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Poland: Microblog Reactions to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity · Global Voices
Sylwia Presley

More than 800 concerts, 1,300 artists performing for free today, 120,000 volunteers, an endless amount of charity activities across the whole of Poland and so far almost 37 million zloty (PLN; approximately 12.3 million USD) are the results of the grand finale of the 19th Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. As we slowly approach the end of the day, we are also looking at on-line reactions to the event.
Most posts are purely informative. Users of Twitter, and the Polish microblogging engine Blip.pl update their audiences under the hashtag #WOSP (an abbreviation of the event's name in Polish: Wielka Orkiestra Swiątecznej Pomocy).
@yinasshi has done great job in documenting the event on Twitter today:
Go check out http://www.en.wosp.org.pl/. We're playing for children with urological and nephrological diseases! #wosp
@elelontko posted information about the amount of money raised during the day:
Almost 8 mln PLN!! Gooo Owsiak !#WOSP
Others, like @AshleyRobertsTM, suggested ways of donation through on-line channels:
Please guys support WOŚP (GreatOrchestraofChristmasCharity) on facebook. every click is 0,50zł for ill children http://www.facebook.com/wosp
Some posted in languages other than Polish or English. @Drakisnaba mentioned [ES]  the event in Spanish:
Este año, 30 millones de corazones, 120 000 voluntarios, 1300 artistas, 800 conciertos en toda Polonia! ~>http://www.wosp.org.pl/
Apart from the official on-line transmission, many posted updates on various aspects of the charity day. mmwarszawa posted [PL] on Blip a photo from one of the activities:
For #wosp they tried to hit the record of people squeezed into one Ikarus bus…they managed 307. Not bad, don't you think? ;-)
Students in Lódź designed a heart made of small coins to be donated to charity, as mmlodz updates [PL] on Blip.pl:
In #Łodz they built a heart for #WOŚP 2011.
mmpoznan documents [PL] people giving blood at the event:
Blood – gift more precious than money – it's the 19th final of #WOŚP in #Poznan
Most reactions are full of support, enthusiasm and great dedication to the event. The conversations contain a lot of feedback on personal involvement of the Poles today. Volunteers, like @haftus, express [PL] their happiness at being a part of this great day:
after fundraising for WOSP, I collected 100zł – next year we will do better :] but it was superb. the atmosphere amongst the volunteers was extremely positive.
Some, like @mrskuza, post about items they purchased to support charity (here [PL], referring to the little hearts – traditional items sold by WOSP every year):
I already have two WOSP little hearts
Others thank the buyers for purchasing their donations. @marekskorupa is [PL] one of them:
Thank you for betting for VOIVODE'S ARMCHAIR on the auction :) 550pln goes to WOŚP:) #wosp #owsiak #dolnyslask
There were also a few comments on the importance of this charity event for the entire country. Some, like @DilvishPL, see [PL] it as a great educational tool for the Polish youth:
WOSP has one more important meaning, which other actions lack: it teaches, very effectively, the youth to be charitable and to understand the need for solidarity.
Some point out that the charity event proves faults in the Polish economy. @bornin1984 wrote [PL]:
It's good to have #WOSP, but the fact of it (and other charitable actions) proves the weakness of the economy and the country.
@wlochatypl also implies [PL] the lack of proper funds from the Polish Health Fund (NFZ):
Send an sms saying “serce” [Polish for “heart”] to 75565 (6,15zl brutto) for WOSP. Help collecting money for everything NFZ should provide!
@arturpl points out [PL] the same, using an international comparison:
There is no WOSP in Belarus, but they have the equipment. Strange, isn't it?
Generally, the reactions in microblogging services are positive today. The event was culminated by a series of fireworks all across the country at 8 PM GMT, also documented in social media. @yinasshi posted:
The night sky will be bright tonight in Poland at 8 PM from fireworks and our love! http://www.en.wosp.org.pl/ #wospPlaying for the kids!
jbkp4group documented the show hosted in Warsaw on YouTube:
The total amount of money raised will be posted on the main site, Facebook and Blip of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.

author: Sylwia Presley


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Sri Lanka: First Ever Guiter Fest · Global Voices
Rezwan

Natalie Soysa informs that Sri Lanka’s first ever Guitar Fest brought musicians of three generations in one stage.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Sri Lanka: Militarization Of Vegetable Supply · Global Voices
Rezwan

Serendipity questions the efficacy of the intervention of the Sri Lankan military in the supply channel of vegetable in order to reduce prices.


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Sudan: Southern Sudan Referendum in Photos · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.
A referendum is currently taking place in Southern Sudan from 9 January until 15 January 2011 to decide whether or not the south should remain a part Sudan or be an independent state. These are photos documenting Southern Sudan's landmark referendum.
Look at my finger:
A woman in Southern Sudan showing off her ink-marked finger after voting. Photo courtesy of Suleiman Abdullahi (http://upiu.com/)
The long walk to vote:
The long walk to vote. Photo courtesy of Alun McDonald
New flag of Southern Sudan. The meaning of the colors: Black – the Southern Sudanese people, Red – the blood shed for freedom, Green – the land, Blue – the waters of the river Nile Gold Star – unity of the states of Southern Sudan.
The new flag of Southern Sudan. Photo courtesy of Giulio Petrocca.
The long wait for freedom:
Voters stood in line patiently for hours. Photo courtesy of The International Rescue Committee
Apparently, Southern Sudan TV can't spell Arabic:
Southern Sudan TV can't spell Arabic properly: صويت instead of صوت . Photo courtesy of Sate3
How to mark the ballot:
How to mark the ballot in the referendum
Waiting to vote for freedom:
Southern Sudanese waiting to vote for freedom. Photo courtesy of David McKenzie
Voting cards:
Voting card that Southern Sudanese use to cast votes. Photo courtesy of Usamah
Will you bring a chair for me?:
The line was very long. People brought chairs. Photo courtesy of The International Rescue Committee
This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Coverage  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowTnT.com has some suggestions for the National Carnival Commission when it comes to the international broadcast of the national festival.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Lack of Leadership  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Even by Trini standards, it was a bad week for discipline”: B.C. Pires blogs about “legalized lawlessness”.


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Tunisia, Algeria: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011 and Algeria Protests 2011.
Protests in Algeria and Tunisia have captured the interest of bloggers in both countries. Social media seem to be playing a central role in the coverage of the unfolding events in a context of heavy censorship and strict restrictions imposed on traditional media (mostly state-run) and on the Internet. Here is an overview of what has been said in the local blogosphere in the last couple of days.
In Tunisia
As soon as news emerged about troops using live ammunition and firing at unarmed protesters, netizens started actively seeking information on the number of the dead. The conversation on Twitter and social networks was absorbed by conflicting figures about the number of the victims.
Unsurprisingly, the Tunisian state-run TV7 didn't seem to be concerned about the unfolding drama as Nawaat (@nawaat), the independent news website, writes:
La chaine nationale TV7 diffuse un concert de musique alors que la police tire à balles réelles sur les manifestants #sidibouzid
The Moorish Wanderer (@MoorishWanderer) from Morocco, voices his concern. He tweets:
Worrying if #ZABA (Zine El Abidine Ben Ali) calls in the military. Any cases of mutiny in Army/Police? Cos otherwise, it's going to be a bloodbath #Sidibouzid
Nasser (@Weddady) from Mauritania has been following the events very closely. Citing news agencies and fellow tweeters on the ground he publishes the first names of the victims to emerge from the region of Kasserine where troops are believed to have been massively deployed:
Names of some killed tonight by #Tunisia regime: Marwane Jamli, Mohamed Oumari, Ahmed Boulabi Nouri Boulabi Abdelkader Boulabi #Sidibouzid
One blogger, Lina Ben Mhenni, visits the town of Regueb in the Sidi Bouzid Governorate where the riots started four weeks ago, when a young university graduate, Mohamed Bouazizi, self-immolated in an act of desperation, after the police confiscated the stall he was using to sell fruits and vegetables. She describes what she saw:
Tonight , I went to Regueb after hearing about clashes between demonstrators and the police and the death of several people killed shot by the police. Today 5 people were killed : Manel Boallagui (26) and mother of two children , Raouf Kaddoussi (26) , Mohamed Jabli Ben Ali (19), Moadh Ben Amor Khlifi (20), Nizar Ben Ibrahim ( 22) . I can't write the details now!; I ‘ll do it later. I ‘ll let the pictures explain everything.
Lina posts a picture of one of the victims:
Nizar Ben Ibrahim Slimi, 22, killed during Sunday
Khanouff, whose blog is censored in Tunisia, deplores the lack of response from western governments [Fr] despite mounting victim figures:
[L]a comptabilité macabre continue, alors et si les chancelleries occidentales nous disent leur prix, nous renseignent sur le nombre de morts à atteindre pour lâcher leur protégé! Combien de morts pousseront-ils le Quai d’Orsay, et autres manipulateurs de marionnettes corrompus à agir? Dites nous svp combien de litres de sang vous faudra t-il ! Combien ! Combien de morts il vous faudrait messieurs les donneurs de leçons ?
fléna bent flén is a Tunisian blogger. She reflects on the events unfolding in her country and writes this short poem [Fr] (excerpt):
Je ne suis pas d’humeur à écrire
Mais je n’arrive pas à dormir
L’effet de la caféine ? Pire…
Je ne suis pas d’humeur à faire la rime
Mais c’est mieux que de faire le mime
Dénoncer un crime
Un parmi d’autre dans cet abîme..
Je ne suis pas d’humeur à pleurer
Mais je ne peu m’en empêcher,
On se fait encore tué..
I'm in no mood to make rhymes
But it's better than doing the mimes
I want to report a crime
One more in these troubled times ..
I'm in no mood to cry
But I just can't help
They want us killed .. They want us to die
The national flag as well as the anthem have proved to be effective rallying symbols for protesters. Bloggers have also been using the flag to make their points heard.
In a show of mourning and solidarity with the victims and their families, blogger bokOussama suggests the adoption on the blogosphere of a symbolic new flag [Fr]. He writes:
La couleur rouge, rouge comme le sang des martyrs qui a coulé hier à Gassrine et autres régions tunisiennes, ne reviendra point à ce drapeau que lorsque dignité et liberté ne soient rendus au Pays qui le représente.
Picture from vie d'ingénieur…vie de chien blog
Blogger Adel also refers to the national flag [Fr]. He writes:
Le drapeau de mon pays, rouge comme le sang de ceux qui ont reçu des balles dans le dos à Sidi Bouzid, rouge comme le sang des dizaines de jeunes qui sont tombés sous les balles à Kasserine, rouge comme le sang qui s’est mélangé au feu de ceux qui se sont fait immolé.
Le drapeau de mon pays pour ceux qui le croyaient mauve est … rouge
The flag of my country is red, like the blood of those who were shot in the back in Sidi Bouzid, red like the blood of dozens of young people who fell under the bullets in Kasserine, red like the blood that was mixed with the fire of those who set themselves ablaze.
The flag of my country, for those who believe it was purple, is actually red …
Purple refers to the color of the ruling party RCD.
Blogger Insàane writes in colloquial poetry this text [Ar] which seems to echo the spirit of the protests:
Finally Slim points out at the important role played so far by social and new media [Fr], in keeping open the flow of information filtering out of the country. He writes:
Le black-out médiatique, la désinformation et la censure continuent à montrer leurs limites. On n’a jamais été aussi bien renseigné sur ce qui se passe. Le partage viral et instantané des photos, vidéos et témoignages des manifestants sur Facebook et twitter a été intensif depuis le début du mouvement. La frontière entre le réel et le virtuel n’a jamais été aussi étroite
In Algeria:
Many have been quick to characterize the riots in Algerian cities as a mere propagation of the Tunisian protests.
Kal writing on the Moor Next Door  plays down this supposed association. He writes:
That they have occurred so close to each other is probably more circumstantial — the Algerian riots are the result of poor policies and market troubles that happened to occur at the same time the Tunisian uprising has. But there is some inter-textuality between them in that Algerians have made appeals of solidarity with the Tunisians even if the bulk of what is happening in Algeria seems idiosyncratic.
Algerian vlogger Hchicha speaks about the malaise [Algerian dialect] that prompted the Algerian riots and draws parallels between the situation in Tunisia and Algeria, a country that, he says, has been pushed to the brink of implosion:
Algerians have had enough. This is a question of Hogra, dignity. Beware of the government propaganda that claims that the riots are merely about high prices of bread etc. In fact Algeria suffers from serious problems. Real political problems. It's a political crisis that has lasted for 20 years; since 1962.
A point of view shared by Nawel D. on Algeria 360° [Fr]. She writes:
Les émeutes sont porteuses […] d’un message politique fort : le besoin de liberté. Besoin d’ouverture du champ politique bouclé à l’émeri à cause d’un état d’urgence qui n’a d’utilité que pour empêcher l’expression des voix qui ne rime pas avec l’unanimisme ambiant. Les quatre jours d’émeutes sont un appel à une rupture dans le mode de gouvernance. Le message est clair.
The blog Mots de Tête d’Algérie reports on the aftermath of riots in Amizour [Fr], a town in northern Algeria. He says the protests went out of control:
Des dégradations qui ont suscité l'indignation de la population  qui ne comprend pas pourquoi s'en prendre à des biens de la collectivité et d'utilité publique. « On a voulu exprimer notre ras-le-bol sans commettre de dépassements », explique un jeune manifestant,  « mais des éléments avec d'autres intentions, pour tout simplement voler se sont joints aux manifestants, c'est devenu incontrôlable !» regrette-t-il.
Whether the Algerian riots are the reflection of a deeper malaise or only the expression of a temporary upset is a central question Kal of the Moor Next Door reflects on in this post. He writes:
A revolution is a rather particular, and frequently deliberate, thing. Whether these uprisings constitute something more than a temporary upset will be discovered later, as will whatever manipulation carries or dampens the hopes of the young men in the street.
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011 and Algeria Protests 2011.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Tunisia: An Eyewitness Account from Tala  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Tunisian blog Khayl wa Layl (Horses and Nights) posted a letter from a woman (Ar) from Tala, detailing some of the horrors they have been witnessing over the last few days.
Six people were killed in Tala, which is located 200km southwest of the capital Tunis, and another six injured when the police opened fire at protesters there yesterday, said news reports.
In her letter, she writes:
The letter continues:
The woman concludes her letter saying:
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Veterans in El Salvador and Guatemala · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Mike writes about veterans: “When we talk about the civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala, we tend to measure the human costs into terms of the dead and the disappeared.  We forget that there are thousands of people, if not millions, who carry the wounds of war with them on a daily basis.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Algeria: Is Revolt Contagious? · Global Voices
Mohamed Benderouiche

This post is part of our special coverage on Algeria Protests 2011.
Photo by John Perivolaris on Flickr, licensed through Creative Commons
For two days, hundreds of young people have demonstrated angrily in several Algerian villages to protest the high cost of living.  In Algiers, scenes of violence shook several working class neighborhoods, especially Bab El Oued [fr], the site of the bloody riots of October 1988.  These earlier demonstrations gave birth to a semblance of democratic life in the country, as the blogs Dzajair avant tout [fr], Algérie Politique [fr], and Scotfela [fr] remind us.
In an entry titled Le frisson de la révolte [fr], the blog It's Good to be Back [fr] links the current unrest with the situation in Tunisia :
La révolte est-elle contagieuse ? Si les situations politiques divergent radicalement en Tunisie et en Algérie [fr],  les espoirs et les rêves brisés d’une jeunesse se sentant laissée pour  compte de la croissance tendent à produire les mêmes effets.
During the night of Wednesday, January 5, young people took to the streets to the Algiers neighborhoods of Bab El Oued, Climat de France and Rais Hamidou to shout their anger at a socio-economic situation characterized by a high cost of living and unprecedented misery in such a rich country.
ALGERIE les emeutes 2011
Youtube video by user RelaxationDz
The youths targeted the police station before ransacking a Renault dealership and a Chinese automobile dealership.  The rioters also pillaged two mobile phone boutiques.  In the Cheraga neighborhood, young people set fire to tires not far from the national police barracks.  Similar scenes of violence were seen in Bordj EL Kiffane, Belcourt, and Kouba.  Demonstrators chanted slogans hostile to power and to Algeria's government leaders.
Several other cities in the country also saw rioting, especially Oran, located west of Algiers, where young people ransacked several public buildings.  The riots continued in other towns: Akbou and Tazmalt in Kabylie.
In the Chlef province, youths blocked the main road in the town of Chetia.  It should be noted that these riots coincide with a 50% salary increase for police officer.  Some observers suspect manipulation in certain circles of power.
Today, 7 January, the blog Vousnousils noted a return to calm in Algiers:
Toutefois, la police entourait les mosquées des quartiers sensibles  de la capitale, notamment en prévision de la prière du vendredi  après laquelle les manifestations pourraient reprendre, comme le  craignent les habitants.
He points out that:
Ni la presse officielle ni les autorités n'ont commenté jusqu'à  présent ces manifestations, parfois violentes, contre les hausses  allant jusqu'à 30% de certains produits de première nécessité depuis  le 1er janvier.
This post is part of our special coverage on Algeria Protests 2011.

author: Mohamed Benderouiche


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Argentina: Writer and Musician María Elena Walsh Dies · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Argentinian writer and musician María Elena Walsh died at age 80 on January 10, 2011. Argentinians remember her children's books and songs; in the blog Botica Cultural [es] Guadalupe Sánchez posted pictures of two cassettes by María Elena Walsh she listened to as a child.


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Barbados: “Provoked” to Murder?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press and Barbados Underground are outraged that a dangerous precedent has been set by the Director of Public Prosecutions’ recent decision to “[drop] a charge of murder to manslaughter because the murdered woman had refused sex and therefore ‘provoked’ her killer.”


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Botswana: Best Botswana Photo of 2010 Contest · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Vote in Best Botswana Photo of 2010 Contest organised by Botswana Tourism.


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Brain drain in Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Evelyn Wong, writing for the New Mandala, studies the brain drain problem in Malaysia.

author: Mong Palatino


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China: Microbloggers meet their maker, but is he the only one? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Microblogs have introduced an unprecedented degree of transparency to Chinese society; some even say they've changed everything.
When the human representative of all that is hidden in China, the supposed father of the country's Internet filtering complex, Fang Binxing, waltzed onto China's largest microblog service provider last month, he got a mouthful and some of rage that apparently boils beneath what Chengdu-based writer Ran Yunfei suggests is a carefully maintained illusion of social harmony, now perpetuated, in large part, by the staff at Sina Weibo themselves, out to make a profit.
Beyond merely staying within the boundaries of government-sanctioned speech, does Ran make the case [zh] that microblogs also serve to curate an alternate version of what China looks like today, or do the many examples linked to above suggest that there isn't much malfeasance which can now take place without the microbloggers finding out?
门户网站新浪秉承其眼球经济策略、不管手段如何把动静弄大的做法，继其在博客中制造八卦话题、招揽一众口水明星，通过点击率和参与人数较多，让人觉得新浪“势不可挡”后，在微博上继续制造社会和谐、生活幸福的假相可谓更上层楼。一大推他们认可的八卦明星、官方垄断媒体的“名嘴”、少数“叶公好龙”的官员，都被他们以VIP的身份尊荣地请来，以使其粉丝人数在微博主导者的干预下暴涨，既满足这些人的虚荣心，也制造新浪微博“新媒体”的人气，同时还恬不知耻地吹嘘自己对推特无所不在的盗版能力。
当然这不是说新浪完全没有自外于推特的“创新”——当然这不是说新浪微博在传播真相方面完全无所作为——新浪微博的“创新”在于一方面欢迎大量的口水资讯，大量保留对中国官方的谀颂信息，一方面又通过严密的敏感词过滤系统，并且运用人海战术般的审查机构，全天候二十四小时值班只为了摒蔽、删除不合官方也不合他们胃口的内容，以便与官方合力打造一个虚假的“皇帝新衣”王国。不唯真正批评政府的声音，大多摒蔽、删除，甚至封掉一些微博持有者的IP。就是偶尔还可发的一点声音，如萧翰的微博，已经“转世”到几十世了。总之，新浪微博严苛的审查制度，使得它的运营一派尽在掌握的“和谐”气象。
photo by Flickr user Shi Zhao
正是在这样的背景下，新浪微博隆重欢迎一位他们在精神和技术上的同道、人称中国防火墙GFW之父——其实应该称之为“中国网络监狱之父”，因为他的助纣为虐可不是“防火墙”这样的中性词汇所能表达的，“中国网络监狱之父”的称呼是由杰森的“电子监狱之父”衍化而来，因为我觉得用“网络监狱之父”更准确——的方滨兴来做VIP，以吸引更多的人来崇拜这位阉割中国人信息和精神勃郁的“著名人物”。可是新浪微博与方滨兴本人似乎被自己遮蔽真相的本领给欺骗了，以为所有的中国民众都是天生的贱骨头，不被奴役便无法活下去。不特如此，所有的民众不仅不反对方滨兴们来摒蔽真相、过滤诸多与自己利益息息相关的信息，还要感谢他们摒蔽得如此之好，让我们真正生活在千年未有之“盛世”，生活在一个世界上再也找不到第二个的“和谐社会”。好在中国有越来越多的民众不吃共产党虚假宣传那套，对自己深受奴役的境地，有越来越清醒的认识，在官民的利益和观念冲突越来越严重的今天，方滨兴被邀上微博来“献宝”的确算得上新浪一个失败的名人效应个案。
方滨兴在新浪的窜掇下开了微博，两个小时内固然增长了一些粉丝，更收获无数的狂骂。一些自命有理性洁癖的人，视所有的谩骂为“暴民”特质，弃之如敝屐。我本人固然不赞成滥施谩骂，但在强势集团和官方完全不按牌理出牌，普通民众又没有办法制约他们的情况下，其谩骂有一定的合理性自不待言。换言之像方滨兴这样明知自己所做是助纣为虐，自然就应该知道“出来混总有一天是要还的”道理。方滨兴建议网络实名制、手机白名单制度、以及作为“中国网络监狱之父”的 “伟绩”，其对中国民众信息知情权及相关诸多权利的伤害之大，是无论怎么估计都不过分的。据自由亚洲、新加坡《联合早报》、德国之声等媒体的报道，自从方滨兴开微博两个小时之内，其所遭受的谩骂、质疑、嘲讽、调侃几乎到了“围攻”的地步，这里面饱含着不少网民对方滨兴帮助官方伤害民众利益的愤恨。
[…]
有论者谓方滨兴开微博遭网民狂骂，是网民追求信息自由的标志性事件。其实在我看来，最重要的是让那些助纣为恶的帮凶，意识到自己的为恶会遭到受害者的批评质疑乃至狂骂，当他迎奉政府之需而为恶的时候，自己得好好想一想，将来谁能够保证他不受审判？作恶越多的人，保镖越多，那些天天高喊“为人民服务” 的人，却是最害怕人民的人。不知方滨兴尽情为恶后，其级别会不会上升到出入有很多保镖保驾的地步。我并不赞成对方滨兴用暴力威胁，但他作为“中国网络监狱之父”，给不少中国网民的利益造成很大伤害，却是不争的事实。既然做了恶，要想完全摆脱该得的惩罚，恐怕没有那么容易，只是时间迟早而已。

author: John Kennedy


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China: Mining in Tibet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Tibetan Plateau blog uses Google Earth to monitor mining activities in Gyama, Tibet.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Côte d’Ivoire: The Quest for Normalcy and the Colonial Conundrum · Global Voices
Julie Owono

This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.
Citizens calling for Peace
On January 4th, while ECOWAS emissaries were leaving Côte d'Ivoire after negociations with the two alleged presidents, Gbagbo's Security and Defense Forces (FDS) attacked Ouattara's party headquarters in Abidjan. A particuarly disturbing video posted on Youtube shows those forces handling with the corpse of a dead man.
Nevertheless, as they usually do for any other year, people in Côte d'Ivoire wanted to celebrate the new year in spite of the crisis. As explained by Suy Kahofi in an article on the ivorian website avenue225, women set themselves ready for New year's eve :
“Les salons de coiffure et autres espaces de beauté ont accueillis du monde jusqu’à minuit voire une heure du matin.”
Another article explains that a few decided to enter year 2011 by praying and meditating :
“Il y a d’une part, ceux (chrétiens ou pas) qui consacrent la fin de l’année à la prière, à la méditation.”
While most of the world would wish for success, love, and happiness in 2011, Ivory Coast citizens’ main wish was a return to peace.
Following the brainstorming organised by blogger Diaby Mohamed on December 20th 2010, a peace operation was launched under the name of “Operation Candlelight  and white symbol for peace“; The same peace activists also managed to obtain a statement by famous Didier Drogba, and the Côte d'Ivoire national football team, who called for the respect of peace.
This call for peace was shared throughout the country, and contrasted with the narrative usually found in  traditional media  on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, a country often said said to be on the brink of war.
The French colonial conondrum
The post electoral dispute between two candidates to a presidential ballot has been transformed in a symbol of the struggle of francophone Africa against the international community interference.
Particularly, following the rhetoric of Laurent Gbagbo's partisans, some consider that what is going on in Côte d'Ivoire is the proof of yet another attempt of “Françafrique”, i.e the now infamous lobbying network between France and Africa, to do and undo heads of States on the African continent.
Such position raised multiple debates among the francophone african community, making the problem in Côte d'Ivoire a cause for the whole french-speaking African region.
On Laurent Gbagbo's facebook page, which gathers a bit more than 22,000 fans, an article, called “Françafrique… the racket goes on” and written after the broadcasting on French National TV of a documentary called Françafrique, denounces the attempt of the western world, and precisely France, to impose Ouattara as a president.
“Jusqu`à preuve du contraire, la Côte d’Ivoire n’est pas sous tutelle conjointe ONU France. Pourquoi ces deux prédateurs, surtout la France, veulent ils imposer Ouattara à la présidence de ce pays à la place du Président élu Laurent GBAGBO ?”
The article raised 180 comments which show the radical opposition among africans. One user says :
“Thomas Sankara disait ceci: “aux paresseux, abas, aux corrumpus abas..ect..abas.” Nous disons: le neocolonialisme, abas, le gouvernement Sakozy abas, les complices onusiens abas, les ennemis de l”Afrique abas, les marionnettes dirigeants Af…ricains, abas……”
Victoir Seyram Komla Agbogbo on the same article thinks the opposite :
“Non je refuse le discours de Gbagbo. Sortir du joug du colonialisme ne veut pas dire confisquer le pouvoir.”
Beyond Ivorian borders, demonstrations are organised throughout Africa. In Cameroon for instance, 3 opposition parties and members of the civil society called for a pro Gbagbo march in Douala and Yaoundé on December 23rd. The demonstration was scattered by police forces, and 3 persons were wounded.
According to Flora Boffy, a french blogger who lives in Cameroon, citizens in the country consider Côte d'Ivoire as an example for the upcoming presidential ballot that will be held in October or November 2011 (date to be confirmed by the electoral commission). A special coverage of ivorian events is organised by local media.
“Les événements en Côte d’Ivoire engagent les citoyens camerounais à des conjectures et des transpositions : Cameroun – Côte d’Ivoire, même combat ? Alors que le Cameroun se prépare aux présidentielles de 2011, l’identification est forte.”
African intellectuals also take part in the debate, and the contrast between their positions is as sharp as it is among citizens.
Pro Gbagbo Intellectuals launched a manifesto against military intervention in Côte d'Ivoire and international interference. Among First signatories: Calixthe Beyala, famous cameroonian writer with french citizenship and Theophile Kouamouo, former Global Voices Online author and journalist in abidjan.
Venance Konan, Ivorian writer, journalist and blogger, published a satirical tract  “Dear Françafrique” (France in Africa) where he makes a parallele between witchcraft accusations in Africa and the alleged Western plot.
“Chercher des poux dans les cheveux de la France, c’est chercher à accuser un sorcier lorsqu’un homme ivre se tue au volant de sa voiture.”
No to Franc CFA currency!
Monnaie Ivoirienne de Résistance (Ivorian Resistance Currency)
In accordance with their opposition to neocolonialism, Laurent Gbagbo and his partisans are now calling for the creation of an Ivorian currency. It would consist in leaving the Franc CFA zone in order to ensure the full independance of the country. The Franc CFA is considered as a pure product of the Françafrique, therefore such suggestion meets the support of many africans.
Nash Kpokou, economist of Gbagbo's camp, explains the advantages of a local currency in an article published in Le Temps Newspaper :
“Non au franc CFA  et à un gouvernement elu par la France  Oui à une monnaie honnête et nationale, émise sans dette.”
According to the local newspaper Le Patriote, Gbagbo sent his economic advisers to Venezuela in order to get advice on how to create a national currency, following the model of the “Bolivar Fuerte” launched in 2008 by Hugo Chavez.
This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.

author: Julie Owono


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Cuba: Decree 217/97 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Laritza's Laws blogs about the fallout from Decree 217/97, “a rule that turns a Cuban into an illegal in his own country.”


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El Salvador: Top Stories of 2010 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Tim's El Salvador Blog shares a roundup of what Tim considers the top stories of 2010 from El Salvador.


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Honduras: Kidnapped Leader of Peasant Movement Escapes · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Honduras Culture and Politics reports: “The good news came through late yesterday: Juan Chinchilla, kidnapped leader of the peasant movement under attack in the Bajo Aguan, was free.” Chinchilla is also a leader of the National Popular Resistance Front.


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Jamaica, Barbados: Caribbean Tales in Bim  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Geoffrey Philp reports that Barbados will host this year's CaribbeanTales Film Festival.


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Jamaica, U.S.A.: The Tucson Attack · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac is “dumbstruck and saddened…[by] the weekend’s shootings of Congressional representative, Gabrielle Giffords, and the killing of six other people in that attack in Tucson.”


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Kenya: Experiences from my prostitution world · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nairobi Nights is a blog by a Kenyan prostitute, Sue: “These are thoughts, observations and experiences from my prostitution world.”


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Latin America: Introducing “Multilatinas” · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ben from The Latin Americanist explains: “Multi-latinas are companies that operate across Latin America,   primarily with Latin American capital, and that take advantage of their   local expertise to find niches and beat international competitors.” He argues that Multilatinas are “one of the most positive developments” among the different agreements Latin American countries have entered with each other.


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Lebanon: Bloggers Support Tunisian Protests against “Arab Pinochet” · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Lebanese bloggers have joined the chorus of concern over the Tunisian riots that have thus far claimed 24 lives.
Sympathy and support is extended to the Tunisian youth protesting the authoritarianism, corruption, and poor economic management of President Zine el Abidine ben Ali, dubbed the “Arab Pinochet” by Lebanese blogger, the Angry Arab.
The protests began after the self-immolation attempt of 24-year-old, Mohamed Bouazizi, in frustration at the country's high unemployment, soaring food prices and government corruption.
The Arab world is following attentively Tunisia's worst internal crisis in decades, as many Arabs empathise with the desperation felt by the Tunisian protestors.
Rita Chemaly wrote a powerful blog post in support of the protestors:
c’est une horreur,
les images tournent en boucle,
je regarde el jazeera,
je zappe, pour voir cnn, euronews, puis France 1, 2, 3 et m6,
je regarde les chaînes libanaises, aussi…
une nouvelle est reprise, des images floues,
des images sous titrees “rassass hayy” “des balles” vraies, contre ceux qui protestent pour leur pain de ce jour et de tous les jours!
des personnes tuees, et le ministre de la communication, dit, on veut et nous ouvrons le dialogue, pire, l’éminent monsieur déclare: nous sommes contre la violence!
oui, le monsieur le déclarait alors que des personnes sont tuées!
et cher monsieur: savez vous que tirer à bout portant sur des jeunes étudiants, sur des jeunes qui protestent pour leur pain de ce jour, pour leur travail de demain, et pour l’avenir de tous, est une violence de votre part? Une exaction contre leur liberte de s’exprimer, d’etre des citoyens, et de vivre?
J’ai vecu au Liban au siecle ou on nous offrait des “douches” gratuites, lors de nos manifestations,
Oh Liban de ce temps la, ou les étudiants étaient suivis, pourchassés, et douches, ou es-tu, pour donner des leçons de tenue a ce cher gouvernement qui use de ses balles et de sa police, et son armée légitime pour encercler des régions et assaillir les présumés assaillants?
Courage chers amis, en Algérie, en Égypte, et surtout en Tunisie!!
It's a horror,
The images run non-stop,
I watch Al Jazeera,
I switch, to watch CNN, Euronews, then France 1, 2, 3 and M6,
I watch the Lebanese channels, as well …
Images subtitled “live bullets”, against those who are protesting for their bread for this day and for every day!
People killed, and the Minister of Communication says we want and we will open dialogue, worse, the eminent Minister declares: we are against violence!
Yes, the Minister declared it while people are being killed!
And dear Minister: do you know that firing rounds on young students, on the youth who are protesting for their bread, for their jobs tomorrow, and for the future of all, is violence from your part? An act of violence against their freedom to express, to be citizens, and to live?
I lived in Lebanon in the century where we were offered free “showers” during our demonstrations,
Oh Lebanon of this period, where students were followed, pursued and soaked, where are you, to give lessons to this dear government that uses its bullets and its police, and its legitimate army to encircle regions and assail presumed assailants?
Courage dear friends, in Algeria, in Egypt and especially in Tunisia!
The Angry Arab criticises the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) economic policies for Tunisia as a possible catalyst for the current unrest:
“The fate of the protests is unclear at this point. The Ben Ali government is frantic to control the situation by sending police and security enforcements in the cities affected by the protests. The protesters have been peaceful and have not resorted to any violence or destruction of property. Some protesters simply held a loaf of bread and others are simply holding signs that call for jobs and dignity.
In the meantime, the IMF is continuing to push Tunisia to more austere economic policies on the expenditure side, recommending that the government ends its support for food and fuel products and reform its social security system, a code word for privatizing the pension system in Tunisia which benefits the masses of poor Tunisians. The greatest hypocrisy in all of this is that the IMF recommends these policies in the name of greater employment and growth which is the IMF’s cut-and-paste recipe for all nations it studies.”
Angry Arab continues his coverage of Tunisia's protests by highlighting that Tunisia's armed forces are using Israeli-made tear gas against protestors:
“… Tunisians have picked up tear gas cans with Hebrew writing identifying them from Israel. It is widely believed that secret relations exist. Now we know where the regime gets its tear gas. Other tear gas cans are in English and advise use for animals. This is how they treat Arabs! Not that Arab regimes need lessons from anyone as to how to kill their own people, but the regime mimics Israeli brutality against Palestinians where Palestinians have died after being hit by tear gas cans .“
Beirut Spring refers to the unrest in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait as a sign of “Arab decay”, and questions whether Lebanon will ever see a similar revolt:
So what’s in common between the protests in Tunisia, the explosion in Alexandria, the riots in Jordan and the political turmoil in Kuwait?
Marc Lynch offers a theory:
“These four seemingly unrelated incidents over the last month all draw attention to the accelerating decay of the institutional foundations and fraying of the social fabric across many of the so-called “moderate,” pro-Western Arab regimes. What seems to link these four ongoing episodes, despite the obvious differences, is a combination of authoritarian retrenchment, unfulfilled economic promises, rising sectarianism at the popular level, and deep frustration among an increasingly tech-savvy rising generation”
What’s interesting to me is the lack of any social upheavals in Lebanon that are not related to politics. Does this mean that our system of sectarian checks and balances produces a more dynamic and adaptable social fabric?
The Tunisian protests, in addition to unrest in other Arab states, are a clear indication of the widespread discontent felt by Arabs toward their despotic rulers. In such a struggle, Tunisians will find friends and sympathisers across the region, including Lebanon.
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Antoun Issa


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Malaysia: Critique of history syllabus · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Dr Geoff Wade discusses the changing history syllabus in Malaysian schools. The author notes that ‘half of the country disappeared’ in the history syllabus focusing on Malays.


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Malaysia: Historic cemetery plot to be removed · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Heritage enthusiasts are upset over the eviction of a family cemetery plot in a historic location in Malaysia. Local officials approved the property development plan in the area.


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Mexico: Tweeting About Violence With #RedMexico · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
Mexicans are tired of watching or listening to daily news related to “narco” (drug) violence and the different striking events that continue to take place in the country. On Twitter, the hashtag #MexicoRojo (“Red Mexico”) has become popular among Mexican Twitter users as they discuss the ongoing violence.
This weekend, some of the tweets were about the 15 beheaded bodies that appeared in the state of Guerrero, where the famous Acapulco beach is located.
These are some of the tweets on the topic:
Mexican President Felipe Calderon affirmed that 2010 was the most violent year since he became Head of State in 2006. Mexicans are hoping that 2011 will bring different results.
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Nepal: Miss America To The Rescue · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

Laura Agustín at The Naked Anthropologist ,  writes about the efforts of Miss Michigan Katie LaRoche, a participant in the Miss America pageant, to rescue victims of sex trafficking in Nepal. LaRoche has launched her own organization One World.One Future  to raise awareness against trafficking and slavery.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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North Korea: Public Complaints Continue to Mount · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korean insiders have reported that in the midst of ongoing food shortages and with the succession in progress, more North Korean people are expressing their complaints about Kim family, wrote[ko] Daily NK, a Seoul-based North Korean think tank and online media.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Philippines: Thousands affected by flashfloods · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

According to the Philippine govenrment's Department of Social Welfare and Development, more than 800,000 people are affected by flashfloods in the southern provinces


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Sudan: Can Southern Sudanese Learn from East Timor?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What would those who voted in Timor’s 1999 referendum for independence tell those voting in south Sudan?


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Sudan: How come #SudanRef is not trending?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nobody cares about Sudan?: “How come #SudanRef is not trending? The biggist state in Africa is splitting and nobody cares or what? Silly! #SudanRef #Sudan”


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Sudan: My favourite African country about to split · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Southern Sudan Independence referendum: Alun McDonald is sad to see his favourite African country, Sudan, about to split.


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Teach for Malaysia project · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Jude Chia blogs about the Teach for Malaysia project which aims to end education inequity in Malaysia.


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Thailand: The Red Shirt protesters are back · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Red Shirt protest. Photo from twitpic page of thethaireport
The Red Shirt anti-government protesters in Thailand mobilized thousands of their members in central Bangkok as they continued to press their demand for more democratic reforms in government. Police estimated the crowd at 30,000 but rally organizers claimed they gathered 60,000 in the streets.
It was the biggest Red Shirt rally months after a violent government crackdown on protests. It was also the first major rally after the lifting of the state of emergency in the country’s capital.
The Red Shirts core members are supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra but the group has since then become a broad movement calling for substantive changes in Thai government and society.
Bangkok Pundit confirms that the Sunday rally was the biggest Red Shirt protest since the street blockades last year
This is actually the biggest rally since the March-May protests by a long way. On September, around 10,000 reds attended the first mass post-crackdown demonstration in Bangkok. Around 8,000 reds gathered in Bangkok on October 10, another 12,000 in Ayutthaya on October 17, and up to 10,000 gathered again on November 19 to mark the six-month anniversary of the May 19 crackdown.
Richard Barrow provides some key observations of the rally
The rally started at the Democracy Monument. Jatuporn Prompan, the Red Shirt leader, was forbidden by a court order to go and speak at the rally. However, he defied that order today. He not only turned up, but he gave a speech as well. That is really what made this rally so different from anything we have seen since the bloody crackdown by the army which resulted in 91 deaths. For the first time we had people giving speeches.
The parade virtually brought many roads through Bangkok to a  standstill. Despite that, I witnessed many shopkeepers coming out to clap and cheer as the Reds passed them by… the thousands that came today mainly came by their own transport. Most people were from around Bangkok and the surrounding provinces.
Their demand was simple, release on bail the red shirt leaders in prison. They cried it is unfair that the yellow shirt leaders who occupied government house and closed down the airport are still walking free.
Some twitter reactions from Bangkok:
Fridaylovesong: The Red Shirts are on duty again…heavy traffic is the immediate result and financial n business problems will soon follow. Their campaign has been a puzzle for my non-politic mind. After all, I don't believe at the very moment of “era”, not so many ppl genuinely care for or fight for democracy–we are bound to work to earn a living, realistically.
leosia: Lots of criticism of red shirts today, but I'm surprised and encouraged by their persistence.
MrMCos: @Saksith I would suggest the Red Shirts also get out from Thaksin's shadow if they want to progress beyond a street rabble. Fresh leadership
GiantRobot7: red shirts rally have punched stock market in the stomach…SET off 12 points this morning….KBANK off 3.8%
NickDay13: Red shirts get around 30,000 to a rally, PAD have about 10 tents infront of government house. Which group is the more relevant?
choochiiz: RT @PeaceinThailand: Suggestion for the Red shirts movement, pleast start the mob after 10 pm so we can shop peacefully. :) //like++
Photos of the Red Shirt march are available on Matichon Online and Thai Free News


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U.S.V.I.: Ferry Challenges  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It's been a tough couple of weeks for ferries at Enighed Pond”: News of St. John explains.


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Uganda: Uganda Watch 2011 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Uganda Watch 2011 is a website created to provide Ugandans with a way to share their observations about elections. Citizens can SMS 6090 to report election abuses or ask questions.


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Africa: Visual Representation of Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

African Lens is a project that seeks to tell the story of Africa through visual elements which captures the essence of everyday lives: “Content is contributed by you and photojournalists who travel across the continent.”


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Armenia: Gay Russia · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reviews a documentary from three years ago on homosexuality in Russia. However, the blog notes, two of the gay men documented in the film are Armenians and concludes that it would be useful to screen the film in Armenia proper.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh, India: Human Rights Hanging On The Border Fence · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladeshis were shocked by widely published photographs of the dead body of a 15 year old Bangladeshi girl hanging on the India-Bangladesh border Fence. According to news reports the girl named Felani was shot dead by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at Anantapur while she was illegally crossing the border with her father on the way back to Bangladesh.
Mahmud Faisal elaborates how the girl was caught in this tragic fate:
বাবা কাঁটাতার পেরিয়ে চলে এলেন, ফেলানীর কাপড় আঁটকে গেলে সে ভয়ে চিৎকার করে ওঠে– সাথে সাথে গর্জে ওঠে বিএসএফ-এর বন্দুক। একটা গুলি ফেলানীর পিছন থেকে ঢুকে সামনে দিয়ে বেরিয়ে যায়। তবু সে বেঁচে ছিলো। বি,এস,এফ চাইলেই তো ঐ ৪ ঘন্টা’র মাঝে কিশোরীটিকে আরো কয়েকবার গুলি করে হত্যা নিশ্চিত করতে পারতো। তা না করে তারা ৪ ঘন্টা অপেক্ষার পর যখন মেয়েটি’র গোঙ্গানী বন্ধ ও দেহ নিথর হয়েছে বলে নিশ্চিত হয় তখন এসে লাশ নিয়ে যায়। কাঁটাতারে গুলিবিদ্ধ অবস্থায় ঝুলে থেকে ফেলানী “পানি পানি” বলে চিৎকার করছিলো। সাড়া দেয়ার কেউ ছিলো না। তিরিশ ঘন্টা পর তার লাশ এলো যেভাবে মরা গরুকে ঝুলিয়ে আনা হয়।
Indian Border Security Force And barbed Wire. Image by Sanjeev Syal. Copyright Demotix
In a recently published 81-page report titled, “‘Trigger Happy': Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border,” Human Rights Watch found numerous cases of indiscriminate use of force, arbitrary detention, torture, and killings by the Indian Border Security Force, without adequate investigation or punishment.
“The border force seems to be out of control, with orders to shoot any suspect,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The border operations ignore the most basic rule of law, the presumption of innocence.”
Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar says in a report that BSF kills one Bangladeshi in every four days. It also says that BSF killed 74 innocent Bangladeshi citizens in 2010, injured seventy-two and kidnapped 43. In the past decade more than 1000 Bangladeshis were killed in the border regions by BSF.
Alfaz Anam says:
শনিবারের নয়াদিগন্তের ছবিতে দেখা যাচ্ছে লাল পায়জামা পড়া ফেলানির ছোট্র শরীরটা ঝুলছে বাংলাদেশ-ভারত সীমান্তে কাটাতারের বেড়ায়। যেনো একখন্ড বাংলাদেশ ঝুলে আছে। কেন ফেলানিকে হত্যা করা হলো? [..]
বাংলাদেশ নামক এই রাষ্ট্রের নাগরিকদের প্রতি অপরিসীম ঘৃনার মনস্তত্ব থেকে গুলির নিশানা হচ্ছে বাংলাদেশের নাগরিকরা। ফেলানিকে সহজেই বিএসএফ ধরে ফেলতে পারতো। নিতে পারতো আইনগত ব্যবস্থা। কিন্তু তা তারা করেনি। কারণ ফেলানি বাংলাদেশের নাগরিক। হত্যায় ওর উপযুক্ত শাস্তি।
Bangladeshi citizens are being subjected to this inhuman atrocity out of extreme hatred towards them. BSF could easily arrest Felani and take necessary legal measures. But they did not as she is a Bangladeshi. Death is her ultimate punishment.
এভাবে প্রতিনিয়ত মারা যাচ্ছে পারুল আর ফেলানিরা। কিন্তু খুব কম সময়ই এরা খবর হন। পারুল আর ফেলানিদের জীবনের কোনো নিরাপত্তা নেই। নতুন বছরের প্রথম সপ্তাহেই হত্যা করা হয়েছে ৬ জন বাংলাদেশীকে। [..] ভারতের সাথে শত্রুরাষ্ট্র পাকিস্তানের সীমান্ত আছে। কাশ্মীরে ভারতীয় বাহিনীর সাথে নিয়মিত গোলা বিনিময় হয় কিন্তু এভাবে নিরীহ মানুষ নিহত হয় না। আজকে পাকিস্তানের চেয়ে বাংলাদেশের নিরস্ত্র মানুষ যেনো ভারতের প্রধান শত্রু।
Rahnuma Ahmed highlights in a post titled “Killing Thy Neighbors” why despite all these threats people cross border between Bangladesh and India legally and illegally:
The fence divides and separates. Villages. Agricultural lands. Markets. Families. Communities. It cuts across mangrove-swamps in the southwest, forests and mountains in the northeast.
It split up Fazlur Rehman’s family too, the fence snaked into their Panidhar village homestead, his younger brother who lived right next door, is now in another country (Time, February 5, 2009). Other border residents have had their homes split in two, the kitchen in one country, the bedroom in another.
Banner of the Blog Platform Amar Bornomala
Netizens are also frustrated with feeble government response. Helal M Rahman at Blog Platform Amar Bornomala complains:
এতসব হত্যাকান্ডের পরেও আমাদের রাষ্টযন্ত্রের সবোর্চ্চ পর্যায়ের কোন মাথাব্যথা বা হত্যাকান্ড বন্ধের কোন পদক্ষেপ নিতে দেখা যাচ্ছেনা।
Blogger Arif Jebtik writes [bn]:
দিন আগের মতোই চলতে থাকবে। কিছুই বদলাবে না। ভারতের ঋণে আমার রাষ্ট্রে একটা বড় রাস্তা হবে। সেই রাস্তা দিয়ে আসবে যাবে বন্ধুরাষ্ট্রের গাড়িগুলো। আমরা অতিথিপরায়ণ সভ্য জাতি, কোনো দিন তাদের দিকে গুলি ছুড়তে যাব না। চিকন চালে ধোঁয়াওঠা ভাত আর ইলিশ মাছের ঝোল দিয়ে আমরা অতিথি আপ্যায়ন করব।
তৃপ্তির ঢেকুর তুলতে তুলতে বউয়ের জন্য জামদানি শাড়ি ব্যাগে পুরে বিএসএফপ্রধান আমাদের শান্তি আর বন্ধুত্বের বাণী শোনাবেন।
আমরা মোবাইলের এসএমএসে জানব ও বন্ধুদের জানাব, তিন কোটি টাকায় নিলামে বিক্রি হয়েছেন ক্যাপ্টেন সাকিব হাসান। হিন্দি চ্যানেলের সিরিয়াল দেখে আমাদের গিন্নীরা হাঁপুস নয়নে কাঁদতে থাকবেন।
কিন্তু সীমান্তের পাখির মতো মরে যাওয়া আমার বোন ফেলানির জন্য আমরা কেউ কখনো কাঁদব না।
আমরা শুধু তোতাপাখির মতো স্লোগান দিয়ে যাব, ভারত-বাংলাদেশ মৈত্রী_জয় হো!
The BSF chief will continue to preach about peace and friendship after bagging Jamdani Sari as gifts for his wife.
Via SMS we will merrily spread the information that the Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan has been sold in auction of the Indian Premier League for 30 million Taka ($425000). Our housewives will continue to watch Indian TV serials and shed their tears during tragic scenes.
But we will never shed tears for our sister who was butchered in the border inhumanely.
We will just utter the magic words like parrots, long live India-Bangladesh friendship.


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Brazil: Does democracy respect its religious minorities? · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Sakamoto reflects [pt] on the news by Folha de São Paulo about Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff's withdrawal of a bible and a crucifix from her office: “State must ensure that all religions are free to exercise their worship”. The news was biased , as Cris Rodrigues explains [pt] in #dilmafactsbyfolha.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: Still the Guerrilla Against Folha de São Paulo · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Update on GV's post Brazil: Newspaper Folha de São Paulo censors satirical blog: Not happy with the newspaper's Ombudsman accusations [pt], saying that the satirical blog was “coarse”, “appealing”, “insulting” and from “guerrilla fighters”, one of its creators, Lino Bocchini, answers back in the blog Desculpe Nossa Falha [Forgive Our Failure, pt].


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Chile: 10 Albums to Watch for in 2011 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Music blogger Roberto Carreño [es] recommends 10 albums by Chilean artists to watch for in 2011.


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Chile: General Strike in Magallanes Region Over Planned Oil Price Hike · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

A general strike is taking place in the southernmost region of Chile –Magallanes– due to the Government's proposal to cut gas subsidies and as a result increase prices by 16.8% in the region. In El Kiosko Bloggero [es], Daniel Arellano explains what it is like to live in that region and criticizes the way the Government is handling the issue.


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China: Ai Weiwei’s Shanghai studio demolished · Global Voices
John Kennedy

After a second day of demolition, little remains of artist Ai Weiwei‘s Shanghai studio. Photo from Twitter user @duyanpili.


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China and Korea: New Status Quo on the Sino-North Korean Border · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Adam Cathcart from Sinologistical Violoncellist looks into the commercial deals between China and North Korea and predicts that a new status quo is setting up in Northeast Asia.


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China: Propaganda department orders to ban “civil society”  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A number of media outlets reported that the Chinese propaganda department has issued directive instructing Chinese media not to use the term “civil society”. China Media Project analyses how the instruction is implemented.


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Cote D’Ivoire: From grandiose lifestyle to Gbagbo’s madness  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What happened to Cote D’Ivoire?: “Back in the late 1990s, one of the popular countries I often heard about, apart from Nigeria, was Cote D’Ivoire. The French speaking West African country was considered a heaven on earth by most Ghanaian women.”


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France, Tunisia: Has the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lost Her Mind?  · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

The French and North African blogosphere and twittosphere reacted violently to the statement by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Michelle Alliot-Marie who proposed at the French national assembly that France offers “technical support” and “the know-how of the French police” to the Tunisian police regarding the current uprising in Tunisia.  The same Tunisian police who is involved in the bloody repression (fr) of the riots in Kasserine, Thala and other Tunisian cities.  French  blogger Thierry Desjardin writes a post entitled : “ A hideous mistake“(fr) and  BernardB wonders : “Has she lost her mind ?” (fr).

author: Claire Ulrich


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Haiti: One Year Ago…We Remember  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Today marks one year since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti.  Haitian bloggers are remembering…
The Livesay Haiti Weblog writes:
On 1/12/2010 at 4:53pm the landscape of Haiti was irrevocably changed.
Despite great tribulation and loss the heart and spirit of the people endures.
Today an entire country stops to remember those they lost. Please pray for them and with them.
The blog also takes a look back at posts that were written soon after that fateful day, adding:
There is no week in our lives in 38 years that is as vivid and clear in our memories as a year ago this week. It is so hard to imagine or accept the volume of suffering that occurred in the hours and days that followed the earthquake.
Pétion-ville cemetery by caribbeanfreephoto, used under a Creative Commons Licence.
Karlito's Blog posts an image that “you possibily have been seeing this image pop up pretty much everywhere on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, BBm) today”, explaining:
Late last night as I was thinking about a way to commemorate the one year anniversary of Haiti”s devastating earthquake, It came to mind that I didn’t need to do much, I just needed to be a survivor, so I created this little image symbolically.
We need to be there not only to tell a story, the story, our story as we remember it to our children and our grandchildren but also to help built a better and safer future for them. We need to be survivors everyday so that every step we make forward in this life be the reflection of our gratitude for the blessings that God has bestowed upon us everyday since that day. Nothing is greater then the gift of life.
The blog also posts the reflections of a member of the Haitian diaspora, here:
All these statuses were desperate but the one who really told me what happen was J'esus men on tremblement de terre touye tout moun nan peyim la.’  I WAS SHOCKED…..
I remember…
I  screamed in the house and my aunt run out to check on me, after i told her the tragedy i don’t remember exactly the order of the things that happened but i remember trying to call my parents in Haiti with no answer and i know we turn on the tv  and  i am sure that’s where i saw Carel broadcasting about what happened with tears in his eyes, listening to his desperate voice was painful…
I remember…
2 weeks ago , i went home to see what was left of my hometown but also for the holidays that weren’t holy nor happy. With the few Ms earthquake left for Haiti, we Haitians couldn’t celebrate. What i saw in my brothers eyes while i was going through Port-au-Prince was a mixture of despair, fear, suffering ,  misery, pain, hate, indifference but mostly the waiting of better days to come….  A year after there is still a lot of rubble, people are still living under tents in these refugees/victims camps, people are still steeling,women are still being raped, violence is not stopping and cholera is still making victims…. maybe its because i am an outsider that i didn’t realise any changes were made , but if i am comparing to the pictures i have received a year ago ta what i saw, besides the dead bodies and a few rubbles removed , the rest is the same……THE BIG WORK HASN’T BEEN DONE….
National Palace, by caribbeanfreephoto, used under a Creative Commons Licence.
On Twitter, the hashtags for the one-year anniversary of the earthquake are #remember #Haiti – and Tweeple have been using the micro-blogging platform to do just that:
@SophieChavanel: People gathered in front of National Palace #haiti #remember http://yfrog.com/gzzfjmj
@SophieChavanel: People are gathering everywhere in PAP to commemorate this sad anniversary #haiti #remember http://yfrog.com/h5asqevj
@JAMGAL2010: #1yr ago today…. a horrible tragedy shook the lives of the people of #Haiti #remember http://bit.ly/bvYqP8
@chadcat: to all those that lost their lives, to all those that were affected and still are, and to all those that helped #remember #Haiti
Pétion-ville cemetery, by caribbeanfreephoto, used under a Creative Commons Licence.
Bloggers on the ground in Haiti continue to weigh in.  The Apparent Project Blog writes:
The last few days have been hard. Somehow I wish the calendar wasn't cyclical, because I'm not really ready to remember what happened a year ago. A lady stopped by yesterday. I didn't recognize her until she showed me a mangled scar on her ankle. She thanked me that she still had her foot. I remember now. She was the woman that Jocelyn and I carried up a hill, over a rooftop that had crumbled and had taken care of in my yard for almost a week, cleaning and dressing her wounds until help arrived.
There were so many that I think about, wonder how they are doing, wonder what kind of emotional scars they carry around with them.
I spent yesterday trying to figure out what I was going to do today. I heard that they resurrected the Iron Market and it opened yesterday. I used to go there for all of my beads when our jewelry program had just started. It was a place of significance for me and I cried as I saw the beautiful historical marketplace crumpled on the ground in the wake of the quake. I think for me it will be a moment of joy to see it rebuilt. The one thing that is fixed. The one thing that has been restored and repaired.
Indeed, @RAMHaiti posted several tweets about the inauguration of the rebuilt Iron Market:
WOW!!! The New Iron Market!! Thank you Denis O'Brien and #Digicel http://twitpic.com/3p5nau
I hear the police sirens. President Clinton is getting closer to the Iron Market inauguration Port au Prince #Haiti
…and a few about the stark contrast of the new facility to other areas of the capital:
Driving around downtown Port au Prince. Don't recognize where I am.. #Haiti #EarthQuake
A view behind the new IronMarket.. Lots of work ahead of us.. Port au Prince #Haiti #EarthQuake http://twitpic.com/3p65oy
Tent city, Juvenat by caribbeanfreephoto, used under a Creative Commons Licence.
Today, whether it was through tweets, poetry or suggestions about ways in which to move forward, there is no doubt that this sad anniversary was top of mind in the regional blogosphere.  Perhaps Shelley Clay sums it up best – today is important to remember because it is about the Haitian people:
It is January 12th. A baby is coming into the world today. A country is on her knees today. I will spend my day waiting for news of a boy or girl, probably go down to see the beautiful Iron Market, probably cry a little, hug my kids a lot, and remember what happened one year ago. God Bless Haiti this year!


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Important Facebook Addresses in South Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean net users have gathered Facebook addresses of important organizations, political figures, businessmen and media people, South Korea's citizen media Wiki Tree posted here[ko].


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India: Free Mobile App For NGO Field Staffs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shital Shah  at Think Change India talks about a free mobile application for NGOs that enables field staffs to collect data using their existing mobile phones and transfer it on a real-time basis.

author: Rezwan


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India: Government Monitoring of Email · Global Voices
Rezwan

Reading Cafe reacts on the news that the Indian government is seriously considering asking Google to help it in monitoring emails.


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India: IPL Auctions · Global Voices
Rezwan

Greatbong analyzes how Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket teams fared in the recent player auctions.


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Jamaica, U.S.A.: Constitutional Rights & Wrongs  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The constitutional right to bear arms has had another of those unsurprising consequences…”: Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac thinks that the U.S. needs to “again look into its popular mirror.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jordan: Tunisian Protests May Trigger More Agony for Arab Governments · Global Voices
Betsy Fisher

This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
At least 23 people have died in unrest in Tunisia, with violent protests occurring daily and police employing tear gas and live ammunition to control the demonstrators who are reacting against high unemployment, corruption, increased fuel and food prices and lack of political freedoms.  As the violence continues, so too have responses and expressions of support in Jordan.
Many Jordanian tweeters have focused on criticism of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Hamzeh Lattouf wrote:
Why did the Tunisian President wait until #sidibouzid protests started to promise a 300k work chances?! #FAIL
In a televised address on January 10, Ben Ali promised Tunisians that 300,000 new jobs will be created over the next two years in the country where an estimated 55 per cent of the population is under the age of 25, and where the current unemployment rate stands at around 15%.
Samih Toukan expressed hope for a change of leadership with the protests:
Desperate moves from Ben Ali.not enough.he should be out and put on trial! #sidibouzid
Samar Dahmash Jarrah asked humorously:
#sidibouzid #Tunisian عزيزي الريس بن علي، بما انك مفصوم تماما عن شعبك وبلدك، ما رايك باجازة لطيفة طويلة في فلوريدا علي حسابي؟
Others expressed solidarity with the Tunisian people, such as Mohammad Yousef's tweet:
long live Tunisia http://youtu.be/iG7039-WRR8 #Kreator #Nowplaying cc: @Cer @3arabawy @maggieosama @Gsquare86 @miqla3
Norma Saqer urged religious solidarity:
Cant physically do anything 4 the suffering like #Tunisia #Palestine #Iraq #arab ? actually-u can, pray for them, #God will hear you :) #JO
Others tweeted about a vigil to be held on January 13th, 2011, in front of Tunisia's embassy in Jordan, entitled “Pause of silence for Tunisia in Jordan !”
Many Jordanians related Tunisian events to tensions in other Arab countries.  Sheeshany asked:
How far are we “#jo” from #Tunisia & #Algeria?
Naseem Tarawnah tweeted:
i wonder if arab govts will send “support” to help keep tunisian govt from collapsing & a domino effect occurring? #JO #tunisia #sidibouzid
Mohammad Yousef tweeted about the events in Lebanon, writing that Hezbollah's withdrawal from the Lebanese government also placed Lebanon on Tunisia's path to populist demonstrations:
#Lebanon join the track: Opposition to withdraw its ministers from the gov. today http://bit.ly/iakhXQ #Algeria #Sidibouzid #Jordan #Tunisia
These tweets, and many others, speculate that rioting in Tunisia and Algeria are related to Jordan's tensions, and that these demonstrations will inspire the people of Arab countries to demand economic and political reform.
Follow the #sidibouzid hashtag conversation on Twitter for the latest news and reactions to events in Tunisia and our special coverage page here.

author: Betsy Fisher


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Kenya: Is cabinet a haven for criminals?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Is the Kenyan government a haven for criminals and in need of a purge?, asks Mzalendo (Eye On Kenyan Parliament) contributor.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Latin America: Women’s Political Participation in the Region · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Figures on the share of seats held by women in national assemblies around the world show that Latin America, “ranks second only to Nordic Europe in terms of the percentage of women elected to parliamentary-level,” as Mike explains in Central American Politics. He also looks specifically at women's participation in Guatemalan politics.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Lebanon: A Suggested Solution to the Password Problem · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

In her latest technical post, Lebanese blogger Mir explains her “Password” problem and suggests a solution for it, asking for “anyone up to code this.”

author: Layal Al Khatib


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Lebanon: Eleven Cabinet Members Resign, Toppling Government · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

One year ago, at a rally on the 5th anniversary of Rafiq Hariri's death in Lebanon. Photo by Deen Sharp © Demotix (14/02/10)
More big news from the Arab world this evening as Lebanon's government has reportedly collapsed, following the resignations of 11 cabinet members.  The cabinet members, all members or allies of Hezbollah, resigned over arguments stemming from a UN probe into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, Al Jazeera reported.
Bloggers and Twitter users picked up on the news quickly, announcing it just after the first news reports from inside Lebanon broke.  Al Jazeera correspondent Dima Khatib (@dima_khatib) Tweeted around 6pm Beirut time:
Lebanese government is officially down, lost legal quorom, while PM Hariri is at White House with Obama. #Lebanon
Shortly after Dima's Tweet, Chan Bhatia of Chicks Gone Tech blogged:
[Updated at 11:13 a.m.] [ed note: EST] Lebanon's unity government collapsed Wednesday after Minister of State Adnan Sayyed Hussein turned in his resignation, the 11th Cabinet member to do so.
It didn't take long for Lebanese “tweeps” to start sharing their thoughts and opinions on Twitter. @LebaneseVoices remarked in two Tweets:
government or no government, we still have no infrastructure #Lebanon
government or no government, we still have repetitive violations of israeli planes in our skies. #Lebanon
@Emile_Hokayem commented on the perception of the resignations:
Opposition ministers chose to resign while PM Hariri is in Washington. Using his absence to say he does not care about Lebanon.
Some on Twitter, like @LSal92, took a more cynical approach in light of Lebanon's recent history, Tweeting:
So are we without a government again? What's new? #Lebanon

author: Jillian C. York


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Lebanon: Let’s Protest · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

After -what she considered- so many useless and power-oriented protests, Lebanese blogger Liliane suggested a list of things that she believes are really worth demonstrating for and protesting against.  Check her list and her readers suggestions as well in this post.


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Morocco: Fassi Cheese · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The View From Fez reports that, although historically not a cheese-producing nation, Morocco is now catching up to its European brethren in the cheese-making department.


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Mozambique: Drugs and open secrets “wikileaked” · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

The first Wikileaks cables from the US Embassy in Maputo revived the discussion on narcotics smuggling that had happenned in mid 2010. Back then, the US Treasury added Mozambican businessman Mohamed Bachir Suleman to its list of international drug kingpins, sanctioning his businesses by freezing their US-held assets and preventing Americans from doing business with them. Suleman was one of a list of only 87 individuals globally. In June, this move provoked reactions in Mozambique, as Suleman is a high profile person who owns the biggest and newest shopping center in Maputo.
Maputo Shopping Center, Flickr user liam_mac_liam with CC license
Blogger Carlos Serra remarked at the time [pt] that the case had “caused a great social commotion and permanent debate in a number of sectors [of society]”. Rapper Azagaia recorded the single “Arrrri” about the case (previously mentioned by Global Voices).
Suleman's close connections to the powers in the ruling party were also no secret in Maputo. Meditabundo blog wrote [Pt]
Confesso que nao fiquei muito espantado, embora nunca tivesse colocado uma ideia semelhante na minha mente. Tem sido uma das minhas maiores preocupacoes, desvendar as (verdadeiras) fontes de rendimento dos nossos ‘empresa'rios’ mocambicanos e “ricos poli'ticos” ou “poli'ticos ricos”, como queiram.
Marcelo Mosse, head of the Mozambican NGO Center for Public Integrity (CIP) published an essay in CIP's newsletter called “The Unmasking” on the growth of narcotraffic, organized crime and the ruling party. The essay was reproduced on the web by Parte1 blog [Pt]
MBS triunfava não com negócios limpos, mas porque estava ligado à droga. Por isso, todo o moçambicano que ouviu hoje a bombástica notícia, respira um alívio cúmplice: já sabíamos!!! Todos sabíamos, mas quem ousaria meter a mão num homem que alimentava o partidão?
In early December, the first Wikileaks cables from the US Embassy in Maputo revived the “commotion”, provided a window into the Embassy's analysis of the situation in the country. The cables, written by State Department official Todd Chapman, revealed he believed Mozambique to be one of the biggest entry points for narcotics in Africa. They also allege that the former Prime Minister Luisa Diogo was involved in high-level corruption.
Long-time Mozambique watcher Joseph Hanlon, quoted by blogger Manoel De Araujo, observed [Pt]
Chapman attributes accusations of corruption against Mozambican ministers to a Mozambican businessman, whose name has been deleted by Wikileaks but who can be identified because he is the owner of the only milk processing factory in Maputo.
This source, feeling extremely exposed, recently spoke to the media and accused Chapman of sacrificing his source to promote his own personal agenda. But the allegations are powerful, and in some sense the “damage is done”.
Nacala Port in Northern Mozambique, June 2010
Meanwhile the cables call into question the role of Portuguese banks and businesses named in corruption and singled out for managing Nacala Port where narcotics allegedly enter Mozambique [Pt]. Mozambican opposition members of Parliament warn that more concrete allegations may be contained in the over 900 unpublished cables.
Commenter Queface wrote [Pt] on Carlos Serra's blog Diário de um Sociológo.
[…] o que está em jogo neste processo todo não é a reputação de Moçambique, mas as pessoas que estão a frente do país. Essas sim constituem o maior perigo para nós, o povo moçambicano.
JPT from Ma-schamba blog disagreed strongly with the notion that the Wikileaks cables offered acceptable proof, writing [Pt]
A reclamação da liberdade de informação é uma falsidade gigantesca. Querem saber se há corrupção em Moçambique? Investiguem. Investiguem no terreno. Querem saber se há males no mundo? Investiguem.
JPT was enfuriated by the decision of his co-blogger ABM to translate the cables into Portuguese and publish them, so he dramatically decided to abandon the blog he had founded [Pt]
As mensagens americanas vituperam o estado moçambicano. ABM, no seu propósito divulgador e denunciador, assume explicitamente o seu conteúdo como verdadeiro. Ora se assim é, se o Estado moçambicano assim o é, ABM inconsiderou os meus interesses e a minha situação pessoal, familiar e profissional, sabendo-me único residente, único trabalhador dependente aqui e conhecido como fundador do blog que ele utilizou para atacar o poder moçambicano.
And so the canonical blog Ma-schamba became collateral damage of the publishing of open secrets contained in Wikileaks.
The case of drugs, power and the Mozambican state illustrates that the explicit airing of “open secrets”, or popular versions of them, has the power to disrupt public life and seriously disturb private lives. And this is only the beginning.

author: Janet Gunter


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Nepal: Feedback On Newspaper Articles Via SMS · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ujjwal Acharya questions the newly introduced practice of two dailies of Nepal – Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post – where readers can send their feedback on opinion pieces and editorial via SMS.


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Nigeria: BarCamp Nigeria 2011 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

BarCamp Nigeria 2011: “The Barcamp Nigeria team is proud to announce the schedule for 2011 Barcamp events. The event was successfully organized two editions in 2009 and 2010, and having listened to the yearnings of tech professionals for engaging events, we are poised to take it further in 2011…”


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Pakistan: A Public Discourse Is Required · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sana Saleem proposes a public discourse between the activists and clerics to resolve the current crisis in Pakistan with a mutual consensus.


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Puerto Rico: Ex Alums and Professors Question Violence · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The digital magazine 80 Grados republishes the expressions [es] of professors and ex alums of the University of Puerto Rico who have criticized a group of alleged students who damaged University property in protest against an imposed special fee.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Puerto Rico: More Students Arrested · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The student blog Desde Adentro [es] informs that eight students of the University of Puerto Rico were arrested today for distributing fliers and leaflets in the classrooms. Students of the UPR are on strike.


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Puerto Rico: Reflections on 2010 · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Artist and blogger Javier Martínez reflects [es] on the best and the worst of 2010.


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Russia: Internet for Tatar Diaspora · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Paul Goble writes about the role of the Internet in connecting dispersed Tatar communities both in Russia and abroad. “… the Tatnet is thus serving as a virtual space in which all of them can come together, something Tatars in Kazan have long dreamed of but up until now they have not the possibility of arranging,” writes Goble.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Sri Lanka: Reaching Out To The Flood victims · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sarvodaya blog highlights the relief efforts targeted towards the flood victims in Ampara and Batticaloa districts of Sri Lanka.


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Sudan: Smiling faces and ink-stained fingers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.
Alun McDonald and David McKenzie are posting regular updates on their Twitter accounts from Southern Sudan where voters are taking part in a referendum on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or be independent.
From 5 hour queues to a trickle of voters:
Only a trickle of voters now at John Garang’s Mausoleum. 5 hour queues on Sunday, now in and out in 5 mins #Sudanref
A voter with a leg shattered by a bullet:
A war vet in 70s with a leg shattered by a bullet one of the 1st to vote. “I have to…I have to, even through this hardship.” #sudanref
Vote for freedom and say goodbye to the North:
Bumped into an old friend from Khartoum in Juba market – he just returned home to “vote for freedom & say goodbye to the North”
A Russian expat cooking his own eggs at a restaurant in Juba:
Russian expat in Juba cooking his own eggs at the breakfast line, Kenyan chef looks on: hilarious #sudan
70 year old voters:
http://twitpic.com/3op0iw – These 70 year old voted this morning along the white nile early today #sudanref
70 year old voters in Southern Sudan. Photo courtesy of David McKenzie
Smiling faces and ink-stained fingers:
Back in Juba to lots of smiling faces and ink-stained fingers #Sudanref
What if John Garang were alive?:
How different would this week have been if John Garang was still alive – would we now be looking at unity? #Sudanref #Sudan
Testimonies from voters
Kathy:
Kathy, voting with her baby Duku: “I want my kid not to suffer. The suffering ends with me.” #sudanref
Hakim:
Hakim, on a ferry for 12 days from Khartoum, “It is my own place, my own country, I must come back to be among my people.”
Petronella:
Petronella, recently back from exile: ” It has given me an identity.It has shown me that I have a country now.” #sudanref
This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.


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Taiwan: Petrochemical industry pays for blog posts · Global Voices
David Reid

Michael Turton writes about how the Taiwan Green Party accused the government of paying bloggers to write about a visit to petrochemical plants. Green Party member Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲) says the practice is greenwashing [zh-tw] and accused the government and corporations of forming a “$5,000 Party” (五千黨) [zh-tw].

author: David Reid


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Tunisia: Whisperings of Coup Just Rumor · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Early Wednesday morning, January 12, reports of a coup in Tunisia spread like wildfire on Twitter.  At approximately 5:10am CET, Wessim Amara (@wes_m) was amongst the first to tweet:
"Phone confirmation that the army has surrounded the ministry of interior #coup #tunisia #zaba"
Following the tweets of @wes_m and others, the Twitter stream became filled with news of a rumored coup, and The Next Web became amongst the first to report on the possibility:
According to reports that we’re seeing on Twitter, a military coup against the Ben Ali regime and President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali has erupted in Tunisia. However, it appears that mainstream media attention to the events of the past few weeks in the embattled country have been minimal, with the notable exception of a 26 year old protestor who set fire to himself and later died.
Along with the reports of a potential coup, a video circulated on YouTube showed massive protests in France outside of the Tunisian embassy there:
In the end, however, the reports of a coup were false; Nasser Weddady (@weddady), whose report of a possible coup had quickly become a Top Tweet, apologized, noting:
Ok, I was wrong relying on @SBZ_NEWSon a coup of #tunisia. #sidibouzid my mistake. No coup. Stay tuned.
As Emir Chouchane (@miroh_) concluded:
la rumeur d'un coup d'Etat d'aujourd'hui est la réponse de ce que veux vraiment le peuple.#sidibouzid
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.


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Afghanistan: Protest in Kabul against the Iranian government · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Afghan protesters demonstrated on Thursday outside the Iranian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan against the ill treatment of Afghan immigrants and refugees in Iran, and also against Iran's ongoing fuel blockade against Afghanistan. Today's demonstration was organized by the Afghanistan Solidarity Party. The Iranian government says the objective of the blockade is to prevent NATO forces from getting the fuel.
Burning photos of Iran's leaders
This video shows demonstrators burning photos of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. People cheered, “Down with Ahmadinejad and Khamenei.”
Iranian prisoners, Afghan victims
Radio Koocheh has published several photos from today's demonstration. The Afghan protesters carried photos of Afghan victims and Iranian jailed political activists (above).
Radio Koocheh writes that dozens of protesters threw stones at Iran's embassy in Kabul.
Porteghal Froosh (means ‘Orange Seller’) writes [fa] that last Friday , on January 7, there was another demonstration against the Islamic Republic's decision to block 200 fuel tankers from entering Afghanistan. The blogger writes that the block caused a rise in fuel prices… The Afghan government has accused the Iranian policy of violating international laws.
Eghtesad Afghnestan (means ‘Afghanistan Economy’) writes [fa] that Afghanistan imports all its fuel and that 30% comes from Iran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Barbados: By-Election for Late PM’s Seat  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The by-election in the parish of St. John is in full swing, with the usual bickering and personal attacks that have come to personify Bajan election campaigns”: Cheese-on-bread! can't wait for the whole thing to be over and done with.


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Barbados, U.S.A.: The Republicans · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Trust the Republican machinery to make you start feeling nostalgic for Dubya”: B.C. Pires blogs about She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.


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China: Netizens’ reaction to J-20 Stealth Fighter Test Flight · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translates Chinese netizens’ reaction to the recent J-20 stealth fighter test flight in China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Social media for social change · Global Voices
Andy Yee

Discussion about the political power of social media has focussed on its potential to organize mass protests for revolutionary changes. In the January/February 2011 issue of Foreign Affairs, however, Clay Shirky argued that the real power of social media lies in supporting civil society and the public sphere, with impacts that should be measured in years and decades, not weeks or months.
Hu Yong, a media scholar at Peking University, would probably agree with Clay Shirky. In an article published shortly after Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel Peace Prize was announced, Hu claimed that Twitter and all its clones (the various microblogs offered by major portals) have become important tools in China for organizing activism like social resistance and civic investigation. But rather than leading to a ‘Twivolution’, he argued that social media would lead to more subtle social progress in China:
That subtlety reflects the distinction between macro-politics and micro-politics. Macro-politics is structural, whereas micro-politics is daily. Changes in the micro-political system do not necessarily lead to an adjustment in the macro structure, particularly in hyper-controlled political systems like China’s. But if small units are well organized, they can greatly improve the well-being of society as a whole, bit by bit, by working at the micro level. ‘Micro-information’ and ‘micro-exchange’ can push forward real change.
In a recent interview about the Chinese social media landscape with Xiaomi (@xiaomi2020) from the China blog Translators, Hu Yong (@huyong) expanded upon this notion of gradualism. He stated that it would be innocent to think that social media can lead to revolutionary changes in China, as many participants are merely ‘onlookers’ of public events. However, it has a transformative power which should not be underestimated. Below are some of the comments expressed by Hu Yong during the interview (titles added by author of this post for ease of reading).
The meaning of ‘onlooking’
我强调围观是一种最低限度的公共参与，它其实与通过参与达成共识或通过共识再采取决策和行动这些东西都距离非常遥远。所以，我们如果简单地认为围观就能够改变中国的话，肯定是对中国的现实报以太过于天真的幻想。但是，反过来讲，我们不能够因此低估网络围观的意义，因为它降低了行动的门槛，导致很多人可以去表达一种立场、一种诉求，这种立场和诉求积少成多、集腋成裘，可以形成一个很大的舆论力量。
I emphasized that onlooking is the minimum level of public participation. In fact, it is very far from the kind of politics in which people participate, reach a consensus, make decisions, and then act. Therefore, it would be too innocent to think that onlooking can change the reality of China. On the other hand, we should not underestimate the meaning of this onlooking in social media. It lowers the threshold of public participation, enabling many people to express their views and desires. These micro-expressions, when combined together, can form formidable public opinion.
另外，我觉得说，这个围观还有一个很重要的东西在于哪里？所谓的围观，就意味着说大家彼此能够互相看见对方，互相看见对方是非常重要的。因为，我经常讲到的一个观点说，在当下的中国社会，人的原罪不是无知，而是视而不见，视而不见比无知是一种更大的危害。也正是由于如此，在当下的中国社会，单纯的看见这样一种渴望，就会引起很多人的恐慌，引起某些机构的恐慌，原因在于看见本身就是一种力量，因为它代表着公民对很多事情的一种见证，这样的见证如果又是互相能够守望的一种见证，至少它所产生的心理的和社会的动能是不可低估的。
Apart from this, I think that this kind of onlooking represents something important. The so-called onlooking means that people can see each other. This is very important. As I always emphasize, the original sin of people in contemporary China is not ignorance, but apathy, which is more harmful than ignorance. The fact that some parts of the government panic when faced with public demands in the social media shows that onlooking is a force of its own. It represents a kind of witness and caring about each other on the part of the citizenry. The psychological and social momentum generated by it should not be underestimated.
Social media and political consumerism
一方面，我们当然要肯定围观政治的积极作用，但是围观政治的确有它的一些比较明显的弊端，比如说短暂性。短暂性是一个比较明显的特点，在中国，尤其是互联网的舆论，总是呈现一种波浪形的，它是一波一波的。换句话讲，一个事件形成以后，它的热点非常集中，形成大家铺天盖地的舆论，但是它的维持舆论的势头其实是有问题的。如果一个新的热点出现，原来的就会很快淡出视野，甚至会被人们遗忘。实际上说，这种围观政治的短暂性，包括民众对于议题的注意力的易碎程度，其实不是特别有利于改变中国的制度结构。
We should acknowledge the positive force of the ‘onlooking politics’. But it has its limitations, of which transience is a major one. In China, public opinion come and go like waves. When an incident first breaks, coverage concentrates on it, with massive amounts of reports and comments. But this attention is not sustainable. If another hotspot emerges, the original event will fade away or even be forgotten. This short attention span of the Chinese public is not helpful in effecting structural political changes in China.
这是一个注意力的螺旋定律，就是说为了要获得注意力就要采取一些极端的做法，但是，下一次要获得更大的注意力就只能采取更极端的做法。也有人把这种东西叫做审丑疲劳，就是大家比丑，一个事情比一个事情更丑恶，丑恶到最后，大家对这些东西都比较麻木不仁。所以，我一直觉得，我们一方面要非常肯定这些新的工具带来的民众的参与性，但是，我们要意识到，这其实是一个最基础的工作，我们永远要把这种政治参与度或者是对社会事务的关注度的提升作为一个很大的好事来鼓吹，因为它提供了将来结构改变的一种最为核心的基础，如果不打这个基础的话，我觉得任何改变都是纸上谈兵。但是，也不要把打基础的工作夸大为好像就是在建造某个新的结构，或者是说在建造某个新的大厦，打基础和建大厦的区别还是非常明显的。我觉得，微博政治或者围观政治到目前为止，其实还是为我们的民主的微观政治提供了很多改良的机会和手段，它为我们以后更大的社会变迁在打基础，但是它不能代替很多很多的制度化的变革。
This is the spiral rule of attracting attention. You can attract the spotlight through some extreme methods. But to do the same next time, you have to resort to even more extreme means. Sometimes this is called scandal fatigue, in which people compete with each other on being uglier. In the end, people become insensitive. Therefore, I sense that while we should affirm the positive role of social media in encouraging public participation, we should also realize that it is very primitive. Our goal should always be raising this political participation and care about public affairs to a new level, which would provide the foundation of structural changes in China. If we don’t construct this foundation, all else will be empty talks. However, we should not equate this foundation building with creating a new structure. After all, the difference between foundation building and constructing a high-rise is apparent. I think that microblogging or onlooking provides a lot of opportunities and tools for us to improve our politics in a micro sense. They lay the foundation for something bigger, but they cannot replace the many structural reforms required.
The role of micro-power
今天的中国的变革并不需要一种强有力的革命性的力量，它需要的是一种微动力。这个微动力为什么是重要的？因为，在过去，少数人跟大多数民众之间，中间的联系是断裂的，总会有一些少数的动力特别充足的人，他们会推动某个事情的前进，但是他们永远搞不清楚的是，“为什么大众总是不关心我们所做的事情，甚至在我们给他们争取利益的时候，大众也不关心”。而大众通常会觉得这些少数动力十足的人，他们太政治化了，可能有他们自己的目的或想法。我觉得，由于微动力的出现，会导致在这两者的断裂间架设起很多的桥梁，这就是微动力的作用。
Today’s China does not need a strong, revolutionary force. What it needs is micro-power. Why is micro-power important? This is because, in the past, there was a disconnect between the minority and the majority. The politically active minority always pushes forward real change, but what they find it difficult to understand is, ‘why is the mass always unconcerned about what we are doing, even when we are fighting for their benefits?’ On the other hand, the majority thinks of this active minority as too politicized, perhaps with their own agenda. I think that the presence of micro-power creates many bridges between the two disconnected groups. This is the role of micro-power.
Revolutionary vs. transformative
当下的中国，如果我们有一些公民的行动，或者用更大的词，我们有一些社会运动，那我觉得，它的功能或者效果不是revolutionary，就是它不是革命性的，但是，它可能是transformative[渐变的]。等于说，它会推动中国社会缓慢地沿着一个长线的道路前进，比如让所有的中国人享有更多的尊严，能够在一个更加公平的社会环境下生活。我觉得，它会推动社会向这个方面有一个很缓慢的转变。所以，可能很多人期待的是，我们有没有可能有一个一夜之间的变化。鲁迅很早就说得很清楚，在中国搬一张桌子都是要流血的。其实，中国的任何事情都不会有很快的变化，都是一个缓慢的变化。那么，在这个意义上来讲，这种微博政治或者围观政治还有一个很大的好处，就是它会锻炼我们的精神。我那时候经常引用朱学勤的话，他说“纵使十年不将军，却无一日不拱卒”，就是不要期待很容易就将军了，但是要日复一日的拱卒，这种精神恰好是很多中国人比较欠缺的东西。大家习惯于速成，习惯于走捷径。西方有一个谚语说，捷径其实是最远的道路。那就是说，我们特别欠缺就是耐心对峙、长期渐进的一种韧性的战斗。而我觉得，凡是期待迅速变化的人会失望，但是，这一次一次的过程，其实在告诉我们，在中国人当中培养这样一种精神，这种精神最终能够改变现在很多不良的政治和社会。
I think that the effect of citizen actions or even social movements in today’s China is not revolutionary, but transformative. It will propel China through a long path of improvements, like more dignity for individuals or a fairer society. It will go along this path slowly. Perhaps many people expect changes overnight. But as Lu Xun pointed out long ago, change in China does not come easily – this was a place where even moving a table will almost always end in bloodshed. From this point of view, microblogging or onlooking has an immense benefit – it refines our spirit. I used to quote Zhu Xueqin, ‘we may not be delivering checkmate in ten years, but we waste not a single day advancing our troops.’ Don’t expect an easy checkmate, but advancing step by step. This spirit is what most Chinese are lacking. We are used to shortcuts and accelerations. There is a good saying, ‘a shortcut is the longest distance between two points.’ In other words, we lack patience and a progressive, tough fighting spirit. Those who expect sudden changes will be disappointed. But, one incident after another, this process will develop our spirit, and this spirit will correct the defects of our politics and society.

author: Andy Yee


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China: The best entry strategy for foreign-owned Internet firm · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

There is an interesting discussion in Quora on “What will be the best entry strategy for a foreign-owned Internet firm to succeed in China?” Paul Denlinger suggests not to bother with the question.


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Cote d’Ivoire: The struggle to control media · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nassirou Diallo and Mohamed Keita discuss the struggle to control the media in Cote d'Ivoire: “Cut off from the state media, Ouattara's self-proclaimed government uses the international media and an improvised radio station to make itself heard.


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El Salvador: 10 Years with the US Dollar · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Remembering 10 years since El Salvador began using the US Dollar as its currency, Tim from Tim's El Salvador Blog explains: “It would be fair to say that the move to the dollar has never been popular among the ordinary people of El Salvador.”


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El Salvador: A Decade Since the January 13 Earthquake · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Hunnapuh [es] asks if El Salvador has learned “the lesson” 10 years after the January 13 earthquake. Blogger “Jjmar” answers the question reporting that construction companies still build homes in vulnerable places, and that people still purchase and live in these high-risk homes.


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Guyana: Adopt-a-Turtle  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal considers adopting a turtle – but there's a deal-breaker.


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Guyana, St. Lucia, Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Regional bloggers are reblogging posts that ask where all the Haiti relief money went, given that the country appears to be not much better off a year after the earthquake.


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Iran: Coelho’s books banned · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Brazilian author Paulo Coelho says his books were banned in Iran. The writer made all his books in Persian availabe on his blog, free for all fans.


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Iran: New Cops for Virtual world · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According  [fa] Weblognews,Iran announced ‘new cops, next week, will start their function for internet surveillance.” Read more about computer criminals here.


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Iran:”Supreme leader tweetings infuriate Iran’s bloggers” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Guardian writes that “A Twitter account believed to belong to Iran's supreme leader has triggered controversy among Iranians whose own access to social networking websites remains blocked.”


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Jamaica: Skin Bleaching  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“All of a sudden the problem of skin bleaching is in the spotlight and we have top DJ Vybz Kartel to thank for it”: Active Voice explains.