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Africa: 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Starts: What Do We Expect? · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

2010 CAN in Angola
This year Africa’s in the sports arena for all the right reasons. First to shine the spotlight is definitely the Confederation of Africa's (CAF) African Cup of Nations being held in Angola which is just a stone’s throw away from South Africa, which hosts the World Cup in June later on this year.
As expected in many respects, this is a dress rehearsal for most of the teams which qualified for the World Cup from Africa.
But not everyone is celebrating Africa’s premiere football showcase as Mark Murphy notes:
If this year’s African Cup of Nations in Angola has entered the psyche of English football fans at all, it is because of the cataclysmic effect on Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes of a month without Didier Drogba
David James also wonders aloud in an article for Sports Blog:
With Chelsea flying there is plenty of speculation as to how they will cope without Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Mikel John Obi
Quite a number of English clubs will lose their players to the tournament with Chelsea and Portsmouth being the biggest casualties. Plagued by financial difficulties, Portsmouth has been living from hand to mouth and currently lie last in the English Premier League.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/dec/20/african-cup-nations-david-james”>David James again:
‘African Cup of Nations will hit us but who wouldn’t want to be there?’
…we have had so many other things to worry about – not getting paid, having another change of manager, being bottom of the league – that the thought of players going missing in a few weeks’ time has not yet come to the fore. Of course it will be a big blow to us. We don't have the biggest of squads, and to lose some of our best players will have a huge impact. When our players do return there could be a host of other problems, such as mental and physical fatigue, adjusting to the difference in temperature, and injuries. So what do the Portsmouth players themselves think? To gauge opinion I had a chat with some of them over dinner, and the only thing anyone wanted to talk about was who would win the competition
The hosts, Angola will be hoping to save their blushes after failing to qualify for the World Cup after a promising period in 2008 as noted by Oliver:
After a successful stint in the 2008 African cup of nations, Angola were awarded the rights to host the tournament for the first time in its twenty six year history.  Angola, who have only featured in the competition four times, preceded to the quarter finals in 2008”
But going by the first game against Mali they must wish the fortunes are better and pray (and play too) hoping to make it through the knock-out rounds of the quarter-finals and looking forward to replicating Egypt’s success of hosting the Cup and winning 1986/2006(along with other nations such as Sudan-1970,Ghana -1978, Algeria-1990, South Africa-1996);
Another country hoping to change their fortunes is last tournament’s hosts, Ghana. Should Ghana be taken seriously?:
Should Ghana be taken seriously?”– It goes on to ask if they shall find comfort with “John Mensah, John Pantsil, Stephen Appiah, Laryea Kingston are all nursing injuries while Muntari was famously overlooked”
It goes on further to say,
“Soon after the draw for the CAN several media pundits installed Ghana as joint favourites together with La Cote D’ivoire. Well that was before the injury crisis, but still that is the expectation this young team is up against-to at least make the final
The Indomitable Lions- as the Cameroonians have their old but vastly experienced players to put through their case as their iconic players look to hang the boots in pride.  Cameroon is led by Rigobert Song who plays in his eighth African Cup of Nations tournament:
Cameroon promise to be strong. Their manager, Paul Le Guen, has found a way of ensuring star striker Samuel Eto'o does not feel the need to scamper all over the pitch in search of the ball, and the skilful Betis midfielder Achille Emana has become the prime conduit to the Inter star. In the centre of defence Cameroon boast one of the hottest prospects in African football, the 20-year-old Monaco centre-back Nicolas N'Koulou, who has been compared to a young Franco Baresi. What is more, in a tournament where few of the teams have top-class goalkeepers, Cameroon are an exception: Carlos Kameni is excellent
The other countries expected to make run-ins in the title chase include past winners Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and the West African states of Mali and Burkina Faso. Togo team decided to go back home following the attack on the team bus in Cabinda:
The heartbreaking attack on the Togo team bus in rural Cabinda, an Angolan territory geographically separated from the rest of the nation, on the eve of the 2010 African Nations Cup upset me deeply.  Foremost, I’m upset about the dead and wounded; I’m upset that the vile geo-political mix of oil, land, terrorism, and inequality claimed innocent lives and injured the travelling party of a soccer team that was interested in nothing more than a game.  But I’m also upset about the potential for the ambush to detract from what should be a great year for African soccer—and to further distort perceptions of Africa
Cameroonian blogger George Fominyen discusses the incident in a post titled “Death in the Africa Cup's group of death”:
When four West African neighbours were drawn to play in group “B” of the African Cup of Nations in the enclave of Cabinda, pundits named it the “group of death”. But they were far from imagining that someone will die from gun-shot wounds two days before the kick-off of the tournament.
Ethan Zuckerman discusses the incident in a wider context arguing that “what happens in Cabinda doesn't stay in Cabinda”:
Actually, hosting Africa’s biggest football tournament – that is, up until the World Cup later this year – was probably a good branding move for Angola, which has made vast strides since the Angolan civil war ended in 2002. The mistake was in holding one of four sets of matches in Cabinda. It proved to be a tragic, deadly mistake: Separatist guerillas attacked a convoy of team buses, led by Angolan military, as they travelled from Congo-Brazaville into Cabinda, killing three members of the Togolese national team’s entourage and wounding nine others.
On a lighter note, Brucio offers American viewers options of viewing the African Cup of Nations:
No regular USA cable or dish packages have the games. You need the African or Middle East package. If you have no idea how to see the games then I would suggest calling all the African restaurants and bars in your town to find out who is showing them
Dary, however, has tips on how to watch the tournament from the US, UK and Australia:
Unless you have a ticket to an Angola 2010 game, there are basically three ways to watch the African Cup of Nations 2010. Option One is to watch it on TV. Option Two, you can watch a legal, high quality internet stream. Option Three, you take your chances with a barely legal pirated internet stream.
Cup of African Nations
There are also some interesting facts about this year’s African Cup of Nations which now has 17 countries competing:
Did you know? The youngest player is Zambia’s defender Emmanuel Mbola, only 16 at the kick off of the African   Cup of Nations. The oldest is Mozambique’s midfielder Nelinho, aged 38. Each squad has called up 23 players, save from Burkina Faso who arrived in Angola   with only 22. Forward Aristide Bancé had a fallout with his coach Paulo Duarte and refused to play.  66 of the 367 players play in France, the   African Cup’s number 1 provider. OGC Nice reluctantly sent 8 of its players to Angola: Poté (Benin), Bamogo (Burkina Faso), Faé (Ivory Coast), Mouloungui   (Gabon), Traoré and Bagayoko (Mali), Apam (Nigeria), Ben Saada (Tunisia).
Dary has compiled a list of 11 players to watch:
Everyone knows about Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o. The superstars of African football. Most will know about Mali’s Fredi Kanoute and Seydou Keita too. You don’t need WorldCupBlog to tell you about them. So we thought we’d compile a list of 10 players to watch at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, featuring talented youngsters and other players with slightly lower profiles than those listed above.
Mamadou Gaye discusses the match between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso and says, “The best is yet to come”:
Hello and welcome to my first blog on SuperSport.com. I look forward to exchanging views and ideas with you through this medium. You can also catch me on Soccer Africa and during SuperSports’ coverage of the Afcon on SS3 and SS4.
I think the game between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso was a good one. It was pacey and very tactical.

author: Richard Wanjohi


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Armenia: Reflecting on the Haiti earthquake · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With Armenia having experienced its own devastating earthquake 21 years ago, Ianyan comments on the tragedy in Haiti. In particular, the blog notes the similarities between the two countries, summarizes an account in Armenian by one blogger who spent time there, and also tells its readers how they can help with relief efforts.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas: Investing in Culture  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The call for some thought to be given to an investment in Bahamian art and culture, is not about tourism at all. It is about finding, and reminding us of, ourselves”: Nicolette Bethel clarifies the purpose of The Day of Absence.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bangladesh: Cold Wave · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh is experiencing a cold wave which is bringing the temperature down to less then 10 degrees Celsius. Fahad at Finding Myself is thankful to God for being blessed with a home and warm blankets. He wonders what will happen to the street people who have nothing.

author: Rezwan


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China: Goodbye, Google · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Following Google's announcement today that (don't snicker) if the Chinese government won't let the company's China operations stop censoring search results Google China will be shut down, netizens trekked to Google's Beijing office to lay flowers. UPDATE: more photos here, formal flowering of Google China offices scheduled for later today.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Google’s possible exile leads to cyber protests; Netizens on move · Global Voices
Bob Chen

Do no evil, Google says. But the irony is that it did help the Chinese government block sensitive information from the Chinese internet users, which is necessary for it to operate in China. However, this time it seems to be really provoked and made its simmering feud with the authority public. Google is likely to quit China.
The post on Google blog states the Google China has been suffering from cyber attacks and also, the information of its clients, many of them human rights advocates, were accessed by third party.
What is more well-known is its self-censorship. For example, typing in words such as Tainanmen in Google.cn will never return you pictures or texts about the 1989 incident.
So, when last night Google announced it would lift the censorship, the Chinese internet users flooded to the website to search for all the sensitive terms they never had a chance to access. In twitters, forums, discussion boards, we witness an explosion of talks about Google and its possible departure, or exile, from China.
On Twitter,  pzhtx said,
Google热榜中“天安门”上升到第一了，中国网民在送Google最后一程
People were mourning that they are now restricted inside the largest LAN network in the world, which is encircled by the strict censorship and the Great Firewall
.
A tweet is madly circulated on the internet:
Facebook的原罪是它能让人认识想认识的人，Twitter的原罪是它能让人说出想说的话，Google的原罪是它能让人找到想找到的东西，Youtube的原罪是它能让人看到想看到的东西……所以它们都被干掉了
The sin of facebook is that it helps people know who they wanna know. The sin of Twitter is that it allows people to say what they wanna say. The sin of Google is that it lets people find what they wanna find, and Youtube let us see what we wanna see. So, they are all kicked away.
It directly affects millions of netizens, because since Google’s expansion in China, its search engine, Gmail, and Google Doc have been widely used. A netizen in Xiaonei, which is a social network website popular among young people, was panic:
陆铠 :早上看到新闻说“谷歌将退出中国市场”……吓醒了……我的Gmail，我的Google docs，我的谷歌咨询，我的互联网
These days are uncommon for Chinese cyberspace. Baidu has just been hacked by self-alleged Iranian hackers, which prompted a cyber war. As a Chinese local search engine with the largest market share, Baidu is often compared with Google. Its reputation is blackened because of its stronger censorship and the fact that it has removed search returns about poisonous milk after taking money from the producers.
王子健 :百度该不知道的都不知道，谷歌不该知道的都知道，他知道的太多了…
Google is highly praised among internet users:
樊春晓→槑 :谷歌退出中国市场？！谷歌有骨气，谴责xx一个，没有民主的地方，谷歌情愿退出，道义、金钱，什么更重要？我收回以前说老外没文化的话，现在他们为我们诠释了什么叫舍身取义，XX，看看现在的中国人，祖宗的美德一点都没留下，枉为华夏子孙
A sarcastic price of words is getting quite popular around the cyberspace.
90后：今天我翻墙，看到一个国外网站叫Google的，妈的全是抄袭百度的。00后：翻墙是什么？ 10后：网站是什么？ 20后：国外是什么？
People born in 90s: Today I stepped out of the Great Firewall and saw a foreign website named Google. Shit, it is all but a copy of Baidu.
Born in 00s: What do you mean by stepping out of Great Firewall?
Born in 10s: What do you mean by website?
Born in 20s:  What is ‘foreign’?
唐鹏 :我党威武，我天朝万岁！！谷歌终于要“自愿”退出中国市场了！！！
People soon make up how the state-run media CCTV might comment on the incident
cctv新闻稿：近日谷歌公司由于黄色搜索，侵犯中国作家著作权等问题，遭到了中国网民的普遍抵制。由于业绩下滑严重，考虑退出中国市场。这又是一次中国网民抵制外国不良网络服务商的成功案例！
Right now, a campaign to put flowers to the Google offices in China is gaining momentum on the internet. It is thought to be a way to memorize Google and express the grief and anger against censorship. In front of the Google Beijing office, people have started to take action for a flower commemoration.
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author: Bob Chen


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Church attacks in Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Several Christian churches were attacked in Malaysia following a Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling which overturned the government directive banning non-Muslims from using the word Allah in their teachings and publications. The court recognized the right of Malay Christians to use the word ‘Allah’ when referring to the Christian God. This ruling generated an intense reaction in the Muslim-dominated country.
Zainol Abideen recognizes the right of the people to protest the court decision but rejects the use of violence
As a citizen, I am very concerned and sad that it has come to this.
Protesting against the court decision is one thing; going around destroying churches is plainly criminal and those culprits must be tracked down and made to pay according to the laws of this land.
There is no room in the teachings of Al Islam for such desecration's of another's house of prayer or place of worship.
Instead of resorting to firebombing churches, those who are not happy with the High Court's decision should engage in sharing the reasons why Non Muslims are wrong to name objects of their worship apart from Allah as Him!
Straight Talk blames racial politics for the series of church attacks
The main cause which has triggered the protest is the race affirmative policy practised by the current government. It is unfortunate that the Malay supremacy concept propagated and implemented by the ruling regime is also trying to make Islam and the use of ‘Allah’ an exclusive domain.
For the protesters, Islam is synonymous to Malay supremacy. It has to be exclusive and above the rest. This perception is both misguided and un-Islamic. Islam is universal and inclusive. It is compassionate and not hostile.
Another prime reason for the protest is the inferiority complex of some Muslim Malays. The lack of confidence in their own Islamic faith is reflected in the argument that the use of ‘Allah’ by Christians in East Malaysia may generate confusion amongst Muslims and spark unnecessary apostasy.
…the right remedy to address this issue in the long term is to end racial politics. It is unfortunate that a serious national debate on how to end racial politics has failed to materialize even after experiencing some negative repercussions of it.
Malaysians must come together to end this ethno-religious political hegemony and work on a more inclusive and civilised politics.
jelas.info accuses parties and individuals who want to sow chaos in the country
Truly this is the work of hate and evil.
Once again, the issue has long departed from being one of religious differences.
This has clearly transitioned into an issue of select parties or individuals who are bent on creating chaos in the country.
No true Muslim, or any religious person, would attempt to defend his faith by such cowardly acts of violence – striking without daring to show their face.
I refuse, and I humbly feel you should too, to see this as some Muslim vs Christian or Muslim vs others conflict. To do so would be to fall for exactly the trap that they are laying out for us.
Malaysia Today publishes a post which speculates about a covert agenda to “stoke the fire of religious conflict”
…we must think of the psyche of the actors involved, the issues at stake, and whether there is a covert agenda to stoke the fire of religious conflict. What is their motive and what drove them to such acts of barbarism? Did they do it independently or were they paid or are they part of a bigger scheme of things to come? What are the authorities doing to unravel more information? Are investigations providing any leads?
…they appear to be more brazen and spreading their wings to different parts of the country so to speak. Thus it is clear the threats from the authorities have not been effective deterrents as they continue to be brazen and merciless in their attacks. Many wonder if ever these incidents will pan off. A lot would depend on the political will of the leaders.
Dr Lim Teck Ghee believes this is the work of bigoted leaders
This was a part of the political calculus of racist and religiously bigoted leaders to drive home to their opponents that they can at any time incite their followers to whatever actions necessary to demonstrate their might and power.
This will continue to be a burning fuse kept alight by extremists feeding the public the delusion that Islam in Malaysia is faced by all kinds of imaginary enemies.
Capt. Iskandar Dzulkarnain appeals to Christian authorities not to use the word Allah until the next elections
I would like to appeal to the Council of Churches, to convene and make a declaration to the world, and to our government, that for the sake of national unity and peace, that Christians nationwide, will momentarily halt the usage of the word Allah, at least…..ah…. until the next election. Malaysians, will thank you one day for your sacrifice to the nation.
Kaytee wonders why the Christian group which sued the government is not using the other names of the Christian God like Elohim or Yahweh
What is really your goal in obdurately pursuing the use of the word `Allah’ to refer to the Christian God in a Malay-language newsletter and Bible when so many other names of your Christian God, with even better biblical pedigree, remain available?
Nuraiana A Samad is also asking the insistence to use the word Allah
whether or not i agree that the herald should be allowed to use the word, is unimportant.
they have gone to court and a decision has been made.
for me, i am simply wondering why the insistence on wanting to use the word “Allah”.
that's all.
Like, why do you want to use the word “Allah”?
really. why?
anas zubedy reminds fellow Muslims about the discrimination suffered by Christian leaders in Malaysia
We Muslims must understand the frustration our Christian brothers and sisters have been going through all these years when dealing with the Government.
In this frustration they retaliated by going to the courts, perhaps to get back at us or just to prove a point. I think these feelings are the real motivation behind the legal redress, not that they are really deeply and are so spirited to call God, Allah.
On the other hand, the blogger also reminds the Christians about the feelings of Muslims who are opposing the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims in Malaysia
The Christians must understand that while the Quran has no issues about Allah as the universal name of God, the Malay’s understanding and emotional attachment to the word Allah is unique to the Malaysian world. Rightly or wrongly, your Muslim brothers and sisters are deeply hurt as they perceive that you are doing this with bad intentions – to convert their fellow faithful as they do not see you actively wanting to also change all the other Bible translations like English or Chinese making the word Allah a universal name for God.

author: Mong Palatino


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Cuba: Diaz Passes On  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands acknowledges the passing of “famed lute player and composer Miguel Ojeda Díaz, who made significant contributions to traditional music in Cuba.”


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Diaspora Mobilize to Help Haiti in Earthquake Aftermath · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

carelpedre, a radio announcer based in Port-au-Prince, writes this morning:
1st After Shock Of The Day!!! IHaiti is sill shaking!! HELP!!
There have been at least 30 aftershocks following the 7.0 earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince yesterday, just before 5pm EST.  Information is still hard to come by, but it is feared that many lives have been lost it what is the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in 200 years.  The presidential palace, UN headquarters, not to mention an unknown number of shops and houses, have been seriously damaged or collapsed in the earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks.
As international media begin to arrive on the scene, several residents of Port-au-Prince continue to Tweet their eyewitness accounts.  Dan Kennedy writes about the role of citizen media in keeping Haiti connected to the world.
Photomorel, a professional photographer based in Haiti, posts devastating images of the quake (warning: graphic content).
Photo of Port-au-Prince in aftermath of January 13th earthquake (David Morel @photomorel)
Diaspora mobilize
The Haitian Diaspora have been mobilizing to support Haiti with its financial support and its prayers, and by exchanging information about missing family members.  On Twitter, rapper Wyclef Jean , currently en route to Haiti, is asking people to donate funds to his Yele organization.  A network of Diaspora on Twitter and Facebook are spreading the word.
alumstatus
If all of @wyclef followers text YELE to 501501 to donate $5, that would be $6,535,190 for relief efforts
Many on Twitter have warned about donating to fraudulent organizations.  reduceharm writes:
Pls give to orgs that'll actually do sustainable work in Haiti and have some credibility on the ground
and advocates giving to groups like Yele, Catholic Relief, and Partners in Health.
Looking for Loved Ones
Most of Port-au-Prince is still without power, phone lines are down, and many have still not been able to reach their friends and family.
RubyWorthy
I still can't find my daughter. pray with me twitter fam.
MaddyMoreBucks
My mom just left for work in tears..lord guide her there safely.. She said she gotta rack up $$ cuz she dk how many ppl she gotta burry :-(
JabariCMVP
Damn. Pray for Haiti, y'all. 7.0 earthquake came through..situation is dire out there right now. I just lost family.
The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog:
There are friends and co-workers that are missing. People whom no-one can account for. People we work with and love. There are more than I can name, but in particular we wait on one single friend who lived near the Hotel Montana – which has reportedly collapsed.
The horror has only just begun and I beg you to get on your knees – I truly mean ON YOUR KNEES and pray for the people of this country. The news might forget in a few days – but people will still be trapped alive and suffering. Pray. Pray. Pray. After that – PLEASE PRAY.
Juana4ev
New York, Florida, Conn, New Jersey, Massachusetts & Canada are up tonight..thats for sure #Haiti

author: Jennifer Brea


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Egypt: English Loan Words · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Here in Egypt, we usually borrow English words and use them in our Arabic dialect. We also Arabize those words, we make them follow the Arabic grammar, and change their pronunciation – to make them more suitable to us.
Amr El Beleidy, @beleidy, started a Twitter thread asking Egyptian tweeps to gather all those words and discuss how we use them.
Tarek Shalaby then replied to him. He also – in his tweet – mocked the way we use the words “fun” and “funny.”
Tarek then sent another tweet, to add one more word: “minute.”
Hisham Sadek was drawn to the idea, and asked to collect all those words into a dictionary.
Yasser Ahmad added a new word: “can,” as in a can of soda. It's interesting that the word “can” in Egyptian Arabic is in the plural, so it's just “cans” even if it is only one can.
Nourhan Refaat added three more words in the following tweets. They are “hi,” “cool,” and “game.”
And here comes the word “cool”:
And then comes “video games”:
Ziad also added how we sometimes not only use English words, but we also make them follow Arabic grammar. The word “save” here is put in the past tense to become “sayev,” then the letter ‘t’ is added at the end of the word to represent a second-person singular pronoun. Also notice how the word “file” is also used as it is.
Hisham Sadek then added two more words–“format” and “setup,” and explained how they are also altered to represent a command. So, “format” here is changed to “farmat” and “setup” is changed to “sattab” to represent the imperative mood. Also notice how the letter ‘p’ at the end of “setup” is changed to ‘b’, as the Arabic language does not have he letter ‘p,’ and many people don't even know how to pronounce it.
Even for a word like “peace,” we created “peacer” and “peacest”, but according to the Arabic grammar, here comes “apyac”. On the face, the word “peace” here is not used as an opposite to war, but it is used as an adjective to define someone who will never mind, or agree with your opinions and deeds. Also the word “touch” is used here to represent an argument or hard feelings.
There are also more loan words that we use everyday, such as “ok,” “cafe,” “T-Shirt,” “jacket,” “jeans,” “scarf,” “computer,” “mobile,” and “please.” So, stay tuned to #EgyEnglish to learn more about our Egyptian English.

author: Tarek Amr


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Guatemala: Investigation Reveals Rosenberg Masterminded His Own Murder · Global Voices
Renata Avila

On January 12, Guatemalan society was shaken with an unpopular revelation. After an exhaustive investigation conducted by 300 investigators from 11 countries, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (known by its Spanish acronym CICIG) announced in a public press conference streamed on its website, that Guatemalan lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg masterminded his own murder, clearing President Álvaro Colom, who was accused by Rosenberg of being behind the murder in a videotape left and released after his death. In the video, Rosenberg claimed he had all of the evidence to back his claim, but the CICIG investigation did not find any proof.
President Colom by Gobierno de Guatemala under a Creative Commons License http://www.flickr.com/photos/gobiernodeguatemala/4267286594/
The CICIG explained (.pdf format) that it was Rosenberg who made all of the arrangements that led to his death on May 10. According to CICIG information, Rosenberg contacted relatives to help him hire a hit man to “take care” of someone who was threatening him. However, neither the hit man nor the relatives knew that the person Rosebenberg wanted to be murdered was actually himself.
One of the theories for this is that Rosenberg was severely depressed over the death of his mother, an ongoing divorce, and over the murders of one his clients Khalil Musa, and his daughter Marjorie, with whom he had a romantic relationship. He had hoped that the video would cause a wave of reactions that would lead to the investigation in the murders. It is believed that Rosenberg was convinced that the government was behind their murders, but frustrated that nothing had been done about them.
The hypothesis is being accepted by the international community, the judge in the case, and most Guatemalans. However, it might seem to be too strange or illogical of a scenario, especially for those who organized a whole movement around Rosenberg and his accusations against the President. Rosenberg had been considered a martyr of a cause and which polarized Guatemalan society last March, as explained by James Rodríguez of the blog Mi Mundo.
Rodrigo Rosenberg by Todo por mi Guate under a Creative Commons License http://www.flickr.com/photos/todopormiguate/3529694031/
Websites like Fuera Colom (Get Out Colom) (now suspended), Facebook groups like Un Joven Más (One More Young Person) which  also had a blog , blogs like Renuncie Presidente Colom (President Colom, Resign) and hashtags like #fueracolom were used by hundreds of teenagers and young adults during May and June 2009.
The blogger at Nueva America Central [es] does not believe the investigation's conclusion:
Sea o no cierta la teoría propugnada por la CICIG, a mí me parece de lo más increíble. Que este padre de familia, abogado exitoso, haya contratado sicarios para que lo balacearan y así promover un fin político indefinible, es tan inverosímil que no pasaría como trama en una producción de Hollywood.
Luis Figueroa of the blog Carpe Diem [es] still has many unanswered questions about the case, such as ‘who really killed Khalil and Marjorie Musa, and why?’ El Chacal also has many questions [es], such as who ended up being the liar, who came out ahead, and who took advantage of the situation.
However, Martín Rodríguez of El Blog de Wachik'aj [es] is convinced that the CICIG's investigation is spotless adding that “the clarification of the case should politically reconcile the country, but it is not.”  Perhaps it is not being reconciled because that in a country with 96.5% impunity, past perpetrators of atrocities and massacres, it is quite understandable that people just do not trust the legal system anymore. In a country where one of the bloodiest armed conflicts took place, scars from the past are still fresh. In a highly unequal country, polarization is natural, but is not the way to solve the problems.  As the bloggerTo the Roots [s] expresses:
Impunity is not a left-right thing. Democracy is a virtue that has been strangled out by the ten percent that have ruled Guatemala for centuries. The inequalities of the 1980s persist today, along with the poverty, the violence, incredibly poor race relations and the political instability. The left and right paint themselves as if they were in a quixotic race to freedom with the other standing in the way – yet it is the culture of impunity, of crimes committed by the government of Guatemala that is the problem.

author: Renata Avila


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Haiti: Aftershock · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog writes a hair-raising post about the aftermath of the earthquake: “I cannot imagine what the next few weeks and months will be like. I am afraid for everyone. Never in my life have I seen people stronger than Haitian people. But I am afraid for them.”


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Haiti: Earthquake! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Caribbean blogosphere is busy tonight, discussing very sad news – an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale struck off the coast of Haiti, causing major damage and loss of life in the already besieged island nation.
Twitter emerged as the fastest, most time sensitive vehicle through which to report on the catastrophe; Facebook was also full of wall comments on the disaster, from both French and English-speaking Caribbean netizens.  One user in Trinidad and Tobago was already collecting “foodstuff, blankets & clothing for Haiti”, asking donors to “label all bags”. Others, like Jamaica-based Annie Paul, quoted lyrics from calypsonian David Rudder‘s ode to the island: “Haiti, I'm sorry…but one day we'll turn our heads, restore your glory”, following up with links to video of the earthquake, which she found posted on YouTube:
Regional bloggers soon followed with more detailed posts, the most compelling of course, coming from within the island.  The Haitian Blogger did a good job of posting regular updates with critical information:
General Hospital in Port-au-Prince is down, Palace is damaged.
No one knows how many dead or injured. The aftershock is reverberating. People can only see dust,
Obama is sending in military troops.
Phone lines that are working are: Haiti-tel and Voila.
All windows are shattered in houses in la plaine
Houses are falling down everywhere.
All the poor on the mountains, whose houses were build on the mountains, all tumbled down, one on top another…
A terrible situation! Devastating. There's NEVER been an earthquake of this magnitude in Haiti. Major aftershocks happening…
The quake was quickly followed by two nearby, strong aftershocks of initial magnitude of 5.9 and 5.5, the aftershocks were major earthquakes in and [of] themselves.
This is catastrophic. Changes everything.
The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog reported that “[an] earthquake hit Haiti at about 5pm…aftershocks are happening every five minutes or so.”  In a follow-up post, the family was concerned that “people are very very upset and running in the streets” and was praying for a “cool head for all.”  Pwoje Espwa – Hope in Haiti, meanwhile, entered a series of three posts, expressing surprise at the magnitude of the ‘quake and later confirming that “the news from Port-au-Prince is very bad.”  Once the aftershocks were over, the blogger added:
Wow. Just finished with two more tremors that felt much like the first one right after the earthquake. Don't think the folks down here will sleep well tonight.
Many Haitian bloggers, like Real Hope for Haiti, simply tried to get word out that they were fine – this Ushahidi site provides valuable information about the on-the-ground situation, from roadway access to available power.
The Caribbean's heart, though, was breaking.  Trinidadian diaspora blogger Afrobella:
Right now my heart aches for Haiti. The already-suffering island nation was just hit with a 7.0 earthquake. A hospital has collapsed. Government buildings have been severely damaged. There was a major tsunami watch, earlier. Reports of major devastation are just starting to pour in…my thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti, and anyone with friends or family in Haiti…
Repeating Islands was quick to report that “Haitian musician Wyclef Jean began to mobilize support for the victims through his Twitter account”, and Bermudian blogger Catch-a-fire added:
It is becoming clear that the damage has been catastrophic. Slum areas have also been badly hit by landslides. Haiti has a lot of problems as it is and this disaster risks the country sliding into an even worse state. I’ll be seeing what I can do tomorrow. In Bermuda, although we have our own problems to deal with, we should still be able to offer help to our Haitian cousins, and I expect the unions and charities to start organising whatever help they can.
Finally, Trinidad and Tobago's The Liming House gave the local media a failing grade when it comes to Haiti:
Dear Trinidadian media: the Haitian earthquake is the biggest and most important Caribbean story, bar none, of the moment and the year to date.
What, exactly, is your excuse for your utter inability to update your sites to reflect this state of affairs, per the following screenshots (taken at approximately 8.55pm Trinidad time)
And in another post, which clearly demonstrates his compassion for the earthquake victims, he wrote:
Too often, relatively inconsequential events are referred to as ‘a tragedy’ or ‘tragic’.
But what is happening in Haiti – dozens dead, many more injured and dying in the aftermath of a 7.3 earthquake that also damaged and possibly destroyed the country’s National Palace – is a tragedy.
Readers, Haiti needs your help. In the coming days, weeks and months the island’s people will need food, water, shelter, medical care as they attempt to rebuild – for the umpteenth time – their shattered lives and nation.
There will undoubtedly be campaigns by the Red Cross, AmeriCares and other such organisations. Please give.
Give, and give generously, because the Haitian populace needs your support more than the myriad fete promoters and purveyors of glorified bikinis do; more than the enforcers of racism and classism along Ariapita Avenue.
Give.
Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.


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Haiti: Experiences of the Earthquake · Global Voices
Marc Herman

So far the casualty reports from Haiti's earthquake have focused on the terrifying statistics, but very few names had been attached to those numbers. Unfortunately, today, popular Dominican blogger Guillermo Peña confirmed he lost his father, Guillermo Peña Sr., in the disaster. The elder Peña was working in Port au Prince as an engineer with the Santo Domingo construction firm Mera, Muñoz & Fondeur. A coworker of Mr. Pena's also died. A third was injured but has been successfully evacuated to Plaza de la Salud hospital in Santo Domingo and is receiving treatment. Many Dominican and Spanish-language bloggers have already expressed their condolences to Guillermo Peña, Jr., who is posting his thoughts via Twitter.
The DR is feeling the quake’s aftermath in other ways. Dominican blogger Jose Sille’ claims, also via Twitter, that CESFRONT, the Dominican border patrol, is beginning to encounter Haitians desperate to flee the country.
se jodio la vaina, confimado eso de que se perdio el control en la frontera por mi hermana que esta por esos lados
The rumor of survivors moving to cross the border are unconfirmed, but the Dominican government has announced that the border crossings were open as normal. Dominican hospitals in Barahona and those operated by the military forces are open to receive all Haitians that need medical assistance, and aid centers are opening in Verón, Bávaro, a popular tourist destination. In the same area, according to reports in Santo Domingo media, an Italian resident has set up a collection center for donations at a hotel, the Luna del Caribe, and will transport it to a border crossing at the town of Jimaní. The Haitian embassy in Santo Domingo is reported to be providing transportation for Haitians wishing to go to their country.
Land lines are reported still down: Haiti's cell phone service has fared better. Large carrier Voila’ sustained damage but is still working, according to Voila’’s parent company, Trilogy International Partners of Seattle, Washington, USA.
Eddyson Volcimé, who lives in Nantes, France, was able to use a cell phone to call his mother in Port au Prince shortly after the ‘quake. He gave an interview to a local news channel:
EV:….She is fine. She has no news about the rest of the family though…given that no transport is functioning everybody is on foot, so its really difficult to communicate.
Interviewer: And your mother, whereabouts on the island was she at the time?
EV: She was in Port-au Prince itself, the epicentre of the quake.
Interviewer: She told you what happened on the telephone?
EV: She told me what happened to her, we can't tell what it was like everywhere.
She was in a restaurant at the time the earthquake started, so there was a lot of panic. Some people died in the restaurant itself, as it caved in. She managed to get out.
Since then…well, since then, people are in the streets…well, those who had not had injuries that were too serious in any case.
Interviewer: Are you worried?
EV: For my mother- well, she is ok, everything is fine.
For the rest of the family… we just don't know at the moment, we haven't heard anything…we are waiting for news. There have been victims,  and many injured…
Interviewer: And psychologically is your mother ok?
EV: My goodness!  She has seen a lot in her life, but she is ok, she is alright.
On the ground in Port au Prince, others are still collecting themselves. Survivor Jean Francois Labadie posted his recollections of the disaster a few hours after midnight this morning:
13/01/2010 00:25
As of this afternoon, the first aid flights are reported to have landed at Haiti’s main airport.
Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.

author: Marc Herman


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Haiti: First reactions to the 7.0 earthquake · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

The first blog posts written in French about the earthquake in Haiti have come from outside the country, announcing terrible news of the Presidential Palace , a hospital  and other buildings collapsing and also of the threat of a tsunami. According to MetropoleHaiti, The USA have already proposed humanitarian assistance.

author: Fabienne Flessel


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Haiti: We’re Sorry  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Regional bloggers reach out with compassion to their Haitian neighbours, while Repeating Islands notes that “in the past 500 years, a dozen major earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have occurred in the Caribbean near Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.”


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Important Children Activist Dies in Haiti Earthquake · Global Voices
Diego Casaes

Deborah Goldemberg mourns the death of Zilda Arns, one of the Brazilian victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann was a children's right activist and founder of the Child's Pastoral of Brazil. Internet users in Brazil are also reacting to the news on Twitter.

author: Diego Casaes


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In aftermath of earthquake, eyewitness tweets from Haiti · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

As a result of the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake that hit the island country this evening (January 12), “Haiti” is currently a trending topic on Twitter. Among the mass of retweets of mainstream media reports and tweets sending prayers and good wishes to the Caribbean  nation, have been eyewitness reports from musician and hotelier Richard Morse, who tweets as @RAMHaiti. Morse posted his initial tweet around 6:00pm Haiti time, reporting that:
were ok at the oloffson [the hotel he runs] ..internet is on !! no phones ! hope all are okay..alot of big building in PAP [Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital city] are down !
A series of tweets sent an hour later reported:
Just about all the lights are out in Port au Prince.. people still screaming but the noise is dying as darkness sets.
lot's of rumors about which buildings were toppled..The Castel Haiti behind the Oloffson is a pile of rubble..it was 8 stories high
Our guests are sitting out in the driveway.. no serious damage here at the Oloffson but many large buildings nearby have collapsed
I'm told that parts of the Palace have collapsed..the UNIBANK here on Rue Capois has collapsed
people are bringing people by on stretchers
Port au Prince is dark except for a few fires
A huge hospital that was being built across from the Oloffson has collapsed
cars are starting to circulate..I see lights in the distance towards the wharf
Later, Morse re-tweeted @isabelleMORSE, who reported “ much destruction on Grand Rue (Ave Dessalines) Daniel Morel's ok. Police Sta, Cathedral, Downtown teleco, Church St Anne all destroyed“.
Just after 7:30pm Haiti time, Morse wrote that:
Phones are starting to work..got a call from some one who's house fell in, child is hurt but ok. .A few people showing up @ Oloffson..roads are blocked by falling walls..much destruction on Grand Rue. I hear hospital General has collapsed
people are needing medical supplies..food, housing; I don't know water situation;
Then, around 7:45pm:
another aftershock..people are screaming and freaking out down towards the stadium..much singing and praying in large numbers
And at around 8:40pm Haiti time:
another aftershock..a little longer..much screaming downtown..this is going to be a long night
Also proliferating on Twitter are citizen photos of the destruction such as the ones below, reportedly sent to Twitter user @marvinady by journalist Carel Pedre of Haiti's Radio One.
@LisandroSuero has also posted photos of the destruction, including the one below:
Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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India: Queer Film Festival In Bangalore · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ultra Violet reports that the deadline for submission of films for the Bangalore Queer Film Festival is 30 January 2010. The non ticketed free event will be held at the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore on 26th, 27th and 28th of February, 2010.


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Jamaica: Big Guns  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica Salt reports on the number of guns being smuggled into the island.


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Kenya: During severe drought, a role model emerges · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

A prolonged drought has crippled agriculture production in rural Kenya, greatly affecting millions of families who rely on farming, fishing or herding. As in rural communities elsewhere in Africa, when disasters and hardships hit, young people are often the most susceptible to problems.
The entire Horn of Africa has been prone to dry periods over the previous decades, but this spell, which some blame on a variety of environmental issues, is particularly harsh.  An estimated 100,000 cattle have died in Kenya due to lack of water, and Kenya's government estimates 10 million people face food shortages. Malnuitrution is a worry as are diseases stemming from dirty drinking water.
From Gorta, the Ireland-based Hunger organization, here is a short video discussing how one family is adapting to the conditions in the Rift Valley, one of the most effected regions.
Drought in Kenya – one family´s perseverence from Gorta TV on Vimeo.
Leaving home
The drought has forced herders to leave their homes in search of water and food for their animals. “In most cases this means vulnerable women, children and the elderly are left behind to fend for themselves in the villages,” writes Ebby Nanzala Wamatsi for the blog Women News Network. Young people can be left to tend the dry fields, but if random rains arrive, they can create the vicious cycle of  providing water, but may also wash out crops, warns the Kenyan Daily Nation newspaper.
Threat of violence
Problems also arise if entire families pull up stakes. With so many people leaving their traditional hunting and feeding grounds can create conflict as pastoralists venture into territories traditionally used by other groups, heightening tensions. Poaching, cattle rustling and banditry are on the rise, worrying people as attackers use ever-sophisticated weapons. An estimated 400 people died in 2009 due to violence, reported the blog Kenya Watch.
A particularly horrific massacre took place in September at a village named Kanampiu in the Rift Valley when 35 locals, including women and children, were slain by marauders.
Good morning Kenya! by Mara 1
Educational issues
Out-migration of the area also forces children out of schools, making it difficult for them to return. Education level is an important barometer for future income earning. For children attending schools in the Rift Valley, in the northern part of Kenya, a local doesn't hold out much hope. “Many children, more than 1,000 from the Baragoi area [in Samburu] have moved with their parents and they will not be going back to school soon,” said Joseph Leparua of the Samburu Community Development Support to an IRIN News reporter.
To make matters worse, the school canteen is sometimes the only place where children are guaranteed a meal, according to a CBBC story.
Rebuilding communities
Outside of the food security and personal safety issues brought on by the drought, young people also have to worry about rebuilding their communities. Faith Akiru, a woman who works in Kenya with the US-based development group Catholic Relief Services (CRS), grew up amongst the pastoralist Turkanas in a village of 1,000 in northwestern Kenya. She speaks, on the website of the CRS, of how the drought has affected her village.
Because of Kenya's long drought, animals can no longer support our daily needs, leaving my family and other Turkana villagers extremely vulnerable. We suffered drought when I was growing up, and I remember going hungry for several days. We'd go to the river to pick wild fruits and plants. These plants have a very bitter taste, so we'd camp there to boil them until the bitterness left. About once a year, we would also receive relief food.
Now drought is harder to survive because livestock raiding is increasing. People are using guns for raiding, making it harder to protect our herds. My family isn't doing so good. I send them money, but even if they can use it to get food, all the people around them are hungry. It's a bit uncomfortable for them to eat when all of the others around them are hungry, and I can't send enough to feed everyone.
She points out that as an educated woman earning an income, she feels a duty to give back to her community by helping younger girls cope with the intricacies of modern life.
I have a lot of responsibility. There is a lot for me to do back in my village. Five girls from Morulem have graduated from eighth grade and gone on to high school. I'm the only one who managed to finish, and I'm now the only girl with a college degree in the village.
I feel I'm a role model. I need to have a good job so when I go back to my village they can see how my education has changed my life. I talk to the young girls in Morulem about the importance of education and help them learn about different careers. And I tell them that just like any other human being, they can go to school and live a better life than they are now. Part of my responsibility is to also fight against early and forced marriages that lead many girls to become young mothers of children they can't support.

author: John Liebhardt


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Martinique, French Guiana: “No” To More Autonomy · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

The referendum which took place on Sunday, January 10th 2010, in the French Overseas Regions of Martinique and French Guiana to vote for either more autonomy from France or to keep the same status, was along awaited and its results have left bloggers with mixed feelings. The following is a roundup of some Martinican blogs and their insight on what took place.
Blogger Imaniyé publishes precisely the question which appears on the ballot paper:
…les Martiniquais et les Guyanais devaient répondre par oui ou par non à cette petite question : «Approuvez-vous la transformation de la Martinique en une collectivité d’outre-mer régie par l’article 74 de la Constitution, dotée d’une organisation particulière tenant compte de ses intérêts propres au sein de la République?»
After hearing the final NO to more autonomy both from 80% of Martinican and 70% of French Guianese voters, many people's first thoughts went to the island's Father-figure, the late Aimé Césaire and the way he could have reacted, had he lived to see this referendum that he so longed for. Imaniyé starts her post  [Fr]with this introduction:
Hier, les Martiniquais se sont prononcés pour le maintien du statut quo du pays et non pour un choix où les élus locaux auraient plus de pouvoirs. J'en connais un qui doit se retourner dans sa tombe.
Going even further on this line, on MontrayKreyol [Fr], Thierry Caille imagines his meeting with Aimé Césaire and makes him comment posthumously on the results of the polls:
À l'énoncé des résultats du référendum du 10 janvier 2010, je me suis entretenu avec Aimé Césaire, que j'ai trouvé, désabusé, triste, sans colère apparente qui a tenu à s'exprimer devant les martiniquais, tous. Je vous livre ses propos, tels qu'il me les a fournis ….
Controversial Martinican author, Raphaël Confiant, who blogs at MontrayKréyol, denounces [Fr] his fellow Martinicans’ voting NO, in a very critical way, after the month long all-out-strike that touched Martinique last year.
In French Guiana, some representatives who supported the 74th Article (for more autonomy) clearly expressed their disappointment; even anger. Martinican Bondamanjak and French Guianese OuebTV.fr report on Christiane Taubira‘s comments after the results were in [Fr]:
…le non massif des Guyanais et des Martiniquais à une autonomie accrue était ‘un cri de détresse’ jugeant que le ‘jeu de la peur a très bien fonctionné’ dans une population craignant de perdre ses revenus sociaux.
At the opposite end, the blog Martinique73ou74, created for this special occasion (as well as to host the debate around the referendum) publishes the statement released by the mayor of Fort-de-France, Serge Letchimy after the results [Fr]:
Cette campagne nous a divisé, mais elle ne nous a pas séparé. C'est la victoire d'une lucidité, d'une sagesse, du peuple Martiniquais.
Look at the comment section for JLDL's post which reports a statement from Jean-Louis de LUCY who was featured as a Béké, in the controversial documentary “The Last Masters of Martinique“. He says [Fr]:
La population martiniquaise s’est massivement et clairement exprimée et dans sa grande sagesse a déjoué le piège tendu par les indépendantistes.
Both supporters of the 73rd and 74th articles now say that the situation is still very tense – even after the vote – since the worst problem remains unsolved: unemployment on the island.
For more information about the debate, please visit the videos of Martiniklité on Dailymotion [Fr and Fr Cr].


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Pakistan: First Blog Awards · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tenezo reports that Google Pakistan and CIO Pakistan are organizing the first Pakistani blog awards.  If you are a Pakistani blogger or write about Pakistan please submit your blog here.


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Russia: Details of Arrested Blogger Case Emerge on RuNet · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

LJ user beri_llii published [RUS] details of Irek Murtazin's [ENG] criminal case. Murtazin has been arrested last year on defamation charges when he reported on rumors about the death of Tatarstan president.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Mobile Operator Upset With Mockery Online · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Russia's largest mobile telecommunication company Mobile Telesystems [ENG] demanded to remove a blog post [RUS] that mocked the company's new ad campaign, adme.ru [RUS] reports. Russian blogosphere is boiling with indignation (here and here ).


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Russia: Quarter of Households Use Broadband · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

A recent report [RUS] shows that 23.6 percent of households in Russia use broadband Internet access. Analysts also predict the increase in wireless Internet usage in the country within the next few years.


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Taiwan: How the Puyuma people started Year 2010 · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

The Puyuma tribe is one of the indigenous groups in Taitung County along Taiwan’s East Coast. Nanwang, as the leading village in the tribe, holds the Monkey Ceremony and Hunting Rite in every December and starts the new year with the Annual Ritual.
In the evening before the Monkey Ceremony (12/19 in Year 2009), boys in the south group and north group met and challenged each other, and then they visited the families in the Nanwang Village to drive out the evil spirits.
Magulis took photos of this activity and explained:
每一位孩子必須帶著枯香蕉葉，傳說此枯葉配合團體的氣勢可以驅除霉氣。
After the boys ran into the living room of a family, they lied prone and yelled: Halabagai (we are here to drive out the evil spirits)!
When the boys finished their mission, they came back the Palakuwan (the traditional youth meeting hall) and enjoyed the desserts prepared by the families they helped drive out the evil spirits.
Magulis followed these boys until the ritual ended.
時間已經是半夜一點，領完糖果後活動結束讓小朋友回家，準備隔天早上的〝猴祭〞活動。
The video of this activity was taken by Paudull in 2005.
Taiwan culture portal reported,
The Monkey Ceremony is considered the most unique of the Puyuma Rites. It includes many “tests” including the killing of a monkey with a bamboo staff. Today, this tradition is still carried out, but only symbolically, with the use of toy monkeys, rather than real ones.
Paudull shared the video taken in the Monkey Ceremony.
In the video, after the boys stabbed the toy monkey, the elder boys hit the younger boys’ bottoms to teach them obedience. Then they sang the traditional song ‘Gudau’ together.
Between 27-30 of December, some men entered the mountain to perform the Hunting Rite. These hunters came back on 12/31 and were welcomed by the villagers.
Taiwan culture portal reported,
At the end of the Hunting Rites, the males are welcomed outside the village at an arch built from bamboo. The women crown the males of their family with a flower wreath and prepare their ceremonial clothing for them to change into.
In the evening, young villagers sang the traditional songs for each family to welcome the new year. Paudull shared the video taken in the carol:
In the morning on 1/1/2010, the elders visited the families who lost their family members in the past year and sang traditional songs for them, and then the villagers held the Annual Ritual in the Palakuwan. Paudull shared the video taken in the Annual Ritual:
Although most attendants in these ceremonies are male, female villagers also helped to prepare for the ceremonies. Taiwan culture portal said,
The Puyuma traditionally was a matrilineal society…Women were in charge of household affairs and the family property was passed from mother to daughter. In addition, women were responsible for overseeing traditional ceremonies and rites.
Hia Sani (Amanda) and Magulis took photos to show how the women in the village cut down the bamboos and made the clothes and flower wreaths for the ceremonies. Magulis said,
編織一條花環大約必須花上20分鐘的時間(熟練者). 編織花環的人是辛苦的, 被戴上花環的人是幸福的. 因為戴上的花環代表著親友獻上的”愛”
It is hard to make the flower wreaths, but it is much harder to hold these ceremonies because many Puyuma people have left their homeland for study or for work.
The videos of these ceremonies show that the traditional songs carry the spirits of the Puyuma tribe, from one generation to another generation, from the village to other cities. Baliwakes (1910-1988)  is a very important person in Nanwang Village because he wrote many songs in Puyuma language with Puyuma spirit. Taiwan’s indigenous peoples’ resource center said,
陸森寶說自己作詞作曲是基於一個非常簡單的理由：他希望正在遺忘自己族語的年輕人，藉他的歌找到「山上的話」，從「山上的話」找到回「paLakuwan」的路。
Here is the last song written by Baliwakes (in Puyuma language), ‘In memory of the Annual Ritual.’
mikiyakarunan ku isiDumayan
aDi ku pakawurumaruma
hoiyan hoiyan iyahohaiyan hoiyan hoiyan iyahohaiyan aDi ku abaLu sonomukasi
tu pu'apuTai ku kan nanali
muka ku muwaraka i paLakuwan

author: I-fan Lin


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Africa: African textiles for contemporary African Art décor · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Myweku.com explores the use of African textiles for contemporary African Art décor: “Framed, used as wall hangings or for soft furnishings such as scatter cushions, African textiles with their bold geometric designs and sunny colours are perfect for the Chic look. strip-woven Kente cloth, from Ghana, is one example of the many wonderful textiles produced especially in West Africa.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Azerbaijan: Baku pogroms · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Observer comments on the twentieth anniversary of the pogrom of Armenians in Baku at the beginning of the conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Between 48 and 66 people were killed as a result of the bloody ethnic tensions which would later erupt into full scale war and which until this day, despite the 1994 ceasefire, remains unresolved. The blog notes that the Armenian and Azerbaijani media continues to exaggerate the death toll of a series of atrocities committed by both sides against the other and says that there can be no healing until such a situation changes.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Selective Law · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on the selective application of the law in Azerbaijan and uses the example of imprisoned video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli to illustrate its point.


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Bahamas, Haiti: Where is the Love?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The headlines of our foremost newspapers…rather than forcing us Bahamians to shake our deep, deep prejudices against our closest neighbours…instead reinforce our prejudices and our fears”: Nicolette Bethel says that some of her compatriots are not demonstrating enough compassion for Haiti.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bangladesh: Traffic Jam And The Prime Minister · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh saw a huge traffic jam as many roads were closed because the Prime Minister was greeted by supporters as she returned from her India trip. Nazrul Islam at Sachalayatan says [bn] “Dear Prime Minister, if paralyzing the city is the measure of your popularity then I have to say your popularity is enviable.”

author: Rezwan


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Brunei: “Rainart” on Twitter · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

It's been raining hard in Brunei in the past few days. Maurina gathers the “rainart” twitter pictures uploaded by her friends.


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Cambodia: Bloggers discuss LGBT issues · Global Voices
Sopheap Chak

LGBT issues are not openly discussed in Cambodian mainstream society but they are being debated in the blogosphere. A leading example is Gay Khmer group, a website which was established to create a public platform for gay issues. This network is written in Khmer and English. The objectives of the site:
លើកកំពស់ការយល់ដឹងរបស់មនុស្សដែលមានភេទធម្មតាអំពីហ្គេយ៍ និង សិទ្ឋរបស់គេ។ រួមគ្នាប្រឆាំងនឹងការរើសអើងការស្រលាញ់ភេទដូចគ្នា។ បំពេញតម្រូវការរបស់ហ្គេយ៍ (ផ្តល់ព័ត៌មាន ដំណឹង ចំណេះដឹង គំនិត អំពីជីវិត សិទ្ឋ ការអប់រំ សុខភាព សិច ស្នេហា…)។ ជាកន្លែងដ៏ល្អសម្រាប់ហ្គេយ៍ និង អ្នកស្រលាញ់ទាំងពីរភេទ ព្រមទាំងអ្នកដែលមានភេទធម្មតា ចែករំលែកបទពិសោធន៍គ្នា។ ស្វែងរកដំណោះស្រាយសម្រាប់រាល់បញ្ហារបស់សមាជិករបស់យើងតាមរយៈមតិសាធារណៈ…ល។
Through this blog network,  many gender issues were tackled among members and commentators who voiced anxiety and doubt such as Hidden Face, When I Realized Being Gay, Is It True that Gays Love only Sex.
There is also another blog activist, Sobin, whose blog is dedicated to be a forum for sharing the life stories of gays. The header of his blog conveys a meaningful and interesting slogan: “No mater what gender you are…love is always beautiful.”
Interestingly, last year Cambodia celebrated its first ever Cambodian lesbian film, “Who Am I?” directed by Mrs. Phoan Phuong Bopha, whose movie  attracted an estimated 4,000 viewers, which AFP called as a blockbuster for the country's tiny movie industry. This film is part of an awareness raising campaign against lesbian discrimination in the country. This year, another LGBT film will be shown soon: “High School Love Story.” The film's story centers on a gay love affair.
In her post about “High School Love Story: Cambodia's Gay Film,” Kounila Keo, a prominent Cambodian blogher, expresses her excitement to see this upcoming film and highlights the obstacles confronting gay people in society:
Certainly, I am looking forward to watching “High School Love Story”. I don’t really think this is a new issue. Gays and lesbians have always been in Cambodia. I understand why they have been hiding themselves from society. A lot of discrimination is going on everywhere against homosexuals or same-sex lovers. Gays and lesbians should really have their own rights to express themselves in whatever way.
Besides films, blogs have become venues that address LGBT concerns. Young bloggers belonging to Khmer Youth Writers also use their personal websites to highlight LGBT issues. “Boy Friend” is a 2009 Khmer novel written by Archphkai or Asteroid, a promising Cambodian writer. In his free book distribution campaign, the author asked the readers to answer an interesting question:
យល់យ៉ាងណាចំពោះស្នេហាភេទដូចគ្នា? ប្រុសស្រឡាញ់ប្រុស/ស្រីស្រឡាញ់ស្រី។
Most of those who responded have positive views on the issue:
ស្រលាញ់មនុស្សម្នាក់គ្មានកំហុសទេ។ ស្នេហារវាងបុរសនិងបុរស គ្រាន់តែជាប្រភេទមួយទៀតនៃសេចក្តីស្នេហា ខ្ញុំគិតថាបើវាធ្វើអោយយើងមាន សេចក្តីសុខ នោះវាគ្មានអ្វីអាក្រកនោះទេ។ ការទទួលស្គាល់ការពិតថាយើងជាអ្នកណានោះវាពិសេសជាងការព្យាយាមគេចវេសពីការពិត។ អ្នកដែលមិនទទួលស្គាល់ស្នេហាប្រភេទនេះ គឹគ្រាន់តែកុហកខ្លួនឯងប៉ុណ្ណោះ។ តែអ្វីដែលមិនល្អគឺនៅពេលដែលពួកគេយកស្នេហាជាការបាំងមុខល្បែងផ្លូវភេទ។ សេចក្តីស្នេហាពិតប្រាកដ ពិតជាអស្ជារ្យលើសពីការគិត។
On the contrary, a Facebook user, Tauch Narin, launched a debate late last year on gay rights by updating his status with a question “Do You Support Gay Rights in Cambodia? It generated many contrasting comments.
A facebook commenter emphasizes that gays are humans with human rights: “They are not monsters,they are humans, and if humans have rights, why not gays and lesbians? They just have different preference from us.” Another commenter has a different view: “It's sounds reasonable. But the truth is it's sinful.”
Narin continued the debate by outlining the idea that one may become gay by association factor. While acknowledging that everybody has rights, Narin insisted that “freedom does not always allow one to do whatever they like” by comparing the choice to be gay or lesbian to the choice of others to be criminals or drug addicts:
People choose to be a gay or lesbian because they are addicted to such sexual behavior. Just like drug addicts, no easy way to get rid of. Naturally people are born to be male and female as indicated by gender organ. Tell me if there were any other types of gender organ?
Stereotype is the main factor that spread homosexual culture. If someone associates  with criminals, he would become criminal himself. If a person associates with drug addicts, he would become a drug addict too. If a person associates with homosexual person, he would be one of them.
This statement attracted more reactions which forced Narin to clarify his position:

author: Sopheap Chak


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Cambodia: Conference on “Open knowledge, free culture” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The conference “Open Knowledge, free culture” was organized at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Speakers discussed, among others, the impact of new technology and social media in Southeast Asian societies.


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Caribbean: Helping Haiti · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Within hours of the catastrophic earthquake on 12 January which devastated Port-au-Prince and other parts of Haiti, bloggers elsewhere in the Caribbean began to respond and comment. By the following day, as the extent of the disaster became clearer — one estimate suggests a third of the country's population of 10 million may have been affected, with casualties in the tens of thousands — Caribbean bloggers were busy posting updates and appealing to their readers to support relief efforts.
In many Caribbean territories, NGOs, civil society groups, and private citizens quickly launched efforts to raise relief assistance. In Jamaica, Silicon Caribe posted a list of international agencies accepting cash donations, as well as information on collection points for other donations in Kingston. The MEP Caribbean Publishers blog posted similar information for Trinidadian readers. Jamaican blogger Long Bench suggested six things “Jamaicans can do besides praying”. Miami-based Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philp, nothing that “Some things are bigger than literature,” also suggested ways that concerned readers could help. And in Barbados, Cheese-on-bread posted news of a fundraising radiothon, along with the text of Prime Minister David Thompson's statement on Haiti. Live in Guyana posted a similar statement by Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo. Repeating Islands gave a roundup of relief measures announced by other Caribbean nations.
Other Caribbean bloggers scrutinised the reactions of their respective governments to the ongoing tragedy. The Trinidad and Tobago government in particular came in for angry words from bloggers who noted how long it was before Prime Minister Patrick Manning made any comment about the situation — almost a full day — and suggested that the initial US$1 million (TT$6.3 million) committed to Haiti was an inadequate response, considering the magnitude of the disaster and Trinidad and Tobago's relative wealth.  “All we've heard is that Trinidad and Tobago, a country whose Gross National Income per capita exceeds TT$25,000.00, could only donate TT$4.67 per capita to help,” wrote kid5rivers. He added:
In T&T, we consume at least TT$1m per day in carbonated “sweet drinks”; TT$5.5m per day on subsidising vehicle fuel; and, TT$1m per day on unnecessary cellular phone text messaging and calls.
For the time being, then, could we not set aside some of the money we gladly expend on such superfluous luxuries to divert same, instead, to our devastated neighbours?
“How can we dance when their beds are burning?” asked Guanaguanare. He also posted a video and the lyrics of calypsonian David Rudder‘s 1988 song “Haiti”, which has been a rallying cry for many in the Caribbean in the past two days:
Haiti, I'm sorry
We misunderstood you
One day we'll turn our heads
And look inside you
Some Trinidadian Twitter users also express frustration with their government's response. @basantam wrote:
Every int'l news report says that Haiti needs Search & rescue, heavy machinery & helicopters NOW. PM Manning says “We will see what happens”
@blahblohblog responded:
Please remember, it's the quality of the relief assistance, not the quantity or speed that will matter.
Meanwhile, journalist and blogger Andre Bagoo posted a scan of a media release issued by the Office of the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister on the afternoon of 13 January, with information about a party to be hosted that night at the Prime Minister's residence. “No official release was issued on that day by the Government in relation to the Haitian disaster,” Bagoo sardonically noted. He suggested that his readers contribute to a YMCA relief drive.
In the Bahamas, Nicolette Bethel expressed outrage at the way the tragedy in Haiti was reported by Bahamian newspapers:
the headlines of our foremost newspapers … rather than forcing us Bahamians to shake our deep, deep prejudices against our closest neighbours, against our cousins and brothers and sisters to the south, instead reinforce our prejudices and our fears. “PANIC, LOOTING AND TRIAGE AFTER MAJOR HAITI QUAKE”, screams the Tribune; the Guardian warns, “GOVT BRACES FOR HAITIAN INFLUX”.
…the messages being given to our public are messages that reinforce our ideas that the citizens of Haiti are degenerate and lawless, helpless people who come and tief the wealth of others (=Bahamians), and messages that we need to brace for an influx of more of these people that we don’t want or need. And these messages are having their effect. The natural responses of ordinary Bahamians grow mixed. Some of us express sorrow for the tragedy while worrying about our safety, concerned that we will have to house more refugees.
Living in Barbados expressed a sense of helplessness in the face of catastrophe:
But what to do? In discussing this briefly last night, it seemed clear that besides offering financial aid, most of us could do little. I have an urge to go and help claw away rubble and maybe help find bodies. But, I know too that my willingness is not enough in such situations.
US-based Guyanese blogger Charmaine Valere reflected on parallels between events in Haiti and the disastrous volcanic activity in nearby Montserrat over the past 15 years, prompted by her recent reading of the late Montseratian writer E.A. Markham.
For others, the Haiti earthquake was a wake-up call for the whole Caribbean region. Trinidadian Taran Rampersad wrote:
While everyone is up in arms about getting relief to Haiti — as well they should — they should be taking a few moments to look around their own country. Since the limelight is on, all the Caribbean nations should be looking into building standards and enforcement of those building standards…. Shouldn't the Caribbean as a whole be better prepared?
Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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China: More on Google cn · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated several local news comments on Google's withdrawal from China market: The Withdraw of Google from China is only Psychological Warfare; The Chief Design Officer of Baidu Reacts to Google's Withdrawal from China; 70% Chinese Internet Users Surveyed Don't Think The Government Should Make Any Concessions To Google; and  Google Leaving?  Is this because they couldn't adapt, or because they are bitter?

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Proof for Google’s security breach · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaHush translated a Chinese blog post that gave evidence on Gmail's security breach in China.


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Dominican Republic: Helping Neighboring Haiti After Earthquake · Global Voices
Rocio Diaz

It was 5:53 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12 on the island of Hispaniola, when all of a sudden people felt dizzy and the earth shook violently. At the moment, an earthquake struck. In the Dominican Republic, it was nothing more than a great scare. However, in neighboring Haiti, where the epicenter was located, the situation was total disaster as the earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck. To make matters worse, the earthquake was barely 6 miles (10 km) undeground making the damage that much worse. Dominican blogger Alf Micstar of Duarte 101 [es]  describes that moment with these words:
Remenión, jamaquión, temblor, sismo, juidero, panico, corre corre. Ayer martes 12 de Enero cinco minutos antes de las seis, la isla volvió a recordarnos que se mueve, que no es un pedazo de tierra estático, que sus placas no son como las de los carros y que el suelo no pide permisos para sus sacudidas instantáneas.
Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince located 10 miles east of the earthquake's epicenter, was left devastated and incommunicado. Buildings had collapsed, and left countless thousands injured or dead, as there are no official numbers. Without electricity, water, or communication, several hours passed before the entire world could witness the damage caused by the earthquake. Many of these photographs and testimonies were distributed via social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The scene was grim, and to make matters worse, the aftershocks did not let up.
In the Dominican Republic, as a result of the earthquake, a tsunami alert was placed in effect, and the Emergency Operations Commission (COE) closed the commercial plazas in the capital Santo Domingo and took precautions along the coastal zones and on the Haitian border. In the early morning hours of the next day, Dominican President Leonel Fernández called an emergency meeting to put together a aid commission for Haiti, which included aid for health, water, electricity, infrastructure, and the assistance of the military.
Joan Guerrero, of Duarte 101 [es] summarized the actions:
Desde tempranas horas de hoy, las autoridades, empresariado y militares dominicanos unen sus fuerzas para movilizar ayuda humanitaria ante el temblor de Haití.
Plane carrying relief supplies to Haiti. Photo by Duarte 101 and used with permission.
The Dominican team help send food and bottled water, and sent heavy machinery to help remove the rubble. The hospitals in the province of Barahona were made available, as well as the airport to receive aid that would be distributed to Haiti. Personnel from the COE attended to more than 2,000 injured and the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) helped to restore telephony services.  The Dominican Red Cross and the International Red Cross have been coordinating health relief services. The Dominican Republic has also been a landing point for foreign correspondents who have come to cover the tragedy.
In addition to the efforts of the government, many Dominicans have joined the cause with collection centers, while others have offered private plnes and other materials destine for Haiti. Duarte 101 [es] writes a short summary of the help needed and collection points across the Dominican Republic.
José Rafael Sosa concludes [es]:
El pueblo dominicano se ha volcado para ayudar a Haití. Lo que ha ocurrido en Haití no tiene precedente. Es demasiado dolor. Demasiado sufrimiento. Aquí se paran las diferencias absurdas y se impone la solidaridad pura y simple. Abierta y decidida. Es este el justo momento para ayudar a un pueblo hermano. Démosle la mano y el alma a un pueblo que no merece tanto sufrimiento.

author: Rocio Diaz


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Ecuador: Radio Voice of Arutam Taken Off the Air · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Radio Voice of Arutam, also known as the “Spirit of the Jungle” or the “Lord of the Waterfalls” and broadcasts to the Shuar indigenous community in the Amazon region has been taking off the air after a ruling by the Telecommunications National Council [es] (CONATEL for its initials in Spanish). CONTAEL said that the station violated Article 58 of the Broadcasting Act when it incited violence during protests against the government in October 2009.
Arutam begun to operate on July 4, 1984, first in an AM frequency to change into a FM which broadcasts on the 107.3 MHz at the moment. The radio concession  belongs to the  Inter provincial Federation of Shuar Centers (FISH for initials in Spanish), based in Sucua, province of Morona Santiago in the center of Ecuadorian Amazon.
Shuar Community Member, Photo by @00rinihartman on Flickr and used under Creative Commons license.
The problem between the Shuar and the government originated back in September 2009, when the community protested to protect their “Plan of Life”, which is what the Shuar call the set of rules by which they live, in regards government proposals that the Shuar said would allow their territory to be used for mining without their consent. As a result, teacher and community member Bosco Wisum died during the clashes after receiving the impact of a bullet.
This suspension is one of 13 other radio frequencies [es] that were recently notified by CONATEL that they were being taken off the air.
Although the legal battle will be decided in Ecuadorian courts, the Shuar community is fighting for their radio frequency. The SUPERTEL is the watchdog of the CONATEL and they issue three kinds of concessions for radio frequencies: public, commercial, and communitarian.  The Shuar believe they provide a community service by airing messages in their own language to a poor community where TV and electric power is almost unknown. They say that even when Arutam was issued a license as a commercial frequency [es], they still acted as a community service station allowing thousands of their people to communicate with others through the use of simple messages, a view shared by Diana Atamaint, the Assemblywoman for Morona Santiago [es]. For example, to notify family members that one has arrived successfully to his or her destination after traveling on car, canoe or by foot for long hours[es], the Shuar use the Voice of Arutam channels to pass along this information.
Lourdes Tiban is an Assemblywoman for Cotopaxi, a province with an a large indigenous population. On her blog,  she writes about her discomfort about the double-discourse in the Arutam case because the government said that Radio Arutam is commercial, and not a community radio station. She calls this a “cowardly justification”:
No está en discusión el carácter de la Radio Arutam. Está en riesgo la libertad de expresión, el derecho colectivo de la nación shuar de tener su medio de comunicación como herramienta ganada, no como dádiva de algún gobierno. Es una forma cobarde de amedrentar para callar a los indígenas que se revelaron contra la “revo”. Es más toda radio comunitaria debe ser comercial, porque ¿quién va a financiar la sobre vivencia de un medio de comunicación? Los fines y los objetivos deben ser sociales, culturales y comunitarios. El carro de los periodistas comunitarios no andan con agua, la barriguita no es de trapo, ellos van a comer como cualquier otro periodista o comunicador. No me vengan con cantinfladas de que es comercial cerremos no mas, cierren todas las comerciales y está justificado.
Radio Arutam's classification is not under discussion. What is at stake is freedom of expression, the collective right of the Shuar nation to have won the means of communication as a tool, not as some government handout. It is a cowardly way to intimidatingly silence the Indigenous who rebelled against the “revolution.” In addition, all community radio stations should be commercial, because who will finance the survival of a media outlet? The aims and objectives should be social, cultural, and communitarian in nature. The vehicle of the community journalists does not run on water, their stomach is not made out of cloth, they will eat the same as any other journalist or communicator. Don't justify it by saying that you'll close it because it is commerical, close all of the commercial radio stations and then it will be justified.
Mario Melo is a professor and works as legal adviser of the Pachamama Foundation.  In the blog of Servindi [es], he thinks there are plenty of political reasons to close down Arutam but the legal argument for closing the station is clearly despicable. He says, “if a station transmits an interview or point of view from identified or identifiable people, what they say is their responsibility.”, not the radio station.
Arutam is not the only radio station in Morona Santiago. There are others like La Bonita, Morona and La Voz del Upano. However, the Shuar indicate that if the decision stands, then they will take matters to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights and even  broadcast clandestinely [es].

author: Milton Ramirez


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Haiti: Destruction in Jacmel  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Prayers are needed all throughout Haiti. This is not over yet. We are still getting tremors constantly”: First-hand reports of the earthquake from Cody, a blogger in Jacmel, here and here, while Repeating Islands laments the “widespread destruction and loss of life in the beautiful coastal town.”


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Haiti, Jamaica: Prayer & Action  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Two bloggers write posts on what Jamaicans can do to help Haiti (besides praying).


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Haiti: Le Cap Haitien sends some news · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

Wednesday January 13th: The day after the terrible 7.0 earthquake which has left Haiti in an undefinable situation, Radio Kiskeya announces the persistence of the communication challenges [Fr] the island is facing:
Aucune station de radio ni de télévision n’est disponible en Haïti ce matin. Le local de Radio Kiskeya est endommagé. Le système téléphonique est hors service.
However, the Haitian blog from Le Cap Haitien, le Réseau Citadelle has been able to publish news as early as Tuesday 12th, when the disaster happened. Here is the reply given by the blogger to someone worrying about the situation [Fr]:
Nous attendons des nouvelles de Port-au-Prince. C'est le pays tout entier qui souffre de la situation à la capitale. Chaque famille à au moins un parent à Port-au-Prince et les nouvelles sont très mauvaises.
Early in the morning, Le Réseau Citadelle publishes a post entitled “Nouvelle depuis Carrefour” (News from Carrefour), in which a man called Patrick Jean Baptiste talks about the situation in this poor neighborhood of Port-au-Prince:
Grande désolation à Carrefour, plusieurs maisons effondrées dont des bâtiments publics comme le Collège Catherine Flon.
He shows evidence of the hard time people are having to communicate – even in areas which would not be that distant otherwise:
Elles tentent même de joindre leurs proches dans d'autres quartiers de Port-au-prince, sans succès en raison des problèmes de communication. Ce qui ajoute à leurs inquiétudes déjà grandes.
Patrick Jean Baptiste also expresses an understandable eagerness to see things move forward:
Il serait temps de tout faire pour rétablir les liaisons téléphoniques et faire parvenir de l'aide à Carrefour qui est gravement touchée.
In the early morning, Réseau Citadelle also published a stream of the first photos taken in Port-au-Prince.
Later on Wednesday, the blogger publishes the testimony of an inhabitant of Pétionville/Delmas, named Alexandre, whose conclusion sums up the situation clearly [Fr]:
On doit avoir les nerfs très solides pour assister au peu que j'ai vu.
Apparently, Alexandre has been walking around the place, trying to find some friends and he says [Fr]:
Jusqu'a présent pas de nouvelles de Michel Guerrier qui était coincé dans le building de la Dinasa au bas de delmas, ils étaient 8 a y être coincés, six ont pu être dégagés, a 2h am Michel et un autre étaient toujours coincés à l'intérieur et communiquaient par coups avec les sauveteurs.
However, he shares some reassuring information:
Le centre de Pétion- Ville n'a pas subi de grand dommages, presqu'intact à part quelques maisons. Galerie Rivoli et d'autres immeubles semblent intacts.
Finally, later that day,  Réseau Citadelle relayed a doctor's suggestion to take care of the victims of the earthquake in other hospitals of the island instead of waiting on international humanitarian assistance [Fr]:
Envoyez les blessés dans le nord et dans tous les autres centres disponibles. Nous sommes prêts à les servir. Je pense que la majorité des médecins de ce pays pensent la même chose que moi. Nous avons été formés dans ce pays, par les ressources de ce pays, donnez nous les médicaments et les matériels nécessaires pour que nous puissions servir.
Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.


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Haiti: Tweets from the Ground · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

As the horror of the earthquake in Haiti reverberates around the world, a number of intrepid locals, foreign reporters, and aid workers are tweeting from on the ground.  Some are working to gather aid and funds, while others are simply trying to show the world what's happening in Haiti.  Still others are reporting on incidents in specific locations, in the hopes of assuaging the concerns of loved ones abroad (as of yet, very little information on those injured and dead has been released online).
Earlier today, many people on the ground were tweeting about the chaos in Haiti at present.  @fredodupoux said:
fredodupoux is based in Haiti
@bhatiap noted the lack of police presence:
bhatiap noted the lack of police presence
Boston-based @PIH_org (Partners in Health) is actively looking for doctors, specifically orthopedic surgeons, to send to Haiti:
A Boston-based organization is seeking volunteer doctors
Some Twitter users are reporting on specific buildings, streets, and other practical information for those looking for families or attempting to move throughout the country.  @yatalley notes that the road from the capital, Port-au-Prince, to the town of Jacmel is impassable:
Yael Talleyrand reports from Jacmel, Haiti
@RAMHaiti noted the widespread destruction of places of worship.  Reporting on a specific Port au Prince church, he said:
Richard Morse is tweeting from Port au Prince
@fredodupoux ventured into the district of Delmas outside of Port au Prince, an area which received the brunt of the damage.  He tweeted:
Frederic Dupoux noted massive destruction in Delmas, Haiti
As tweets keep pouring in, there are a number of ways to keep track.  @georgiap has created a list of Twitter users on the ground in Haiti.  I have a separate list which also contains aid organizations and reporters on the ground.  And keep checking GV's Haiti Special Coverage Page.

author: Jillian C. York


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Hotline to check status of Filipinos in Haiti · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Philippine government has set up a hotline where Filipinos can check the status of their relatives who are trapped in earthquake-hit Haiti.

author: Mong Palatino


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Hungary: Pécs, the European Capital of Culture · Global Voices
Marietta Le

This year the European Capital of Culture title is held by three cities: Essen (on behalf of the Ruhr area) in Germany, Istanbul in Turkey and Pécs in Hungary.
The opening ceremony of the season in Pécs was January 10, but debates had started right away when the preparations had been launched. The Western Hungarian city doesn't lack bad rumors about organization, renovations and construction related to the title. After the ceremony on Sunday the online debate became more intense, and even on the Facebook page of the cultural capital (HUN) netizens discussed articles and comments criticizing the details of the whole process going on.
Some citizens instead focused on promoting the city by themselves: there's a pool of Pécs bloggers at ekf-pecs.hu (HUN), and a photoblog at pecs2u.eu collecting and sharing the image of Pécs, as the citizens like Leslie Szendrő see it.
The Djami of Pasha Gazi Kasim is the symbol of the city's cultural diversity. It was built during the Turkish rule in the 16th century, then was turned into a church by the Jesuits. Photo courtesy of Leslie Szendrő
The slow start of the preparations was partly attributed to the difficulties at the municipality: the mayor of the city, László Toller, had a serious car accident in 2006—not long before the final decision on the European Capital of Culture—after which he was in a coma for weeks, and in 2009 he was officially declared incapacitated. Péter Tasnádi succeeded Toller as the mayor of Pécs, but in 2008 he announced that he was suffering from a serious disease; he decided to continue his work, however, but, unfortunately, died at the beginning of 2009 (HUN). After some inefficient by-elections, Zsolt Páva from the party in opposition was elected mayor in May.
Éva S. Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum commented on the Pécs mayoral election's result last year:
[…] What will happen in Pécs? Páva is promising to look into the alleged corruption cases but I doubt that he will suddenly find the billions lost. The government cannot “punish” Pécs even if they wanted to: next year Pécs will be one of two “European cultural capitals.” It would be a terrible blow to the country's reputation if Pécs were as unprepared next year as it is now. The relationship between the two parties in the city is not as vicious as in some other towns. […]
The mentioned “unpreparedness” provided inspiration to the activists of a fake political party: they started a website called pecs2100.hu (HUN) to make fun of the official pecs2010.hu by listing strange programs and sharing fake information about the city, for example referring to it as a city called Peć in Kosovo.
Cathedral in Pécs, photo courtesy of József Ottófi
There were discussions going on about the concert and conference hall connected to the project, still far from ready and about the constructions still taking place. The day before the opening ceremony, an architect, Miklós Koós, published a post with photos (HUN) about the central Széchenyi Square and other places. He wrote:
[…] Only a few of the public spaces have been constructed, but this is the smaller problem, the bigger is that Széchenyi Square, which is considered to be the heart of the city, was handed over temporarily, it's not that it was received well by the citizens of Pécs, but they were by line and level upset and they are peppery, because what they saw there was a dilettante work. […]
The Turkish Djami during the opening ceremony, photo courtesy of pinterpi
Finally, the day of the opening ceremony arrived. The event started with the speech of the mayor, Zsolt Páva, and of the Hungarian prime minister, Gordon Bajnai. (The whole ceremony is available at the Hungarian public TV's website.)
Placido Domingo, the chief patron of the 2010 European Capital of Culture (ECC) programme in Pécs, greeted the celebrating people with a video message, in which he referred to the multicultural background of the city by saying: “The richness of Pécs has captured me, too. Ancient Rome, Christianity and Islam live together here. Just like Renaissance and the Age of Reason, la belle époque of the 19th century and the relics of 20th century modern art.”
Annamária Apró reported (HUN) from the opening ceremony for UnivPécs (University of Pécs) magazine's blog (HUN):
[…] Placido Domingo is also sending a word on the screens as the patron of the ECC. Afterwards, big white puppets are starting to march and behind them loads of pupils, one after another, there's sound and light, though I can follow this mostly on the screens, the stage is totally hidden. The actors, dancers and musicians are representing the important periods of the history of Pécs, the background to this are the changing patterns painted on the Djami, the painting with the lights is really enthralling. On the stage the Roman Age, the Paleochristian Period, the foundation of the university is appearing till we arrive to our times. […]
The fireworks fading in from the mist at the floodlit square are spectacular, as the whole opening ceremony, there're no bloopers, finally everything's succeeding, the TV spectators are surely content, too. I just don't feel like it is addressing me, the citizen of Pécs, that it wants to touch me, involve me, make me not only stand and stare at what's happening around me, but to want to embrace the city, my city, the cultural capital.

author: Marietta Le


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Haiti should also be remembered by its history of strength and infinite resilience. Haiti was the first country in Latin America to achieve its independence, and the first black post-colonial republic in the world. Now, more than ever, the Haitian people and Haiti, a country that has been plagued by corruption, poverty, neglect, and tragedy, must be remembered.
This is what Puerto Rican writer and blogger Mayra Santos Febres says in her post on the earthquake [ES] that has devastated this Caribbean island:
Tengo una deuda vieja con Haití. Todos la tenemos. Haití es la matriz primera, el lugar desde el cual nos nació el Caribe, es el Africa de adentro, el dolor innombrable, la cicatriz.
Fue el primer pais de América en donde un negro se atrevió a pensarse libre, a pensarse lider de pueblos (Toussaint L'ouverture). Ese descaro, Haití lo ha pagado caro. Todavía se lo cobran. No se lo perdona el Antiguo Imperio que crió una revolución (Liberté, Fraternité, Eglité) para todo Occidente, menos para ellos. No se lo perdona su propia estirpe, que convirtió en micos y parodias (Henry Christophe, Duvalier, Aristide) aquel sueño inicial de libertad, fraternidad e igualdad.
Y ahora esto; Haití es este montón de piedras que se derrumban. ¿Qué crimen ancestral no terminamos de pagar? ¿Por qué la tierra nos odia tanto (Le Damnées de la Terre, siempre, les damnées de la terre)? ¿Cómo nos levantamos ahora? Porque el Caribe entero no puede caminar sin Haití. Tropieza , trastabilla, muerde polvo. No puede seguir soñando el sueño que lo originó. No puede seguir intentando (egalité, fraternité, liberté) convertirlo en realidad.
Haití se derrumba, otra vez.
Y nosotros caemos. No podemos avanzar.
Sin Haití no se puede. Sin Haití caemos todos.
I have an old debt with Haiti. We all have. Haiti is the first womb, the place where the Caribbean was born, it’s the Africa from within, the unnamable pain, the scar. It was the first country in America where a black person dared think of himself as free, to think of himself as a leader of the people (Toussaint L’ouverture). Haiti has paid heavily for this impertinence. They are still paying. The Old Empire that harbored a revolution (Liberté, Fraternité, Egalité) for the West has not forgiven them. Even they have not forgiven themselves, like those who have made a parody of the initial dreams of liberty, fraternity and equality (Henry Christophe, Duvalier, Aristide). And now this. Haiti under rubbles. What sort of ancestral crime we have not finished paying for? Why does the earth hate us so much (Le Damnées de la Terre, always, les damnées de la terre)? How do we get up now? Because the Caribbean cannot walk without Haiti. It stumbles, it hits the dust. It cannot keep on dreaming the dream that gave birth to it. It cannot keep on trying (egalité, fraternité, liberté) to make it a reality. Haiti is falling again. And we are also falling. We cannot keep on walking. Not without Haiti. Without Haiti we all fall.
Most of the bloggers from Puerto Rico have lamented the tragedy by writing brief posts with the lists of local aid collection centers. On Twitter there have been lots of updates and news about the earthquake by Puerto Rican citizen media twitterers @caribnews and @blogdiva.  Mainstream newspapers such as Primera Hora and El Nuevo Dia have sent reporters and photojournalists to Haiti to cover the earthquake's aftermath. The Puerto Rican government has established aid collection centers, anounced fund-raising activities, and sent search and rescue units to Haiti.
Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle