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The Republic of Niger ain’t sexy enough for headlines · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

In February 2010 the Republic of Niger was making headlines after the army staged a coup, which ousted President Mamadou Tandja and dissolved the government. Is Niger back in the news again following reports of food crisis in the country? One blogger, Global Nomad, does not think so. He writes, “Niger isn’t in the headlines. It’s barely ever been in the headlines.”
Global Nomad argues that Niger got a couple of weeks coverage in mid-2005and a blip a couple of months ago:
It got a couple of weeks of coverage in mid-2005, courtesy of a BBC camera crew who visited an MSF feeding centre in the east of the country and snapped some shots of a few skeletal children, thus propelling the story of a famine into the headlines. It also made a blip a couple of months ago when a low-level military coup deplaced Mahmoud Tanja as President of the country, all in the name of a more streamlined democratic process. Maybe 2 days’ worth.
Few people outside France know that Niger is not Nigeria. Global Nomad continues:
Most people outside France confuse the country with Nigeria, can’t prononce its name, and wouldn’t know the proper noun for its inhabitants (Nigerien, versus Nigerian). I remember doing media interviews with Australian press when I was in the field. Standing on some street corner with a Thuriya Satellite telephone against one ear, the conversations always started the same way: “We’re joined now by an aid worker in Niger. Tell us, where exactly is Niger?”
Blogging at Donation4Charity blog, Alister writes about Concern Worldwide response to Niger's food crisis . Niger's 2009 crop failure has put its citizens in terrible danger where about half of 15 million Nigeriens are desperately in need of food:
Concern Worldwide is currently responding to the food crisis in the West Africa country of Niger, who’s 2009 crop failure has put it’s inhabitants in terrible danger. Nearly half of the countries 15 million people are desperately in need of food due to the lack of rainfall that has blighted most of last year’s crops.
Some villages in Niger are totally deserted:
Niger is one of the least developed country on earth, and also one of the poorest. Concern Worldwide front line staff have been working in Niger for many years and have recently seen villages become totally deserted because of the lack of food. The situation is so bad that the local government is appealing for urgent international aid as the migration continues in the search for food.
Concern Worldwide response team are currently on the front line trying to treat the malnutrition and over the next few months will help up to 80,000 people. Not only will they be providing nutritional support to children, pregnant women, and distributing seed and fertiliser to replace failed crops, they are also using mobile phones to help transfer emergency cash grants to up to 2,500 families for essential items.
How you can help
Do something amazing today and buy a Concern Gift!By purchasing a Concern Gift online today you can help Concern be there for the people affected by the food crisis in Niger and other emergencies around the world.
Despite the crisis, Global Nomad says, “Of course, nobody outside NGO circles is talking about Niger at all.”
Why do countries such as Niger do not get adequate media coverage? “it just ain't sexy,” writes Global Nomad. Niger, he argues, fits into the category of ‘forgotten emergencies':
There are all sorts of reasons why countries like Niger don’t get press coverage, fitting neatly into the category we in the industry refer to as ‘forgotten emergencies’. That Niger is a geographically obscure former French colony doesn’t help. But beyond that, there’s the dynamic of the emergency itself. Complex.
The media labelled the 2005 crisis as a ‘famine’. The word ‘famine’ makes for a great headline. It has an emotional hit with it. We get images in our head like Ken Carter’s infamous pullitzer-prize winning image of a vulture stalking an emaciated toddler in Sudan. We think of Ethiopia in 1984 and Band Aid; of the Biafra famine and airlift of the late sixties; of the great famines of the Victorian period in India which cost millions and millions of lives.
What happened in Niger, of course, was not a famine. Which was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, no country wants a genuine famine. On the other, it meant that as soon as people started to delve into the root causes of what was happening in Niger, they lost interest. It was too complex to stay on the front pages. Not sexy enough…
By contrast, complex emergencies such as famines, wars, refugee crises and political emergencies are slow-moving, complex, and distinctly lacking in hope. They take far too long to explain to an audience used to the sort of oversaturated ADD-pandering stimulation provided by MTV, Jerry Bruckheimer and Fox News (complete with soundtrack). People lose interest. If they bother to learn even the slightest bit about the crisis, they feel their money will be wasted there. If it’s a war, then anything they give will just get blown up. If it’s a political crisis, then it’ll get eaten by a corrupt system. If a famine, then the children whose lives they save this year will just die in the next hunger season.
So, Niger is on the brink of a major crisis and there is no media interest:
Once again, there is no media interest. Once again the year ticks on, and NGOs and the UN have all put out their early-warning reports, and nobody seems to care. Once again, other emergencies overshadow the crisis in Niger- such as the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China.
Global Nomad warns us: And by the time we start seeing “photographs of emaciated children in feeding centres on BBC and CNN, then lives will have already been lost.”


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Pakistan: A Nuclear Power Facing a Grave Energy Crisis · Global Voices
Ammar Yasir

As a country of great geographical importance and an ally to US in its war against terrorism; Pakistan has a huge crisis at hand. The country is deemed as a nuclear power but it is currently facing an immense power and energy shortage. With a daily eight to ten hour of country wide power outage routine, both business and personal life of Pakistanis are hampered. Mumtaz A. Piracha, in his blog post puts it quite aptly:
“In June 2007, the power cuts in Pakistan lasted no more than 3 or 4 hours a day. Today, in extremely hot weather, Pakistanis have to endure without electricity for 8 to 10 hours a day. Industrial production is suffering, exports are down, jobs are being lost, and the national economy is in a downward spiral. By all indications, the power crisis in Pakistan is getting worse than ever.”
Karachi city, which is Pakistan’s biggest financial and industrial hub, is facing a deficit of approximately 700 MW against a fair demand of total 2200MW. The present situation continues to cause a huge industrial loss and adding nuisance to an already troubled economy. Riaz Haq, a Pakistani blogger, looks at the rising energy demand very critically and shares vital information with his blog readers:
“At an Asia Program event organized by Wilson Center in 2006, Vladislav Vucetic of the World Bank provided a troubling assessment of the state of Pakistan’s electricity sector—demand is approaching maximum production capacity, while institutional capacity for policy development and implementation remains low. Worse, failing to resolve these problems may cause investment delays and hamper Pakistan’s economic growth.”
It’s not the economy that’s singly paying for the incompetence and corruption of previous and present Governments. In fact the everyday life of an average Pakistani has come to a standstill. In a blog post Saeed Shah narrates the story of a working Pakistani woman:
“Children can't do their homework. Household work doesn't get done, as washing machines and other appliances cannot work. When you go home from work, you have no idea whether there will be electricity at home. Your whole life is disturbed,” said Mahnaz Peracha of the Network for Consumer Protection, an independent Pakistani advocacy group.”
Protest Against Kalabagh Dam and Thal Canal. Image by Flickr user International Rivers. CC By-nc-sa
Energy crisis of such magnitude doesn’t come about one fine day.  Question arises what led to all this? For more than a decade KalaBagh Dam Controversy has annoyed the nation like an old gramophone. Pakistan, since its very creation, fixated on hydropower as its only technique of power generation. Minus the politics, KalaBagh Dam was a brilliant project and could have supported the national need for years to come. Tahir Hameed pens down the lack of national consensus on Kalabagh Dam issue in his post:
“The inability of provinces and governments to resolve the Kalabagh Dam issue speaks volumes about our acumen and wisdom especially when International bodies point out that the building of Kalabagh dam will save the country from becoming a barren desert.”
In the current scenario Government, power producers and distributors are all trapped in a circular debt, which has administratively damaged the already worsen situation. Riaz Haq writes:
The key players in this “circular debt” trap are the federal and provincial governments as the biggest deadbeats, the power distributors like KESC, the power producers like Pepco and Hubco, and the fuel suppliers like government-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and partially state-owned Pak-Arab Refinery Ltd (PARCO). This debt circle begins with the government as the biggest debtor and ends with a government-owned entity as the biggest creditor….. Is there a personal profit motive of the top leader of the ruling PPP, who is allegedly pushing rental power plants (RPPs) contracts ahead of the speedy resolution of circular debt? Is it a combination of corruption and incompetence?
Work around like Rental Power Plants (RPPs) is look down upon by the Pakistani people, blogger from My Land Pakistan shares similar sentiments:
“The whole drama of load shedding is being played to create the importance of  RPPs (RENTAL POWER PLANTS) among the people. There has been great criticism on the government from the media and public on the issue of RPPs”
Is there an alternate solution, if we don’t go with RPPs?
Saeed Qureshi enlightens us with his upright opinion:
“Iran has offered Pakistan up to 2270 MG way back in 2008 to beef up the indigenous power production and to offset the shortage that has brewed up an unremitting social and economic chaos. And when Iran is bending over backward and frantically trying to help Pakistan overcome its chronic energy deficiency , the government looks askance, willfully ignores such direly needed offer and prefers the make-shift arrangements for generation of electricity that are not only overly expensive, are squarely unreliable but also cannot meet the energy requirements of the country. A newly born marvelous nation is the helpless victim of a monstrous rip off by a pack of greedy, rapacious, money hunting human hounds.”
While the authorities employ their power shedding experiments on the nation, Pakistani public helplessly endures the menace for the time being. But from the deteriorating condition at hand one cannot disregard the possibility of a violent outburst from the seemingly patient majority.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ammar Yasir


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Philippines: Labor Day 2010 · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Workers of the world celebrated International Labor Day on May 1. In the Philippines, thousands of workers marched on the streets to demand higher wages and better working conditions as the government held job fairs and moved the official labor day holiday to May 3. Filipino bloggers comment on labor-related issues online.
Manila and Beyond blogs about what made this year's Labor Day observance distinct from the previous ones.
1. This is the last Labour Day celebration of the present president of the republic.
2. This celebration was marked by the unveiling of the bas-relief of the late Crispin Beltran. Mr. Beltran, leader of the left-wing workers organization called Kilusang Mayo Uno who passed away last 2008 due to head injuries which he sustained from a fall, is regarded as the icon of the Philippine labour movement. [GVO published a blog on the death of the prominent Filipino labor leader Crispin Beltran in 2008.]
3. This year's Labour Day precedes the National (Presidential) elections which will be held on May 10.
Kapirasong Kritika laments the lack of mainstream media coverage of labor issues, such as contractualization, union-busting, and the persecution of militant union leaders.
Ngayong malapit na ang Mayo Uno, nasa midya na sila uli, hanggang matapos na naman ang taun-taong ritwal na ito at babalik na naman sila sa ibang pagkatao nila sa mata ng midya – kriminal, biktima, karaniwang tao sa kalsada, pero hindi manggagawa. “Hindi naganap ang gera sa Iraq,” pamosong sabi ng pilosopong Pranses na si Jean Baudrillard noong maagang bahagi ng dekada ’90 – hindi para itangging naganap ang agresyong militar, tulad ng sabi ng mga kritiko niya, kundi para idiing hindi tradisyunal na “gera” ang natunghayan. Walang manggagawa sa midya, dahil hindi na tradisyunal na manggagawa ang nagtatrabaho rito. Inaalerto ang publiko sa bagong itsura ng paggawa: kontraktwal na ang mga bagong manggagawa.
Rose Anne Quirante gives a brief background to the labor day celebrations in the Philippines.
[T]he first Labor Day in the Philippines was held under the UODF (the Union Obrero Democratica de Filipinas) on May 1st of 1903, during the rule of the Americans. There were hundreds of thousands of workers who marched from Tondo’s Plaza Mariones to the Malacañang Palace, the former seat of the country’s governor-general, and demanded better working conditions, as well as complete independence.
Upon noticing the march, the American colonial government was alarmed. In fact, the Philippine Constabulary, which consisted of Filipinos and Americans, raided the UODF printing press and arrested their president, Dominador Gomez, for sedition and illegal assembly.
Chantal's Doodles blogs on the hard life of dock workers in the Central Philippine city of Tacloban.
For them, the hardest times are when there’s no cargo ship docked at the pier since work is only available whenever cargo ships arrive. Some of the workers look for alternative source of income when there’s no ship like working at the warehouses as “hornal”, offer their services in farms, and catch fish or dive for shells at the nearby bay just to be able to sustain their family’s need. It’s also hard for them during summer because the “paglalara” work for their wives has less work to do because there are less customers  at the barbecue stands during the summer.
Of Transitions and Distractions compares the Philippine government's handling of labor issues to a popular ice cream ad.
Similar to the manner by which Selecta tries to market Cornetto on air, Arroyo attempts to hard-sell her gimmick to the uninformed. Instead of giving her commitment to meaningful undertakings such as endorsing a significant wage increase as soon as possible, she opts to have local broadcasting networks air deceptive, self-laudatory television ads that allege improved livelihood under her administration.
The Impulsive Blabber blogs on the sorry state of employment in the country.
After years of studying, these students will then graduate. But what will welcome them to the world of employment? It’s a survival of the fittest, or better yet survival of the “who-has-the-highest-acquaintance-in-the-company”. They would all fight for slots in job occupancies. There aren’t enough jobs offered for fresh graduates, moreso to the addition of the graduates the year it succeeded. In short, there just aren’t enough jobs.
What about those who weren’t able to finish college? Or even high school? Or worse, those who weren’t able to attend school? They lose their chances from the start. They are the least of priorities to be given jobs.
Araphoenix challenges Philippine presidential aspirant Noynoy Aquino to address the labor and land reform issues besetting Hacienda Luisita, the estate owned by his family.
He should face the issue as part of the Cojuangco Family and as running president.  This is the first real test of personality of presidential buoyant, whose family has owned the land since 1958.
The Hacienda  Luisita haunts Noynoy’s future, it began long ago when government lenders asked  the Cojuangcos to give out the land to the little  farmers last 1967 and up to now the struggles doesn’t end yet. And it has gotten worst when the Hacienda Luisita Massacre happened last March 2004.
Lastly, The Observer Protocol suggests the renaming of Labor Day to Passion Day.
By foregoing the attitude of labor, instead utilizing a mindset of passion, people would understand the necessity of pursuing things out of excellence, because passion means ardent desire or any strong emotional feeling towards something… Without passion, nothing has real intrinsic value. And that you might one day get tired of labor, but you will never lose that passion in you shows the importance of celebrating a day for people’s passion. Great minds were able to achieve gargantuan tasks because of their passionate dreams.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russia: Bus with Stalin’s Portrait Leads to Heated Online Debates · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

A bus with a portrait on Joseph Stalin in the city of St. Petersburg upset some and cheered the others. Russian Internet is filled with thousands of blogs discussing the issue.

author: Vadim Isakov


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Saudi Arabia: The Best of Riyadh Rain · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Stranger in this Dunya sums up reactions to a freak storm which hit Saudi capital Riyadh in this post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Saudi Arabia: The Power of Prayer  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tara Umm Omar, from Saudi Arabia, shares her experiences when the skies poured in Riyadh, using prayer to ward off the evils of the storm.


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Sri Lanka: Lately In The Lankanosphere · Global Voices
Rezwan

London, Lanka And Drums posts the latest roundup of Sri Lankan blogosphere.

author: Rezwan


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Technology for Transparency, Civic Engagement and Accountability in Latin America · Global Voices
Renata Avila

Corruption, systematic violations of human rights and widespread poverty are closely connected. The cycle of corruption facilitates, perpetuates and institutionalizes human rights violations. Powerful and corrupt political and military groups that have systematically committed acts corruption have since covered-up or erased the evidence. Such scenarios were even more harmful in countries were perpetrators and collaborators from local and international networks escaped unpunished. As a result, today criminal networks are seduced by the same game. Secrecy plays an important role too. By denying citizens access to public information and a say in accountability, impunity continues a culture of silence. It obstructs public debate about crimes that have been committed, and their impact on development and wealth.
Declassified documents released the last decade shed a light on secret impunity agreements between governments and political leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and other countries in the region during the seventies and eighties. From Operation Condor to the dirty wars in Central America, many covert actions affected the future of the region, undermining their rule of law, dividing societies, silencing dissenting voices, and facilitating the creation of corrupt networks and a culture of secrecy and impunity. The region, in fact, is an example of how secrecy and the discretionary use of force can harm an entire society to only benefit of few.
As Joseph Stiglitz once wrote: “Life is never black and white. Just as there is no ‘one size fits all’ policy for economic development, there is no such policy for fighting corruption.” That is why different approaches to fighting corruption, improving governance, and incentivizing citizens to become active actors of change can show us different ways to tackle corruption, with the help of our new interconnected environment.
Transparency and access to information empower individuals to make more informed decisions. Without access to public information and transparent practices from the private sector, civil society lacks objective input to monitor government effectiveness, spending, and public procurement. While access to information is important for everyone, it is particularly relevant for those working toward transparency and accountability. Without such access corruption flourishes. When a citizen needs to access information that is in the hands of the government, and it refuses to grant access, corrupt alternatives such as buying it or leaking it after contact with clandestine networks can replace clear institutional channels. Access to Information laws are important for a country. However, we must question premature celebration on the passage of Access to Information laws if such a tool is not used by citizens or is not effective in its objectives, as has been alleged in Guatemala. Laws and mechanisms if not used and enforced, are useless.
The ProAccesso Coalition in Venezuela aims to encourage public demand of information in the hands of the government since greater transparency is one of the most effective antidotes against corruption. ProAcceso Foundation in Chile combines its on line portal with offline legal clinics and workshops. There you can find information about access to information rights and the mechanisms to enforce them. There is also information about relevant legal cases at the local and Interamerican system and the organization's contribution to the landmark case Marcel Claude Reyes et al. v. Chile, which is important and relevant for all the Latin American states seeking a right to access public information. In Brazil, there is the Information is a right! movement. More information, More Rights in Colombia follows the regional trend, educating citizens about the important role they play by requesting public information. Mexico Informate! And the Peruvian Working Group Against Corruption coordinated online campaigns and developed tools to make it easier to request public information. Both projects also forged alliances with print media, and are working closely with journalists to provide them with the tools to inform citizens about their rights. Journalism and Access to information also works with journalist to explain how to use legal mechanisms to improve their investigative reporting.
Freedom of Information laws must be tied to issues that people care about in order to be effective. The Mexican initiatives, Rural Agricultural Subsidies and the Environmental Frontier Project in Tijuana are examples of efforts to pressure local governments to be more transparent about their spending in particular sectors. The Local Integrity initiative in Ecuador, Peru and Argentina provides a comprehensive database and peer reviewed research. CIMTRA (“citizens for transparent municipalities”) is a group of 20 NGOs working together to promote a culture of accountability among local governments.
Access to information, transparency and security issues are not incompatible, as demonstrated by Just the Facts, which provides data, analysis and links to better understand the role and motivations of U.S. assistance to the region, including military and economic aid, military and police training, arms sales, and troop deployments. It is an example on transparency in security issues.
According to the Inter American Democratic Charter, transparency in government activities, morals, responsible public administration on the part of governments, respect for social rights, and freedom of expression and of the press are essential components of democracy. It is not only credible and independent elections that matter.
Systemic corruption of political processes is far more dangerous and complex than fraudulent elections. It covers public policies, public management and procurement systems, political and administrative structures. Only a consistent effort to watch each actor and understand the weak points of each stage in such processes, and then combine different data to offer a clear picture on how the influence of lobbyist groups, criminal networks, and entrenched interests negatively affect democracy. Various projects by the Poder Ciudadano Foundation (“Citizen Power Foundation”) are helping citizens from Argentina understand the interests behind their politics and beyond elections. They also created a tool to monitor media and its role in politics. Since 90% of political campaign expenses are spent on media, it is crucial for political process to understand the relationships between media and politicians in a given country. The investigation, Mapping the Media in the Americas, provides such information and helps citizens understand the media's role in a democracy.
Civic monitoring of political processes is key to preserve them from institutional corruption. Without such engagement it is almost impossible to fix a failed system. Elección Visible in Colombia and Guatemala Visible are putting the spotlight on the selection process of six key public office nominees and appointments. The objective is to keep corruption out of all political processes, including political appointments. There are several efforts to preserve the integrity, transparency and legitimacy of the day of elections Cuidemos el Voto provides tools to monitor and map misconduct in federal and municipal elections in Mexico. Vote Bien take a similar approach in Colombia. In Chile, Vota Inteligente created an important tool to better inform voters during the last presidential elections, and they are keeping an eye on the performance of the elected president by following up on  his campaign compromises.
The activities of Congress and its members is yet another important component of the democratic process to keep an eye on. Various efforts like 500/500 and Legislativo a tu alcance in Mexico, Democratic Reflection in Peru, Congreso Visible in Colombia, and Congresso Aberto in Brasil are helping citizens understand the importance of taking an active role in monitoring those who approve laws and the dynamics behind their decisions. The project Parlio, which monitors the Basque Parliament in Spain, might be an interesting model to follow because it takes the activity inside Congress to another level by providing information on why every topic discussed at parliament.
Movements are taking action simultaneously on several fronts, combining global and local issues in Latin America, influencing local politics, such as #internetnecesario did in Mexico or global politics, such as the Open Acta movement to demand transparency in the negotiation of international, bindind treaties. Other examples include “I am not a criminal” in Peru, and a sister project in Chile. Environmental activists are integrating their efforts online more and more to promote transparency and accountability related to extractive industries, such as mining.
Citizens are also organizing efforts to map criminal activities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and, in the case of Mexico, specific maps to report drug dealing.
The Latin American projects I reviewed on the Technology for Transparency Network show actions by ordinary people, many of them working on their own time and dime, organized into various and ever-changing groups and networks. They reveal how technology is a tool to ensure rights of those affected by corruption, obscurity and impunity. And in the future, such networks of ordinary citizens, using any tool available, again and again, until it is not necessary anymore, will demand justice, transparency and accountability. To make change depends on citizens; technology is just a tool whose impact will only increase if practices and skills are shared across the region, taking advantage of the possibilities and potential of networks, and including the voices of those offline, the ones who are most affected by corruption and invisible to the public eye.

author: Renata Avila


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Technology for Transparency in China · Global Voices
Carrie Yang

In China, transparency, accountability and civic engagement are all politically sensitive issues. The root of the tension can date back to the Cultural Revolution, when people were told to say what the government, or more exactly, the Communist Party of China (CCP), expected to hear. Those who said what they really thought, or questioned the CCP’s acts, were often jailed or worse.
After China’s period of economic reform beginning in 1978, political reform and freedom of speech were brought back to the agenda. In 1987, the 13rd National People’s Congress brought up the idea of “supervision by public opinion,” and specified that “major situations should be known by the people; major questions should be discussed by people.” (Wu Guoguang, 1997) Emphasis on political transparency reached its historical peak in modern Chinese history.
The 1989 the Tiananmen Incident was a turning point for China's policy making about the control of public discourse. The CCP used tanks to “clear up” Tiananmen Square, where hundreds of thousands of students demonstrated for political reform to eradicate government corruption and promote democracy and transparency. The international response was enormous, but in China any mention of the incident was banned. On the Internet, keywords such as “June 4th”, “6.4”, and others were all automatically filtered from websites. It is common that young people today in China have no clue about the incident at all.
Article 44 of the August 2007 Emergency Response Law offers a small opportunity for improvement because there is no explicit restriction on what the media must do in emergency incidents, compared to past warnings by officials that media should be “helpful, not troublesome.” Also, from a legal perspective, according to Article 41 of the Chinese Constitution, citizens are entitled to not only know what is actually happening, but also to “criticize and make suggestions to any state organ or functionary.” The constitution also specifies that citizens are entitled to demonstrate and protest. However, these civil rights were seldom practiced due to the strict political control enforced by the government. In short, the absence of an independent institution for the trial of laws that go against the constitution means that the articles themselves are not enforced.
The press was supposed supervise the state. However, after the Tiananmen incident, China’s media system characterized by a low level of autonomy, high government intervention, strong institutional continuity, and no correlation with any clear pattern of democratization. (Colin Sparks, 2007) He Zhou has referred to the role of Chinese media as “Party Inc.”. In other words, the role of the media has changed from a propaganda machine in the age of the Cultural Revolution to the Chinese Communist Party's PR agent, whose major task is to maintain a positive image of the party. Though most journalists take pride in investigating watchdog stories that also reveal the negative side, they generally choose less controversial topics like consumer culture or environmental protection. No core issue that involves political accountability or the election process can be touched. (Zhou He，2006) The Party, through the Central Propaganda Department and its local branches at all levels, still control mass media content in great detail. It renders public distrust against the government, but there’s still no mechanism for citizens to dissent. In a nutshell, the priority of the CCP is to “maintain a stable society.” Any challenge from the citizens is basically “harmonized,” or filtered from access. Since citizens cannot receive the real and timely information from mass media, new media have become increasingly important in China.
In recent years increased participation and communication, two basic aspects of transparency, have taken place on new media platforms. (Yang Guobin 2009) The primary form of netizen participation is online protest and dissent, most commonly in the form of replying in comment and forum threads. There are times that online activities are accompanied by offline activities. Relying on the online community platform, these kinds of activities are spontaneous and loosely organized, but they can have influence not only on online discourse, but also on offline public discourse and government policies. Social problems such as the widening divide between the rich and the poor; corruption; environmental pollution; changes in cultural values, etc. are reflected in the online discussions. (Yang, Guobin, 2000) The rise of an urban middle class is particularly important in the new online activism. The urban middle class is more confident in the aspect of culture, and has more confidence in both domestic and international media than the working class. (Du Junfei, Wen Yunchao, 1999) This finding is also reflected in the case studies of technology for transparency projects I documented. Three of the four founders were educated abroad (including Hong Kong), and one is a senior manager at an IT firm.
On the other hand, new media also gives netizens new channels to break through the Chinese government’s information censorship, thus empowering Chinese netizens to hear voices other than those of the “Party Inc.” (Hu Yong, 2008) Online it is hard to draw a fine line between the private and public sphere. Nevertheless, in China, a country with an under-developed public sphere, the Internet has had a major impact on unraveling the information monopoly, and creating a space for other voices. No mediium can change deeply rooted, non-democratic behaviors over night, but for many Chinese the Internet has brought political discourse into citizens’ daily life, and in some instances has changed citizens’ perspective toward the control of information, freedom, and creativity.
In response to the influence of the Internet, the government has updated its online censorship tactics. Search engines at home (Baidu) or abroad (Google) have conformed to filter out search results with personal information of national leaders and keywords related to politically sensitive issues. (Google.cn has since migrated to Hong Kong.) A project to install monitoring softwares (adult content and political sensitive content) called Green Dam, Youth Escort was proposed to be installed on every PC in China in 2009. The Great Firewall blocks numerous websites from Hong Kong, Taiwan and abroad that may contain politically sensitive content, or that facilitates discourse of about such topic. This includes platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and news sites like Apple Daily. In the end of 2009, the government released a list of websites in China that do not have the “license” to run multi-media content. Countless websites did not survive this “policy adjustment,” and many activist blogswere shut down or erased from the blogging platform. The Wu Mao party (50 cent) part has been observed actively leaving patriotic comments in forums, blogs, and portal sites. It seems that China’s censorship is so powerful that it has managed to control what was thought of as the uncontrollable Internet.
For a project to promote transparency, accountability and civic engagement, forming civil society organizations, or NGO's, should be an effective way to start the operation. However, in China, such organizations are taboo. Between China’s Reform in 1978 and the student movement in 1989, there were neither legal policies nor official bureaus to regulate civil society organizations in China. Nonetheless, at the peak of the student movement in 1989, the government began considering the creation of a regulatory system to regulate civil society organizations. The Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) was appointed to be responsible of managing civil organzations and NPOs (Non Profit Organizations). These organizations, or associations, were required to register, and they could not register with the MCA unless they were under the supervision of government or party agencies.
In 1996, Jiang Zemin strengthened the system by bringing in more detailed and comprehensive regulations. Nevertheless, many rules governing NGOs derived from the speeches of high officials or from unpublished speeches and documents that NGO leaders might not be aware of. In 1998, the CCP’s Central Bureau and the MCA even jointly issued a document that required every civil association that has three or more CCP members to establish a party branch to supervise its political behavior. As a result, most internet projects were loosely organized and can be easily claimed as “illegal” by the government and shut down.
The case in Hong Kong reflects a shrinking of the public sphere after its return to China. Hong Kong was the sanctuary for a great number of political refugees from mainland China, and the UK maintained a liberal media order when Hong Kong was a British colony. However, the transfer of sovereignty brought about two anti-democratic trends. First was transfer of media groups’ ownership and management. Many middle-class professionals moved overseas before returning. Pro-Beijing capitalists bought many critical magazines and closed them. International capitalists and overseas Chinese capitalists who have major investments in mainland China also bought several major media groups. This led to the second anti-democratic trend: self-censorship and moral bankruptcy. Beijing controls news sources from the mainland and it can decide which media group it releases news to. Moreover, the chiefs of several Hong Kong media groups have close relationship with Beijing (some of them even members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), and request that their employees voluntarily self-censor their criticism against Beijing. In conclusion, transparency in Hong Kong has been undermined due to economic-political reasons, but it has a richer legacy of criticism and watchdog journalism than that of mainland China, and the media enjoys greater autonomy about local and international issues. (Lee Chin Chuan, 2003)
Waste Incineration and Environmental Protection:
The case study features a community forum called Jiang-Wai-Jiang. It serves as a platform to bring together residents to protest against the construction of a waste incinerator in Guangzhou, China. The construction of waste incinerators were not only reported in Guangzhou, but also many other major cities in China. In the end, because of the communities’ strong opposition, the government suspended the project. However, as soon as the threat of pollution was gone, most community members on the forum returned to silence. From a researcher’s point of view, collaboration with other anti-waste-incinerator efforts would diminish the risk for Jiang-Wai-Jiang in the future.
Inmediahk:
Inmediahk has influenced many major political issues in Hong Kong by providing independently-investigated information on its website. It aims to overcome the problem of Hong Kong's shrinking public sphere after the handover of sovereignty to mainland China. Its goal is to protect freedom of speech in Hong Kong. In the recent “Hong Kong High-Speed Railway Incident,” it provided series of insightful posts that attracted tens of thousands affected people and advocated on behalf of the most affected community, Choi Yuen Village. Though the Choi Yuen Village is still scheduled to be dismantled, the villagers were better compensated. Moreover, it aroused public attention about the negative side of the project. About 10,000 people attended the protest to support the Choi Yuen Village and to protest the High-Speed Railway construction. Inmediahk reveals mature and healthy model of online civic engagement with the ability to be self-sustained. It’s a pity that the social system in mainland China has far not copied such a model.
Investigation into the Earthquake Student Casualties:
The Sichuan Earthquake in 2008 took away thousands of lives of school children. While the public mourned the loss, Ai Weiwei, a renowned blogger in China, noticed that the government never released the exact names of the victim students. He made hundreds of phone calls to inquire at all levels of government, but none of them were able to offer him the list. As a result, he organized a team to conduct a citizen investigation to compile students’ names behind the casualty numbers. But the investigation encountered impediment from all levels of governments in Sichuan Province. The team was detained, interrogated, and, at times, beaten. The names and reports that Ai Weiwei published on his blogs were all deleted by the government. It was widely suspected that the government’s corruption in the school construction projects was the leading reason why so many schools just collapsed. In the end, he managed to publish “Ai Weiwei’s list” with basic information such as names, school, class, age, etc. However, the project is heavily reliant on the celebrity effect of Ai Weiwei and his own safety has been severely threatened. This society needs more Ai Weiweis, who are fearless to confront the government and who have profile to demand accountability. We cannot afford to lose citizens like Ai Weiwei any more.
Freemoren:
Free More News (FMN) was established in September 2007 and has since become one of the most trusted online media for Chinese Internet users (as opposed to the government controlled media). Especially since March 2009, FMN's use of Twitter and other Web 2.0 platforms has enabled it to break through some of the barricades placed by Chinese government censors in order to report on big news that has happened in China, such as the Xinjiang riots, the Shishou mass protest, the Hong Kong 7.1 march, the Guangzhou protest against the waste incinerator construction, and so on. It represents the emerging civil power of the “sea turtles” (the term shares the same pronunciation with “returning from the overseas” in Chinese) in modern China.  Nonetheless, it depends heavily on volunteer work, which may result in inconsistency and could be an obstacle to sustainability. Working on a sustainability model will eventually allow them to focus more of their goals as an independent source of news and information.
The four cases that I selected represent different technologies that are currently widely adopted in China: forums, websites, blogs, and micro-blogs. All of the projects in mainland China are vulnerable when facing powerful government censorship. All of the projects reflect the emerging power of the middle class and the democratic influence from outside of China. From the above observation, we should realize that democratization in China is a long process. Though China is going through a fundamental shift in how information spreads and is controlled, the power that China’s social system has regulating networked communication and the adoption of technology should never be under-estimated.
Lindsay Stirton and Martin Lodge, “Transparency Mechanisms Building Publicness into Public Services,” 2001, 477-478
Colin Sparks, Media system in transition: Poland, Russia, China, Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, TBA, San Francisco, CA, May 23, 2007
《中國猛博 ─ 新媒體時代的民間話語力量》 主編：陳婉瑩、錢鋼 , 編著：翟明磊 , 出版社：天地圖書有限公司 , 出版日期：2009年9月
Zhou He，”Chinese Communist Party Press in a Tug of War: A Political Economy Analysis of the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily”，in Power ，Money and Media，112-51， 2006
政治经济学的悖论：中港台传媒与民主变革的交光互影 李金铨 原载《二十一世纪》二○○三年六月号
Wu Guoguang, “Zhaoziyang and the Politic Reform”, Jul 1997, Parcific Century Press
Lidan Chen, Open Information System and crisis communication in China, 2006
Yang Guobin, Of Sympathy and Play: Emotional Mobilization in Online Collective Action, the Chinese Journal of Communication and Society, 2009
Yang, Guobin, The Power of the Internet in China. Citizen Activism online. Columbia University Press. 29, 2000
Du Junfei, The Communication Characteristics of the Middle Class in China; Wen Yunchao, Our Will is Optimistic: The opportunities of China’s alternative communication are in a tight conner, Jounalism Study, 99, 241-264
Hu Yong, The Rising Cacophony, personal expression and Public Discussion in the Internet Age, 2008

author: Carrie Yang


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The Pakistan Born Suspected Bomber · Global Voices
Rezwan

Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan comments on the arrest of the Pakistan-born suspected bomber in New York City: “one hopes that just as the citizens of New York did not let the car bomb blow up, Pakistanis in America will not let him destroy the self-confidence that this community has been so painstakingly reconstructing since the tragedy of 9/11.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: All That Jazz · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

MEP Caribbean Publishers reviews the recently-concluded 2010 Tobago Jazz Festival.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: On Volney  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch questions former Justice-turned-political candidate Herbert Volney's decision in a case while B.C. Pires says: “It’s difficult to say which is harder to understand: Herbie’s stunned reaction that people should be protesting today when he attempts to speak at election platforms; or the UNC’s decision to have him as a candidate.”


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Tunisia: A Black Day for Bloggers · Global Voices
Lina Ben Mhenni

Tunisian bloggers are protesting the censorship by placing such screens on their blogs
The Tunisian blogosphere witnessed a black day on Tuesday 27th, 2010. Indeed, the Internet police launched a war against bloggers where more than 11 blogs were censored. It is an arbitrary censorship which has even attacked  blogs that have been inactive for months. The list of blogs which have been censored are:
Amcha fi bled Al Imyan  (ar)
Trap Boy (ar)
AntiKor (fr)
Arabista  (fr)
Ya Tounes (ar)
Abidklifi
OuNormal  (ar)
Carpe Diem  (fr)
Bent 3ayla  (ar)
Artartticuler
Stupeur  (fr)
The following day, some more blogs were censored:
Le blog de Houssein
Le blog de Lina Benmhenni (mine)
Le blog de Achour Enneji
Le blog de Boudourou
Le blog de Metallic Naddou
But it is necessary to note that for more than two weeks, the Internet police has been blocking different kinds of websites, including  news websites like: le Nouvel Observateur and Rue89, as well as  video platforms like:  www.wat.tv  and  www.metacafe.com/.
Some Facebook profiles have been blocked too, including mine. Global Voices Online has been totally blocked three days ago after a a partial blocking for months now.
Tunisians online users, especially bloggers, refused this arbitrary blocking and created videos, pictures and blogged against this censorship :
Kissa Online  wrote:
La censure du Net par le blocage des blogs et des sites est une atteinte grave au droit des gens à un libre exercice du droit d’expression. La Censure ,pour la enieme fois, a encore frappé et bloqué en Tunisie les blogs .
Under the title An intellectual Genocide, Free Thoughts    wrote:
Meanwhile, Tunisian bloggers are protesting against the censorship by placing screens on their blogs denouncing such blockades. The photograph above is a screen shot from one of the blocked blogs.

author: Lina Ben Mhenni


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Vietnam: “Geek events” until June · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Mekong ICT shares list of scheduled “geek events” in Vietnam and in the region until the month of June.

author: Mong Palatino


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Bulgaria: Illegal Dogs · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont comments on Sofia mayor's fight against the city's “illegal” dogs.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Colombia: A Day Without Cars in Medellín · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

On April 22, the city of Medellín celebrated the Day Without Cars, which is an initiative approved by the Municipal Council Agreement 21 of 2008. This event demonstrates a reflection based on the idea of caring for the environment and coincided with the celebration of Earth Day.
As stated in the blog Movilidad al Día [es], the “Day Without Cars” was an initiative not only celebrated in Medellín, but many cities around the world. The blog also discussed the goals proposed by Medellín's Municipal Administration for taking part in the event:
Este acuerdo municipal (21 de 2008 del Concejo de Medellín) se propuso los siguientes objetivos: disminuir en los niveles de contaminación ambiental producida por ruido y gases contaminantes emitidos por vehículos automotores; reducir el índice de accidentalidad vial en la ciudad; contribuir con el mejoramiento de la movilidad del transporte público; sensibilizar a la ciudadanía sobre la problemática asociada con el reducido uso del transporte público; promover alternativas de desplazamiento particular y masivo menos traumáticas para el ambiente; generar pedagogía social en torno a la protección del medio ambiente, el uso adecuado de los recursos naturales, la seguridad vial y la salud, como obligaciones fundamentales de corresponsabilidad ciudadana.
According to E-Verde [es] an environmental blog, this year's event expanded to other municipalities outside of the metropolitan area of Medellín, including Envigado, Bello, and Itagüí.
The blog En Journalism 999 [es], Heidi Yohana Tamayo Ortiz writes about the advantages and disadvantages of the Day Without Cars:
There was an impact on the parking lots or sites that watch over cars:
“En un día normal, aquí se hace aproximadamente un millón de pesos; hoy, se han hecho máximo 40 mil pesos”, dice Luis Alfonso Ríos Villa, empleado del Parqueadero Nuevo Centro La Alpujarra.
Photo of empty street in Medellín by e-verde and used under a Creative Commons license.
What about the effect that it had on public transport drivers?
Pese a lo que se pensaba, para los conductores de buses y colectivos el trabajo no tuvo variaciones significativas; de hecho, algunos piensan que el día laboral estuvo más malo que en otras ocasiones.
The impact on taxi drivers:
Los taxistas fueron, tal vez, unos de los más beneficiados durante el día. Según cifras proporcionadas por Marta Suárez, subsecretaria de Transportes y Tránsito, la empresa Tax Individual reportó que recibieron llamadas de 13.800 usuarios pidiendo un servicio, mientras que en un día normal, solo se reciben siete mil. Las otras empresas reportan datos similares.
How did transport organizations view the event?
“En términos generales, la mayoría de la gente acató la medida. Sin embargo, faltaron unos cuantos. Las personas a las que se les aplicó comparendo pedagógico dicen que no tenían conocimiento de la medida, pero me parece raro, ya que esto fue muy difundido en los medios de comunicación,” dice Rosenberg Ríos Aguirre, supervisor del tránsito de Medellín.
There were also those people who did not follow the day's regulations:
Aquellas personas que no se acogieron a la medida deben asistir a una capacitación pedagógica, cuyo tema será el medio ambiente. En unos quince días se habilitarán seis locaciones para que se dicten las charlas. Quienes no asistan serán sancionados con multas económicas.
Twitter user Tips El Colombiano (@tips9333) wrote about how the day was spent by one family (with picture):
Esta familia fue más allá en el día sin carro: papá y mamá llevaron a caballo a los hijos para el colegio.http://yfrog.com/11e23mmj
Finally, Juan David Escobar of the blog Reticente [es], shares his thoughts A “Medellín on the Day Without Cars”

author: Cati Restrepo


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Cuba: Health Care Standards  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Iván's File Cabinet looks at the pros and cons of health care in Cuba.


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Cuba: Legal Process · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Laritza's Laws & Cuban Legal Advisor blogs about the legal process surrounding the “trial of independent journalist Dania Virgen Garcia.”


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Global Voices Summit Begins Soon! · Global Voices
David Sasaki

After a few months of planning and one very disruptive earthquake, we're now less than 10 hours from starting this year's Global Voices Citizen Media Summit 2010. For those of you who are here in Santiago with us, we will be delighted to see you tomorrow morning at the beautiful Santiago Public Library. For those of you who will be participating online, there are several ways to stay engaged throughout both days of the summit.
We will be live video streaming as much of the discussion as possible, so long as the internet gods are on our side. In addition to the live video streaming, Jorge Gobbi and Felipe Cordero will be liveblogging all discussions, witty remarks, and inevitable gossip in both English and Spanish throughout the two days of the summit.
You can stay tuned on Twitter, and you can participate yourself by using the hashtag “#gv2010“. (Twitter has a guide to using hashtags.) Even without access to the internet, summit participants are reporting on Twitter that they have crashed the wi-fi at the hotel. There is also a Flickr group for photos from the summit.
Stay tuned to the Summit Blog for updates throughout the two days. A number of fascinating observations have already been posted about the development of online participation in Uganda, Morocco, Egypt, Madagascar, Macedonia, Argentina, India, Gaza, China, Colombia, and Bolivia.
We look forward to your participation, here in Chile and around the world!

author: David Sasaki


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Guyana: Portuguese Past · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands highlights an article by “Sr. Mary Noel Menezes, a Sister of Mercy and an emeritus professor at the University of Guyana [who] gives a historical account of Portuguese migration to Guyana.”


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Kyrgyzstan: Much work to be done · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

One of the most notable pieces to surface  on local media platform Kloop last week was posted by Burul Usmanaliev, and related to an attack on the ownership of a trout farm in the village of Vorontsovka, just outside Bishkek. The attack took place at around 4.30 am on April 24, and occuring less than a week after the land conflicts in the village of Mayevka.
Usmanaliev's post features disturbing photos of the victim of the attack, a 35-year old employee of the trout farm. He suffered burns to his face, hands and torso when a petrol bomb was thrown into the building by an unidentified assailant. The attack is not thought to be without premise, as Usmanaliev reports [ru]:
” On April 8, more than 70 young men from neighboring villages came here [the trout farm] demanding various benefits and free trout, to which the employees were forced to obey.  On 15 and 21 April the  “guests” again visited. According to employees whou could not name these “guests”, said: “Now our people – Atambayev, Sariev came to power, you drink our water, Osh, you now have to pay us tribute.”
This remark is thought to have been in relation to the owner of the trout farm who is from the Alai region of Osh oblast, in southern Kyrgyzstan.
Usmanaliev notes that such behaviour does not represent the views of the vast majority of Kyrgyzstan's citizenry,  and challenges the new provisional government to put an end to the North-South schism which has disrupted the development of the state over the course of its 19-year independence.
‘We are proud of the apricots of Batken, of Issyk-Kul and Arslanbob [home to a historic walnut forest], Suleiman's  mount [in Osh], Manas, Genghis Khan, Kurmanzhan Datka, the tolerance and wisdom of our people and other common symbols of our homeland. Yet some people want to divide the country on the basis of geographical origin. Can the new government to curb this division?’
Such instances however, exist only as rare repositories of the uprising of April 7-8 . As a whole the situation in the country is quiet, and questions of how to move forward are now dominating minds and news space in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Erkind,   for instance, considers [ru] the experience of electronic voting in the Philippines as a model that could theoretically be applied in Kyrgyzstan, negating balot-stuffing opportunities and helping guarantee free and fair elections in the republic. The Provisional Government has already set a date for the elections – October 10 – and efforts are underway to ensure that the Central Electoral Commission is staffed by publically palatable figures. Well known human rights advocate Tolekan Ismailova has already refused the opportunity to head the CEC.
The one potential pitfall of the system proposed by Erkind is its cost. According to the user it  cost $150 million in the Philippines, and while this sum might seem modest, it is considerable in a country where the state coffers have been practically emptied by years of misgovernance.
Nakulia reported on a tele-conference between Kyrgyz expatriates living in the West and members of the Youth Party of Kyrgyzstan [ru]:
” The Teleconference ‘The future of Kyrgyzstan’ was held between citizens of Kyrgyzstan who live abroad the leaders of the Youth Party, on April 24. The main topic of video-conference was “What can I do for my country?’
The organizers pushed off from John F. Kennedy quote: “Ask not what my country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!”
The young people  at first expressed condolences to the families [of those killed in the April disturbances] and  shared their shock and their feelings. However, the question: “Are you ready to come and work for country now?” was met with an uncertain answer [by the expatriates]. Immediately the audience began spilling charges of betrayal, lack of patriotism and individualism.”
Elsewhere Afina [ru], a blogger who posts updates about the activities of mobile phone networks in the country, wrote of a meeting between provisional government Chairman Rosa Otunbayeva and the Kyrgyzstani business community, held in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Bishkek. Andrei Silich, Chairman of the communications network leader Megacom, was also in attendance.
“Businessmen representing  the banking system, the mining sector, tourism and other industries, talked about the problems they are currently experiencing.  The head of the provisional government tried, whenever possible, to give answers to all statements and proposals. Also Rosa Isakovna promised to send all  entrepreneurs’ requests to the appropriate department in order to to take concrete decisions”, Afina writes.
Freedom of the press  has unsurprisingly been at the forefront of discussion in the past week, and this theme is likely to continue to attract attention from bloggers, reaching a crescendo during the build-up to and coverage of the proposed elections in October.
Kyrgyzstan fell [ru]/[eng] to 159th place (its lowest since independence) in Freedom House's official ratings scheme published earlier this month. Recently discussions [ru] have been underway to convert the state television and radio company into a ‘public’, television and radio company; a step welcomed by many journalists.
Recalling a letter he sent to a Russian journalist asking for balance in the Russian media's coverage of events in Kyrgyzstan, Kloop Media Foundation President and co-founder Bektour Iskender[ru] noted the following positive outcomes of the April events:
“In fact [Kyrgyzstan] in some degree, has become much safer. Police 	officers, many with fear, have begun using the word “please” when they talk with citizens. The NSS [National Security Service] has not yet turned into a ministry to stifle freedom of 	speech and, hopefully, will not become such.
Processes [in Kyrgyzstan] have been horribly distorted in the Russian media. 	The Kyrgyz Republic could become the first country in Central Asia, 	where the president will not be the absolute authority, where there will not be a visa regime for the majority of foreigners, and the blocking 	Web sites will be outlawed.”
Yet the false depiction in of Kyrgyzstan as the “Wild East” is unlikely to abate in Russia anytime soon. A photo spotted by Nurbina [ru] in which a resident of Moscow holds up a placard reading “Don't awake the Kyrgyz in us” at a protest against a new general plan for the Russian capital, has been met with a mixture of shame, pride and sense of humour.

author: Chris Rickleton


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Nigeria: Bloggers mourn death of president Yar’Adua · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua died May 5, 2010 at age 58 following a long illness. The Nigerian government has announced seven days of national mourning. Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, who was the acting president, has been sworn in as head of state.
Yar'Adua left for Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for pericarditis in November 2009 before returning back to Nigeria in February 2010. His state of health was not made public, leading to rumours and speculations. On 9 February 2010, after weeks of political wranglings, the Senate transferred presidential power to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
An exhibit at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Museum in Nigeria.  Photo courtesy of afromusing on Flickr.
Nigerian bloggers mourn his death and discuss the future of their country.
Solomon discusses the political implications of his death. “The unfortunate passing of President Yar'Adua will reduce any lingering questions over who controls the country,” he writes. He notes that Yar'Adua sickness and death would highlight the importance of a leader's health:
Yar'Adua's severe sickness and passing also highlights the importance of a leader's health and its impact on a nation. The late President was known to be sick before he was elected, but, the extent of his illness was never fully explained to the citizenry, despite calls for such. Yar'Adua's health emergencies interfered with diplomatic visits, such as the cancellation of his 2008 trip to Brazil. The very last health emergency of November 2009 lead to a political vacuum that spurred insecurity and uncertainty. Yar'Adua's sickness allowed opponents, opportunists and others to question his ability to govern, weakening his position.
Will his death lead to ethnic and religious tensions because of the North-South factor?. Yar'Adua was a Muslim from the North while Jonathan is a Christian from the South,
Prior to his death, Northern elites were concerned that Yar'Adua would not be able to serve out his ‘term. This is because of an agreement that Presidential power would fluctuate between the North and South of the country. In fact, the ruling party declared that its Presidential candidate would be a Muslim from the North.
Now that Jonathan will be sworn in as President, it will be crucial for all parts of the nation to be respectful of Yar'Adua's passing. If the North believes that Yar'Adua's death is being celebrated by the South, that could ignite violence of the kind seen recurrently in Jos. Inflamed tensions would mirror those from 1966 when the North felt that the South was jubilant at news of the deaths of prominent Northern politicians killed in a coup… Therefore, the manner in which the country reacts to Yar'Adua's death could inflame tensions if not done in a manner that is respectful. Hopefully, the week of mourning announced by Jonathan will provide an opportunity for the entire nation to come together.
President Yar'Adua is not the first Nigerian Head of State to die while in office. Nonetheless, he is the first President to die right before an election season poised to be the most important in Nigerian history. His death will undoubtedly add an additional element to the Nigerian political landscape and only time will tell what that will be. Until then, may his soul rest in peace.
Don comments on Solomon's post asking for a quiet period of national mourning:
Let us all pray for a quiet period of national morning and a smooth transition in political governance. Mr. Yar'Adua did leave Nigeria better than he found it, I believe.
Omosi does not think that the South will celebrate his death:
I don't think the South is going to celebrate or anything, most Nigerians both Southern and Northern believed the dude was on his deathbed or dead anyway, so I see his death being met with a shrug more than anything. Compared to our past leaders Yar'Adua was pretty unremarkable both in his incompetence and corruption.
Don argues that Jonathan's Christian faith has upset the balance in government:
The recent vacuum of leadership during Yar'Adua's prolonged illness has perplexed both Nigerian and foreign political analysts. I believe, however, that it can be traced to the regional divisions within Nigeria as a nation. As I pointed out in a post on February 12th, Mr. Jonathan's Christian affiliation appears to have upset the balance between Islamic and Christian leadership in the government. The coming period of transition in leadership promises to be a tense one, and Mr. Jonathan is by no means guaranteed to emerge victorious in the elections of 2011.
BRE, commenting on Grandiose Parlor blog, says that Yar'Adua was able to show the world that Nigerians can overcome generations of misrule and plunder:
My condolences on the death of Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua. He may not have been able to accomplish all that he set out to do at the beginning of his administration, but he was able show the world that Nigerians can overcome generations of misrule and plunder by former rulers and dictators, that the country is making progress in a number of important areas (including responsible governance), that endemic corruption and cronyism by politicians and powerful business people can be defeated albeit it is slow and complicated process, and that the country Nigeria is firmly on the road to peace and democracy despite the setbacks we have witnessed during his term in office.
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua leaves us with the legacy of a well-respected, upright, soft-spoken but capable leader of Africa’s most populace nation. It is a first for post-independence Nigeria, and I can only wish the new president Goodluck Jonathan and the people of Nigeria all the best in the near future and over the long term.
Taiwo leaves a comment on the same blog saying,
This man died a lot time ago!
Finally, Nigerians Talk community joins with the country in mourning the loss of their former leader:
After a long bout with a various number of unnamed illnesses, President Umaru Yar’adua has died, as confirmed by presidential spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi. His burial has been scheduled for Thursday. NigeriansTalk.org joins with the country in mourning the loss of our former leader.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Russia: Communist May Day; Monstration · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

More on this past weekend's rallies in Russia: Sean Guillory writes about and posts pictures from the May Day Communist rally in Moscow; Julia Ioffe writes about Monstration, “an ostentatiously artsy and apolitical protest”; LJ user kashin and Maya Shelkovnikova post pictures (RUS) from the Monstration rally in Novosibirsk; photos from Monstration in Moscow are here (RUS).


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Russia, Ukraine: Politics and Demography · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mark Adomanis writes about politics and demography in Russia and Ukraine.


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Russia: Yegor Gaidar’s Legacy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Marek Dabrowski writes about Yegor Gaidar and his legacy at OpenDemocracy.net.


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Singapore: Complaining through internet · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

For Want of a Better Title from Singapore believes blogging and the internet in general have allowed many Singaporeans to speak out about bad service or programs by companies


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Singapore: Euthanasia debate · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Rachel Zeng from Singapore is in favor of legalising active euthanasia.


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Singapore: Sexuality education · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ho Chi Sam reacts to the sexuality education program of Singapore


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Singapore: Transgender women campaign vs discrimination · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Transgender women in Singapore have launched a campaign to end discrimination against their community.


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Thailand: Red Shirts and Thai society · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Writing for New Mandala, Thongchai Winichakul analyzes the political and social impact of the ongoing Red Shirt protests in Thailand.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Reality Elections  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This Beach Called Life says: “The election results on May 24th, regardless of who wins, will be interesting as it will show what the country isn’t willing to tolerate …”, while KnowTnT.com offers this gem: “‘You know what de difference is between de election an’ reality television?’ Wait for it… ‘Wit’ reality television, yuh could vote people off de damn island!'”


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Ukraine, Russia: The Crimean Tatar Factor · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about the Crimean Tatar opposition to Russia's military presence in Crimea.


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Announcing the Winners of the Breaking Borders Award · Global Voices
Ivan Sigal

Honoring those who are working to advance free expression on the Internet, Google and Global Voices today have announced  the first winners of the Breaking Borders Award.
The awards, supported by Thomson Reuters, recognize outstanding web projects initiated by individuals or groups that demonstrate courage, energy and resourcefulness in using the Internet to promote freedom of expression.
The prizes, each of which comes with a USD $10,000 grant, honors work in three categories: advocacy, technology, and policy.
Malou Mangahas of the Philippines, Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Uganda and Brenda Burrell of Zimbabwe accepted the Breaking Borders award on behalf of their organisations
From Google and Global Voices, and from Thomson Reuters and our award jury, we'd like to congratulate our winners for their initiative, creativity and achievements, for citizen benefit.
The winners are:
In the Technology category:
Bosco – Uganda
In April 2007, BOSCO was launched as a solar powered, long-range wireless computer network covering locations in former Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across Gulu and Amuru districts in northern Uganda. Low power PCs and VoIP phones were installed in schools, health centers and parish offices, bringing Internet, phone and Intranet connectivity to remote areas. BOSCO's long-term vision is to provide innovative information and communication technology (ICT) solutions to foster social and economic development and peace building in rural communities of northern Uganda using a collaborative, web-based approach. Currently, BOSCO focuses on developing and facilitating Web 2.0 training, online digital ethnography and collaborative online communication mediums between Internet sites. BOSCO currently works in partnership with Inveneo, Horizont3000, War Child Holland, the Gulu Archdiocese and UNICEF.
In the Policy category:
The Philippines Center for Investigative Journalism
An independent, not-for-profit media agency, the PCIJ was founded by nine Filipino journalists in 1989 — with borrowed office space, an old-DOS-based computer, a second-hand electric typewriter, and office furniture bought from a thrift shop — to promote the values of investigative reporting in fostering good governance, freedom of expression, and the people's right to know. In 20 years, the PCIJ has produced 500 investigative reports, two dozen books on journalism and governance, five-full-length films and dozens of video documentaries. It has conducted a hundred training seminars for journalists in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, and won over 120 national and international awards. The PCIJ maintains a multimedia website, www.pcij.org; an institutional blog, www.pcij.org/blog; a database site on politics and governance, i-site.ph; and institutional accounts on Twitter and YouTube.
In the Advocacy Category:
Kubatana.net
An online community for Zimbabwean activists, Kubatana uses the Internet, email, SMS, blogs and print materials to disseminate information to the general public. An online library of over 16 000 human rights and civic reports together with a directory listing over 240 NGOs makes Kubatana a valuable resource for information on Zimbabwe. And that's not all! Kubatana has developed Freedom Fone, innovative telephony software, which takes the mobile phone and marries it with audio voice menus and SMS, for citizen benefit.
Google and Global Voices announced the winners at an awards ceremony held during the Global Voices Summit in Santiago, Chile May 6-7.
Information about the Summit can be found at: https://summit2010.globalvoicesonline.org/. More information about the Breaking Borders award can be found at http://breakingborders.net/.
The ceremony, and the Summit, will be available on Livestream or Ustream at https://summit2010.globalvoicesonline.org/program/video/.
We will liveblog the event at https://summit2010.globalvoicesonline.org/program/liveblog/.
You can also follow the Summit Twitter feed, @gvsummit2010, with hashtag #GV2010.

author: Ivan Sigal


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Bahamas: Justice  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jerome Pinder at Weblog Bahamas is pleased that his country “finally gets one break for the good guys!”


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Bermuda: Britian’s Hung Parliament  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Politics.bm thinks that the outcome of the British elections holds some lessons for Bermuda.


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China: School killings and social pathology · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Within 5 weeks, there were 5 school killings in China. All the victims are innocent primary and kindergarten school kids, while all the murderers are also victims of social injustice. The problem of the cold-blooded murders comes from society, but again, mainstream media are told not to further investigate the cases.
Here is a summary of the 5 killing cases
3月23日，南平郑民生杀8名小学生；
4月12日，合浦男子砍死8岁小学生；
4月28日，雷州男子砍伤16师生；
4月29日，泰兴男子幼儿园内砍伤32人；
4月30日，山东潍坊一男子闯入校园打伤5名学生后自焚，
ChinaSmack has translated some immediate reaction on the killing incidents. Many believe that kids have become the victims of revenge against social injustice and criticize the killers for attacking children instead of government officials. In fact, a photo has been circulating via the internet, then via e-mail upon deletion, showing a slogan put up by parents outside a kindergarten campus. It reads: Social injustice and debts have their origin, turn right and you can find the government building.
The incidents, similar to Yang Jia's cop killing incident, have very deep social implications. As twocolds points out:
在最近的变态凶手杀人事件中，他们都选择了幼儿园和小学，相信在很多想报复社会的人心中，去幼儿园小学杀人成为了一种时尚，因为在杀人过程中，你将遇到最 少的抵抗，杀掉最多的人，造成民间最大的痛苦的恐慌，是最有效的报复社会手段。除了杨佳以外，几乎所有杀手都挑选了向弱者下手。这个社会没有出口，杀害更 弱者成了他们唯一的出口。
It's no wonder why the propaganda department very quickly asked news agencies and major websites to stop putting the news on the front page. Of course, there is the Shanghai expo factor as explained by Kai Pan in china/divide. However, is the government paying justice to the kids? Twocolds criticizes:
在泰州幼儿园杀人事件中，新闻被控制了，这些孩子们生不逢时，死更不逢时。在相关部门的认识里，在这喜庆的气氛里，这事当属杂音。我们只知道，泰州幼儿园 杀人事件中，受伤32人，政府和医院一再强调，无一死亡，但是坊间又传说，死了多个孩子。你说我应该相信谁呢？相信政府吧，那为什么他们禁止家长见到孩子 呢？
Stan Abrams from china/divide sums up some social implications of the “revengeful act”, including mental illness, income gap and lack of control. However, Xu Zhiyong points out that the problem cannot be solved either through covering up or the strengthening of security control:
这些巨大的事件如果仅仅给我们带来社会管理技术上的修补， 我们就失去了更大社会改进的机会。这些事件，尤其是短期内连续发生一系列事件，一定具有更为深刻的社会意义，如果我们拒绝承认这种意义，该事件的结果可能 会朝着相反的方向。以个人恐怖主义五个要素来分析：社会背景——拆迁、社会保障缺失、社会不公等等，这些问题在有的人的头脑里聚集并强化；主角——个性偏 执的个人，但如果连续出现极端个体，这就说明社会问题已经相当严重；受害者——社会中最弱者，需要指出的是，一个人能够把行凶对象指向幼儿园的孩子，这需 要巨大的力量给自己内心填充“合法性”，这些力量来自社会问题的各种信息；震撼性——该事件成为一个巨大的公共事件具有内在必然的逻辑；社会整合——如果 一个社会回避巨大公共事件的深刻含义或者失去了整合的能力，该社会事实的意义可能是强化某种本已存在的失落情绪，这是悲剧中的悲剧。

author: Oiwan Lam


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Gaza: Permitted/Prohibited Goods  · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Gaza Mom comments on the list released by GISHA detailing goods which are permitted admission into the Gaza Strip, Palestine, and those which are prohibited entry.

author: Katharine Ganly


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Global Voices Partners with “Echo Moskvy” · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

We are pleased to announce our partnership with “Echo Moskvy,” the most prominent and respected radio station in Russia with hundreds of thousands of listeners from all over the globe. This radio station is rightfully considered the most influential radio in Russia.
“Echo Moskvy” radio is doing an amazing job covering different aspects of Russian society and bringing a unique perspective regarding the most pressing issues in the country and the world. Most of “Echo Moskvy” broadcast is dedicated to analytical programs and talk shows. It is one of the few media outlets in Russia pursuing  high standards of journalism. Many people consider “Echo Moskvy” an oppositional radio but, as its editor-in-chief Aleksey Venediktov said, it is rather “an informational radio” that serves as a platform for discussions among different forces and a place for analysis, ideas, opinions of different political structures.
Another great thing about “Echo Moskvy” is that it is actively using different online platforms to expand its audience and stay relevant in ever-changing field of global journalism.  It has an extensive network of Russian bloggers featured on its Web site where people share amazing stories of lives in different corners of the country.
That is why we are very excited to start working with the most professional Russian journalists and prominent netizens bringing more perspective from Russian online community to global audience and, in turn, making Global Voices more accessible to Russian speakers.
“Echo Moskvy” already opened a separate Web page dedicated to Global Voices online. The GVO Lingua Russian team will be translating  articles that later will be featured on “Echo Moskvy” Web site. That will make GVO stories more accessible to Russian audience. At the same time, GVO will be picking stories submitted by “Echo Moskvy,” translating them into English and featuring those on GVO Web site. This will make Russian online community closer to international audience.
We would like to thank people who worked hard to make this collaboration possible on both sides. We are grateful to Aleksey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of “Echo Moskvy,” and Nargiz Asadova, deputy editor of the radio, for being receptive to new opportunities. A special thank you to our own Gregory Asmolov who initiated the project and even flew to Moscow and met with “Echo Moskvy” representatives to work out the details of this collaboration.


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GV Summit: Day One Finished, Day Two Underway! · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

You may have missed out on the fumbling around with the translation headsets, but if you weren't able to join us for the first day of the Global Voices 2010 Citizen Media Summit in Santiago Chile, you definitely have not missed out on the global conversation!
Session notes have been posted on the summit blog (and we are encouraging post comments in order to keep those conversations flowing), photos have been posted on Flickr, and Twitter has been tweeting away about the summit……follow the hashtag of #gv2010 and you'll see more of the conference than if you were watching our livestream feed of the proceedings.
A couple of highlights from yesterday include presentations from Rising Voices projects Ceasefire Liberia and Nomad Green, and the announcement of the winners of the Breaking Borders Competition!
Be sure to join us online today for Day Two!

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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India: What Motivates Begging? · Global Voices
Rezwan

“What all the government does to please the poor people is to launch welfare schemes in the name of benefiting the poor. But the fact remains that all such schemes are aimed at opening more channels of corruption favoring the rich,” comments Ram Bansal at India In Peril while discussing about poverty and begging.


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Jordan: First Arab female bodybuilder · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Buj Al Arab praises the determination of Farah Malhass, the Arab Wolrd's first female bodybuilder, and is pleasantly surprised seeing her gracing the cover of Gulf News .


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Macedonia: Police Raid & Roma Riot · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

On April 15, market inspectors and special police forces in full riot gear raided a textile market in the Skopje municipality of Šuto Orizari, aka Šutka, inhabited predominantly by ethnic Roma. The subsequent protest escalated into a full-scale riot that included an exchange of stones and shock bombs.
According to the official announcement [MKD] by the Ministry of Interior, the purpose of the law enforcement action was to assist the Coordination Body of the Government of Republic of Macedonia for Protection of Intellectual Property in seizing counterfeit branded clothes. The announcement published with the title “No excuse for yesterday's hooliganism” and subtitled “All involved will be identified and brought before the face of justice,” starts with the following:
The Ministry of Interior Affairs condemns all attempts to find any kind of excuse for yesterday's violent and rowdy behavior by a group of citizens in Šuto Orizari, which involved an attack on the police officers using stones and other objects.
Instead of defense and apology, primarily to prevent generalization of the bad image to the whole Roma population, the Ministry expects all the responsible persons and concerned citizens to aid in the identification of the perpetrators of the disruption of the public order and peace, through the attack against the police which resulted in 16 injured officers and damage to four vehicles and other ministry equipment.
The police also informed that immediately after the incident their Internal Control Sector conducted an investigation about the level of force applied and concluded that:
…police officers engaged in the implementation of the action acted within the limits of their competences.
So far the Sector has received no complaints or depositions against the police officers, and no injuries were reported by the citizens.
According to Shpic daily, shopkeepers complained that non-branded merchandise (such as white underwear) was seized also, and that “more than 40 residents of the settlement were injured, but were afraid to go to hospital.”
Considering the police announcement, it is not surprising that very few citizen videos from the scene were published online. YouTube users who wanted to draw the attention to the incident republished clips from TV news, which compared the incident to confrontations in Gaza or Beirut.
Immediately after the incident Kimi, a right-wing blogger, started a discussion portraying [MKD] the police as victims of one-sided beating:
…how should the police react to avoid being beaten, in order to solve the situation with the Roma [sic] in this state (the NGOs protecting them have not made announcements yet)?
Tell me in which state it is legal to sell smuggled branded goods?
PS Someone might object and attack the police when they arrest drug dealers, because those people are also pitiable, and earn their daily bread.
Dozens of bloggers commented on this post, including Barabbas, who wrote:
Kimi, are you kidding? Did you watch the news, the clips?
Special forces against the paupers? How come the special forces do not go to Kondovo or Arachinovo when the electricity is cut [to those who do not pay the bills], for instance?
This is a classic show of force – to rule with an iron fist!
…and, filipko, who responded to the actual question:
…Smuggled branded goods are not sold in the states where
– the state apparatus is small and efficient
– the state apparatus does not hang like a stone around the neck of the industry
– the state apparatus helps the economy, creating the conditions for conduct of legal business
– the state apparatus is not stuck up to their necks in bribes and corruption
– the state apparatus is not a place to provide employment for political party apparatchiks
In such states it is legitimate to show force to implement laws.
Referring to a recent scandal [MKD], Oggiedoggie added:
Imagine a country where a high-ranking police official can wear a branded fake watch! Without a care in the world.
Let me know if there's a state where such a thing is legal?
A group of Roma activists used Facebook to invite people for a protest march [MKD] against the discrimination of the Roma, starting from Šuto Orizari to the seat of the Government and then to the seat of the Delegation of the European Union. The event page also served as a place for discussion between people who oppose the protest and support the actions of the police, and protest supporters from all ethnic communities. Enisa Eminovska explained the reason for the protest:
Unemployment within the Roma ethnic community is 73%, as opposed to 31% among the Macedonians and 27% among the Albanians! 63% of Roma live bellow the official poverty line.
This should have been solved before closing the Šutka market! All the governments in the last 10 years tolerated the market because it enabled Roma people to maintain a bare existence. How come they decided to “fix it” with 1 hour of beating, without tackling the issues I mention above.
The protest took place on April 20, gathering [MKD] “several hundreds” students and other citizens.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Nepal: Maoist Lead Strike Paralyzes The Country · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

On the 1st of May, International Labor Day, Maoists in Nepal launched a nation wide indefinite protest demanding the current government be dissolved and the constitution writing process be re-launched in the earnest.
Strike in Nepal. Picture from Flickr by user Nepaliaashish, posted under Creative Commons License.
As a guest blogger for LarryJhonsonOnline, Nepali blogger and journalist Deepak Adhikari says that the ongoing Maoist lead protest and several preceding protests are a direct result of growing frustration among the people over the current situation of the country. He questions the commitment of the current government to completing the constitution in time, and wonders whether the Maoists are concerned about the regular citizens suffering due to their nation wide protest.
The protest has been largely peaceful so far, but for people the closure of businesses, banks, schools and public transportation has brought hardship – as this video posted at United We Blog for Democratic Nepal shows.
Shreedeep Rayamajhi at GroundReport says that as the protest is entering its fifth day, people are increasingly getting anxious over scarcity of daily necessities.
“The strike certainly seemed to be going in a peaceful way but with the prolonging issues of scarcity and lack of resources it can be ascertained that Maoist supporters are losing their interest. Likewise, numerous cases of Maoist supporter falling ill have been reported where hundreds of the protesters have fled the strike program and returned home looking at the bad management”
Anger among the people over the protest is growing. Blogger Murchunga at YouTube questions the effectiveness and purpose of the Maoist lead protest.
“Protesting leaders become ministers in new government tomorrow…will make fortunes for themselves. The cycle will repeat again when incumbents come to streets tomorrow. While people go home and continue living the same life.”
At Nepali language blog MySansar, Umesh Shrestha has pictures and videos of protest events organized by the Maoists around capital Kathmandu. The pictures show a disturbing practice by the Maoists-using children in the events. Although many child rights organizations have called on the Maoists not to involve children in their political events. However, the call has so far been ignored.
Children are caught in the middle, not only are they being used as props during Maoist political events, they are also unable to attend school because of the protest. More than 8,000 schools across Nepal are closed.
Tourism, the pillar of the Nepalese economy, has also suffered because of the protests. Tourists are now being evacuated from Kathmandu.  At PaintDifferent – a blog for twelve artists, blogger Megan writes about her friends who are stuck in Nepal because of the protests.
“Nepal started evacuating tourists using buses escorted by armed police officers yesterday. Sadly, Rob and Paul weren't on a bus and are still stuck where they are. The airport is still open, all be it 140 miles and about 5 hours by car from where they are, but EVERYTHING else is shut down. Needless to say, they’re ready to come safely home and start importing their pictures before things get worse.”
The effect of Maoist lead protest on the already suffering Nepalese economy is on the mind of Chandan Sapkota – a junior fellow for Trade, Equity & Development Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. At Twitter, he commented “the Maoists are ruining the economy. Their protest look like a combo of Thai-kyrgyz protest strategy.”
As the debate over the purpose of the Maoist lead protest and its effect on Nepal's uncertain political scene drags on, the public is feeling the protest's pinch and is desperately hoping for a peaceful solution to the current crises.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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Russia, Ukraine: Proposed Gazprom-Naftogaz Merger · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kyiv Scoop and Jamestown Foundation Blog (here and here) discuss the implications of PM Vladimir Putin's proposal to merge Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz.


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South Africa: It’s Time to Diski · Global Voices
Prisha Bhoola

There are many official tags, tokens and logos that define sporting events around the globe. This year’s 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is no different. We have the official FIFA logo, the official FIFA mascot (Zakumi), the official FIFA trademarks and now – the official dance!
Not only is this year’s world cup the first to be hosted on the African continent but it’s the first world cup to have an official dance inspired by moves from football pitches all around South Africa.
Dispatch 24/7 explains the Diski thus:
The dance is based on the unique way in which South Africans play soccer, “rhythmically, somewhat showy, but never boring” according to those in the know.
Goal.com goes further:
Diski is common South African township slang for the game of football, and the Diski Dance is a uniform routine that showcases the nation's passion for the sport. The dance is based on what Wendy Ramokgadi, the choreographer of the Diski Dance, calls ‘our own township football style’.
“The whole idea was that we needed to come up with something that is truly South African. Our country's football is rhythmic and so all the moves that we use in the dance are those same moves that are used on the South African football pitch, moves you can only find in our country,” said Ramokgadi.
“The Diski Dance is one of the things I am most proud of, I really am excited about it. When these people come to our country, let them come and feel the rhythm of Africa.
South African President Jacob Zuma also got in on the act, as reported by 2010gifts.com:
President Jacob Zuma had the crowd in stitches as he tried to learn the Diski dance.
It seems that the Diski is also capturing the imagination of people across South African shores. Matt Harding, of Where in the World is Matt fame, seems to have mastered the Diski moves perfectly. Here he is in this charming video:

author: Prisha Bhoola


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Sri Lanka: Vesak Lanterns (Kudu) Festival · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lanka Rising writes about the Vesak Lanterns Festival, an annual holiday observed traditionally by practicing Buddhists in Sri Lanka and other parts of South Asia.

author: Rezwan


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Trinidad & Tobago: By Their Actions · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Leader of the Opposition coalition…reminded her audience on a campaign platform recently that you should judge a person by what they do.” KnowTnT.com has a reminder of its own: “The adage cuts both ways, and if applied to the UNC element of the coalition, there is also a glaring concern.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Cozier is Film Festival Artist · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

ARTZPUB reports that Christopher Cozier has been selected as “the official artist of the trinidad+tobago film festival 2010…”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Immature · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The news making headlines in the lead-up to the Trinidad and Tobago elections convinces diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch that “Trinbago remains an immature society.”


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Ukraine: “Stolen Memory” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Roman Kabachiy writes about “the influence of politics on historical memory” in Ukraine: “[…] it’s business as usual: the Soviet archives are once again to be closed to outsiders.” More on this – at Kyiv Scoop and Window on Eurasia.


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Afghanistan: Increase in enemy-initiated attacks · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding reviews a new report on the security situation in Afghanistan, which shows that the level of “enemy-initiated attacks” has risen every year since 2005, with the increase in the last year being exceptionally high.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Strange morale · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nasim Fekrat tells a shocking story how a dozen farmers raped two young men as a punishment in revenge for engaging in sexual relations with two young women in the Jawzjan province of Afghanistan.


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Africa: Freelance African reporters wanted · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Africa Interactive is searching for freelance African reporters with expertise on African Oil & Mining.


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Africa: The abortion debate on the continent · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Fungai discusses the abortion debate in Africa: “And with only three African countries (Cape Verde, South Africa and Tunisia) giving unrestricted legal access to abortion to women, it would be safe to assume gross underreporting when it comes to figures pertaining to rates of abortion on the continent.”


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Bahrain: More Freedom Please · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A new Facebook group, entitled Enough restricting Bahraini freedom, has been set up in Bahrain, calling for more freedom. So far, 257 members have joined the group.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Cambodia: Environment Performance Index · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Cambodia fared poorly among Southeast Asian nations in the 2010 Environment Performance Index.


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Cambodia Knits · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The blog of Cambodia Knits documents the activities of a social enterprise whose goal is to produce high quality and unique hand knit products while providing fair and flexible employment opportunities to poor residents of Phnom Penh.


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Facebook users in Cambodia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Facebook members in Cambodia are growing, according to blogger Piseth.


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India: Winners Of The Sankalp Awards · Global Voices
Rezwan

Think Change India reports on the winners of Sankalp, the annual social enterprise awards organized by Intellecap in Mumbai, India.


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Jordan: Public Security Directorate text message · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Kinzi receives a text message starting “If you value your life…” , and after a moment of panic realises it is not as threatening as she first thought in this post.


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Kenya: How to buy goods online from Kenya · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jigsawman tips on how to buy goods online from Kenya: “One question that always storms my comments section is users asking for ways to buy goods from online.One major myth that internet users from Kenya share is that paypal does not work here but this is very wrong.”


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Kyrgyzstan: Save or destroy · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The question of what next for Kyrgyzstan is addressed by Schwartz, who describes three possible scenarios of the future developments, where the Kyrgyzstan’s social contract and solubility as a country are at stake.


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Lebanon: Blogging the elections · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Asaad Thibian writes, in Arabic, about the experience that he and almost 20 other bloggers had when covering the municipal elections. He mentions some of the violations that they uncovered as well as events they posted about before the other news outlets on the internet.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: More webcomics  · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Sareen Akharjalian, who describes herself as a programmer by day and a cartoonist by night, shares her takes on issues through cartoons at her blog “Ink on the Side“. This one is about gender difference in preparations for date night.


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Lebanon: Those missing since the civil war · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Audette spent her last 1,495 days living in a tent in Beirut. She and others who lost their relatives in the civil war were raising awareness about the unknown fate of their children. “But last May she was killed by a speeding car as she crossed the road near her tent. Audette spent the last 25 years searching for news of her children and died no closer to finding it,” writes Nihil Declaro.


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Liberia: The reality of mob justice · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A discussion of the reality of mob justice in Liberia: “The issue of mob justice in Liberia is a reality as civilians lose faith in Liberia’s justice system. The government needs to take a stronger stand in curbing robbery and mob justice.”


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Photo Contest of CSIS Southeast Asia Program  · Global Voices
Senor Pablo

The CSIS Southeast Asia Program is organizing a photo contest to feature images taken in Southeast Asia that demonstrate the importance of communication and cooperation – across countries, races and religions.

author: Senor Pablo


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Saudi Arabia: New Hashtag for Alfayed  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian tycoon Mohammed Alfayed earned a new hashtag on Twitter for selling famous London department store Harrods. Check out Saudi Dareen's tweet here.


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Syria: Commemorating Martyrs’ Day  · Global Voices
Anas Qtiesh

Traveling towards God (الرحيل إلى الله)[ar] blog writes about a Syrian village's annual tradition of putting flowers on martyrs’ graves on Martyrs’ Day that's commemorated in Syria and Lebanon on May 6 of every year.

author: Anas Qtiesh


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Tajikistan: The wilting tulips  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Tajikistan’s president's annual address to the parliament featured both the challenges faced by the nation, and the potential threats of Kyrgyz uprising. Dushanbe monitors rumors and voices around him to ponder on the possibility of popular protest in Tajikistan.


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Turkmenistan: Ambitious project and its risks · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Turkmen government's most grandiose project, the tourist city Avaza, is analyzed by Annasoltan. She says that time will tell whether Avaza will become the government's great monument — or its gravestone.


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Uganda: Acceprance Speech at “Breaking Borders Award” · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Archbishop John Baptist Odama's Award Acceptance Speech at the “Breaking Borders Award” Ceremony at Santiago, Chile.