团和气，他非说人家是个屁；人家余秋雨红光满面，他非说人家拿油饼洗脸；人家诗人喜欢在纸上天马行空，他非说诗人在玩回车的游戏……凡此种种，作为一个文化圈里的不安定因素，韩寒拿着一根竹竿子，到处乱捅马蜂窝，搞得鸡犬不宁。那么，我们把韩寒拉出去毙了算了，这样天下就太平和谐多了。
现在我在想，如果今天没有这么一个叫韩寒的人，或者说有一个受过正规教育叫韩寒的人，和我们每一个人都一样，从小学到大学按部就班，然后自然而然地成为社会的栋梁或某一领域的人才，那么，就不会有今天发生在韩寒身上的各种文化事件了。可是，很遗憾，他没有受过太多教育，所以总是显得那么粗鄙无礼，没大没小，没轻没重，简直是文化害群之马。如果他受过教育，就不会这样惹事生非了。
看来问题的根本在对韩寒的教育上，问题也恰恰出在教育上。从韩寒今年制造的各种舌战群儒的事件来看，这小子没有处过下风，而与之碰撞的人，常常被韩寒出其不意刺中要害。你博学多识，人家不过是个司机，怎么干不过人家？
与韩寒过招的人，死的都挺难看，因为韩寒不仅把遮羞布撕下来，而且还把人挑起来示众，更要命的是，韩寒有他自己形成的一套逻辑，他不按常理出牌，令接招的人总是头疼不已。一个司机就能把一群文人挑翻了，这是件挺可笑的事，但其背后隐藏的更大的可悲，知识有时候带给人的不是智慧，而是让人习惯并坚信对一种共性东西的认同。而人们有时候太相信知识和经验了。
Around the same time, Bokee blogger/journalist Keen Kang (who also has a Sina blog), sees a possible solution to the fried-egg state of affairs of Chinese poetry in calling for legendary Chinese poet Bei Dao—who doesn't have a Sina blog—to return to China from exile in America:
致北岛
北岛同学，
你也回国吧。
坐上飞机
用恐惧的心
看着太平洋
俯视喜马拉雅
我们
一起
光大伟大
祖国
的
诗歌。
美丽，每一篇
壮丽，每一句
绚丽，每个标点

author: John Kennedy


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Colombia: New Bird · Global Voices
David Sasaki

John Guzman shows a “new” Colombian Bird that even proudly wears the patria.


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Colombia: Tecdigestion · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Of T E C D I G E S T I Ó N [ES] by Alvaro Montes, blogsColombia writes [ES]: “From open source to “digital ecology,” with a critical vision of journalism, technology, and the current state of the digital divide in Colombia and worldwide. Highly recommendable.”


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Czech Republic: Political Scandals · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Arellanes.com translates a piece on the Czech Republic's most recent political scandals.


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Ethiopia: publicity war over a port · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Meskel Square writes about publicity war over a port:”Once upon a time Ethiopia only had access to one port. If you wanted to get your goods delivered in bulk, you had to pack them in containers and send them through Djibouti. Then Ethiopia did a deal with Somaliland and its port at Berbera. And suddenly there was competition.”


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Ethiopia’s bloggers emerge refreshed after rainy season · Global Voices
Andrew Heavens

Ethiopia's bloggers emerged refreshed from their long rainy season with a series of dazzling posts on everything from Somalia to stolen secondhand books.
For once there was no unifying theme – because there was just so much to catch up on as the sun came up after four months of torrential rain and dark grey skies.
Coffeechillisun got in early with a description of  the new season's new police recruits, parading up and down the streets of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa in their new uniforms. In From zero to hero she wrote:
The fresh batch of graduates of the new Federal Police officers are out and about in dapper fresh khaki; the joke being that they are so young and skinny they have to sling their belts twice around their waists and get a muscle strain from having to lift their boots.
Seattle teen's opinion on Ethiopia, a welcome newcomer to the scene, gave us a rundown on the history of the sacred Ethiopian festival of Meskel, a celebration of the discovery of the true cross involving lots of daisies and bonfires which roughly coincides with the end of the rainy season.
Things We Should Have Written Down, part-written by an American in Addis, described a typical working day in the capital in A Day in the Life, One Year On:
8:12. Walking towards 22 Mazoria junction, banana and orange packed snugly in my bag. Old man drunk on tej (honey wine) from the night before stumbles in front of me, his harsh breath the final push I need to fully wake. “Hey, white!” Who, me? “Yes!” Hello. “I like fuck American bitches!” That’s nice. I’m happy for you, Drunk Tej Man…
11:45. To lunch with three friends. We order the usual, tibs firfir and tibs. Basically, a lot of meat. And some injera. For the second time today, a drunk man starts yelling at me. This time I can’t understand what he’s saying and so plow deeper into my meal. My companions laugh. What'd he say? I ask. “He's so drunk, we couldn’t even understand him. But you were white, and that pissed him off.”
I Was Just Thinking reflected on the moral dilemma facing lovers of secondhand books in Ethiopia in Of buying stolen books:
Recently, I visited a ‘legal’ bookshop, which normally doesn’t sell used books. As I was searching for any newly published books, my eyes fell on several voluminous academic reference tomes. Amazed as to where they got them from and while leafing through I found that they were stolen from the reference section of the Kennedy Library.
ET Wonqette of  Weichegud ET Politics announced she was launching the Ethiopian blogosphere's first book club – dedicated to the discussion of the country's No. 1 underground bestseller The Dawn of Freedom by imprisoned opposition leader Berhanu Nega. (GlobalVoices covered the excitement around the launch of the book back in August.)
In The Wonqville Book Club she wrote:
I have not found a place that is discussing “The Dawn of Freedom” so here goes a proposal: Starting in two weeks, this blog will attempt a discussion of Berhanu's book, chapter by chapter… Two weeks will give people who have not yet gotten the book yet to skedaddle to www.berhanunega.com and get a copy. Then join in. It is perhaps the book that will define a generation… set a new standard for political discourse, and maybe, hopefully be what helps us heal.
Hopefully, for all us non-Amharic speakers, the discussion will be liberally sprinkled with passages of the book translated into English.
Elsewhere, Ethiopia's growing band of outspoken political bloggers kept up their verbal assault on the ruling regime in Addis Ababa.
Urael reflected on his role as a blogger in Bloggers in Ethiopia, reminding us that a large number of anti-government websites still appear to be inaccessible in Addis Ababa:
I wished I was better informed about what’s going on. But that’s Ethiopian reality. I remember calling abroad to hear what was going on when the munitions depot exploded in 1991. But let me try to remain a pain in the ass for the Mafia Gang and their servants. Ethiomedia.com, Ethiolion.com, EthioDenhaag.com, Ethioforum.org, Debteraw.com, Nazret.com and others are all blocked because they bring more than news. They openly support the democratic movement and encourage the organization of resistance.
On the international front, the growing tension along Ethiopia's southern border with Somalia attracted many a link. …My Heart's in Accra summed up the latest developments in Neglected conflicts, counterbalanced (?) by more hopeful thoughts.

author: Andrew Heavens


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Fiji: Fiji’s trading partners · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Gilbert Veisamasama, Jr in Fiji writes that Singapore has displaced Australia and New Zealand to become Fiji's biggest source of imports.

author: Preetam Rai


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Georgia: Javakheti Armenians · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian reports on protests and unhappiness among Georgia's ethnic Armenian community.


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Guatemala: Film: “Las Cruces… Poblado Proximo” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Patrick of the Guatemala Solidarity Network transaltes a description of the new Guatemalan film, “Las Cruces… Poblado Proximo” from Blog de mi Guatemala [ES]. Patrick also posts the trailer of the film, which is available on YouTube.


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Honduras: “How to have a better banking experience in Honduras” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

An American expat living in La Ceiba, Honduras offers two handy posts on “the frustrations of banking” and “how to have a better banking experience” in Honduras.


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Hong Kong and Singapore: economic model · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Simon world comments on the Chief Executive, Donald Tsang's recent speech on replacing of “positive non-interventionism” with “small government, big market”: Thanks God we're not (yet) Singapore!


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Hong Kong: excess education · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

BWG blogs a survey about how parents in Hong Kong react when they got frustrated with their kids’ studies: Get out! go away! I don't want to see you anymore.


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India: Kiran Desai and the Booker · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Indian author Kiran Desai wins the booker for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’. Ultra Brown has some interesting links  and Amitava Kumar has a little on the author and her first work.


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India: Ramadan in Mumbai · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Photos on flickr by tomato umlaut caputing Mumbai at night during Ramadan. Wonderful photographs from the street, as food gets cooked for the faithful.


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Indonesia: Rock Star with a Message · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Indoneisa matters links to a Washington Post story on a Indonesian rock star. Ahmad Dhani, frontman of the group Dewa is trying to keep Indonesian youth away from the influence of radical Islam.


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Iran: Photos and Women · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Zannevesht has published a link to National Geographic prize winner's, Newsha Tavakolian, photos. Newsha Tavakolian has been selected as a 2006 All Roads Photography Program award-winner for her photo essay entitled Iran: Women in the Axis of Evil.


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Jamaica: Work with passion · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“While our system of education has tragedy written into its script, with a 16 year old having to choose four subjects on which to “concentrate” to the exclusion of others, there is a wider travesty occurring daily in our societies,” writes Jamaica Francis Wade in a post exploring the effects of choosing — or not choosing — work one is passionate about.


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Japan: Samurai village on sale · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Kaishin in Japundit reports that a samurai theme park is on sale now, and the price is roughly:  USD$8,200,000.


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Japan: savings · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

One in four households in Japan have no savings, alexpappas blogs about a survey result.


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Jordan: Jordanising The Workforce · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Nas reports that the Jordanian government has decided to “Jordanise” the workforce by creating a ‘strategy’ that includes using the municipalities to employ Jordanians through a direct application process. If all goes according to plan, some 40,000 foreign workers will be replaced with Jordanians.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Kazakhstan: Deep Purple · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Deep Purple is getting ready to rock Almaty for two nights, reports neweurasia.


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Kazakhstan: The Georgia-Russia Conflict · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Registan.net reports on how the conflict between Georgia and Russia creates problems for Kazakhstan.


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Kurdistance · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

I choose to begin this week's article with a disclaimer which is spawned in response to comments I received on last week's edition of Kurdistance: the contents of my articles are not of my own opinion, but rather the opinions of the bloggers that I cover. I try to remain neutral and objective in my article reporting: I take no sides, I will not withhold information and I will not skew what was said by someone else. The bloggers that I cover are not objective and it is my job to show you what their point of view on current events is.
Now with that out of the way, let's get down to business.
Both From Holland to Kurdistan and Rasti discuss this week the increase of political activism that can be found on YouTube. The debate has begun in response to an audio file posted of comedian/activist Mark Thomas talking about stories of Turkish torture against the Kurds of Turkey. As later explained by the fellow who originally posted the file on YouTube, his posting of this information was an attempt to bring the ideals of pacisim and political activism to a larger audience. Based on the amount of comments that this posting has resulted in, the young gentleman deemed this a good start for promoting the protection of human rights by increasing the scope of exposure.
Rasti had this to say about Mark Thomas's work:
There's more on all this in an interview with Mark Thomas. Although there is no date on the interview, it is in reference to the campaign. If you read the interview, you will get a frame of reference for the audio, and an idea of what life has been like for Kurds under Turkish occupation–the same thing that makes self-confessed pacifist, Mark Thomas, “enraged.”
I don't suffer from the disease of pacifism, and the reality always enrages me. For Thomas to admit that he could have killed the “golfers” (his term for the Turkish security forces), then he was seriously affected by the reality of the people of Turkish-occupied Kurdistan.
Let's continue on with the theme of activism, but this time adding education into the mix. Pearls of Iraq announced this week the beginning of a children's book drive sponsered by Kurdistan Save the Children and the University of Sulaimaniya. Please check out her link if you want to participate.
Onnik Krikorian from Oneworld Multimedia has again revisited the topic the Yezidi Kurds in Armenia this time covering more of the aspects of the difficulties in minority language instruction. Books presented for use in these minority communities have been printed in Cyrillic script whereas the common print used is Latin. The books were refused and as Onnik shows us, no one really wants to take responsibility.
Hiwa writes about a recent verbal attack from the Palestinian President against the Kurdish peshmerga and comments about how current events with the world worried about nuclear proliferation might lead to a withdrawl in Iraq.
Save RojTV talks about how Turkish General Buyukanit is not happy about freedom of expression in Turkey. And Mizgin from Rasti writes about the error of referring to Kurds as “good” or “bad”.


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Malaysia: Fine for speaking impure Malay · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Popagandhi writes about Malaysia setting a special unit to find and fine people who mix Malay and English in their conversation.


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Mexico, Argentina, France: Fort Boyard · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Bilingual Mexican blogger Andrés Bianciotto reminds readers of the reality TV show Fort Boyard? (which was apparently very popular in Argentina) and points them to a post about the fort on Google Sightseeing.

author: David Sasaki


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Myanmar: Floods in Myanmar · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Myouez at Blog of Nyein Chan Yar is reporting that he is hearing news of heavy rains and flooding from the people living in upcounty Myanmar. The state controlled media is silent. “The region around Mandalay is flooded due to heavy rain these days. After very heavy rain on the night of October 8, Nga-pyaung dam was broken and villages in Kyauk-sae Township were flooded severely according to the news I got from people living there. The condition over there is pretty bad but no rescue for the people was made by authorities. In Yay-won village, water level is around 15 feet and all (one storied) houses are under water now. It was said that more than 150 people are still missing. The flood is getting worse after excess water level in Kin-Dar dam was released the next day. “


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Myanmar: Learning Korean Language · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Madyjune in Myanmar talks about her first Korean language class. Younger people in Myanmar have taken to Korean pop-culture in a big way.


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Nepal: Maoists and Arms · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The peace deal in Nepal has obstacles. One of them being the Maoists’ reluctance to give up their arms. Bloggers Nepal has more. “The government wants the Maoists to give up their weapons before joining the interim government in order to assure that the rebels do not have an army when they are in the interim administration, while the Maoists have expressed “strong dissatisfaction” over the SPA’s proposal.”


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Pakistan: A man named Gulzar · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Shirazi on Gulzar, a newspaper forwarding agent. “That was a place from where he arranges the dispatch of newspaper and periodicals to the agencies in over 200 stations (including remote villages, towns and small cities). He uses railways, road transport and airlines of that purpose. He has employed 11 workers, one motor rickshaw and a Suzuki pick up for the job.”


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Palestine: Peaceful Demonstrations in Al Khadr · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Last sunday a peaceful demonstration was organized in the village of Al Khadr located on the outskirts of Bethlehem. One of the main food items to be produced by Al Khadr is grapes. The potest concerned the increasing ghettoization of the village which preventing access to external markets adding to already high levels of poverty in the area, Gaialing reports.


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Peru: Food: Crema de Zapallo · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Another tasty Peruvian recipe, this time Don Ball Carbajal tells us how to make Crema de Zapallo.


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Romania: A Visit to a Pharmacy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csikszereda Musings describes what a visit to a Romanian pharmacy feels like.


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Russia: A Reaction on a Journalist’s Murder · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Boo shares her reaction on the murder of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.