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Peruvian Theaters Mourns the Loss of Playwright Sara Joffré · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Sara Joffré (2009). Image on Flickr by user Diego Rojas. (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
Sara Joffré González, a very renowned figure in the Peruvian theater industry, passed away on December 17, 2014. She was 79 years old.
Born in El Callao on November 16, 1935, the woman who would become a playwright earned applause from a very young age, according to a profile published by Agencia NaN exactly four years before her death on December 17, 2010:
Tenía apenas dos años cuando conoció los aplausos y le gustaron. Acompañaba a la escuela a su hermana mayor. “No tenían dónde dejarme”, recuerda […] “Mi hermana tenía que decir un poema y se olvidó la letra. Salió tres veces. Era una fiesta importante, porque celebrábamos la independencia de Panamá. Alguien me empujó y yo recité La huerfanita harapienta. Como estaba más flaca que ahora creyeron que me refería a mí”.
She was barely two years old when she came to know praise and applause, and she liked them. She used to go to school with her older sister: “My parents didn't know where to leave me,” she remembers […] “My sister had to read aloud a poem and she forgot the lines. She went out three times. It was an important date, we were celebrating the independence of Panama. Someone pushed me and I read aloud The ragged little orphan. As I used to be skinnier than now, everybody thought I was referring to myself.”
She staged her first play at the Theater Club of Peru, then received a scholarship to study in Europe. There, she was influenced by Bertold Brecht's “The Irresistible Rise of Arturo Ui,” and social criticism became a common element in her plays for children thereafter. Back in Peru, she founded the Homer Theater of Cricket was born in 1963.
In 1974, she created probably the most important theater conference in Peru that brought together national theater groups and from where the iconic groups Cuatro Tablas and Yuyachkani first appeared. Thanks to this initiative, Joffré is considered a cornerstone of dramatic art in Peru.
She also dabbled in editing other authors and theater criticism. Her dramatic productions include titles such as “Lope's Daughter,” “Flowery Girl,” “Camille Claudel,” “Plays for the Scene,” “Seven Plays for the Scene” and the second edition of her book “Theater stories for children.” On YouTube you can find some of these plays, where you can see the particular features and colors of the childlike world she created.
Her passing has shaken Peruvian theater, and many local figures related to theater have expressed their sorrow for the loss.
Eduardo Adrianzén, a writer and theater and TV producer, honored her on Twitter:
El teatro de duelo: se fue Sara Joffré, dramaturga, maestra, editora, animadora cultural. No existe teatrero peruano que no le deba mucho
— Eduardo Adrianzén (@AdrianzenEduard) diciembre 17, 2014
Theater is in mourning, Sara Joffré is gone. A playwright, teacher, editor, cultural host. There is no Peruvian theater that doesn't owe her a lot.
Playwright César de María also praised Joffré:
Ha muerto Sara Joffré, dramaturga y directora, ejemplo de trabajo y creatividad. Hizo mucho, con ganas y bien.
— Cesar De Maria (@superpopper) diciembre 17, 2014
Sara Joffré, playwright, director, an example of work and creativity, has died. She did a lot, enthusiastically and well.
The Peruvian Association of Authors and Songwriters, APDAYC, posted:
Ha fallecido Sara Joffré, dramaturga y entusiasta promotora del teatro peruano. http://t.co/MCqUr981Ss
— APDAYC (@apdaycperu) diciembre 17, 2014
Sara Joffré, a playwright, and enthusiast promoter of Peruvian theater has passed away.
Tributes poured in from many others:
Continúan los homenajes a Sará Joffré. Hoy una nota en @peru21pe http://t.co/5vCsS3s5j0
— Casa de Literatura (@casaliteratura) diciembre 19, 2014
Tributes to Sará Joffré keep coming. There is a piece in local newspaper Peru21.
Anoche, emotivo homenaje a la gran Sara Joffré luego de un maravilloso inicio de temporada de los eternos Músicos… http://t.co/DIZGrnrXLl
— Wayqui-Narrador Oral (@elwayqui) diciembre 19, 2014
Last night, a touching tribute to Sara Joffré after a wonderful season opening of the eternal musicians.
Este sábado estaremos en vivo recordando a la gran Sara Joffré… pic.twitter.com/mt18JDjuoZ
— El Teatro de mi Vida (@teatrodemivida) diciembre 19, 2014
On Saturday, we will be remembering the great Sara Joffré…
Sara Joffré was known for not being comfortable with praise. This is what playwright César de María shared in a public note on Facebook:
No pidan homenajes ni ceremonias de, por ejemplo, el Ministerio de Cultura, porque Sara les tiraría su homenaje por la cara. Les cuento una anécdota: un grupo de teatro le organizó […] un reconocimiento público por sus muchos años teatrales. Sospecho que Sara aceptó a regañadientes. En un momento determinado, con el teatro llenecito, los organizadores anuncian como super-sorpresa la llegada del alcalde de Bellavista […]. Sara, en el centro del escenario, no aplaudió, se incomodó, torció el cuello, apuntó al cielo con el mentón y cuando el alcalde se acercó a darle el diploma […] ella, sin tocarlo siquiera, pidió el micro y le soltó algo así, con el desprecio y la potencia con que podía decir las verdades más duras: “oiga señor, con lo sucio que está el distrito, con la cantidad de piletas y cochinadas en las que se gastan la plata y con todos esos manejos que los vecinos conocemos… usted que no hace NADA por la cultura ¿va a venir a homenajearme a mí? Por favor, váyase ahora mismo…
Don't ask for tributes nor ceremonies from, let's say, the Ministry of Culture, as Sara would throw your tribute back in your face. I'll share a story with you: a theater group organized […] a pubic recognition for her many years in theater. I guess Sara accepted reluctantly. In a given moment, with the theater packed, the organizers announced as a mega surprise the arrival of the mayor of Bellavista [El Callo district, where the tribute was held] […]. Sara, center stage, didn't applaud, she was uncomfortable, she turned her neck around, she pointed up with her chin and when the mayor came close to her to hand her the diploma […] she asked for the microphone and without even touching the diploma, blurted out something like this, with the contempt and power she could use to say the harshest of truths: “Listen to me, with the district as filthy as it is, all the water fountains and the dirty things you spend money on and all those things we residents know of… you who doesn't do ANYTHING for culture, you are giving me a tribute? Please, leave right now…
Goodbye, Sara.


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Thailand’s 12 Tumultuous Months in 2014 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Soldiers standing guard outside of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre after the army launched a coup in May 2014. Photo by Hon Keong Soo, Copyright @Demotix (5/24/2014)
This year, Thailand survived violent street protests, an election boycott, a martial law regime, a so-called “happy” coup, media and web censorship, and the rise to power of a junta-backed government. Let us look back and review some of the Global Voices stories that featured the major political events in Thailand in the past 12 months:
January: Tens of thousands filled the major intersections of Bangkok as opposition groups intensified their bid to topple the government of then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The protest led by former lawmaker Suthep Thaugsuban aimed to ‘shutdown’ Bangkok for several days or until Yingluck is removed from power.
February: Despite the anti-government rallies and the boycott campaign of the opposition, Thailand was able to conduct a ‘peaceful’ election. But many Thais were unable to vote or prevented from going near polling centers because of the protests. The number of disenfranchised voters was estimated at 12 million.
March: Thailand's Constitutional Court annulled the February elections by declaring it unconstitutional because voting failed to take place on the same day around the country.
April: Street protests continue to call for the removal of the caretaker government headed by Yingluck. She will eventually be forced to step down after the court ruled the following month that she abused her power in 2011 when she replaced the national security chief with one of her relatives.
May: Two days after declaring martial law and failing to mediate between rival political forces, the Royal Thai Army launched a coup on May 22, suspended the 2007 Constitution (except provisions on the monarchy), seized control of major media stations, and imposed a nighttime curfew. This was Thailand’s 12th coup; but more than 20 if we include the unsuccessful coup attempts in the past century.
Coup supporters take a selfie with a female soldier at Victory Monument in Bangkok. Photo by Yostorn Triyos, Copyright @Demotix (6/8/2014)
June: One of the early directives of the coup regime was the ban on the public gathering of five or more people. Although this didn’t stop anti-coup protesters from converging to various places, the army has become more intolerant of these protests by arresting those who defy this law. But protesters have found creative ways to express their opposition, like adopting the three-finger salute from the Hollywood film ‘Hunger Games’ to signify the people’s yearning for ‘liberty, equality, and fraternity.’
July: The Junta issued a new order banning media from reporting news that is critical of the government. Media groups immediately raised concern about the broad and vague provisions of the order. They also highlighted the severe punishment – legal prosecution, censorship, and shutdown – for violating any part of the order.
August: The National Council for Peace and Order, the name of the junta government, enacted an interim constitution as part of the purported roadmap of democratic reforms in the country. But critics have pointed out that the new charter is designed to perpetuate a military dictatorship. Using this constitution, General Prayuth Chan-ocha was selected by the National Legislative Assembly as Thailand’s 29th prime minister.
September: The deaths of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in Koh Tao island beach resort greatly embarrassed the military-backed government before the international community. The police was accused of bungling the investigation after failing to apprehend suspects and file appropriate charges in the court.
Anti-coup protesters show three-finger sign at Skywalk near Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre. Photo by Yostorn Triyos, Copyright @Demotix (6/1/2014)
October: For many months already, students have been ordered to memorize Prayuth’s ‘12 Core Values’ which focus on discipline and respect for authority. Some students have dared to protest this reform and other curriculum changes, which they said were done without consulting the public. Another reform dubbed as teaching ‘correct democracy’ was the revision of history books which allegedly already removed the name of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
November: Additional troubling signs of censorship: The media was asked by Prayuth not to report the activities of Thaksin and Yingluck, a TV host was replaced because the junta did not like her critical comments about the government, and the Hunger Games film was banned in some theaters and protesters were detained for doing the three-fingered salute.
December: Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkron divorced his third wife, Princess Srirasmi, which sparked speculation about the royal succession and its impact on local politics.
It has been a very difficult 2014 for Thailand. Here’s hoping the new year will bring more meaningful and democratic reforms in the country.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Hijacked Printers in Eastern Ukraine and Russia Print Pro-Ukraine Messages · Global Voices
Aric Toler

Images mixed by Tetyana Lokot.
As the world watches Russian soldiers and Russian-backed separatists occupy Ukrainian administration buildings, cities, and even an entire peninsula, a group of Ukrainian hackers is fighting back by launching an invasion of their own.
Since this summer, Ukrainian hacker Yevgeniy Dokukin and his group of fellow computer pros calling themselves Ukrainian Cyber Forces have carried out “Operation Bond, James Bond,” in which they leaked web camera and security footage from Crimea, separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine, and even government offices in Russia. Dokukin and the Ukrainian Cyber Forces have been leaking videos from cameras for months now, including a video supposedly from a separatist base in Donetsk.
A few weeks ago, Dokukin and his allies took up new weapons in their cyberwar: printers. In a series of Facebook posts, Dokukin has explained how, after accessing private WiFi networks, the Ukrainian Cyber Forces were able to print documents on vulnerable networked printers in various offices in Crimea and separatist-held areas in eastern Ukraine, and were now trying to do the same in Russian networks.
#УкраїнськіКіберВійська почали захоплення мережевих принтерів на Донбасі та в Криму http://t.co/kgdYOIPXGd. #КіберАТО pic.twitter.com/gA4asPmq34
— MustLive (@MustLiveUA) December 8, 2014
#UkrainianCyberForces have begun occupying networked printers in Donbas and in Crimea.
As Dokukin told RuNet Echo, he sees the wasted ink and paper in Russia as a variant on Ukraine’s own “economic sanctions” aimed at its neighbor. The messages appearing on these printers vary, but they share a common theme:
Якщо ваш мережевий принтер передасть “вітання Путіну” чи надрукує “Слава Україні!” та інші цікаві надписи, то знайте, що він під нашим контролем.
If your network printer passes along “greetings to Putin” or prints “Glory to Ukraine!” or other interesting messages, then you know that it is under our control.
Not all of Dokukin’s printer messages were meant to be confrontational. Recently, the Ukrainian Cyber Forces accessed an open network printer in Canada—an especially strong ally of Ukraine throughout the ongoing crisis—and printed the message “Thanks for supporting Ukraine!” in English.
As Russia increases its support of information warfare, including slick redesigns of its news agencies and propping up fake Ukrainian news sites, Ukrainian Cyber Forces are taking the trolling and information war to their opponents—and their offices—more directly.

author: Aric Toler


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A Presidential Birth Certificate Controversy Provokes Social Unrest in Gabon  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Protests in Libreville, Gabon against president Bongo on on December 20 – via OpGabon with permission
Clashes broke out between police and the opposition in Gabon on December 20 stemming from questions about the legitimacy of President Ali Bongo.
A recent book called “New African Affairs” by French reporter Pierre Péan alleged that President Ali Bongo has Nigerian origins. The book was slammed by the authorities, accusing the reporter of inciting racial hatred in Gabon. The clashes led to the death of one student and several arrests. Photos on social network of the protests and its impact on civilians were widely circulating on the Gabonese blogosphere, such as the following:
Info/intox, retour sur un week-end mouvementé au #Gabon http://t.co/hu4r9iWtya #Libreville #obs #Bongo @cbainier pic.twitter.com/Z651z5ecor
— Alexandre Capron (@alexcapron) December 23, 2014
True or false, recap of a tumultuous week-end in Gabon http://t.co/hu4r9iWtya #Libreville #obs #Bongo @cbainier

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Argentina, Chile and Bolivia get ready for #Dakar2015 · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

Dakar 2012 in Argentina. Photo by Laura Schneider
One of the most challenging motor racing in the world, Dakar will begin on January 4 and will tour three Latin American countries: Argentina, Chile and Bolivia during 13 days.
2015 edition will start from Buenos Aires on the 4th and will and will cross cities like Villa Carlos Paz, San Juan, Chilecito and heading through the Andean Montains to reach Copiapó in Chile, Antofagasta and Iquique. After that, the road splits to Uyuni, in Bolivia. The difference with 2014 edition is that Peru will not be part of the road.
Since year 2009, the competition develops in Latin America after the killings of four french citizens and three mauritanians military personnel in 2008.
Daniel Hernandez´blog in Diario Vasco tells about the previous days of vehicles shipment to Dakar 2015:
Por fin un poco de relajación.Estos días previos han sido una locura con los últimos preparativos antes del embarque del coche en Le Havre. Un total de 645 vehiculos han superado con éxito las verificaciones técnicas de rigor incluidos todos nuestros vehículos, ahora sí que podemos decir que vamos rumbo a la aventura.
You can follow all the news about #Dakar2015  through the organizers web page.

author: Laura Schneider


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As Elections Approach, Zambia Sees Rising Social Media Hate Speech, Ethnic Tension · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema (in white shirt and folded sleeves), campaigning in Luwingu District of the Bemba-dominated Northern Province. Picture with permission of Zambian Watchdog.
Zambia will vote in a presidential election on 20 January, 2015 following the death in office of Zambia's fifth republican president, Michael Sata, in October of 2014. Guy Scott, a Zambian-born lawmaker of Scottish descent and Vice President under Sata, has served as acting president since Sata's death.
Zambia has over 70 languages and dialects and citizens have largely lived in peace with one another particularly in urban areas comprising the mining region of the Copperbelt, the capital city Lusaka, Livingstone and other areas where people from almost all ethnic groups have converged for work and other economic activities. Nevertheless, the run-up to the election has been marked by accusations of hate speech and tribalism both on and offline from opposing political parties.
Supporters of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF), a party founded by Michael Sata in 2001 and members of his ethnic group, Bemba, now regularly trade insults with supporters of opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) on social media.
At a recent rally for ruling Patriotic Front candidate Edgar Lungu, one his supporters, Bishop Edward Chomba, accused opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema of being a freemason and a satanist who eats babies and drinks human blood. The opposition leader has taken the matter to court.
On social media, Patriotic Front supporters have ridiculed the Tonga tribal group, to which Hichilema belongs. One Facebook user mocked the pastoral origins of the Tonga people, suggesting that if elected, Hilichema would change the Zambian flag by replacing Zambia's national symbol of an eagle with a cow.
Dipak Patel, campaign manager for the opposition UPND party, released a statement  on December 22 expressing his disappointment with acting president Scott for allowing hate speech against Hichilema.
A netizen known as Pan Africanist reacted to the statement from Patel, who is a Zambian of Indian origin, saying:
I’m disappointed that Dipak [Patel] is a @#$%. Anyhow what can you expect with name like patel.
Comments of this nature have been hocked by both sides. Responding to an article about the Lusaka High Court's order that Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation to “adequately and fairly” cover UPND candidate campaigns,  one Anyoko said:
PF brough a muzungu [a whiteman] SCOT [the Acting President] and has brough confusions then UPND [the main opposition party] u are going to bed with a MWENYE DIPAK PATEL [UPND's campaign manager, who is of Indian descent], COME ON ZEDIANS WE can do it bey ourselves not these half baked zambians, can a zambian talk politics in INDIA let alone involved even in Scotland [the parents of the Acting President Guy Scott are from Scotland] ALA WAKE UP KUZIIMA
As these and many other online conversations show, the Internet has become a central conduit for ethnic prejudice and hate speech during election periods in Zambia.
In 2012, then-Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, Amos Malupenga, directed Zambia's Information Communication and Technology Authority (ZICTA) to develop a law that could punish Internet users for sending and posting messages deemed to be hate speech. But as of December of 2014, there is no law that specifically curbs hate speech online in Zambia.
International human rights doctrine does, however, address the issue. Article 20.2 of the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights states that “Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.”
Human rights advocate Rueben Lifuka observed the trend in a post on his Facebook page:
This electoral campaign period has brought out some sad realities about us as people. Today, we find it easy to join in the fun when politicians we do not support are ridiculed, falsely accused, insulted and humiliated. We happily make comments in full support of such odious statements. We are happy that such statements lower the standing of the opponents of our preferred candidate in the eyes of the public.
Apart from insulting each other’s ethnicities, social media has also been used to threaten journalists and others with different political opinions. Among those who have been threatened with death include US-based media practitioner Field Ruwe and this writer.
Noting an increase in hate speech among Zambian social media users, an international media non-governmental organization operating in Zambia and the Southern African sub-region, the Panos Institute in Southern Africa (PSAf), called on netizens to avoid the practice. Lilian Kiefer, PSaF Executive Director, said in a statement:
PSAf believes that communication has the power to influence the direction of any society or country, whether positively or negatively. One positive word on social media can help people see Zambia’s potential and encourage them to play their role in building the nation. In the same way, one negative word can cause anarchy, confusion and disturb the country’s peace. One reckless utterance on social media can set people against each other, fueling unnecessary conflict in the country. Each one of us can make a choice to use responsible language on social media and promote constructive, issue based debate…. [B]ullying, insulting and threatening each other on social media is an affront to democracy, especially as the country is celebrating 50 years of Independence.
Although well-intended, Kiefer's statement fails to encourage the kind of constructive criticism that is vital to a strong democracy. And it raises difficult questions for legislators, who must uphold protections for free expression while also working to ensure that online speech does not incite ethnic violence or expressions of hatred. In the digital age, and particularly in an election season, this is no small task.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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From #ReclaimYourMosques to #ReclaimPakistan, Pakistanis Call for an End to Extremism · Global Voices
Sana Jamal

The people of Lahore held a protest against hate-monger cleric Abdul Aziz, who runs a militant school in Islamabad and refuses to condemn the Taliban and their attack on the Peshawar school. Image by Saad Sarfraz Sheikh. Copyright Demotix (22/12/2014)
Sorrow and anger gripped Pakistanis more severely than ever after an attack on a school in Peshawar killed mostly young students. The horrific assault, one of the bloodiest instances of terrorism in Pakistan, has not only shocked the country but also the global community, which has responded to Pakistanis with messages of solidarity and hope.
The brazen attack is a stark reminder of the frequent terrorist attacks, by different militant groups, over the past 11 years in Pakistan, which have claimed the lives of more than 55,000 Pakistanis. The massacre of more than 130 innocent school children and 10 teachers at Army Public School (APS) by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) gunmen has amazingly unified Pakistan's government, major political and religious parties, military leadership, and the masses against terrorism.
But amidst the discourse on counter-terrorism, a much stronger and much-needed voice has emerged from the capital of Pakistan aiming to ‘reclaim Pakistan’ from radicalism.
“Reclaim Your Mosques” campaign
The Reclaim movement first began with spontaneous protests two days after the Peshawar attack outside the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad against the infamous cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, who refused to condemn the killers, arguing that the school attack was the ramification of the government’s policies against the Taliban. The demonstrations, spearheaded by lawyer-turned-activist Muhammad Jibran Nasir, rapidly grew from a handful of protesters, demanding the arrest of Abdul Aziz to a national movement with protests in Karachi, Lahore, Sialkot and Sargodha for a common cause:
We wish to see our mosques, our pulpits, our madrassas freed from extremist ideologies.
Protestors holding a banner against cleric Abdul Aziz. Image by Saad Sarfraz Sheikh. Copyright Demotix (22/12/2014)
The rage against the cleric and mosque administration goes beyond current stance of Abdul Aziz as the mosque already had a reputation for radicalism. In response to pressure from society, Abdul Aziz apologized and condemned the killing of children. But the activists persist that their movement is after much more than just an apology and arrest of Abdul Aziz:
This isn't just war of street protests. This is a war of narrative and ideology. We have to defeat the Taliban narrative, their ideology.— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) December 27, 2014
A non-bailable arrest warrant has been issued against Abdul Aziz, but the momentum of public protests has not dwindled as sit-ins continue outside the Red Mosque and Aabpara police station.
Build the pressure. Put up ur pic with these hashtags. We won't hide our faces. We are not afraid. #ArrestAbdulAziz pic.twitter.com/OSOZUsf672— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) December 21, 2014
It's not one. It's many. We are all demanding justice. We are all demanding #ArrestAbdulAziz #ReclaimYourMosques pic.twitter.com/t8dFNRLisZ
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) December 30, 2014
From “Reclaim Your Mosques” to “Reclaim Pakistan”
The recent brutal act of terror galvanized Pakistanis from all beliefs and regions against extremism to show solidarity for the young victims. The protests that began with candle vigils, prayers, soon turned into the Reclaim Your Mosques protest, which has now transformed into Reclaim Pakistan, a movement against the Taliban, to take back Pakistan from militant groups and extremist mindsets.
Although the arrest warrant for Abdul Aziz is being hailed by the campaigners, it was not the sole objective of the campaign. Jibran explained this transformation in an interview:
The protest is not about the arrest of Abdul Aziz. His arrest and prosecution is the first step of a journey towards reclaiming our country. It is a message to all quarters that the civil society in Pakistan will not stand any support of Taliban or their sympathizers or their apologists. This is Pakistan’s movement. The Taliban and their sympathizers are not just among us, they are within us. Law-abiding and peaceful Pakistanis need to identify and throw out these apologists from their ranks, and reclaim our state institutions, much like we are trying to reclaim our mosque.
The anti-Taliban demonstrations across Pakistan depict a change in public attitude towards radicalism. Nabi Malik, a lawyer, highlights this realization:
The protests outside Lal Masjid, although limited in nature, represent a realization in at least a segment of society that Pakistan needs to reclaim the space lost to the clergy. Participants appear to want to “reclaim their mosques”, or have their opinions represented in the narrative of not only the country, but their religion as well.
Movement against Taliban as well as their supporters
The gut-wrenching tragedy at the Peshawar school is not the country's first atrocity the country has experienced, as Pakistan has been frequently struck by acts of terror since 2002. But it is the first time that the country is witnessing strong reaction against Taliban and Taliban apologists from citizens as well as government. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also made it clear that Pakistan would not differentiate between the good and bad Taliban and the country is united in fight against terrorism.
Good Taliban Bad Taliban I want Dead Taliban #NoToTerrorism #ReclaimOurMosques #ArrestAbdulAziz with @NadiaSuleman pic.twitter.com/vZaBH06cIc— Shumail Sufi (@shumail_z) December 22, 2014
The protests against Taliban supporters highlights a counter-extremist narrative and a significant shift in the way Pakistanis are thinking as they are no longer consider apologists free from blame.
Ali Raza Abidi, a Pakistani politician reminded why it is important for Pakistan to unite against extremism right now:
Not asking for your sympathy or support. Just reminding you that soon it'll be your turn if you dont unite against Taliban. #ReclaimPakistan— Syed Ali Raza Abidi (@abidifactor) December 22, 2014
Mina Sohail, a journalist in Islamabad, wrote:
We are at war with the Taliban, whose agenda is to destabilize Pakistan and create its own state that eschews international rules of logic and humanity. This school massacre is our Sept. 11. This time, Pakistanis have come out galvanized to say we will “never forget.”
“Never Forget” campaign
“Never Forget” is an online campaign that began after the Peshawar attack. Zero tolerance for extremists is the aim of its campaigners, who have set forth a charter of demands that insists effective implementation of following demands:
The Reclaim Pakistan movement is an endeavor by concerned Pakistanis who wish to live peacefully in their homeland. Their thoughts are well represented in these words by Ahmad Qazi,a son who lost her mother (Principal of APS) in Peshawar school attack:
I wish for the Pakistan I once saw, where we could go out all night without bothering about security, where relationship mattered more than money, where living in harmony was all that we knew, where my school was safe and neighborhood calm, where blood shed was rare, where kidnappings and killing was a crime…. I wish for the Pakistan that we once knew.. I just wish for my Pakistan to rise once again.

author: Sana Jamal


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Protests, Blackouts, and a Bill of Rights for the Internet: Advox in 2014 · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

In 2014, the Global Voices Advox team covered more stories than ever before. From Egypt to Ethiopia to Tajikistan to Turkey, our authors wrote what they saw on the ground, on the Internet, in court and behind bars. Here are some highlights from this incredible year of advocacy for free expression around the world:
Image by Hugh D'Andrade, used with permission.
The government passed the Protest Law in November 2013 claiming it was necessary to control the chaos created mostly by Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers in clashes with security forces that often turned violent. Since it has been put in effect however, the law has been used to crack down on all kinds of opposition, including peaceful protesters, and individuals and groups that have been closely associated with the January 25 revolution and its aftermath.
- Rasha Abdulla, American University, Cairo
Alaa is in prison not because he committed a crime, not because he said too much, but because his very existence poses a threat to the state. Those who are bold, those who do not relent, will always threaten the terrified and ultimately weak state which must, to survive, squash its opponents like flies. But Alaa will not allow himself to be crushed like that, I know.
- Jillian C. York, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Berlin
In the midst of a newsprint crisis that has caused nine newspapers to close…and while national television channels are submitted to strict content regulations, hardened even more in recent weeks by President Nicolas Maduro and his so-called “war on sensationalism”, digital media has proved vital in covering news that has is no longer covered by traditional media. Today, as opposition leaders summon rallies around the country, people are expected to turn to social media to learn about the development of the demonstrations, which likely will not be reported on any public or mainstream news platforms.
- Marianne Diaz, lawyer and free speech advocate, Caracas
En Táchira estuvimos sin Internet, agua, luz, comida, gasolina, transporte, comercio. Pero si con bolas, las que necesita Venezuela.
— Moisés Maldonado (@MaldonadoMoises) February 21, 2014
In Táchira we were without Internet, water, light, food, gasoline, [public] transport, commerce. But we do have balls, which is what Venezuela needs right now.
A screen shows the vote tally as activists cheer for the bill from the upper level of the Chamber. Photo shared by Carolina Rossini via Twitter.
The approval of Marco Civil, a bill of rights to protect users, is important not only for the country, but also for the world….In a context where the interests of telecom operators, copyright industry, IT companies and sometimes even the Brazilian state are essentially in opposition with the protection of user's rights, having a text — developed in an open, transparent and participative way — that protects of the right to access, to privacy protection, to freedom of expression, and net neutrality, among others, is a very, very positive step.
- Joana Varon, Institute for Technology and Society, Rio de Janeiro
Six members of the Zone9 blogging collective — four of them Global Voices contributors — were arrested and imprisoned on April 25, 2014 along with three journalist colleagues. Months later, all nine detainees were charged under the country’s penal code and the Terrorism Proclamation of 2009.
Zone9 members together in Addis Ababa, 2012. Photo used with permission.
In August, we received testimony from Befeqadu Hailu, one of the jailed Global Voices members, who wrote from inside the prison. Here is an excerpt from his testimony:
The idea of setting a foot in the compound of the ill-famed Maekelawi detention center gives a cold shiver to anyone who knows its history. But my sheer optimism and trust that the brutal and inhumane treatment of people was a distant memory saved me from trembling as I was escorted into the compound. The same was true of my friends, I suppose.
What is more, we had nothing to be scared of, because we are neither undercover agents nor members of armed forces. We are just writers. But as soon as I arrived at Maekelawi, detainees informed me that I had been placed in one of the notorious sections of the detention center, known as “Siberia”. In less than a week, I felt like I was living in the middle of an account from the 2013 Human Rights Watch report entitled “They Want a Confession”.
- Befeqadu Hailu, Global Voices translator and Zone9 blogger, Addis Ababa / translation by Endalk Chala, blogger and PhD student, University of Oregon
Anti-coup activists and protesters occupy the square outside of Bangkok Art and Cultural Center in central Bangkok. Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha, Copyright @Demotix (5/23/2014)
Is the military takeover of the media warranted? The coup in 2006, while the military imposed certain restrictions on media freedom, it did not result in this level of information lockdown. Many of the commercial TV channels in Thailand were hardly political: they mostly showed soap operas, game shows and music videos. Perhaps the near ban on media is meant to function as a sweeping act of fear-mongering. Or perhaps the military believes it will help suppress the voices of its opposition.
- Aim Sinpeng, University of British Columbia
Several Iraqi activists who asked not to be quoted by name attributed the blocking to PM Maliki's failure to get a majority of Parliamentarians to announce a state of emergency in Iraq. If this is true, then orders from the Maliki government and the Ministry of Telecommunication to ISPs to shut down the Internet stand in violation of Iraqi law. Companies have the right to decline the Ministry's request, but activists do not expect this to happen. As one person put it, “keeping their business is their priority — not their users’ rights.”
- Mohamad Najem, Social Media Exchange, Beirut
In June, Global Voices’ former Central Asia editor Alex Sodiqov was arrested in Tajikistan while doing research for his PhD dissertation at the University of Toronto. His colleagues, students, and fellow GVers spoke out on his behalf throughout the summer.
About six weeks ago in Khorog police detained my good friend, the young academic Alexander Sodiqov. Disregarding the principle of the presumption of innocence and the laws of our own country, the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) issued a statement to the press the following day, in which Alexander was accused of “espionage” on behalf of “a foreign state.”
Alexander Sodiqov, who our law enforcement agencies have rushed to write into the ranks of state criminals, is a young academic working on his Ph.D. in Canada. To find this out and read his biography in full it is sufficient to type his name into Google or Yandex.[…]
As one of his students, I can say that he was one of the most knowledgeable and professional teachers at the university.
- Anonymous Tajik blogger
Leaked list of targets under Bahrain FinFisher program. Published by Bahrain Watch.
The political influence on the judiciary System in Bahrain doesn't provide any space to protect activists from surveillance. But this is an opportunity to move in legal action in UK courts. Now Al Wefaq is in a better position to call HM Revenue & Customs, UK’s tax authority, to investigate in the illegal export of a hacking software for non-free regimes with a dark record of serious human rights violations. How come such a software is licensed to a regime which is considered to be the 3rd worst and 5th most declining regime in Freedom House report?
- Matar Matar, Al-Wefaq human rights group, Bahrain
Photo from the Yaman Akdeniz & Janis Karklins talk from the #ungovForum – we hope to upload the video soon #IGF2014 pic.twitter.com/NqisVvXFqO
— Yaman Akdeniz (@cyberrights) September 5, 2014
In theory, IGF 2014 offered these people the opportunity to speak out about critical problems in the country hosting the forum, as well as the chance to meet and exchange ideas with other activists, journalists, academics and coders from countries all over the world. In practice, however, the voices of these activists were drowned out by the voice of the state, with government representatives alone given a platform to talk about the situation in Turkey. The UN, for its part, promotes a discussion that is general in character, shying away from ”naming and shaming” individual countries. This year, it afforded Turkish officials the perfect opportunity to show just how “perfect” everything in the country is.
- Ahmet A. Sabancı, blogger and digital rights expert, Istanbul
Protesters in Hong Kong stand together after police begin to tear gas the gathering on September 28. Photo by P H Yang. Copyright Demotix
These attacks have thus far gone largely unreported by mainstream media, despite the fact that nearly all the major pro-democracy citizen media have been knocked offline over the past ten days.
[…]
While the government and the pro-establishment camp can employ public resources and even the police to fend off invasions, citizen media have no choice but to resist large-scale attacks on their own. The reason for their survival in this increasingly harsh environment is the awareness that online independent platforms are an essential element of a free society and the tireless, round-the-clock work of their technical teams. Without support from citizens who care about free speech and democracy, citizen independent sites will not be able to sustain this level of technical assault in the longer term.
- Oiwan Lam, Global Voices China Editor and inmediahk Editor
Demonstrators in Budapest, October 2014. Photo by Marietta Le.
As an NGO worker I often worry that citizens are worn out by us constantly sounding the alarm over the grave of Hungarian democracy. But the Internet traffic tax, “netadó” in Hungarian, changed people’s stance towards what the government has been doing for many years. For the first time, it wasn’t only lunatic activists who protested. Young and old were on the streets of Budapest, with memes drawn by hand. People belted out chants about servers, Twitter and Facebook. They wore Guy Fawkes masks, despite this being forbidden by law. Finally, it looked like a whole new generation understood that they have to stand up for their rights. It no longer seemed like a question anymore — people finally could see that all the measures taken by the government were aimed at a certain goal: state capture.
Still, many think the Internet tax proposal was just “disinformation” — false information spread in order to distract the public from important events. This is a concept we remember from the times before 1989. It’s spooky to think that the Berlin Wall fell just 25 years ago. We have entered a period of Hungary’s history when the government is aiming to limit citizens’ rights to the same extent as then, and now almost explicitly and exclusively to their own benefit.
- Marietta Le, Global Voices Hungarian Editor and staff member of Atlatszo.hu
Donbas rebel and Vladimir Putin. Images mixed by Kevin Rothrock.
Throughout 2014, our RuNet Echo team covered the Kremlin's ever-expanding assault on digital rights and the open Internet in Russia, from the Internet blacklist, to the blogger and media worker persecution, to new filtering and surveillance requirements for ISPs. And what's more, editors Kevin Rothrock and Tetyana Lokot brought us comic relief on an almost-daily basis with their now-viral series of irreverent remixed images like the one above.
Happy 2015 from Advox and all of us at Global Voices!

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle


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Take a Look Back at Global Voices’ Headlines From 2014 · Global Voices
L. Finch

15,000 people marched in downtown Mexico City against the disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa. Photo taken on 8 October 2014 by Enrique Perez Huerta. Copyright: Demotix
The 64-year-old leader of the Guajajara tribe in Brazil spends 26 hours in a tree protesting the eviction of activists from a former indigenous museum.
A Nepalese girl becomes more popular than Messi in her hometown for her skills on the football pitch.
Citizen journalists in Algeria expose police brutality against Ibāḍī minority protesters demanding better life conditions.
Like years past, 2014 had moments of happiness and heartache, strength and sadness, and everything in between. Global Voices’ community of authors and editors from around the world worked hard to cover these and other important stories missed or misreported by mainstream media. Before we turn the page on 2014, let's take a look at a selection of highlights from this year's coverage.
Social media stories
Our special coverage “Dispatches From Syria: Marcell Shehwaro on Life in Aleppo” gave readers a personal glimpse of life in the heart of Syria's armed conflict, as told by blogger and activist Marcell Shehwaro.
As Israel dropped bombs on residential neighborhoods and hospitals during its deadly offensive against Gaza over the summer, doctors tweeted the tragedy witnessed in the Strip's emergency rooms.
The moment u see Drs crying , Is the moment when u realize all the red lines have been crossed #GazaUnderAttack #Gaza pic.twitter.com/PniVeAsiaF
— Dr.Bassel AbuWarda (@DrBaselAbuwarda) julio 23, 2014
20-year-old Dalia al-Najjar blogged about life and death in Gaza: “I decided to devote my life to telling the story of our suffering because I felt that having survived I owe something to the martyrs.”
In Iran, women have stealthily but publicly taken off the hijab, which is mandatory in the country, and uploaded photos of themselves to Facebook and Twitter.
In Kyrgyzstan, a woman recalled her terrifying bride-kidnapping experience for her Twitter followers. In Kazakhstan, 17-year-old volleyball player Sabina Altynbekova earned a large following online for her good looks, but the teen has turned the attention into a platform to talk about the difficulties Muslim sportspeople face fasting during Ramadan.
In India, a debate ensued on social media about the merits of sharing graphic photos of the lifeless bodies of two teenage girls hanging from a mango tree.
In Thailand, providing regular updates about the country's ever-changing situation, “coup selfies” quietly protested the military junta at a time when the army was threatening to censor social media.
And a twist on the viral #IceBucketChallenge dared people around the world to upload videos of themselves speaking in an indigenous language, such as North American languages like Kwak'wala and Lakota and the Miriwoong language from Australia.
People rising
Thousands upon thousands of people in countries throughout the world united to challenge those in power. Frustrated Venezuelans took to the streets in the first half of the year to demand better security and relief from food shortages. Later in the year, they also protested the government's disproportionate and deadly response to the demonstrations.
In Mexico, people continue to rally for the safe return of 43 student teachers, who went missing after their convoy was attacked, first by local police agents, and then by organized crime members.
In Taiwan, activists who came to be known as the Sunflower Movement occupied the legislature for three weeks in April and May, after the island's ruling party approved a controversial trade bill with China without bipartisan discussion.
Months later, the pro-democracy Umbrella Revolution took off in earnest in Hong Kong, with protesters peacefully occupying the center of the city to demand that the Hong Kong and Beijing governments allow the people to choose the candidates in the next chief executive election.
Staff from Apple Daily News showed their determination to keep the newsroom operating after the mob attack on October 13. Photo from Chan Pui Man's Facebook.
Global Voices authors stayed on top of the tumultuous situation in Ukraine, from the escalation of the #Euromaidan protests in Kyiv and the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych, to Russia's annexation of Crimea and fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. With misinformation and propaganda swirling around the current conflict in the country's east, our special coverage “Eastern Ukraine Unfiltered” offered a series of interviews with local bloggers and citizen journalists in the region, who are playing an increasingly important role.
And in Brazil, demonstrations against the government's massive public spending on the World Cup and forced evictions for World Cup infrastructure raged before and during the mega-event.
Good news
We busted stereotypes and skewed narratives about African countries throughout the year, including answering common questions about Cameroon and Madagascar.
Food unites people across countries, culture and languages, and our special coverage “For the Love of Food” delved into the world's cuisine, such as Indian chefs finding success on YouTube and a guide to South Korea's street food.
In Bangladesh, about a thousand Hijras celebrated the first anniversary of their recognition as a separate gender by the government with a colorful pride parade.
In Puerto Rico, attorney Maite Oronoz Rodríguez became the first openly gay individual to be nominated and confirmed as a Supreme Court judge.
A group of university students in Kyoto, Japan, inspired by the viral “Happy” video, reached out to their counterparts in China and Korea with a message of peace and friendship.
In Bhutan, a local campaign collects used shoes and cleans them to distribute the footwear to those who cannot afford a decent pair.
In Colombia, a masked superhero named Super Pan rides around Bucaramanga and hands out bread and juices to homeless people on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Super Pan on his Vespa. Screenshot taken from YouTube.
And five French students — a Muslim, Jew, Christian, atheist and agnostic — decided to travel the world together to raise awareness of the many interfaith projects already out there making a difference.
Injustice and strength
In Trinidad and Tobago, environmental activist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh went on a second hunger strike to protest a proposed highway and the government's broken promises.
Activists Maryam Al Khawajah from Bahrain and Alaa Abd El Fattah from Egypt spoke to Global Voices about their own hunger strikes while in jail. Both have been tweeting about their experiences since anti-regime protests broke out in their respective countries three years ago as part of the so-called Arab Spring.
Global Voices author Alexander Sodiqov was finally released after being detained for five weeks by Tajik authorities, who suggested that he had been involved in espionage on behalf of an unidentified foreign government. He was, in fact, conducting research on conflict resolution as part of an ongoing collaborative project with the University of Exeter.
Nine bloggers and journalists who worked with Zone9, a collective blog that covered social and political issues in Ethiopia, remain in jail after their arrest in April. They have since been charged with terrorism and await trial.
Tunisians went to the polls in October and December as part of the final stages of the country's democratic transition following the ouster of former dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. There were complaints, however, that Tunisia's Independent High Electoral Commission made it very difficult for Tunisians abroad to exercise their right to vote.
Banuk Karima Baloch, who is the chairperson of the Baloch Student Organization, mobilizes young dissidents and separatists in Balochistan in Pakistan's southwest. She and other Baloch women have taken a leading role calling attention to the region's “missing people,” whose families accuse Pakistan’s security agencies of abducting.
Our special coverage “Fighting for Their Art Against Censorship” explored how musicians and artists around the world deal with their country's tight grip on freedom of expression.
How young, independent women are making a space for themselves in Pakistan's music industry. Image mixed by Nina Mashurova from photos from Zoe Viccaji, Sara Haider and Natasha Ejaz‘s Facebook pages.
As the Ebola outbreak began to spread in West Africa, we took a look at Hollywood's inaccurate portrayal of the continent in film as a place that isn't safe and is in need of a white savior.
In Lebanon, activists sent 128 tomatoes to all 128 representatives of parliament to protest against a second extension of the current members’ mandate.
And as Serbian officials brought social media users who had criticized their flood relief efforts in for questioning, volunteers from Macedonia, Slovenia and several Serbian cities came together to rebuild roads and other basic infrastructure damaged by the historic flooding in the region.
What will 2015 bring in coverage for Global Voices? Stay tuned.

author: L. Finch


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Traditional Iñupiaq Story Comes To Life Through Video Game · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A traditional Iñupiaq story called Kunuuksaayuka told by Robert Nasruk Cleveland and documented in the book “Stories of the Black River People” has now taken a new life in the form of a video game for PC and other popular gaming consoles. The new game called Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa) continues to receive praise for the unique approach of including Alaskan Native communities in the entire development of the game.
Narrated in the Iñupiat language with English sub-titles, the game tells the story of a young girl named Nuna and her arctic fox companion, who set off to explore and discover the cause of a raging blizzard affecting her community. Even though the character originally was a boy in the story told by Cleveland, the game developers sought out the approval of Minnie Gray, Cleveland's daughter to make this change.
The project started as a collaborative initiative by the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, which worked with E-Line Media and Upper One Games, which is the first indigenous-owned video game developer. On the video game's blog, the makers documented the process, as well as produced this behind-the-scenes video (above) showing how elders, young people, and linguists proudly all took part in the game's development.
Reviews continue to come in, and Roy Boney writes in the Native Peoples blog that Never Alone “is more than a typical video game. It is a cultural experience packaged into a beautiful and thoughtful piece of digital art.”

author: Eduardo Avila


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Malaysia Launches New Logo as Chair of ASEAN 2015 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysia is the new chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the year 2015. This year is crucial for ASEAN as the region takes steps to achieve full integration as a united community. The new logo represents “harmony, close partnership and aspiration of the people from the ten ASEAN countries aimed at achieving the shared vision” of the community.


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Search for Air Asia QZ8501 Continues After Crash Site Located · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

Air Asia QZ8501 Flight Path and Satellite Imagery. Wiki image.
Bad weather is hampering rescue efforts in Indonesia after the crash site of Air Asia flight QZ8501 was located. The plane was en route to Singapore from Surabaya, the capital of the country's East Java Province, when it lost contact with air traffic controllers December 28. It was carrying 162 passengers and crew members.
Aviation experts have speculated that the pilot managed to avoid a thick rainstorm cloud and land the plane on water. However, there is a likelihood that during the emergency landing strong waves hit the floating aircraft and pushed it underwater. An investigation to determine the real cause of the accident is expected to start soon.
Plane debris from flight QZ8501 has been found already. Flickr photo by Vernon Chan (CC License)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla are supervising the search and rescue mission closely. Several countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, France, Australia, and the United States have joined in to step up the rescue efforts.
Towards the end of the second day of search efforts, several dead bodies and aircraft parts were found floating in the sea near Central Kalimantan. Some of the bodies were flown to Surabaya for autopsy.
On Facebook, Indonesian President Joko Widodo wrote:
Saya mendengarkan penjelasan dari saudara Tony Fernandez, pemilik maskapai penerbangan Air Asia, ditengah rasa duka mendalam ketika ditemukan serpihan-serpihan pesawat di sekitar perairan Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan Tengah.
Ditengah perasaan duka saya memberikan aspirasi tinggi pada kerja tim yang tergabung dalam pencarian pesawat Air Asia QZ 8501, menemukan dengan cepat serpihan pesawat sehingga memberikan kepastian atas apa yang terjadi pada pesawat itu.
Kepada keluarga korban saya menyampaikan bela sungkawa yang sebesar-besarnya atas musibah yang menimpa. Mari kita berdoa agar keluarga korban diberikan kekuatan dan ketabahan dalam menghadapi cobaan hidup ini.
I'm listening to the explanation of Toni Fernandez, CEO of Air Asia, in the midst of profound grief as aircraft parts are found in the waters of Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan. In deep sadness, I hope that the joint search and rescue team will succeed in gathering more airplane parts to determine the cause of accident. To the family of the victims, I extend my deepest condolences. Let us pray that (the Almighty will give) each one of the family members strength during this trying time.
Presiden Jokowi berada dilokasi ditemukannya serpihan pesawat Air Asia QZ8501 dari pesawat C-130 milik TNI AU pic.twitter.com/8QuIc9RKJk
— Iriana Joko Widodo (@IrianaJokowi) December 30, 2014
President Jokowi on board the search and rescue plane when it first spotted aircraft parts.
Air Asia meanwhile confirmed that the plane debris and the dead bodies are from flight QZ8501:
AirAsia Indonesia regrets to inform that The National Search and Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS) today confirmed that the debris found earlier today is indeed from QZ8501, the flight that had lost contact with air traffic control on the morning of 28th.
Messages of sympathy and condolences were sent via Twitter.
Deepest condolences for #QZ8501 pic.twitter.com/NCkXwEAmsN
— Shafiq✌Pontoh (@ShafiqPontoh) December 30, 2014
Duka di ujung Tahun 2014, bagi keluarga korban pesawat AirAsia QZ8501 slalu diberikan keikhlasan dan ketabahan. Berharap masih ada keajaiban — Phia Yow Phia (@tentangphia) December 31, 2014
Sadness at the end of 2014, to all families of Air Asia QZ8501 victims, may courage and strength be given to you. Let's hope for a miracle.
Holding hands and wearing their life jackets. Can't begin to imagine the fear of everyone onboard, so so sad #AirAsia8501 #AirAsia — Tashaa (@TashaaLK1994) December 31, 2014
35 of 162 victims of #AirAsia Flight #QZ8501 came from Indonesian town of Malang http://t.co/9RWaIJ3Nsl by @CharlieCamp6ell & me for @TIME
— Yenni Kwok (@yennikwok) December 31, 2014
The Twitter hashtag #togetherwestand is being used to show solidarity to friends and relatives of all those on board QZ8501.

author: Juke Carolina


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‘A Happy Day Has Come’ for Cuba and the US · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

Cuba and the United States re-established their diplomatic relations on December 17. Image used with permission from the Letra Nueva blog.
On December 17, when the presidents of Cuba and the United States simultaneously announced the start of the normalization of the relations between both countries, many Cuban social network users shared lyrics from the song “The Happy Day That Is Coming.” In 1974, more than ten years after the rupture of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez wrote: “A sunny day is moving in / a day of enchantments adjoining / a fierce bird approaching / buzzing to the pleasure of your scent / a time of rabbits is approaching.”
Despite the political antagonism between the two nations, the “time of rabbits” predicted by Silvio Rodríguez inexplicably summed up the emotions of many Cubans, both among those living on the island, and the almost two million scattered in the world for political and economic reasons.
While much media coverage has reflected frustration among Cubans in Miami, and concerns from local opposition leaders about the impact of renewed relations for human rights on the island, these were not the only themes that emerged in online conversations about the policy shift.
Cuban history since the 1959 revolution has been marked by emigration. In April 2011, a young blogger, journalist, and professor at the University of Havana shared on her blog, El aguacero: “the best of friends is leaving Cuba.” Her friend had told her one day, “people who leave die.”
The sense of loss, of upheaval provoked by emigration, has been a recurring topic in the Cuban blogosphere: “With time, I am coming to understand how bonds keep breaking and life continues to be disrespectful and people move away and away and away,” says the blogger.
But December 17 also provoked feelings of euphoria and closeness that some brought together with the phrase, “After today, nothing will ever be the same.”
Long before the first steps of the new road map drawn by the White House are implemented to “fraternize and empower the Cuban people,” the main transformation has occurred, according to Cuban journalist Carlos Manuel Álvarez, “in our psyche.” Álvarez writes:
We are not facing an event that will redirect just our economic, cultural, or social reality, which is already enough, but rather an event that will force us to renew our language, the words we tend to use, the concepts with which we were accommodating ourselves as a people.
Memes posts on social networks that seek to transform the official Cuban discourse. Taken with permission from the Negra cubana blog.
This renewal is also accompanied by a certain uncertainty, which expresses itself in some cases through funny memes that flood social networks, and, in other cases, through questions pointing towards the future. “What happens when you've had to face an ‘enemy’ your whole life and suddenly they cease to be an ‘enemy'?” asks Sabdiel Batista.
According to Álvarez:
[first] we will have to continue managing our independence, but now with the Americans on board (which, in addition to being inescapable, makes the company more complex and interesting and leads to the only question that can truly measure us as a people, and that is whether, despite everything, we are prepared for it)
In the transformation of life in Cuba, which will happen now, Rafael González adds:
…we Cuban citizens will have to take part (…) not as mere spectators, but as those (…) who are going to be here suffering and enjoying a reality that at this moment I don't even dare to imagine.
Within this group of citizens, Cuba will have to begin to actively include Cubans who reside outside of Cuba, whose remittances constitute the country's second most important source of income. From Alta Gracias in Argentina, Alberto Manuel Pacheco refers to the need to increase the levels of political tolerance and inclusion. “We want to see a happy and prosperous homeland, where we all fit despite living in 200 countries,” he says. He adds:
Sé que puedo sonar ingenuo pero al menos este (…) cubano se cansó de leer sobre escorias, castristas, gusanos, disidentes y de ofensas mutuas. De ahora en adelante solo serán cubanos. No importa si son extrema derecha o izquierda o si son anarquistas, todos tenemos nuestro papel y nuestro lugar por derecho natural en eso que llamamos nación. Será muy duro lograrlo pero con el primer paso se hace más cercano el futuro, añade.
I know that I can sound naive but at least this (…) Cuban is tired of reading about scum, followers of Castro, worms, dissidents, and mutual offenses. From now on, you will just be Cuban. It doesn't matter if you belong to the extreme right or left or if you're anarchists, we all have our role and our place by natural right in what we call a nation. It will be very hard to achieve, but the future becomes closer with the first step.
The attitude of dialogue between both governments lays the groundwork so that “we can live in peace as the neighbors that we are, and for mutual respect and admiration from people to people to outweigh the differences that we undoubtedly have (…) A happy day has come,” concludes Silvio Rodríguez on his blog.

author: Elaine Díaz


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Activists Persecuted for Opposing Land-Grab-Driven Slavery in Mauritania · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

School children in Mauritania via wikipedia CC BY-SA 2.0
Many Mauritanian citizens cannot wait for the year 2014 year to end. Unfortunately, 2015 does not look promising either.
First, blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed faces a death penalty sentence imposed on December 26 for blasphemy, though he denies insulting the prophet, saying his blog commentary was a reflection on an unjust social order based on a caste system that marginalizes underprivileged communities.
This cast system is also what has driven many activists in Mauritania to protest the ongoing land grabs by corporations against local farmers who are then forced to work the land they previously owned. One such activist is Biram Dah Abeid, head of the Initiative pour la Résurgence du Mouvement Abolitionniste en Mauritanie IRA (the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolition Movement in Mauritania). He and other Mauritanian human rights activists were arrested on November 11, 2014.
Biram Dah Ould Obeid vi wikipedia – CC-BY-20
In 2013, Dah Abeid received the United Nations Human Rights Award and the Front Line Defenders At Risk. He organized a nationwide rally to raise awareness about land-grab slavery—a practice that has proven especially harmful for the Haratin people, a community made of mostly farmers. Some of the rally's participants were arrested in November.
In this video, Dah Abeid explains the work of the initiative:
Front Line Defenders, an international human rights organization, posted the following notice on their website :
On 11 November 2014, Biram Dah Abeid and eight of his colleagues from IRA were charged and held in pre-trial detention in the prison in Rosso, because they took part in an illegal caravan of protest calling for the final abolition of slavery in Mauritania. Biram and his colleagues were held in isolation, beaten and had their mobile phones taken. Then, on 17 December, Biram and his colleagues were informed that their trial would be held the following day, even though his lawyers had not been given advance notice so they could prepare his defence. In Mauritania the practice of slavery persists in a more traditional way [..] continuing to live as chattel slaves to their masters. In practice, this means they can be bought and sold, hired out, or given away as gifts
In a press release on November 12, Amnesty International demanded that the activists be set free:
Ces arrestations s'inscrivent dans une répression croissante visant les militants anti-esclavagistes en Mauritanie. En octobre, quatre membres de l'IRA ont été appréhendés dans la plus grande mosquée de Nouakchott, la capitale, alors qu'ils réagissaient à des critiques formulées contre leur organisation. Ils ont été accusés d'avoir perturbé le déroulement des prières et incité à la révolte, entre autres charges. Ils sont maintenus en détention sans jugement.
These arrests are part of a growing crackdown on anti-slavery activists in Mauritania. In October, four IRA members were arrested in the largest mosque of the capital city Nouakchott, when they were simply responding to criticisms of their organization. They were accused of disrupting prayers and inciting unrest, among other charges. They are also currently held in detention without trial.
From his jail cell, Dah Abeid called on all human rights activists in Mauritania to get involved in the civil rights movement in a peaceful manner. He also added a message to the authorities:
D’autre part j’envoie le message suivant aux autorités : […]  Nous sommes animés de l’esprit du sacrifice qui nous confère de résister moralement à toute condamnation même à mort car nous dédions notre vie pour les opprimés, pour les humbles, pour la démocratie»
I am sending this message to the authorities: […] We are driven by the spirit of sacrifice that gives us the moral drive to resist any sentencing because we dedicate our lives to the oppressed, to the humble, to democracy.
“No to Slavery” says a banner at a rally organized by IRA Mauritania from their Facebook page with permission
They day following the arrest, Mauritanian diaspora in Europe and North America published a statement condemning the arrests:
Le succès de cette campagne et la mobilisation des populations locales ont fait peur au gouvernement qui a alors décidé de réprimer ces défenseurs des droits de l’homme lors de l’étape finale de la caravane. En effet, arrivés à Rosso le matin Mardi 11 Novembre 2014, ces militants furent accueillis par les forces de sécurité mauritaniennes qui procédèrent aux arrestations ; tous les arrêtés demeurent privés de tout contact extérieur.
The success of the anti-slavery rally and the mobilization of the local population threatened the government. They decided to repress these activists in the final lap of their rally. In fact, when they reached the town of Rosso, the activists were apprehended by police forces right away. No one was allowed to reach out to a lawyer or relatives.
Anti-slavery organizations have tried on several occasions to alert international media to a potential civil war in Mauritania because of what they call “a systemic pro-slavery position of the state that always sides with the slave-owners.” They have urged the international community to support the eradication of land-grab-driven slavery, to preserve the social cohesion of the nation.
Biram Dah Abeid has been arrested several times prior to this year. There is a now Facebook group advocating his release from jail that has 1,530 members.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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EU Citizens Petition Against CETA and TTIP Trade Arrangements  · Global Voices
Marinella Matejcic

Critics fear that the two transatlantic trade agreements are designed to help big business circumvent important regulations. Similar concerns were behind this 1904 political cartoon showing a Standard Oil tank as an octopus overriding democracy. Published by Ottmann Lith, Co., 1904 Sept. 7. Now Creative Commons.
Citizens all over Europe are petitioning against CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) and TTIP (The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). According to the European Comission, CETA “will offer EU firms more and better business opportunities in Canada and support jobs in Europe”, while TTIP “aims at removing trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors to make it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US.”
According to bloggers, social network users and The Independent media outlet, however, the aim of both agreements is to “dump social and downward competition rules” in a way that favours big businesses and strips whole societies of regulatory protection.
You can find more information and opinions via the #TPPTuesday, #TTIP and #CETA hashtags on both Twitter and Facebook:
Have you heard of the #TPP yet? If not, ask WHY? http://t.co/rXO3KsUyy8 #TPPTuesday
— Celeste Drake (@CDrakeFairTrade) December 17, 2014
Although the European Commission (EC) rejected a proposal from an alliance of EU campaigners to hold a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) against TTIP and CETA in September last year, independent organisations from all over the Europe have carried on their lobbying against the agreements. Currently 333 organisations, social justice campaigns and human rights initiatives have supported the European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP and CETA.
The campaigners’ original proposal read:
We want to prevent TTIP and CETA because they include several critical issues such as investor-state dispute settlement and rules on regulatory cooperation that pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law. We want to prevent employment, social, environmental, privacy and consumer standards from being lowered and public services (such as water) and cultural assets from being deregulated in non-transparent negotiations. The ECI supports an alternative trade and investment policy in the EU.
In particular, opponents of the trade agreements are wary of the fact that TTIP would grant foreign investors a new right to sue  governments in front of ad hoc arbitration tribunals for profit loss, which might occur due to public policy decisions being taken in the interest of citizens. (The War on Want blog has more information on this point).
But the EC continues to cite the benefits of these agreements for Europe. During a recent visit to Paris University Dauphine to promote the agreements, Cecilia Malmström, the European Union’s Trade Commissioner, told students that “TTIP is the most ambitious agreement” that “covers everything” and “represents an opportunity to create more jobs, investment and economic growth that will benefit European citizens.”
The ongoing conflict over CETA and TTIP highlights the EU's so-called ‘democratic deficit‘: independent media, activists and regular citizens have combined as a growing body of concerned public to oppose two agreements they view as detrimental to the public interest, but the EC — an unelected body — continues to negotiate and promote them regardless.
CETA: Time to admit it’s an oversold, underhanded deal http://t.co/2O7meJQbKR #canlab
— Angella MacEwen (@AMacEwen) December 17, 2014
Global Voices will continue to monitor developments related to CETA and TTIP in 2015.

author: Marinella Matejcic


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Puerto Rican Writes ‘2014 Political Folk Song of The Year’ · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Cover of the band's new album “Small Town Heroes.”
“The Body Electric” by Puerto Rican singer songwriter Alynda Lee Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff has been declared 2014 Political Folk Song of the Year by the National Public Radio (NPR) in the US. The song is a beautiful anthem against violence and oppression against women, people of color, and queer people.
Segarra talks to NPR about the meaning of “The Body Electric”:
I am mostly familiar with how the song has taught me there is a true connection between gendered violence and racist violence. There is a weaponization of the body happening right now in America. Our bodies are being turned against us. Black and brown bodies are being portrayed as inherently dangerous. A Black person's size and stature are being used as reason for murder against them. This is ultimately a deranged fear of the power and capabilities of black people. It is the same evil idea that leads us to blame women for attacks by their abusers. Normalizing rape, domestic abuse and even murder of women of all races is an effort to take the humanity out of our female bodies. To objectify and to ridicule the female body is ultimately a symptom of fear of the power women hold.
Violence against women all over the world, rape, murders of transexuals, and the recent killings of young black men in the United States fueled the song's inception. Segarra adds: “I hope this song breathes power and humanity back into all people who feel targeted by violence and oppression, whether they exist in our old stories and songs or are marching in protest as we speak.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Rising Voices: The Year 2014 in Review  · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In 2014, Rising Voices (RV) continued its work of supporting underrepresented and marginalized communities through microgrant funding, mentoring, and network-building, as a way to develop diverse new voices that use citizen media for self-expression and storytelling. Here is a look back at some of the highlights of Rising Voices’ work over the past year.
Participants of the 1st Gathering of Indigenous Language Digital Activists. Photo by Biblioteca Juan de Córdova.
Our interest in how citizen media can play a role in revitalizing indigenous and endangered languages took another step forward, when we co-organized the first gathering of Indigenous Language Digital Activists in Oaxaca, Mexico. This workshop brought together 25 individuals or “digital activists” in Mexico that are actively using citizen media such as blogs, audiovisual content, free software localizations, and the creation of Wikipedia articles to promote the use of their languages on the Internet.
Together with our partners, the gathering provided a space for digital activists, who often are working in isolation, to meet others who share their passion for revitalizing their languages through the use of participatory digital media. At the workshop, the participants were able to share experiences and to take part in a peer-led teaching/learning environment. The focus was not only on the digital tools, but also strategies to overcome technical, linguistic, and socio-cultural challenges that one may face when trying to promote the use of their language online. We hope that the gathering in Mexico is the first of many that can be replicated across Latin America in 2015.
One of RV's major activities is the launch of our annual Microgrant competitions for citizen media outreach projects. Each year, we publish an open call for proposals targeted at communities that want to share the benefits of citizen media with their local communities through training and mentoring activities. Once again, we utilized our new interactive mapping platform where applicants had the option to share their ideas publicly with the wider community as a means of networking and possible collaboration. In 2014, we received 598 proposals from 93 countries focusing on a wide range of topics, such as Indigenous Communities, Environment, and Governance/Transparency.
Due to this high demand every year, we decided to offer more microgrants in 2014. In total, we funded ten projects selected by our review committee comprised of Global Voices staff members, volunteers, and past grantee winners. The ten projects came from Uganda, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Cambodia, Philippines, the United States, Pakistan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Read more about each project in our announcement post.
Thanks to a new collaboration with Avina Americas, Fundación Avina, and the Skoll Foundation, RV launched a new project specifically to offer microgrants and mentoring to communities in the Amazon Region in South America. This project is similar to our other work, but this focuses on a specific region, where we can provide unique networking and relationship-building opportunities for the grantees due to their common languages of Spanish and Portuguese, and for issues that may share in common affecting their communities. We replicated the mapping platform, but we allowed applicants to submit their proposal in Spanish or Portuguese.
With the more targeted focus, we received 52 proposals from seven countries in the region. In total, we funded seven projects in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Venezuela.
An important element of RV's work has been our site visits to select grantee projects. These visits allow us to gain a better understanding of the local context in which the project is operating, so that we can better customize our support. We also get to meet the local coordinators and project participants in order to build stronger working relationships that carry over when it comes time to work and collaborate in a virtual space.
Refresher workshop in the community of Kuetuvy with the grantee project Ache Djawu.
The year started with a site visit to our grantee project Ache Djawu, which is taking place across several Aché indigenous communities throughout Paraguay. Our visit to the village of Kuetuvy coincided with the refresher workshop where project participants gathered to strengthen their skills and to connect with one another.
RV also made two site visits as part of the Amazonia project to the Tsimane’ Linguistic Universe Project in San Borja, Bolivia and with Chariboan Joi in Pucallpa, Peru. In October 2014, we also visited the South of South Project in Merida, Mexico where we met with coordinators from the project that is using collaborative social networks to create new music in the Maya language.
In late January, RV took part in two gatherings in the country of Jordan, where the Arab Bloggers (AB) Meeting 2014 and the StoryMaker Camp were held. At AB14, we were fortunate to meet inspiring Arab netizens working for social change in their countries and throughout the region, where they shared their work with us through short podcasts that we recorded. Here, Dina El Hawary of Meedan spoke about the project Checkdesk, an initiative designed to promote collaborative verification for journalists and citizen journalists.
Following AB14, we moved to the Dead Sea area, where RV and other members from the Global Voices community participated in the StoryMaker Camp to talk about our experiences with the trainers network and mentoring component of the StoryMaker project. This initiative centers on an Android mobile app that allows users to capture video, photos, or audio for digital storytelling purposes. Partners from across the Middle East and North Africa region, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa shared updates and their experiences with the project. Here, Privilege Musvanhiri of Mobile Community Zimbabwe provides an short update on how the app is being used in his country.
The month of February marks the commemoration of International Mother Language Day, and in 2014, RV along with several partner organizations organized a Twitter campaign encouraging people around the world to tweet in their “mother language.” Using specially designated hashtags #IMLD14 and #DILM14 (Día Internacional de la Lengua Materna) in Spanish, we were able to follow the flurry of activity throughout the day. Kevin Scannell of Indigenous Tweets captures a snapshot of some of the activity in the languages being tracked by his project.
For fun, I looked specifically at tweets written in any of the 157 languages we're tracking on the Indigenous Tweets site. In all, there were 491 tweets containing #imld14 or #dilm14, written in 31 of the 157 languages. Leading the way were Gàidhlig with 158 tweets, followed by 74 tweets in Aragonese, 45 in Ojibwe/Nishnaabemwin, 41 in Malagasy, and 28 in Irish/Gaeilge.
Stay tuned for an expanded campaign in 2015 with more features, partners, and promotion.
On the RV blog, our volunteer authors have highlighted a wide range of interesting projects, tools, and people around the world that share our goal of supporting new and diverse voices using participatory media. In mid-2014, our blog posts began to appear on the main Global Voices site, where we now have our own section, which helps to raise the visibility of our stories. Grantee project updates written by the grantees themselves are now located exclusively on the Rising Voices blog.
Thanks to the work of Laura Morris, Rising Voices Editor from 2013-2014, we re-launched our regular newsletter called “The Amp,” which contains information about competitions, guides, resources, funding opportunities, and other interesting links related to citizen media development. You can find an archive of the newsletters here and subscribe to the newsletter following the link at the top of the Rising Voices blog. Look for the newsletter to return in 2015
We're looking forward to our Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in Cebu, Philippines where members of our community will participate and share their stories. We would like to thank all of the volunteers, grantees, and staff members that made 2014 a memorable year for Rising Voices, and we look forward to more inspirational stories from our community in 2015. Make sure to follow us on Twitter (@risingvoices) for more updates.


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Countdown to Asian Cup 2015 Heats Up in Australia · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Image courtesy of the Asian Football Confederation
A week before hosting the opening ceremony and first game of the Asian Cup 2015 on 9 January, Melbourne has had two days of 39° and 38°C(102° and 101°F) temperatures with an overnight minimum of 27°C. Adelaide, to the west of Melbourne, experienced 44° and 37°C (111° and 99°F). These temperatures are similar to the highly controversial averages expected for 2022 World Cup host Qatar. However, given the variability on the southeastern seaboard, individual games could be much cooler. A pleasant 22°C (72°F) is forecast for kick-off day.
The soaring temperatures brought severe bushfires to the states of Victoria and South Australia.
The Asian Football Confederation has 47 members. There are 16 teams remaining in the Cup: Australia, Bahrain, China PR, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Korea R, Korea DPR, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Uzbekistan.
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen were eliminated in the last round of qualifiers.
Australia has dual entry — as host country and as the runner-up from 2011.
Can @Tim_Cahill lead the @Socceroos to #AC2015 victory on home soil? These fans think so! (pic @lukar_t) pic.twitter.com/IDvqpKSKXe
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 2, 2015
Hot weather should suit the ten Middle Eastern teams although they have come from winter conditions, as have many of the Socceroos team who play in Europe.
If you don’t know who the Socceroos or the Red Warriors are, there is plenty of time to learn all the nicknames of the teams.
16 Nations will decsend upon Australia in 17 days. Who has the best nickname?! #AC2015
A photo posted by AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) on
You can follow the official Twitter hashtag at #AC2015 and the AFC’s Instagram account. Most of the teams have their own Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. So does the mascot, wombat Nutmeg @nutmeg, seen here with a well-known sports fan:
Look at me in the paper again! RT @rdhinds My column in old fashion format. pic.twitter.com/bjQH7LuVnh
— Nutmeg (@nutmeg_2015) December 13, 2014
Inevitably, politics has already joined the fray after Australia voted against Palestine at the United Nations security council:
Utterly embarrassing. On the eve of Australia hosting Palestine in 2015 Asian Cup, Australia voted against Palestinian statehood in the .
— Athas Zafiris (@ArtSapphire) December 31, 2014
Given the state of international relations in Asia at present, we can expect more off-field tussles in the month to come.
Image courtesy of the Asian Football Confederation

author: Kevin Rennie


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Lovers of the Middle East, Unite! · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Young lovers from Morocco. Photographer: Alexandre Baron (via Flickr: Creative Commons License).
MENA Love Map is seeking stories of love during the so-called Arab Spring. Their goal is to collect and publish “100 love stories from around the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to show the world that the Arab Uprisings brought about unique social change.” They want your contribution.
The brainchild of a fiercely anonymous couple, who themselves are lovers who met during this period, this is their story.
Maya Norton (MN): I know you want to remain anonymous. What can you tell us about yourself?
Mena Love Map (MLM): We will remain anonymous until we gather 100 stories. We are two bloggers and lovers from different countries in MENA who crossed roads after the revolutions [of the Arab Spring] and decided to fight together in our different causes and support each other. That's why we believe the uprisings in our region should be approached as an opportunity rather than only as crises.
MN: When you say “love stories,” do you mean romantic ones or also good news that happened as a result of the Arab Spring?
MLM: We really detest the expression “Arab Spring.” We think it is a Western creation to decide our fate. What we mean by “love stories” is anything that was inspired, influenced, came as a result of or spanned around the post-2010 movements in our region, when new hopes started to arise and new forms of resistance manifested, resistance by demonstrating, but also resistance by love.
MN: How did the idea for MENA Love Map originate?
MLM: The idea originated from our love for each other, joining hands in our struggles and fighting for our causes in the region. We started discussing the idea last summer during the war in the Gaza Strip, in Iraq, the coup in Egypt, the continuous massacre in Syria, etc. It really reached its peak this summer where everything was fucked up and overwhelming in the region, generating only desperation.
We thought: we are strong with our power to love, to support each other beyond the borders despite what our countries are enduring, and [we] succeeded to continue the fight for hope, determination and [with a] big smile on the face. We thought: we are definitely not the only lovers who had this opportunity to meet, unite, and fall in love because of indeed those same crises in the region. We want to diffuse the love energy to our fellows in the region.
MN: What will the lovers map look like?
MLM: The main idea of the map will be to click on [the] countries where there is a story that can link to points of meetings of lovers beyond borders. You know, the concept of borders is very important in the MENA [region], especially in countries, for example, like Bahrain, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and others who left their countries as refugees and cannot come back.
So the mapping is really about crossing borders and [being] able to meet your lover on the other end of the Mediterranean or any other ocean.
MN: What is the ultimate goal of the website?
MLM: The website is just a platform to collect, document, and diffuse. Our aim is the process of collecting, telling, and sharing these stories by lovers themselves.
Thanks to MENA Love Map's founders to agreeing to the interview. If you don't have a love story to contribute but are interested in helping out with the project, you can sign up to volunteer.

author: Maya Norton


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Corruption, Climate Change and Chik-V Stole Headlines in the Caribbean in 2014 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Death to Chikungunya #Trinidad” – photo by georgiap, used under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.
Corruption, climate change and Chikungunya were the three Cs that defined the Caribbean in 2014. Of course, there were other stories of interest — gay rights, farewells to regional icons, and quite a bit of good news in the areas of culture, the arts and literature — but those three themes set the tone for the region last year. Here's a quick look back…
Chik-V
As early as January last year, Global Voices noted that Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus that causes fever and severe joint pain, was on the rise across the region. By October, Jamaica in particular seemed to be in the throes of an epidemic, reporting a mass outbreak of the disease and several resulting deaths. Exacerbating the situation was the fact that the country's health authorities appeared to be bungling the management of the outbreak.
The Jamaican blogosphere this year was also inundated with discussion about homophobia and gay rights, police brutality, sexism, public sexual harrassment and sexual abuse.
The 2014 Climate Change March in Trinidad and Tobago; photo by Dylan Quesnel, courtesy IAMovement, used with permission.
Climate Change
This year, the Caribbean considered its position and policies when it comes to the environment. Even as netizens were up in arms about the Jamaican government's apparent commitment to develop an ecologically sensitive area, young activists in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada were taking part in the global marches against climate change and organising grassroots movements to educate people and help effect change against what has been called humanity's greatest threat.
Corruption
The environment and the need for good governance collided in Trinidad and Tobago's most high-profile story of the year — environmental activist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh's second hunger strike in protest over a stretch of highway that his group, the Highway Re-Route Movement, maintains would displace long-standing rural communities and compromise an ecologically sensitive lagoon area. Amidst findings of gaps in proper project procedure, Kublalsingh's act of dissent soon became symbolic of growing public dissatisfaction over transparency in public office and the manner in which the voice of the people is overlooked by the representatives who are put there to serve.
Environmentalist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh during his 2012 hunger strike. Photo by Jolynna Sinanan, used with permission.
Kublalsingh has since survived more than three months on his fast and despite peaceful protests, the impasse remains. Add to this stalemate the other political missteps throughout the year — a surreptitiously passed Constitutional Reform Bill that could favour any incumbent government and maintain the two-party status quo, a president who saw it more appropriate to use the powers the public didn't think he had to chastise a comedian rather than address the inconsistencies in the Constitutional Reform Bill, allegations of corruption in a failed sporting programme for disenfranchised youth, and escalating violent crime against the backdrop of an illegitimate parallel economy — and it appears that the twin island republic had a pretty frustrating year.
Everything came to a head over the Christmas season when the government was widely criticised for spending lavishly on a Holiday Toy Drive even as the country faces an uncertain economic future as global oil prices plummet. Many expect the political shenanigans to get worse however, as the government must constitutionally call national elections this year.
Promotional photo for the new indigenous music-theatre work, Jab Molassie, premiering in Trinidad and Tobago this week. Photo by Maria Nunes, courtesy the Calabash Foundation for the Arts, used with permission.
Good News…and Goodbyes
In the interim, the region can console itself with the fact that there was also good news this year. In Grenada, young people are being encouraged to read again thanks to a little library that's making a big difference, Caribbean literature is attracting global attention, and West Indian artists are continuing to create magical pieces of musical and theatrical work. And when it came time for the region to pay its respects to public figures who passed on this year, the thinkers, academics, pioneers, artists and changemakers far outnumbered the tyrants — which suggests despite all the challenges the region has faced in 2014, it must be collectively doing something right.
Here's to 2015!

author: Janine Mendes-Franco