· June, 2011

Below are posts about citizen media in French. Don't miss Global Voices en Français, where Global Voices posts are translated into French! Read about our Lingua project to learn more about how Global Voices content is being translated into other languages.

Stories about French from June, 2011

Senegal: The Protests Will be “Twitterized”

  29 June 2011

On June 23, 2011, Dakar's streets were stormed by protesters. Their goal: derail the electoral reform that would allow the election of the president with 25% of the votes in the first round and would also propose a dual ticket with a vice-president, much like the American electoral system. The protests succeeded in getting the bill withdrawn - and Twitter played a significant role.

Republic of Congo: Widows Demand Their Rights

  29 June 2011

minguabiango [fr] writes on congo-liberty about the cruel treatments and deprivation of their rights suffered by some widows in the Republic of Congo:  “In Congo-Brazzaville, some widows are daring to prosecute their in‑laws and obtain compensation, sometimes with help from NGOs.  They set a good example for all those women...

Guinea: “Democracy, Backwards”

  29 June 2011

Guinean novelist Tierno Monénembo, who won the French literary award Prix Renaudot in 2008, examines the early record of  the new President of Guinea, Prof. Alpha Conde, writing [fr] in an opinion piece on Slate Afrique: “Beaten up and imprisoned at a whim. Nominated and dismissed at a whim. All...

Senegal: President Wade's Failure

  29 June 2011

Barka Ba writes [fr] on blog leral.net, about the constitutional amendment proposed by President Wade of Senegal: “Now, the emperor has no clothes. His gambling on an election reform, that would have allowed the president and vice-president to be elected with only 25% of the votes, and then personally pick...

Senegal: Power Shortages in Dakar Lead to More Riots

  28 June 2011

Website politicosn.com has provided real time coverage [fr] of the protests against power shortages in Dakar, Senegal, on June 28, 2011: “Ongoing demonstrations have flared up in Senegal capital, public buildings have been stormed by youth protesting against power shortages. This situation has forced authorities to call upon the army, security...

Syria: French Embassy Website Hacked

On Saturday, June 25, since at least 3PM GMT, the website of the French Embassy in Syria appears to have been hacked: anyone connecting to the French embassy website is automatically redirected to another site (http://th3pro.pro/fr/), where, to the tune of the Syrian national anthem, a message in French and...

Lebanon, France: Amin Maalouf Elected Into The Académie Française

  25 June 2011

“My favorite novelist has just been elected into the Académie française“” write Khira [fr], from Morocco, and  Patricia [fr], on behalf of the Lebanese diaspora, happy to announce on their blogs that Lebanese writer and novelist  Amin Maalouf was elected a member of the Académie française on June 23, at...

Syria: Blogging Day for Syria

Today marks the 100th day since the protest movement found its foothold in Syria. A 100 days later, more than 1,400 deaths, and three presidential speeches, the protest movement is still in full force. This Friday is being billed "friday of delegitimization".

Senegal: Proposed New Election Law Sparks Riots in Dakar

  24 June 2011

President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade's, proposed amendment to the Constitution and election law, in anticipation of the presidential elections of 2012, has made a lot of Senegalese angry and sparked demonstrations and riots in the capital Dakar on June 23. This popular unrest has since forced the government to drop the suggested amendment.

Senegal: University women's group helps the needy

  17 June 2011

On the blog dakar.bondyblog.fr, Mamadou Sané presented the initiative of a group of female students from the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. “The association called ‘Regard de femme [A Woman's Look]’ is aiming to collect as many foodstuffs as possible to distribute to those in greatest need through a...

Lebanon: Lady Gaga's Latest Album Sparks A Rumor

Lady Gaga's latest album, Born This Way, stirred a small storm on Lebanese social networks. An article published by the Sun on June 4th, 2011, and commented by one of the Los Angeles Time blogs , stated that Lebanese authorities had banned the album. Lebanese fans immediately mobilized against this decision forcing the Sûrete Générale in Lebanon to deny the ban.

India Close Behind China in the African Continent

  14 June 2011

In May, the second India and Africa Summit was held at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Through the Cooperation Plan, India offers a different partnership model from the Chinese one, and inspired comments in the French-speaking African blogosphere.

Tunisia: Protest to Free a Government Critic

Tunisian protesters took to the streets yesterday calling for the immediate release of Samir Feriani, who has been in custody since May 29, 2011, for openly criticising the Interior Ministry. Human Rights Watch and Anonymous both addressed the Tunisian authorities and asked them to free him.

Featured Translator: Fabienne Der Hagopian

Fabienne Der Hagopian is a volunteer translator for Global Voices in French. Being of Armenian descent, she has translated into French many posts about the Caucasus, but is also passionate about the world at large. Fabienne reflects on her experience as a volunteer translator.

France, Syria: Syria's Ambassador To France Resigns

Syria's ambassador to France, Mrs Lamia Chakkour, has announced  her resignation during a live audio interview with France24 [fr] TV chanel in Paris, today. “I cannot support this cycle of violence […] and ignore that protesters have been killed, that families live in grief” she said. “I invite President Bachar al-Assad...

Burkina Faso: Netizens Debate Political Turmoil on Facebook Group

  6 June 2011

The 2,000 member strong opposition Facebook group “Blaise Compaoré doit partir” ([President] Blaise Compaoré must go) is one of the platforms netizens are turning to to share news, updates and opinions [fr] about the tense situation in Burkina Faso, where mutinous militaries and presidential forces clashed last week in the town...

Côte d'Ivoire: The New Cabinet Line-up

  3 June 2011

Suy on  la Côte d'Ivoire au jour le jour – Ivory Coast day by day posted an audio recording [fr] of the Secretary General of the Ivorian presidency announcing the line-up of  the new government, noting also that some already consider as ”overmanning” a line-up of 36 ministers.

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