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Africa Celebrates Renowned Scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as Mauritius’ First Female President · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Ameena Gurib-Fakim, scientist and the new president of Mauritius. Photo via TED Conference Flickr page CC-BY-NC
Mauritius has marked a momentous milestone by inaugurating its first female president.
The nomination of eminent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was unanimously confirmed by the Mauritian National Assembly on 5 June. Her nomination came after former President Kailash Purryag resigned on 29 May.
Gurib-Fakim has authored over 28 scientific books sold worldwide and used as reference books by students and researchers alike. She holds an honorary doctorate from Pierre and Marie Curie University, formerly known as the Sorbonne. She is also an honorary professor of Pretoria’s University of South Africa (UNISA).
She is a laureate of the L'Oreal-UNESCO prize and holds numerous other honours, including the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Knight of the Order of Academic Palms, a prestigious honour conferred by the French government on distinguished cultural and academic figures).
The elevation of a woman to such a high government position brought on a wave of enthusiasm among African bloggers.
Carole, a young Mauritian who blogs about media, music and socio-linguistics, was thrilled about the scientist's appointment to the presidency. She writes:
Chers amis de Mondoblog et d’ailleurs, ce vendredi 5 juin 2015 marque un jour historique dans le parcours de mon pays… En effet, la première femme à assumer les fonctions de président de la République de l’Ile Maurice sera intronisée cet après-midi. Elle se nomme Ameenah Gurib-Fakim.
Contrairement aux présidentes Dilma Roussef, Park Geun-hye, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ou encore Cristina Kirchner, Ameena Gurib-Fakim n’a pas de carrière en politique. La présidente mauricienne est une brillante scientifique auréolée de nombreux prix et distinctions internationaux…
Ahhh, les subtilités ethniques, on y revient. Cette nomination, car les présidents de la République de Maurice ne sont pas élus au suffrage universel, revêt plusieurs aspects. Je laisserai le soin aux journalistes d’analyser les stratégies ethnopolitiques derrière cette nomination. Ne soyons pas dupes, en cette période de campagne électorale, il y a de bonnes raisons.
Dear friends, 5 June, 2015, marks a momentous day in my country’s history. The first female president of the Republic of Mauritius will be sworn into office at noon. Her name is Ameenah Gurib-Fakim.
Unlike other female presidents such as Dilma Roussef, Park Geun-hye, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Cristina Kirchner, Ameena Gurib-Fakim is not a career politician. The Mauritian president is a brilliant scientist whose work has been honored through numerous prizes and international awards.
However, as it always is there, the ethnic subtleties are always ever present in the background. There’s more to this appointment (the president of the Republic of Mauritius is not elected directly by the people) than meets the eye. I will leave it to the journalists to analyze the ethno-political maneuvering behind this nomination. But let’s not be naive – we are in an election campaign period and those who work hard behind the scenes to obtain this nomination know what they’re doing.
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim in her laboratory at
Centre technique de coopération agricole et rurale. Public domain
Following her blog post, many readers echoed Carole’s satisfaction. Seydou Koné from Mali congratulated Mauritius:
beaucoup de chance à elle et à votre pays. un autre pas vers l’égalité du genre.bravo au peuple mauricien
All the best to her and to your country. Another step towards gender equality. Well done to the Mauritian people
Eli of Togo added his congratulations to Koné's and asked a question about the political system of Mauritius:
Bon à savoir. Il s’agit d’une embellie qui devrait inspirer d’autres en Afrique et dans le monde. Par qui est nommé le président? Bon vent à elle.
Good to know. This development should inspire others like it throughout Africa and the world. Who nominates the president? Good luck to her.
Carole explained the procedure as follows:
Merci Eli! Elle a été nommée par le Premier ministre, et élue par les membres du Parlement mauricien. Et oui, c’est une bonne chose qui rejaillit sur le continent africain et autre. Ceci devrait certainement inspirer d’autres pays
Thank you Eli! She was appointed by the prime minister and confirmed by the members of the Mauritian Parliament. And yes, the development is a good one which reflects positively on the African continent and the world. This should certainly inspire other countries
The Ivorian-German community on Monsaphir TV, fighting to promote women's rights, made the following comment:
Sa nomination n'était pas une surprise, mais Ameenah Gurib-Fakim pensait avoir un peu plus de temps devant elle avant d'entrer en fonction. En décembre 2014, le gouvernement avait promis de mener pour la première fois une femme au poste honorifique de président de la République de Maurice. Le nom d'Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, scientifique de renom, avait alors fait consensus….
Ameenah Garib-Fakima, 56 ans, a la carrure d'une pionnière. Ce n'est en effet pas la première fois que la scientifique se fait une place dans un environnement très masculin. Première femme professeur d'université de Maurice, elle fût également la première doyenne de la faculté des sciences, entre 2004 et 2010.
While her nomination was not a surprising one, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim thought she would have had more time before having to take office. In December 2014, the government had promised to have the Presidency of the Republic of Mauritius – an honorary role – filled for the first time by a woman. The consensus then came to favour Professor Gurib-Fakim, a renowned scientist….
Ameenah Fakima-Garib, 56, has had a pioneering career. Indeed, this is not the first time that the scientist has asserted her place in a male-dominated environment. The first female professor at the University of Mauritius, she was also the first female dean of the Faculty of Science, serving in this role from 2004 and 2010.
The blog ‘De l'Ile Maurice’ (which translates as “From Mauritius) on the French online newspaper Medipart wondered about the impact that the appointment will have on the broader region:
Une belle avancée pour la démocratie à l’Ile Maurice. Chercheuse de renomée mondiale, (voir ses conférences TED en bas), la Présidente de l’Ile Maurice, va-t-elle insuffler un nouveau souffle sur Mauritius ? Ancienne vice chancelière de l’université de Maurice, Madame Gurib-Fakim passe de la science à la politique. Issue de la minorité musulmane, Madame Gurib-Fakim respectée et scientifique de renom va maintenant gérer le pays.
A great step forward for democracy in Mauritius. A world-renowned researcher (see her TED talks below), will the new the president of Mauritius breathe new life into the country? A former vice-chancellor of the University of Mauritius, Gurib-Fakim has moved from science to politics. Coming from the country’s Muslim minority, Gurib-Fakim, a respected and renowned scientist, will now run the country.
An interview with Gurib-Fakim, published on defimedia.info, has been read 3,649 times and has prompted several comments. A user called ‘Sam-lepep’, asked how the new president will use her power:
félicitations et bonne chance a Mme AGF…sera-t-elle un bol d'air frais et reussira-t-elle a jouer son role de garant de la Constitution?..en tout cas on ne peut que le souhaiter vivement!…dommage que sa nomination soit entachee des declarations virulentes de certains deputes et Ministres Lepep dont Yvan, exigeant le depart de son prédécesseur ..elle devrait peut-etre prendre l'engagement de soumettre illico sa démission si d'aventure un autre gouvernement arrive au pouvoir avant la fin de son mandat…quitte a ce que le nouveau gouv la reconduise a ce poste evidemment…
Congratulations and good luck to Ms. AGF … Will she bring a new approach and will she play her part as guardian of the Constitution? … we hope that she will! … shame that her appointment was marred by virulent statements of some members of parliament and ministers from the Alliance Lepep coalition, including those of [Lepep politician] Yvan, demanding the departure of her predecessor … Perhaps she should commit to resigning the presidency immediately should a new government somehow come to power before the end of her term … Things would get awkward if the new government was happy to recognise her as president …
Concerned about the fate of prisoners, especially victims of judicial errors, Ismael Nazir expressed his regret on lemauricien.com that the new president has not given this issue much attention:
En ce premier jour de Présidence à la tête de l'Etat, cette grande dame aurait du penser, non seulement à la femme et à la famille, mais aussi a ces innocents qui croupissent en prison, victimes d'erreur judiciaire, et a cette communauté qui est sous-representée à deux reprises dans un Parlement à 69, au lieu de 70 parlementaires, comme le réclame la Constitution?
Comment peut-elle jouir d'un succes issu d'un calcul politique et le savourer alors que certains de ses compatriotes, victimes d'injustice comme elle jadis, attend toujours un sauveur?
Pourquoi pas une amnistie? Est-ce parce justice et liberté ne sont pas des mots scientifiques?
On this first day of her presidency, as head of state, this great lady should have thought not just about women and family, but also about the innocent people languishing in prison, victims of judicial error, and about the community that has twice been unrepresented in our Parliament, which currently has only 69 sitting members – why not 70 as the Constitution provides?
How can she savour success when her appointment was politically motivated and while some among her countrymen, victims of injustice as she once was, still yearn for a saviour?
Why not amnesty? Is it because ‘justice’ and ‘freedom’ are not scientific words?
Gurib-Fakim’s elevation to the office of president is just the tip of iceberg when it comes to the success that Mauritius has enjoyed over the years. There is respect for the public good – Mauritius’ corruption rating saw it place 47th among 175. There is respect for individual freedom – Mauritius ranks 17th in this field, ahead of countries like France, the United States and Japan. The country has managed to turn its diversity into a source of vibrancy, yet it has not forgotten about the more painful aspects of its history. This has allowed it to better confront the legacy that these more painful aspects continue to present.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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After FIFA Ban on Indonesia, New Book Tells Story of Former Football Coach · Global Voices
Arpan Rachman

Wina shares the creative process of writing a book about football coach Petar Segrt. Photo by author
After the ban imposed by FIFA on Indonesia following the decision of the government to suspend the Indonesian football federation, a bit of good news greeted fans last week when a book was launched about the story of Petar Segrt, a Croatian who became head coach of the Makassar Football Association (PSM) from 2011-2013. The book is authored by Andi Widya Syadzwina, former media officer of PSM.
Segrt came to Indonesia when the country’s football clubs were split into factions. He became a popular coach during his stint with PSM.
In a video interview before he left Indonesia, Segrt hinted at some of the problems affecting Indonesian football:
You must be serious what you want. I think that in the beginning everybody was speaking to me: ‘We will build academy, we will be make this, will make this…’ But, in the end, you know what I mean, we have only problems.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Arpan Rachman


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As Karachi Succumbs to a Record-Breaking Heatwave, Social Media to the Rescue · Global Voices
Faisal Kapadia

Ward 5 of Karachi's Jinnah Hospital's has been reserved for heatstroke patients. Image from Junaid Akram's Facebook page.
More than 1,250 people have died after a record-breaking heatwave hit Karachi, the world’s second most populated city. As temperatures peaked at 114 F on the second day of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, when public eating and drinking is outlawed in Pakistan, there was also a power grid failure, making the the city’s poorest even more susceptible to illness as a result of the heat.
Many have ended up in Karachi’s poorly run and under-financed government hospitals. As images of these dilapidated establishments started to circulate on social media and on the country’s many TV channels, dozens of volunteers came together informally to “adopt” government hospital wards treating heat wave victims.
Friends of mine from the Ikmaan Welfare Trust have been working at Jinnah Hospital, where Ward 5 has been dedicated to heatstroke patients. On visiting the ward on June 30 and taking note of the conditions there, I tweeted the following:
This is the situation of wheel chairs in ward five in #jinnah someone please donate wheel chairs? #theward5project pic.twitter.com/6ESytPCg8Y
— FK (@faisalkapadia) June 30, 2015
The call for wheelchairs received an immediate response from Junaid Akram, a standup comedian from Pakistan. He donated 5 wheelchairs and has ordered stretchers as well. Here is what Junaid Akram wrote on his Facebook page:
UPDATE: Saw this tweet earlier today about wheelchair conditions at Ward 5 of Jinnah Hospital. Ward 5 has been dedicated to heat stroke patients. Urgently delivered 5 wheelchairs as shown in the picture below – they were handed over to Dr. Dil Nawaz. Moreover, there's a shortage of moveable stretchers so I've placed an order to a company in Lahore which will deliver 10 pieces via freight train by Saturday inshallah. Those stretchers along with 10 wheelchairs will be sent to Korangi National Hospital which is a government hospital made in the impoverished industrial area for the residents there.
For more information on the heatwave in Pakistan and related relief efforts, follow #khiheatupd.
Five wheelchairs being delivered to Jinnah Hospital in Karachi. Photo from Junaid Akram's Facebook page.

author: Faisal Kapadia


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Bahrain’s Prison Swap: A Strategy or a Coincidence? · Global Voices
Faten Bushehri

Protesters under attack with tear gas by riot police in January during clashes after protest demanding freedom of opposition leader Shaikh Ali Salman.  Photograph by Majeed Tareef. Copyright: Demotix
Prominent political leader and Secretary General of the National Action Democratic Society (WAAD) Ibrahim Sharif was released on June 19, after having served four years and three months out of his five-year-sentence. Three days prior to that clergyman Shaikh Ali Salman, the Secretary General of leading opposition bloc Alwefaq National Islamic Society, was sentenced to four years in prison, leading to the question of whether Sharif's unexpected release and Salman's sentence were a coincidence or part of the government's strategy in facing unrest in the country which has continued since February 14, 2011.
Sharif's release was met by much fanfare across the country, muting some of the anger at Salman's sentence. Crowds of well-wishers gathered outside Sharif's home awaiting his return. Enas Oun, member of Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), tweeted a photograph of the activist on his way home:
المناضل ابراهيم شريف بعد الافراج عنه #bahrain pic.twitter.com/bf9X37GGWZ
— Enas oun (@glorybahrain) June 19, 2015
Activist Ibrahim Sharif after his release
With three days between the two events, it remains questionable whether the decision to release Sharif after sentencing Salman was a calculated move or a spontaneous consequence.
Sharif was arrested on March 17, 2011, and sentenced to five years in prison on June 22, 2011. However, according to Bahrain's law, prisoners may be released after serving three quarters of their time, which for Sharif was supposed to have been on December 3, 2014. He has since been communicating with authorities regarding his early release, but was not successful until three days after Salman's sentencing. Could it possibly be a tactic to deflect international pressure away, and substitute a hideous sentencing with the release of another prominent activist. Media attention was deflected from the outrage over Salman's sentencing to the semi-celebration of Sharif's release.
Mohammed Ashoor tweets a photograph of crowds which gathered outside Sharif's house as soon as rumours about his imminent release were spread:
Ebrahim Sharif's welcome party! الناس في إنتظار #إبراهيم_شريف. #Bahrain pic.twitter.com/v1dfvPCxUR
— الوطن ليلى وكلنا قيس (@MohmdAshoor) June 19, 2015
Salman's verdict also comes one day after the United Kingdom opened it's royal navy base in the country, a move widely criticized by the opposition in Bahrain.
Salman was arrested on December 28, 2014, and charged with “incitement to promote the change of the political system by force, threats and other illegal means”, “public incitement to loathing and contempt of a sect of people which will result in disrupting public disorder”, “publicly inciting others to disobey the law” and “publicly insulting the Interior Ministry,” according to Amnesty International.
Salman was acquitted from more serious charges related to plotting to overthrow the regime, and sentenced to four years for the remaining charges. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, condemned the arrest and sentencing of Salman stating he is being prosecuted for practicing his right to freedom of expression. So did the international community, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations.
American diplomat Tom Malinowski condemns prosecuting anyone for peaceful expression:
Ali Salman sentenced to 4 years in prison for a speech. No one should be prosecuted for peaceful expression http://t.co/xctQoJLQQl #Bahrain
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) June 17, 2015
People took to the streets protesting the verdict and demanding his release. Another member of BCHR Hussain Radhi shares photographs from the protests:
Peaceful protests in different villages in #bahrain solidarity with political prisoners and Sh. Ali Salman #bahrain pic.twitter.com/Ey283CtKZk
— Hussain Radhi (@Huss3inRadhi) June 17, 2015
Amongst those expressing concern was the Iraqi Foreign Ministry which called on the Bahraini government to “reconsider the verdict” against Salman. The ambassadors of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait in Iraq protested the statement and delivered a message to the Iraqi Foreign Minister warning him of interfering with Bahrain's internal affairs, and to show respect for the country's sovereignty.
New York University journalism professor Mohamad Bazzi tweets:
#Bahrain is upset with #Iraq‘s FM for statement condemning 4-yr sentence against opposition leader Sheik Ali Salman | http://t.co/NNbC02tt7j
— Mohamad Bazzi (@BazziNYU) June 23, 2015
Emile Nakhleh, an expert on Middle East societies and member of Council on Foreign Relations, concludes that Alwefaq's boycott of elections in 2014 was used as an excuse to detain Salman, especially amid the divide in the ruling family, and the Crown Prince's critical position following the latest rumors that the crown could go to his younger brother Nasser. It seems that he had no choice but to support in cracking down on opposition.
Nakhleh explains:
the Crown Prince’s position within the family hierarchy has been increasingly precarious, especially in light of recent rumors that the succession to the throne might be rearranged in favor of his brother Nasser. Such a possibility, along the lines of the Saudi change of succession, is forcing Crown Prince Salman to be more circumspect in dealing with the opposition and in using al-Wefaq’s refusal to participate in the recent elections as a justification for persecuting its head.
Interestingly enough, the Ministry of Interior announced last month it will open six new buildings for inmates, two detention centers, and four rehabilitation centers across the country. Some say that is because of over population in the existing prison buildings.
Marc Owen Jones, who is active in tweeting about Bahrain, is one of them. He explains:
Ali Salman jailed, Ibrahim Sharif released. #Bahrain‘s prisons are so full they are operating a one in, one out policy.
— Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones) June 20, 2015
Active anonymous account Free Shawqi Radhi shares the same view:
Just like a coach exchange team players. #Bahrain take out sheikh Ali Salman and send him to jail, then release Ebrahim Sharif
— Free Shawqi Radhi (@FreedomPrayers) June 19, 2015

author: Faten Bushehri


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China Unleashes Police, Internet Censors on Anti-PX Plant Protesters in Shanghai · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Anti-PX protests in Shanghai on June 26. Image from Twitter user @wickedonnaa
Tens of thousands of residents from the Jinshan district of Shanghai city took to the streets over the course of a week, beginning June 22, to protest the government's plan to relocate a paraxylene (PX) plant to their neighborhood.
Armed police broke up the crowds this past weekend and forced the arrested to sign a “guarantee” that they would not rally against PX again. Chinese authorities also restricted Internet access and scrubbed social media of information about the protests.
With the idea of integrating the oil refining and chemical industry, Jinshan has been rezoned as a major site for the relocation of chemical factories from across Shanghai. To prepare for the new zoning plan, which the relocation of Pudong-based Gaoqiao oil refining factory to Jinshan would kick-start, authorities launched an environment assessment process, which is the last official step to implementing the integration plan.
In the past, a number of massive protests in major cities such as Dalian, Kunming and Xiamen have taken place against the construction of PX plants. Local residents were concerned about the air pollution caused by paraxylene, a by-product of the oil refining process and commonly used for producing plastic bottles and fiber which is toxic to humans.
To cool public anger, the government issued a statement on popular Chinese social media platform Weibo on June 26, calling for a stop to the environmental assessment of the relocation proposal. A large number of “cease-fire” banners were found on the streets, reportedly placed there by the government, saying:
環評終止了，一體化項目取消了，大家不要上街了。
The environmental assessment has been stopped. Integration project dropped. Don't take to the streets.
Determined to stop the project, tens of thousands still rallied in the streets over the weekend. The YouTube video below shows the weekend protest:
Thus far, the week-long protests have gone unreported in major mainland Chinese media outlets and witness accounts of the protests on Chinese Twitter-like Webio since June 23 have been erased. The remaining available sources of information come from overseas dissident news sites and social media platforms. @wickedonnaa has followed the news closely and reposted on Twitter information that was censored on Chinese social media since the beginning of the protests. Below are photos from the rally on June 26, before armed police began clamping down on the gathering:
6月26日，上海市金山区上万市民持续第5天游行抵制PX项目。［详：http://t.co/socrnalBwZ］ pic.twitter.com/PvjUTIrq1I
— 非新聞 (@wickedonnaa) June 26, 2015
June 26, tens of thousands of people in Shanghai's Jinshan District on the fifth day of continued protests against the PX project. Details: http: //t.co/socrnalBwZ
One of those news sites, NTDTV, interviewed several protesters on June 29 about the police crackdown. A man named Shum said:
现在每天游行的人，三、四万人，都是晚上，星期六去市区抓人的，金山局长带头打人，更何况警察呢。22号地铁线星期六都停掉了，交警都在高速查大巴，只要是金山人，不管你是什么理由，直接给你押走。网路封了，图片一发过来就屏蔽了。
There are rallies every night, about 30,000-40,000 people in the streets. On Saturday, they arrested those who went downtown. The head of Jinshan district police took the lead in beating up people, other police officers were even more harsh. They suspended the operation of subway line 22 and the traffic police were checking people in the buses on the highway. Once they found out that you were a resident of Jinshan, they took you away. The Internet was blocked. The minute that photos were uploaded, they disappeared.
Another protester named Nie talked about the situation on June 27:
两千多名特警加19辆运警车在拦访，进出市区，高铁捷运、公交车凭身份证坐，金山人不让去的。早上7点到11点，傍晚５点11点，连续三天金山地区的网路限速，4G手机直接变成2G。
Around 2,000 armed police with about 19 police vehicles were stopping protesters from entering the city center [via major roads and highways]. People had to show their ID cards when taking high-speed trains, the metro, and public transportation. All Jinshan residents were banned from entering the city. Over the past three days, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., access to the Internet in Jinshan district has been restricted. 4G mobile became 2G mobile.
@wickedonnaa reposted photos from Weibo of the June 28 rally:
6月28日，上海万人反PX第7天。（详：http://t.co/BqOJCB8Dyb） pic.twitter.com/VtomkLDliz
— 非新聞 (@wickedonnaa) June 28, 2015
June 28, the seventh day anti-PX protest in Shanghai. Tens of thousands joined the rally.
Aggressive police crackdowns will probably put a damper on anti-PX protests for a while. But if Shanghai, a major petrochemical processing city in China, does not suspend the expansion of the petrochemical industry, the conflicts will carry on, a post from Chinese bridge blog Letscorp.net argued:
上海就成了中国的几大石化产业重镇之一，企业获得了利益，政府获得了税收，民众获得了少量的工作机会和大量的污染。
今天的上海民众，在工作机会和环境之间，毫不犹豫地选择了环境。民众们对石化产业的抵触情绪将越来越严重。上海政府必须面对这样的压力，必须在税收和民众的生存之间做出选择。
Shanghai has become a major city for China's petrochemical industry. The corporates receive benefits, the government receives tax income, while ordinary people don't have many employment opportunities but have to endure serious pollution.
Today's Shanghai residents will definitely choose the environment over job opportunities and are resentful of the petrochemical industry. The Shanghai government has to choose between their tax income and people's livelihoods.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Documentary ‘Too Black To Be French’ Wants to Start an Honest Conversation on Race in France · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Screen capture of the trailer of the documentary “Too black to Be French”
“Too Black to Be French” is a documentary made by Isabelle Boni-Claverie, a French-Ivorian writer and filmmaker. Boni-Claverie's goal is to provide unexplored ideas and start a conversation on French society's inequalities and discrimination.
The documentary includes commentary and analyses from renowned Francophone thinkers such as Eric Fassin, Pap Ndiaye, Achille Mbembe, Patrick Simon and Eric Chalaye, along with testimonies from anonymous people of color. Some of the main arguments in the documentary are the conspicuous lack of minorities in the public media sphere, the lack of acknowledgment of colonial history in the fabric of the nation and the absence of quantitative data on discrimination at the workplace.
The documentary ignited a trending hashtag #TuSaisQueTesNoirEnFranceQuand (Translation: You know you are black in France when…) on Francophone social media.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Cats and Kittens Flood an Italian Anti-Immigration Politician’s Facebook Page · Global Voices
j. j

Photo of the event created on Facebook.
Images depicting baby animals, in particular kittens, are now among the most shared on social media, so much so that coming face to face with their sweet eyes on a daily basis appears to be an unavoidable fate. Therefore, yet another Facebook page dedicated to those with a passion for cats may not seem like a major innovation.
But what happened in Italy recently is a little different. A group called Progetto Kitten launched a virtual flashmob aimed at Matteo Salvini, who leads the Northern League, a party known for its xenophobic and anti-European stance. Instead of dancing, Progetto Kitten asked the participants—all 26,000 of them—to flood Salvini's Facebook page with pictures of cats and kittens
The organisers say that they are not political, but simply want to “bring adorable kitten-messengers of love to the walls of those who take life too seriously.”
The kitten flashmob took place May 7, but many cats could be seen in the comments of the politician's posts even after that date.
A screenshot of some of the cats on Salvini's wall
In the words of the campaign's creator, Salvini was chosen solely on the basis of the sound of his name, as it rhymes with gattini, the Italian word for kittens. Hence, the hashtag and the name under which the campaign spread: #gattinisusalvini (kittens on Salvini).
Despite the non-political objectives of #gattinisusalvini, many of the participants included criticism of the politician's stances and rhetoric alongside their feline photos:
“Hi Salvini, I'm a cross-breed cat”
“Romani cats, illegal musicians”
The initiative was more successful than the organisers anticipated, and it soon spread from Facebook to Twitter.
Progetto Kitten announces the success of the initiative on Twitter
Pagina #Facebook di #Salvini invasa da foto di gattini. E su #Twitter vola #gattinisusalvini http://t.co/LgpL8DPzRT pic.twitter.com/m1oRarN5II
— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) Mayo 7, 2015
Facebook page of Salvini invaded by photos of kittens. And on Twitter #gattinisusalvini spreads
oggi ore 15 #gattinisusalvini io e @Jacopo_llo abbiamo già la tastiera bollente [PH CC: CiccioGatti e Socialismo] pic.twitter.com/ulHgt5BjzT
— Fr4vl (@Fra_vl) Mayo 7, 2015
today 3pm #gattinisusalvini, @Jacopo_llo and I have our keyboards at the ready [PH CC: CiccioGatti e Socialismo]
#gattinisusalvini è forse una delle più brillanti opere d'arte del nuovo millennio.
— Francesco Quaranta (@fnc40) Mayo 7, 2015
#gattinisusalvini is perhaps one of the best works of art of the new millennium.
Some welcomed the success of the initiative, which, according to Wired, is the correct response to a brand of politics that is ever less convincing and filled with slogans. The cuteness of the kittens contrasts with the hatred dispensed by politicians, while laughter contrasts with the speeches against foreigners and minority groups.
But there were also many people who weren't fans of the effort. Critics noted, for example, that the use of kittens reflects the participants’ lack of solid arguments against the leader of the Northern League.
Many also pointed out that the campaign aided Salvini, increasing his popularity rather than causing him to soften his tone.
In fact, although the first reaction of the leader of the Northern League was to block the most active users in the spread of cats, seeing it as a “spring cleaning” of his Facebook page, he later ended a post with a “meow”, gaining approval for his self-deprecating humour.
“Spring cleaning! For a more beautiful and sincere page: what do you think, should I start???”
“ALFANO, from people-smugglers’ aid to aspiring slave driver. Regression of the species. Meow.”
His supporters created a new hashtag, #gattiniconsalvini (kittens with Salvini), spreading images of Salvini surrounded by the omnipresent cats.
Kittens with Salvini. #gattiniconsalvini
One of the Facebook posts featured in this image, calling on supporters to post photos of their own cats, reads, “My cat votes for Salvini.”
An image of a cat riding a bulldozer refers to how Salvini intends to raze Romani camps in the country.
The cat on a bulldozer. Kittens for Salvini
If the aim of the initiative was to soften the tone of the quarrelsome Italian political scene, it hasn't succeeded. At least the kittens, even when they are unfortunately driving a bulldozer or dressed as political activists, are still very cute.

author: j. j


text:
Every Year, 100,000 People in India Suffer From Tuberculosis and HIV · Global Voices
Beheshta Namdar

TB patients at Sewri Hospital, Ward 3. Image by George Butler. Used with permission from MSF.
There were 1.1 million people globally who needed simultaneous treatment for tuberculosis (TB) and HIV in 2013. Out of those 1.1 million, 360,000 died, and the problem remains one of the major global health challenges in the present time. HIV can destroy so many of your CD4 cells that your body can't fight infections and diseases anymore.
HIV patients usually are not infected with TB bacteria unless in contact with someone who also is infected with TB bacteria. But if they live in a country with a high prevalence of TB, there is a high chance of being infected with it.
TB-HIV is indeed a critical public health issue in India, as Shobha Shukla at Citizen News Service writes:
According to WHO estimates, India has the highest burden of TB in the world with 2.3 million cases (out of a global incidence of 8.7 million) and about 320,000 deaths occurring annually. 5% or 0.11 million of the TB patients in India are HIV positive too. India thus accounts for about 10% of the global burden of HIV-associated TB with 100,000 patients co-infected with the two diseases annually. Without timely diagnosis and treatment, a large number of these doubly sick people are likely to die.
Estimated deaths due to HIV/TB are 42,000 in India, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The high rates of HIV are leading other diseases like TB to be a risk factor. HIV/TB is a major issue in India due to the lack of space, fresh air, toilets, sunlight and education.
Anti-retroviral therapy along with anti-tuberculosis treatment is the only available treatment in present time. There is currently no cure HIV infection, although anti-retroviral treatment can suppress the HIV virus.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is one organization that is delivering healthcare to people with HIV/AIDS and TB in India, especially to marginalised groups like transgender communities.
In the above video from MSF India, Iqbal, a drug-resistant tuberculosis survivor from Mumbai, Maharashtra, explains how he defeated the disease. “You just have to be patient, don’t give up,” he says. After struggling with tuberculosis for two years he says he finally feels that he is better. Iqbal advises that “things can get better, DR-TB can be cured, you can live a normal life like everyone else.”
According to the World Health Organization:
TB is the most common presenting illness among people living with HIV, including among those taking antiretroviral treatment and it is the major cause of HIV-related death.
A TB patient. Image by George Butler. Used with permission from MSF.
Illustrator George Butler, who collaborated with MSF in 2013 to sketch patients suffering drug-resistant tuberculosis, writes on his website:
Until now tuberculosis has been continually overlooked but is a worsening problem, especially in the major capitals of the world and particularly London.
There is a strong stigma attached to both HIV and tuberculosis, and many patients lose their jobs because of it. Beyond medical treatment, counseling is another way to help patients.
A patient with MDR-#TB & #HIV waits for his regular check-up in #MSF clinic #India http://t.co/4xHpDw9SgE pic.twitter.com/0ua6Vc53Ch
— MSF Ireland (@MSF_ireland) May 16, 2014
According to the WHO, the Indian government has made a large effort to reduce the rates of HIV/AIDS and TB, with the country spending 252 million US dollars in 2014 on its TB program, of which 66 per cent was funded domestically and 34 per cent was funded internationally.
But for Shakti Garg from India, authorities aren't focusing on these diseases enough:
India has been able to eradicate polio with its mission modedness. Why cant such urgency be brought to anti-TB/HIV program? #tickingTimeBomb
— Trouble-phile Indian (@shakti_garg) October 26, 2014

author: Beheshta Namdar


text:
Greece’s Great Fight for the Future · Global Voices
Elaine Rigas

Image by psyberartist, September 11, 2013, Omonoia, Athens, Attica. CC 2.0.
Greece is preparing to hold its first national referendum in more than 41 years. The last time the country came together to vote like this, it was 1974—the so-called Metapolitefsi—and Greece's very transition to democracy was at stake. On June 27, in a national address that's available online with subtitles in several different languages, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced the country's new referendum, set to take place on July 5. The speech came after midnight, after a flurry of emergency meetings, surprising many throughout Greece and the rest of Europe.
The referendum will formally ask Greek citizens to accept or reject a plan submitted by the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund that would extend financial help to Greece but includes two new austerity measures: “reforms for the completion of the current program and beyond” and “preliminary debt sustainability analysis.” The debt-laden country received two bailout packages in 2010 and 2011, but that program expired this week.
Following the midnight announcement, Greeks spent the weekend reacting with a mix of understanding and panic, with thousands of people rushing to ATMs to withdraw money, forcing the national bank to take “significant efforts” to ensure the country's cash supply.
#Greece Huge ATM queue in the biggest square of my city, Thessaloniki. I am afraid that my country is falling apart. pic.twitter.com/aNJTSbsEb1
— AvgerinosVlachos (@_ThePaperman) junio 28, 2015
Ουρές σε ΑΤΜ στο Γαλάτσι pic.twitter.com/7LvU8v6Aoi
— BankingNews.gr (@bankingnewsgr) June 27, 2015
Queues at ATM in Galatsi (a neighborhood in Athens)
Among the Greek public and in newsrooms around the world, people have struggled to remain calm, battling frustration and anxiety. Within minutes of the Prime Minister's speech, Twitter users introduced the hashtag #Greferendum and #dimopsifisma, which soon became rallying points for expressions of fear, hope, irony, and more about the breaking news:
Οι καλύτερες δημοσκοπήσεις ήταν ανέκαθεν τα betting site του εξωτερικού. Το #ΝΑΙ θα είναι συντριπτικό #dimopsifisma pic.twitter.com/l2Sq9gZnsE — Lef (@_Lefteris_) June 29, 2015
The best opinion polls were always the foreign betting sites. YES is going to have a landslide victory
In Brussels, political analyst Paul Quinn mourned what he expects to be the death of “European solidarity”:
RIP the myth of European Solidarity #grexit #Greferendum #Greece
— Paul Quinn (@PaulQuinnBxl) June 27, 2015
Scientist and cultural resource manager Nikos Chatziandreou, meanwhile, wondered:
Φτάσαμε οι εταίροι να κατακρίνουν έναν πρωθυπουργό για την απόφασή του να ρωτήσει τη γνώμη των πολιτών που τον ψήφισαν; #Greferendum
— Nikos Chatziandreou (@nchatziandreou) June 27, 2015
Did we reach the point that [our European] partners condemn a prime minister for deciding to ask what his voters think?
User Tsarkos from Ioannina, Epirus, offered a prediction:
Καλως ήρθες Διχασμέ.Καλως ήρθες Bank Run. #dimopsifisma
— Greg Tsarkovistas (@Tsarkos) June 26, 2015
Welcome to the Schism. Welcome to the Bank Run. [The National Schism was a period of major political conflict in Greece that began in the 1910.]
In northern Greece, the blog Milamere has its own thoughts about the future:
Το μεγαλύτερο στοίχημα της γενιάς μας: ναι ή όχι στο ευρώ, Ευρώπη ή τρίτος κόσμος, δημοκρατία ή ολοκληρωτισμός #dimopsifisma
— Milamere (@Milamere) June 26, 2015
The greatest bet of our generation: yes or no to euro? Europe or Third World? Democracy or totalitarianism?
Yale's Stathis Kalyvas, a professor of political science, shared an emotional photo:
Η γενιά της μεταπολίτευσης ευχαριστεί τους γονείς της pic.twitter.com/kE6a2TGk3K — Stathis Kalyvas (@SKalyvas) June 29, 2015
The Metapolitefsi generation [which lived through the 1974 transition to democracy] thanks their parents
Others remembering this era, however, tweeted in the opposite spirit:
@SKalyvas η γενιά της μεταπολίτευσης ας πει μια ΣΥΓΓΝΩΜΗ στα παιδιά της καλύτερα.
— Vangelis Batistatos (@VanBatistatos) June 29, 2015
The Metapolitefsi generation should APOLOGIZE to its children
Zoi Konstantopoulou, the speaker of the parliament, described Greece's new referendum as “a historic initiative taken by the government, 41 years after the inauguration of current Constitution, implementing the direct democracy procedure and demonstrating trust in the people.”
In the shadow of the referendum, the atmosphere in Europe is far from pleasant, with Eurogroup officials largely critical of Greece's choice to put the issue to a popular vote. Belgian minister and Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem described the situation as unfortunate, adding that Prime Minister Tsipras’ decision came as a surprise. Similarly, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble stressed:
H ελληνική κυβέρνηση έβαλε τέλος μονομερώς στις διαπραγματεύσεις. Προς το παρόν, δεν υπάρχει πλέον βάση προκειμένου να υπάρξουν διαπραγματεύσεις. Κανένας από τους συναδέλφους με τους οποίους μίλησα δεν έχει την παραμικρή ιδέα για το τι μπορούμε να κάνουμε τώρα. Κανείς δεν βλέπει πλέον την πιθανότητα συμφωνίας.
The Greek government unilaterally ended negotiations. Currently, there is no any basis for further negotiations. None of our partners, with whom I spoke, has any idea of what we can do right now. Nobody sees any possibility for an agreement.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis wrote on Twitter:
Democracy deserved a boost in euro-related matters. We just delivered it. Let the people decide. (Funny how radical this concept sounds!) — Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) June 26, 2015
Later, Eurogroup's 18 member states released a collective statement about the situation in Greece:
[…] The Eurogroup recalls the significant financial transfers and support provided to Greece over the last years. The Eurogroup has been open until the very last moment to further support the Greek people through a continued growth-oriented programme. The current financial assistance arrangement with Greece will expire on 30 June 2015 […] The euro area authorities stand ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure financial stability of the euro area.
Meanwhile, on June 29, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called on Greek citizens to vote “yes” in the referendum, arguing that a “no” vote would amount voting against Europe. Earlier, on June 26, the Financial Times’ economics correspondent Ferdinando Giugliano tweeted:
Hard to see how the Greek banks can survive a week of uncertainty before a #Greferendum. Capital controls on their way? #Greece
— Ferdinando Giugliano (@FerdiGiugliano) June 26, 2015
In fact, shortly after Giugliano's comment, Greek officials announced that the country's banks wouldn't open on Monday, June 29, and would remain closed until July 6. During this period, ATM withdrawals will be limited. The Facebook satirical page Plasticobilism immediately took aim at the emergency measure:
“Damn you ATM. Be afraid of empty people, not empty ATMs”. From Facebook page
Political opponents of Prime Minister Tsipras and his leftist Syriza party wasted no time criticizing his handling of the situation. Fofi Genimmata, the new leader of a rival political party, has already demanded Tispiras’ resignation, calling for snap elections.
Evangelos Venizelos, whom Genimmata just replaced, has called the referendum a “coup” movement and an illegal effort of grab votes, questioning the vote's very constitutionality.
Antonis Samaras, a former prime minister and the leader of New Democracy, Greece's main opposition party, has accused Tsipras of irresponsibly isolating the country, while Costas Karamanlis (yet another former prime minister) has warned that Greece would face dire consequences if it breaks with the Eurozone.
Τα πιο ζωτικά συμφέροντα του έθνους επιβάλουν την παραμονή της χώρας στην καρδιά της Ευρώπης. Οι υπαρκτές ατέλειες της ΕΕ δεν αναιρούν επ’ ουδενί την αξία αυτού του στρατηγικού προσανατολισμού. Άφρονες επιλογές που ναρκοθετούν την αρχή αυτή εξωθούν τη χώρα σε περιπέτειες με απρόβλεπτες και πιθανώς μη αναστρέψιμες συνέπειες».
The most vital interests of the nation demand that Greece stay within the heart of Europe. The existent EU defects do not negate in any way the value of this strategic orientation. Unwise choices undermine this principle, sending the country on adventures with unpredictable, possibly irreversible consequences.
New Democracy and opposition party PASOK are preparing a motion of censure against the government to prevent the referendum, while far-right Golden Dawn, though it blames the government for the way the situation has evolved, supports the referendum. Twitter user Greek Analyst offered one perspective on the referendum:
The #greferendum by itself is not undemocratic; it's the timing, dishonest question, govt's propaganda &no plan for #Grexit that make it so.
— The Greek Analyst (@GreekAnalyst) junio 29, 2015
Greece is struggling to breathe, and European austerity measures are deeply unpopular. In recent years, unemployment, layoffs, bankruptcies, and even suicides have risen worryingly. The people feel pushed to their limits and consequently reacted in the last elections, in an attempt to abandon the years-old corrupt political status quo. All of these events have brought the country to this moment, the greatest challenge it has faced in its modern history.
As the weight of these issues lead Greeks to the polls next weekend, Europe waits with bated breath to see what the future of European democracy holds for the place it was born.

author: Elaine Rigas


text:
In Deadly Heatwave, Karachi’s Citizens Adopt Neglected Government Hospitals to Save Lives · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

“Non stop heat stroke patients brought in to JPMC Emergency” Posted on Tasneem Butt's Facebook page on June 22.
More than 1,200 people have died after a record-breaking heatwave hit Karachi, one of the world’s most populated cities located in southern Pakistan.
Many of the 65,000 heatwave victims ended up in Karachi’s poorly run, neglected and under-financed government hospitals.
Temperatures peaked at 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) on June 20, the second day of the Islamic month of fasting Ramadan, when public eating and drinking is largely outlawed in Pakistan. There was also a power grid failure, making the city’s poorest most vulnerable to heatstroke and dehydration.
While temperatures have dropped to 95-98 degrees Fahrenheit (34-37 degrees Celsius), 2,000 heatwave victims are still being treated in hospitals across Karachi.
As images of Karachi's dilapidated hospitals overwhelmed with heatstroke victims started to circulate on social media and on the country’s many TV channels, dozens of Karachi citizens informally and formally came together to gather or volunteer resources at government hospital wards treating heatwave victims.
This heat wave has proved that Karachi needs more hospitals and the current ones need better equipment and Sindh needs a better government.
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) June 24, 2015
At Karachi's largest federal government run hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), heatstroke victims were placed in rundown wards with out-of-service air conditioners, filthy bathrooms, and limited water supplies.
Yusra Askari, a journalist and activist, together with Imkaan Welfare Trust helped organize a donors collaborative to adopt Ward 5, which has 80 beds and treated hundreds of victims during the heatwave. Imkaan is a registered non-profit in Karachi that usually works to save abandoned infants, but with the heatwave, they felt it necessary to help out at the JPMC.
Their #TheWard5Project took over the janitorial services for a month in that ward. On June 29, Yusra posted about their progress on Facebook:
It's been a little over 24 hours that 3 teams of 5 janitors and 1 supervisor each have worked tirelessly around the clock to sweep, mop, broom and scrub Ward 5 in an attempt to clean it. New dustbins, bin liners and all, have been placed under all the beds in both sections of the ward and trash cans have also been positioned at regular intervals.10 pedestal fans have been brought in to cool temperatures in Ward 5 while a group of very generous donors and volunteers working alongside us are having serviced and repaired the existing air conditions (6 of which are now up and running) in the ward and are putting into place, new wiring to bring in additional units.
Jibran Nasir and other activists with Elaj Trust, a young social welfare non-profit, mobilized to raise money for people vulnerable to the heatwave. They also raised awareness about staying cool through distributing pamphlets on and offline.
Nasir, who is a young Karachi-based lawyer well known for his anti-extremism activism, shot a video at JPMC showing the horrific conditions there that went viral on June 26. A mobile video shot by citizen reporter Faysal Mustafa Soomro, showing Jibran take the chief minister of Sindh to task when he visited the hospital, went viral as well.
“Hospital wards 6 and 7 JPMC including toilets being cleaned and maintained by our team as any Hospital ward should be.#WhereIsTheHealthBudget” From the Elaj Trust Facebook page.
Elaj Trust rallied to gather funds to help fix Ward 6 and 7 of JPMC, assist at Civil Hospital, another neglected government facility, and provide bottled water and shaded areas across the city during Ramadan. Within four days they raised 9 million rupees ($88,000) and had to ask donors to pause donating, while they figured out how to scale to manage larger funds. Organizations like #ProjectPakistan also helped gather funds for Elaj Trust.
They are keeping the accounting of donations transparent through their Facebook page. Going through Jibran Nasir's timeline, you can see how quickly the organization identified and rallied support for the most pertinent problems:
ACs being installed in Ward 6 of JPMC by @elajtrust with help & support of amazing Pakistanis around the world. pic.twitter.com/BYvOkCLked
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) June 26, 2015
Temporary shades/water supply set up at Cantt St, Punjab Chowrangi, 2 Talwar, 3 Talwar, I.I. Chundrigar @elajtrust pic.twitter.com/pnPNHFBwhs
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) June 28, 2015
Urgent We need 3 volunteers with cars to deliver water bottles regularly at our Water distribution points in Khi South Plz call 03343376321
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) June 28, 2015
Just got a donation from Pakistani girl living in US. Its her one month salary. With every tragedy you come across bigger hearts @elajtrust
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) June 29, 2015
Everyone please donate water bottles at Ward 7 JPMC. We are circulating the water at 10 different locations from here. @elajtrust
— Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) June 29, 2015
Non-profit organization Jafaria Disaster Management Cell, also known as JDC, swung into action as early as June 20. JDC runs an ambulance network in Karachi and helps in rehabilitation efforts after disasters. They released a video on June 22 detailing the breakdown of healthcare in Karachi on their popular Facebook page, where they have more than 100,000 fans and primarily post in Urdu. Their video has been viewed more than 2.5 million times, shared tens of thousands of times and has helped raise awareness about the crisis. Here's a translated excerpt from the video:
We think it is our civic responsibility to tell you what happened after temperatures hit 45 degrees C in Karachi. Karachi's hospitals were soon full, all government hospitals declared an emergency, the ambulance system broke down, and all of Karachi's graveyards put a block on receiving more dead bodies, because their existing system was overwhelmed. They did not have enough people to dig graves and enough spots to bury people. Even morgues cannot accommodate any more dead bodies.
[…] If you have a plot of land where we can set up a cold storage facility please get in touch. We are trying to increase our ambulance capacity too. Please help.”
Within days JDC established a free temporary morgue for heatwave victims.
Karachi Relief Trust, a group of “civic-minded volunteers working together to mitigate the effects of natural and man-made disasters”, is helping at JPMC too. They posted this photo to their Facebook page:
“Stretchers were in short supply. Got these through a silent donor with efforts of our champion volunteer Fahad Asadullah”
Healers, another group of volunteers, showed up at JPMC and Civil Hospital, with stocks of medicines, bed sheets, and IV-stands.
And many citizens just organized informal donation drives through their Facebook pages. Posts by Natasha Mustafa and Tasneem Butt about the conditions and needs at JPMC were shared widely and resulted in dozens of volunteers making a difference. Natasha Mustafa posted this on June 26:
Received thousand plus Kinley mineral water bottles from Coca Cola Pakistan yesterday for the patients at Jinnah Hospital. Immensely thankful to Coca Cola for sponsoring. Thank you Sabeen F. Haque and Jehan Ara for making this possible. Also received a stock of 250 bedsheets for the Emergency Department. It's commendable how you reached out to help Jinnah Hospital and various other hospitals across the city at such a critical time.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


text:
Nigerians Are Shocked by the ‘Kano Nine’ Death Sentence for Blasphemy · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Nine people have been allegedly sentenced to death in the ancient city of Kano, north-west Nigeria, for blaspheming against Prophet Mohammed. Nigeria is a presidential democracy with a central government and 36 federating units (state governments). However, nine states in the northern part of the country practice the Islamic Sharia law.
Gate to Emir's palace in Kano by Shiraz Chakera. Image under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
African Spotlight reports that the judgement was passed by “an Upper Sharia Court, Rijiyar Lemo, in Kano State”:
Early last month, a group of Tijjaniyya sect members, during Maulud in Kano, blasphemed the prophet of Islam and the action was followed by widespread protest in the state. After series of hearing, the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal, in a statement, said the nine were found guilty under Sections 110 and 382B of the Sharia Penal Court law of 2000.
Oluwadara Kasali of Nigerian Monitor gives more insight on the case:
It was reported that this barbaric judgement created wild jubilation in certain quarters in Kano, this was further worsened when the Kano Government’s expressed satisfaction at the given verdict. A press release by the government stated that this judgement will serve as a deterrent to others…
Four other persons namely Alkassim Abubakar, Yahaya Abubakar, Isa Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar were discharged and acquitted as they were not found wanting by the court. However, Abdul-Inyas and Hajiya Mairo, with seven others to death, will be executed over a case of Blasphemy once the Kano State Governor appends his signature on their execution form.
Very little is know aside from these sketchy reports. Arome, a Lagos-based multi-media professional, wrote:
@feathersproject its all shrouded in so Much mystery n secrecy The report claims even the name of the judge was kept secret
— Chief Priest (@_iamarome) July 1, 2015
Section 10 of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides thus: “the Government of the Federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion.” This makes Nigeria a secular state. However, this has been contentious, as some have argued that this constitutional provision only means that Nigeria is a multi-religious country. Writing for Nigerian news site News Diary Online, Wulumba Iliya Jatau argues:
Looking at this provision on the surface it may appear to discard any element of religion in a state. But a careful examination of the provision may reveal the true intention of the draftsman what section 10 tends to achieve is a balance of religious tolerance and recognition in such a way that no particular religion is given a level of dominance over another. The provision intends to strike a balance in the eyes of law irrespective of the number of adherents to a particular religion.
Justice Niki Tobi once commented on both the issue of section 10 and secularity of Nigeria when he reportedly said: “There is a general notion that section 10 of the 1999 constitution makes Nigeria a Secular Nation. The word secular etymologically means pertaining to things not spiritual, ecclesiastical or not concerned with religion what section 10 is out to achieve is that Nigeria cannot for example adopt Christianity or Islam as a state religion and that is different from secularism”.
Thus from the foregoing, what section 10 tries to rule out is a state of theocracy which is a Government by an established religion. In other words the provision of section 10 is geared towards attaining an equilibrium amongst the different religions in the country. This is further corroborated by the provisions of section 38 and 15 subsection (2) of the 1999 constitution. Section 38 provides that every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to change his religion or beliefs, also, as part of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state Policy contained in chapter II of the constitution. Section 15 (2) provides that national integration shall be actively encouraged; whist discrimination on the ground of Religion shall be prohibited.
The question still remains: is Nigeria a secular nation or a multi-religious country?
Secular in theory. Multi-religious in practice. https://t.co/8WoY6c4Fz1
— Damocles (@Damocleansword) July 1, 2015
Nigerians have taken their outrage to Twitter, where they have condemned the sentence. A Twitter user questioned the jurisdiction of a religious court granting a death sentence:
A religious court should not be able to effect the death penalty in a Federalist system, there's something wrong with that. #SaveKanoNine — Andre Blaze Henshaw (@AndreBlaze) July 1, 2015
Similar sentiments were expressed by @NaijaHistory, who called on the governor of Kano state to intervene:
When did ‘blasphemy’ become a crime deserving of capital punishment in #Nigeria? @GovUmarGanduje must revoke this error. #SaveKanoNine — A|#BringBackOurGirls (@NaijaHistory) July 1, 2015
Hydra pointed out the irony:
Terrorists are being kept in prisons but ordinary blasphemers are getting death sentences. #SaveKanoNine #StopSharia — Hydra (@briandark) July 1, 2015
Dupe Kllia pointed out on the futility of playing God's warrior:
What is happening in #Kano? Ppl should not ve to be killed in 2015 because of blasphemy. Leave them to God or just leave them! #SaveKanoNine — Dupe Killa (@dupekilla) July 1, 2015
Onye Nkuzi was furious that in 21st century, blasphemy is considered a crime deserving death:
Nine Nigerians have been “sentenced to death for blasphemy” This would be ludicrous if not so tragic #SaveKanoNine — Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) July 1, 2015
This Twitter user asked Amnesty International to step in:
Dear @amnesty, Kano govt has sentenced nine Nigerians to death for blaspheming Allah. This is d type of crime u should fight #SaveKanoNine
— #ABookForAfrica (@Gomeznsude) July 1, 2015
However, not all are dissenting the sentence. Ibraheem M claims:
You want to #SaveKanoNine abi? Just go out the streets of Kano & say you will protest their death sentence. You too, will be history! Idiots
— Ibraheem M (@ibrah_shuwa) July 1, 2015
As Muslims we can't force you to like us or our way of life. That's your choice. But you should never interfere in our affairs #SaveKanoNine — Ibraheem M (@ibrah_shuwa) July 1, 2015
While Opeyemi Ahmed, also Muslim, writes:
No one can defend God to pass death sentence on others, I'm a Muslim and in totality I condemn it. #SaveKanoNine
— Amb Opeyemi Ahmed (@amb_opeyemi) July 1, 2015
Zebbook asks a poignant question that needs to be answered:
This blasphemy something, can traditional worshipers also make a case for their gods and sentence the rest of us?
— B. (@zebbook) July 1, 2015

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


text:
Which Lebanese and Arab Media Covered #SaudiCables and Which Ones Didn’t? · Global Voices
Abir Ghattas

The Saudi Cables: Buying Silence: How the Saudi Foreign Ministry controls Arab media
The silence of major newspapers and media outlets towards more than half a million leaked documents from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is deafening.
A total of 61,000 Arabic-language documents, which offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Saudi corridors of power, published by WikiLeaks, are already online.
The information dump reveal secret communications from Saudi embassies, as well as “top secret” reports from other Saudi state institutions, including the Ministry of Interior and the Kingdom's General Intelligence Services. More are set to be published in the coming weeks, according to a press release published by the whistleblowing site.
In the Saudi Cables press release, Wikileaks chose to focus on how the Saudi Kingdom controls the media, by posting an article along with a press release that explains the modus operandi of the Saudi Foreign Ministry. In an attempt to measure the Saudi control over the media, the following is a round up of how the majority of the Lebanese media outlets and a couple of international outlets with a regional presence covered the exposé.
Al-Akhbar newspaper, one of the official media partner of Wikileaks, evidently has the most active coverage of the Saudi Cables.
Tweets about ويكيليكس from:alakhbarnews
However, “active coverage” doesn't really apply to the majority of the Lebanese media. Journalist and professor Asad Abu Khalil tweeted to his 25K followers:
دعكَ ودعكِ من مضمون وثائق ويكيليكس عن السعوديّة: أليس مُلفتاً ان الإعلام العربي ممنوع عليه التحدّث في الموضوع الذي يشغل الصحافة العالميّة؟
— asad abukhalil (@asadabukhalil) June 20, 2015
Leave us from the content of the Saudi Cables: Isn't it interesting that the Arabic media is not allowed to cover the #SaudiCables which is preoccupying the international media?
MTV Lebanon, one of the main TV stations in Lebanon (which is mentioned in the leaked document 83763 for asking $20 million but received $5 million for the Saudi government), did not publish any news on its website even though it did an extensive coverage back in 2012 and 2011 of similar leaks. MTV only tweeted once:
بزي رداً على ويكيليكس: يروحوا يخيطوا بغير هالمسلة http://t.co/VzGSNmKUBs
— MTV Lebanon News (@MTVLebanonNews) June 22, 2015
Bazzi in response to WikiLeaks: Let them make things up in other matters
The tweet is an article about the reply from Lebanese member of Parliament Ali Bazzi on the information published in doc 113007 that the CIA infiltrated Hezbollah via his role in the Amal movement. Future TV, also tweeted the same tweet as MTV. They reported Bazzi's response:
بزي رداً على ويكيليكس: لسنا في حاجة الى شهادة من أحد في السمعة والتاريخ، لا من “ويكليكس” ولا من غيرها — Future TV :: News (@futuretvnews) June 22, 2015
Bazzi in response to WikiLeaks: We don't need the testimony of anyone in reputation and history, not from WikiLeaks or anyone else
So did Janoubia News:
حزب الله: ننفي ما ورد من اتهامات تجاه بزي في ويكيليكس http://t.co/3ynD41b6ru
— Janoubia.news (@janoubia_news) June 21, 2015
Hizbulla: We deny all the accusations against Bazzi which appeared in Wikileaks
This information constituted NOW Lebanon‘s only coverage of SaudiCables, which was limited to a single post on how US intelligence infiltrated Hezbollah via its ally Amal. They didn't tweet at all about the Saudi Cables, even though a Twitter search show that they also did an extensive coverage of the leaks of 2012 and 2011. Annahar also didn't cover the Saudi Cables; only one tweet was issued from its Twitter account regarding the French Cables. Tweets about ويكيليكس from:annahar since:2015-06-18 until:2015-06-30
On the active coverage front, LBC News, Al Jadeed TV, Al Araby Al Jadeed and OTV covered to a certain extent the Saudi Cables. The tweets and articles show a specific angle of coverage for every channel.
في جديد ويكيليكس، السعودية تعترف بأن العماد عون هو الأكثرُ تمثيلاً لدى المسيحيين http://t.co/tpErfdCZoe pic.twitter.com/fEt5XlnESu — OTV Lebanon (@OTVLebanon) June 26, 2015
In WikiLeaks newest release, Saudi Arabia admits that [former Lebanese Army Commander Michel] Aoun is the most representative politician for Christians
#SaudiArabia threatens #Lebanon TV station “#LBCI” -#WikiLeaks |http://t.co/FPKpfYQnql| #KSA
— LBCI News English (@LBCI_News_EN) June 23, 2015
As for regional and international media, both Al Hayat newspaper and Al Sharq Al awsat didn't have any coverage of the Saudi Cables. The two Saudi-owned outlets were the subject of a complaint by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri that was the leaked in document 118847. Al Sharq el Awsat only tweeted once warning Saudi citizens not to share any leaked documents that are published by “enemies of the Kingdom”:
#السعودية | الخارجية السعودية تنبه إلى عدم مساعدة أعداء البلاد بنشر أو تداول أي وثائق . http://t.co/OqK37FQKIQ — صحيفة الشرق الأوسط (@aawsat_News) June 21, 2015
The Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry cautions you not to assist the enemies of the Kingdom in publishing or circulating documents
Several Twitter users tweeted about the lack of coverage. Independent journalist Sarah El Sirgany  tweeted to her 85K followers:
Correct me if I'm wrong or have missed something in the coverage of the Saudi Wikileaks story in Egyptian media. — Sarah El Sirgany (@Ssirgany) June 20, 2015
Lebanese writer Jamal Ghosn tweeted:
BBC had as much coverage of #SaudiCables http://t.co/AIwsqUYAg4 this week as they did of a stuck Hedgehog http://t.co/NkLF2dmVqS #WikiLeaks
— Jamal Ghosn (@jamalghosn) June 27, 2015
BBC Arabic tweeted once an article about the press round-up of reactions to the Saudi Cables:
صحف عربية تتناول وثائق ويكيليكس السعودية http://t.co/0fipuAc5fI
— BBC Arabic بي بي سي (@BBCArabic) June 24, 2015
Arabic newspapers cover WikiLeak's Saudi Cables
Al Mayadeen tweeted four times about the Saudi Cables, so did CNN Arabic.
Finally, the Tehran-based Al Alam International News channel is extensively covering the Saudi Cables on both Twitter and their website.
Stay tuned as our Global Voices Online team digs up more documents from the leaked cache.
Also check out our coverage on Checkdesk Global Voices, where we are tracking citizen media reactions to the Saudi Cables.

author: Abir Ghattas


text:
A Workshop Gathers Digital Activists Revitalizing Indigenous Languages in Colombia · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Participants of the Gathering of Indigenous Language Digital Activism held in Bogotá, Colombia, 18-19 June.
Colombia's cultural diversity is reflected in its rich linguistic heritage, represented by more than 60 indigenous languages. While some languages are critically endangered, many others are alive and well.
Spoken by approximately 1 million people across the country, these languages can be found in classrooms, markets, public transport, and on the Internet. Societal pressures and the historic relegation of native languages — not only in Colombia, but throughout Latin America — have discouraged many from maintaining their mother tongues, but young people are leading a revival of sorts, advocating their language and culture through the use of easy-to-use digital tools and web platforms. These “digital activists” are at the center of this movement whose mission is to ensure that the next generation can find their language and culture reflected on the web.
Over the course of two days on June 18-19, 15 participants from across Colombia gathered in the country's capital Bogotá for the First Gathering of Indigenous Language Digital Activists. Following the success of a similar gathering held in Oaxaca, Mexico in October, this event provided an interactive space where young indigenous Internet users actively revitalizing their native languages could meet to learn from one another.
The gathering was co-organized by Global Voices through its Rising Voices initiative, as well as the research group Muysccubun and the Caro and Cuervo Institute, which served as the event's hospitable hosts. Wikimedia Colombia, Mozilla Colombia, and Ubuntu Colombia were also on hand as local partners, leading workshops and providing mentoring to the participants wishing to start new projects or improve on existing initiatives. The gathering was also made possible in part through the support of Hivos.
In mid-May, we published an open call for participation seeking interested individuals already working to revitalize their native languages through Internet-based tools. Participants were selected with geographic and linguistic diversity in mind, as well their commitment to sharing what they would learn with their own communities.
Ever Kuiru (right) shows Deiver Edisson Canticus and Yeraldin Domico the website to his digital project.
Applications arrived from throughout the country showing an impressive background in community-based projects, including online radio broadcasting, blogging, social media promotion, online dictionaries, and online children's games. Following a review, the organizing team selected 15 people to take part. A complete list of participants and their respective communities and languages can be found here.
Selected participants were invited to lead workshops or discussions, with the idea that each session be more conversation-like in nature. During the plenary sessions, facilitators introduced a topic including some broad general questions for the group to spark a conversation among everyone based on their local perspectives and personal experiences.
These sessions included discussion of technical hurdles when using native languages on the web, such as lack of keyboards to type necessary characters. The ongoing lack of connectivity in many communities is also a major obstacle for communities to become more active in this work. Another challenge discussed was the lack of consensus on writing methods within participants’ communities and methods of building a uniform alphabet.
Participants also shared their views on whether to borrow words from Spanish when their language lacks a word for technology-related terminology. Some were adamant that neologisms should be created to accommodate these needs demonstrating that the language can be fully functional on its own. Another discussion centered on community rights to the content that is uploaded to the Web — whether digital activists need to ask permission from elders or leaders and in what circumstances, and how open licenses might figure into the equation.
The final discussion focused on ways to build alliances among different stakeholders that would ensure more successful language revitalization projects. Many participants requested a greater presence from governmental authorities at the workshop, so they could directly advocate their communities’ language preservation and revitalization needs.
Based off feedback collected after the Mexico workshop, participants had additional time allotted to formally present their digital project to the entire group.
Jhon Alexander Delgado shares his digital project with the group.
Hands-on workshops led by participants and local partners were another major component of the gathering. Workshops included recording and editing with the Audacity software; how to start a free software localization project; creating memes using the Webmaker tool; how to edit a Wikipedia article; and how to maximize Twitter to create conversations around a specific hashtag. The hashtag used for the event was #ActivismoLenguasCO.
Due to high demand, a roundtable discussion called “Internet in My Language — Experiences of Colombian Indigenous Language Digital Activists” took place the following Saturday morning. Free and open to the public, the event was an opportunity for workshop participants to interact with the general public to help raise awareness about the topic.
The two days were packed with a wealth of information and skill-building. During the final wrap-up session, many recommended that future sessions be longer for more in-depth engagement with digital tools and topics. According to participants, two days were not nearly enough time to reflect on the many challenges facing indigenous language digital activists in Colombia. In addition, the wide variety of digital tools was at times overwhelming, so additional time with fewer tools was also suggested.
Group discussions during the workshop.
Most importantly, participants reiterated their own personal commitment to their projects. They also expressed their desire to replicate the workshop model on a local level and virtually connect with other communities across the region, such as those that took part in the Mexico gathering.
Earlier this year, Rising Voices launched ActivismoLenguas.org, a portal to document and feature indigenous language digital activism projects across Latin America. The site hosts project profiles, video interviews with the participants from Mexico, and video interviews with the Colombia participants will be shared there soon — all made possible through a collaboration with linguistics students at the Colombian National University. This network, which started in Oaxaca, has already added new members from the Colombia workshop.
These gatherings demonstrate that innovative work is taking place on a grassroots level, but there is still need for technical, linguistic, and community support. The challenge remains finding meaningful ways to connect these young indigenous language digital activists. Building a network with them is a step in the right direction.
Global Voices hopes to continue to replicate this model in other countries in the region by facilitating partnerships with local organizations that share this common mission furthering the impact of the work of these young digital activists.

author: Eduardo Avila


text:
Here’s How Russia’s New ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ Compares to Europe’s · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Russia took a major step toward introducing its own “right to be forgotten” today, as the parliament's lower house passed the final draft of legislation that would make it possible for individuals to force Internet search engines to delete links to certain kinds of information about them. Once the Federation Council passes this bill, it goes to President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to sign it.
In May 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union found that individuals have the right to ask search engines like Google to remove certain results about them. Since that decision, Google alone has evaluated more than 1 million URLs for removal (identified in more than 279,000 requests), removing 41.3 percent of those links.
If Russia adopts its own “right to be forgotten,” Google and Yandex will be the two most affected websites. To understand what this could mean in practice, RuNet Echo presents a comparison of the new Russian legislation and the landmark European Court decision last year.
Image created by Kevin Rothrock.

author: Kevin Rothrock


text:
Outrage as Ghana Demolishes ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’, the Country’s Biggest Slum · Global Voices
Kofi Yeboah

Residents watching bulldozers demolishing their homes and businesses. Photo by Hassi Baniaz. Used with permission.
Ghana's biggest slum, Old Fadama, popularly referred to as Sodom and Gomorrah, was pulled down by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO). The slum housed over 60,000 residents, mostly people from the northern part of Ghana.
The demolition of the slum happened as a result of flooding on June 3, 2015, that took over 150 lives. The flood was Ghana's biggest disaster to have happened since over 120 people died during a local soccer stampede.
Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, the Accra Metropolitican chief executive, has warned of more demolition in the area.
Many Ghanaians have accused the government of failing to make good on its promise to help residents whose businesses and houses were destroyed. Angry residents living in the “Sodom and Gomorrah” including youth, women and children protested against the demolition and vowed not to vote for the incumbent president in the upcoming elections.
Nana Akua (@nanaakuab), a journalist and blogger, tweeted a picture of the angry young person protesting:
the situation of sodom and Gomorrah #demo @ Accra , Atta Mills hight street pic.twitter.com/BGhKOFhgMb
— Nana Akua (@nanaakuab) June 22, 2015
On Facebook, Kobby Blay, a nurse and founder of Ghana Health Nest, disapproved of the way government went about demolishing the slum, but disagreed with how the residents protested:
they have every right to demonstrate but not as to how they doing it; burning tyres,blocking roads, and some acts of vandalism, unawful entries…Is any group not suppose to get warrant before even doing so??
The acting national coordinator of NADMO, Brigadier General Francis Vib Sanziri, indicated that the slum's demolition was for dredging purposes:
It is to facilitate the overall project of dredging of the area and the initial stage of preventing the water from running through the city. It will also make the water get through to the sea. The place is the main outlet, so I think if we can get it cleared it will be prudent.
Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama said the removing the settlement was to allow the free flow of water to drains in the area. He also said officials would make preparations for re-settling residents before any demolition was carried out.
However, many Ghanaians criticized the decision to demolish the slum as hasty and not well planned, since many businesses were destroyed and young people left jobless. Joojo Cobbinah, a news producer at Joy News, commented on Facebook questioning the preparation government put in place before the demolition:
Well they have every right to demonstrate. If government of Ghana will sign conventions that says people should not be made homeless after demolitions and evictions. That people should be relocated when they have made a place a home, why shouldn't they demonstrate. Government is also perpetuating a serious illegality. Infringing on the rights of slum dwellers. If government wants to do what it wants then it should not deceive the public by signing laws they cannot obey. How many of us have driven through Accra Central at 11 pm. The state of homelessness will make you weep. Some will go back to the towns they came from but majority will stay.
Did Vice President Mahama now President not chair a committee to relocate the people back in 2011 when Mills was in power?
Ghanaians on Twitter shared their thoughts as “Sodom and Gomorrah” trended for several days on Twitter.
Zeta Sesh (@zetasesh) pointed out that:
When development is not decentralized and the capital city is the crucible of everything then sodom and Gomorrah is inevitable.Ghana fails — Zita Sesh (@zitasesh) June 23, 2015
Anthony Momoh (@ant_moh), a social and political egalitarian, asked a critical question:
Why does poor Africans always suffer for failed government policies#destruction of sodom and gomorrah slum Ghana#
— Anthony Momoh (@ant_moh) June 23, 2015
Ghanaian comedian David Oscar (@davidoscargh) reiterated the need for citizens to hold their leaders accountable:
I understand the agitation faced by residents of sodom and Gomorrah, but let's act responsibly in holding our leaders accountable.
— David Oscar (@davidoscargh) June 22, 2015
Mutonbo (@mutonbodapoet), one of Ghana's finest poets, jokingly advised the president:
John Mahama I saw a video of some angry youth from Sodom and Gomorrah warning u not to step foot in tamale. Please use Skype for campaign
— Mutombo Da Poet (@MutomboDaPoet) June 22, 2015

author: Kofi Yeboah


text:
Thousands of Ethiopian Americans Gather to Celebrate Being Ethiopian Around Washington DC · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

Soccer teams from around the US and Canada parading around the field. Photo taken on June 30, 2015. From the ECAD Forum. Used with permission.
Every summer, for seven days, thousands of members of Ethiopia’s diaspora community in the US and Canada meet for the largest Ethiopian sports and cultural festival hosted outside of Ethiopia.
This year, the 2015 Ethiopian Sport Federation in North America Festival is being held at College Park Byrd Stadium in Maryland and Echostage in Washington DC.
Festival organizers say they have attracted their largest crowd in 30 years. Scores of Ethiopian Americans are attending their soccer and golf tournaments, concerts, trade fairs, awareness campaigns, and religious sermons.
From the EFSNA site.
The festival dates back to 1984 and provides a fascinating insight into Ethiopia and Ethiopian American politics, culture, and history.
With the exception of Ethiopian government representatives or pro-government diaspora groups – who are largely absent from the festival – participants include Ethiopians from all walks of life including exiled journalists, politicians, and activists. Ethiopian religious groups, business people, and art exhibiters also participate in the festival with an entrenched need to stay afloat with the affairs of their home country.
According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), Ethiopia-born immigrants constitute the second largest African immigrant group in the US after Nigeria. The institute estimates about 251,000 Ethiopian immigrants and their children live in the United States today. According to a former policy analyst at MPI Aaron Matteo Terrazas, “if the descendants of Ethiopian-born migrants are included, the estimates range upwards of 460,000 in the United States.”
The central component of the festival is the annual soccer cup competition in which 31 amateur teams across the US and Canada play a total of 46 soccer games over six days. There are two teams from Canada, teams from across the US, including multiple teams from LA, Dallas, DC, Maryland and Seattle, where large concentrations of Ethiopians live.
Screenshot from EFSNA.net.
ESTA, an Ethiopian diaspora focused satellite television reports that the event will be attended by a majority of Ethiopian Americans wearing Ethiopian colors – red, yellow and green:
The parade of the soccer teams, the opening prayers, the book fairs, clothes and dance shows, the food sells and the display of the souvenirs made the event elaborately Ethiopian. The 60 anniversary of Ethiopia’s famed National Theatre will also be commemorated as a part of this year’s event. This festival serves not only as a reunion event but it also provides opportunity for parents to teach their second generation kids their Ethiopian heritage.
The apparent absence of Ethiopia’s government or pro-government diaspora groups at this major event is a reminder of the country’s dark political situation.
While the festival is taking place in the DC metro area, a large crowd – waving Ethiopian flags and playing Ethiopian music – has been protesting outside the White House imploring President Obama to cancel his upcoming visit to Ethiopia, because of the country's rampant human rights abuses.
Ethiopian is an autocratic country that has been run by the same political party for the last 24 years. Opposition is often silenced, Ethiopia is rife with political corruption, and the state-run media is utterly dominant. More than 30 Ethiopian journalists were forced into exile last year. Since 2010, Human Rights Watch reports that 60 Ethiopian journalists have “fled into exile, including 30 in 2014 alone. Another 19 or more journalists languish in prison. Government harassment and intimidation caused at least six independent publications to close in 2014.”
Highlighting the hold of Ethiopia's government on political and cultural discourse outside the country, Teshome Debalke writes on the ECADF forum:
I looked over 10 [Ethiopian] online media [sites] and found [that] except two, none of them even mentioned the festival. One wonders why media [outlets] that consider themselves Ethiopian don’t want Ethiopians to come together celebrating their people. Does [Ethiopia's ruling regime] Woyane have something to do with it?
A comment in Ahmaric on Facebook by Tamrat  Negera, an exiled journalist based in DC area also shows some insight into the distrust and resentment within Ethiopia’s diaspora community:
Welcome, all of you who have come from across the United States to the DC area for the sake of the soccer game! How exciting is it to see so many of you like this?! You are warming our houses and brightening the streets. We are loving it, please come again. But, some of you are showing off, [claiming to be better than us], as if we are a bumpkin from Chelenko [an underdeveloped province in Ethiopia], your bragging is embarrassing, please play fair.  Now, I understand why Ethiopians back home are sick of the diaspora, it is because they see the likes of you. It is not good if we look down on each other, because we all know each other, play fair. I would have regretted it if I had not mentioned it to you that when you enjoy in one of the many Ethiopian bars in the area please treat your waitress sister with respect and dignity. You have no right to violate their rights [look down on them or insult them]  no matter how much tip you give.

author: Endalkachew Chala


text:
You Can Now Legally Dance the Night Away in Japan · Global Voices
Matt McClellan

“No dancing” sign in a bar in Tokyo. Photo by Nicolas1981. CC BY-SA 3.0
Japan's national Diet (parliament) voted to overturn a 67-year-old law that prohibited dancing after midnight in bars and nightclubs.
The vote was in response to requests from the public and recommendations from police and parliamentary committees about ways to make Japan more “visitor-friendly” in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The decades-old law, called the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business (known colloquially as the fueiho), was originally enacted during the American occupation of Japan after World War II to combat prostitution at “dance halls” along with concerns that such areas promoted drug use and violence.
The law was so wide-reaching that certain dance classes involving paired dancing were technically illegal.
During the 1950s, following the end of the American occupation of Japan outside of Okinawa, Japanese police began to relax their enforcement of the law. The fueiho went effectively unenforced for decades until 2010, when a brawl in an Osaka nightclub resulted in the death of a 22-year-old student. Police began raiding nightclubs and shutting them down for licensing violations and arrested several DJs and club patrons.
There was a perceived crackdown on late-night dancing in Japan's capital, when the Tokyo Metropolitan government began to focus on public morals in Japan's capital.
The shutdowns and arrests starting in 2010 drew criticism from the public, who claimed the government was waging a “war on dance.”
最近梅田の某クラブに深夜行った時はなんかもう滑稽だったなあ。　人でパンパンのフロアでみんなユラユラ揺れてる。それは大丈夫なのに、少しステップ踏もうとしたり身ぶり手ぶりを大きくした途端に（本当に少しの差）セキュリティが飛んできて「踊らないでくださーい！」　わろたわ…いやわろえない… — クサカアキラ7/3アメ村FARPLANE (@Akira_Kusaka) May 16, 2012
Lately when I go to clubs in Umeda at midnight, folks are acting pretty silly. People are banging their feet on the floor and rocking from side to side. Somehow that's totally fine, but if you look like you're about to step on someone while you're in the middle of a dance move (and we're talking just a little bit here) security will suddenly come out of nowhere and say “no dancing please!” I couldn't help but laugh… even though I shouldn't.
An article in a 2012 morning edition of the Asahi Newspaper, a national newspaper in Japan, during the height of the police enforcement against midnight dancing drew a lot of support for dance lovers:
今朝の朝日新聞の朝刊に掲載されたらしい「クラブじゃ踊れない？」って記事、素晴らしい。ちょうど私も大阪で新聞記者やってるマブダチに「書いて〜！」と訴えていたところでした。Ele-Kingのこの記事 http://t.co/6pU0lL0y も◎。色んな媒体で議論されるべき！
— yuko asanuma (@yukoasanuma) May 16, 2012
I read an article in the morning edition of Asahi titled “No Dancing in Clubs?” that I thought was fantastic. I was just pleading with my good reporter friend in Osaka, saying “Write about this!” This article by Ele-King is also worth a read (titled “Summer of Hate in Osaka”). We really need to be discussing this across various types of media!
Back in 2012, people also expressed disbelief regarding the comments made by law enforcement regarding club patrons:
“今朝の朝日新聞「クラブじゃ踊れない!?」記事、大阪府警保安課のコメントには目を疑った。ここ→「大勢が集まる場所では大量殺人の危険があると考えたことも摘発強化の要因の一つ」。…” http://t.co/yRkjV4sy
— イスタ (@isuta) May 18, 2012
I read the comment made by the Public Safety Division of Osaka in this morning's “No Dancing in Clubs!?” article in the Asahi and I couldn't believe my eyes. Take a look –> “Our first and primary concern is bringing to light the intensification of mass killings that occur when large groups of people are gathered in one place.
The same article also mentioned the signature-collecting campaign and people took to Twitter to do their part:
朝日新聞全国版に大阪 NOON ガサ入れの記事が載った。マスメディアが風営法に疑問を投げかけるのは初めてじゃない？署名運動についても触れてる。ちょっとずつ動き出してるかも知れない。みんな頑張ろう！出来る事はとにかく周知、拡散！http://t.co/halAABXJ — juː a.k.a ゅヽ(´ー｀)ノ ぅ (@odorah) May 16, 2012
There was an article in this morning's national edition of Asahi about a club in Osaka called NOON that got searched by police. This is the first time the mass media has brought this problem to light, isn't it? They even wrote about the signature collecting campaign to lift the midnight dancing ban. I think this might help get things moving. Everybody, don't give up! One way or the other let's spread the word and make this issue common knowledge!
Revisions to the law will come into effect in June 2016. While dancing after midnight will be permitted, there will also be the stipulation that the club must have a light level of 10 lux, roughly the amount of lighting a movie theatre has during the pre-show.
Any clubs that do not meet the minimum lighting requirement will need to continue to abide by the current law.
Japan lifts “no-dance” law known as Fueiho http://t.co/aPOPWkCujA pic.twitter.com/XN3PNlojh2
— 6AM Group (@6AMGroup) June 17, 2015
A petition with 150,000 signatures requesting the government to allow all-night dancing was submitted in 2013. As well, overseas visitors to Japan are expected to steadily increase in light of the upcoming Summer Olympics, causing politicians to realize foreigners wishing to participate in Japan's nightlife would be confused over the midnight dancing ban. The lifting of the midnight dancing ban likely comes as good news to many people.

author: Matt McClellan


text:
CNN’s Countdown to Greek Bankruptcy Ignites Enraged Reactions · Global Voices
Elaine Rigas

Screenshot from the infamous CNN countdown clock
Just hours before dawn on July 1, the day Greece would officially fail to repay a loan to the International Monetary Fund and face bankruptcy as a consequence, CNN had the controversial idea of inserting a countdown clock counting the minutes remaining until the deadline.
Unsurprisingly, there was an immediate reaction by Greek netizens across the world, who found the decision either offensive or made in comically bad taste.
User Spiros Fotis Jr. wondered:
Θα σκάσει βόμβα κ μέτρα αντίστροφα το #CNN ;
— Spiros Fotis Jr.® (@SpirosFotisJr) June 30, 2015
Is there a bomb ready to explode and CNN is countdowning?
While Johnny Favorite announced:
Ακόμη και το #cnn ετοιμάζεται να 'γιορτάσει' μαζί μας την επίσημη έξοδο απο τα μνημόνια σύντροφοι…#GreeceCrisis pic.twitter.com/hgkM2t0nPO
— Johnny Favorite (@JohnnyHatz) June 30, 2015
Brothers, even CNN is ready to “celebrate” with us our official exit from the Memorandums.
User @drinucci described CNN as “oppurtunists”, in response to another user's previous comment:
CNN ever the opportunistic douche bags! RT @Maria_Tejero: Seriously? A #default countdown? Come on #Greece #IMF #CNN pic.twitter.com/1kDccpVglg
— Energy Field D (@drinucci) June 30, 2015
Ioanna Mamai raged:
ΡΕ ΞΕΦΤΙΛΕΣ ΤΟΥ #CNN ΑΝΤΙΣΤΡΟΦΗ ΜΕΤΡΗΣΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΧΡΕΟΚΟΠΙΑ ΜΑΣ? #dimopsifisma #Greferendum #xeftiles
— Ioanna Mamai (@IoannaMamai) June 30, 2015
CNN, YOU BASTARDS! COUNTDOWN ΤΟ OUR BANKRUPTCY?
User Keep Talking Greece ironically compared the event to a New Year's Eve celebration:
#CNN shows #Greece countdown live from Athens – Greeks prepare fireworks – Happy New Year, Vanuatu
— Keep Talking Greece (@keeptalkingGR) June 30, 2015
Vassiliki highlights with irony the fact that ‘USA’ is concerned about keeping Greeks well-informed:
Χρεοκοπήσαμε και πλέον και επισήμως ενημερωνόμαστε από την Αμερική. #Grexit #CNN
— Vassiliki (@vasskal) June 30, 2015
According to USA's updates, we are now officially bankrupt.
Helena Descou points out the lack of respect and dignity:
Countdown for our final bankruptcy on #CNN. Nobody respects the Greek people.
— Helena Descou (@Helena_513) June 30, 2015
While user @to_papagalaki made fun of the situation, proving that Greeks never lose their sense of humor:
Ακούω το The Final Countdown και περιμένω την χρεοκοπία! #cnn #xreokopia #yolo
— Το Παπαγαλάκι (@to_papagalaki) June 30, 2015
Listening to “The Final Countdown” and waiting to go bankrupt!
Despite all the clever comments, the idea of inserting a countdown for news on such a serious and critical matter — the future of a whole country is not a joke — seems somewhat inappropriate.
But CNN is a network that has made quite a few serious mistakes in recent memory.
Last month, for example, it mistook a dildo banner for an ISIS flag at a gay pride parade:
This is the best thing I've seen all weekend! A banner of dildos mistaken for an ISIS flag at a gay parade #CNN pic.twitter.com/LEMBApMXGa
— Daniel Hopper (@DanielH_LUFC) June 28, 2015
And let us not forget the channel's sketchy knowledge of geography, as noted in the recent Global Voices piece Dear CNN, Uganda is not Tanzania.
On the evening of June 29, the future of Greece was at stake. Tens of thousands of Greeks rallied supporting a rejection of a tough international bailout after a clash with foreign lenders. At the same time, a shutdown of the Greek banking system brought financial chaos throughout the country while domestic political parties traded accusations about political responsibility.
But for some Greeks watching the channel's coverage of the debt crisis, the overall message to CNN might actually be one of thanks for providing a moment of comic relief during such harsh times.


text:
Iran’s Version of The Muppets Makes a Comeback · Global Voices
PRI/PRX's The World

Mr. Host with the puppets of Kolah Germezi. Screenshot from YouTube.
This article and radio report by Ashley Cleek and Denise Hassanzade Ajiri for The World originally appeared on PRI.org on June 29, 2015, and is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement.
A red velvet curtain opens on a small stage. There’s cacti and cowboy hats. One puppet is dressed as a sheriff, another’s pretending to be John Wayne. It’s a puppet show spaghetti western. This is Kolah Germezi.
In English, Kolah Germezi means Red Hat and refers to the main character, a mischievous little boy who refuses to study, loves chocolate, and gets into trouble with his friends. Kind of like Sesame Street, there's “Mr. Host” — or Aghaye Mojri — the adult, who teaches and, of course, learns from the puppets. Like the Muppet Show, Kolah Germezi is a collection of skits and musical numbers, but the bottom line is humor.
“This year, Iranian state TV says we have 35 million viewers,” says Hamid Modaressi, who produces the show, along with about 80 other producers, writers, actors and puppeteers, “but I think the number is higher.”
It’s not just kids who watch the show. It’s everyone. Kolah Germezi first appeared back in 1992.
Maryam Manzoori, a journalist at Voice of America in Washington, DC, is 37 now, but she's been watching Kolah Germezi since she was 15. “I'm a big fan. It's such a great show, such a great show,” Manzoori says. When the show came out in the 90s, Manzoori explains, Iran was still recovering emotionally from the Iran-Iraq War and people needed to laugh. At that time, most TV shows in Iran focused on teaching good morals, but Kolah Germezi broke the rules. The puppets made jokes, they spoke in slang and everyone from Manzoori's older brother to her younger siblings could find a character they related to.
“Seriously, I myself look forward for the next season. It’s really fun to watch,” Manzoori say. “If you are a kid, it gives you lessons. If you are an adult, it still teaches you something by making fun of it.
The show went off the air after a change in management at the state-controlled TV channel. In 2009, Kolah Germezi returned, more popular than ever.
The Iranian government recognizes the popularity of Kolah Germezi.
“According to the Ministry of Education, Kolah Germezi is one of the most educational programs. They have written us a 30-page explanation about why these characters are so great,” Modaressi says, with a laugh. “Kids love to learn from them. Even in the terms of health, the Ministry of Health appreciates our program.”
For example, there’s a segment, where the sheep finds himself torn between two loves — a head of lettuce and a radish — so much so that he sings the song “Lady in Red” to the radish.
Adults hear a song about love and desire, things not often talked about on TV in Iran. But for kids, it's just about vegetables.
Because Kolah Germezi is broadcast on state TV, the makers of the show try to stay within the lines set forth by the Islamic Republic, and generally, they succeed.
“You cannot find something to dislike in Kolah Germezi. It really has a phenomenal reputation in that it doesn’t belong to the left or right,” Modaressi adds. “From one side, the head of the Parliament says Kolah Germezi is his favorite program, and from the other side our artists and intellectuals say Kolah Germezi is the best.”
It’s a fine line. For example, In Iran, musical instruments can’t be shown on state TV. So, when the sheep sings the theme song from Titanic, he’s surrounded by an a cappella choir of men and women.
But not everyone find Kolah Germezi educational.
“We really get a lot of warnings,” Modaressi explains.
One recent warning came this spring after the cast sang along to the Dean Martin song, “Sway.” State officials complained that the lyrics were too scandalous.
And a month ago, a member of Iran’s National Association of Psychologists wrote a letter accusing the puppets of immoral behavior and asked for the show to be restricted to an adult audience.
But for Iranians, the characters have become cultural landmarks. Literally. Several cities in Iran have built statues to different characters.
The puppets on Kolah Germezi continue to steal hearts. Fans totally outnumber haters. So maybe, as one character sings while moonwalking across the stage all the haters can beat it — or “baaah da,” in Persian.

author: PRI/PRX's The World